Okay, here's the deal. I've seen Bad Wolf mentioned more than once in reviews since this particular arc started…I don't want to alienate anyone, but I do want to clear this up for everyone. I know other stories have put a whole other spin on this arc utilizing Bad Wolf and/or the TARDIS. I've enjoyed these, it makes for interesting plot twists, but I've never fully agreed with them. Basically, it comes down to this…Rose gets infected, or at least becomes aware, of the sun the minute she looks out the window in the beginning of the episode. Then, somehow, Bad Wolf keeps her from getting as infected as the Doctor. Here's the problem I have with this. If just seeing the sun out the window caused infection, they'd all be screwed in the first five minutes. End of episode. It doesn't say how Korwin got infected, but the Doctor was infected when he looked at the sun with only a space suit and some miles between him and the sun…stands to reason that Korwin at some point was also afforded a similarly unprotected glimpse. As for the second part, if superior mental defenses were all it took to stave off infection, the Doctor would never have been infected in the first place. He's a telepathic Time Lord with over 900 years of experience and some formidable mental defenses. He's no lightweight. It makes no sense that Rose would somehow be more susceptible than anyone else AND more protected against the sun than the Doctor himself. She never gets a view as unprotected as him, the sun never infects her, and while she does have extremely better defenses than a human, they're never going to be better than the Doctor…and, more importantly, in this instance at least, she doesn't need them to be. Like I said, not knocking other authors, it's all a matter of interpretation…this is mine. I'm not going to add peril that doesn't make sense to me simply for peril's sake, and although it was utilized (at great cost to Rose) in the last story, Bad Wolf is never going to be a fix-all.

That's all. Peevish exposition over. I love every review, this was in no way a slight to any of you, I just got tired of repeating myself. Carry on…though I'm pretty sure that I'm going to have people up in arms about this chapter anyway, regardless of the cranky author rant.

oOoOo

"What do you mean?" McDonnell asked, frightened. "How can a sun be alive? Why's he saying that?"

"Because it's living in me," he told her.

"Oh my god…" McDonnell moaned, her hands flying to her face as she realized the full extent of what she'd done.

"Humans!" he shouted, furious and in agony. "You grab whatever's nearest and bleed it dry! You should have scanned!

"It takes too long!" McDonnell cried. "We'd be caught! Fusion scoops are illegal."

"For a reason!" Rose shouted. "You should have upgraded ages ago, and none of this would have happened!" She turned back to the Doctor as he screamed in pain. "Doctor, tell me there's something we can do."

"You've got to freeze me, quickly!" he said.

"What?" Martha asked, coming to his other side as Rose tried to pull him to his feet with little success.

"Stasis chamber!" he cried. "You gotta keep me…below minus 200. Freeze it out of me!" He screamed again, and Rose shot another glare at McDonnell. "It'll use me to kill you if you don't! The closer we get to the sun, the stronger it gets! Med-center! Quickly! Quickly!"

"C'mon, Martha," Rose grunted, pulling him to his feet with Martha and making her way down the corridor.

"What can I do?" McDonnell asked.

"You've done enough," Rose snapped.

They made their way along the corridor as quickly as they could, Rose grimacing and fighting back a moan every time the Doctor screamed in pain. They dropped the Doctor onto the bed and Martha ran to the controls for the stasis chamber.

"Please tell me you can figure out how to work this thing," Rose said quickly.

"I can do it," Martha said, trying to sound confident. Rose watched her uncertainly, coming towards her. "I can do it! I'll figure it out!"

"Rose, where are you?" the Doctor asked, sounding terrified now.

"I'm right here," Rose said, returning to his side and grabbing his hand while pressing the other to his cheek as he thrashed. "Martha's at the controls. Minus 200, yeah?"

"No, you don't know how this equipment works!" McDonnell said, and Rose whipped around to glare at her in hatred.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" she demanded.

"You'll kill him!" McDonnell cried. "Nobody can survive those temperatures!"

"He's not human," Martha told her, barely looking up. "If he says he can survive, then he can."

"Let me help you then!" McDonnell urged, moving closer, but Rose stepped between them.

"Touch those controls, and falling into the sun will be the least of your worries," Rose said darkly, and McDonnell backed away in alarm.

"Like she said," Martha spat angrily, turning back to her work. "You've done enough damage."

"Ten seconds," the Doctor panted. "That's all I'll be able to take. No more!" He screamed again, and Rose returned to his side and trying to calm his thrashing.

"Doctor, we've got you," she said soothingly, trying to keep the panic out of her voice.

"It's burning me up, Rose," he said, holding tightly to her hand. "I can't control it. If you don't get rid of it, I could kill you. I could kill you all." He screamed again, and Rose blinked back the tears that were forming in her eyes as he whimpered. "I'm scared! I'm so scared!"

"I know," she said, pressing a kiss to the burning skin of his forehead. "I know. Just try to stay calm. We've got you. We're both gonna get you through this, me and Martha. She's brilliant, yeah?"

"You saved me, now I'm returning the favor," Martha said. "Just…just believe in me."

"It's burning through me!" he cried. "I dunno what will happen. Rose…Rose…if I…if I change—"

"Stop it," she ordered. "That's not going to happen, alright? We're not going to let it."

"Rose," Martha said, nodding to the lever she was holding.

"Doctor, I love you," she said, kissing his quivering lips before pulling away.

"You ready?" Martha asked.

"No," the Doctor said, but Rose nodded, biting her lip. Martha nodded back and pushed the lever, making the Doctor slide back into the chamber. Rose made her way to Martha's side as the doctor in training typed in 200 and pressed a button to start the freezing process. Rose shuddered as the Doctor screamed, closing her eyes and turning away. She spun around again when she heard the power go down.

"No!" the Doctor screamed from inside the chamber. "Martha you can't stop it! Not yet!"

"What happened?" Rose demanded, coming forward again. "Why'd it turn off?"

"Power's been cut in engineering," McDonnell said, looking at a readout.

"But who's down there?" Martha asked.

"Leave it to me," McDonnell said darkly, running out of the room as the Doctor screamed again.

Rose stepped forward to the controls, hitting buttons at random with no response. She made smashed a fist into the side of the stasis chamber with a shriek of frustration.

"Rose, calm down," Martha warned.

"No!" she cried. "I will not calm down. This stupid bloody ship with its stupid bloody humans—"

"Rose," came the Doctor's voice, and she stopped, spinning around to the stasis chamber to look inside at him. "Listen, I've only got a moment. The two of you have gotta go!"

"Not a chance," she said quickly, shaking her head.

"Get to the front!" he said. "Vent the engines! Sun particles in the fuel! Get rid of them!"

"I'm not leaving you," she said hotly.

"You've got to!" he screamed. "Give back what they took!" He screamed again. "Please, go!"

She straightened with resolve and turned to Martha. "Go, do what he said. Vent the engines."

"He said—"

"I don't care," she said. "I'm not leaving him. You go. Fix their mistake." The other girl hesitated, looking at her with wide eyes. "Martha, go!"

"I'll come back for you," Martha said, reaching out to squeeze her arm lightly before taking off into the corridor.

"It'll be alright, Doctor," Rose said, touching his leg and making him jerk and scream again. "She'll take care of it!"

"Rose, what the hell are you still doing here?" he screamed. "Get out!"

"I told you," she said forcefully. "I'm not gonna leave you."

"Gah! You stupid girl!" he shouted, and she backed up a pace as he screamed again. "You just won't be satisfied until I kill you myself, will you?"

She bit her lip. She didn't want to leave him, but she didn't want to set herself up, either. Even if he could come back after the engines were vented, if he killed her first, he'd never forgive himself...and really, she wasn't keen on dying, by his hand or any other, in any scenario. She jumped when he started wiggling, moving towards the edge of the stasis chamber, and make a quick decision, bolting for the corridor. She stopped just outside the door, reasoning that at least now she wouldn't be in his immediate vicinity if he lost control, but she didn't have to completely leave him on his own either.

She closed her eyes when she heard him crash to the floor with another cry of pain. She stayed rooted in the spot as crashes around the room punctuated his lurching movements as he tried to fight the possession of the screaming sun. She jumped again when he stumbled out of the room, eyes still screwed shut; she moved quickly down the corridor, trying to put some space between them.

"Rose," he called, sound scared again.

"Doctor, just hold on," she said. "Martha's got to be nearly there."

"I can't fight it," he said, falling to his knees. "Go! You've got to give it back or—" He stopped, shuddering, and pushed his way to his feet. "Burn with me."

Rose straightened in shock, then tried to circle around him, away from where he thought her to be. Her shoe scraped on the wall, and he turned, catching her around the waist and pushing her against the wall.

"Burn with me, Rose," he said.

"Doctor!" she cried, trying desperately to wriggle out of his grasp. "You're stronger than this! Stronger than those humans! Superior Time Lord…everything, right?" He hesitated, and she tried using that to her advantage. "Doctor, please, fight it. Don't do this. I…I love you."

He held her against the wall for another second before spinning away with a scream of agony, falling to his knees again as his eyes opened and the blinding light spilled out. She edged away from him, tears stinging her eyes. Then ship gave a huge lurch, knocking her to the ground, and she heard it: the computer voice that she'd been ignoring with purpose up until now made it through.

"Fuel dump in progress," it said. Then: "Impact averted."

She watched him carefully as his screams died down to a groan and the light faded from his eyes. Finally, he fell onto his back, the light gone completely, and she scrambled toward him.

"Doctor," she whispered, touching his chest with hesitation. He was silent, breathing deeply for a moment before looking up at her.

"Rose Tyler," he breathed, wrapping a hand around the back of her neck before lifting himself up to kiss her hard, breaking away after seconds to pull her into a tight embrace. "Love you," he whispered, and she buried her face in his shoulder, relieved tears coming to her eyes.

They stayed like that until they heard Martha calling to them from the corridor, and he pushed Rose away, getting shakily to his feet just as Martha made it to them and launched herself at the Doctor, both of them giggling in relief as he spun her around. As soon as he released her, she put her arms around Rose, squeezing tightly.

"Glad you're not dead," she whispered.

"You too," Rose said with a grin. They both giggled when the Doctor made a frustrated noise at the pair of them, wandering away to remove his space suit while muttering darkly about stubborn women.

oOoOo

"This is never your ship!" Scannell said as the Doctor circled around the TARDIS, making a show of inspecting it for damage so he didn't really have to look at anyone—not Martha, not the two surviving crew members, and certainly not Rose.

"Compact! Eh!" he said with forced cheerfulness, putting up a hand to pat the ship. "And another good word, robust! Barely a scorch mark on her."

"We can't just leave them drifting with no fuel," Martha said in concern.

"We've sent out an official mayday," Riley said. "The authorities will pick us up soon enough."

"Though how we explain what happened…" Scannell started, trailing off with a shrug.

"Just tell them," the Doctor said, opening the TARDIS door. "That sun needs care and protection, just like any other living thing."

Scannell nodded, and the Doctor and Rose made their way into the TARDIS.

"Are you sure you're alright, Doctor?" Rose asked quietly as they made their way to the console. The Doctor moved around the console, putting some space between them.

"I'm fine," he lied, looking down at the monitor. The truth of the matter, the realization he'd come to after he'd nearly killed her was just too painful to say yet. "Just a little worn out is all."

"Doctor," Rose started, stepping closer, but halting with a frown when he stiffened. "Doctor, what's—"

She stopped when Martha came in, shutting the door behind her before moving up the ramp and beaming at them.

"So! Didn't really need you in the end, did we, Doctor?" she asked happily. The Doctor didn't answer, his mind buzzing with unpleasant thoughts that had nothing to do with Martha and everything to do with the ramifications of the adventure they'd barely made it through alive. "Sorry," she said after a moment, glancing between them. "How're you doing?"

He glanced at her, and fought for control over his emotions. "Now! What do you say?" he asked, returning to his usual business-like chatter and ignoring the burn of Rose's eyes on him as he moved away around the console, steering them into the Vortex. "Ice skating on the mineral lakes of Coerhaan. Fancy it?"

"Whatever," Rose said, and the Doctor barely stopped himself from glancing at her. If he just kept himself away, she'd get it before long.

"I guess, yeah," Martha said uncertainly.

"By the way," he said, looking at her properly. "You'll be needing this."

He pulled out a TARDIS key on a long chain. It was the cheaper variety, like Rose's original one, but still sturdy enough for their newest companion…provided she could keep it from being ripped off her neck.

"Really?" she gasped.

"Frequent Flier's Privilege," he said with smirk as she held out her hands in awe. "Oh, really, Martha! It's a key, not a sacrament." She pulled a face and snatched it out of his hands, and he chuckled. "And…thank you."

"Don't mention it," she said with a grin. Then she started, feeling around for her mobile. "Oh no! Mum!" She glanced between them again as she pulled out the phone. "You know what, I'll take this in my room," she said quickly, apparently feeling the tension between the Doctor and Rose.

"You don't have to do that," the Doctor said quickly, cursing himself for the desperate edge to his voice.

"No, it's alright," she said over her shoulder as she moved down the corridor. "You two probably need some...alone time anyway. Call me when we've landed."

"Well, I suppose if she doesn't want to go somewhere just yet, I'll go—"

"Doctor, stop," Rose cut him off. "What is going on with you?"

"Nothing," he said, moving around the console stiffly and avoiding her gaze. "Just thought I'd go take care of a few things I've been working on."

"Doctor, you've been…distracted and a little distant for weeks," she said moving closer again. "You kept saying you were fine, and I didn't want to push you. Except now, you won't even look at me. Please talk to me."

"Rose," he said softly, closing his eyes. Everything that happened there, his terror at hurting everyone, at changing on her again, at the fact that she was too stubborn to leave when she needed to…that was bad. But then…he could feel it, when he held her against that wall and nearly burned her away entirely. It was just one more thing that'd give him nightmares…and one more thing she'd eventually remember with bitterness and regret when she finally realized that her whole existence was in shambles because of him, that he'd never been worth everything she gave up. All the fear and pain and guilt that he'd been struggling with over the last couple of months reached a breaking point, and he simply couldn't cope with it anymore. For the first time, he was thankful that he hadn't been able to bond with her…now he'd be able to let her go before either of them did any more damage.

He took a deep breath, steadying himself before he looked up at her. "Rose, we can't be together anymore. I'm sorry, but we can't. You're welcome to stay on the TARDIS, but if you want to leave, find some new life for yourself somewhere, I understand. I'm sure we can find a way to set you up somewhere, find you a place to live and a job and—"

"No, shut up," Rose said, holding up a hand, her eyes wide. "Go back. What do you mean we can't be together anymore?"

"Pretty sure that's fairly self-explanatory," he said. "Look, I don't want to argue—"

"Tough," she said hotly. "You don't get to tell me that we're through out of nowhere without some kind of explanation."

"Is it really out of nowhere?" he asked. "You said yourself that I've been distracted and distant."

"Not that distant!" she cried. "What the hell, Doctor? Less than an hour ago you were telling me you love me and kissing me like your life depended on it, and now we're done?"

"That was also right after I tried to kill you," he said quietly.

"Oh, so it was just consolation?" she asked, a mocking tone entering her voice. "A 'sorry for trying to kill you' kiss?"

"No," he said tersely. "But you seem to be overlooking the fact that it happened at all."

"That wasn't even you," she said. "That was a homicidal sun, for god's sake! What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

"Rose, you don't get it," he said. "I've destroyed your whole life, and then I nearly killed you. I just…I can't do this anymore."

"What are you talking about?" she demanded. "Can't do what, exactly?"

"Rose…" He scrubbed a hand down his face before he looked back at her. "Sooner or later, you're going to realize what being with me has done to you. I've taken everything from you…your family, your friends, you chance at a normal life. Everyone else, they could go back. You don't have anything to go back to. And that, having nothing else, that's not a good enough reason to be together."

"Is that why you're with me, Doctor?" she asked him. "Cause I'm all you've got?"

"No, of course not," he said scoffed.

"But you think that's the only reason I'm with you," she said in a hard voice.

"Not right now," he said reluctantly. "But eventually, when you realize—"

"When I realize what, Doctor?" she demanded. "You don't think I'm aware of what I lost? You didn't take that from me. Life took that from me."

"My life took that from you," he corrected her bitterly.

"It's my life too!" she shouted. "And, in case you forgot, I knew that was going to happen when I came back."

"Can't you hear how twisted that is?" he asked her, spinning around to face her completely. "You came back knowing full well that you would lose everything. Why?"

"I would have lost it all if I hadn't come back!" she cried. "I would have died in that other world, alone and miserable—"

"Exactly!" he said, advancing towards her. "Any way you shake it, your life was doomed from the minute you met me. Doomed to pain and misery and loss and fear." He turned, running a hand through his hair. "Even the thing that was supposed to make us happy, the thing that let you keep your promise, it's a curse. The things that have changed you, they've hurt you and made you a target. Even aside from that, you're the one who's going to have to watch everyone you care about wither and decay now. That's what being with me means."

"I'll still have you," Rose said quietly. "And you didn't let me finish. I would have died alone and miserable…but you would have had to live that way. Now you don't. We both get to have someone who can give us forever."

He glanced at her in annoyance and shook his head. "You know, you could have found someone human. Someone who could have made you happy, given you a family, grown old with you, but oh no, you had to go for the mad man in a box—"

"That has nothing to do with it," she said quickly. "I don't care if you're a mad man or an alien or human or if you live in a box or a palace or an Estate flat. I love you."

"Don't say that," he said quietly.

"So hard to believe that I'd still love you if you weren't the almighty Doctor, last of the Time Lords, defender of the universe with the whole of time and space at your fingertips?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

He shook his head again and looked away, a muscle working in his jaw. "It doesn't matter. One day, you're going to understand exactly what a wreck your life is because of me," he said in a low voice. "And then you're going to resent me and leave. I'm just trying to make that eventuality a little less painful."

"Oh my god," she said her eyes widening as he looked at her sharply. "Oh my god, you're doing it again. You're…oh, you stupid bloody—"

"What am I doing again, exactly?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

"You're terrified, so you're pushing me away," she said. "God, Doctor…you never believed I would actually stay, did you? You really are a piece of work, you know that?"

"Rose, I know that you believe that you'll stay—"

"Stop it!" she shouted, angry tears in her eyes as her hands curled into fists. "Just stop it! God, you take control freak to a level previously undiscovered, you know that? You would actually rather quit than take the chance that you might be wrong, that someone might actually stay, might actually love you. You selfish bastard."

"Selfish?" he asked loudly, incredulous. "How is this selfish? I'm trying to give you the out that I know you'll eventually need because I love you too much—"

"Don't you dare," she said in a low, dangerous voice, and he stopped to stare at her. "Don't you dare tell me you love me. Don't you dare use that as an excuse. Because you don't get it. If you say we're through, you're not just throwing away your chance at happiness, you're taking mine away from me, the only one either of us have left. All because you just can't handle letting go and trusting someone else. Because you've always got to have a way out of everything, on your terms and yours alone, even if it's something good, even if getting out means hurting someone else."

"That's not—"

"Don't," she snapped. "Because that's exactly what it is. God, Doctor…I am so tired. I am so tired of fighting against your demons, against you, for something we both want just because you're too bloody broken to accept it."

Her words hit him like a sledgehammer to the chest. He knew it was true, he'd said it often enough about himself, but to hear it from her, the one person who thought he could be fixed, that he could be better… he swallowed hard and took a breath, standing straighter and arching an eyebrow.

"Then stop," he suggested calmly.

"Stop what?"

"Stop fighting," he said in a hard voice. "You're right. I'm too broken. So do us both a favor, and just stop trying to fix me. Walk away, like you should have done the minute you came back. Save us both anymore grief."

She stared at him for a second, her mouth hanging open. Then she snapped it shut and looked away, blinking rapidly.

"You know what, fine," she said in a hollow voice. "I'm done. You want to run? Have fun. I hope you and your issues have a wonderful life together."

She pushed past him, knocking him to the side so he lost his balance and had to grab onto the console to keep his footing. She didn't even pause as she strode off into the corridor. He stared into space for a moment, breathing heavily, before ripping something off the console and hurling it across the room to shatter against the wall.