Instead of going for him, Rose turned and ran out into the corridor, avoiding the wires. Sammi was going to go after her.
"Leave her," the Doctor suggested. "She'll calm down."

"Are you sure?" Sammi was worried. "Sorry, I forgot you probably know her better than I do."

"Not recently," he admitted, pulling a sad face. "I just wanted her to be happy, I never thought there would be a problem like this."

"How could you have known?" Sammi asked him. "Anyway, what were you looking at?"

"I can't explain it, it shouldn't be happening to him," the Doctor was still puzzled. "It is something to do with the air, though I don't know what caused it. I'm here, I was here before and I'm fine. Mind you, he's only half Timelord. It's like he's not meant to be here."

"I was beginning to think that," Sammi agreed, wondering if Rose was listening outside.

Pete had finished the call to Jackie and had gone to see how Rose was getting on. He wandered into the Tardis, the dim lights around the side.

"Rose," he called down the corridor, not wanting to go any further.

He knew about the ship but it wasn't looking its best at present. Mickey had given a very accurate description after Rose and the Doctor had left but he'd had no reason to think he'd ever step foot inside it. Rose heard him and made her way towards the console room, there wasn't much she could do now anyway except hold John's hand.

"How is he?" Pete asked her when she joined him. "Come and take a break," he suggested.

"I don't think the Doctor can save him," Rose had tears in her eyes.

"Don't say that love, he'll find a way," Pete tried to assure her.

"I heard them talking, him and Sammi," Rose admitted.

Pete went to put his arms around her.

"Do you want me to get your mother to come here?" he offered. "Maybe she should be here, for both of you? Tony will be fine for a while."

He had just got his phone out to call Jackie again when Sammi joined them.

"He wants to see you Rose," Sammi told her. "I'm going back to the lab to get something."

"Why don't ya just tell me?" Rose wanted to know.

"Rose, he's doing everything he can," Sammi reminded her. "You should be with John."

"Because there's nothing can be done for him," Rose stated.

"Don't say that," Sammi replied, looking at Pete.

"Rose, you know better than to give up, especially on the Doctor," Pete reminded her.

"Sorry. I don't know how much longer I can do this Dad," Rose went to him.

"We know love. Your mum's on her way here, you could go down and wait for her," Pete suggested.

"No, I should go apologise to the Doctor, for runnin' out on him when I insisted he came here," Rose told him.

"I'm sure he understands," Sammi tried to assure her. "I'll be right back, I can wait for your mother, Rose."

"Thanks Sammi," Rose thanked her friend.

Sammi was about to go off when the Doctor appeared in the Tardis doorway.

"Rose, you'd best come with me," he told her with a sad look. "You as well Pete. Is Jackie on her way?"

Rose covered her mouth and gasped.

"No!" she cried out, the Doctor going to her and putting his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm so sorry Rose but without taking him with me in the next few hours and getting back to the other world, there's nothing I can do," he admitted. "He may not even have that long, the cables all have to be removed, plus all the lighting and the generators," he continued, holding Rose close.

"Doctor, don't worry about that," Pete told him. "We can pull the cables as fast as you need. I'll have someone check on your power cell."

"Thanks Pete but I know for the power I need, it'll be a few hours yet. I can prepare in that time, yes but the longer he stays here, well need I say more?" the Doctor asked.

"This isn't happening," Rose was saying into his shoulder, him not letting her go.

Rose tried to look up at him and he put his finger on her chin.

"I can wake him, if you want?" he asked her.

"That's not fair," Rose objected. "Just so ya can tell him he's got no chance?"

"Rose, he already knew how bad it was," Pete told her, hoping Jackie was on her way.

Jackie may have been a bit off with both Doctors but she would be upset if she didn't get to say goodbye to John.

"You should say goodbye to him properly Rose, he knows the risks," the Doctor reminded her. "You should all be with him, you've been his family. I managed to skip over the surface of his thoughts for a few moments, he was grateful you all accepted him."

"He deserved no less," Pete insisted. "He became family as soon as he was left here. Doctor, I know you thought it was the best thing to do, you can't have known what would happen."

"Yeah Doctor, at least John and I had this time together, I wouldn't have had it any other way," Rose insisted. "We used to joke about us gettin' all domestic," she managed to smile.

Pete gave her a funny look but let it go.

"You two go ahead, I'll go wait for your mother, Rose," he told them as the Doctor let her go.

"Come on Rose, he'll be happy to see you when I wake him," the Doctor encouraged her.

"What about his breathing?" Rose wondered.

"I can put him a protective bubble for a few hours," the Doctor assured her. "I'm sorry Rose but even if I could keep it going for longer, I couldn't extend it much further."

"Is it a bit like puttin' a shield around the Tardis so we can breath outside while floating around?" Rose asked.

"What did you two used to get up to in there?" Pete had to know.

He let them go and went off to wait for Jackie, who was trying to hurry the driver without getting any speeding tickets. In this case though, she would pay them herself if it got her to Rose and John any faster. Poor Rose had finally got who she wanted back and the worse possible had happened. John couldn't survive in this world.

Her heart was breaking for the both of them. She had an idea suddenly and called Pete, cross with herself she'd not thought of it sooner.

"Well Pete?" she was waiting for an answer. "Can ya get someone there to marry them? I mean if John can't answer, is it legal? Actually does it even matter if it's legal?"

"Actually, the Doctor says he can wake John up, just for a few hours," Pete replied.

"Then what?" Jackie wanted to know. "That's not fair on either of them Pete."

"I know that Jaks. If he doesn't want it, I'm sure he'll be put back to sleep again," Pete assured her.

"I should hope so ," Jackie was relieved. "Well stop wastin' time and call someone, anyone who's allowed to marry a couple. I'll be there soon but don't wait."

Pete called reception and gave them a strange task. Putting a call out for anyone to come forward if they were licensed to officiate at weddings or call the nearest registry office and tell them Pete Tyler demanded they attended his stepdaughter's wedding immediately.

He rather thought the last one might actually work, they would be falling over themselves.

"Sir," Pete got a call back five minutes later. "Someone from the local town hall can be here in ten minutes. I've had people going through the yellow pages," the head receptionist Amanda told him. "Will that be all Mister Tyler?"

"Yes, well done Amanda," Pete told her. "I'll have Jake wait for them, I'm on my way down to greet my wife so if she arrives before I get there, attend to her yourself will you?"

"Of course, Director," Amanda promised, since he'd been the one to promote her, just as she saw Jackie being helped out of the back of a car. "She's just arrived."

The woman got up, startling the others, who were wondering what was going on.

"Mrs Tyler, a pleasure to see you again so soon," she told Jackie, who was expecting Pete. "Your husband will be here shortly, please take a seat by the elevators," she indicated to the plush red velvet chairs.

Pete was on his way down and hoped he'd be able to greet this registrar at the same time, if Jackie was willing to wait. He supposed it had made sense to call the nearest town hall first though he'd not thought to tell Rose yet. Rose had let the Doctor lead her back inside the Tardis to where John was. He was now looking paler in the dim light, Rose thought.

"Give me a few minutes," the Doctor then told her while he got everything ready. "Don't worry, you can still go near him, I mean he still needs a hand to hold," he smiled.

"And you don't?" Rose tried to smile back at him. "Sorry. Have you had anyone else with you?"

"No, you know me Rose. I met a few people but I never had anyone travel with me. It's best that way," he told her sadly.

He wasn't going to tell her anything that had been going on since she came back here with his twin, otherwise she would pack up and go back with him to stop him doing anything else stupid. How could he tell her that John couldn't go with them? Yes, he could wake him up for a couple of hours but he would get weaker and weaker as he struggled.

Too much damage had already been done, they had done their best for him but none of them could have imagined it was their own air doing him harm, slowly. That in turn had caused other problems but he didn't expect they'd bothered Rose with them.

He'd learned from Sammi that John had even tried to identify what was wrong with him at first, until he'd got too ill. He also wondered what had stopped them from getting married, even when they knew it may be for less time than they'd thought. He was going to be the only one not surprised Jackie had finally thought of it as she arrived, with a man in a suit behind them, followed by Jake.

"What's going on?" Rose wanted to know as they all filed inside the infirmary. "Who's this?" she looked at the stranger then Jake.

"It's okay Rose," Pete assured her. "Your mother had an idea on the way over. Tell her Jackie."

"Rose, sweetheart. I know you and John would've got around to gettin' married, if he'd not got ill. So why don't ya make him happy for a few hours?"

"Stop talkin' like that Mum. Doctor, can't ya think of somethin'?" she called to him.

"Rose, I've tried everything, I already told you. All I can do is wake him for a while and you can get married, if he agrees but I can't see him objecting," the Doctor told her. "I can't see him turning you down."

"Hey, I'm not dressed for a flippin' wedding," Rose objected, looking down at herself.

"Rose, you forget where you are," the Doctor laughed. "Go with Jake to the Tardis wardrobe and choose something but hurry up."

Jake had brought a large torch with him, just in case.

"Well, come on then," Jake encouraged her. "What about you Jackie?" he dared ask.

"It's not about me, is it?" Jackie replied. "Well go on Rose, ya've not got all day."

"I have to tell you this is the first wedding I've come across of this kind," the registrar was telling Pete. "What exactly is this place?"

"You're in Torchwood, it's top secret," Pete replied. "The man laid there is ill, they want to get married, just in case."

"I see then? Will he be able to sign the marriage certificate?" the man was worried.

"They just want to hear the words," Jackie insisted as she glared at the Doctor. "So, how did Rose get ya here then, she turned and asked him.

"Not now eh Jackie?" the Doctor tried to avoid answering her. "She just did and I'm sorry, it was already too late when I got here," he admitted as Pete was occupying the registrar.

"Does she know that?" Jackie asked him as she looked at John.

"What do you think?" he replied. "How could I have done? She knows now though, at least if she marries him, well she won't feel like she let him down."

"They would've been happy," Jackie told him. "What about, ya know, when he passes away?"

"We'll take him up to Bad Wolf Bay, give him a Timelord funeral and I can leave from there," the Doctor replied. "If only that power cell would've recharged sooner, I could take him back, maybe save him."

"Then why can't ya keep him like that until it's ready?" Jackie asked. "Oh, Rose would want to go with ya both? Well it's better than the alternative."

"Jackie, I can't, I'm sorry. There's really too much damage, he's really weak and waking him up won't help. Breathing on his own will be difficult for him now."

Rose was leading Jake to the Tardis wardrobe, hoping the ship hadn't moved it since the last time she'd gone to find it.

"Bet ya never even thought about tying the knot?" Jake joked with her when they arrived.

"We had other things to worry about Jake," Rose reminded him. "I just hope it doesn't get complicated, I mean he'll hardly be able to sign his name. Why couldn't mum have just left it?"

"Think about it," Jake urged her as she found the wedding dresses. "Come on, hurry up and choose one. You should know why it makes sense, he'll know you really do care."

"He already knows I'd have married him," Rose replied.

"Then prove it," Jake challenged her.

"I now what ya tryin' to do Jake," Rose replied. "Okay, if ya want me to prove it, then I will."

She went off, Jake not liking having to challenge her. He knew they wouldn't have hesitated to get married had John not got ill right away. What had the air in this world have to do with it, he wondered or was it just the Doctor not wanting to argue with Sammi and Owen? He bet anything that had to be the reason but he could hardly ask.

He also bet it was to do with John merging with whom he'd been told was a sassy temp from Chiswick. Had she in some way had something wrong with her she'd never known about and more importantly, what had happened to her when she'd merged to create John? He hoped the Doctor had taken care of her.

Rose was finally ready, Jake letting out a whistle.

"Geez, I hope I didn't take too long," Rose realised.

"Someone would have come for ya," Jake assured her. "Just don't trip over the wires on the way back, I'll go get Pete out to escort you."

"There's no need for that Jake," Rose insisted.

"What's takin' her so long?" Jackie was getting worried.

"She knows the way Jackie," the Doctor reminded her. "I should begin to wake him up, explain to him. You can all wait outside if you'd rather not hear."

"Well I don't wanna hear it," Jackie told him straight. "How can ya possibly explain it to him? Go on then, tell me."

"Not now Jackie," Pete had heard what was going on. "The Doctor should do this on his own. We'll give you a few minutes," he told the Doctor.

"Thanks Pete. Jackie, I'm sorry, there's no alternative. I swear if I could find one, I would," he told her.

"We know Doctor," Pete assured him, taking Jackie's arm, making her let go of John's hand she'd taken when Rose had gone off.

"Sorry," Jackie turned back to John. "None us wanted ya back this way."

"It's okay Jackie, you can tell him yourself, I'll give him as long as possible but not so he suffers," the Doctor assured her.

When they'd left, the Doctor put a clamp on John's head, similar to when he himself had used the device to make himself Human.

"Why couldn't I have been there when you were created?" he asked his twin. "I should never have left you here, had I known the full circumstances. Rose did the right thing, bringing you to Torchwood. I hope this isn't too much for you to take, brother."

Rose had reached the infirmary, wondering why everyone was outside.

"Oh, that dress is lovely," Jackie fussed over her. "I always wanted ya to wear mine ya know?"

"Well, sorry Mum. What's happening in there?" Rose asked.

"He's waking John up," Pete told her. "It's not for us to hear what they have to say to each other."

John was opening his eyes slowly.

"Did Rose get me back?" John asked at first.

"No brother, Torchwood guided me here but as expected, the Tardis lost all power. Pete had things already organised though. Rose is out there, in her wedding dress. That's if you want to marry her?"

"How long for?" John got the message loud and clear. "Not long I guess? Does she want to make me feel better about it?"

"You could say that but it was Jackie's idea," the Doctor laughed, pointing his sonic screwdriver at the device on John's forehead.

"Well, how about that then?" John replied, breathing heavily now the breathing tube was only in his nose. "So, is it the air then?"

The Doctor shook his head and stood closer.

"That was for their benefit," he nodded to the open doorway. "Donna's okay by the way but I had to take her memories of us away or her mind would've burned."

"Thank you. Well, if Rose wants to marry me, who am I to refuse?" John tried to smile. "Please, don't tell her the truth, let her think what she's been told."

"Yeah, it's the least I can do for her. Things just got complicated, your DNA merging with a Human's. It's not meant to happen. I promise to take you back for a traditional Timelord funeral, just Rose, Jackie and Pete," the Doctor told him. "I know Rose will be angry at me again, for leaving her but I have a plan, brother," he promised.

"You mean you're not going to take her with you?" John asked, realising why he was feeling very slightly better. "The Tardis is helping me, isn't she?"

"Yes but she can only do it for so long, so I'll go get everyone and I'm really sorry, no, I can't take her with me, she belongs here now but I looked something up, in the near future and someone who looks very much like us will get Rose's attention. The only problem is, she might not go for it," the Doctor explained.

"Not if you tell her," John tried to joke.

"Well, there's this detective, he'll hit the news for all the wrong reasons but he'll get ill, a bad heart. If I give a few hints to Rose to visit where he'll be sent, she might be able to save him," the Doctor hoped.

"If not, he'll be doomed?" John wondered, wishing he could stay like this but he couldn't live in a bubble of air from his own universe forever and he knew it.

"We just hope she does go for it, I mean after losing us both, she may not but you know Rose," the Doctor replied. "I'll go get her before she wonders what's taking so long. I'm sorry, the Tardis can only maintain this bubble of air for about an hour, then you'll have to go back to how you were."

"Then I don't want it prolonging by them putting me to sleep," John insisted. "I want to spend my last minutes alone with Rose."