War World Three

The blue light was bright, eerie as it had been the first time around, and as Blon stepped out of her dead-woman suit, Rose had to hold back bile at the sight. It really was disgusting, but, well, that was a Siltheen for you. Merciless and horrible in general, that was still the same despite her own changes in perspective. Joseph let out a strangled squeak, while Harriet sucked in a deep breathe. Rose merely stepped back, her eyes focused on the alien. Or mostly on the swift, deadly claws. Blon almost made a smile; large, gleaming eyes locked on them with a hunger and eagerness for a hunt. Rose gave her a steady glare, before she turned to her fellow humans next to her. She hardly moved her head, just shifting it slightly so she could keep on eye on the deadly force in front of her.

"Rose Tyler, by the way."she said softly to Ganesh, and he gaped at her, before he blinked, some composure returning to him.

As if on instant, he reached out to grip her hand in a shake.

"Jo-Jo-Joseph Ganesh."he said, and he squeezed in slight panic. Despite his obvious fright, the handshake was firm and strong.

She shook his hand firmly, and grinned at him.

"Harriet Jones, MP Dalefly North."said Harriet, automatically flashing her ID card from the corner of her eye.

"Harriet, you've already introduced yourself."she said plainly.

"Not quite to... The charming Sir Alien in front of us."

Blon glared at that, narrowing her large eyes as she hissed;

"Now that's rude you old biddy, I'm a female and to me you're the alien."

"Could have fooled me, mate."said Joseph, seemingly on reflex.

"I'm going to eat you first."

With that she took another deliberate step forward, and Rose made sure to mirror her and make everyone take a step back.

"Well, to be fair, you're on our planet. So you are alien to us, and since the majority of us are of Sol 3, I say we get to chose. Level five planet by the way: any circumstance to be allowed on planet bellow an emergency or in pursuit of a criminal force is illegal underneath the Shadow Proclamation which protects primitive worlds from invading forces. Translation, get the bloody hell off my planet."said Rose fiercely, stepping forward with a snarl.

The Slietheen raised its brow, licking her lips with a forked tongue.

"You know of the Shadow Proclamation? You're... Strange, Rose Tyler. You shouldn't know this. Are you of this world?"she asked, and she sounded legitimately curious.

Both of her fellow humans looked at her suddenly, almost afraid of the answer.

"Yeah, I am. Just happen to have an friend that knows just about anything."

Blon sneered.

"Is he downstairs?"

Rose twitched, because she knew that downstairs the majority of the experts were dead. She regretted their lost, but she couldn't exactly prevent their deaths. She didn't have the means of doing so without proclaiming herself clairvoyant or her knowledge of the future, and what had happened to her to the Doctor. Neither were exactly options she had that would make sure the events that happened in the next two or so years with the Doctor possible. And even if she didn't posses the ability to see time lines as the Doctor, or have the TARDIS's insight in the complex, entangled web of time and space she knew enough that those events had to happen. She had helped the Doctor, on some level at least, and she did not think that the events she remembered would end as happily without her there(or worse than the times that they hadn't ended so happily). Call it egotism, but Rose felt that she was needed by the universe on some level, and she needed to be there in certain events with the Doctor. Never mind that she wanted to be there with him.

She also couldn't discount the fact that who knew what those experts would and could do if they had lived. Any of those men and woman living could cause a paradox simply because of what they knew, and fuck things up on Earth. They could invent something that would destroy the planet. They could kill or damage an alien in the wrong sense. They could give birth to a Dictator that would destroy any of the events she knew that had to happen. She knew for a fact that several of the people there could be Torchwood, and that would be bad on so many levels.

They could discover the 'Ghosts' earlier on or even worse; access another parallel world and bring something even more catastrophic through. They could capture the Doctor, they could give birth to a person that would commit genocide. And even if they did none of those things, she knew that she couldn't save everyone, just as the TARDIS had said, as much as she wanted. And those people that had been alive just a few minutes ago were so dangerous. She sighed, and hated it, but she wasn't back in this phase of her life to save everything. If that had been the case, she would have done things a little less half-cocked up to this point. Besides, no matter how much she wanted to, she understood with grim certainty that she was walking a thin that could either save her or destroy her, along with the rest of the universe if she mucked everything up.

"So what if he is?"

"Then he's dead as you soon will be you silly monkey."hissed the alien, and she giggled.

Rose smirked, reaching behind her and gripping a chair steadily as Blon took another step forward.

"News flash, honey, he's as alien as you are. Not much can kill him."

She lifted the chair and threw it as hard as she could at the unsuspecting Siltheen, who stumbled back in surprise at the blow. Rose felt something in her howl in approval as she smirked again.

"And we're Apes you uneducated prick."she said harshly, before she turned tail and grabbed both Ganesh's and Harriet's hands.

Without a look back, she bolted out, making sure the two older people stayed in front of her as she flung them forward, just as Blon let out a fierce scream of fury.

"The emergency protocols!"screamed Harriet.

"Harriet, we have to get away right now. At least until my friend finds us, okay? His name's the Doctor, and he's going to help."

"You heard her, he's dead Rose!"said Ganesh, and she shook her head.

She pushed both him and Harriet again, keeping an ear out for the rampaging, and very pissed alien behind them. Boy, despite her great size, could she move!

"He's alien, whatever they had down there was only meant for humans."she said, and it was with a certainty because she had seen him come back.

"I didn't see any aliens down there Rose, and I checked in all the experts! And beside the man that nearly didn't go in because of you was human as can be!"

"Did you really believe that aliens have to be little green men? He's an alien alright, he's got two hearts!"

"But-!"said both at the same time, panic clear on the male's face.

"Harriet, Joseph, I know you're thinking the best for the situation as whole right now, but listen to me, we have a giant alien with claws, and an inclination towards murder behind us; we aren't in a position to do anything but run. The Doctor is alive, and he will find us. And we'll regroup from there, alright?"

"You trust this man completely."said Harriet, and Rose blinked at the statement.

Hardly a truer statement had ever been said.

"Without a doubt."

"Have you known him long?"asked Ganesh, eyes wide.

She couldn't help but smile, tongue-in-teeth at the question.

" 'Bout four days, going to be five soon."

"You're insane!"

"No, I'm just a girl who met the right guy! Now, shift!"she huffed.

And shift they did, despite Harriet's age, and despite Joseph's panic, they were incredible runners that knew how to move. Rose herself cursed starting her routine that morning: she was more tired than she had been the first time around, but she couldn't help now. She only did what she could to keep both Harriet and Joseph in front of her, and herself ahead of the Slietheen behind her in it's impromptu hunting party. She wished she would have brought some bloody vinegar, but that would have been hard to explain, not to mention she couldn't risk killing Blon. Despite the woman's horribleness, Rose truly believed she deserved that second chance at life, because the TARDIS had deemed her worthy of it.

Not to mention the backlash effects it would have in what would happen in Cardiff if she failed to become Mayor there. From what Rose remembered of reading up on it after the incident there, Maraget/Blon had actually done some good(to get elected and possibly reelected if she mucked up her surf-board plan no doubt), and she couldn't risk those things not happening. Time-lines, she knew, were incredibly delicate. The incident with her birth father was proof of that.

She was a enormous tipping point at the moment until her original time in the TARDIS was up, simply because she was going in blind without the knowledge of what was fixed and what she could rewrite. She couldn't change to much in the risk of bring down the Reapers, nor make all of her future knowledge useless, or even worse, bring about a future worse than she had experience. She knew for certain that they're were worst things than her death and separation from the Doctor, and she was not eager to partake or drag anyone down with her.

"Hide."she hissed as they came to the same furnished room as in her memories.

The two did so readily, while Rose hesitated. On the one hand, hiding was what she did last time. On the other, Rose Tyler now wasn't one to cower behind a cabinet. However, as much as she wanted to, she had to acknowledge that three Siltheen against her weren't odds she favored. Didn't mean she wouldn't be prepared, going off to the side, she picked up a fire place poker, and with much reluctance, slipped behind the cabinet. Joseph was there as well, and jumped at the sight of her. She put her finger to her lips, and he nodded, eyeing her poker with some envy.

"Oh, such fun. Little human children, where are you? Sweet little humeykins, come to me. Let me kiss you better. Kiss you with my big, green lips." said Blon sweetly, and Rose eyed Joseph before gesturing to the curtains.

He didn't need to be told twice, and crawled his way over before he stood and hid. Rose stayed put, slipping out a compact mirror she had thought to bring with her from her pocket, and using it to keep an eye on Mareget's position in the room. She tried focusing on easing her breathing and easing her leaping heart. Again, her memories of herself contradicted her reality, and though she remembered the techniques that she had mastered at twenty-two, her own nineteen year old body had other ideas. While she was able to calm herself down, it wasn't with speed and sureness she could have only a few days ago.

She was still shaky, and her heart wouldn't slow down as it would have before. Adrenaline was higher than it should have been... It was a strange thing, once being the master of her body Rose felt as if she was almost in a new body, even if it was her's at nineteen. She wondered faintly if this was what Regeneration felt like for the Doctor. Walking up in something that was you, but not quite you all the same. Same memories, same person, just... Different. Rose swore softly under her breathe, watching as Blon took in her prey's output of fear with great pleasure. Her two brothers stepped in, naked and true to their nature as her, and Rose swallowed thickly trying to calculate how to take them down if she needed to. Their knees looked a prime target, and she knew she had to keep out of reach of the claws...

"My brothers."she hissed happily.

They hummed and hissed in return.

"Happy hunting?"

"It's wonderful. The more you prolong it, the more they stink. Except the youngest. She is odd, she only steadies herself, I can smell it, she shows no true fear. She knew what the Shadow Proclamation was..."

"Off-worlder?"asked one of the brothers.

"She claims not to be."she said, and the obvious mistrust in her was there.

Honestly, not only did they think the Earth so primitive to want to sell the planet as radioactive fuel they had the rudeness to think just because she knew a little that she had to be an alien?! How daft did they think the human race was? Surely they understood the concept that humans could poses some knowledge of the universe.

"Who cares? The hunt is at hand and the prey's origin is of no consequence. I can smell an old girl. Stale bird and brittle bones." said the other.

Margaret shook her head, frowning.

"The male isn't so bad either, sister, all hormones and starkness. Fresh enough."

"Well, I suppose you're right, the girl could be fun to break, to bend and scream."she hissed, and she promptly went around the cabinet.

Rose was ready, poker in hand and crouched, eyes glaring and mouth grinning.

"Not much of a screamer. Besides, you have to buy me a drink first."she said plainly, cursing Jack for giving her a knack of making innuendos, and dodging out of the way of her claws, giving her a good whack with the poker.

Maraget roared, hissing and spitting as Rose weaved her way through and away from the rest of the Siletheens' grips. She gave well place hits with the poker, trying to will her body not to fail her and copy her movements of her twenty-two year old self.

"No! Take me first! Take me!"screeched Harriet, sprinting away from the her hiding place, just as Joseph did the same and screamed out; "Leave her alone you big ugly toad!"

There was a tense moment, where the no one moved as all three of the Slitheen just looked at her and the other two with narrowed glances, claws outstretched and licking lips.

"You're a feisty one."said one of the brothers, licking his lips again.

"Thank you."she said plainly.

"Off-worlder?"asked another brother, and she had to roll her eyes at that.

"Really?"

"I had to ask."he said with a semblance of a shrug.

She shook her head a negative, and smiled slightly.

"So, how do you want to dance boys and girls? Cha-cha, tango?"she asked, twirling her fire-poker just as she had with her baton in junior gymnastics.

She watched with some amusement as both of her fellow humans looked on with something of both horror and fascination. Then of course, with his impeccable timing, the Doctor burst in, fire extinguisher in hand and a manic grin.

"I prefer the Swing myself."he said, eyes twinkling with that clever madness of his.

He sprayed one of the brothers, and Rose went down, rolling out of the way while knocking the other brother and Margaret down with the poker. While the Doctor gleefully sprayed the three of them until the extinguisher ran out, which he then promptly threw it at Blon's fat head. He made his way over to her, still grinning.

"Out, with me!"called the Doctor, reaching over to help her up as they dashed out of the way, hand in hand.

The four of the ran for a beat, the roars of the family echoing after them. The Doctor looked behind them, and raised a brow.

"Now, who the hell are you two?"

"Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North." "Joseph Ganesh." they both said, blinking at the question, and of course, Harriet flashed her ID.

"Nice to meet you."he said pleasantly.

"Likewise."said Harriet.

They ran, dodging past the Siltheens, the Doctor running them about as if they were in a strange Scooby Doo rendition as they scrambled about and away from their claws.

"So, that's your alien doctor, Rose?"Joseph asked plainly, seemingly remembering him from down stairs and not being impressed at all.

She laughed at the affronted look said Doctor gave, and grinned proudly.

"Yeah, that's him."

~BW~DW~BW~DW~BW~

Honestly he didn't know why the confirmation on Rose's part sent his hearts into a wild tempo. On the one hand, he was offended that he was reduced to a mere possession to Ganesh, on the other, their was a certain thrill at Rose's simple 'Yeah, that's him'. The pride and obvious trust in her voice wasn't something he expected either. Nor was her little impressive display with the fire poker in the room back there. Moving and bending like a proper fighter, except it looked almost as if she was out of practice, or if she had learned from a book...

That was it, he thought eyeing her up and down. She never could have afford proper classes, nor have the time to train, and she was from a tough area. Learning a bit here and there from books and getting into scrapes as a child seemed to fit in the unpracticed, stiff but knowledgeable way she had moved. As if her brain knew what to do, but her body didn't quite know how to follow. Not to mention;

"Oi, Rose, Ricky said you were in gymnastics as a child right?"

She blinked at the odd question no doubt, but nodded as she said:

"Yeah, Jericho Street Junior School under 7s gymnastic team. I've got the bronze."

She grinned then, a sort of smirk of some inside joke with Ricky no doubt. Because she had that gleam in her eyes again, that gleam that promised a joke. One day he swore that he would be in on it.

"You still practice?"he asked again, and she raised a brow at that.

"What, do you think I got this bum with just sitting in front of my telly with beans and toast?"she asked, and there was a teasing note to her voice.

He gave her a once over, eyes flickering to her bum, that was a bit soft in his opinion. Could use a little bit of toning up, but... Not bad. Not bad at all. Obviously she had some form of exercise that gave her that amount of flexibility, bit stiff still because of her age and the fact that she must have not kept up with it too much. Working girl and all that... Upon hearing a faint crunch and roar behind him, he flinched, and then he blinked as Harriet Jones(that name... Now that was familiar, where had he heard that name?) ran up to him.

"We need to head to the Cabinet Room, the Emergency Protocols are in there. They give instructions for aliens."she said, puffing.

The Doctor felt himself grin, after all, he had already been heading there, but talk of Rose's bum had distracted him from sharing that fact.

"Harriet Jones, I like you."he said firmly.

The younger woman smiled, eyes crinkling.

"And I like you too."

They ran for a bit, dodging this way and that away from claws and grabbing hands. Ganesh was a good kicker, he learned from a very close call, and Harriet had a way with slipping just past the danger, while he was fantastic, of course, and so was Rose, who always seemed to be one step ahead. It took a bit of wild turns, and few wrong ones, because honestly it had been a while before he had come to Downing Street, and ushered all of the running humans into the room, and snatched the decanter from a side table by the doorway. He turned impressively, if he did say so himself, and faced the aliens in front of him seriously.

"One more move and my sonic device will triplicate the flammability of this alcohol. Whoof, we all go up. So back off."he said firmly, narrowing his eyes for effort.

The Slitheen took a step back, eyes narrowed at his make-shift, and fake weapon. Not that they needed to know that.

"Right then. Question time. Who exactly are the Slitheen?"

"They're aliens."said Harriet, obviously trying to be helpful, and despite her good intentions, being rather unhelpful instead.

The Doctor held back a snarl of frustration. Trust himself to be surrounded by those who stated the obvious. Apes, the lot of them!

"Yes. I got that, thanks."he huffed, and the alien in front of him narrowed his large, dark eyes.

"Who are you, if not human? The only one suspect of that is the girl."said the seemingly spokesman of the group, and he gestured his large claws at Rose.

The Doctor tensed at the interest and singling out of his young companion(was it to early for him to call her that, he often wondered, but couldn't pick a more appropriate title for her), and watched as closely as all three of the Slitheen stared at her. Rose, being the odd thing she was, sighed irritably at the comment. She stepped slightly forward, even as he moved to the side to prevent her from doing so. She ignored him completely, leaning on him actually, fire poker in hand, a scowl on her face.

"Oh for Pete's sake, A, I'm human, and B, he's not human, if I care to remind you. I have said this!"

She said this while swinging the fire poker in hand, and the Slitheen eyed it with narrowed eyes.

"He's not human? I mean, I know you said that but Rose, he looks just like us-"said Ganesh, and the Doctor sighed irritably.

"Can I have a bit of hush?"he asked, and the man shut his mouth flap.

"Sorry. But he's got a Northern accent. "said Harriet and she crossed her arms.

The Doctor just sighed again. Could no one see the interrogation he had going here?

"Aliens can look just like humans, its not like we got an exclusivity to the design. Besides, lots of planets have a north. Now, if you two don't mind were trying to understand the sinister plot. So, Slitheens, what's said plot if you don't mind us asking?"she asked, raising a dark brow.

The Doctor frowned, and huffed, because there she went and stole his thunder. But, he went with it;

"You've got a spaceship hidden in the North Sea. It's transmitting a signal. You've murdered your way to the top of government. What for, invasion?"he asked smartly, because Rose didn't know that.

The head Slitheen, the trio of them really, looked affronted. Even insulted at his assumption.

"Why would we invade this God-forsaken rock?"said the spokesman, and he raised a brow.

"Vast resources, potential as a slave planet, ect. You know, general reasons. Besides, piss off, I happen to live here you bunch of toads."said Ganesh, and he was glaring heavily at them.

"Then something's brought the Slitheen race here. What is it?"said the Doctor, trying to keep the topic on the sinister plot, as Rose had so helpfully pointed out.

"The Slitheen race?"

"That's not right. She called them her brothers."

"Quite right. Slitheen is not our species. Slitheen is our surname. Jocrassa Fel Fotch Pasameer-Day-Slitheen at your service."said Jocrassa pompously.

That narrowed that down a bit he thought, narrowing his eyes.

"So, you're family."he said simply.

"A family business."corrected the female to the right, smiling, her large luminous eyes crinkling.

"Then you're out to make a profit. How can you do that on a God-forsaken rock?"

The lead Slitheen, Jocrassa Fel Fotch Pasameer-Day-Slitheen smirked.

"Ah, excuse me? Your device will do what? Triplicate the flammability?"

"Is that what I said?" the Doctor felt a slight trail of sweat go down his forehead.

He shifted slightly to the right, and prayed that they hadn't moved his backup plan.

"You're making it up."accused the alien, and he grinned.

"Ah, well! Nice try. Harriet, have a drink. I think you're gonna need it."

He tried to pass it, but the younger woman simply shook her head.

"You pass it to the left first."she said simply.

"Sorry."he said sheepishly, because you think of all his time spent in Britain he would remember that, and then the Doctor passed it to Rose.

Her plump lips twitched upwards, and she lifted the brandy up high.

"Cheers."she chirped and inclined it towards the all, including the Slitheen, taking a decent swig, before she passed it to Ganesh.

The man stared at it for a tiny second before taking a large swig himself.

"Now we can end this hunt with a slaughter."said Jocrassa Fel Fotch Pasameer-Day-Slitheen happily, inching forward.

"Er, Rose, should we start to run again?"said Ganesh, passing it over to Harriet.

"Well-"

"Fascinating history, Downing Street. Two thousand years ago, this was marsh land. 1730, it was occupied by a Mister Chicken. He was a nice man. 1796, this was the Cabinet Room. If the Cabinet's in session and in danger, these are about the four most safest walls in the whole of Great Britain. End of lesson."he said harshly.

He lifted the secret panel, grateful they hadn't moved it, and set it off. Three inches of solid steel slid down in the Siltheens's faces, and he smiled grimly;

"Installed in 1991. Three inches of steel lining every single wall. They'll never get in."he said, turning to the humans with a reassuring smile.

Rose smiled, a teasing note in the movement of her lips.

"Well, that's just brilliant. I just have one question Doctor... How do we get out?"she said in a sing-song way.

The Doctor blinked.

"Ah."

~BW~DW~BW~DW~BW~

"You saved my life."said a voice, deeply grateful and soft.

Rose glanced over at Joseph Ganesh, and smiled. He was looking at her with a slight anxious look to him, rubbing his long, elegant hands together nervously.

"Yeah, I did."

"That Slitheen was about to grab me, multiple times mind you, they barreled through walls like it was paper, let alone what they could do to me. They murdered the Prime Minister, and you got me out of the way, more time than we can count."he said, and his hand came up to rub the back of his neck nervously.

In a moment, she remembered the New New Doctor who had the same habit. She melted slightly, and perhaps used a voice far more gentler than she intended:

"Yes, I did do that as well."she said, and she carefully let her fingertips run through the walls, searching for any form of wiring.

Of course, she knew there wouldn't be ones, but, well, appearances and all that. And if nothing, Rose wanted to do something more than wait for the time for anything exciting to happen.

"I never did thank you. Just sort of... Flailed around a bit after you."continued Joseph, looking at her pointedly. He had very intense eyes, she thought.

She stopped her fruitless search, and looked at the man. He wasn't a bad man she suppose, in an unassuming way. He had that sort of face that you tended to overlook or forget. But it had been hard to ignore how he had died. She remembering thinking at the end of this day the first time around, how if she had just reached out, she would have saved the man's life. She hadn't even known his name, and thought him a bit of a prat for not letting her go with the Doctor. Yet, he had unknowingly saved her life in the process. She smiled at him, gently.

"There was a fair amount of that. But I can't say I blame you. I did a fair amount of flailing my first encounter with aliens. Besides, you saved my life by not letting me go with the Doctor."

He blinked, and smiled in return.

"That doesn't count, its not like I knew that would get you killed or that you were in any danger. You did and could have gotten your self killed... So, well, thank you, Rose Tyler."

She smiled at him, tongue-in-teeth.

"You're very welcome Joseph Ganesh."

The Doctor clapped his hands together, rubbing them, and both she and Joseph jumped at the sound. She turned to him, and raised a brow. He was staring at her, blue eyes heated.

"Right, what have we got? Any terminals, anything?"he asked, his gaze flickering between her and Joseph.

She shook her head just as Harriet did the same.

"No. This place is antique. Those Siltheens, what sort of technology did they have to make them fit? How far does their technology work if they can't fit into the Prime minster? I mean, their 'bout eight feet, and they do fit into larger bodies, but he was very slim..."

"Good thoughts. Compression field. That's the device around their necks. Literally shrinks them down a bit. Not powerful enough for the Prime Minster, but that's why there's all that gas. It's a big exchange."

"Makes sense, all that energy and all that mass. Oi, Doctor, any idea where there from?"she said, frowning slightly.

"Not quite, its been narrowed down though... Harriet Jones. Joseph Ganesh. I've heard those names before. Often together... Oi, you, Ganesh, and Harriet you're not famous for anything, are you?"

"Oh, hardly."said Harriet with a scoff.

Rose blinked at the addition of Ganesh's name to the Doctor's confusion. That had most certainly not been there the first time around, as, well, Ganesh had died.

"I'm a glorified gofer."said Joseph, frowning at him.

"Rings a bell. Harriet Jones? Ganesh?"mused the Doctor, rubbing his chin.

Harriet shook her head, even as Ganesh glanced at Rose with a raised brow.

"Lifelong back bencher I'm afraid, and a fat lot of use I'm being now. The Protocols are redundant. They list the people who could help and they're all dead downstairs."she said, and she threw them on the table in disgust before she sat down.

Rose frowned, rubbing her chin.

"That's it then? Damn. No organizations to call in this sort of emergency? Is there any link to the United Nations to get Defense codes or something and blast the Slitheens away?"she said, thinking of Torchwood, as well as a second organization that her father had mentioned on the side.

It had been some sort of task force, she remembered, made redundant with the revival and reorganization of Torchwood in Pete's World, as it had been more advance. It had swallowed it and used it resources to its advantage. It had been some sort anagram... U something? It had been connected with the League of Nations, which had actually been worth something in that universe...

"You're a very violent young woman."mentioned Harriet with a raise brow.

Rose shrugged.

"Only in a situation that calls for it. They've killed many innocent women and men downstairs, either for being experts, for being in the way, or because they need someone's skin to walk around in. They've threatened my planet. I have the right to defend it. Defense codes if needed."she said firmly.

She glance at the Doctor, and waited for six seconds before he responded. He jerked up, eyes wide.

"Say that again."he said, turning to them.

"What, about Rose being a violent woman? Because personally, I'm with her."asked Joseph with a raised brow.

The Doctor shook his head.

"No, the Defense codes."

"Well, the British Isles can't gain access to atomic weapons without a Special Resolution from the United Nations right? Not that has ever stopped them."said Rose, raising her brow.

Harriet rose slightly in her chair.

"Exactly, given our past record. And I voted against that, thank you very much. The codes have been taken out of the government's hands and given to the UN. Is it important?"

"Everything's important."both she and the Doctor replied.

"If we only knew what the Slitheen wanted. Listen to me. I'm saying Slitheen as if it's normal."

"You'll get used to it. They called themselves a family... The family business is what Jocrassa said right? So it can't be an invasion, not exactly. They want to make a profit, and have fun along the way, which is why they made Porcco, a big fat sick joke to them."she said viciously.

"They don't want Slitheen World. They're out to make money, Rose is right. That means they want to use something. Something here on Earth. Some kind of asset."he mused, sitting down himself.

His chin was in his hand, and his spare hand was tugging at his ear in clear concentration. Personally, though she would never tell the Doctor, Rose found it adorable.

"Like what, gold? Oil? Water?"said Harriet.

"Slaves? Energy?" continued Joseph, frowning and his eyes flickering to Rose in question.

Rose shrugged at him, and turned to the Doctor.

"You're very good at this."mentioned the Doctor.

Ganesh and Harriet smiled;

"Thank you."

"Harriet Jones. Ganesh? Why do I know those names?"mused the Doctor.

Rose wondered as well, she knew where Harriet Jones would end up, but Ganesh? That was new. 'Stand by Me' sounded off and Rose jumped. She swore, and made a mental note to change the damn thing to vibrate as she checked the message from Mickey.

"That's me."she mentioned offhandedly.

"But we're sealed off. How did you get a signal?"asked Harriet.

"He zapped it. Super phone."

"Then we can phone for help. You must have contacts."she said urgently, even as the Doctor frowned and crossed his arms.

"Dead downstairs, maybe. Besides, why would I take the time to gather up phone numbers?"he said, drawing himself up importantly.

Joseph snorted, just as Rose rolled her eyes and lifted her phone up.

"It's Mickey."she said firmly.

"Oh, tell your stupid boyfriend we're busy."said the Doctor roughly, frowning at the pink phone as if it had insulted him.

She scowled at him, yeah, this part of his personality she hadn't missed.

"Yeah, one, he's not so stupid, two, not my boyfriend anymore. But he is in trouble."

She lifted the phone to show the picture of the Slitheen, crossing her arms. The Doctor gaped at her, before it sounded off, once again to 'Stand By Me', and she lifted the phone to her ear.

"Micks, please tell me you aren't with my mum."

"ROSE, THERE'S A GIANT GREEN TOAD ALIEN AFTER YOUR MUM AND ME! I BLAME THE SODDIN' ALIEN YOU RAN OFF WITH!"

She pulled the phone away at the sheer level of noise, and wondered why he sounded even more panicked than last time.

"Bloody- Is she all right, though? Don't put her on, just tell me!"

The Doctor snatched the phone, and grimaced into the ear piece. Even from a slight distance Rose could hear Mickey and her mother screaming their heads off. She flinched, despite knowing the outcome, the fear for her loved ones was still very present. After all, time was not set in stone, it followed, ever changing and unbound by her silly human perspective.

"Is that Ricky? Don't talk, just shut up and go to your computer. Mickey the Idiot, I might just choke before I finish this sentence, but, er, I need you."said the Doctor, and true his words, he sounded as if he was going to be sick.

Rose rolled her eyes. The Doctor, being ever so helpful, simply plugged in the phone into the conference one so they could put on speaker.

"Say again."he demanded of Mickey.

Even through the phone, she could hear Mickey's anger;

"It's asking for the password."he said, and he sounded far angrier than he had last time.

The Doctor, being a bit thick, glared at the phone as if it was Mickey himself. He scowled and crossed his arms.

"Buffalo. Two Fs, one L."he said in a clipped tone.

Rose sighed, knowing that both their macho male thing had been tiresome the first time... However, this time around it seemed to be even more hostile. Musing over the small changes in time, Rose wondered what had triggered it.

"So, what's that website?"asked her Mother, and she sounded both annoyed and bored. Something dangerous for any Tyler woman her father would say.

"All the secret information known to mankind. See, they've known about aliens for years. They just kept us in the dark."responded Mickey helpfully.

"Mickey, you were born in the dark."said the Doctor, with a grin, and she rolled her eyes.

"Doctor, world crises at the moment, leave him alone please."she said dully, crossing her arms on the conference table as she sat down.

Even through the phone, she could almost hear Mickey's grin;

"Thank you. Password again."

The Doctor scowled at the phone again.

"Just repeat it every time."

They left Mickey at it; The Doctor turned to them in obvious thinking mode, eyes flickering to them with a raised brow.

"Big Ben - why did the Slitheen go and hit Big Ben?"he asked, and Rose had to resist the urge to lift her hand as if she was at school.

"You said to gather the experts, to kill them."said Harriet, raising a brow at him in return.

He shook his head, tugging at his ear.

"That lot would've gathered for a weather balloon. You don't need to crash land in the middle of London."

"The Slitheen are hiding, but then they put the entire planet on Red alert. What would they do that for? With Porcco, they made it into a spectacle, is it for fun, attention? 'Cause the entire world has an eye on the U.K. now."she leaned forward on her arms, frowning.

"Oh, listen to her."called out her mother's voice from the phone.

Rose tensed, her gaze flickering between the Doctor and the phone. She knew what was coming.

"Mum, don't."

She heard her mother make a irritable sigh, and her voice directed itself to the Doctor, harsh and worried;

"Well, I've got a question, if you don't mind. Since that man walked into our lives, I have been attacked: In the streets. I have had creatures from the pits of hell, in my own living room, and my daughter disappear off the face of the Earth."

"I told you what happened! I believe you called me a nutter!"she argued.

"I'm talking to him. 'Cos I've seen this life of yours, Doctor. And maybe you get off on it, and maybe you think it's all clever and smart, but you tell me. Just answer me this. Is my daughter safe?"

The Doctor didn't answer.

"Is she safe? Will she always be safe? Can you promise me that? Well, what's the answer?"

Again, the Doctor didn't answer. But his eyes did flicker to her before he turned to the phone at Mickey's voice;

"We're in."

Seemingly stealing himself, the Doctor pushed back his shoulders and stood a little taller.

"Now then, on the left at the top, there's a tab, an icon. Little concentric circles. Click on that."he instructed Mickey firmly, ignoring her mother firmly.

"What is it?"

"The Slitheen have got a spaceship in the North Sea and it's transmitting that signal. Now hush, let me work out what it's saying."

"He'll have to answer me one day."hissed her mother, and Rose could hear infuriated tone.

"Hush!"said Mickey, irately.

She heard her mother huff, and scoff, but she didn't say another word. Rose played with the rings on her fingers, looking away from the phone with a frown. She loved her mother to pieces, she really did, and the worry she heard in her voice was touching. But it was also very irritating, simply because her mother did not know what she was capable of. Though, she corrected in her mind, that had always been the case with her mother. Even towards the end, even in Pete's World, all she had done was plead at her to live a 'normal, respectable' life. However, at least then(later? Never?) it wasn't because her mother didn't think she could handle it, but because she was logically afraid of what might happen to her.

"It's some sort of message."said the Doctor, frowning.

Rose looked over at him and raised her brow. Through the TARDIS, she could faintly hear the message, unlike before. It was a gibberish mush, but clearly she could hear the repetition in the sounds.

"Can you translate it?"she asked, crossing her arms.

The Doctor frowned.

"I-... I should be able too, I know over a thousand languages, and the TARDIS knows practically the rest in existence, but apparently the Slitheen don't pay attention much in school when it came to broadcasting. It's a large mess. It's on a loop though, keeps repeating."

Through the phone, Rose heard the doorbell ring. She tensed, eyes wide, locking on the phone.

"Hush!"snapped the Doctor.

Mickey gave a snort.

"What, never heard of a doorbell Mr. Spock? Go and see who that is, Jackie."

"Mum don't answer the door!"cried out Rose.

The majority of those in the conference room jumped, and looked at her. She ignored them, and focused on her Mum and Mickey.

"Mum, don't, listen to me!"

Of course, being Jackie Tyler, she had to ignored her.

"It's three o'clock in the morning."her Mother whined.

"Well, go and tell them that."

"Mum, Mickey! Listen to me damn it!"

"Rose, task at hand. It's beaming out into space, who's it for?"mused the Doctor, rubbing his chin.

Their was a silence for a second, and Mickey must have been about answer before they heard a scream and a slamming door.

"It's him! It's the thing, it's the Slipeen!"cried out her mother, and, of course, she sounded both frightened and pissed off.

"They've found us."said Mickey, and he sounded grim.

The Doctor's gaze locked on her's for a fraction of a second, and she grimaced to him, before her gaze flickered back to the phone. She nodded once, and she felt her heart jump to her throat as she did. The Doctor took that as permission to continue.

"Mickey, I need that signal."he said urgently.

"Oh, my God, it's unmasking. It's going to kill us."

"There's got to be some way of stopping them! You're supposed to be the expert, think of something!"cried out Harriet.

"I'm trying!"snapped the Doctor.

Rose felt a sort of grim, startled feeling settle over her. She couldn't tell her family to run. They were both to stubborn and blocked off to boot. Part of her was screaming at them to try anyway. But she remembered. Oh she remembered what Mickey in particular had to do.

"I'll take it on, Jackie. You just run. Don't look back. Just run."that was Mickey, brave stupid Mickey with his heart of gold.

Rose settled her hand on the Doctor's shoulder, palms sweaty and her heart beating steadily and rapidly in her chest, painfully even.

"That's my mother and Mickey."she told him, softly.

The wood of the door snapping and cracking made her flinch, and she begged him to save them, as he almost always did. Just as he always tried to do when something was in need. Just as he had done before. He nodded, his intense eyes narrowing at her silent plea.

"Right, If we're going to find their weakness, we need to find out where they're from. Which planet. So, judging by their basic shape, that narrows it down to five thousand planets within traveling distance. What else do we know about them? Information!"he said, and he turned to the others, waiting no doubt for the answers of what they saw of the Slitheen.

Rose didn't even give them the chance to take a breathe;

"They're green!Good sense of smell! They can smell adrenalin! The pig technology! The spaceship in the Thames, you said slipstream engine?! They hunt like it's a ritual! Their gas exchange smells like bad breath!"she said in quick succession, eager to save her family.

Everyone looked at her as if she was insane, except the Doctor. No, the Doctor simply grinned like someone had just told him that all the pears in the universe had burst into bananas.

"Calcium decay! Now, that narrows it down!"

"SHIT!"cried out Mickey, just as her mother screamed.

"Calcium phosphate. Organic calcium. Living calcium. Creatures made out of living calcium. What else? What else? Hyphenated surname. Yes! That narrows it down to one planet. Raxacoricofallapatorius!"said the Doctor urgently.

He walked quickly to the phone, clutching it.

"Oh, yeah, great. We could write 'em a letter."said Mickey, and Rose had the odd urge to laugh.

There was a big crash of wood splintering, and Rose caught her breathe.

"Get into the kitchen!"said the Doctor, ignoring Mickey's sarcasm.

"My God, it's going to rip us apart!"moaned her mother.

Rose circled around the conference table, tossing the fire poker she hadn't known she still carried off to the side with a loud clang. She came up to the Doctor and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Calcium, weakened by the compression field. Acetic acid. Vinegar!"

The noise on the other end made her flinch, but she gritted her teeth to prevent from distracting the Doctor from saving them.

"Just like Hannibal!"said Harriet with a grin.

"Just like Hannibal. Mickey, have you got any vinegar?"

"How should I know?"hissed Mickey.

The Doctor scoffed.

"It's your kitchen!"

"Cupboard by the sink, middle shelf."supplied Rose, frowning at Mickey.

Because really, he had bought and put it away, if she remembered correctly.

"Oh, give it here. What do you need?"screeched her mother, and The Doctor wince as he shouted;

"Anything with vinegar!"

"Gherkins. Yeah, pickled onions. Pickled eggs."muttered her mother.

"And you kissed this man?"asked the Doctor snidely.

Rolling her eyes, and pleased at the sound of breaking glass, Rose scowled at the Doctor.

"Don't start! Hannibal, the bloke who crossed the Alps by dissolving boulders with vinegar?"she said, turning to Harriet.

The older woman grinned, and nodded.

"That's the one!"

"Brilliant, cheers!"she replied, taking a swig of the port.

They passed it around, celebrating. And then they heard Mickey from the phone;

"OI! Yes, were alive, and there's this big green alien goop around my kitchen, but we have bigger problems... Listen to this."he said in a slightly pissed, and disgruntled tone.

They all turned to the phone with a frown as Joraccass's voice came from it. It was weak with slight static, and Rose knew it must have been from a television;

"Our inspectors have searched the sky above our heads. And they have found massive weapons of destruction. Capable of being deployed within forty five seconds."said the alien Slitheen, grime and certain.

The Doctor froze, eyes wide.

"What?"

"Our technicians can baffle the alien probes, but not for long. We are facing extinction, unless we strike first. The United Kingdom stands directly beneath the belly of the mother ship. I beg of the United Nations, pass an emergency resolution. Give us the access codes. A nuclear strike at the Heart of the beast is our only chance of survival. Because from this moment on it is my solemn duty to inform you planet Earth is at war."finished the Slitheen.

Even through the phone, Rose could detect the note of glee in his voice, and she scowled.

"He's making it up. There's no weapons up there, there's no threat. I scanned the second the ship crashed, nothing for light years. He just invented it."said the Doctor, brows furrowed as he crossed his arms.

Harriet frowned as well, and raised a brow at him.

"Do you think they'll believe him?"she asked.

"They did last time."pointed out Rose, crossing her arms as well.

The Doctor stared at her, and she could almost see the light bulb go off over his head.

"That's why the Slitheen went for spectacle. They want the whole world panicking, because you lot, you get scared, you lash out."he said with a pointed look.

Rose scowled.

"They release the defense codes..."she started.

"And the Slitheen go nuclear."the Doctor finished, eyes wide.

"But why?"asked Harriet.

The older woman shifted from foot to foot, eyes wide as well.

"What the hell could they gain from that?"also asked Joseph, and he was rubbing the back of his neck.

The Doctor marched over to the door, Rose on his heels. He quickly flipped the switch, and scowled at Blon the Slitheen as she smirked at him, ready for his surrender or his consent for another hunt or something like that. Obviously Blon had a lot to learn.

"You get the codes, release the missiles, but not into space because there's nothing there. You attack every other country on Earth. They retaliate, fight back. World War Three. Whole planet gets nuked."he said, and he was growling.

Rose could see it starting. His rage, his darkness in the form of the Oncoming Storm forming in his usually stoic, or happy features. She frowned, but glared at the Slitheen as she grinned.

"And we can sit through it safe in our spaceship waiting in the Thames. Not crashed, just parked. Only two minutes away."she said, giggling.

"But you'll destroy the planet, this beautiful place. What for?"said Harriet, and she sounded crushed at the mere idea.

"Profit. That's what the signal is beaming into space. An advert."said the Doctor grimly.

Margaret/Blon giggled again.

"The sale of the century. We reduce the Earth to molten slag, then sell it piece by piece. Radioactive chucks, capable of powering every cut-price star liner and budget cargo ship. There's a recession out there, Doctor. People are buying cheap. This rock becomes raw fuel."

"At the cost of five billion lives."hissed the Doctor.

The Slitheen woman only smirked.

"Bargain."she said confidently.

"I give you a choice. Leave this planet or I'll stop you."

"What, you? Trapped in your box?"she asked, and there was that confidence.

A confidence that would destroy her if she wasn't careful. Because that was her Achilles heels that would to her regression into an egg. That she could tamper with things like the Doctor. Like the TARDIS. She was intelligent to be sure, and she was resourceful. But when it came to of the most powerful beings in the Universe? When it came to the two beings that meant the universe and any other to her? Rose knew it was her downfall. Not to mention, the fact that she also had her to contend with.

Rose stepped forward, pushing past the Doctor and lifted her head high to stare at the Slitheen. She thought of her fate, she thought of how many people she had killed. Of how many people she would kill. And she thought of the TARDIS and the mad man she loved so much that would stop her. She smiled, tongue-in-teeth.

"You'd be surprise what a man can do from a box. Especially if he isn't alone. So, yes. Him."said Rose and she was firm, confident as the woman in front of her.

Blon started to laugh. Laugh loudly and mockingly. Rose simply smirked, and quickly slammed shut the metal shutters. She turned to the Doctor, eyes firm. He stared at her, bewilderment in his expressive eyes. She then gestured to the phone.

"Well man in the box, prove her wrong."she said simply.

The Doctor straightened up, drawing himself and had this intense look on his face that most would be wise to fear.

"All right, Doctor. I'm not saying I trust you, but there must be something you can do."said her mother over the phone.

Harriet rubbed her chin.

"If we could ferment the port, we could make acetic acid."she suggested.

Joseph shook his head.

"And what, kill them with just the port? It's would kill perhaps one, but that won't solve anything. We don't even know how many of them there are, not to mention whether they have the defense codes yet."he argued, rubbing the back of his neck.

Rose nodded in agreement, and turned to the phone.

"Mickey?"she asked.

He made a hiss of frustration.

"There's loads of emergency numbers. They're all on voicemail."he responded.

"Voicemail dooms us all."sighed Harriet.

Rose looked at the Doctor, his pensive stance, and she knew he was debating the missile strike.

"Doctor?"she asked softly.

He looked up and frowned.

"There's a way."he said slowly, eyes flickering to the phone and back at her.

"Doctor."

"There's always been a way out."he continued.

"Then why don't we use it?"she asked him softly, and he looked away.

His gaze locked on the phone, and she braced herself for what was about to be said. The tipping point in how much her mother came to resent the Doctor.

"Because I can't guarantee your daughter will be safe."he directed his voice to his Mother, and of course she had to make things difficult.

"Don't you dare. Whatever it is, don't you dare."she hissed urgently.

Rose felt for her mother, and she appreciated the fact that her mother loved her beyond reason. But even if she would have died here, she knew it would have been worth the five billion lives beyond their little box.

"That's the thing. If I don't dare, everyone dies."his voice was urgent, frantic almost. He slammed his hands on the table, facing the phone as if he could see her mother.

Rose smiled, placing a hand over his clenched one. She waited until he face her, and looking him directly in his blue eyes, said firmly and with as much certainty as she could;

"Do it."

The Doctor blinked in surprise, opening his mouth and closing it for one second before he asked;

"You don't even know what it is. You'd just let me?"and his tone was disbelieving, taken aback.

She smiled again. Despite the fact that she knew this time around just exactly what he was planing on doing, and despite the fact that she knew they weren't going to die... She knew, even back then, that she would follow this man into the depths of hell itself. Hell, she had faced the Devil with him, and a simple little explosion? Rose could deal with that.

But she couldn't exactly say that.

"Doctor, I'm just one person. I'm may be young, selfish, and a bit of an idiot, but I'm smart enough to know for sure I'm not worth all the people on this Earth. Whatever it is, do it."she said instead, and she tightened her hand over his.

"Please. Doctor. Please. She's my daughter. She's just a kid."pleaded her mother, and Rose hurt to hear that way.

"Do you think I don't know that? Because this is my life, Jackie. It's not fun, it's not smart, it's just standing up and making a decision because nobody else will."he hissed at her mother, distressed.

"Then what're you waiting for?"she asked, tugging at his hand.

He looked back at her, and he flipped his hand to hold her's, threading his fingertips slowly through her's.

"I could save the world but lose you."whispered the Doctor, staring directly into her eyes. His own were icy, stark and staring straight through her. She closed her eyes to process those precious, telling seven words.

Those words were something that had always lifted her heart rate into the mesosphere. This had been the first instant he would say that to her, and he would only say a handful of times in the course of their time together. Once, right now in this form, and two more in his next form. She smiled at him, reassuring him by taking his other hand in her's. They were cool and wonderful and fit like a puzzle piece and made her ache in a way that was ... Perfect. Everything she ever needed in her life was in his hands, and she tried not to let it show in her expression. Because the man across from her wasn't quite the man she had left behind a year ago. But he was still him.

She opened her eyes.

"I'm not worth the world."she whispered, and his adam's apple moved up and down as he swallowed.

His icy eyes stared at her for an immeasurable moment of forever, even if it had been just a second. He didn't say a word, but somehow, it was as if he was screaming to her that to him, she was. Perhaps it was wishful thinking on her part. Perhaps it was an echo for what she thought the future-past version in her memories had felt for her, but it lifted her heart and eased the pain she felt over everything she would go through to save herself.

"Do it."she said, and she said it with even more confidence than the last time, simply because she trusted him even more than in the memories in her head.

"Except it's not your decision, Doctor. It's mine."said Harriet softly, swallowing.

Rose looked at her, and smiled, and nodded firmly to the future prime minister.

"And who the hell are you?"snapped her mother.

"Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North. The only elected representative in this room, chosen by the people for the people. And on behalf of the people, I command you. Do it. The lives of four people are not worth that of those that stand beyond these steel walls."the future prime-minster said this firmly, head high and shoulders back.

She did not look at Rose, no, her gaze was firm and directed at the Doctor's. She was an older woman, but of course, Harriet held a sort of firmness and gravity that went beyond age. It was timeless and strong that inspired people to follow and made her almost seem younger because of it. It was a rare quality that many could look up to and be surprised. It was especially strong coming from the previously quiet woman, it was rather inspired, in Rose's mind.

Rose remembered the time that this woman would make her worst mistake, destroying a cowed, defeated alien force of the Sycorax. It was not hard to see that form of Harriet Jones in this woman in front of her. However, there was a regret that hadn't been in the eyes of the Harriet Jones in her future-past memory. She was less harried. Less calculating then she would be. Rose prayed she good stop Harriet the next time they met. Because this woman could do so much if she kept a level head.

She turned to the Doctor with a firm gaze and waited until he looked at her. She couldn't read his expression. But his eyes said more than any twitch of his stoic face could ever say. He grimaced. She smiled, and she knew it wasn't a pleasant one.

"We aren't leaving, are we? The TARDIS can't be commanded by remote control or something?"she asked him softly, and he looked at the ground.

It took him a minute, but the Doctor looked back at her, straight in the eye and nodded grimly. Rose bit her lip, sighed, and nodded grimly back at him. The Doctor reached over to the previously thrown away emergency protocols and flipped through them before he turned to the phone.

"Use the buffalo password. It overrides everything."said the Doctor to Mickey.

"What're you doing?"said her mum, and Rose sighed.

"Hacking into the Royal Navy. We're in. Here it is. HMS Taurean, Trafalgar Class submarine, ten miles off the coast of Plymouth."said Mickey, unlike before he sounded calm, less angry.

He sounded dead serious really, and Rose bet that he was suddenly realizing the gravity of what the Doctor asked him to do.

"Right, we need to select a missile."said the Doctor.

Mickey seemed to hesitate;

"We can't go nuclear. We don't have the defense codes."

"We don't need it. All we need's an ordinary missile. What's the first category?"dismissed the Doctor, and Rose sat back down next to him as he talked with Mickey. She drowned them out, centering herself into her thoughts.

Harriet and Joseph had done the same, looking down at their hands with a grime certainty. Rose didn't know what to say to them. She could tell them that it would be alright, because it would, but she doubt they would believe her. It looked as if they were going to die. The first time around, Rose hadn't accepted it. In a way, today was the day she learned that there was always a way out, even in a bleak situation. You just had to think creatively... And beyond what the Doctor could think himself. Bless the man, but, he was always a bit thick, and sometimes he needed someone there to point out the obvious or the slim chances... Rose was happy to be that one as long as he let her.

She was startled by her thoughts by the Doctor's hand coming to rest on her's, mirroring her earlier action. She jumped, eyeing him as he reached for her hand. She grasped his and nodded as he looked at the phone.

"Mickey the idiot, the world is in your hands … Fire."he said, and his tone was firm, but there was unmistakable sorrow to it.

"Oh, my God."he mother let out in a choked whisper, and Rose flinched.

"I love you, Mum, Micks. See you soon."she said, and she promptly hung the phone up even as she heard her mother's sob. She wrenched out her phone from the Conference one, and stuffed it into her pocket.

She trusted Mickey to know to make sure that missile hit without prompting, and she didn't need her mother to cry like that, simply because she knew that she would be hard pressed to not reassure her the fact that they would live. No one spoke for a beat. Joseph shakily sat down, face in his hands. Automatically, Rose walked over to him to put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"How solid are these?"asked Harriet, hand gesturing vaguely the walls.

The Doctor shook his head grimly.

"Not solid enough. Built for short range attack, nothing this big."he said.

He was staring at her, this large intense look with those icy eyes of his. Like so many times in the course of her knowing the mad alien with the two hearts, Rose could tell that he was trying to tell her something in just his expression, or his gestures. It was hard for him to speak. Or at least, speak of things like this, and as much as it had frustrated her, Rose understood. And Rose accepted it. He reached out to hold her hand again as she had let go to reassure Joseph. It was meant as a comfort and a apology for getting her killed no doubt. She gave him a smile, and she knew it was a determine one.

"Right, now I'm making the decision. Like I said, I'm young, and a little stupid, but I'm not going to die. We're going to ride this one out. It's like what they say about earthquakes. You can survive them by standing under a door frame. Now, this cupboard's small so it's strong. Come and help me. Come on!"she said, and she dashed towards it, already reaching in to start digging out everything.

Joseph, Harriet, and the Doctor readily came to help her. They worked quickly and efficiently, and once they were all done, they rushed in. Despite the fact that Rose knew that they were going to live, she also felt her heart in her throat. She felt her hands get clammy and she felt her rapid breathing as the Doctor settled next to her. They all reached over and clutched to each other, huddling together for what was to come. Discreetly as she could, Rose made sure to push herself tightly into the Doctor's side. Cuddling opportunity aside, Rose had been tossed about the cupboard a little roughly. She rather have a nice Time-lord cushion this time around.

"Here we go. Nice knowing you all. Hannibal!"said Harriet, to break the dreading silence no doubt.

Rose grinned.

"Hannibal!"she agreed, shaking their gripped hands.

"Hannibal!"echoed the Doctor, grinning down at her.

He squeezed, and then he let go of her hand to loop his arm around her waist. She returned the gesture, squeezing his waist. Joseph remained silent, until they all looked at him. He raised a collected brow, looking mildly disgruntled.

"Oh, what the hell, Hannibal!"he said, and he looped his arm around Harriet and Rose, pushing his head into Harriet's arm.

Of course, that was when it hit. Now, Rose had had her fair share of ridding out explosions. After all, one didn't become the Doctor's companion, or the Defender of the Earth without having to deal with blowing up once in a while. But, as prepared as she was for it, it still bloody hurt being tossed about like some rag doll. Happily, this time she landed on top of the Doctor. And while he was stockier in this version, hence greater space for her to land on, he was still a bit of a rough cushion. He was solid where she was soft; wiry but present muscle that made her want to do nothing but sink into him, and lay on top him forever.

For a second, all they did was stare into each other's eyes. Blue met hazel, and her heart thudded in her chest, just as she felt his two underneath her palms. In that second, she had the strongest urge to kiss him senseless. Right then and there, she nearly forgot that this wasn't the man she had left behind in her home universe, right then she nearly lost her control and kissed him because she had wanted to do that since he had blown up her job. She she did remember that he didn't have all of there history in his impossible mind yet. That would come, and with that thought she promptly rolled off of him, hugging herself with the ache of want.

She didn't know if it was the ache of wanting to simply rewrite her near fall into the Void or to kiss him. Like many things happening to her, she supposed it was a bit of both. She reached over and helped him up, and turned over to Ganesh to do the same. He helped up Harriet. They all grinned at each other then, and the Doctor promptly shoved away the door. It fell apart on his touch, but left a gap they could crawl through.

"Made in Britain."said Harriet with a wide grin, banging it.

"Oh, my God. Are you all right?"said a man, a general by the looks of it.

Harriet, in true fashion of her future position, stood straighter as she climbed out of the cupboard.

"Harriet Jones. MP, Flydale North. I want you to contact UN immediately. Tell the ambassadors the crisis is over. They can step down. Go on, tell the news."she said, flashing the ID, and in a stern tone that showed her authority.

"Yes, ma'am."said the General, saluting, before he scrambled off to do just that.

They stared after him, feeling a sort of giddiness as Harriet straightened her suit.

"Someone's got a hell of a job sorting this lot out. Oh, Lord. We haven't even got a Prime Minister."she mused, dusting herself off.

The Doctor grinned.

"Maybe you should have a go."he said confidentially, raising a brow.

Harriet gaped at him, before she laughed out;

"Me? Huh. I'm only a back-bencher."she said in a disbelieving, yet amused tone.

"I'd vote for you."said Rose, though thanks to the man next to her she knew she wouldn't have that opportunity.

"That's double for me Harriet!" agreed Ganesh.

Harriet shook her head, and laughed again.

"Now, don't be silly. Look, I'd better go and see if I can help. Hang on!"she said, before she ran off, towards the gathering commotion of newscasters, "We're safe! The Earth is safe!"

Ganesh looked at her, before turning for a beat to Rose, grinning up to her. Stealing his nerves no doubt, he walked over with slow a determination, he went to kiss her on the lips. Being quick, and seeing his intent a mile away, Rose turned her head and returned the kiss he landed on her cheek. He looked at her with a slight rueful smile, a blush on his dark cheeks.

"Thank you Rose Tyler, take care of yourself."he said, an intense gleam in his eyes that showed strength.

She grinned. She took out a pen, and scribbled down her mobile on his palm.

"If you and Harriet feel overwhelmed, text to me, okay?"she asked, and he grinned again.

He nodded, then he rushed after Harriet, helping her through the rubble and calmly following her around.

"Sergeant!"

"I thought I knew those names. Harriet Jones, future Prime Minister. Elected for three successive terms. The architect of Britain's Golden Age. Joseph Ganesh, her successor and elected two terms himself until his death. They lead the Brits into something brilliant."he said simply, and he reached over to grasp her hand.

She reached over, and squeezed his hand tightly.

"The crisis has passed! Ladies and gentlemen, I have something to say to you all here today!

Mankind stands tall, proud and undefeated. God bless the human race."

"Everyone remain calm, listen to her! Oi you with the gun, stand down!"called Ganesh.

"Now that was something I didn't expect."she mused, watching them, heart lighter with the knowledge that she had saved a good man.

That made everything a little easier, and made her mad second chance at life a little easier.

~BW~DW~BW~DW~BW~

"Harriet Jones and Joseph Ganesh. Who do they think they are? Look at them, taking all the credit. Should be you on there. My daughter saved the world!"said her mother, slightly bitterly.

She turned off the telly with Harriet and Joseph grinning in disgust, turning over to her with hands on hips. Rose sighed, but smiled at her.

"I think the Doctor helped a bit."

Her mother snorts at that.

"All right, then. Him too. You should be given knighthoods."she protested, flinging herself onto the couch.

They did get that at one time, several times over really, just only once on Earth. And considering that lead to the creation of Torchwood and technical banishment from her country of birth? Well, Rose did not like the fuss of knighthoods at all. At least the ones taking place on her home planet.

"That's not the way he does things. No fuss. He just moves on. He's not that bad if you gave him a chance."she replied, flopping back on the couch herself.

"He's good in a crisis, I'll give him that."mused her mother, twirling her hair.

"Oh, now the world has changed. You're saying nice things about him."she teased.

Her mother rolls her eyes.

"Well, I reckon I've got no choice. There's no getting rid of him since you're infatuated."she said with a bite to her voice.

Rose didn't deny it this time around, and sighed at the incorrect assumption. She rubbed the back of her neck, imitating the New New Doctor in her frustration without meaning to. After all, she was not infatuated. That implied impermanence and fleeting emotions. It implied her to be a child, and she was not one. She was very much in love with the Doctor, the Thief of the wonderful TARDIS, and that was a enormous difference. Because she was truly, utterly, head over heels for a man that happened to be a two heart having alien that traveled across time and space.

"What does he eat?"asked her mum, standing up suddenly.

"Mum..."

"I was going to do shepherds pie. All of us. A proper sit down, 'cos I'm ready to listen. I wanna learn about you and him and that life you lead. Only, I don't know, he's an alien. For all I know, he eats grass and safety pins and things."mused her mother, and Rose sighed.

"He doesn't do that."she said softly.

Her Mother turned to squint at her, and placed her hands on her hips.

" The hell he doesn't. You're not too old for a slap, you know. You can go and visit your Gran tomorrow. You'd better learn some French. I told her you were in France. I said you were au-pairing."

Starman sounded off, and excusing herself to her room, Rose answered the phone that she knew was the TARDIS.

"Hello?"

"Right, I'll be a couple of hours, then we can go."said the Doctor, and that voice of his still made her stomach flip in the best way, even after all this time.

"You've got a phone? I don't know why... But that's surprising."she responded.

He scoffed slightly at that.

"You think I can travel through space and time and I haven't got a phone? Like I said, couple of hours. I've just got to send out this dispersal. There you go. That's canceling out the Slitheen's advert in case any bargain hunters turn up."

She ignored his indignation.

"How's Porcco?"

"He's fine. He walking and everything, and I'm even starting to test his cognitive abilities. He knows shapes at least."mused the Doctor.

She smiled at his enthusiasm, like a school boy in a field trip.

"Don't you dare turn him into a science experiment."she warned sternly.

"I'm only seeing how intelligent he is, don't go all PETA on me."defended the Doctor, and she heard a soft sound of Porcco snorting in what sounded to be slight distress.

She scowled.

"I'm just telling you to allow him to adjust. He's just a baby. You better come get me fast Time-Lord, my Mother is cooking."

"Good. Put her on a slow heat and let her simmer."

"I meant she cooking food for us you prat."she said, and she hated how her voice grew angry on reflex.

"I don't do that."he said quickly, and he sounded strained, but final in his tone.

That hadn't changed.

She sighed. She knew at this point, of course, that he wouldn't. After all, they had only known each other for four days or so. But his rejection of accepting her family hurt all the same. Only this time around she knew not to push the subject. Even though she really wanted to.

"I had a feeling you didn't. Universe to save and all."

"It's not all that. There's stuff in between. All of space and time, and I've done a bad job of showing you the reason to keep seeing all of it. Right now, there's this plasma storm brewing in the Horsehead Nebula."

She smiled at his fervent tone, but didn't say a word, allowing his strong Northern bur to wash over her. It was familiar and like coming home after a very long day in wake of her stint in Pete's World, even if it wasn't the Londoner accent that she had heard so much before she had fallen towards the Void. But it was still him, and that made her feel like she had been drowning only to find air again. It was firm and a comfort, familiar... Home. She closed her eyes, and tried not to sob as he spoke to her. It was a close thing.

"Fires are burning ten million miles wide. I could fly the Tardis right into the heart of it then ride the shock wave all the way out. Hurtle right across the sky and end up: Anywhere. Your choice."he whispered, and it sent shivers of pleasures down her spine, even as tears came to her eyes.

"Come back to me, Time-Lord. Show me all that fire and take me anywhere."she said simply, and hung up the phone before she said more than she should.

Before she demanded he finished that stupid, crushing half-said sentence that she hoped to never, ever hear again, even if he hadn't said it yet.

~BW~DW~BW~DW~BW~

"I'll get a proper job. I'll work weekends. I'll pass my test, and if Jim comes round again, I'll say no. I really will."said her mother softly, trailing after her.

Rose glanced at both Mickey and The Doctor, arms crossed and staring at each other with narrowed eyes. The name 'BAD WOLF' being scrubbed off the TARDIS by a boy with a upset expression. It was a reminder, an omen, or a message, all together, a name she had given herself to send across time and space. Following her footsteps, haunting after her and the Doctor. She frowned, and and watched as the name was scrubbed away, letter by letter. She shivered.

"I'm not leaving because of you. I'm traveling, that's all. Think of it as a road trip with a mate. I'll pop by once in a while."she told her mother, and she grabbed her arm.

"But it's not safe."she insisted.

When the 'f' was off the TARDIS, Rose turned to her. She gently pried away her trembling fingers from her arm. Concerned, oh so familiar blue eyes looked at her. Rose felt something soften at her expression, and she gripped her mother's hand in her's with a sad smile on her face.

"Mum, I know that. But I could be hit by a trolley on the way to work, I could be killed in a mugging here in the Estate. Life in general isn't safe. And I know this isn't what you wanted for me. But it's what I want for me. At least this way I make a difference."

At that, her mother glared, lips pursed.

"You're just a kid. How the hell can you think you can a make a decision like this?"she demanded, and had she been her past self, that would have been far more hurt.

As it was, she felt a sharp stab of annoyance. She was not a child. She hadn't been one then, and she resented the term far more this time around. Because she had lived to much to be called such. But of course, only three beings in the universe to her knew; Jack as the Face of Boe, herself, and the wonderful, mad TARDIS. However, the resentment of such a treatment from everyone was still present no matter how much she wanted to move past it. She was only a silly ape, after all, and she couldn't take away her stupider reactions no matter how much she knew they were pointless.

"I'm nineteen years old. You'd be surprise how much've I changed since I was fifteen. And you shouldn't call me a child." she said sternly to her mother.

Her Mum looked at for half a beat, eyes wide, as if she didn't recognized her. Rose felt a pang, but she wasn't going to back down. She hadn't the first time around, and she wouldn't now.

"I'll keep in touch."she said softly, lifting her super phone with a smile.

"Don't go."

Rose stared at her mother. There was a desperation there, a pleading. She hadn't noticed that the first time around. Or if she had, she had ignored it. She didn't quite remember that. She felt like a horrible person, but she couldn't rewrite that from history. This is what she was, and she was going to live to the rift that it caused between her and her loved ones on Earth, even if she could handle it more maturely this time around.

She hugged her then; hugging her mother wasn't something she had done in a long time. Physically, it had hurt to touch anyone for long periods of time in Pete's World. And she had missed this, the warmth, the smell of hair-spray and costly perfume, the one thing that her mother allowed herself to buy expensively because it had been the same brand her father had bought her for the last Valentine's day they had spent together. She kissed her cheek swiftly just as she pulled away whispered;

"I love you."

She stepped back, and smiled, before she turned to face the man she loved beyond reason. Confidently, she lifted the small pack on her shoulders, and walked to him. He eyed it with some wariness, and she grinned at him.

"Got enough stuff?"he said snidely, and she simply shrugged.

"Last time I stepped in there, it was spur of the moment. Now I'm signing up. You're stuck with me."she said with the same confidence as before, only this time she had much more to back it up.

Funnily enough, this time around she also only had packed a few spare things that she knew that she couldn't bare be without(photo-albums and a few pieces of jewelry), or at least she had missed in Pete's world. She hadn't really bothered with clothes expect for a few select things that had a emotional attachment because she knew that the TARDIS would more than readily give them to her, and any of the knickknacks in her old room had long lost any true meaning to her. But, it was still a show of infinite intention to stay and trust him, so she had packed a bag for the Doctor's sake.

She tossed him at him now, before she walked over to Mickey, who was holding the anti-Doctor virus and a newspaper in hand, leaning against a wall. 'BAD WOLF' was once again written behind him, with a rough depiction of a wolf and mouse running opposite ways, between them was a slightly fractured pair of hearts. She sighed as he stared her down. Way for her future self to be a bit of an obvious bitch she thought.

"You're not ready to come with us."she told him truthfully, and he blinked, before he started to protest.

"Ros-"

"No, shut your mouth, fingers on lips. You're gold Mickey Smith. Just gold. But you got a bit of growing up to do, and I can't be the one to wait for you. Find someone Micks. Find someone that's just as much as a star as you."

"I don't want a bloody star, I want you."he said fervently.

But it was a weak protest, and like many things that came with their romantic relationship, flat and more something that seemed to serve to convince them both that they could make whatever was between them spark. She sighed, and looked at him. That man that had held her as she cried after she had crashed Jimmy Stone's stupid hot rod, and landed in the hospital because of it. He had kissed when she had asked. He had slept with her because she had asked, and they had fell together easily as breathing, something easy and comforting like an old teddy you couldn't quite let go, even as an adult. All she had done was take from the man. Request and request, and he had done the same. There had been no equivalence. Nothing but a stifled sort of romance that most would come to resent later in life. Had she ever married him and had those two point five kids, Rose knew they would have grown to hate each other. But it had helped her breathe again after thinking that she was worthless and that Jimmy had been right in all the petty, harming words he had spewed at her. He had just lost his Gran, and they had seemed to fit just so to ease both their pain. And at the time that was all that had mattered.

And he would have been the man to hold her after she had been stuck in Pete's World. Her brother at arms, and the man to stand next to her as she felt her body fail her. On some level, she thought that that version of him had known that something was wrong with her. He had always been so ready to help her up when she stumbled, and had offered her a tissue more often than not when she had a practically bad nose bleed that she couldn't hide. But he had allowed her to continue her work as the Defender of the Earth despite it. He must have known what it had meant for her.

"I'd be long dead without you."she said softly, and part of her words blurred the gap of time and it was almost as if she spoke to the version of the man in her mind, along with the man in front of her.

He blinked, and opened his mouth, before he closed it again. Like before, Mickey always had the uncanny ability to read her. He knew her enough to know there was something in her tone that spoke of a seriousness beyond anything they had ever touched in previous talks. Part of it must have been because Rose suspected that he had always loved her both better and more than she had ever loved him.

"You've got to know that, how much of a brave man you are Micks, if you only can see that, then-"

"What, you'll come back to me then?"he asked, and she looked away.

She heard the break in his voice. She felt her heart tare slightly because of it. She looked back at him, straight in his dark eyes, and smiled. It wasn't exactly a smile to inspire hope.

"I love you so much. And I know you love me. But we can't lean on each other any more. It isn't healthy for either of us. Micks, we're both capable of so much but we can't hold each other up to reach that."

She growled internally as the Doctor as he called:

"Rose wrap it up!"

She frowned, but didn't look as she called over her shoulder:

"Doctor, Time-Machine! We got nothing but time!"

She had tears in her eyes without meaning to cry, and wondered if that was her nineteen year old self reacting to the lost of the man she had been content with. Or was it her twenty two year old self, because she had never said good bye in Pete's World? Was it her now, or another version of her?

"Have a great life Micks. 'Cause I know I will. Go be brilliant."

She kissed him then, on the lips. Maybe it was a little cruel. Maybe it was disloyal for what she felt for the Doctor... But part of Rose Tyler, twenty-two year old memories or not, would always be in love with Mickey Smith. Because he had held her up in a time she had needed someone in her life. And it was a good-bye both of them needed, something they had never had, even in Pete's World. They had just skirted around it, and left a lot of things unspoken about what had happen after they had met the Doctor. And Mickey deserved that. A proper goodbye, even if she didn't exactly know how to give him one.

She pulled back after a fraction of second, smiling. Tears were freely running down her cheeks, and she didn't bother to wipe them away because he lifted his hands to do it for her. They were rough from his years as a mechanic, handy man, and they felt warm on her face, too warm. They smelled of vinegar and they lingered more than they should have. But she allowed it before she pulled away, his goodbye to her, she supposed. His hands dropped at his sides, opening and closing into fists until they were left opened, palms out. He picked up the newspaper and disk where he had dropped them, and then he smiled back, it was bitter, but she saw the finality in his eyes.

"You had to fall for an alien."

She didn't deny nor confirm. She only smiled again, a loose one that reflected everything she couldn't say bye and took another step back.

"Good-bye for now, Micks."

"Bye, and good luck, Rose."he said back.

She smiled again, turn around, and found the Doctor staring at them. She pushed passed the lingering tears and the heart-aching. She walked calmly, and held out her hand. For a beat, all he did was stare at her, arms cross. For one frightening second, Rose wondered if she had crossed a line without meaning... And then his hand came to reach her's, slowly, hesitantly, as if he didn't know what to do, despite the amount of times he had taken her hand. She grinned, and grasped his tightly before he could pull back.

"You still can't promise me. What if she gets lost? What if something happens to you, Doctor, and she's left all alone standing on some moon a million light years away. How long do I wait then?" said her mother, hissing as she walked up.

Rose didn't look away from the Doctor, but spoke to her mother calmly;

"Mum, you're forgetting. It's a time machine. I could go traveling around suns and planets and all the way out to the edge of the universe, and by the time I get back, yeah, ten seconds would have passed. Just ten seconds. So stop worrying. See you in ten seconds' time, yeah?"

Then she and the Doctor walked into the TARDIS. She didn't look back. She didn't have too, because all she had to look forward to was the familiar beat of the TARDIS, and the fact that she knew she was coming back to her. And back to the family she had treated so badly before. She hoped, really hoped, that she was making things easier between them.

"Think you can handle that, ten seconds?"she asked softly as the TARDIS took off into the time-vortex.

The Doctor, though he looked mildly chagrined, smiled at her.

"Well, considering my past record- … Well in my defense the TARDIS is originally meant for six pilots. It's a testament that I can even get her off the ground. I think I can managed ten measly seconds."he said, frowning at her.

She grinned.

"I bet you ten quid that were late."she said, cheating slightly, because honestly they had landed ten minutes after her promise the first time around.

In his defense, it had been after a particularly rough time in Pladius VII with a time loop that involved them trying to convince the local people that they were stuck in said time loop, and considering how ritualistic and important it was for the people of Pladius VII to mimic the same day over and over again in respect to some historic event roughly seven hundred years ago... But, well, he didn't know that. His eyes glittered at the challenge, and her heart swelled at the sight of him.

"Make it twenty."he said confidently.

"Well, take it away Time-Lord."she said, and she gestured at the controls.

Like she remembered from her future-past memories, he went at it, and they were launched into a enormous fire-storm that launched them destination; anywhere.


AN: I do not in any shape, form own Doctor Who or its characters. They all belong to their publishing and broadcasting companies, and the actors who give them life. This is me just exploring a concept.

On that note, tada, chapter C:, one which I hope you all like. IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO GET THROUGH this. Sorry, it just frustrating, yet satisfying to get through the entire script of the episode, narrowing it down to what actually involves the characters, and then getting around to adding different dialogue, thoughts, and ect. A lot of work goes through this, and though its worth it, it does take time. I love all the feed back, reads and follows this has gotten and thank you so much for liking this story.

Any questions, problems, ect, feel free to ask, review(please, the Doctor will love you forever) or PM, and I hope you enjoy.