Rose looked at the black cliffs and the untamed sea that crashed restlessly against the huge dark rocks. Then she smiled gently into the Doctor's concerned face.
"Resting place of the dead, eh?" She wrapped her arms about herself, but not because she felt cold. "I'll fit right in then."
"Don't... don't say that." The Doctor pulled at her arms and brought her body up against his own.
He wrapped her close to him, holding on to her tightly, almost as if he thought he could protect her from any and all evils; just as long as she remained held safe in his arms. Perhaps even the keen eyes of Death would not notice her, and pass her by.
Rose let him hold her and pressed her body close to his, closing her eyes as she listened to the fierce double-beat of the Doctor's hearts. She could almost taste his fear -- not for himself, but for her and what she was to face.
She lifted her eyes to his, still held within the protective circle of his arms and smiled again. But this was a different smile, a smile meant to show that she had accepted what was to come and that he should also.
She stood on tip-toe and brushed her lips to his in a brief kiss, then stepped back, moving out of his arms and meeting his dark gaze.
"Tell me about this place," she said softly. "Tell me about Jerro."
The Doctor shook his head, still unwilling to accept the coldness of reality with the same grace Rose had. "You don't belong here Rose. The TARDIS got it wrong."
Rose glanced back at the TARDIS and smiled fondly. She loved that silly old blue box almost as much as the Doctor did, and whatever the TARDIS had done, whatever the reason was she had brought them to this world... she had not made a mistake.
She looked up at the Doctor again. "You don't believe that any more than I do," she whispered softly.
The Doctor hesitated then drew in a breath of crisp sea air, he tasted salt at his lips and steeled himself to answer Rose's questions however much he loathed to speak the words. He let the sway of the planet wash through him, its constant spin grounding him like an anchor. The sensations that swept through him were both welcome and familiar and in some small way they were a comfort to him.
"The entire planet is a graveyard," he said at last. "The dead of countless races are brought here and left for the Brothers to watch over."
"The Brothers?" Rose asked, her head tilting slightly.
"The Brothers of Solace," the Doctor replied. "They're a order that consider the dead to be sacred -- pure -- free from the sin they were soaked in during life. They came to Jerro centuries ago. They had been searching for a desolate world to claim as their own. Jerro was ideal. It was uninhabited, inhospitable and had few natural resources. It was exactly what they wanted -- a place of solitude where the dead could be looked after with due reverence."
Rose frowned a little. "I don't understand. Why bring the dead here? Why aren't they buried on their home worlds?"
"It's the same on every planet. The population grows and so does the death rate. Soon enough the dead start to out number the living. All but the most intolerable planets have been colonised and suddenly even the most wretched piece of ground is precious." The Doctor stared deep into Rose's wide eyes as she continued to gaze up at him. "Wars have been fought over the most pathetic lumps of rock, simply because they have water," he said quietly.
"Won't the day come when Jerro is colonised?" Rose asked.
The Doctor shook his head. "No. It's not worth it. Besides, where would they send their dead to? No, Jerro belongs to the dead. This is where they sleep. Watched over by the Brothers. They make no distinction between race or religion, all they ask is for the bodies of the dead to be left in their care for eternity. There are Slitheen buried here, and Krillitanes. I think there are even one or two Cybermen." He smiled dryly. "Like I said... they take all sorts."
Rose nodded her head, both understanding and accepting what the Doctor had told her. "I see."
The Doctor brushed her cheek with long, tender fingers. His voice soft when he spoke. "Rose, let me take you back to Earth."
She shook her head at once. "I can't go back, not looking like this. Mum would... she'd..." Rose closed her eyes for the space of a heartbeat, to hide a moment of fear that stirred within her. "An' even if she could get her head around it, I'd have to tell her I was dying. What's that gonna do to her?"
She looked out toward the foaming, thrashing sea and then back to the Doctor. Rose Tyler had been born on Earth and died on the Game Station. Yet, she had been re-born, conceived during a one night stand between the time vortex and a mass of unraveling DNA. She was a mistake. Her very existence was a joke, and a cruel one at that.
She didn't belong on Earth -- not any more. If she belonged anywhere, then it was here.
The Doctor stared into Rose's eyes and he knew at once that he had lost her. She had made her choice, and he could not steer her back to him.
"What do I tell Jackie?" he asked.
"Tell her I'm sorry, an' tell her... tell her I loved her." A nervous smile flickered at her lips and she blinked away her tears.
"This is what you want? You're sure?"
Rose nodded. "The TARDIS was right to bring me here."
She reached up and traced her fingers over the Doctor's face, a soft smile coming to her lips. "No one to ask questions. No one to learn your secret."
She slipped her hand into his and pulled gently, a warm smile playing at her lips. "Now, come on. I think we should go an' introduce ourselves. Don't you, Doctor?"
He could not refuse her. He loved her. He would have done anything she asked of him. But she was asking him to let her die, and he did not know where he would find the strength to do that.
They walked hand in hand together across the wind-swept beach. They were not aware of the sounds of the crashing ocean or of the screech of the sea-birds. All they knew was that they were together, and that was all that mattered.
It was enough... because it was everything.
xxxxx
The soft golden beach with its jagged teeth of black rocks, gradually gave way to a narrow stretch of stone and shingle. Then they were climbing pale, straw-coloured sand dunes, and suddenly found themselves standing on higher ground; the wild ocean below them, and the palest pink sky still a thousand miles above.
The ground had levelled out after the last dune and a green world met Rose's eyes. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but certainly nothing as beautiful as this. The higher ground was lush with colour and the air was warm and sweet. Ahead of them was what seemed to be a small farm, the 'farmhouse' was a large wooden building that looked just about ready to fall down. Several hooded figures were bustling about -- but somehow, not hurrying. They appeared to be busy with their chores -- pulling water from a well, gardening, milking and the like.
Rose turned to the Doctor and smiled, feeling safe and content. This was a peaceful place.
It didn't take long for one of the Brothers to look up from his work and notice the two strangers walking towards them. Gradually word seemed to spread as more and more of the hooded men lifted their heads, abandoning their appointed tasks to watch their approach with interest.
As Rose and the Doctor came to stand amongst them the Brothers stepped aside to allow another robed figure to move forward. He pushed back his cowl, revealing a face that was worn, but whos eyes were bright and young. He reached out his hands in welcome.
"We have been waiting for you," he said, his voice soft and aged.
As he spoke, there was a sudden chorus of soft whispering from the those who surrounded them, and then gradually all but the man who had shown his face, bowed their heads down in solemn reverance.
The man standing infront of Rose smiled softly. "I am Brother Demet, welcome to Jerro. May you find peace." His worn face seemed somehow comforting. "Fear not my child," he said in a wise and knowing tone. "Death will embrace you soon."
The Doctor's hold on Rose tightend and he pulled her close, wanting, needing to protect her -- even if he knew that was an impossible task.
"What do you mean, you've been waiting for her?" the Doctor asked the man who stood before them.
Brother Demet smiled with gentle understanding, but did not elaborate. "As I said." His attention remained fixed on Rose. "We have been waiting." He placed his hand on the shoulder of one of the Brothers. "Brother Jeral will show you inside and give you sustenance."
"Thank you," Rose said, before the Doctor could make any objection. She looked up at him, silent in her reassurance. She wasn't afraid, and he shouldn't be. She fell into step behind the Brother -- Jeral -- who had been given the task of escorting them to the house, but the Doctor's hand still tightly held hers.
For a while the Brothers stood and watched the three figures make their journey to the house, then Brother Demet looked at the man to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Go to Father Haran," he said, his eyes never moving from Rose until he watched the heavy door close behind her. "Tell him The Golden Child is here."