Flux

By Kimmzie

Disclaimer: I own nothing Jon Snow

Author's Note: This is the changing of the guard. On to the next part of the story! Read, Review, and Enjoy

Rose was peacefully snoring and drooling on the Doctor's chest. He was enjoying the peace and quiet of the twilight, while Rose's golden presence purred in the back of his mind. He could feel time nipping at his heels. It was reaching for him, trying to cauterize the wound. He gritted his teeth together and head the hum of his TARDIS and the golden light flash stronger. It felt as if he was getting stuck into a web. Small golden threads clung to him and kept him grounded.

Rose let out a loud snore and the Doctor gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Are you ready to go?" his Eighth self asked, quietly from the door.

"Don't really have a choice now, do I?" he grounded out the reply through clenched teeth. His counterpart shook his head grimly.

"Aren't you going to say good bye to her?" The Eighth Doctor looked down at Rose.

"It's not really goodbye… More like a hello," The Tenth Doctor started to slowly disentangle himself from the human. The other Time Lord left the room wordlessly to give them what limited privacy was available.

The Tenth Doctor joined his past self on the couch a few moments later. He was very quiet. Which was fairly unsettling... "She knows our name now," the Eighth Doctor began wistfully as he looked towards the bedroom.

"She's known it for a while," his older self replied. He tried to preoccupy himself by controlling a bad case of bedhead. The Eighth Doctor smiled at his semi-in control shortened curls. Both Doctors ignored the older Doctor's groan.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go, before you disappear!" His younger self pushed the Doctor off the couch. "Keep reality from ripping and we'll do the rest," the Eighth Doctor regarded the other with concerned, blue eyes.

The Tenth Doctor looked like he was in static. He slowly went to the TARDIS and gave his younger self a dark stare and nodded a goodbye. The TARDIS gave a wheeze and was gone in golden light.

Rose hung around in the bedroom doorway a hoodie carelessly zipped around her. "W'hat? He's gone." She looked around the room and saw the Eighth Doctor sitting calmly on the sofa.

"Change of the guard, well, of sorts. Our timeline has been pushed up a bit. This Universe is not compensating around him well. So yes, he's gone and we have to get going too," the Eighth Doctor said, gently.

Rose bit her quivering lip and disappeared into the room. She returned wearing wrinkled jeans and the hoodie, she held a rumpled t-shirt in her hands. "Nah, I'll just leave it. The seam is all gone. Can't let you gents anywhere near my clothes," she said with a sad smile.

"He's fine, " the Doctor said, softly. "How about we get this plan in motion and put all the flames out before the Universe is incinerated." He stroked her hair.

"Got a big enough fire extinguisher?" she asked, as she moved towards the door.

"I got the keys to the car. That's a start," he replied and jingled the keys.

After the ride back to her parent's manor, there were five streaks indented into the vinyl of the car door. Rose collapsed out of the passenger side and almost kissed the gravel. "You drive a time machine," she said through heavy breaths.

"You always that much of a back-seat driver?" he answered as he offered her a hand up. He closed his eyes. "It's about six o'clock in the morning. I'll meet you in the TARDIS." The Doctor rubbed the back of her hand and headed to the backyard.

"S'soo it's my goodbye, then?" Rose murmured to herself. She balled up her hands and stealthily went into the house. He Mum squeezed her so hard that she was sure a rib was broken. Pete squeezed her so hard that rest of the whole rib cage may have been shattered. Tony smiled and tried to fit his small arms round her neck. She wiped away her tears and gave them a few envelopes to hand out and read later.

One foot after the other, she tried to steady her heart which was crashing through the shards what remained. Her breath coated the morning air with soft white puffs. The TARDIS door opened for her before she could get the key.

"Well now, here we are," The Doctor smiled as he took the great big red pack from her shoulder "Are you ready to go back home?" The Doctor asked quirking a brow.

"I thought I already was," she challenged with a laugh. The Doctor set the pack down and took Rose into his arms. "You changed back into the greenish Jane Austen jacket." Rose stroked the sleeves.

"Old habits die hard, I'm getting old," he said with a sigh.

Rose pouted. "My Mum used to call you a cradle robber. She tried to seduce you the first time she met you." The Doctor stiffened.

"Do you really want all those synapses to cross, Ms. Tyler?" he asked, his eyes looking into the distance.

"Let me try this," she said, as her tongue poked out. The Doctor felt her gold presence outside his shields. He softened them to be akin to a screen door. Then he saw it, his name. The golden script rotated and wafted in through the holes as if on a breeze. He held her tighter.

"Well that's not fair, I don't know yours yet," he said with a laugh. Rose let down her shields and let the blueishy line vibrate happily against the symbols. "Unfortunately, learning that now would be cheating." He shook his head. Rose came in closer and molded herself in his arms. She made the symbols dance in her mind filling them with all the desire and love she had been carrying around for years.

"Is that cheating?" She winked.

The Doctor's eyes were dilated; Rose could see her wolfish grin smiling back at her in his pupils. He gritted his teeth and stroked her arm. "We can't escape the collapse, even in here. We have to get going. I will take you up on that offer though, later." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He gently guided her to the TARDIS console.

"The desktop looks more familiar." She gave it a nudge.

"Yes, I need your help. So I thought something more familiar would help." He pointed to the pump. "You get that and the six buttons around it," he said with a crooked grin. "Ever onwards?" he asked.

"Allons-y!" Rose smiled and started hitting the button in the middle.

"Exactly! C'mon Old Girl, get us out of here," The Doctor started to dance around the console pressing certain buttons. "Now Rose, go in your lobby and scream that symbol. It's going to get rocky, but we have to get pulled through."

Rose hit the button to the far left once more and receded into her lobby. She caressed the console and thought the Doctor's name. But the coordinates came out as a bunch of syllables her tongue easily said. Her throat was hoarse after she pronounced it.

"There you are! Took you long enough, do you know how boring Cardiff is?" She heard the Northern voice of the Ninth Doctor booming around her. "Just wait a moment and you'll be back." Rose opened her eyes and the Eighth Doctor was steadying her against the console.

"We're breaking through the void now. It shouldn't be long," he said, as he held onto the console, and reached on tip-toe to push buttons. Rose could almost feel the hesitant rotation of the ship as it flew her home. With one climatic crash the lights in the TARDIS went off and flickered on. Both passengers lifted themselves from the floor.

"Did we make it?" Rose tried to pull her hair from her face.

"It doesn't feel as odd as Pete's World." The Doctor shrugged. "You could go out and look? Everything seems to be alright according to the sensors. I can sense the Leather one's presence."

"You're not coming?" Rose reached for his hand.

"I'll be out in a tick." He grinned. "We all have many miles to go before we sleep." The sonic was in his hand and he disappeared under the console.

Rose's broken heart was trying to escape her chest again as the door to the TARDIS opened. He was leaning against his TARDIS, arms crossed and he was all lean muscle and leather. She stopped a few meters away from him. She felt as if she were grounded in place. He moved his head appraising her.

"Well, come say hello," He said with a smile. He easily closed the distance and embraced her in a leather clad hug.

She smiled into the aroma of the old jacket and tried to hold on to him tighter. He was real. He was solid and his arms were gripping her tightly as well. She thought she could feel him inhaling her scent through her hair. She couldn't help but smile.

"What? You look like you've seen a ghost. Wait, don't answer that." He looked down at her with steely blue eyes.

"You're here. You're really here. I'm home," Rose said, slowly. She jumped up and down a bit. "There are not Zeppelins in the air, or that bloody President Harriet Jones, and it smells better, a lot better. You know that great clean smell after a good downpour? I'm home," she shouted, grabbing ahold of the Doctor's arms.

"That's what we're going to work on." He smiled ear to ear. "You're, you're going to travel with me for a bit, so we can try and straighten the timelines. Lord Byron has to go off and deal with parts of the Time War. He has to find the Moment," he said, gravely. "Remember don't touch the baby? We don't want too many of ourselves running around, especially with time being so delicate."

Rose looked towards the TARDIS she just left.

"You should say good-bye for now," the Ninth Doctor coughed, "I know I'd appreciate it." She slowly turned around and went back into the police box. The wood paneling and book cases were restored. The Eighth Doctor had a bunch of wires in his mouth and was using the sonic.

"Can you electrocute yourself doing that?" Rose tried to take some of the load from his hands.

"Time Lord, I'm very insulated or some sort of nonsense," he said, dismissively. "I've got another trip to make to keep the time-stream going at the pace it is." He gave her a sad look.

The wires were forgotten and he approached Rose with soft footsteps. "I was trying to find hope or something; just something, a simple reason to keep going, fighting, or running. I know what I have to do now," he said, softly. He took her into his arms and held her like a lifeline. "I will go learn that name of yours, and deal with this Time War mess. If you need me, think of the coordinates and I'll come as soon as possible." With that the blueishy line was a blazing presence in her mind. She felt as if she was blinded behind the eyes. It burnt but she didn't care. His lips were on hers and they were moving. It felt as if it were a part of the light. She molded into him and it grew hotter, she almost felt as if her blood was boiling. His hands were grasping her desperately, hair, arms, arse, and breasts. His fingers were meticulously memorizing her skin and curves of her body.

He started to back away as Rose tried to get closer. He pointed his finger in the air and timed it to the ring of the Cloister bell. "Time to go, Rose Tyler." He stroked her cheek lightly. "Many, many, many, miles to go love."

"I hope they're fast… don't meet anymore girls in an alley," she said and put a peck on his nose. "Thank you, for saving me."

"I believe the sentiment is returned." He enfolded her in arms encased in velvet; the Byronic hero was marching off to war. "Rose Tyler, until we me again." He kissed her softly on the lips and went toward the console.

"Goodbye Doctor." She squeezed his hand and left the TARDIS.

"I knew your smile could reach your eyes," he whispered as the TARDIS door closed. "Hmm. Well Old Girl, time to find the Moment and Bad Wolf. Next stop, Pete's World," The Doctor shrugged off the tattered jacket and put it on his new favorite armchair.