Author's Notes: Uh oh, it's about to get whumpy. Please review!

"John, it won't work," The Doctor said quietly to his human duplicate, his eyes fixed on Rose. This was all his fault, completely and utterly his fault. Rose Tyler had the perfect ending. Why did he have to go and ruin it?

"Doctor," River's voice was a warning. Sure, she didn't know John all that well, but if he was anything like the Doctor then you did not want to mess with his feelings for Rose Tyler.

"Rose... Please just speak to me. You're strong enough to fight this, please," John whispered again and again like a prayer, ignoring the Doctor and River.

Rose stared blankly at John, sitting on her bed. Her hands were resting on her lap and her cheek was still red from where Nathaniel had slapped her. John's entire body shook at the memory. Nathaniel, the evil evil man, had touched his precious Rose.

And oh, would he pay.

"I'm back!" Nathaniel's voice called out happily down the hallway.

"How was the trip from hell?" John spat when Nathaniel strode in front of his cell, holding a plate of bread.

"Now now spiky hair, better be nice or I'll touch your pet again. Trust me, I wouldn't mind," He grinned and his eyes flickered over to Rose, who was still in the same position, her eyes now on Nathaniel.

John growled like an animal in response, but didn't say anything when Nathaniel slipped the bread into each of their cells. Nathaniel visited the Doctor's cell last, and stared at him curiously. The Time-Lord's wrists were cut and bleeding from the sharp handcuffs that remained around his wrists, and his face was without a visible emotion. "What's wrong, Doctor? Aren't you upset about your little pet? Something the matter?"

The Doctor's eyes flashed at the word 'pet,' but he too remained still. "Do you work for the Silence?"

"There's a smart boy," Nathaniel smiled brightly. "Just for that I'll take your handcuffs off." He entered his cell and took a small key out of his pocket. The Doctor didn't fight as his handcuffs were unlocked, and rubbed his wrists gently. "Do you care for curly more than you do for dumb blondie? Thought you'd be going for the younger girls. Hmmph."

He relocked the Doctor's cell and marched back and forth, glancing at River. "I could do the same thing to curly over there... It was really easy you know. Rose was so weak." Nathaniel looked at John for the last bit of his sentence, and smiled at the anger that flashed in his eyes. "So the human spiky hair is with dumb blondie and the fancy Time-Lord is with curly. Got it. Anything else I should know about?"

"Don't call her that," John mumbled under his breathe.

"What'd you say?" Nathaniel grinned a little, stopping at John's cell. He didn't reply. "I said, what did you say?" Still no reply. He entered Rose's cell and grabbed her arm, yanking her upwards to a standing position. "Spiky hair, what'd you fucking say or I'll hurt the girl?"

"I said don't call her that," John's voice was cold and deadly, the words piercing the air like knives. It was obvious to anyone that if he wasn't confined in a cell he would tear Nathaniel apart limb from single limb, gun or no gun.

"Which part? Dumb or blondie? Because first of all, she's dumb as a brick," The man flicked Rose on the head lightly, laughing when she just stared at him. "Second of all, she's definitely blonde." He ran his hand through her hair and took a deep breathe. John's breathe hitched and he stared at Nathaniel coldly. "Oh... Mr. John doesn't like that, does he? What do you think Rose?"

Nathaniel finally left her cell and John released the breathe he had been holding. "Listen, Nathaniel," River spoke up suddenly, "Just tell us what you want. We'll deliver."

"Oh, will you now? Well all we want is a little information..." The man walked over to River's cell and put his hands in the pocket like John did so often.

"Just tell us what on. I'll tell you whatever you want to know," River assured, knowing that they probably wouldn't be let go anyways.

"We want to know everything about the Doctor. The things he hasn't told even you, his wife." River's eyes widened a little in surprise at the last part. "Yes, we know you're his wife. We will learn every single detail of his very, very long life, and do you know how?" Nathaniel turned to face the Doctor slowly with his next words, "Because we can bring in all the people you love. We know every single one of them, well, the ones that are alive. Because you killed some of them, haven't you? And you grew too old for some... But Martha Jones? Donna Noble? Amelia and Rory Pond?" He turned back to River for the last two names.

River took one look at the Doctor and instantly saddened by the look on his face. It was one she had seen very few times before, a mix of desperation, guilt, and pure, complete sadness. "Stop it," She said to Nathaniel quickly.

"Stop what? Burrowing him in guilt? Sure, the Doctor can handle talking quite a lot, but can he really handle listening? Anyways... I'll be back with some more fun. See you all."

After Nathaniel was gone River was terrified to look at the Doctor. Eventually she risked one glance, and regretted it immediately. He was standing there with his hands by his sides, still red from the handcuffs, and his face was still stuck in that awful trap of guilt. His eyes had tears welled up in them, but River knew they wouldn't fall, for he'd rather regenerate than cry in front of her And she absolutely hated him for it.

John stared at Rose with a bit of hope. She was still standing up, and her mouth opened every once and a while as if she was trying to say something but couldn't quite get the words out. What had she said before? Be... Oh, how he wanted to know how that sentence was going to end.