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The Ties That Bind

Six

In The Shadows

A woman was dragged into a room, dumped on the floor. She looked up, her eyes filled with fear. "Who are you?"

The man, basked in shadow did not answer her question. "I want information. You will give it."

"Will you let me go?" the woman asked.

"That is not of your concern." The man hissed. "Tell me what you know about Rose Tyler. Every little detail."

-00000-

"Doctor?"

Martha laid a hand on his forehead, letting her palm burn with the heat. She bit her lip, unsure what to do. Her intense eyes searched around, then returned to the Doctor's face as he groaned.

She waited with baited breath as he stirred, hoping that he would have an explanation for her.

He'd better not say he was sleeping!

-00000-

"I have learned of something of great value that confirms my suspicions of Rose Tyler." The shadow spoke softly, intimidating the only other person in the room.

"Yes, my lord?" the man answered, bowing low, forehead on knees.

"She loves him, and with that knowledge I will get what I want from him. They will both fall for the weakness that love is. A pathetic emotion, useless to me, but essential to the success of my plans."

"I agree, sir."

The shadow strode forward, revealing sharp red eyes, shining the darkness. A cruel, cold face bore from the hood that hid his features. "Bring me Rose Tyler." He ordered. "Do not fail."

"I won't, master."

"You better not."

As the man left, the shadow retreated into the darkness, stretching out a pale hand, grasping a small object, that was covered in wires. His fingers ran quickly over the circuitry, connecting wires to their respective holes. It started beating, and a crack was heard resounding through the dark.

And he knew it was complete.

He spoke into a comlink. "It is open."

-00000-

With the aid of his companion, the Doctor pushed himself up so that he was sitting in a more comfortable position. "I'm fine." He answered her unasked question.

"You're not." She stated, her dark eyes full of concern. "It's not normal to faint."

The Doctor looked at her, incredulously. "How do you know it's not normal for me? You know nothing about my people. Just because I look human doesn't mean I have the same habits as you."

"Now you're just being silly."

The Doctor sighed. "All right. Fine. You obviously can tell it's not normal. How, I don't know…"

"You have that same look in your eyes."

"Look?"

She nodded. "When you fainted in that café and woke up, I saw concern and confused eyes. I saw that just now. How long has it been going on for?"

"Just before I met you in the café." He conceded.

"Never before?"

He shook his head.

"Then what's making you do it?"

"I don't know." The Doctor shrugged. He stood up, walking away from her, before turning his eyes on her. "But something is out there, and it wants me."

-00000-

Her toes brushed something under the covers, near the bottom of the bed. She frowned wondering what it was. Martha slid out, ripping her covers down, her eyes falling upon a small book. Attentively, she sat down and picked it up, carefully opening it.

The words, ROSE TYLER'S DIARY, were written in gold ink on the first page. Her date of birth and the years she travelled with the Doctor were also written there.

Who is she?

Carefully she turned the page, reading intently:

Something that is unbelievable has happened to me. So….unrealistic, that I find it impossible to explain, but it's real, whether you believe it or not. I'm travelling in time, with an alien, and I just helped to save the world. His name's the Doctor, an alien from outer-space.

I don't know how to explain this, but there was this alien thing under the Eye in London, and it was using shop window dummies to kill the population. But I helped the Doctor use the anti-plastic to destroy the threat, and my quick thinking earned me an invitation on this trip.

I'm going to see the universe, something that no one else will see in my time. I may miss my mother and boyfriend, but this will be an adventure that I cannot miss.

Martha closed her eyes. Saved the world? Did she want a life like that? Her gaze came upon the next entry and she read through absorbing the facts. She turned to half way through the diary.

How can I explain my confusion?

The Doctor has changed.

Not his personality, well, he has, but his body, his face, his cells, everything. It's not the Doctor, he's not my Doctor. How can he be the same person? He says he is, but how can I trust him, when he's a completely new person? I wish I could understand what abilities he has…I mean regenerating into a new body to stop dying is something amazing, but I wished he'd told me before.

So I was ready.

I've accepted it now. What he did at Christmas proved that he was the same Doctor, but different, more likeable in a better sense. I don't know why, but there's something that makes me love him.

She halted in her reading. Love? She flipped to the last page, but it was blank. She turned back a few pages, finding the last entry written.

I discovered today that the Doctor was a father. I haven't asked because it was his decision to tell me. I helped him today, saved him. Saved the world again, as you might call it.

Even after all this time, I know that I love him, and I wonder does he love me?

There the diary ended and Martha sat back. I have to know.

-00000-

"I found this in my room."

The Doctor looked up from where he was in the floor, tinkering with the TARDIS. "What?"

"A diary. It belongs to someone called Rose Tyler."

The Doctor froze, memories washing through him. He swallowed a lump in his throat, as he tried to still his racing hearts. "I didn't know she kept a diary." He murmured.

"Who is she?"

He climbed out the floor and turned away from Martha, walking slowly away from her, composing himself. "She was my companion."

"What happened to her?" Martha asked. She hastily added, "You don't have to answer…"

The Doctor remained silent for a long time, considering his answer. How could he describe the woman he loved to another who never had the chance to know her?

"She didn't die exactly…but she's considered dead." He shrugged. "Doesn't make sense, does it? Sorry, it's just that…I love her, still do in fact, but I'll never see her again…and seeing her face in these visions pains me to think that something could be happening to her." He swung round to face Martha, who was staring at him, trying to comprehend what he had said.

She smiled sadly. "I'm sorry." Then a question formed in her mind. "Did she love you?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah."

Martha held up the diary, pushing it into his hand. "Here, it's yours. I shouldn't have read it, but I found it at the bottom of my bed. If anyone deserves this, you do." She walked briskly away, but heard the Doctor mutter: "Thank you."

-00000-

The words written by Rose's hand filtered through his mind as he thought about what she had said. She had always loved him.

Why didn't I do anything about it?

The answer came to him almost immediately.

Because I was scared of losing her. She has such a short life…a live far longer then she ever could…she'd die and I would be left alone. Just like I'm the last of my people. I'm alone, and it's all my fault.

With those words, the Doctor sunk to the deck, and sobbed, as he thought about the missed opportunities.

-00000-

Martha sat on her bed, musing over the facts that she had got from the Doctor. He had loved Rose Tyler, and, it seemed, he was heart-broken by it.

He said something about visions…maybe that's why he's fainting…but what's making him faint?

Questions continued to form in her mind.

There is one thing I can do. And that's to help the Doctor find Rose Tyler, if not, help him remember her in a way that will not affect him like it does.

TBC

I liked writing this chapter. It was quite interesting. Please review and let me know your thoughts, especially on the inclusion of Rose's Diary! Thanks for sticking with me! More coming soon!

Leila-Rose-Bell