Disclaimer. Don't own Doctor Who.

Quick note. I would really like to thank you guys for putting up with these horrible cliffhangers I've been leaving the chapters on. I know I've been completely evil by doing that but you all have stuck with it for which I'm very grateful. This chapter is longer than the last two and should answer some of your questions.

Chapter 13.

The Doctor was bored and frustrated. It had been six days since Rose had left the TARDIS to visit her mother and he had heard nothing from her. He had watched three solar systems being born, repaired the TARDIS a total of ninety seven times, organised the library twice, once alphabetically and then by how many words the books had and then he had created two more bathrooms, one for him and one for Rose.

It was whilst the Doctor was considering visiting Kastria again, to see if the queen had forgiven him for accidentally insulting her hair, that it hit home how much he was missing Rose. He hadn't wanted to go on any adventures because it would have felt like he was betraying her. And he kept having the niggling feeling that something was wrong. He wanted Rose back on board where he knew he could keep her safe, well most of the time anyway, but he vowed not to interrupt her time with her mother. Although he had told her to just let him know if she wanted to stay longer, he was really hoping she wouldn't. He wondered if she would mind him going to see her. After all, it was only a day before she was due back and he could make sure everything was all right. Ok so truth be told, he had wanted to go and see her since day two and had actually had to stop himself for setting course for earth twelve times in the last four days.

He decided to give her a ring to see how she was. Inputting her number into the console he waited for her to answer. He was surprised to hear a shrill ring resound through the depths of the TARDIS. Knowing the console would keep ringing the phone until he cancelled it, he left the room to find the source of the noise. He traced the ringing to Rose's bedroom and entered. There, on her bed was her mobile phone. He took the phone back to the console room and cancelled the call instruction on the console. Looking at the phone again, he wondered why she hadn't taken it with her. Thinking that she had forgotten it in her haste to see her mother, he input the course for earth, glad now to have an excuse to go to her. He looked through the phone log to see if she had tried to ring the phone at all, and was shocked to find twenty-seven missed calls. It wasn't the amount of calls that shocked him though, it was who had made them. 'Mum' he read. But that couldn't be right, her mother was supposed to be sick in hospital. Then that feeling returned. The one that kept making him think something was wrong with her. As he urged the TARDIS to go faster, he hoped desperately that he was wrong.

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and strode purposefully over to the flat Jackie Tyler lived in. He was intercepted however when the woman in question emerged from the stairwell and rushed over to meet him. Jackie Tyler came to a stop in front of him and said the eight words he never thought he'd hear her say to him.

"Oh, am I ever glad to see you."

The Doctor eyed her a little suspiciously before answering. "Hello Jackie, you're feeling better then?" She adopted a confused expression at that "What do you mean 'feeling better'? There's nothing wrong with me," she said. "But that's not the point, Rose turned up on my doorstep two days ago in a terrible state. She's got bruises all over her, a huge cut on her arm, she can't remember what's happened to her to make her that way, and the only reason I'm not beating you to death right now is because she swears blind that you couldn't have done this to her. I've been trying to ring you since."

The Doctor's blood ran cold as he heard what Jackie said. Something had happened to Rose, his Rose and he had been completely blind to it. He had ignored his instincts and had not been there to protect her. He was angry, angry at himself for his stupidity and very angry at who or whatever had hurt his Rose. The look on his face when he looked at Jackie again was enough to make her take a fearful step back. "Take me to her Jackie," he said in a deadly calm voice. "Take me to Rose, right now." Jackie nodded quickly and together they made their way to her flat.

Jackie Tyler had never been scared of the Doctor before, and it was only seeing his actions now that she was able to tell the magnitude of his love and affection for her little girl. Despite knowing that he would never hurt her, she felt completely petrified when she saw the look on his face when she told him about Rose. As she led the way back to the flat, the Doctor said nothing more to her. Jackie got to the door and opened it before he kicked it down, she led him through to Rose's bedroom.

Rose was just sitting up in her bed as the door opened. Looking up into the angry face of the Doctor she saw his features relax instantly when he spotted her. He rushed over to her immediately and pulled her into his arms. The relief that coursed through her at the sight of him was palpable, and she couldn't help but grin happily despite the pain going through her torso as his arms pulled her to him. He pulled away after a few moments and both of them noticed that her mum wasn't in the room anymore. She looked up at the Doctor again. Although his face was expressionless, Rose looked into his eyes and saw the multitude of emotions in their depths. She noted his anger, not at her but at what had hurt her and knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would quite happily destroy the culprit. She also noticed the mixture of relief, concern and adoration his eyes held as he looked at her. She moved over on the bed and pulled at his arm to get him to lie on the bed next to her, smiling in relief as he did so immediately. He put his arm around her shoulder and settled her against him with her head resting on his chest. He stroked her hair softly as he had done back at the TARDIS and allowed her to listen to his dual heartbeat through his chest. After a minute or so he turned her face up to look at him. "Rose," he said. "What happened to you?"