Rose

"You all right?" she asked, padding into the Doctor's study that evening.

"Never better." he replied, without looking up. "Here, come and look."

She and Jack strolled over to a large sketch of Callow's Reach, upon which the Doctor had crudely drawn defensive lines and trenches. "I reckon we might be fine," he said brightly. "See? Our's ain't the bigger force, even with Blackburn's men, but we've got us the better position. It'll be an 'ard castle to breach, you mark me words. We might even live!"

"Great," Rose laughed.

The Doctor sighed, and finally looked her in the eye. "I guess this is the last chance, then. I promised ya're mother I'd look after yer. I never promised I could keep you safe, but I pledged to do me damnest to make sure of it. If you wanna get out of here, now's the time."

"I'm not leaving you." she replied immediately. "Never."

He smiled at her, for the first time in a long time. "Thanks. And I'm sorry too - about how I've been, about how I treated ya both. I know you worry about me. I appreciate it, at that. All that stuff you said, you said it coz you've got nout but me own interests at heart. I know it."

"Put it here, Doctor." Jack held out his hand, but dragged the Doctor into a kiss when he went to shake it. "Haha! Every time!"

"Flamin' nutter," the Doctor grumbled, breaking free and embracing Rose. She kept the smile resolutely plastered to her face, but recoiled inwardly. She'd hugged the Doctor before, but now it was like hugging a stranger. She realized just then how much he'd changed since coming here, how different he was now.

He hadn't changed - he'd been changed.

There was a commotion outside, and they looked out of the window to see the villagers of Callow's reach digging trenches, and constructing spike-walls facing the pitch-dark woods down yonder. Had the Bolton riders already received their reply, declining the demand of payment? And if so, were they already on their way? Were they to wait until tomorrow before marching, or were they edging closer this very moment, scurrying through those woods, coming ever nearer? Rose shivered.

"Two hundred men," she grimaced. "Versus that rabble outside. Ain't looking wonderful, is it?"

The Doctor chuckled. "I've seen better odds." he admitted. "Much better, to be fair."

They fell silent, basking in the gentle warmth of the room. "Drinks?" Jack said brightly.

"Count me in." Rose exclaimed.

"Yeah, go on." the Doctor pulled up two more chairs, and they sat down surrounding his desk, Jack serving three glasses of wine.

"So..." the Doc said, accepting his glass. "I'm guessing we've got a few hours at best, and it could be that those hours are our last. How would you spend 'em, if you could do anything at all?"

Rose chuckled. What a question. "I suppose I'd...crikey, I don't know...I suppose I wouldn't wanna know about it. I'd want to plod along like normal, see my family, and die surrounded by everyone who loves me."

"Sweet." the Doctor raised his glass. "Jack - final hours. What would you do, if you could do anything?"

"Unspeakably naughty things." Jack winked.

The Doctor shivered, but retained his silence.

"Don't think your getting away without answering!" Rose told him sternly. "You had us both answer, now you bloody well answer!"

"I guess..." he finished his wine, and poured a new glass. "I guess I'd like to know that I was going for a good cause. I'd like ter know that folk would be fine after I'm gone, or perhaps even better off. Yeah. Call me an egotist all ya like, but there's me honest answer. I'd like ta go saving others. And I've always kind of assumed that will be how I go, someday."

"I like that." Jack got to his feet. "I propose a toast, then. Here's to going out in style!" they clinked glasses and drank.

They didn't stop drinking for quite a while...

Rose sighed and slid back against the backrest of her cushionless wooden seat, her bottom and lower back perfectly numb. "How about a song?" she slurred, her head spinning, and her extremities rather numb.

"Singing?" the Doctor laughed. "You make me sing a song, and tomorrow morning you'll be begging for that scimitar."

They had a good laugh at that, a better laugh that was entirely justified of it. Such are the inglorious joys of drinking.

"I know one," Jack said. "The Valleys of Home. If I sing this, you've gotta promise not to laugh."

"Sure." Rose promised.

"Course!" the Doctor slurred.

"Well, okay." Jack cleared his throat. "Hope you like it. It's about where I grew up."

He took a breath. "Fa-aa-r away, in the"-

-Rose and the Doctor laughed.

He glared at them.

"Sorry. Go on."

He scoffed. "Laugh again, and you can forget it."

"We won't."

"Right." he took it from the top.

"Far away, in the valleys of old.

The places we once called our home...

We danced and we jived, and we laughed in the glades.

The places we all loved the most.

The trees stood so tall, the wind sang it's song.

The sun beaming down on us ghosts..."

Rose stared at Jack as he sung, the quality of his voice startling her right out of her stupor.

"That was...beautiful." she told him once he'd finished, wiping a tear from her eyes.

"Yeah." the Doctor muttered, his eyes rather glassy.

"Thanks." Jack said, smiling as he stared out of the window. "I hate to kill the mood, but I guess I should bring this up..."

"What?"

"The Bolton riders are outside."

Note: Just to say, the next chapter (titled The Battle of Callow's Reach) is going to be a lot longer than any so far, and it might take me a little longer to write. There'll be some answers in it too. :)