Martha stepped forwards, her hand reaching out to touch the Doctor. Mickey grabbed her arm, pulling her away.

'I don't think that's a good idea,' he said, his hand sliding down easily to grasp hers. She squeezed back, her eyes intent on the Doctor.

The Time Lord was standing with his hands pressed against the console, his eyes tightly shut against the sparks that were still emanating from the TARDIS. Donna and Jack stood on his other side, both regarding the Doctor seriously, but apparently not feeling the need to step in.

Abruptly, the TARDIS jerked and the Doctor staggered back from the console, his eyes snapping open. 'Right-' he began, his gaze moving over the four of them. 'You're staying in here. I won't be-'

'Doctor,' Jack began, only to be interrupted by Martha.

'Doctor, I'm a doctor,' she grimaced as he looked vaguely bemused at the inelegance of her sentence. 'A medical doctor, with qualifications and everything-'

'I've got qualifications!' the Doctor said, insulted.

'In human medicine?'

'Probably,' the Doctor said, glaring at her.

'Rose might need me,' Martha insisted.

'And you might need me and Jack,' Mickey said, folding his arms and looking stern.

'And I'm not staying behind on my own!' Donna shouted. 'Rose saved my life!'

The Doctor stared at them, apparently considering it. Then he shook his head. 'No. No you have to stay in here. In case I can't… In case I have to send the TARDIS away.' His expression softened slightly. 'I'll call you if I need you.'

They stared as he turned and headed for the doors. Just as he reached them, he turned back to them. 'Actually, Jack… would you mind…?'

Jack smiled grimly. 'Not at all. Good practice actually. When you're not sure of the odds, take the man who can't die.'

The Doctor nodded and opened the doors, slipping out into the room beyond. Before following him, Jack grabbed the viewscreen and pulled it around so they could all see, calling up the view of the room outside the TARDIS.

Then he was gone, too, closing the doors behind himself with a soft click.

\/\/

As they exited the TARDIS, they found themselves back in the main audience chamber. The lights were dimmer, and the room was considerably emptier than it had been previously. The room had only two occupants. The one closest to the TARDIS was one of the scientists they'd seen earlier. He was staring intently at Motlok.

Motlok, who was standing in front of the frame he'd had the Doctor strapped to before. Only now it was Rose up there. She looked unconscious; her head had fallen until her chin rested on her chest. Motlok was standing with his hands on either side of her face.

'Do not let him approach.' Motlok said, not looking up from his apparently intense study of Rose's face.

The Doctor reached into a pocket and withdrew his screwdriver, aiming it at the scientist, who had moved towards him. 'I really wouldn't, if I were you.'

Rose stirred slightly in her restraints. 'It is a tool only!' Motlok snapped. 'Kindly keep him from speaking!'

'Yeah,' Jack scoffed, 'good luck with that!'

As the scientist resumed his approach, the Doctor looked at the screwdriver, as though seeing it for the first time. 'You're right,' he said to Motlok's back. 'A sonic screwdriver isn't a weapon. Not threatening at all really. Except…' he raised it again, 'this one isn't sonic.' He activated the screwdriver, sending a jet of light past the scientist at the wall, where it threw up sparks.

Martha stared at the screen, finally realising what the Doctor was holding. The Master's laser screwdriver.

Motlok turned, holding out a hand to still the other scientist.

'Glad I could get your attention,' the Doctor said, a mirthless smile flickering across his face.

'It would seem that you do possess weapons, Doctor.'

'This?' he waved the laser screwdriver carelessly. 'Nah. Borrowed it off a mate. Well... I say a mate...' he trailed off. 'Move away from her.' He brought the laser screwdriver around, aiming it at Motlok's face as he advanced on the scientist.

Motlok waved a hand, obviously expecting the laser screwdriver to fly out of the Doctor's hand.

'Oh dear,' the Doctor said, his voice dripping with mock concern, 'telekinesis playing up? Really shouldn't have shown me that little trick before.'

'So you have learned,' Motlok shrugged.

'I have,' the Doctor said, 'shame you sent all your guards away.'

'They are not worthy to witness,' Motlok said. 'You will not kill me, Doctor, we have already established this.' Nevertheless, he edged away from Rose as the Doctor approached.

'Read my mind and call me a liar,' the Doctor said, his voice low.

'A safe challenge since you know we cannot.'

The Doctor ignored him, his gaze drifting to Rose, finally. 'Rose,' he called, his voice soft.

'She is locked in her own mind,' Motlok said. 'She can hear you, but it will just become part of the memory. And so many of her memories centre on you, Doctor. So many painful memories.'

The Time Lord continued to ignore Motlok. He dropped the laser screwdriver into his jacket pocket and reached for her, his fingers stopping just short of touching her wrist. She seemed to be wired into the frame, which itself was wired into the floor.

'You've got her hooked up to the ship,' Jack said, staring. 'Like a generator.'

'The Bad Wolf is one of the most potent sources of power in this universe. You have kindly delivered the other,' Motlok informed the Doctor, nodding towards the TARDIS. He began to walk towards the Time Lord again.

'Stay where you are,' the Doctor warned, his hand sliding into his pocket again. 'Both of you.'

'You have made no move to free her. We continue to draw energy from her and you have done nothing to stop it.'

'I don't want to hurt her,' the Doctor growled, glaring at Motlok.

'Or is it because it is truly difficult to deny your nature? The Time Lords, watching the universe turn. Doing nothing to intercede, nothing to help. Then: their final act, devastating us with their Time War. We thought you came to save her, but perhaps you merely came to watch her burn? Like you watched Gallifrey burn.'

'Oh no,' the Doctor said, rounding on him, 'I'm taking her out of here.' He turned back to Rose. 'I'm taking her out of here and there's nothing you can do to stop me.'

He took hold of Rose's face in his hands and tilted it upwards, then gasped as her mind washed over him. Jack sprinted forwards, his hand delving into the Doctor's pocket and withdrawing the laser screwdriver, training it on Motlok.

'Don't get any ideas,' he began, but the scientist leader's eyes were misted over. Wherever the Doctor had gone, Motlok and the rest had followed.

\/\/

Rose was sobbing uncontrollably. Jackie was hovering around her, trying to comfort her daughter. Rose was kneeling in the sand, in front of her lay the Doctor – the human Doctor – quite obviously dead. The Doctor stared, utterly horrified, at the memory-scene gripping Rose's mind. Then he strode forwards and dragged her to her feet, pulling her into his arms. He could sense others here, no doubt Motlok and his goons were tuning in, but he didn't care.

Rose pushed him away. 'You're not here! You can't be here!' She backed away, then continued in a softer tone, 'You left me.'

He stared at her for a moment, unsure how to respond. Then he cleared his throat. 'I'm here,' he said, 'Well... not really. Neither of us is really here now. Because this isn't happening right now. This happened a long time ago. It can't hurt you anymore than it already has. I need you to wake up, Rose.'

She was staring at him, her eyes wide. Around them, the beach was fading. Jackie and the body on the sand had already disappeared.

'Think about it,' he continued, encouraged by this. 'You remember things that have happened since this, don't you?'

She nodded, still uncertain.

'Rose, do you trust me?'

She looked as though she was going to shake her head, her eyes were still wide and terrified. Then she gave a quick nod. He held out his hand to her, wiggling his fingers slightly. She looked down at it, as though expecting something dreadful to happen. When it didn't, she stepped forward and took it, threading her fingers through his.

He looked down at their hands, and was immediately assaulted with a thousand different images of her hand in his. From the very first – Run! – to her taking his hand onboard the Dalek Crucible, to their hands entwined as he tried to stop her tickling him as they lay in bed together. As Rose gasped, he realised this particular set of images were coming from his own mind, and shut them down.

Jack watched as the Doctor's hand slid along Rose's arm and entwined itself with hers. Then the Time Lord's eyes opened. He threw a glance over his shoulder to Jack, took in the other man's defensive stance, and nodded gratefully. The Doctor moved his hands to the wires trailing from Rose's wrists. Gently, he eased one of them out of her skin, wincing slightly as she flinched.

'You will not take her from us!' Motlok cried, panic in his voice for the first time. 'The Bad Wolf is ours and we want to bring her into the light. You, Doctor… you would keep her in the darkness with you. To keep by your side until you have no more need of her, then to discard, to forget!'

'No.'

Motlok spun as the word sounded behind him. Martha, Mickey and Donna were standing just outside the TARDIS doors, their gazes fixed on Rose and the Doctor.

It was Donna who had spoken, but Martha who continued. 'That's not right. When I travelled with him, there was this one time he had to hide. He forgot everything… the TARDIS, the Time Lords… everything. He thought he was human, forgot who he was… but he remembered her.'

As Martha spoke, the Doctor had carried on pulling wires out of Rose, finally arriving at the one they'd put into her neck. As he pulled it out, her eyes flickered open. She gasped, as though she hadn't been getting enough air for a while. Motlok turned, hissing in anger as he saw Rose was conscious, but still held at bay by Jack.

She stared at the Doctor, not quite sure who he was for a moment, then smiled. He grinned back at her, and Martha found herself wondering at the ease with which the expression appeared. He'd never seemed to smile so quickly before.

'Hello,' Rose said.

'Hello,' the Doctor responded, still grinning at her.

'D'you think you could get me down? Y'know, if it's not too much trouble?' Rose's voice was weak, exhausted.

The Doctor looked momentarily concerned at this, but then slid his hand into his inside pocket and pulled out the sonic screwdriver.

'Leave her where she is!' Motlok said, starting forwards. His gaze fixed on Jack, 'I wonder…' he waved a hand and the laser screwdriver flew out of the Captain's hand, clattering away to the edge of the room.

'Uh… Doctor?' Jack said.

The Doctor ignored him and carried on undoing the bonds that held Rose in place.

Motlok smiled grimly and moved towards the Doctor.

'Ah!' the Doctor said, getting Rose down from the frame and holding her against his side, supporting her weight. He turned, backing towards the TARDIS, Jack appearing on Rose's other side to help support her. 'You really shouldn't…'

'You have lost your only weapon, Doctor,' Motlok snarled. 'I should have realised the immortal couldn't hold onto it.'

The Doctor shrugged. 'Oh… well... I'm a bit rubbish with weapons, me. Rose thinks its funny. Don't you Rose?' he looked down at her and saw her eyes were falling shut again. 'Might wanna stay conscious for this, Rose, I'm about to be impressive.'

Jack snorted at that but Rose opened her eyes. 'If I had to stay awake every time you thought you were being impressive I'd never get any sleep,' she murmured, but managed to keep her eyes open.

The Doctor looked amused, then switched his attention back to Motlok. 'Anyway… always laughing at me, she is. "You're terrible with weapons," she says. And she's right. I am. I really am. But... I'm very good, very, very good - brilliant, even... With tools.' He raised the sonic screwdriver and activated it. Behind Motlok the wall panel the Doctor had damaged earlier sparked again. 'You really shouldn't have let me damage that wall earlier.'

'What are you doing?' the other scientist asked, when Motlok appeared to be too intent on Rose to speak.

'Creating a feedback loop. All that power you took, all that energy. All of it with nowhere to go…'

'The ship will explode!'

'That,' the Doctor said, noting that they were almost at the TARDIS. 'Is not my problem. I usually give people a chance – just one chance – to save themselves. But you lot, Rose already gave you your chance earlier.'

'An' we're a team,' Rose murmured, just loud enough to be heard.

'That's right,' the Doctor said, glancing down at her as she looked up at him. 'The stuff of legends. Hope and Glory, Mutt and Jeff, Shiver and Shake…' He returned his gaze to Motlok, who looked momentarily confused. 'She's Shiver,' he clarified as he heard Rose murmur, 'He's Shake.' He huffed out a laugh and nodded to his friends to get the TARDIS open. Martha turned, dragging her key out of her pocket.

'You would make her complicit in our murder?' Motlok asked. The Doctor froze.

'You did this to yourselves,' Jack spat.

Motlok ignored him, concentrating on the Doctor. 'How many has she killed for you, this human child you care for so very much?'

'What makes you think she's a child?' the Doctor asked, dismissing the rest of the scientist-leader's sentence.

'Her body has no great age. No more than a quarter of a century, as she measures time. By her own human standards she is still little more than a child.'

'Oh, bodies,' the Doctor scoffed. 'Wouldn't pay too much attention to bodies, if I were you. Look at me. Look at Jack, for that matter. Rose is not a child. Surprised you didn't see that, when you were in her head. But you were too busy ripping her mind to shreds.'

'It matters little. Look at her, Doctor.'

The Doctor glanced down and saw that Rose was once again unconscious.

'She may not age,' Motlok continued. 'But she can die. And she will. She is so very... Jeopardy friendly. Your own words. And she will die. So much sooner than you think. I have seen it.'

'Shut up,' the Doctor snapped.

'We are time sensitive beings, Doctor. Your Time War all but destroyed that aspect of our physiology, but not quite. Would you like to know how she dies?'

'Doctor,' Jack said urgently. All around them, the ship was beginning to fail. The others had already stepped into the TARDIS.

The Doctor turned and he and Jack moved towards the TARDIS doors, holding Rose between them.

'You will lose her, Doctor, as you lose everything you love!' Motlok shouted as the doors closed. 'Don't you want to know how it happens?'

\/\/