After thanking the Lotharians profusely with an offer of dinner and a show next time they were in town (to which was met with very bemused expressions all round) the Doctor and Rose made their way back to the TARDIS. She was till extremely weak but they had to get back, it was the safest place she could be when he went searching for the creatures that did this to her. They had to stop every ten minutes or so for Rose to catch her breath, on one such pit stop, she snuck a look at him, he looked as bad as she felt, haggard and drained, bone tired. The look of pain in his eyes was more than she could bare and so she did what she knew he needed.

She reached up and cupped his cheek in her hands, he leant into the touch. Looking him straight in the ye, and with unwavering conviction she said..

"This was NOT your fault, kay!"

He'd never been so grateful for her support, he was supposed to be comforting her but she knew he needed her reassurance and she ad given it, without reprimand or accusation, and with no prompt from him. He loved her soo much, it was as if someone had opened a floodgate, all of his emotions, the ones he'd been hiding cam rushing to the fore. He couldn't wait to tell her exactly how and what he felt, he just hoped she felt the same way about him. This was like nothing he had experienced before, like his head, both hearts and lungs would explode if he didn't get to kiss her right this second, he knew this was neither the time nor place though. He had a score to settle, then he could spend days showing her exactly how much she meant to him.

They eventually stumbled into the TARDIS, he helped her to her room, and stayed while she changed into her comfy PJ's, he made sure she was tucked up nice and warm in bed, she looked so peaceful, yet so very pale still, he had to keep reminding himself that no, he hadn't lost her she was still alive, still breathing and still with him. He bent to give her a chaste peck on the cheek and her eyes shot open, with pleading in her voice,

"Don't leave me..please"

"I wont be long love, do you remember what I told you, the assembled hoards of Ghengas Kahn couldn't get through that door, you'll be safe the old girl will see to that"

He steeled himself to leave her, letting her hand drop back to the bed and turning to go, he felt a coldness inside, he pushed himself to ignore the panicked look in her eyes and left.

The minute he was out her door she let out a shaky sigh, she really didn't want to be alone, but she knew from the look in his eyes when he'd said he was going 'Hunting' that he needed to do this, for himself as much as for her, he wanted to take revenge on the creatures that had done this to her, she'd have been right there with him if not for her feeling so fragile still.

Everything rushed on her at once all the fear and anger, pain and suffering. She burst into tears. She had been so strong up until the point he wasn't watching her anymore, she'd kept calm telling herself she wasn't going to die, and that he would come for her and help her. Now she couldn't stop the tears from falling, she had almost DIED. Not just "please to meet you Rose, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE" but really died, she could feel the life slipping out of her, feel herself giving into blackness. The only thing she had known for sure was that he WOULD come for her, it was the only thing keeping her from oblivion. When she had opened her eyes to see him sitting on her bed, crying for her, the relief she'd felt was immense.

Now she just had to wait.