A/N: I'm sorry. So sorry. Really, truly, I am. Urrmm...now four parts. I can't stop rambling about this...STILL, you gotta take a chance when you get it s'pose.

And like I said before in other fic, TORCHWOOD! I can't wait till next episode. It's The Doctor's hand. IT IS! I'm still so pleased with myself for working that out! XD

Anyway, that last one really got you going didn't it? Sorry. And...sorry again. Just read, and you'll find out what I'm sorry about.

----------

Chapter 9 – How Utterly Depressing Part 3

Rose was sat on the edge of the pavement, staring blankly ahead into the prominent orange of the burning bus, absorbed in shock. The pains she was experiencing were just numb feelings from the cold. He was dead. He had to be. He'd just run back into his own death. Why?

She somehow hoped this was a nightmare – she had fallen asleep during the sitcom. Yeah. That was it. Maybe if she wished hard enough she would wake back up, back in The Doctor's warm arms, lying on that sofa. But it was useless. She knew where she was, what was happening and how horrifically The Doctor had died. All the while Jackie was probably having a cup of tea whilst watching repeats of Eastenders.

And the sad thing was – that was probably true.

She felt a tear fall down her cheek, onto her blood soaked arm. Blood that was both hers and The Doctor's, perhaps the only remaining part of him left that wasn't burnt to a crisp. There were no ambulances, fire brigades, police cars, lifeguard boats, pet rescue vans or ice cream vans – nothing about. Anything with flashing lights would certainly be welcome right now.

"I'm so sorry…" someone suddenly said from beside her, interrupting her trail of thought. "He saved everyone's lives. He shouldn't have to die."

Rose didn't say anything in reply. She just closed her eyes, letting her tears run their course.

"There's always a chance…" the person continued before Rose interrupted him swiftly.

"He's dead. He 'as to be," Rose said abruptly, turning to face the person addressing her, and suddenly looked taken aback. It was the teenage boy she'd first saved. Now she wasn't blinded by panic, she could see he looked quite mature for his age, thin face with chiselled features, short blond hair, and intelligent brown eyes – he looked slightly similar to The Doctor, just younger and more built.

"What's your name?" she asked suddenly, intrigued by this newfound discovery.

"Rory," he replied, giving a half-smile. "What's yours?"

"Rose."

"Don't give up on him, Rose." The boy took her hand with his own warm one. "I'm sure he's alive. You can't give up. I can tell you're not the type to give up."

He was right. She couldn't give up. Not after all The Doctor had done for her. Plus – he didn't even know about the baby. She couldn't sit here and just accept his death, when he was probably still alive under the wreckage. He had to know about the baby.

She launched herself onto her feet, letting go of the boy's hand to address the crowd gathered around the destroyed bus that were screaming hysterically to the man inside.

Then it collapsed.

Rose watched, horror-struck, as the ceiling came down, and with it her confidence. As she slowly began to shrink back to sitting position, the warm hand found hers again and squeezed reassuringly, that same calming voice whispering in her ear.

"You can do it Rose." It was all she needed.

"Oi!" she yelled loudly, but few people turned to face her. "I'm 'ere!" she screamed, even louder, and more people started to turn towards the sound of her voice. "Yeah! I'm talkin'! Over 'ere!" She let the boy's hand slide from her grasp as she waved her arms about madly to attract the attention of the watching crowd. More clusters of people turned, and soon Rose was faced with all the survivors and bystanders of the crash still able to walk.

"Listen up, 'cause we ain't got much time. There's a man still trapped in there and I for one am not gonna let 'im die for nothin'! He saved everyone else's lives and mine tonight and I'm gonna bust 'im outta that wreck! But I can't save 'im alone; I need your 'elp. Now, who's with me?"

Her face slowly turned into a grin as people started nodding in approval, walking towards her to join her side. She turned to thank the boy – without him she'd have never been able to do this. But he was nowhere to be seen.

She shrugged, turning back around to face the waiting crowd of willing volunteers.

"Alright, here's what we'll do…"

----------

Katie was terrified.

She knew the ceiling had collapsed onto them, and now The Doctor wasn't moving or talking. Was he dead? He was covering her, shielding her from the fire, but with her arms aching like they were, she couldn't shift The Doctor from the protective position he covered her in to check on the progress of the fire.

She wasn't old enough to understand the impact of death. No relation of hers had ever died, and to her death, was just something always lingering and was bound to come at some time or another. You can't understand the impact of a death until your heart has experienced it. But despite only knowing The Doctor for a minute or two, she felt like her mother had just died.

Helplessly, she tugged on The Doctor's jacket, trying to get his attention.

"Doctor, are you there? Doctor? Please say yes. Please don't be dead." But he didn't reply. She started to cry again, too scared to do anything else.

She didn't know how long she layed there, crying. She thought of her mummy, and her daddy. Her brother. What had happened to him? Was he dead too? The last thing she remembered…he was sitting with her on the bus, telling her how when they got home he'd make her some hot chocolate and play cuddlytoys with her. Then someone had yelled, and next thing she knew, she was on her own.

"Doctor!" said a recognisable woman's voice over the flames, and Katie's ears pricked up. "Are you in there?"

"Help!" Katie cried out, relief cascading over her in a crashing wave. "Help us!"

She heard something rip, but couldn't move her head to see the source. She suddenly felt a rush of cold air blow onto her face, and knew straight away they'd been saved.

"Doctor?" Rose asked again, this time a lot closer. "Oh god!"

"He's not movin'…" Katie sobbed uncontrollably.

"Give 'im a shake," Rose said to Katie who promptly obeyed, holding The Doctor's arm and pushing him. Nothing happened.

Rose feared the worst. She could only see one half of his face through the rubble, and that was snail trailed in blood. She couldn't give up on him. She had to believe.

She reached forward as far as she could; she just about touched his neck – checking for a pulse. She concentrated with all her might, until she finally felt that rhythmic pulsating sensation against her fingertips, and breathed out a sigh of relief. Yes, it was slow by the standards of a guy with two hearts; but it was there.

"C'mon, we gotta get you out…" Rose muttered, grabbing hold of Katie firmly by the arms and giving a firm tug. The child cried out in pain in her arms, and Rose instantly stopped, scared again. "What is it?"

"My legs…" the girl wept, and Rose strained her head around the hole of the outside cool metal, catching a glimpse of the seat on her crushed legs. Her thoughts began tumbling around her, flicking through possibilities, but finding nothing that didn't involve a metal dissipating device unknown to human kind at this precise moment in history.

"Sonic Screwdriver!" she suddenly realised. It could reattach barbed wire and resonate concrete – why not corrode metal? She turned her attentions to the girl again, intent on getting her to find the Sonic Screwdriver from The Doctor's pocket, but was met with a far more promising prospect.

The Doctor groaned, trying to put a wounded hand to the place on his head where the metal had struck him unconscious, but he couldn't move either of his hands. One was being crushed and the other was too badly hurt to move. He was aware of a giant weight pinning him down, and the searing heat was alarmingly close to the bottom of his right foot. But he didn't cry out. What would be the point?

Then he heard the point.

"Doctor!"

He gave a small smile to himself, opening his eyes to meet the ones of Rose, staring back at him through a ripped hole in the side of the bus.

"Sorry Rose…" he croaked, struggling to breathe under the weight of the rubble. "I couldn't leave her…"

"I know," she answered, smiling. She'd found him. "But now we gotta get you out. Both of you."

To Rose's surprise, he shook his head for about two seconds, but found the pain that came with it too much to tolerate.

"It's too late…the fire Rose…" he gasped, and she saw his fists clench as he contained a fresh burst of pain. "It's…it's…burning…"

Rose stared in alarm as he started to whimper, and she instantly realised was he was saying. The fire had started burning through his leg; chewing it through like a hungry beast, leaving nothing for mercy.

"No!" Rose screamed, determined not to let the tears overcome her, fall and cloud her already wonky vision. "I won't let it! Move your leg! Get it out!"

"I…can't," he panted, and Rose could she he was trying to fight the pain, for both Katie's and her sake. "I can't move…"

Rose was seeing colours smash and collide infront of her eyes, the sorrow becoming all too much as the fire continued to burn his leg. With every second it was progressing up his leg and towards his body…

She'd see him and the girl die. Screaming. Screaming in pain and crying in fear as the flames engulfed the both of them. There was nothing she could do. She felt helpless. She'd lost him. She'd come so close – only to have it snatched away from her again like a lion hunting it's prey.

"Go Rose!" The Doctor suddenly yelled, convulsing in pain. Rose was trembling from both shock and realisation, the tears caught in her throat, feeling nothing but the distress of The Doctor – dying to the force not even he could control, all because of her. "I don't want you to see me…" He unexpectedly cried out, and even though she couldn't see it, she knew the fire was spreading rapidly.

And she was helpless.

She turned away, finally letting more tears flow from her eyes and down her cheeks, unable to watch as he was about swallowed up in the flames, covering her ears as he called out in the ultimate pain.

"I love you Doctor!" she cried out into the night, but he couldn't hear her.

And now he probably never would.

----------

A/N: PLEASE! Don't kill me, or I won't be able to post the next chapter. Nice readers. Nice, GOOD readers. You wouldn't hit an innocent fic writer would you?

Heh...(Backs off slowly and runs away)