Here's To Forever

by BuffyAnn23

After the events of GITF and meeting a mysterious woman from their future, The Doctor and Rose have finally broken down the barriers and admitted their feelings to one another. So what happens next? An A/U retelling of seasons 2,3, and 4. *Companion piece to Written Across Time and Space. (You will need to read that first)

14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 – Life in the Fast Lane

"So," he grinned. "Where to next?"

"I was thinking of maybe revisiting New, New York." he said pushing off the doors and heading over to the console as the two women turned to watch him work the controls. "Not anywhere near the hospital though," he added seeing the look on Rose's face. "At least not yet anyway. No, I thought maybe we could take in some of the sights we weren't able to see the last time."

"Okay." Rose smiled. "M' game."

"Great." he smiled back at her and began punching in coordinates. "We'll just make a quick stop in London to drop off Martha and then we'll paint the new, new town."

Rose glanced over at Martha just in time to see the excitement drain from her face. When the young woman noticed her watching, she forced a smile in attempts to hide her disappointment. "Martha," she spoke up. "Do you think you could give me and The Doctor a moment to talk?"

"Yeah." The young woman nodded, looking around the room for someplace to retreat to.

"If you'd like, you could make yourself a cuppa. The kitchen's jus' down the corridor, past the bins and to the left."

"Thanks." Martha gave her another small smile and left the room.

"You're really gonna send her home, jus' like that?" Rose asked breaking the silence.

The Doctor looked up from the monitor. "I promised her one trip and one trip only."

"You were onboard to invite Donna along at Christmas."

"Only because you used those feminine wiles of yours to sway my decision."

"Feminine wiles?" Rose laughed as she stepped in front of him.

"Oh come on," he smiled wrapping his arms around her waist and pinning her against the console. "You know I can't say no to you when you flutter your eyelashes at me and get all pouty." He leaned in capturing her lips with his own.

"So are you sayin' if I ask you'll let Martha come with us?" she asked when he pulled back.

"What, are we adopting her now?"

"M' jus' sayin' I think she deserves another trip."

"Look, I know you like her…"

"You don't?"

"Of course I do." he asserted. "She's quite brilliant, but we're starting a family soon. Don't you think we deserve our alone time? I mean, I don't understand why you're pushing so hard for this. What happened to better with two?"

"I still believe that and S' not that I don't want us to have our alone time, but somethin' about her…" she paused trying to think of how to explain it to him. "Look, S' the same way I felt when we met Donna. I have this gut feelin' that tells me they're important to our future. And even the Queen recognized her. That must tell you somethin'."

The Doctor sighed. "Weell, I suppose we could stretch the definition of 'one trip'. Take one trip into past, one trip into future. Will that work?"

Rose grabbed hold of his lapels, bringing his lips to hers once more and snogged him senseless. "You're the best." she said, pulling back and giving him her signature grin as she headed for the kitchen. "I'll jus' go let Martha know."

The Doctor blinked several times as he stared after her with his mouth slightly agape. Yep. He could never say no to Rose Tyler. Turning back to the console, he began entering the coordinates for New Earth.

-oOo-

When Rose entered the kitchen, Martha was sitting at the table staring glumly down at her mug. "Hey." she said softly.

"Hey." Martha returned her greeting, sitting up straight. "Um, there was already a large pot made if you want some." She gestured to the counter behind her.

"Ta." Rose replied going over to the cabinet to get her mug. "That's one of the many things I love about the TARDIS. Always a fresh hot pot of tea ready to go anytime you come into the kitchen." She pulled the chair across from Martha out and sat down at the table, lightly blowing the steam from her beverage before taking a sip.

"I notice you called the TARDIS a 'she' before?" Martha observed. "Does that mean the ship's alive?"

"Mmhmm." Rose nodded, swallowing. "She's sentient."

"Wow." Martha said, clearly impressed. "That's…" she grinned. "Really cool."

"I know right." Rose smiled back as a soft hum filled the room.

"What was that?" Martha asked, glancing around the kitchen.

"That was her. Consider it her way of thankin' you for the compliment."

Martha shook her head incredulously. "This is all still so unbelievable." She paused for a moment, her smile faltering. "I just want you to know, I didn't mean to cause you guys any trouble. I know he didn't really want me here and…"

Rose held her hand up to silence her. "Don't worry about any of that. I talked to him, and we'd love you to come with us to New Earth."

"Really?" Martha asked uncertainly.

"Really." she assured her. "Listen," Rose leaned forward slightly. "He and I have been through a lot. M' not gonna go into all the major details right now, but there's been a few close calls in which we almost lost one another and with the baby, he's even more possessive now. But none of that has anythin' to do with you. He's jus' at a stage of not really wantin' to let other people into our lives right now. He was the same way with Donna. We met her at Christmas." she added at seeing Martha's quizzical look. "He finally agreed to let her come with us, but when he asked she said no."

Martha was slightly surprised. "I know some of this stuff you guys deal with is scary and I'm sure the things I've seen so far probably don't compare to half of what you've seen, but it's also exhilarating. I mean, I've only been with you guys for what, three days?" Rose nodded in confirmation. "And I don't know how anyone would want to turn this opportunity down."

"I knew I liked you for a reason Martha Jones." Rose chuckled. "Hopefully you and I can have more of these 'girl talk' sessions as we get to know each other, yeah?"

Martha grinned. "I'd like that."

Rose returned her smile as she stood up from the table. "So what do you say, ready for another trip?"

"Definitely."

The two women set their empty mugs in the sink and headed off towards the console room for their next adventure.

-oOo-

The Doctor was just flipping the materialization lever as they walked into the room. "Year five billion and fifty-three, planet New Earth." he announced. "Second hope of mankind. Fifty thousand light years from your old world and we're slap bang in the middle of New, New York." He quickly slipped his coat on as he headed down the ramp to join them. "Although, as I've already told Rose, technically it's the fifteenth New York from the original, so it's New, New, New, New, New, New, New, New, New, New, New, New, New, New York." They shared a reminiscent grin as he reached for her hand. "And one of the most dazzling cities ever built."

Even though she had her reservations after what happened with Cassandra on their first trip, Rose was genuinely excited about being able to see the city this time around. Unfortunately, when they stepped out of the TARDIS doors it wasn't the delightful smell of apple grass under a beautiful blue sky that greeted them. Instead they were met with a cold, dark alley and it was pouring rain.

"I don't get it." Martha said, shielding her eyes from the raindrops. "It looks like the same old Earth to me, on a Wednesday afternoon."

"I'd have to agree Doctor." Rose chimed in as she took in their surroundings. "This doesn't look anythin' like it did the first time we were here."

"Hold on, hold on. Let's have a look." he told them as he led them over to a small monitor under an awning. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the screen.

The monitor flashed static for a moment and then was replaced with the image of a young woman at a news desk. "And the driving should be clear and easy, with fifteen extra lanes open for the New, New Jersey expressway." she announced as the screen then flashed to a picture of the traffic over Manhattan.

"Oh, that's more like it." he said, tapping the screen. "That's the view we had last time." He turned to look back out into the alleyway. "This must be the lower levels, down in the base of the tower. Some sort of under-city."

"You took us to the slums?" Martha asked in disbelief.

"Much more interesting." he said in his defense. "It's all cocktails and glitter up there. This is the real city."

Rose giggled. "You enjoy everythin'."

"That I do." he grinned. "Ah, the rain's stopping. Better and better."

As they stepped back out from under the awning, The Doctor noticed Rose was slightly shivering. Removing his coat, he placed it over her shoulders. "Better?" he asked as he turned her to face him so that he could adjust the front.

She nodded with a soft smile and he leaned in to kiss her, hands still gripping the sides of the coat as hers came to rest on his chest when a metallic scraping sound broke them apart.

Across from them a man had opened the metal awning to his vendor's cart. "Oh! You should have said." he exclaimed excitedly when he saw them. "How long you been there? Happy. You want Happy."

At the sound of his sales pitch, two more awnings opened.

"Customers. Customers! We've got customers!" The first woman cheered.

"We're in business." The second woman agreed. "Mother, open up the Mellow, and the Read."

Within seconds, all three vendors were shouting over one another in attempts to peddle their wares.

"Happy, Happy, lovely happy Happy!"

"Anger. Buy some Anger!"

"Get some Mellow. Makes you feel all bendy and soft all day long."

"Don't go to them." The man implored the trio. "They'll rip you off. Do you want some happy?"

"No, thanks." The Doctor replied flatly.

Rose was appalled. "Are they sellin' drugs?

He looked around at the vendors once more. "I think they're selling moods."

"Isn't that pretty much the same thing?" Martha pointed out.

"Over here, sweetheart!" One of the female venders called out. "That's it, come on, I'll get you first!"

The three time travelers looked over to see a young girl dressed in mostly rags enter the alleyway.

"Oi! Oi, you! Over here! Over here!" The male vendor shouted. "Buy some Happy!"

Ignoring him, she approached the female vendor, looking up at her with red rimmed eyes.

"And what can I get you, my love?" The vendor cooed.

The young girl sniffed and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "I want to buy Forget."

"I've got Forget, my darling. What strength? How much do you want forgetting?"

"It's my mother and father." The girl's voice wavered. "They went on the motorway."

The vendor tsked. "Oh, that's a swine. Try this." She handed her what looked like a clear circular Band-Aid. "Forget Forty three. That's two credits."

"Sorry, but hold on a minute." The Doctor piped up, interrupting the transaction. "What happened to your parents?"

The girl sniffed again. "They drove off."

"Yeah, but they might drive back."

She shook her head. "Everyone goes to the motorway in the end. I've lost them."

"But M' sure they can't have gone far." Rose interjected. The young girl stared at her for a moment as though she was deliberating. "We could help you find them." Rose could see the moment that the decision was reached and her pleas of "No. No, no, don't." fell on deaf ears as the girl lifted up the mood patch and placed it on her neck, sending her into an almost trance-like state.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" she asked.

"Your parents." The Doctor reminded her. "Your mother and father, they're on the motorway."

"Are they?" she replied dreamily. "That's nice." She turned to leave. "I'm sorry, I won't keep you."

"So that's the human race five billion years in the future?" Martha asked incredulously. "Off their heads on chemicals?"

"Not if we have anythin' to say about it." Rose spoke up. "Doctor, we need to…" The rest of her sentence was replaced by a loud yelp as she was grabbed from behind.

The Doctor spun around to see her being restrained by a young man, holding a gun to her head while his female counterpart pointed a second gun at him and Martha to keep them at bay. The vendors wanting no part in the altercation quickly shut their awnings, leaving the trio to fend for themselves.

"I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry." The man holding onto Rose said. "We just need three, that's all."

Martha was looking around frantically for anything that might help extricate Rose from their grasp, but came up with nothing. She glanced back over at The Doctor for instructions and a chill ran down her spine. The look in his eyes was almost feral and his lips were twisted into an almost predatory snarl as he remained fixated on the gun pressed to Rose's head.

"I'm warning you," he growled through gritted teeth as he took a step forward. "Let her go! If you need help, I can help; we can all help. But if you don't release her to me. There will be no place in this universe that I won't find you."

A look of panic crossed over the female kidnapper's features for a moment and then she shook her head, "I'm sorry." she said, keeping the gun trained on The Doctor as he continued to edge forward. "I'm really sorry."

Rose was trying to struggle out of the man's grip, but the weight of The Doctor's coat draped over her shoulders kept her arms bound and the length of the material kept her from being able to stomp on the man's feet. Realizing she would not be able to free herself, her eyes met The Doctor's for a brief second and saw the fear she felt reflected in their depths before a door was slammed and locked, separating them. She could still hear The Doctor's screams from the other side of the door as he attempted to break it down, while her captors dragged her along the passageway towards a large box-like vehicle.

"Are you sure this was a good idea?" The young woman asked the man worriedly, glancing behind them.

"Sweetheart, we need three. It's the only way."

"Yeah, I know. It's just… He was so angry. I mean if looks could kill."

"Oh believe me; you do not want to be on his bad side." Rose told her. "But right now, you should be more worried about what M' gonna do when I get free if you don't let me go right now."

"Give her some Sleep." The man said in frustration.

"No!" Rose screamed, thrashing about in his arms. "Don't put that on me!"

"It's just Sleep Fourteen." The woman tried to reassure her as she showed her the little clear patch. "It will be ok, don't fight it."

"No! Get it away!" she screamed again. "I'm begging you don't put it on me!" Tears were streaming down Rose's face now, and the young woman looked taken aback by her reaction.

"Okay, okay." she put her hands up trying to calm her. "I won't use it if you'll agree to calm down and get in the car quietly."

Rose nodded in defeat and climbed into the backseat of what from the inside now looked like a large camper. She was not going to do anything that would jeopardize the safety of her daughter; even it meant surrendering for the time being. For now she would just have to wait for the right opportunity to present itself and allow her to escape or hope that The Doctor could find her before they got too far away.

Once they were all seated, the young man started the engine. "Engaging anti-gravs. Hold on." He released the hand break and lifted up the transmitter. "This is car four six five diamond six. We have three passengers, repeat three. Request access to the fast lane."

"ACCESS GRANTED." The computer responded.

"Oh, yes." he smiled and leaned over to give his partner a kiss.

Movement outside the window caught Rose's attention and she pressed her hands to the glass as she leaned forward to look out. She could see The Doctor standing against the railing of the fire escape, his face contorted in anguish. "Doctor!" she mouthed silently as the car began to rise up from the ground, knowing screaming would do no good.

"Rose!" he screamed as the car turned and sped off down the narrow passage. "Roooose!" His knuckles had turned white from how hard he was gripping onto the railing and he slumped forward, breathing heavily as the fear and anger took full reign.

"We'll get her back Doctor." Martha tried to reassure him. She placed a hand on his shoulder in attempts to offer some comfort, which he quickly shrugged off and angrily stalked back through the door leading to the alley. She knew he was upset and worried about Rose, but she also couldn't help feeling slightly offended by the way he kept blowing her off when she was only attempting to help. Sighing, she resolutely turned to follow him back inside.

They made their way back through the alley and he immediately went over to the closest vending station to them, banging on it as loudly as possible.

"Thought you'd come back." The woman said cheerfully as she opened the metal awning. "Do you want some happy, happy?"

"Those people," The Doctor growled. "Who were they? Where did they take her?"

Two other awnings opened up behind him. "They've taken her to the motorway." The male vendor told them.

"Looked like carjackers to me." The woman agreed.

"I'd give up now, darling." said the other female vendor. "You won't see her again."

"Used to be thriving, this place." The man continued. "You couldn't move." He shook his head sadly. "But they all go to the motorway in the end."

The Doctor turned back to the first woman. "He kept on saying three, we need three. What did he mean three?"

"It's the car-sharing policy, to save fuel. You get special access if you're carrying three adults."

"This motorway. How do I get there?"

"Straight down the alley, keep going to the end." she directed. "You canna miss it. Tell you what. How about some happy Happy? Then you'll be smiling, my love."

He turned back to look at her then, every bit of the Oncoming Storm raging in his eyes. "Word of advice, all of you. Cash up, close down and pack your bags."

"Why's that, then?" she asked, her smile faltering.

"Because as soon as I've found her, alive and well," His eyes narrowed as his voice took on a deeper octave. "And I will find her alive and well." He looked between the three of them. "Then I'm coming back, and this street is closing tonight!"

And on that final note, he turned and strode back down the alley towards the motorway with Martha on his heels, leaving the three vendors gaping after him in shock.

-oOo-

"Now you just settle back. It's all going to be worth it." The young man called to Rose over his shoulder.

"Yeah," The girl chimed in. "The view from the windows. You can see all the way out to the flatlands. Clear blue sky. They say the air smells like apple grass. Can you imagine?"

"The houses are made of wood. There are jobs going in the foundries. Everyone says so."

As the pair continued to talk distractedly, Rose noticed one of the guns lying within reach and knew that this was the opportunity she had been waiting for. Carefully she reached out and grabbed it, her hand shaking slightly as she pointed it towards her captors. "Take me back!" she demanded as the pair stopped talking and turned their attention to her. "I don't care who you are, jus' take me back to The Doctor. That's all I want and you two can go on your merry way. Jus' take me back."

"I'm sorry." The young woman shook her head. "That's not a real gun."

"Sorry if M' havin' a bit of trouble believin' you considerin' you're the one S' bein' pointed at now."

The other woman scoffed. "Where do you get a gun from, these days? I wouldn't even know how to fire."

"Unfortunately for you, I do."

The woman turned around more fully to face her now. "Look, I know we started out on the wrong foot…"

"Ya think?"

"Ok, so let's start over. What's your name?"

"Rose. Rose Tyler."

"Well, I'm Cheen," she said, pressing a hand to her chest. "And this is Milo." she gestured towards the man next to her. "And I swear we're sorry. We're really, really sorry. We just needed access to the fast line, but I promise, as soon as we arrive, we'll drop you off and you can go back and find your friends."

"Jus' like that and you'll let me go?" Rose asked, lowering the gun.

Cheen nodded. "I swear! Look. Honesty patch." She pointed at a small clear circle on her neck with the word 'Honesty' printed on it.

Rose eyed the patch with a look of disdain. "That's supposed to make me believe you? You kidnapped me." she spat, making Cheen shift uncomfortably in her chair. With a sigh she pressed her fingers to her temple, rubbing lightly. The inside of the vehicle was quite warm and she was starting to feel the beginnings of a headache coming on. Shrugging out of The Doctor's coat, she laid it down on the seat behind her and turned back to her would be kidnappers to find Cheen gaping at her.

"Are you…are you pregnant?"

"Yeah." Rose looked down at her stomach, stroking it softly.

"Oh my god," she grinned. "Me too!"

"You expectin' me to congratulate you?" Rose asked bitterly.

"You're right." Cheen said quietly. "I deserve that, but I swear to you we've never done anything like this before. We're not kidnappers."

"Maybe not." Rose conceded. "But you could've jus' asked for help instead of resortin' to this." She gestured towards the gun. "And another thing, how can you be usin' that stuff when you're pregnant?" Reaching out, she pulled the honesty patch from Cheen's neck and tossed it into the bin on the floor.

"Oh," Cheen waved her hand in nonchalance. "It's perfectly safe."

"Yeah, well M' not willin' to take that chance." Rose muttered, glancing out the window, unable to see anything but a few tail lights shrouded in a dense grey mist. "Where are we, anyway?"

"We're on the motorway." Milo said.

"So what's all that then, Fog?

Cheen chuckled. "Nah, that's the exhaust fumes."

"We're going out to Brooklyn." Milo explained. "Everyone says the air's so much cleaner, and we couldn't stay in Pharmacy Town with the baby coming."

Cheen nodded in agreement before turning back towards Rose. "So do you know what you're having yet?" she asked.

Rose managed a small smile. "S' a girl."

"That's so great. We got our scan last week." Cheen said, reaching out for Milo's hand. "It's going to be a boy."

Rose looked back at the young couple who seemed so full of hope and her anger slowly abated. They may have gone about the situation the wrong way, but she couldn't fault them for wanting to make a better life for themselves and their children. "Congratulations." she told them sincerely and the couple smiled.

"This'll be as fast as we can." Milo assured her. "We'll take the motorway to the Brooklyn flyover, and then after that it's going to take a while because then there's no fast lane, just ordinary roads, but at least it's direct."

"It's only ten miles." Cheen added.

"So how long do you think it will take?" Rose asked.

Cheen calculated the math in her head before giving her response. "About six years."

"What?!" Rose shouted, grabbing onto the table next to her as she stumbled backwards in shock.

"Just in time for our kids to start school."

"No, sorry, hold on." Rose shook her head in disbelief as her anger took over once more. "M' pretty sure I heard you wrong, 'cause there is no way it takes six years to go ten miles!"

-oOo-

Using his sonic on the lock, The Doctor quickly gained them access to the motorway. Pushing open the large metal door he and Martha stepped out onto a small balcony and into what looked like thick grey mist.

"Oh my god, what is this stuff?" Martha asked, waving a hand in front of her face as she began to cough.

"Exhaust fumes." he replied, attempting to bury his nose into the sleeve of his suit jacket as he stared out at the endless number of stationary cars lining the motorway. Within seconds the amount of smog in the air was even too much for his respiratory bypass and he began coughing just as violently as Martha.

Across from them, the door to one of the cars slid open and a man dressed in a WW2 flying jacket appeared, wearing a helmet, goggles and a large white scarf across his nose and mouth.

"Hey! You daft little street struts." he shouted at the pair in a thick Irish accent. "What are you doing standing there? Either get out or get in. Come on!"

The Doctor glanced over at Martha who shrugged as she continued to cough and then gestured for her to get into the vehicle. Moving across the small lay-by, Martha quickly hopped into the car with The Doctor following after her; both gasping for breath once the door was closed.

"Did you ever see the like?" The man shook his head as a dark haired woman came over to offer them oxygen masks."

"Here you go." she said as she helped place them over their heads.

"Just standing there, breathing it in." The man continued incredulously as he removed the coverings from his face, causing Martha's eyes to widen in shock. "There's this story, says back in the old days, on Junction forty seven, this woman stood in the exhaust fumes for a solid twenty minutes. By the time they found her, her head had swollen to fifty feet."

"Oh, you're making it up." The dark haired woman laughed.

"A fifty foot head!" he insisted. "Just think of it. Imagine picking that nose."

"Oh, stop it." She crossed her arms. "That's disgusting."

"What, did you never pick your nose?"

"Bran, we're moving." she told him, ignoring the question.

"Right. I'm there. I'm on it." he said, releasing the parking break.

The car shuddered slightly as he put it into drive and Martha took the opportunity to pull the oxygen mask from her face and whisper to The Doctor. "He's a cat."

"Don't stare." he chided as he removed his own mask from his face.

The car moved a couple of feet before coming to an abrupt halt.

"Twenty yards." The half human/half cat man announced, pulling back up on the parking break. "We're having a good day. And who might you two be?" he asked turning back to their guests. "Very well-dressed for hitchhikers."

"Sorry," The Doctor extended his hand to their rescuer. "Thanks for the help. I'm the Doctor and this is Martha Jones."

"Soon to be Doctor." Martha smiled, extending her hand as well.

"Ah lovely, medical personnel! My name's Thomas Kincade Brannigan, and this is the bane of my life, the lovely Valerie."

"Nice to meet you." Valerie said shaking their hands.

"And that's the rest of the family behind you." Brannigan pointed towards the large curtain at their backs.

The Doctor reached up and slowly drew back the material, revealing a small basket containing about five kittens.

"Aww." Martha gushed, forgetting about the strangeness of the situation for the time being and instead focusing on how adorable the kittens were.

"May I hold one?" Martha asked and Valerie nodded with a smile. Reaching down, she picked up a black and brown kitten with white paws, cooing as she cuddled it.

"Hello." The Doctor murmured softly as he stroked the kitten's head. "How old are they?"

Valerie gazed upon her children fondly. "Just two months."

"Poor little souls." Brannigan shook his head sadly. "They've never known the ground beneath their paws. Children of the motorway."

"You mean they were born in here?" Martha asked in astonishment.

Valerie nodded. "We couldn't stop. We heard there were jobs going, out in the laundries on Fire Island. Thought we'd take a chance."

"What, you've been driving for two months?" The Doctor said, now looking as equally surprised.

Brannigan scoffed. "Do I look like a teenager? We've been driving for twelve years now."

"I'm sorry?"

"Yeah! Started out as newlyweds. Feels like yesterday."

Valerie rolled her eyes. "Feels like twelve years to me."

"Ah, sweetheart, but you still love me." Brannigan teased as he leaned over to tickle his wife until she playfully batted him away.

"Twelve years?" The Doctor looked between them, still trying to wrap his mind around that timeframe. "How far did you come? Where did you start?"

"Battery Park. It's five miles back."

"You travelled five miles in twelve years?" The Doctor asked in disbelief as Martha simultaneously shouted "That's all?"

Brannigan raised an eyebrow and leaned towards his wife. "I think they're a bit slow." he spoke out the side of his mouth.

"Where are you two from anyway?" Valerie asked.

"Never mind that." The Doctor waved off the question. "I've got to get out. Martha, we need to get back to the TARDIS." He pulled open the door and was hit with a wave of exhaust, sending him into a coughing fit.

Martha quickly closed the door and seeing the confused looks on the couple's faces attempted to explain. "Our friend is in one of these cars. She was taken hostage and we need to find her. "

"Well, I'm afraid it's too late to get out." Brannigan informed them. "We've passed the lay-by. You're both just passengers now."

"When's the next lay-by?" The Doctor asked, breathing heavily.

"Oooh, six months."

-oOo-

Milo continued the car's descent into the lower levels of traffic as Rose stared out the window. After finding out she could possibly be separated from The Doctor for six years while having to deliver her baby in a camper amongst strangers instead of her family, she promptly had a panic attack. The attack lasted for about five minutes, in which four and a half of those were spent breathing into a paper bag Cheen had found. Once she had gotten herself under control she had opted for sitting quietly with her face pressed against the window, praying for The Doctor to find her as soon as possible.

"How many cars do ya' think are out there?" she wondered aloud, finally breaking the silence.

"I don't think anyone knows." Cheen held up a package of what looked like rice cakes. "Here we go. Hungry?"

Rose shook her head. "No thanks. So jus' how far down is this fast lane?"

"Oh, it's right at the bottom, underneath the traffic jam." Milo said over his shoulder. "But not many people can afford three passengers, so it's empty down there. Rumor has it you can reach up to thirty miles per hour."

"Great." Rose replied slowly, unimpressed. "And how exactly are we s'pose to live inside this thing for six years? I mean, S' tiny."

"Oh, we stocked up." Cheen said, gesturing towards the crates in the back. "Got self-replicating fuel, muscle stimulants for exercise, and there's a chemical toilet at the back. And all waste products are recycled as food."

Rose grimaced at the implications of that statement, thankful that she had rejected Cheen's offer of dinner.

A pinging sound drew their attention to the monitor. "CAR SIGN IN." The computer stated.

"Oh, another gap. This is brilliant." Milo announced excitedly as he picked up the transmitter and began speaking into it. "Car Four Six Five Diamond Six, on descent to fast lane, thank you very much."

"PLEASE DRIVE SAFELY." The computer responded as they moved down to the next level.

-oOo-

Martha sat quietly with the kitten still in her lap as she watched The Doctor attempt to hack into the communications system with his sonic screwdriver, growing more and more agitated by the second.

"I need to talk to the police!" he yelled into the transmitter.

"THANK YOU FOR YOUR CALL." The computer stated. "YOU HAVE BEEN PLACED ON HOLD."

"But you're the police." he argued, receiving the same automated response as before. Sighing in frustration, he threw the transmitter down and walked back towards the front of the camper. "Is there anyone else?" he inquired. "I once met the Duke of Manhattan. Is there any way of getting through to him?"

"Oh now, ain't you lordly?" Brannigan said; a slight mocking tone to his voice.

The Doctor chose to ignore the irony of that statement. "I've got to find Rose." he insisted irritably, running a hand through his hair.

"You can't make outside calls." Valerie interjected. "The motorway's completely enclosed."

"What about the other cars?" Martha asked, coming up behind The Doctor. "Can you contact other cars directly?"

"Oh, we've got contact with them, yeah." Brannigan nodded. "Well, some of them, anyway. They've got to be on your friends list." He began scrolling through the contacts on his computer screen. "Now, let's see. Who's nearby?" The screen popped up an image of two elderly women standing side by side. "Ah, the Cassini sisters!" Tapping the button for their car number he picked up the transmitter. "Still your hearts, my handsome girls. It's Brannigan here."

"Get off the line, Brannigan." said a woman's voice. "You're a pest and a menace."

"Oh, come on, now, sisters." he tutted. "Is that any way to talk to an old friend?"

"You know full well we're not sisters." The woman replied. "May and I are married."

"Ooo, stop that modern talk Alice. I'm an old-fashioned cat." he teased. "Now, I've got a couple of hitchhikers here that call themselves…"

The Doctor's impatience quickly got the better of him as he snatched the transmitter from Brannigan, cutting him off. "Hello, sorry to interrupt." he told the woman on the other end of the line. "I'm The Doctor, and I'm looking for someone called Rose Tyler. She's been carjacked. She's inside one of these vehicles, but I don't know which one."

"Wait a minute." A second woman's voice called out. "Could I ask, what entrance did they use?"

The Doctor glanced over at Brannigan. "Where were we?"

"Pharmacy Town."

"Pharmacy Town." The Doctor repeated. "About twenty minutes ago."

"Let's have a look." she said.

"Just my luck to marry a car-spotter, right May?" Alice chuckled.

The line went silent for a few moments before May spoke up again. "In the last half hour, fifty three new cars joined from the Pharmacy Town junction."

"Anything more specific?" The Doctor pressed.

"All in good time." she replied with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Was she car-jacked by two people?"

"Yes, she was, yeah."

"There we are. Just one of those cars was destined for the fast lane." May confirmed. "That means they had three on board. And car number is four six five diamond six."

"That's it! So how do we find them?"

"Ah. Now there I'm afraid I can't help."

The Doctor turned back to Brannigan. "Call them on this thing. We've got their number. Diamond six."

"But not if they're designated fast lane." he remonstrated. "It's a different class."

"You could try the police." May suggested.

"Yeah, did that. They put me on hold." The Doctor replied.

"You'll have to keep trying." Alice persisted. "There's no one else."

"Thank you." he told the two women, before handing the transmitter back to Brannigan. Sighing, he ran hand through his hair and pulled his sonic back out of his pocket, heading back towards the opposite end of the camper to try contacting the police again. As he passed by Martha she offered him a reassuring smile but even though he knew she meant well nothing was going to make him feel better until Rose was safely back in his arms.

-oOo-

"See? Another ten layers to go. We're scorching." Milo crowed triumphantly as they continued their journey towards the fast lane.

As Rose continued to stare out the window at the stationary traffic, she heard a low growling sound. "What was that?" she asked, pressing closer to the window and looking downwards. "It sounds like S' comin' from below."

"It's that noise, isn't it?" Cheen asked Milo. "It's like Kate said. The stories, they're true."

"What stories?" Rose turned to face her.

"It's the sound of the air vents." Milo contended. "That's all. The exhaust fumes travel down, so at the base of the tunnel they've got air vents."

"No, but the stories are much better." Cheen said, her eyes alight with fervor as she scooted forward in her seat. "They say people go missing on the motorway. Some cars just vanish, never to be seen again, because there's something living down there in the smoke. Something huge and hungry. And if you get lost on the road, it's waiting for you." The growling sound came again as though to add further foreboding to her statement.

"But like I said," Milo reiterated. "Air vents." He adjusted their speed as they began to descend again. "Going down to the next layer."

"Well, from up here, it doesn't really look like the air vents are working." Rose pointed out. "Does it?"

"No." Cheen agreed.

"So then S' gotta be somethin' else. And whatever it is, it doesn't sound very friendly"

"Nah." Milo disagreed, clearly blowing off her concerns. "Kid stuff." He picked up the transmitter again. "Car four six five diamond six, on descent."

-oOo-

The Doctor was beyond frustrated now and at the moment Martha couldn't even come up with a word that would give description to his demeanor. He was pacing back and forth rapidly in the small confines of the camper, wide-eyed and muttering to himself. His hair stood out at odd angles from the way he kept running his hands through it and tugging on the strands and she was pretty sure if she didn't find a way to calm him down soon he was going to end up either bald or the friction his feet were generating on the carpeted floor was going to set the camper on fire. As she was weighing her options, he finally came to an abrupt halt, stalking back towards the driver's area and gripping onto the backs of the chairs so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"We've got to go to the fast lane." he told them. "Take me down."

Brannigan scoffed. "Not in a million years."

"You've got three passengers." The Doctor pointed out.

Brannigan shook his head. "I'm still not going."

"She doesn't belong on this planet, she belongs with me. I brought her here and it's my fault she's in trouble because I didn't protect her like I promised. I'm asking you Brannigan," he pleaded. "Take me down."

"That's a no!" Valerie snapped. "And that's final. I'm not risking the children down there."

"Why not?" he asked, an uneasy feeling coming over him. "What's the risk? What happens down there?"

"We're not discussing it." She crossed her arms and turned her back on him. "The conversation is closed."

"So we keep on driving." The Doctor said. It wasn't a question.

"Yes, we do". Brannigan nodded.

Martha, seeing The Doctor's struggle to remain rationally calm with their hosts decided to pose her own question. "For how long?"

"Till the journey's end." Brannigan replied firmly. His tone indicating no room for discussion.

The Doctor glared down at him for a moment before snatching the transmitter from the dash. "Mrs. Cassini, this is the Doctor again. Tell me, how long have you been driving on the motorway?"

"Oh, we were amongst the first." Alice said. "It's been twenty three years now."

"And in all that time, have you ever seen a police car?"

There was a moment of silence and then May answered instead. "I'm not sure."

"Look at your notes." The Doctor instructed her. "Any police?"

"Not as such."

"An ambulance maybe?" he continued. "Rescue service? Anything official ever?"

"I can't keep a note of everything." she stammered, sounding somewhat uneasy.

"What if there's no one out there?" he replied ominously.

Brannigan quickly yanked the transmitter from his hands. "Stop it." he hissed. "The Cassinis were doing you a favor."

The Doctor's eyes grew cold and he lowered his voice menacingly. "Someone's got to ask, because you might not talk about it, but it's there in your eyes. What if the traffic jam never stops?"

Brannigan shook his head. "There's a whole city above us. The mighty city state of New, New York. They wouldn't just leave us."

"In that case, where are they, hmm? What if there's no help coming, not ever?"

"Doctor, that's not going to help get Rose back." Martha chided. "All you're doing is scaring them."

"What if there's nothing?" he continued, ignoring her pleas for him to stop. "Just the motorway, with the cars going round and round and round and round, never stopping. Forever."

"Shut up!" Valerie screamed, putting her hands over her ears. "Just shut up!"

The monitor suddenly kicked on with a buzzing of static, startling everyone before changing over to an image of a young woman at a news desk. "This is Sally Calypso, and it's that time again. The sun is blazing high in the sky over the New Atlantic, the perfect setting for the daily contemplation."

"You think you know us so well, Doctor. But we're not abandoned." Brannigan said quietly, but with conviction. "Not while we have each other." He glanced over at Valerie, who gave him a soft smile.

"This is for all of you out there on the roads." Sally continued. "We're so sorry. Drive safe."

A soft melody started to play as Brannigan and Valerie began singing along. Martha soon joined in as well, the powerful hymn seeming to have overwhelmed her as a lone tear ran down her face. The Doctor watched them silently for a few moments, but when he saw Brannigan reach for Valerie's hand something inside him snapped. With his teeth bared he turned and stalked towards the back of the camper, pulling the curtain shut behind him.

-oOo-

Rose remained silent throughout the song, refusing to let herself break down. It had been exceptionally moving but she kept telling herself that crying wouldn't help the situation and it would only make her feel like she was allowing herself to give up. Shortly after the hymn had ended they were granted access to the fast lane but upon reaching that level Milo and Cheen began to realize that all of their plans and efforts to get there had been for nothing.

"Try again." Cheen said impatiently.

Milo reached out and tapped the button on the screen labeled Exit 1.

"BROOKLYN TURNOFF ONE, CLOSED." The Computer stated.

"Try the next one." she urged.

He tapped Exit 2 and the computer again denied them access. "BROOKLYN TURNOFF TWO, CLOSED."

Cheen looked over at him worriedly. "What do we do?"

"We'll keep going round. We'll do the whole loop, and by the time we come back round, they'll be open." he told her as they heard the growling sound again and the car shuddered.

"You still want to blame that noise on the air vents?" Rose asked, sarcastically.

Milo looked slightly annoyed. "What else could it be?" he said as the car began to shake again.

Cheen gripped onto the sides of her seat, looking around frantically. "What the hell is that?"

"It's just the hydraulics." Milo told her, trying to offer reassurance although he looked like he didn't believe it himself.

"Actually, it sounds like S' alive." Rose argued.

Milo shook his head. "It's all exhaust fumes out there. Nothing could breathe in that."

The radio emitted a loud wave of feedback and then a frantic sounding female voice came through. "Calling Car four six five diamond six! Repeat, calling Car four six five diamond six!"

Milo picked up the transmitter and brought it to his lips. "This is Car four six five diamond six." he said. "Who's that? Where are you?"

"The name's Javit. I'm in the fast lane, about fifty yards behind. Can you get back up? Can you get off the fast lane?"

"We only have permission to go down. We need the Brooklyn Flyover."

"It's closed." she replied. "Go back up."

"We can't. We'll just go round."

"Don't you understand?" she said, her voice breaking. "They're closed. They're always closed. We're stuck down here, and there's something else out there in the fog. Can't you hear it?" The car shook again as the growling grew louder.

"That's the air vents." Milo argued.

"Jehovah, what are you, some stupid kid?" she chastised him. "Get out of here!" Her order was followed by a loud crashing noise and several screams.

"What was that?" Milo asked, slightly panicking now as the growling grew louder.

"I can't move!" Javit sounded terrified. "They've got us!"

"But what's happening?" he asked again. "What's got you? What is it?"

"Just drive, you idiots!" she screamed back. "Get out of here!" There was another loud banging noise; several more screams and then the line went dead.

"Can you hear me?" Milo shouted into the transmitter. "Hello?"

Rose grabbed the device out of his hand and tossed it onto the dash. "Jus' drive! Do what she said and get us the hell out of here!"

"But where?"

"Doesn't matter where." she told him. "Jus' go straight ahead. And fast!"

"What is it?" Cheen whimpered. "What's out there?"

"I don't know." Rose shook her head. "But if we don't get out of here, we're next."

-oOo-

Martha stood quietly; arms crossed as she observed The Doctor attempting to deliberate with himself. After he had stalked off during the hymn she thought it would be better to give him a few minutes alone to calm down before she tried talking to him. However, when she made her way to the back of the camper instead of the frantic, angry pacing she had been expecting, she had instead found him sitting on the edge of the bed, brows furrowed in concentration and staring off into space. Looking down at the time on her phone she realized he hadn't moved from that position in over five minutes. She rubbed her temple and sighed deciding enough was enough but as she opened her mouth to speak he cut her off.

"If they won't take me, I'll go down on my own." he said firmly as he looked up at her, eyes daring her to argue.

Martha put her hands on her hips. "And how exactly are you going to do that?"

"By finding my own way." he stood up and brushed past her, pulling his sonic from his pocket. "I usually do."

Pushing back the separation curtain and walking over to the area just behind the driver and passenger seats he stooped down and began to sonic open the trapdoor in the floorboard.

"CAPSULE OPEN." The computer stated.

"What do you think you're doing?" Brannigan asked as he spun his chair around.

"I can't make you go down there, but I'm going after Rose." Standing up he turned to Martha and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I need you to stay here. You'll be safe with them."

Looking into his eyes, she could see his unwavering conviction and knew nothing anyone said was going to deter him. So reaching up, she took his hands in her own and gave him a soft smile. "Go get her."

The Doctor returned her smile, accompanied with a slight nod and then knelt back down next to the trapdoor calculating the distance between the car they were in and the one that had just pulled up below.

Valerie's eyes widened in disbelief. "But you can't jump."

"If it's any consolation Valerie," he looked up at her. "Right now, I'm having kittens."

"This Rose, she must mean an awful lot to you." Brannigan observed.

"More than anything in the universe." The Doctor glanced down at the couple's joined hands for a moment before meeting his eyes again. "And I'm going to get her back." he said with a confident smile as he lowered his legs into the hole in the floor. "Bye then."

The trio watched as he dropped down onto the roof of the car below and began sonicing open the top hatch.

"He's completely insane!" Valerie blurted out.

"Oh yeah, he's absolutely barmy." Martha agreed with a grin.

Brannigan chuckled. "That and a bit magnificent!"

-oOo-

"CAPSULE OPEN." The computer stated as The Doctor lifted the roof hatch and dropped down into the vehicle.

"Who the hell are you?"

Getting to his feet, he saw an Albino gentleman staring at him in awe. "Hello. Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol. I'm doing a survey. How are you enjoying your motorway?" he asked as he began to sonic the trapdoor on the floor.

"Well," The man shrugged. "Not very much. Junction Five's been closed for three years."

The computer signaled the latch's release and The Doctor began lowering himself through the opening. "Thank you. Your comments have been noted. Have a nice day!" When he landed on the next car, he repeated the process, borrowing a bandana from the two young Asian women inside and tying it around his face to help with the intensity of the fumes. "Not my color, but thank you very much." he said with a wink as he dropped through the floor.

He continued his descent downwards; car by car, even passing through one housing a couple of nudists, which he was positive Jack would have enjoyed. Dropping into what he was sure would be the last car leading to his final destination, he ripped the bandana from his face, wiping away the sweat on his brow and wheezing heavily.

"Excuse me, is that legal?"

The Doctor looked up to see a man in a bowler hat and dark pinstriped suit staring back at him curiously.

"Sorry," The Doctor coughed. "Motorway Foot Patrol. Whatever." He shook his head to clear it. "Have you got any water?"

"Certainly." The man picked up a small plastic cone and proceeded to fill it with water from a nearby cooler. "Never let it be said I've lost my manners." he said handing the drink to The Doctor.

"Is this the last layer?" he asked, downing the water in one sip.

"We're right at the bottom." The man confirmed. "Nothing below us but the fast lane."

"Can we drive down?"

"There's only two of us. You need three to go down."

"Couldn't we just cheat?" The Doctor whined exasperatedly.

"Well, I'd love to," The man confessed. "But it's an automated system. The wheel would lock."

The Doctor sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Fine, then excuse me." He spun around and headed for the trapdoor.

"You can't jump." The man said incredulously. "It's a thousand feet down."

"Not jumping, I just want to look." The Doctor reassured him as a low growl resonated from below. "What's that noise?"

"I…" The man swallowed roughly. "I try not to think about it."

The Doctor continued to wave the fumes away from his face as he stared down into the murky clouds of exhaust below. "What are those lights? What's down there? I just need to see." He stood up abruptly and ran over towards the computer screen, using his sonic to try to bypass the main system. "There must be some sort of ventilation. If I could just transmit a pulse through this thing, maybe I could trip the system; give us a bit of a breeze." Pulling out the monitor, he started working on the wiring underneath. After a few seconds, he switched off the sonic, beaming proudly. "That's it!" He stood up and walked back over the trap door. "Might shift the fumes a bit, give us a good look."

The other man moved over to join him, leaning over the opening and peering down into the thick fog. "What are those shapes?"

"They're alive." The Doctor uttered as the mist began to slowly dissipate, allowing them to see what was responsible for the growling noises coming from below. The giant crab-like creatures scuttled across the bottom surface extending their claws as far as they could reach in attempts to capture the cars hovering above them.

"What the hell are they?" The man asked in alarm.

The Doctor let out a shuddering breath. "Macra."

-oOo-

The car was shaking violently as it was batted around from all directions and Rose had to hold onto the seat to keep herself upright.

"Go faster!" Cheen screamed, slightly hysterical.

"I'm at top speed!" Milo yelled back, trying to maneuver the car through the sea of claws reaching for them. He tapped on the computer screen once more, but he was again met with the response, "NO ACCESS ABOVE."

"But this is an emergency!" he shouted into the transmitter.

"THANK YOU FOR YOUR CALL." The system responded. "YOU HAVE BEEN PLACED ON HOLD."

"Turn everythin' off." Rose demanded

Milo looked back at her in "You've got to be joking."

"M' tellin' you, with all that fog out there they won't be able to see us?"

"So…?" he prompted.

"So turn everythin' off. The lights, the engine, all of it. If they can't hear or see us, they won't be able to attack."

"What if you're wrong?"

"Would you rather continue playin' frogger and hope for the best?" she shot back.

Milo shook his head in frustration and cut the power. The engines immediately shut off along with the lights, sending them into complete darkness and all at once, the shaking subsided.

Cheen took several shuddering breaths as they listened to the resounding silence that now filled the air and closed her eyes in relief. "They've stopped."

"Yeah, but they're still out there." Milo retorted.

Cheen gave Milo an exasperated look and then turned back to Rose. "How did you think of that?"

"Well, those things down there kinda look like crabs and I know that their vision isn't as good when there's no movement, so I took a shot." she shrugged. "Beyond that, I have no clue on how to proceed."

"Well, you'd better think of something," Milo told her. "Because we've lost the aircon. If we don't switch the engines back on, we won't be able to breathe." Cheen's face paled at the implications of his statement as she attempted to hold back her tears.

"How long have we got?" Rose asked quietly.

"Eight minutes, maximum." he replied.

Rose took a deep breath and lowered herself onto the floor. 'Oh Doctor, where are you?'

-oOo-

"The Macra used to be the scourge of this galaxy." The Doctor was explaining. "Gas. They fed off gas, the filthier the better. They built up a small empire using humans as slaves and mining gas for food."

The other man scoffed. "They don't exactly look like empire builders to me."

"Weell, that was billions of years ago. Billions. They must have devolved down the years. Now they're just beasts. But they're still hungry and looking for a sustainable meal."

A loud thumping on the roof drew both men's attention upwards.

"Oh, it's like New Times Square in here, for goodness sake!" The man grumbled as a robed figure dropped through the opening.

"I've invented a sport." The Doctor quipped, standing up to greet the newcomer.

"Doctor, you're a hard man to find." The feline grinned.

"No guns." The owner of the car demanded. "I'm not having guns."

"I only brought this in case of pirates." she assured him before turning back to the Time Lord. "Doctor, you've got to come with me."

His brows furrowed in confusion as he took in her sky blue dress and habit. "Do I know you?"

"You haven't aged at all." she smiled shyly. "Time has been less kind to me."

After a few seconds, a look of recognition passed over his features. "Novice Hame!" he exclaimed, pulling her in for a hug but then just as quickly pushed her away. "No, hold on, get off. Last time we met, you were breeding humans for experimentation."

"I've sought forgiveness Doctor, for so many years, under his guidance. And if you come with me, I might finally be able to redeem myself."

"I'm not going anywhere." he said firmly. "Rose is stuck down there and I need to find her. Not to mention you've got Macra living underneath this city. Macra!"

"You've got to come with me right now." Novice Hame demanded.

"No, no, no, you're coming with me." he nodded towards the other man who was staring at them wide eyed. "We've got three passengers now."

"I'm sorry, Doctor. But the situation is even worse than you can imagine." Grabbing hold of his wrist, she activated the bracelet on her arm. "Transport."

As The Doctor registered what she was doing, he quickly attempted to yank his arm away. "Don't you dare!" he shouted. "Don't you dare!" His eyes were filled with a blinding blue light and the next thing he knew, he was lying face down on a hard cement floor. "Oh, rough teleport." he groaned as he pushed himself up. When he got to his feet, he saw Novice Hame doing the same a few meters away. "You can go straight back down and teleport people out, starting with Rose." he told her angrily.

"I only had the power for one trip."

"Then get some more!" he growled before taking in his surroundings. "Where are we?"

"High above, in the over-city." she informed him.

"Good." He turned back to her, his anger now reaching a boiling point. "Because you can tell the Senate of New, New York I'd like a word. They have got thousands of people trapped on the motorway. Millions!"

"But you're inside the Senate, right now." she argued as she activated her bracelet once more to restore the power. "May the goddess Santori bless them." As the lights flickered on, they illuminated the skeletal remains that lined the rows of seats above. What once housed a powerful governing branch was now a tomb. "They died, Doctor." she said mournfully. "The city died."

"How long's it been like this?" he asked as he took in the grisly scene.

"Twenty-four years."

"All of them?" he said, awestruck. "Everyone? What happened?"

"A new chemical. A new mood. They called it Bliss." She leaned down and removed the offending patch from one of the skeletons. "Everyone tried it. They couldn't stop. A virus mutated inside the compound and became airborne. Everything perished. Even the virus, in the end. It killed the world in seven minutes flat." His head shot up in surprise at the timeframe and she nodded in affirmation. "There was just enough time to close down the walkways and the flyovers, sealing off the under-city. Those people on the motorway aren't lost, Doctor. They were saved."

"So the whole thing down there is running on automatic." The Doctor said in realization.

"There's not enough power to get them out. We did all we could to stop the system from choking."

The Doctor's brows furrowed. "Who's we? How did you survive?"

"He protected me. And he has waited for you, these long years."

"Doctor."

The Doctor looked around in bewilderment trying to ascertain where the voice was coming from and then he saw him. "The Face of Boe!" he called out, jogging across the room to greet his old friend.

"I knew you would come." he said softly.

"Back in the old days, I was made his nurse as penance for my sin." Novice Hame bowed her head as she stepped up behind him.

Crouching down next to the tank, The Doctor pressed his hand against the glass. "Old friend, what happened to you?"

Boe's eyes drooped slightly as he responded. "Failing."

"He protected me from the virus by shrouding me in his smoke." she explained. "But with no one to maintain it, the City's power died. The under-city would have fallen into the sea."

"So he saved them." The Doctor smiled sadly as he patted the glass.

"The Face of Boe wired himself into the mainframe. He's giving his life force just to keep things running."

"But there are planets out there." he glanced back at her. "You could have called for help."

She shook her head. "The last act of the Senate was to declare New Earth unsafe. The automatic quarantine lasts for one hundred years."

"So the two of you stayed here, on your own for all these years." he murmured as he stood up, coming to realize the hell they had put themselves through in order to protect the remainder of the population.

Novice Hame lowered her head, looking down at the floor. "We had no choice."

"Yes, you did." he said softly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Save them, Doctor." Boe implored him as he drew in a ragged breath. "Save them."

-oOo-

The heat in the car continued to rise making the trio sweat profusely and Rose's chest began to feel heavy from the lack of oxygen, almost reminiscent of when she had to give The Doctor CPR on the moon.

"How much air's left?" Cheen inquired.

Milo looked up at the screen and winced. "Two minutes."

"The Doctor will come for me. You jus' wait. He'll get us out of here."

"Rose," Milo shook his head in disagreement. "No one's coming."

Rose glared at him, but held her tongue.

"He looked kind of nice." Cheen offered. "Are you two married?"

"No." Rose snorted softly. "No we're not married."

"But you want to be." Cheen pressed. "I can tell." Rose blushed and looked away. "I never even asked." the woman continued. "Where's home?"

"He's my home. We jus' sort a' travel all over."

"So um, who is he exactly, this Doctor of yours?" Milo asked.

Rose smiled to herself for a moment. How could she possibly put into words everything that he was and everything that he meant to her? He was life and love and home. A beacon in the dark, a terrifyingly beautiful force, a savior, who touched the lives of everyone they met. And with that thought she looked up into his eyes and said with conviction, "Hope."

"And you really believe he can save us?" Cheen said skeptically.

"You jus' wait, 'cause you haven't seen the things he can do." Rose replied firmly. "Trust me. You lot may have your faith and your songs and your hymns, but I've got the Doctor. He's my light in the darkness and I will trust him to the ends of the earth."

"Right." Milo said as he began turning the systems back on with renewed confidence from Rose's speech.

"SYSTEMS BACK ONLINE." The Computer stated as he held his hand out to the blonde and she shook it firmly.

"Good luck." he told her.

Rose smiled. "And you."

Blowing out a deep breath, Milo grasped hold of the wheel and slammed his foot down on the gas.

-oOo-

"Car four six five diamond six. It still registers!" The Doctor exclaimed happily as he watched the monitor. "That's where Rose is. Novice Hame," he called out, pointing to a lever as she ran over. "Hold that in place." He grabbed a large bundle of cable from the floor, checking to make sure it was connected. "Think, think, think, think." he muttered. "Take the residual energy, invert it, feed it through the electricity grid."

"I don't think there's enough power." Novice Hame called to him over her shoulder.

"Oh, you've got power." he assured her. "You've got me. I'm brilliant with computers, just you watch." He turned back towards her and pointed at the control panels. "Hame, every switch on that bank up to maximum. I can't power up the city, but all the city needs is people."

"So what are you going to do?" she asked.

"This!" he shouted, yanking down on a giant lever. At the moment the switch was flipped, all of the monitors went out and the sound of the generator powering down filled the room. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no." he yelled, running his hands through his hair. Pulling out his sonic, he ran over to the control box and scanned it. "The transformers are blocked. The signal can't get through."

"Doctor." Boe said quietly.

"Yeah, hold on, not now." he replied, waving him off.

"Always so damn difficult." Boe sighed and rolled his eyes before blowing out a heavy breath that immediately reactivated the computers.

The Doctor's jaw went slack and as he turned back to face Boe he grinned, leaping to his feet. "Hame, look after him. Don't you go dying on me, you big old face. You've got to see this." He flipped the lever once more, opening the roof to the motorway. "The open road. Ha!" Flipping a few more switches, he boosted the transmission feed and then picked up a large microphone. "I'm looking for Thomas Kincade Brannigan. Come in Brannigan." The monitor in front of him scrambled and was replaced with an image of Brannigan, Valerie and Martha all staring back at him.

"Doctor is that really you?" Brannigan asked in astonishment.

"It's really me. Good to see you again sir and I appreciate you looking after Martha for me." He gave her a little wave and she returned it with a wide smile. "Now, if you could please direct your attention up above." He flipped one last lever and the roof over the motorway parted, allowing the sunlight to stream through.

"Oh, Brannigan, it's the sun!" Valerie gasped.

"By all the cats in the kingdom!" Brannigan's mouth gaped open in awe as he looked into the sky above. "He's a magician."

"That he is." Martha agreed.

The Doctor was soon broadcasting on all wavelengths, reaching out to every car. "Sorry, no Sally Calypso. She was just a hologram. My name's the Doctor and this is an order. Everyone drive up. Right now."

"Are you serious?" Brannigan asked the image on the screen.

"He's always serious." Martha replied for him. "Now go on, you heard him. Drive up."

"I've opened the roof of the motorway." The Doctor continued. "Come on. Throttle those engines. Drive up. All of you. The whole under-city. Drive up, drive up, drive up! Fast! We've got to clear that fast lane. Drive up and get out of the way."

The monitor switched over to static and another voice came through. "Doctor?"

"Rose?"

"S' me!" she confirmed, her voice wavering slightly. "M' here."

"Rose, drive up! Get them to drive up."

A male voice came through next. "We can't go up! We'll hit the layer!"

"Jus' do as he says and go up!" Rose responded to the man sharply. "I told you he'd come through!"

"You've got access above." The Doctor told them. "Now go! Brannigan, you still there?"

"Did I tell you, Doctor?" The cat replied. "You're not bad, sir. You're not bad at all! Oh, yee-hah!"

The Doctor chuckled. "You keep driving, Brannigan. All the way up. Because it's here, just waiting for you. The city of New, New York, and it's yours. And if you wouldn't mind dropping of Miss Martha Jones on your way, I'd appreciate it."

"I reckon that's a fair bargain, sir."

"And Car four six five diamond six," The Doctor continued. "I've sent you a flight path as well. Come to the Senate. I'll be waiting for you, Rose Tyler."

"You couldn't keep me away." he heard Rose reply.

"Doctor!" Novice Hame cried out.

Spinning around, he saw a large crack spreading across the front of Boe's tank. Within seconds the crack splintered out in every direction and the glass shattered, scattering the shards across the floor.

-oOo-

When Rose entered the main room of the senate, she covered her mouth in shock at the numerous skeletal remains that lined the seats.

"Rose!"

Rose turned around to see Martha rushing towards her and she smiled and threw open her arms.

"Oh thank god." Martha murmured before pulling back from the hug to give Rose a once over. "Are you alright?"

"M' fine." Rose nodded. "You?"

"Yeah, I'm good. What happened here?" she asked, looking around in disbelief.

Rose shook her head. "I don't know."

They walked through another doorway and Rose could see The Doctor's profile crouched down towards the back of the room. "Doctor?" she called out.

"Rose!" he breathed out in relief as he leapt to his feet, rushing over to greet her.

Within seconds, he had swept her up in his arms and she buried her face against his neck. He held onto her tightly, swinging her around once before setting her back down and crushing his lips to hers in a passionate kiss.

"I missed you." he whispered against her lips.

"Me too." she said kissing him once more, before wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him fiercely. As she opened her eyes again, she rested her chin on his shoulder and gasped at the scene before her. "Oh my god, Boe!" Rose released The Doctor and ran towards their old friend, careful to avoid the shattered glass shards littering the ground from the tank that once housed the telepathic head.

"Hello stranger." she heard his voice greet her telepathically. "Oh, how I've missed you."

"Oh, Boe." She reached out and brushed her hand against his cheek. "What happened?"

"My lord gave his life to save the city, and now he's dying." Novice Hame replied sadly.

"No," Rose shook her head, looking back at Boe. "You can't die."

"She's right." The Doctor said, crouching down next to her and placing his hand on her shoulder. "Not old Boe. Plenty of life left."

"My friends, it's good to breathe the air once more." Boe said in a tired voice as he struggled to remain conscious.

The Doctor looked back over his shoulder at Martha. She was still standing in the same spot she had been when they came in, not wanting to interrupt the seemingly personal moment. "It's alright Martha. Come say hello." he said softly, motioning her over with a tilt of his head.

She approached slowly, giving the large face a timid smile and then she gasped as she heard a voice in her head. When she saw the couple looking back at her she shook her head. "I heard him talking to me but he didn't…his mouth didn't move, but I heard him."

"What did he say?" The Doctor asked.

"He said…" she trailed off, a light blush spreading across her cheeks. "He um, complimented me."

Rose giggled softly. "He's telepathic. S' how he communicates."

"Who is he?" Martha asked curiously.

"It's the Face of Boe." The Doctor told her. "But beyond that, I don't even know. Legend says the Face of Boe has lived for billions of years. Isn't that right?" he smiled at his oldest friend. "And you're not about to give up now."

"Everything has its time. You know that old friend, better than most."

"The legend says more." Novice Hame cut in.

"Don't." The Doctor interrupted, shaking his head. "There's no need for that."

Ignoring his protest, she continued. "It says that the Face of Boe will speak his final secret to a traveler."

"Yeah, but not yet." He gave her a pointed look before turning back to Boe. "Who needs secrets, eh?"

"I have seen so much. Perhaps too much. I am the last of my kind, as you were once the last of yours, Doctor." Boe's gaze drifted towards Rose for a moment. Her eyes widened in shock but she remained silent.

"That's why we have to survive." The Doctor pleaded, oblivious to her reaction. "Don't go."

"I must. But know this, Time Lord." He looked directly into The Doctor's eyes as his final words were spoken aloud. "You are not alone."

Taking one last breath, Boe's eyes fluttered shut and did not open again. Martha wrapped her arms around herself and lowered her head as Novice Hame began to weep silently. Rose reached out to softly stroke Boe's cheek one last time before turning and burying her face in The Doctor's chest to muffle her own sobs as he wrapped his arms around her, rocking her gently.

They all sat in silence for a few moments before Novice Hame politely dismissed them so that she could proceed with the final arrangements in accordance with Boe's wishes and with a tearful farewell, the trio made their way back to Pharmacy Town.

"All closed down." The Doctor remarked as they walked along the alleyway looking at the closed signs posted over the empty vending carts. Wandering over, he poked his head inside one of the carts for confirmation.

"Happy?" Martha teased.

"Happy, happy." he grinned as he rejoined them. "New, New York can start again. And they've got Novice Hame. Just what every city needs. Cats in charge." he chuckled, playfully bumping Rose's shoulder with his own before taking her hand. "Come on, time we were off."

Rose had been deep in thought ever since they left the senate. Boe's death had seemed to affect her quite significantly but he decided not to push the subject, figuring she would talk to him when she needed to.

"What do you think Boe meant when he said you're not alone?" Rose finally spoke up as they approached the TARDIS. "Do you think he meant the baby?"

"I dunno. Could be." He stopped and pulled her into his arms, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Or maybe he just meant you." As he leaned in to kiss her a soft melody filled the air.

"What is that?" Martha said, looking around for the source.

"S' the city." Rose smiled softly. "They're singin'."

"They've got a lot to be thankful for today." The Doctor said, nuzzling her nose with his own. "After being lost in the dark for so long, now they have a chance to live proper lives and make the city what it once was."

"Speaking of," Rose gave him a teasing grin as she seemed to come back to herself. "Second time we've been here now and we still didn't get to see any sights."

"Yeah," The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck. "Have I told you how sorry I am about that?"

"Mmm," she wrapped her arms around his neck. "But maybe you could also show me how much later, yeah?" she whispered seductively as she pressed her lips to his.

Pulling back, he nuzzled her nose with his own again. "Oh, I think I'm going to enjoy making it up to you Rose Tyler." he grinned. "But first, I have a little peace offering." He looked over at Martha who was leaning up against the TARDIS, studying her shoes like they were the most interesting things in the universe. "For both of you." Martha's head shot up and her eyes met his. "Just one more trip to make up for this fiasco."

"Really?" Martha asked, voice filled with hope.

"Really." he nodded, releasing Rose to pull out his key and walking over to unlock the doors.

"What did you have in mind?" Rose asked, coming up behind him and resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Weell, New, New York is great and all but," he raised an eyebrow and gave her a mischievous smile. "Nothing beats the original."