Yey, it didn't even take me that long this time... although the chapters seem to be getting shorter...

Over a 100 follos now, I am so happy about it. Thank you all so much! And special thanks to RhizOneill and DragonRose4 for taking the time to review. YOU ARE AWESOME.

Chapter 10

There was a clue in that name

It took the the ambulance and police a surprisingly short time to arrive at the scene and Rose thought they would have asked a lot of questions... but they didn't. They covered Lazarus in a red blanket and took him to the ambulance, leaving Rose, the Doctor and Martha standing around trying to look inconspicuous.

Rose took that moment to catch her breath, it had been a long and emotionally draining day.

"Are you okay?", the Doctor asked her quietly, carefully touching her arm, as if trying to reassure himself that she was really there.

"I'm fine.", she smiled tied-lipped at him, but before she could breach the subject she so desperately wanted to discuss with him, their short moment of peace was interrupted by large parts of Martha's family.

"She's here! Oh, she's all right!", Tish called and forcefully embraced Martha, who looked startled for a moment. Martha's mother on the other hand headed directly towards the Doctor, who tried to hide his uneasiness by smiling brightly and saying: "Ah, Mrs. Jones. We still haven't finished our chat."

Francine didn't even slow down until she came to stand in front of the Doctor and slapped him hard across the face, hissing: "Keep away from my daughter."

"Mum! What are you doing?!", Martha asked in shock, but this time Rose was quicker.

"Oi, Lady! Who the hell do you think you are? There is only one woman, who is allowed to slap the Doctor and that sure isn't you!", Rose seethed, forcing Francine to take notice of her for the very first time. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Martha and her sister stare at her open-mouthed, but she really didn't care.

"You should stay away from him, too.", Francine informed her angrily, "He's dangerous. I've been told things."

"Oh yeah? I'd really like to know who you trust more than your daughter then. Because Martha clearly trusts us. Maybe YOU should trust your daughter, instead of accusing someone like that."

"Look around you! Nothing but death and destruction.", Mrs Jones argued, at which point Rose really got angry. The Doctor had done everything he could, nothing, really nothing of this was his fault. And here Mrs Jones stood, trying to lay blame on him.

"It isn't his fault!", Martha finally chimed up, moving closer to her two friends. Together they were almost building a wall in front of the Doctor, who had stayed curiously quite, clearly unsure what to say.

"And it was Tish who invited everyone to this thing in the first place. I'd say technically it's all her fault.", Leo tried to diffuse the situation and Rose gave him a small, grateful smile.

Tish opened her mouth as well, when there was a loud crash behind them and the Doctor simply took Rose's hand, turned around and left the Jones family standing there awkwardly. Well, Rose thought, that's one way of dealing with this.

They reached the source of the loud crash a moment later, the ambulance, that had taken Lazarus away.

It's back was open and only drained corpses were left of the poor people inside.

"Lazarus. Back from the dead. Should have known really.", the Doctor told her gloomily and started to scan their surroundings.

"There was a clue in that name, yes."

"Where did he go?", Martha asked next to Rose, who almost jumped in surprise and turned around to see both Martha and her sister standing behind her. Mh, she thought with a small, happy smile, maybe those two bickering sisters were a lot more alike, than they liked to admit.

"That way.", the Doctor answered Martha's question and pointed down the street, "The church."

"Cathedral.", Tish corrected him quietly, "It's Southwark Cathedral. He told me."

They walked up to the cathedral after that, but Martha didn't seem convinced: "Do you really think he's in here?", she asked nervously, as they entered quietly.

"Where would you go, if you were looking for sanctuary?", the Doctor answered, his voice now laced with pity and an understanding, that almost broke Rose's heart. She took his hand again and smiled up at him reassuringly. He tried to smile back, but he'd never again be able to hide his pain from her. Not anymore. He'd let her past his barriers earlier that day and there really wasn't a way back now... for either of them.

They finally saw Lazarus a moment later, crouched behind the alter, wrapped in his red blanket and shivering violently.

"I came here before. A lifetime ago. I thought I was going to die then. In fact, I was sure of it. I sat there, just a child, the sound of planes and bombs outside.", he told them almost inaudibly.

Lazarus wasn't really speaking to them anymore, Rose was sure. A shiver ran down her spine at his words. She remembered. The noise. The desperation. Lonely children coming out, fighting starvation. And Jack. Everybody lived. That day. At least for them.

"The Blitz.", she breathed, her voice hitching slightly and Lazarus actually turned his gaze upon her. Really seeing her, Rose was sure now, not just as a pretty woman, but a real person.

"You've read about it.", he stated simply, but there was a slight hint of doubt in his voice. He knew something was off about the way she said it, the way she clang to the Doctor.

"We were there.", the Doctor corrected him, when Rose just kept looking, lost in thoughts. The Jones' sisters both shifted nervously next to them, unsure what to do.

"You're too young.", Lazarus' simply replied, still looking at Rose, his gaze never wavering from her face.

"So are you.", the Doctor answered, almost a painful laugh in his voice.

Lazarus laughed as well, his body cracking in a way, that made Rose wince. It sounded painful, unnatural.

"In the morning the fires had died and I was still alive. I swore I'd never face death like that again. So defenceless. I would arm myself. Fight back. Defeat it.", Lazarus explained quickly, now looking at Rose in a pleading way. He needed her to know, to understand, Rose realized. He needed someone, anyone really, to tell him it would be okay.

"I do.", Rose told him, her voice sounding unnaturally loud inside the quit cathedral. Lazarus didn't even blink, but the others turned around to look at her in confusion.

"Do what?", Martha asked carefully.

"Understand.", Rose said, willing Lazarus to understand, too, "I understand why you did it. I understand. But you have to stop now. Have to let go."

"No. I can't.", he told her, "I did it. I managed. I won. I changed the course of history."

The Doctor tried to hold her back, but Rose didn't care. She crouched down beside Lazarus and looked into his eyes.

"No, you haven't. You killed them. Lady Thaw. Those poor people in the ambulance."

"They were nothing! I changed history", he hissed again. A mantra, to convince himself, but Rose could feel the shift inside his voice as another shudder ran over his body.

"Any of them might have done, too.", the Doctor said, steel beneath his soft voice, "Facing death is part of being human. You can't change that."

"No, Doctor. Avoiding death, that's being human. It's our strongest impulse, to cling to life with every fibre of being. I'm only doing what everyone before me has tried to do. I've simply been more successful."

"It's not, you know? Every humans strongest impulse. I've seen a lot of things. A lot of people. In the end, it's not their own life, that matters the most. It's the people. The ones around them. The ones they love. The ones too weak to help themselves. I've seen it. I'm sure you have, too.", Rose told him quietly, thinking of Jack again. The con-man, who was ready to lay down his life when it really mattered. She had thought about him so often today and missed him terribly.

"Maybe I'm more than an ordinary human now!", Lazarus whole body convulsed terribly again and the Doctor tried to pull Rose up and away. "There is no such thing as an ordinary human.", he told Lazarus, as if it was the simplest truth in the universe. Maybe it was. For him.

Rose and the Doctor were almost fighting now, as he was desperately trying to get her away from Lazarus, but she wouldn't budge. She could talk to him, she simply knew it. He wasn't a monster, not really. He was a scared, frightened little boy. His mind still stuck in the Blitz. It didn't matter who old, educated or important he was, he needed what everyone did in the end: A hand to hold.

"He's changing again.", the Doctor hissed in her ear, now pulling at both her hands and Rose finally relented and got up. Behind her, she could hear Lazarus changing and saw the Doctor's eyes widen. He was worried Lazarus would attack her, but Rose was sure he really wouldn't.

"Rose, no!", the Doctor shouted at her, as she turned back around to look up at the now changed Lazarus, who had raised his claws, ready to strike at her.

"Go ahead then. If you can truly life with that. Take me. Kill me and let my friends be, because THAT is being human.", Rose simply told Lazarus, looking up at into his inhuman eyes.

He charged forward, claws raised... and then stopped mid-motion. Rose vaguely heard the Doctor next to her breathe out in anticipation, but she needed to concentrate on Lazarus now, she had him, she was sure, she could convince him.

"You don't need to be scared anymore. It's all right. Just let go."

Lazarus didn't move, didn't speak, just looked at her face, gaze never wavering. His whole body was shaking again, but his eyes stayed on her.

"It's okay.", she told him once more and then stretched out her hand to touch what was once is left hand, "It's okay."

Lazarus gave a strangled, almost whimpery sound and fell down as if he were a puppet, whos strings were cut.

Rose remained rooted in her place, the Doctor standing like a statue beside her. It was quite, as they all looked down at the creature at their feet.

"What happened?", Tish asked behind Rose, her voice quite, scared and almost awed. Rose had totally forgotten that she was still there.

Lazarus' body shivered again and they all jumped in surprise, fearing he'd get up to attack them, but his body simply shifted back to its human form. Not the young, changed man. But his true, real form of an old man.

"He's dead. Truly, really dead, this time.", Rose said, looking at him in shock.

"Yes. It must have taken him a lot of energy not to attack you when he was so hungry. A lot of energy. He starved.", the Doctor explained, his own voice sounding just as shocked as Rose felt.

"How did you know he wouldn't kill you?", Martha asked and looked at Rose, as if she was really seeing her for the very first time.

"I just knew.", Rose stated simply and walked over to cover Lazarus' body again with the red blanket, that now lay behind him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They went back to Martha's apartment after that in silence. Everyone lost in their own thoughts. Rose hardly noticed when they reached Martha's front door. Only when she saw the TADRDIS in front of her did she realize where they were.

"You still sure?", Rose asked Martha quietly, as the Doctor opened the TARDIS-door.

"More than ever.", Martha affirmed and smiled sadly at Rose, "But you guys finally talked it out, didn't you?"

Rose's only answer was to smile brightly.

"Here we are then.", the Doctor reappeared behind them.

"Yeah, Martha, hand over your phone, will you?", Rose asked grinning happily.

"Sure.", Martha answered and handed it over to Rose, who quickly added her number to Martha's contacts.

"If you ever need anything or... you know, just want to talk... it was nice having someone to talk around.", Rose told her and gave the phone back to its owner.

"Someone to talk to? What am I then?", the Doctor asked, sounding really affronted.

"A bloke.", both women answered in unison and laughed at his dumbfounded expression.

"You can always come and visit, you know? And if it's just for a nice cup of tea. Let the Doctor tinker in the TARDIS a bit and we'll talk about... everything really.", Martha told her, as the two women hugged goodbye.

"I will.", Rose answered happily. It would be so nice to have someone to talk to again, a mate.

"And you: Take her on a date or something.", Martha told the Doctor, before hugging him as well, "It was so great to meet you guys and I'll never forget it."

"Well, of course not.", the Doctor grinned, "And it was a pleasure having you on board."

"Until another time, Martha!", Rose smiled, as they entered the TADIS and she closed the door behind her.

"Where to?", the Doctor asked her giddily.

"Bed.", came Rose's reply and the Doctor simply nodded, throwing them into the vortex.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rose had almost dozed off, the Doctor's double heartbeat underneath her head lulling her into much needed sleep after the draining day they'd both had. Physically and emotionally.

The Doctor's left arm was draped around her, holding her close to him. As if he was afraid to lose her. Which was actually quite the truth, Rose knew, she had scared him today.

"I thought about it.", his low voice sounded muffled.

"Me, too.", she admitted.

"I'd never have to lose you."

"And I'd never have to leave you."

They stayed silent again after that for a while, both realizing just how much more had just been said between them.

"The turning into an energy-sucking scorpion part is kind of a no-go, though.", Rose tried to lighten the mood.

"Oh, I don't know... I could get used to that.", the Doctor answered, his chest beneath her ear vibrating in silent laughter.

"I'd probably turn into another Cassandra... There's a wrinkle! Quick, Doctor, get me into the weird shower!", Rose laughed happily.

"Oh no, you are not that vain.", the Doctor assured her, still laughing.

"Well, I do have a prominent chin. It is sticking out quite a bit."

"Rose... ", the Doctor abruptly changed the subject, "How about some chips tomorrow? My treat."

"Are you asking me out on a date? To eat chips?", Rose raised her head to look into the Doctor's somewhat nervous face.

"Well... yes... no... yes, actually I am.", he squirmed, "But this time, I'll have the money. I won't be a cheap date."

"Then I'll have to say yes, of course."smiled up at him brightly.

"Right.", the Doctor said and they fell silent again, drifting of to sleep slowly.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Unsurprisingly a date with the Doctor was never as easy as one would hope and they ended up running for their lives. Again.

Well, at least they were consistent, Rose thought with a smile, as they drove down a street in the outskirts of London, quiver and bow strung across their shoulders and as always a deadline looming in-front of them.

"Sorry about the interrupted date.", the Doctor mumbled next to her, giving her a careful look, as if he was afraid she'd be angry.

"Not your fault the chippy sold alien eggs in the back now, was it?", she smiled at him, "Besides, this is nice, too. The taxi makes a comfortable change to the usual running."

"If we don't get there soon, we'll have to run the rest."

"Not the point.", she told him stubbornly, as the both exited the taxi and start their fairly quick walk down the street.

"Doctor! Doctor! Rose!", a voice shouted behind them and the both turned around.

"Hello, sorry, bit of a rush.", the Doctor told the young woman coming to stand in front of them, "There's a sort of thing happening. Fairly important we stop it."

"My God, it's you, it's really you! Oh, you don't remember me, do you?", she told them, looking really disappointed and Rose tried desperately to remember, if she knew her from somewhere.

"Must have been a while, too.", the woman continued with a thoughtful look towards Rose, "You're not..." and then she simply stopped, her eyes widening in realization.

"Rose isn't what?", the Doctor asked, their alien eggs obviously totally forgotten.

"Doctor...", Rose warned him, but the woman continued again: "Oh my God, of course! You're time-travellers. It hasn't happened to you yet! It's still in your future."

"What hasn't happened yet?", the Doctor urged her, his worried eyes on Rose again.

Stop worrying, she wanted to tell him, please stop worrying all the time. But she knew that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"It was me. Oh, for God's sake, it was me all along. You got it all from me!", the woman looked really relieved, Rose noted, as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Got what?", the Doctor asked.

"Okay, listen: One day you're going to get stuck in 1969. Make sure you've got this with you. You're going to need it.", the woman said, smiling proudly and hands him a thick folder he absent-mindedly stuffed into his oversized pocket.

"What's your name?", he asked, a calculating look in his brown eyes.

"Sally Sparrow.", she answered proudly and both the Doctor and Rose smiled at her.

"Nice to meet you, Sally Sparrow. Sorry, but Rose and I need to dash. Running again. Always end up doing that... well, I say always, but..."

"Doctor!"

"Yes, right. Bye!", and with that they both ran down the street.