CHAPTER 25. BENEATH A FALTERING SKY

Rose didn't dare open her eyes. The Doctor had been wrenched from her grip as they leaped through the portal, and now there was cool stone beneath her hands. What were the chances they'd both made it out alive?

'Rose!'

Her eyes flew open. He stood over her, the real Doctor, not Adam. The shadows were gone and the sun blazed through the window.

'Are we back?' Her own voice sounded alien.

He held out his hand and she took it, the solidness of his touch grounding her in the present. A wave of dizziness made her sway on her feet. The Doctor caught her and she held on to him until the nausea passed. 'Are… are you okay?'

The Doctor nodded. 'More than okay.'

Rose blinked at the man holding her. His shabby shirt and jeans were gone, and he was back in his familiar suit. She glanced down at herself. 'These are the clothes from when we went in.' She stroked the fabric of her dress. It was smooth and clean.

'I guess our bodies must have been suspended in stasis somehow,' the Doctor said. 'Everything else was an illusion.'

Rose stiffened. 'Adam. He jumped through the portal before us.'

'He could have ended up anywhere, in any time or place as far as I know.'

'If he was possessed by the Shadow, that thing must be free as well.'

The Doctor's face turned grim. 'We don't know if Adam was its permanent host. They may have perished together. Whatever the case, we need to get out of here.'

Rose breathed deeply. 'Can't agree more, but give me a moment or so. My head is still adjusting.'

The Doctor nodded again. 'I feel it, too.'

'Where are we, anyway?'

'Looks like the barracks.'

Rose glanced around the dusty main hall. All seemed the same, except the place was now truly abandoned. Rays of sunlight pierced through the window behind them. Her gaze drifted further down the room. The floor was bare of straw now. When she glanced at the Doctor sideways, she noticed he had followed her line of sight. She followed his in turn to the door at the back, hanging limp on rusty hinges, a thick layer of dust on the steps leading up to the second floor.

'This is where…' His voice faltered.

'Where you almost died,' she whispered. 'Doctor… it's mental, but I only just realised. We made it out. We're alive.'

For a moment the Doctor stared at her, then the words sank in and a slow grin spread across his face. 'We are.'

'I can touch you again. For real.'

The grin now reflected in his eyes, luminous with joy. He placed his hands on either side of her head and she tilted her face to look at him. 'We're back, and I won't let go of you again,' he said. 'Never, not even if I have to rip apart two universes to get you back.'

Rose leaned in and whispered, 'Kiss me.'

He greedily seized her lips. His moist firm mouth demanded a response and Rose hooked her thumbs in his waistband to pull him tight. With their bodies pressed together, arms clinging, she gave herself to him without hesitation, swept away by a wild surge of pleasure as his mouth opened over hers. His lips were warm and inviting, and most important of all, they were real.

Her body was in such great need for him, the blood surged from her fingertips to her toes. His breaths were shallow, open-mouthed and the hardness of his thigh brushing up against her core elicited a moistness between her legs. She drew a sharp breath as he buried his face in her neck and his lips blazed a trail of liquid fire across her already heated skin.

Flustered and becoming increasingly uncensored, the Doctor lifted Rose up in his arms and carried her over to the bay window. He sat her down on the stone edge, bringing them to face level.

His eyes travelled to her breasts, so unfairly hidden from view beneath the low-buttoned neckline of her dress. He lifted one hand away from her hip and snapped open a few extra buttons before sliding his fingers inside. She wore no bra underneath and he was free to cup her in the palm of his hand. Even though he could only picture her beautiful breasts in his mind, it was enough to set off a definite physical response on his side. This time there was no need to hold back, and the heated expression on her face only made him want her more, the straining tightness inside his trousers becoming almost unbearable.

The windowsill was deep enough for her to lean back as he drew her knees a little further apart and pushed her skirt up over her thighs. His hands slipped beneath, expecting to find more fabric-related inconveniences. He took in a surprised gulp as his wandering fingers connected with her warmth.

He swallowed down a moan. 'No knickers?'

'Too warm,' she whispered, then bent forward and delicately grazed his earlobe with her teeth. 'Besides, before everything else happened, I expected we'd be back inside the TARDIS within the hour. Wanted to save you the trouble of taking them off.'

A low groan escaped him as she gripped his hips and pulled him securely into the cradle of her thighs. The windowsill couldn't have been more perfect, providing a solution to their height difference and allowing Rose's clever hands to quickly free him from his restraining trousers. He didn't wait for permission to enter her, and she wouldn't have wanted him to, anyway. The heady feel of sliding deep inside her was all he craved. Her arms encircled his back and he pressed his mouth against her neck as he began to move, slowly at first, pulling back, then thrusting up again with careful, agonising strokes. Being inside her like this was his salvation, his antidote to the nightmares. Only like this could he really exist—still, it was not enough. With her, it could never be enough. He opened his eyes. The sight of Rose, her breathing uneven and her eyelids half-closed as she rocked upwards to meet his thrusts, was enough to tear another groan from his lips. He gripped her legs and began to stroke harder.

'No,' she said. 'Please, not yet. I need this. Just a bit longer.'

'Don't think I can hold on that long, but there's another way. You trust me?'

'You know I do.'

He released a sigh and lifted one hand away from her hips to touch the softest part of her cheek, then trekked up.

Rose let out a wordless 'oh' as he entered her mind and the telepathic bond flared into existence, stronger even than before. On the physical plane there was still the intoxicating push-pull of him moving inside her, but now it gained another dimension as his awareness slowly lifted her own.

A gentle breeze touched her face and tall grass tickled the soles of her feet. The Doctor lay flush against her back, one arm gently draped over her hip. She breathed in deeply, taking in the sounds and smells of a world that existed only between them. She felt the Doctor's chest begin to rise and fall more rapidly as he lifted his hand away from her hip and slowly pushed up the hem of her dress, until he was free to smooth his palm over her buttocks. She instinctively moved her leg up a bit, allowing him to tease her entrance, then sighed as he pressed into her from behind. He started moving and she let him set the rhythm, smooth and effortless.

His lips grazed the side of her neck. 'This better?' he asked.

'it's… more than perfect.'

There was no real sense of time and Rose closed her eyes, letting the feeling of peace settle over her. Right now there was no need to rush, worry or fear, only the safety and comfort of being together. His free hand came around and slicked between her legs, drawing slow, lazy circles against her clit.

'This is how I imagined it,' he whispered. 'When we get back home, we're free to do as we want. Exploring together, having dinner on other planets, at night making love under the stars. We can have it all.'

His fingers pressed lower between her folds, almost touching where they were joined, and he continued to move with deliberate unhurried strokes, working her from two sides. He nuzzled her shoulder again. 'I love this,' he said. 'You're so soft and warm and it makes me feel safe.'

A new sense of happiness was conveyed through the bond, warming her from the inside out. She briefly wondered if it was possible for time to slow down even further, or maybe it had already stopped. In the real world she would have neared her peak by now, always so fast with him, but lying here in the high grass they could do this for hours and not tire or become impatient.

'Rose, please tell me how I make you feel.'

'It's like nothing I've ever felt,' she whispered. 'Almost as if you're a part of me. And the way you're stretching me, it's so different here than in the real world. You're not exactly tiny, you know.' She smiled to herself as a wave of contentment came from him, laced through with masculine pride. The Doctor might be alien, he was also still a man.

'Hope I never hurt you,' he said softly.

'Oh, god, no. Not possible.'

'So, good different?'

Drinking in the feeling of arousal that she was causing him, she let her voice become sultry. 'Doctor, you can have me anytime, anywhere, and I wouldn't say no, because I know who you are now. And you're mine.'

As if to answer her, his strokes became fiercer, hungrier, making the spell that had stopped Time suddenly falter. His breath was ragged in her ear. 'Are you ready to go back? I want to feel you in the real world again.'

Rose smiled silently. It seemed that the Doctor still had his breaking point, even in this eternal dreamworld. 'Yes,' she said softly, 'but don't stop yet. Show me what you want when we get home.'

He halted, only for a second, then she made a low, throaty sound of pleasure as he poured into her mind everything she had asked for. It was raw and uncensored and utterly heedless of her human sensitivity, manipulating her body into rising ever higher. On a mental level she knew they were back and that he was gripping her hips tightly as he raced her to the finish line. The sound of sweat-slick skin slapping filled the room as they grunted and gasped, locked in a mad embrace. A moment of eternal pleasure—one night, one day, or one second. Their true forever.

Suddenly the wild heat inside her kindled to a flame that burned ever higher, ever brighter, consuming them both. Only after what seemed like an eternity did it finally begin to die down and she was able to open her eyes again. Her body felt sated, but it wasn't the same boneless satisfaction that had followed their last encounter. This was deeper and more intense. 'Did… Did we finish together?'

'Yes,' he said lazily. His hands trembled ever so slightly as he stroked the side of her face. 'Being bond mates comes with some very nice extras. Sorry I didn't get the chance to tell you about it sooner.' His fingers stroked downwards again, thumbs trekking a path across her inner thigh. With him still inside her, Rose didn't want to move yet, every tiny tremble sending up new shivers of pleasure. As he finally slipped from her body, she knew he felt the loss as keenly as she did, but the feeling of his love still lingered in her mind.

'Doctor,' she said softly, 'I think we sort of just had sex in a public place. Anyone could have come in.' She couldn't suppress a snigger.

'Sorry.' He gave her a new-new-Doctor grin that told her what he really meant. 'Nah,' he said. 'That was a lie. Making love to Rose Tyler, even in a public place, isn't something I could ever be sorry about.' His eyes got that intense look she knew so well. 'When we're together like this, I do seem to lose a certain degree of… control.'

Rose stifled a grin. 'Impulse control is overrated.'

He looked away and Rose could have sworn she saw a light blush creep up his cheeks.

She giggled as he lifted her off the window ledge and set her back on her feet. He smoothed down her dress and she fixed a piece of his shirt that was still sticking out to the side.

She used her index finger to lift his chin and draw his eyes up. 'I love you,' she said. 'So much.'

His kiss was one of exquisite tenderness.

'Mmh,' he said, 'I think we'd better get out of here. Before I change my mind.'

'Probably best. Although I have to say, if you ever feel impulsive again, don't let it stop you.'

~x~

It should have been easy, Rose thought. Find the TARDIS, go home, shut the proverbial curtains and just forget about how close they came to being stuck inside a different dimension for eternity—and quite possibly some long-overdue chance to reunite with her Time Lord husband. But of course, things were never that simple.

First off, finding the TARDIS was proving to be a lot harder than expected. As soon as they headed back into the city, it became clear that something had drastically changed. The whole city was physically transformed. The place where the Temple had once stood was now occupied by a large domed building. Rose looked up along the perimeter of the street they were standing in.

'Doctor, look.' Rose pointed towards a device near one of the rooftops. 'Is that a surveillance camera?'

'Those things are everywhere,' the Doctor muttered. 'And look at the people. They're more afraid than ever.'

'What's with all the city guards? We were here only a few days ago, but now it feels like we've been gone for years.'

Rose looked at the Doctor. He was covertly scanning their surroundings with the sonic. 'Twenty-two,' he said, his face ashen. 'It's been twenty-two years.'

Rose simply stared at him, unable to let the truth sink in.

'Time really does move at a different rate in that other dimension. What seemed like days to us was actually years in the real world.'

'So we've caused this… mess.' Rose swallowed deeply. 'We have to help.'

'We can't.' The Doctor's brow furrowed in deep worry. 'Let's just find the TARDIS.'

'No, we have to go to Aleas' house, see if anyone's there. I want to know what happened. If we were responsible… '

The Doctor turned around and began to walk. Rose followed, assuming he'd go with her plan for now. They set off at a trot, trying to stay out of sight as much as possible, crossing through alleyways and other back streets. Only several streets later did Rose notice they were actually heading away from the Rich Quarter.

'Doctor,' she called, 'stop!'

He did stop, but his face remained grim.

'What are you doing?'

'We can't help anyone here, Rose. I told you that. All we can do now is get out of here before we become even more entangled in this timeline. Don't you understand?'

'No, I don't understand. You made a promise to Eshar, remember?'

'Eshar is dead. I already failed him. Do you really want to make things worse?'

'Things are already worse!'

The Doctor didn't answer.

'But it's not about that, is it? I've seen you dive headfirst into situations far more dangerous than this one. You save people, Doctor, and you always come through. That's what you do. Why are you running away now?'

The Doctor took a step forward and Rose straightened her back. There was a growing anger swirling in his dark eyes, but something else as well.

'Because of you,' he said. 'I will always choose you above anyone else. That scares the life out of me, Rose, knowing that I would rather watch an entire world burn, just to keep you safe.'

The screens above their heads suddenly flickered to life. A grainy image appeared, taken from some sort of surveillance device: a man standing in the street, looking around frantically, then staring up at the camera as he raised his weapon. The camera zoomed in, but a moment later the entire screen turned to static as the original camera was obliterated. The static was replaced by screenshots of the man's face and a disembodied voice announced that the images were of a dangerous criminal, now finally apprehended.

'That voice,' Rose muttered. 'It's Adam.'

'And that's not the only thing,' the Doctor said. 'Watch.'

The image on the screen had changed once more, showing the clear image of a badly injured man, chained and flanked by guards. His once bright eyes, one brown, one blue, were now dull from pain and exhaustion. Aleas had to be in his thirties, his face showing every sign of the many hardships he endured.

Adam's voice took on a contemptuous edge as he announced that the captive would be dealt with appropriately.

'Aleas is both Shapeshifter and Time Lord,' the Doctor said. 'If Adam arrived back here still possessed, the Shadow must want another host. He will try to make Aleas his new host body. If it isn't too late already.'

Rose knew perfectly well that they couldn't stay here in the middle of the street, but her mind drew a blank, Adam's voice still ringing in her ears.

They both startled as another voice came from the back of the alley.

The figure stepped from the shadows, a woman, dressed in battlegear and brandishing a weapon. 'You've come back,' she repeated, staring at the Doctor. Her long hair was pulled back into a braided ponytail. Her eyes were hard but familiar.

Rose took a single step forward. 'Niyoli?' The woman lowered her weapon, but remained on guard.

Niyoli turned to the Doctor. 'Why?' she said. 'Why did you leave?'

The Doctor shook his head. 'We had very little choice. Please believe me. We never intended to abandon any of you.'

Rose stepped closer to Niyoli, holding out her hands for the woman to see, showing she was unarmed. 'Tell us what happened.'

'Your friend is what happened.' Niyoli's expression grew cold. 'We assumed you and him had left together, but ten years ago, he returned on his own, on the Day of Celebration. Not long after that, he killed the Protector. We weren't very mournful about his death, but Serkhebe, that's what he calls himself now, he seized power. All that you see here is his doing. Then he came after Aleas.' Niyoli drew in a breath. 'Aleas knew he didn't stand a chance against Serkhebe and his ghouls, so he fled the city with his mother. But Serkhebe followed him anyway. That was years ago, until Aleas finally realised that Serkhebe would never give up the pursuit. A few days ago, he came back to face him. He told me he was going to kill Serkhebe, no matter what. Now it's all gone to hell. That was our last chance, Doctor.'

Niyoli had only just finished speaking when the skies suddenly darkened and a tremor went through the city.

'It's too late,' the Doctor whispered.

Another violent tremor rocked the ground they stood on, splitting it. A gash in the earth opened up and the Doctor dragged Rose away just before it could swallow her. Debris from other buildings fell like bombshells all around them, hitting people and killing them on the spot. Rose looked behind her into the remains of the alley. Niyoli's body was still visible beneath the fallen rock, but she would never get up again.

'She's gone.' The Doctor gently pulled Rose away from the body of their friend.

Rose didn't protest and fell into step beside him. They needed to reach the TARDIS now, or they'd end up like Niyoli and everybody else in this place. The ship was nearby and they could still make it. One part of the Doctor's mind concentrated on finding safety before they ended up as another bloodstained chapter on these streets. The other part of him repeated Niyoli's last words, over and over. Adam had done this. Adam was responsible—his counterpart, the Valeyard now, likely still possessed by the Shadow. How had things escalated this quickly?

One idea stuck to his line of thought like glue. Only days before, he almost left Rose with Adam, on a whim, convinced that he was doing the right thing. Adam and Donna were the only two Metacrisis events in existence, and he should have been more careful. Instead, he'd been in such a hurry to run away, he'd shut out every part of himself that dared to utter a warning.

Panic had begun to ripple through the city but the Doctor remained deaf to the cries around him, even as the earth shook again and more debris began to fall. The Shadow had finally taken possession of the Rift, but instead of providing unlimited power, the balance between the Rift and this world had become destabilised.

'Doctor!'

Rose's cry brought him back to reality. The TARDIS stood only a few metres away, and she seemed intact, despite the dust and debris and the fact that she'd been sitting in the same location for twenty-two years. Maybe their luck hadn't run out just yet.

Lightning crashed into the ground, scorching it. The earth shook, then cracked, splitting the street in two. The Doctor was thrown clear by the sheer force of the quake. He sat on all fours and coughed, trying to clear the dust that clogged his throat. 'Rose?'

He was up in a heartbeat and leaped across the chasm that had opened up. On the other side, a building had been hit as well, a hole the size of a small car showing the destroyed rooms behind. A curtain still flapped in the wind.

'Rose! Answer me!' He called her name several times over, each attempt chipping away at his courage further. A scream was already working its way up his throat when he spotted a hand, sticking out from beneath the rubble. An odd soundless daze settled over him and he hardly noticed the dozen scratches and bruises on his hands as he cleared away rocks and stone and debris. She was there, covered in dust, stretched out on the ground. He didn't check for a pulse first, only a single goal on his mind now. Get out.

It took only a few seconds more for him to reach the TARDIS. The doors slammed behind them and the dying world on the other side was drowned out as he carried Rose in his arms, his only hope being that he wasn't too late.

~x~

The TARDIS needed little incentive to leave. As she shot into the Vortex, the Doctor carried Rose deeper into the ship and to the medical bay. He forced himself to concentrate as he lay Rose down on the med-bed. She was his sole concern now, and he had to focus, pushing away all the fears that could cause him to fail.

Her face was ashen and her breathing shallow. Despite the dozens of cuts and bruises, there was only one large visible wound—a bloody gash at the back of her head—but her blood pressure was dropping fast, most likely from internal bleeding. He cut away her clothing and tried not to think of Rose as the person he loved most in the world. Right now she was his patient, and keeping her alive was all that mattered. He couldn't afford to become emotional. Holding onto that thought, he set to work.

~x~

It took the Doctor over an hour before the scans finally told him what he wanted to hear: the woman on the med-bed was stable. He covered her body with a thick blanket and drew it up to her chin, an attempt at keeping her temperature steady.

The Doctor sat next to the med-bed and leaned his head on his arms, overwhelmed by a flood of emotions that he could no longer contain. It was images of a wounded Rose, helpless and only barely clinging to life, that he couldn't stomach anymore. He had done everything he could, mending bone and tissue, stopping her from bleeding out and making sure there was no invisible trauma that he had overlooked. From there on her own body had to take over, repairing itself.

He closed his eyes and brought up images of Rose as he loved to think of her: images of her grinning broadly, laughing as he did something stupid but caring too much to outright tell him he should get his act together. He also loved her for the times she did tell him to stop being an oaf. Once, he had wondered if her snoring in her sleep would keep him from staying all night. Now he desperately wanted to hear her snore, knowing she was just sleeping and not on the verge of slipping into a coma.

He woke up again with a shock. He had only intended to rest his eyes for a moment, but the steady sound of Rose's breathing and the blip of the heart rate monitor had lulled him to sleep. He got up and checked the readings. She should have improved by now, but there was no sign of it yet. The Doctor dug deep, searching his weary mind for answers. He glanced at Rose's still form, her hair matted around her face. There was one other thing he could do, but it meant leaving her on her own for a few minutes. He knew he had to try, so he leaned down and brushed a kiss against her lips. He stayed for only a fleeting moment more, then he was out the door.

~x~

The sound of the TARDIS faded and the little vortex of sand died down. Seconds later there was nothing more to see than a cold and windy beach, the waves breaking endlessly on the icy Norwegian coast. Rose didn't feel any of it, not the cold nor the wind. She had become part of this place and she didn't want to feel anything ever again, least of all the breaking of her own heart.

His hand found hers and she wanted to tear herself away. He laced their fingers together and his warmth began to thaw the ice inside her, but it also meant acknowledging him. She'd kissed him. What on earth had she been thinking?

He began to lead her away from the beach, away from the cold. She then found herself in the back of a car and he was still holding her hand. Couldn't he see that she didn't want him?

'I don't even know what to call you.' Her voice sounded harsh to her own ears.

'Perhaps 'Doctor' would be an idea. It's my name.' He lifted an eyebrow in mock-seriousness.

A wave of nausea hit her. 'Stop the car. Please.' Pete put on the brakes and the car skidded to a halt. Rose groped for the door handle and stumbled outside. As soon as the cold fresh air hit her lungs, she breathed in deeply. The entire world was spinning. The Doctor had walked away from her, there on the beach. He was gone—but he was also sitting in the back of the car behind her. Her brain caved in on itself, angry and confused.

Then, he was suddenly there. 'Are you all right?'

When she didn't answer, he carefully lifted her face to check for himself. The nausea had passed and now only the emptiness remained.

'Don't worry,' he said. 'You can call me anything you want. It doesn't matter.'

'John.' Rose looked up at him. 'You're John Smith.'

For a few moments neither of them spoke, then he quietly nodded and put his arm around her, leading her back to the warmth and safety of the car.

~x~

The light alternated with the darkness and her body felt as if it were scourging in the midday sun, just before ice water was poured through her veins. The shivering rattled her teeth and she drew up her knees to stop the violent trembling. One moment of blessed silence changed to a thumping that could only be the blood pounding in her own ears—that or they had landed in the middle of some alien battlefield.

The Doctor. She sensed he was there, but there was someone else as well. She wanted to warn him. If only she knew how to move or even speak. She had to get through to him. Then the darkness returned and she fell into it, embracing the nothingness.

The next time she awoke, the Doctor wasn't there. The shivers had gone and even the control over her limbs had returned. Even so, the empty med-bay was chilly and the world felt strangely grey and hollow. Something in her peripheral vision made her turn her head, but the room was still just as empty except perhaps for a lingering scent, like the remains of an expensive perfume. It was impossible to identify the scent, there one moment and gone the next.

She got up, bare feet touching the floor without making a sound. Rose wandered around for a bit, not really knowing where she wanted to go. The rest of the TARDIS seemed just a deserted as the med-bay. If the Doctor had left her alone, he must have had a good reason, but it still felt strange.

She remembered the first time she got lost inside the TARDIS. The Doctor had been a complete stranger back then, all leather jacket and attitude. She had wanted to scream, thinking she'd never be able to leave the maze of corridors and rooms ever again. In desperation she had touched the bulkhead, just to ground herself. That was the first time she ever felt the TARDIS in her mind. Only a buzz, a tap on the heart, letting her know she wasn't alone. Before panic could grip her tighter, the corridor had opened up to show the console room—just as it did now, and she was home again.

The Doctor, her new Doctor, was there, tinkering away at something, his brow furrowed in concentration. She walked up to him, her feet still not making a sound against the metal grating. Wasn't that strange? The Doctor didn't hear her approach, so she gently touched his shoulder. Her hand went through him. She stared at it, not daring to breathe. The Doctor then turned and made for the corridor. Rose gasped as his body passed through her.

As the Doctor headed back into the TARDIS corridors, Rose followed. He was in a hurry and she had to dash to catch up. A thousand questions now ran through her mind, but one stood out the most—had she died?

The Doctor rounded a corner and entered the med-bay. Rose froze in place at the sight of the examination table and her own body.The Doctor froze as well, then dropped everything in his hands, the equipment clattering against the metal floor. The Doctor rushed to the bed where she lay motionless, pale as a corpse.

The Doctor lifted her off the table and took her limp body in his arms. He patted her face and checked her pupils. She remained lifeless. Rose had never seen the Doctor truly panic before. He put her body back on the table and began a flurry of activity, hooking her up to different machines, desperate to get any sign of life. As none of the machines seemed to give him what he wanted, his panic grew deeper. He ran a hand through his hair and leaned over her body.

'Rose,' he whispered, 'Please, please, don't. Not yet… not today.' He called her name again.

The universe was a cruel place, she learned that a long time ago, but having to watch the Doctor grieve for her as she stood right by his side, that was almost too much.

A headache ripped through her skull and Rose clutched the side of her head with both hands. She couldn't call out, only able to squeeze her eyes shut as something began to tear inside. The shredding inside her head wasn't like any physical pain she had ever felt, but somehow she knew what was happening. She knew it clear as day.

The telepathic bond was breaking.

As the pain reached critical mass, she lost awareness of her surroundings, no longer able to control what was happening. After what seemed like an eternity, the agony finally began to subside, slowly dying away until she was finally able to open her eyes. She was still on the other side of the room, watching the Doctor from a distance as he leaned over the med-bed, hands wrapped around her body, his face buried against her neck. He stroked the side of her face, his tears falling hard and fast.

Rose watched as through a veil while the scene played out, until a strange haziness began to draw her away, almost as if she were falling asleep. She wanted to tell the Doctor he didn't have to be sad, that everything was going to be all right. The bond was gone, but she was still alive. Then the pull became too strong to fight, and she passed out.