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

When the door closed, the TARDIS shook violently and Hope grabbed onto the edge of the console. She scrambled for a better grip, but couldn't reach anything substantial with her small arms. She tumbled to the ground and was surprised when her back impacted with something soft and fluffy. Several feathers floated above her as the vibrations stilled. She gingerly rose from the pillow and giggled when she saw the wild paisley pillowcase. "Thank you," she said, looking up at the time rotor.

A steady knock against the door echoed through the room and Hope ducked behind the console. No matter how polite it sounded, she had a feeling that whatever was out there wouldn't be so courteous in person. The monitor on the console flickered for a moment and then settled on displaying a large room with piles of labeled crates.

"That's what's outside?" she asked, squinting at the footage. A blue alien with clasped hands walked into view and Hope gasped. "Guardians..."

Suddenly the door rattled violently against its hinges and Hope hid under the edge of the console. She was certain the door would buckle at any moment, but then it stilled and everything was quiet again.

"You won't let them in, will you?" she whispered, slowly standing.

The ship hummed a very firm negative.

"Good," Hope said with a sigh of relief, climbing onto the Captain's seat. "What do we do now?"

For a moment, her mind was filled with a very clear snapshot of what looked like a Tesco's except there were all sorts of bizarre looking creatures waiting to check out.

"Right," Hope said, giggling. "Just like the Doctor said. I mean, my dad said. We wait." She tilted her head and regarded the warm glow of the ship. "How do you feel about Monopoly?"

"Can't believe I never knew about this tunnel," Rose commented, sweeping a flashlight across the expanse. "Coulda varied my commute."

"Woulda taken you forever," Mickey observed with a laugh.

For the past three hours, they'd been walking through a dark cement walled corridor, guided only by flashlights and a smudged blueprint. Rose had had a paralyzing moment of deja vu when Pete revealed that the wolf statue in the mansion actually concealed the entrance to a system of underground tunnels. He had built them as an emergency precaution when Torchwood was founded. Memories of Cybermen marching closer and no means of escape had been deeply influential.

"Right. This must be the end," announced Mickey.

They had reached a dead end capped by a large door with a circular locking mechanism. Mickey spun the wheel and then carefully pushed the door open a crack. He peered through the slim gap. "Looks like Pete's contacts got the guard detail right," he said, opening the door wider.

"Yeah," Rose agreed, eyeing the long hallway of doors beyond. "I've never been down here. How many others are they keepin'?"

"Can't rescue them all, Rose. Not now."

Rose wanted to protest, but instead she checked the map Pete had obtained for them. She passed a few doors and then stopped, pulling out the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. "Deadlocked," she stated after a few seconds of sonicing.

"'Course. Let me." Mickey placed what looked like a calculator in front of the lock's keypad and got to work.

As they'd traveled through the tunnels, Rose had prepared herself for the worst, already chastising herself for not being able to rescue him sooner. It had only been a few hours, but she knew Torchwood wouldn't have wasted a single minute. Especially if the Guardians had explained what type of alien they were handing over.

"Got it," Mickey said, interrupting her thoughts. "Ready?"

She nodded.

The lights on the lock flashed green and the door slid open. Her breath hitched when she saw him, lying on his back, long limbs sprawled across the aluminum floor. Kneeling beside him, she shuddered at how starkly his freckles contrasted against overly pale skin. Eyes tightly shut, he was breathing erratically. He looked impossibly young and vulnerable without the armor of his coat and suit jacket. Several buttons of his shirt were undone, exposing even more pale skin. Every bit of him appeared taught and strained as though he'd been pushed to some invisible limit. She was terrified of finding out what it had been.

"Doctor!" She brushed a hand across his brow and flinched at the heat. "God, he's burning up." She let her hand drift down his side until she could interlace her fingers with his. "Doctor, it's Rose. Your Rose."

"Rose..." He coughed and shuddered. "I lost her. In a labyrinth with no way back. None."

"You found me, Doctor. I'm here." She squeezed his hand. "Me and Mickey; we're gonna get you out of here."

"Oh, but I haven't had the second course yet. And there's banana flambe for dessert!" he whined hoarsely.

"He's delirious. What have they done to him?"

"I dunno," Mickey said, nervously watching the corridor from the doorway. "Think he can stand? S'long way back to the mansion."

"Yeah, but you'll hafta help me. Doctor?"

"Have you seen my pocketwatch? I put it somewhere safe."

"No. Look, this isn't gonna make a lot of sense to you right now, but..." Their escape depended on them leaving quickly and if she couldn't get through to him it was going to be difficult. "It's just...we've gotta run."

His eyes fluttered open, but he appeared incapable of focusing. "Why didn't you say so?" He started to sit up and Rose grabbed his shoulders as he almost collapsed. "Andiamo! No, hold on. That's not right."

"We have to escape, Doctor. Just, hold on to me and Mickey, that's it."

Somehow they managed to lift him to his feet and all together they stumbled into the corridor.

"Oh, look! I knew there would be tunnels," exclaimed the Doctor, looking terribly pleased with himself despite being unwell.

Rose hadn't moved from the Doctor's side since they had laid him on a bed upstairs in the mansion. He had babbled nonsensically for a few minutes and then fallen completely silent. Rose didn't know if that meant he was recovering or getting worse. Since he had actually slept the night previously and needed little to get by, she feared it was the later.

Jackie tentatively interrupted her daughter's vigil. "I brought some tea. Thought it might help." She placed a tray on the nightstand with two steaming mugs, a jar of marmalade and a few slices of toast. "And you should eat somethin', sweetheart. Can't help 'im if you get sick too."

"S'not like last time," Rose whispered, from where she sat on the bed.

"Looks the same," Jackie observed. "Should I get 'im a pair of Pete's pajamas?"

"No," Rose said with a small laugh that turned into a sob. "But what do I do, Mum? He could be dying and I haven't got a clue. No matter how strange it was at Christmas, least I knew what had happened."

"You know him better'n anyone." Jackie sat beside her daughter and cradled her against her chest.

"Yeah, but he never talks about...I mean, he's alien. I could make it worse, without even knowing it."

"He'll pull through, sweetheart. Always does, doesn't he?" She kissed the top of her daughter's head. "Just stay w'him."

There was a soft knock against the door and mother and daughter turned toward it. Framed by the doorway were Pete and Mickey with matching frowns of worry.

"What is it?" Rose asked with trepidation.

"Rose. We...we know what happened," Mickey started.

"It's just a theory," Pete protested, taking a deep breath before continuing. "But they may have tried that mind scour. The one in the archive."

"But, s'never been fully tested!" Rose shouted. "I mean, that thing is dangerous! That one incident proved..!" She froze. "He's telepathic."

"Yeah, we know." Mickey grimaced. "They may not've. Or they did and that's why..."

Rose pulled away from her mother and swept her gaze across the Doctor's still body. "How'm I gonna fix him this time? How can I?"

Jackie took her daughter's hand. "Rose, hush. Didn't you say you could do somethin' similar? With Hope."

"What?"

"The telepathy."

"Yeah. But not like he can," Rose protested.

"Maybe it's enough."

"And if it is..." Pete reached into the pocket of his trousers and pulled out a yellow button on a cord. "I kept one of these just in case."

Rose stared at the device but didn't move to take it. "But those don't work."

"They might now. If the Doctor got through..."

"You can't stay here, sweetheart," Jackie said softly.

"But Mum..."

"Jacks is right. First place they'll look is here," Pete interrupted. "And it won't be long now."

Biting her lip, Rose took the button carefully. She turned it over in her hands, weighing her options as she studied it.

"If it works, you should be able to go back and forth, Rose," Mickey added. "Just like before."

Rose nodded, placing it on the tray with an unsteady hand before picking up a mug of tea instead. "I need to think about it. And try and wake 'im again."

"Of course, sweetheart." Jackie gave her daughter one last hug and then rose from the bed. "We'll be downstairs if ya need us." She led the way out the door and then shut it carefully.