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

The pancakes were quickly consumed as the Doctor regaled them with the story of an unlikely escape involving a florescent rubber band, a lozenge and a stick of sealing wax. The TARDIS graciously offered to handle the dirty dishes, leaving the Doctor to steer them to their destination as Hope and Rose got dressed. As he secured the handbrake, he glanced over at the monitor on the console. "Hello," he said, tapping the screen. "There's a welcome party."

He heard Rose laugh as she stepped up behind him. "Doctor, mum might've warmed to you, but she..." Seeing the view outside, she paused. "...Oh."

"Torchwood?" the Doctor asked unnecessarily.

"Yeah."

"I'll go see what they want, shall I?" Turning, he cupped her cheek, saying softly, "Stay here with Hope."

She shook her head. "No. I'd better go with you."

"Rose..."

"Authority figure, remember? They don't know who you are." She sighed and her voice wavered slightly as she continued. "Anyway, m'sure it's just a misunderstanding. Blue police box randomly appearing. Bound to be questions."

"Did we land?" Hope asked, entering the room with koala in tow.

"Yes." Rose worried her lip for a moment and then explained quietly, "Hope...me and your dad have to...go outside. Just us. We'll be back in a minute."

Hope frowned, immediately suspicious of the delay. "Somethin' wrong?"

The Doctor smiled and crouched down to her height. "No, sweetheart. But you can keep an eye on the TARDIS for me, all right? Just in case."

Hope nodded in agreement, but she still looked skeptical as the Doctor helped her onto the Captain's seat. "How will I know what to do?"

"Absolutely nothing is going to happen. But if it did, she'd help you." The TARDIS hummed in agreement and he added, "Gladly."

Rose gave Hope a quick hug and then followed the Doctor to the door. The moment they cleared the threshold, Rose took the lead, displaying her identification badge to the cluster of soldiers. "Rose Tyler. Director, First Contact. What's going on here?"

The Doctor made sure the door remained ajar, knowing from experience that soldiers and guns often required quick getaways. Then he squared his shoulders and directed his most imposing glare at the men in uniform.

"You do not have the appropriate clearance, Director Tyler," one of them stated, raising his gun. "Step away from the alien."

"This is the Doctor. He's not a threat."

"We know who he is."

A loud beeping drifted out from the open door of the TARDIS and the Doctor turned back. At the base of the console lay the discarded alien tech that he had inspected at Torchwood soon after his arrival. He had entirely forgotten it was even onboard. And now it was glowing. "Remote temporal combination lock," he murmured, features slackened by the grim realization.

"What?" Rose asked, but the Doctor was already in motion, sonic screwdriver in hand.

Focused on manipulating it to the appropriate setting, the Doctor didn't notice the soldiers had advanced until they grabbed his arms and torso, preventing him from completing the critical task. "No! I have to stop it!" He struggled against their firm grip, but only succeeded in dropping his screwdriver. He watched it tumble into the grass.

"Let go of 'im!" Rose yelled, only to find herself accosted in a similar fashion. "Doctor!"

He looked up and could just make out Hope standing beside the console. Her eyes were wide with terror and he felt a pang of grief that he couldn't comfort her. Not now. He only had seconds. The door began to close of its own volition and he reached out to her.

Don't leave the TARDIS. Don't leave...

And then the TARDIS was simply gone.

The silence overwhelmed him. Flashbacks of the searing feeling of disconnect in the aftermath of the Time War burned through him. He forgot how to breathe. Forgot that he even had to to survive. Gone. His ship was gone. And Hope with it. He dimly registered Rose's voice cutting through the air.

"I demand to speak with whoever is in charge of this operation!"

One of the soldiers stepped forward. "That'd be me."

"What's this about?"

The soldier shrugged as though the details were unimportant. "The Guardians requested an exchange and Torchwood agreed."

That snapped the Doctor out of his stupor. His mental anguish flared into anger. "What have you done? Where have they taken her?!"

"You, Doctor, are now the property of the Torchwood Institute."

"No! You can't have 'im. I demand you stop this!"

"Rose Tyler. You secretly harbored a dangerous alien and knowingly endangered the Earth. You are hereby stripped of your rank and will remain under house arrest until further notice." The lead soldier signaled his squad.

"No! Don't you dare!" Rose yelled, as the Doctor was forcibly dragged away from her and toward the waiting black van.

"I gave you lot the benefit of the doubt! Different universe. You might have gotten it right. Although, making deals with aliens, doesn't that run counter to your mantra? And you really got the bad end of the bargain." The Doctor looked askance at Rose and carefully said, "My ship, it's like Pandora's box. Lot more interesting than I am."

The van pulled away and the soldiers firmly escorted Rose to the front door of the mansion where Jackie and Pete waited. Shoving her through the door, the soldiers marched back to their transport.

"They've taken the Doctor. And the TARDIS," Rose gasped, leaning on the doorframe for support. "Hope was on the TARDIS. And...oh, we've gotta get him back."

"Don't worry, sweatheart," Jackie consoled. "We'll think of somethin'."

Pete grimaced. "I've still got some friends at Torchwood. I'll contact them right away."