Run

"What if I won't do it?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Then you sentence her to death. It's your choice. Let me live or let her die."

Rose slumped over Adam's arm. The Doctor's hearts pounded in his chest at the sight of Rose's unconscious body draped over Adam like a rag doll. She couldn't die; he wouldn't let her die like this. The Doctor looked at Adam's face and saw steely determination, intelligence and knowing. Possibilities were flying around the Doctor's brain, trying to think of a way out of it. He finally spoke, "I can't promise that your life will turn out better, Adam; for all I know, this is what you were meant to do."

Adam's voice was incredulous, "oh, so you believe in fate now!"

"It's not fate, it's history. I can't mess with history."

Adam started laughing, unconvinced. "You do it all the time. You change things every damn day of your life. Why not make my life better?"

The Doctor's voice was dark and deep. "You don't deserve a better life."

"And who are you to decide that?"

I'll sing it one last time for you
then we really have to go
you've been the only thing that's right
in all I've done

"You've forgotten, mate. I'm still the Doctor, the Lonely God, Avenging Angel. I don't really like the last one, but it still counts. I'm the top of the mountain, alone; where no-one can reach me."

"She'll die, Doctor. D'you want me to tell you?" Adam held Rose's slashed wrist in front of the Doctor's panicked face, "I can feel her heartbeat getting slower." He put his own hand on her chest and the Doctor stepped forwards slightly, "I can feel the dull thud. You can see the life ebbing out of her." The Doctor looked at her slumped figure, yes; he could see her life draining away. "You've got about thirty minutes before she dies completely and becomes wiped out of time and space. Then you never will be able to get her back! Is that what you want? To be her killer?"

The Doctor's blood pounded around him and he shuddered, agonising seconds wasted deciding on their outcomes. What the hell else could he do? There was nothing else left to lose anymore. Seeing the slow drip of her blood on the floor resounded in the Doctor's memory. The splashing sound it made as it joined into a puddle. It nearly killed him. He was helpless. What else could he do? He opened his mouth, not really knowing what to say.

"I'll need my ship back, then."

And I can barely look at you
But every single time I do
I know we'll make it anywhere
Away from here

Adam's gradual smile sickened his soul. The Doctor felt disgusted with himself for conceding to demands but he knew it was the only thing to do. Adam's smirk grew into a full on evil grin as he held Rose's head up to the Doctor's eye line, Adam spoke to Rose's sleeping figure, "Well now, Rose, seems your Doctor has a weak spot. We'll make good use of it, yes?" He kissed her cheek and the Doctor growled, making for Adam. "Ah, I wouldn't if I were you. I can make her suffer even more."

He asked through gritted teeth, "What d'you want me to do?"

"I want you to go back to when the Sycorax found me out. It's the earliest you can go, that's when this all started. I want my life back."

"Give me back the vortex energy. I want my TARDIS back."

Adam gestured with his arm, "Go over to the conduit, unlock the sub-frame, type in the code 827347 and stand the hell back, whatever you do." The Doctor raced over to the open conduit and ran his sonic screwdriver over it. Adam scooped Rose over his shoulder shakily and watched as he worked. Finally, the Doctor typed in the code and stood back as familiar turquoise light bled from the computer screen. It formed into four sharp lines in a rectangle before the Doctor, the shape becoming 3 dimensional.

Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you dear

The features of the TARDIS stood out now, the panels, the handles and the light on top. Everything came together in a sudden burst of white and the Doctor grinned. His TARDIS, his beautiful machine was back!

Still grinning ear to ear, the Doctor pushed open the door to his oldest friend and Adam fell inside behind him with Rose still limp and pale in his arms. The Doctor ran around the console like a giddy school-boy who'd just gotten a lollipop for free. He powered up the machine and found the pleasing pulsating thrum coming from the old girl. He greeted her silently, her interior still the same as ever, running his palms over the columns in a hello. The TARDIS suddenly bleeped at him, getting his attention and the Doctor saw Rose's body on her rapist's shoulder. "You're right, old girl. We can't let him have her anymore. I need to get her back."

"What? Like I told you, Doctor, she's not leaving me. She's too valuable."

The Doctor shouted, "I'm giving you what you want! Now you give her back to me! I've lost her too many times; I can't lose her again because of some stupid little boy! I want her back! I'm dangerous, Adam. You don't want to mess with me, you said it yourself." His breathing was as laboured as Rose's. "Now, give her to me." Adam didn't move. The Doctor aimed the sonic screwdriver at Adam's heart. "Give Rose back to me."

Louder, louder
And we'll run for our lives
I can hardly speak I understand
Why you can't raise your voice to say
To think I might not see those eyes
Makes it so hard not to cry
And as we say our long goodbye
I nearly do