Character/Pairing: Ten/Rose
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: The BBC owns all, I am merely borrowing.
Spoilers: Through Season Three.

Beneath a deep star scattered sky, rested a quiet neighborhood so still it lacked even a whisper of wind. Precisely trimmed lawns and clipped hedges bordered neat rows of matching brick buildings with white doors and trim. All of the windows were dark, the families within wandering through slumberland, oblivious to the danger currently lurking so close to home.

The screech of rapidly stopping tires echoed through the street as an unmarked van swerved into one of the driveways. The passenger side door swung open and Rose Tyler jumped out, her feet slamming against the pavement as she ran across the driveway and found the front door already ajar. She barely noticed the disarray of furniture and possessions, as she hastened through the door and the end of the hallway beyond. The fear that had been lingering in her heart spread to the tips of her fingers as she caught her first glimpse of the back yard. Her stride faltered as she stepped onto the lawn.

At the center of the yard, a group of the blue aliens stood in a tight circle with their hands joined. Just visible between their linked hands was a little girl clad in pink striped pajamas, one hand clutching a somewhat battered stuffed Koala. Her brown hair was tousled from sleep, wisps escaping from the loose braid to which it was confined. For one so young, her expression was deceptively calm as she expertly concealed her fear.

Rose found it impossible to contain her own panic. "Let her go!"

We are unable to comply.

"Why? Who are you?"

We are called the Guardians. She must be protected. You do not have the adequate resources for what is coming.

"What?"

We apologize for the inconvenience.

The aliens raised their linked hands.

"No!" Rose started forward, but only managed a few steps before a flash of light engulfed the yard.

"Rose? Rose! C'mon, wake up."

She groaned as awareness returned to her senses. Her back hurt. A lot. And she couldn't quite remember how she had ended up on the ground in the first place. She tentatively opened her eyes to find dawn spreading across the sky above. Mickey was leaning over her, looking very concerned.

"Wha' happened?" she mumbled, wincing as she sat upright. She remembered discarding her coat in the van for ease of movement. She regretted her decision when she noticed the pile of broken glass on top of which she had apparently fallen.

"Massive teleport. Needed a huge amount of energy. Threw you into the door and well..." Mickey gestured to the shards of glass that littered the ground beneath them. "We found the Henderson's. Hiding in the basement. Tish is treating them for shock. We'll retcon them before we leave."

Flash of light. Teleport. Blue aliens. Her daughter. Gone.

All at once she was overwhelmed by the knowledge of what had happened right before she blacked out. She pushed herself upwards to stand and would have fallen had Mickey not grabbed her shoulders.

"You alright?"

"They took her, Mickey. Just...took her," she murmured, gaze focused on the lawn. "First sleepover. She was so excited. Took forever to convince myself she'd be safe."

"We can track her. You know that." Mickey urged her out of the yard with a gentle pressure on her shoulders. "C'mon."

Rose had never felt so numb as Mickey led her back through the house and out to the van. She tried to focus on the here and now, the blush pink of the sky and how the grass was now wet with morning dew. But her thoughts kept circling back to what had happened and how she could possibly cope enough to take control of the situation. Facts, she needed to focus on facts.

"Mickey...they told me it was for her protection."

"From what?" he asked, sitting beside her in the van.

"I dunno." She sighed. "What if they're right though?"

"They're not, Rose. Can't be." Mickey frowned. "Wait. What do you mean they told you? They didn't say anythin'."

"Yeah. Right." Rose sincerely hoped that for once Mickey wouldn't notice she was lying.

"Rose, what is it?"

She sighed audibly. "S'complicated. Sorta started after Bad Wolf. Didn't notice 'til the Doctor took me to this garden that had telepathic man eatin' plants. He practiced with me a little before..." Rose shook herself and turned to happier memories. "Helped when I had Hope. Comes naturally to her o'course."

Mickey reached over and wiped away the tear sliding down Rose's cheek. "You need to tell him, Rose."

"We'll tell 'im they stole a piece of technology. Somethin' we think is dangerous."

"Rose..."

"Please, Mickey. I'm not ready yet. Just need a little more time."

"Fine. S'long as you realize I don't like it," Mickey muttered.

"I don't like it either. I just...," her voice trailed off and she wondered how much longer she could manage to avoid that very conversation.

"Need more time, I know." Mickey squeezed her hand reassuringly and turned to the window. "Looks like the rest of the team is done. We should head back to base. You ready?"

The florescent lights in the loo were never very flattering and Rose found it hard to determine whether her efforts were successful. With a grimace, she had wrapped cotton gauze tightly around her mid-section. She would need to take better care of her injury soon, but she needed the reassurance of her team's report first. A few careful reapplications of makeup and she erased any evidence of the tears she had let fall. She pulled her coat back on and took a moment to straighten her hair and compose herself. Satisfied that her appearance was no longer disheveled, Rose headed to the conference room where her team and the Doctor waited. As she entered, Mickey was just finishing introductions.

"You've already met Jake. He's our tactician. That's Alex with the blueprints. And this is Tish, our medical expert." Mickey gestured toward each member of the team as he introduced them.

The Doctor was enthusiastically shaking hands. "Tish! Lovely. Any chance you have a sister named Martha?"

Tish was taken aback that a complete stranger would know her sister. "I did. She was in public relations. The cybermen..."

"Ah. I'm sorry," the Doctor said with sincerity as he sat beside Rose at the table.

"Looks like we can get started. Time to see what we know and how it's gonna help us. Mickey, why don't you start with the basics of what happened."

During her quick clean up, Rose had failed to anticipate the Doctor's overwhelming powers of observation. As Mickey began to describe what they had encountered in the house, the Doctor abruptly turned to stare at her. Rose tried to ignore him, instead reaching across the table for one of the blueprints. She winced. The Doctor stood up, grabbed her hand and pulled her up next to him. Without looking away from her face, he addressed her team. "Sorry. You'll have to excuse us. Your team leader and I need to have a word in private."

"No, we..." Rose began, but the Doctor had already managed to forcibly steer her into an adjoining room.

He slammed the door shut and whirled to face her. "You're injured."

"How did you--?"

"Iron, epinephrine, histamine, dermal repair, oh... all sorts of coagulation going on as your skin knits back together." He sighed. "Honestly, your heart rate has sky-rocketed and I saw you wince. Why didn't you say something?"

"If you hadn't noticed, things are a little busy."

"Let me see." His voice was laced with concern, but she could hear his displeasure growing. "Rose..."

"I'm fine," she said curtly.

His mouth set in a grim line, he reached forward and pulled her coat aside.

"What are you..."

"This is not the appropriate time for modesty, Rose," the Doctor scolded as he lifted her shirt and appraised the makeshift bandage. "Besides, we've done this before." He took hold of her shoulders and forced her to turn so that her back was facing him. "Take off that jacket and your shirt."

She complied with shaking hands. The Doctor deftly unwrapped the bandage, appraising the damage quietly for a moment before the hum of his sonic screwdriver filled the room.

Rose glared at the wall in front of her. "There's no reason for you to be like this. I've been injured worse before."

The sonic screwdriver stopped. "I can see that," he said tersely.

She froze as she realized the history of injury the Doctor must have noticed on her bare skin. Her job was dangerous and injuries happened. Only she hadn't had the advanced medical equipment of the TARDIS to look after her.

"Hold still," the Doctor commanded, his voice barely steady. Without warning, he plucked a piece of debris from a cut and she gasped. He placed one hand on her shoulder to steady her. He pulled out three more pieces before letting go of her shoulder. She heard the sonic screwdriver again and then he gently rewrapped the bandage. "That will do for now. I can sort it out in the TARDIS later." He stepped away and murmured, "Won't even leave a scar."

Rose grabbed her shirt from where it lay on the floor and pulled it over her head in one swift motion. She blinked back tears as the throbbing in her back increased to be almost unbearable.

"Rose, wait a moment."

She could hear rustling of cloth and knew he was digging in one of his unfathomably deep pockets. She then heard the crinkling of a wrapper and a cool hand slipped under her shirt, attaching something close to the injured area. The moment he was done he pulled away.

"Topical anaesthetic."

Rose felt an immediate tingling sensation and then the pain began to recede. She turned around to face him and found his countenance entirely unreadable. She had seen him expressionless before, but only when facing his greatest enemies or when she'd inadvertently mentioned something that brought a painful memory to the surface. She'd hurt him. She hadn't even told him yet and already he looked betrayed. There were so many things she needed to say, but she couldn't bear to see him retreat even deeper within himself. She picked up her jacket, slipped it on and left the room without another word.