"Alright?" the Doctor calls, looking around at each of them as fire blazes in the windows of Martha's flat.

"Fine, yeah, fine," Jack replies.

"Rose?"

"I'm alright," she tells him, pushing her hair out of her face as she steps towards him. He closes the distance between them and hugs her fiercely before turning to Martha. "Martha? What are you doing?"

"He knows about me," Martha replies, lifting her mobile phone to her ear. "What about my family?"

"Don't tell them anything!"

"I'll do what I like!" she shouts, and Rose feels a rush of newfound respect for Martha Jones. Up until now, she's seemed a little submissive. Like maybe she actually does what the Doctor tells her to. "Mum?" Martha says into the phone. "Oh, my God, you're there." There's a pause in which Rose assumes Martha's mother replies. "I'm fine. I'm fine. Mum, has there been anyone asking about me?" Another pause. "I can't! Not now!" Another pause, longer this time. "Don't be so daft! Since when?" Pause. "You said you'd never get back with him in a million years." Another pause – again, it's slightly longer this time. Then she exclaims, "Dad? What are you doing there?" Pause. "Dad? Just say yes or no. Is someone else there?"

For a moment, there's silence. But when Martha's father bellows "Yes!" through the phone, it's loud enough for Rose to hear. "Just run!" A rather loud ruckus begins to come through the phone, and Martha moves it a few inches away from her ear because she can hear it just fine from there as well. Her father's voice is still distinguishable sometimes. "Listen to me, just run!" he yells. "I don't know who they are!"

A woman's voice joins in, saying something like, "We're trying to help her! Martha, don't listen to him!"

"Dad?" Martha calls into the phone. "What's going on? Dad!" More yelling from both Martha's father and the female voice (Rose would guess that's Martha's mother), but the words are indistinguishable. "I gotta help them!" Martha exclaims, running to her car.

"That's exactly what they want!" the Doctor shouts at her. "It's a trap!"

"I don't care!" Martha yells back as she gets into the driver's seat. After a moment, the others join her. The Doctor takes the front passenger seat while Jack and Rose sit down in the back. And Martha floors the gas pedal.

The Doctor's new companion, it seems, is a very reckless driver. Then again, Rose knows she would be too if it were her mum, Pete, and baby Tony whose lives were on the line. Still, nothing will be gained by killing them all in a car accident, and Rose resists the urge to tell Martha this.

"Corner!" Rose and the Doctor shout in unison as the car approaches a corner fast; Martha takes it tightly, tires squealing against the asphalt. As she drives, she dials a number on her mobile phone, which doesn't seem like the best idea especially considering she's already driving recklessly. But no one tries to stop her as she holds the phone against her face, mutter, "C'mon, Tish, pick up."

Because Rose is sitting just behind Martha, she can hear the light female voice on the other end, saying, "Martha, I can't talk right now. We just made first contact. Did you see –" Suddenly, she stops. "What are you doing?" she demands, and there's a loud thump that sounds like the phone hitting the ground. When the girl on the phone – Tish – speaks again, her voice is distant. "Get off! Linda, tell them!"

"What's happening?" Martha shouts. "Tish!" She gets no reply; as she hands up, she turns and glares at the Doctor. "It's your fault! It's all your fault!"

"Oi!" Rose protests, but the Doctor turns and gives her a sad but firm look, and she falls silent.

They come around a corner, and Martha stops the car; one look out the front window, and Rose can see why. Quite a scene is unfolding before them. Two dark-skinned people, a man and a woman – Martha's mum and dad, Rose assumes – are being wrestled towards a large van by people in official-looking garb and quite a few people with guns who look like they might be police. "I was helping you!" the struggling woman exclaims. "Get off me!" She catches sight of the car and its occupants. "Martha, get out of here! Get out!"

"Target identified," a blond woman announces, and the police lift their guns.

"Martha, reverse," the Doctor instructs calmly.

"Take aim," the blonde says, and the police aim their weapons at the car.

"Get out, now!" the Doctor orders, and Martha swiftly reverses into a 3-point turn as the blonde shouts, "Fire!"

The police open fire on the car, and the next thing Rose knows, she's being pushed down and out of the way by Jack. Just in time, too, because as he yells "Move it!" bullets shatter the rear window. Martha drives like a maniac away from the police and her parents, and after a while, the assault ceases.

"The only place we can go," she remarks, upset and sarcastic. "Planet Earth. Great."

"Careful!" the Doctor shouts.

"Now, Martha, listen to me," Jack says, perfectly calm and controlled. Working for Torchwood has changed him. He's a proper commander now. "Do as I say. We've gotta ditch this car. Pull over. Right now!"

Martha does as she's told, and they all leave the car. The Doctor, Rose, and Jack depart on foot, but Martha lingers, grabbing her phone and dialing once again.

"Martha, come on!" the Doctor calls back.

She follows them slowly as she waits for the person on the other end to pick up. "Leo!" she exclaims. "Oh, thank God! Leo, you've gotta listen to me. Where are you?" There's a pause as Leo responds. Then, "Leo, just listen to me. Don't go home, I'm telling you. Don't phone Mum or Dad or Tish. You've gotta hide. On my life. You've gotta trust me. Go to Boxer's, stay with him. Don't tell anyone! Just hide!"

Suddenly, Martha freezes in her tracks, and her face falls. Her eyes are cold and steely as she orders, "Let them go, Saxon."

At the sound of the name, the Doctor wheels around, rushing back towards her as she yells, "Do you hear me? Let them go!" He takes the phone from her, lifting it to his ear and speaking into it. "I'm here," he says.

Rose walks towards him and stands beside him, taking his free hand and squeezing it. She's close enough that she can hear Saxon's reply of, "Doctor."

"Master," he acknowledges.

"I like it when you use my name."

"You chose it," he points out. "Psychiatrist's field day."

"And you chose yours," Saxon agrees. "The man who makes people better. How sanctimonious is that?"

"So," the Doctor says. "Prime Minister."

"I know. Good, isn't it?"

"Who are those creatures?" he asks. "'Cause there's no such thing as the Toclafane. It's just a made-up name, like the Bogeyman."

"Do you remember all those fairytales about the Toclafane when we were kids?" Saxon asks. "Back home. Where is it, Doctor?"

The Doctor's expression grows sad. "Gone."

"How can Gallifrey be gone?" Saxon spits angrily.

"It burned."

"And the Time Lords?"

"Dead. And the Daleks… more or less. What happened to you?"

"The Time Lords only resurrected me because they knew I'd be the perfect warrior for a Time War. I was there when the Dalek Emperor took control of the Cruciform. I saw it. I ran. I ran so far. Made myself human so they would never find me because… I was so scared."

"I know," the Doctor murmurs.

"All of them? But not you, which must mean…"

"I was the only one who could end it," he defends. "And I tried. I did. I tried everything."

"What did it feel like, though?" Saxon asks. "Two almighty civilizations burning. Oh, tell me, how did it feel?"

"Stop it."

"You must've been like God."

"Oi!" Rose shouts, standing on her tip-toes so she can yell into the phone. "Stop!"

"Oh, listen to that," Saxon says, and she can hear the smile in his voice. "Little Rosie-Posy. Still hanging around, dear?"

"You stay away from her," the Doctor orders, as serious and deadly as Rose has ever seen him.

"Oh, touched a nerve, have I?" Saxon laughs. "You're a fool, Doctor, getting so attached to these degenerate creatures, these humans. They're so fragile. They die so quickly."

"Don't," the Doctor warns darkly.

"You care so much," Saxon scoffs. "That's going to be your downfall, Doctor."

"Please," the Doctor says. "You could stop this right now. We could leave this planet. We could fight across the constellations if that's what you want. But not on Earth."

"Too late."

"Why do you say that?"

"The drumming," Saxon replies simply. "I thought it would stop, but it never does. Never ever stops. Inside my head, the drumming, Doctor. The constant drumming."

"Four beats," Rose murmurs.

"I could help you," the Doctor says. "Please, let me help."

"It's everywhere. Listen, listen, listen." He's silent for a moment. "Here come the drums. Here come the drums."

Rose looks up suddenly at the sound of a pattern of four beats – a man leaning against a building wearing headphones is tapping the rhythm out on his legs.

"What have you done?" the Doctor demands. "Tell me how you've done this. What are those creatures? Tell me!"

"Ooh, look," Saxon says. "You're on TV."

"Stop it! Answer me!"

"No, really. You're on telly! You and your little band, which, by the way, is ticking every demographic box. So, congratulations on that. Look, there you are! Ha!"

The Doctor looks over at a TV in a shop window – a newscaster is standing beside three images. They're blurry, but easily recognizable as the Doctor, Martha, and Jack. "They are known to be armed and extremely dangerous," the newscaster is saying.

"You're public enemies number one, two, and three," Saxon says brightly. "And four, as soon as I can figure out just who little Rosie-Posy is. Trust me, it won't be long. Oh, and you can tell handsome Jack that I've sent his little gang off on a wild goose chase to the Himalayas, so he won't be getting any help from them. Now, go on, off you go. Why not start by turning to the right?"

The Doctor and Rose both look to the right and see a CCTV camera. "He can see us," the Doctor says, pulling out the sonic screwdriver and using it; sparks fly from the camera as it shuts off.

"Ooh, you public menace," Saxon exclaims disapprovingly. "Better start running," he sing-songs. "Go on. Run!"

"He's got control of everything," the Doctor murmurs.

"There's got to be something we can do," Rose says.

"We've got nowhere to go," Jack points out.

"Doctor," Martha urges. "What do we do?"

"Run for your life, Doctor!"

The Doctor hesitates for a moment, swallows, and says, "We run."

They all turn tail and flee; Rose and Martha both grab the Doctor's hand, and end up running on either side of them with Jack trailing along behind them as they tear through a shopping arcade. Once they get out on the other side of the building, as soon as they're somewhere with no one around, the Doctor lets go of Martha's hand and pulls Rose aside. "Rose," he says, completely serious, "you've got to go."

"What?" She drops his hand and takes a step back, frowning. "What d'you mean, I've got to go?"

"You're not safe with us!" he exclaims. "Rose, the only reason your picture wasn't on that screen with the rest of ours is that the Master doesn't know who you are just yet. He only knows your first name, and you won't be his first suspect because officially, in this universe, Rose Tyler is dead. But he will figure it out, and once he does, you'll be in as much danger as the rest of us."

She puts her hands on her hips stubbornly. "I'm not leaving."

"Rose!" He runs his hands anxiously through his hair. "Listen to me, please. I'm begging you. It's not safe!"

"It's never safe!" she shoots back.

"Please, Rose," he pleads. "Get out of here. Go back to your universe, that's the only place you'll be safe. You can come back when this is all over. Please, just go home."

"Doctor." She steps forward, reaching out and running her fingers down his arm before letting her hand to her side. "I am home."

He squeezes his eyes shut for a few seconds before opening them again. "Rose, please," he begs, meeting her eyes. "I just got you back. I can't…" He sucks in a breath. "I can't lose you again."

She's silent for a moment as she considers how to respond to that. A simple 'you won't' will not be enough to reassure him. In fact, she can't really come up with a single way to completely convince him that she'll be fine if she stays with him. Probably because there's no guarantee that she will be. But she can't leave him. She won't leave him.

So she steps forward, closing the distance between them. She stands on her tip-toes and tips her head up and quickly, softly, delicately, comfortingly, gently, hesitantly, shyly, lovingly, peacefully… she presses her lips to his.

It's a feather-light brush of a kiss, and it's brief, far briefer than either would like. She barely lets her lips linger against his for a second before she pulls away, meeting his eyes. In a better situation, she would relish the look of surprise on his face, but now is not the time. "You're not going to lose me," she promises earnestly, letting the corners of her lips tweak upwards in a brief, weak smile. "I promise." She takes his hand and pulls him gently with her, towards where Jack and Martha are standing. Jack is saying something to Martha, and they're not facing the space where the Doctor and Rose stood a moment earlier. But as they join them, Rose notices a look of bitter resentment flickering across Martha's face when she looks at Rose. It's gone as quickly as it appeared, but there's no denying that it was there. And Rose suspects that Martha saw.

-0-0-0-

OH MY GOD DON'T YOU JUST LOVE ME? I'm amazing, right? Yeah, I am. This is a pretty fluffy piece at times, so you can look forward to... more of this sort of thing. That's all I'm going to say.

A few notes:

Sorry for the late update. My home internet connection has been on the fritz for days and I literally haven't been able to get on to post this until now. We're working on it.

If you can't tell by my writing, I am American. Yeah, I know. I'm British at heart, though - all of my great passions (Doctor Who, Sherlock, Harry Potter, Thursday Next) are British, so can I be an honorary Brit? PLEEEEEEEEEEASE? Anyway, I'm trying my best to use British terminology and such when I write, but if I mess anything up, please do tell me. I want this to be as authentic as possible.

Also, in the next few chapters, Martha might be a little less respected. I'm sorry, I do love and respect her character, but honestly, how do you think she would react if she saw this blonde girl who she's been jealous of for ages kissing the man she loves? I promise to steer clear of any Martha-bashing and again, I request that you do the same, but she won't be quite so open and good-natured towards Rose. She's going to be a bit resentful and a bit childish. But I'll try to keep it to a minimum and it won't last, I promise.

I got some feedback suggesting that I lower my review expectations. I think it's just because you guys don't want to have to do so much in order to get a new chapter. Come on, all you've got to do is type a few words into the little box down there! Say something thoughtful and I'll respond! It won't take much time or effort! But I aim to please, so here's what we're going to do: ten reviews gets you Chapter 12. There. Now you don't have to work for it. Because I love you that much.

Also, completely unrelated - WHO'S SEEN THE TRAILER FOR THE NEW STAR TREK? OH MY GOD, BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH IS THE BAD GUY! HE'S SO EVIL! AND HE'S SO GOOD AT IT! Oh, I adore him, he's fantastic. Okay, deep breaths. Fangirl spasm over. For now.

Again, ten reviews = brand new chapter! Happy Holidays!

-Caskett54

(P.S. We have a Christmas tree. His name is Treebeard. Hopefully Treebeard won't try to kill us. That would be bad.)