A/N:I'm currently writing a giant essay on Great Expectations and I'm really rather bored. I'm going to kill myself later but I decided to slightly 'divert' my efforts and finish off this chapter instead.

And yes, before you ask, this is gonna be the longest ramble yet.

Chapter 33 – Rose's Doctor Rant

They were going to get him. Finally, he was coming home.

Jack's Torchwood team were on the way, the Ninth Doctor had been in touch with UNIT. Sarah-Jane had already arrived, helping the Doctor out on contacting UNIT. Howard looked after the children whilst Jackie catered for the building number of residents in her flat, Mickey constantly going back and forth between the flat and Londis for supplies. Currently there were no less than twelve people and a Delorion needing nourishment and bedding, and the whole place felt more like a hotel than a flat.

Every hour that passed felt like agony to Rose, knowing her Doctor was in serious peril and all she was doing was sitting here watching the Ninth Doctor lose games of chess to K9 over and over again. They could do nothing until everyone got here, and supposedly they'd start piling in that evening.

It was getting pretty late and little Rory kept flickering in and out of sleep, so Rose supposed it was probably time to go to bed. She bided goodnight to everyone before gathering Rory up in her arms and tucking him into bed, kissing Lottie and even Zoë goodnight before retiring to her own bed. She closed her eyes, knowing that when she opened them they'd be ready to go on a journey to save the man she loved.

And then a girl appeared in the centre of the room.

Rose found herself a little more than shocked – after all, it wasn't everyday something like this happened – so she sat up straight in her bed and stared at the girl, wondering who she could be. Long blonde hair fell in waves around her shoulders; a long white dress covered her frame with sparkling golden eyes set in a beautiful face that Rose saw bore resemblance to two people...

"Eva?" she asked in a disbelieving whisper.

"Mummy," she said in a quiet voice, moving forwards slightly.

"Am I dreaming?"

She giggled. "No. I was sent by daddy to make sure you're okay."

"Your daddy?!" Rose repeated immediately. "How is he?"

"She healed him outside but he's scarred beneath," she said, "he misses you. He's lost a piece of his hearts."

"Healed?" Rose repeated once more. "Healed from what? Did she hurt him?"

Eva – if but a little hesitantly – nodded.

Rose's fists tightened. "Let me see him."

Eva shifted slightly, nervous at the prospect. "It's dangerous."

"I don't care, I want to see him."

Eva paused for a moment as she considered, before finally nodding.

"Okay. Go to sleep mummy, and I'll take you to him."

She'd be back, demanding that purpose of him once more. She really must be crazy if She thought he would willingly do this with no problems. She was beautiful, there was no denying that…but this was just wrong. Completely unethical and unfair. He didn't want to make love to Her to produce a child and under no circumstances was he going to.

He had to get out.

He was just checking the integrity of the window frame when he heard that faint familiar shimmer of Eva appearing into existence. Eager to know what news she had to bring he swung around to face her, more than a little surprised to see who she had brought with her.

"Rose," he whispered disbelievingly, "what…?"

She was glowing as he must've been to her before grinning as she stepped forward towards him.

"Wow this is weird!" she exclaimed, stopping still and staring at her foot for a moment, as if trying to decide what part of her anatomy it infact was. "I'm dreamin'!"

"You are," he replied, reaching out a hand to cup her cheek but knowing full well that touch wasn't possible. "You shouldn't be here."

"I wanted to see you," she said simply, pausing for a moment before looking up, staring straight into his eyes. "I didn't know whether you were still alive or not."

"I get the feeling I'm not going to be doing any dying for a while…" the Doctor assured her, but didn't feel the need to expand on it.

"I love you. I miss you." She needed to touch him, to kiss him yet knew she couldn't…and it was slowly driving her insane.

"I know, I love you too, and I miss you every second…" the Doctor said with a sigh of remorse. "Are the others okay?"

She nodded. "You'll never guess who turned up earlier at the door." If she could've nudged him, she would've. "Go on, guess."

"Not the foggiest, who?"

She flashed a broad smile. "Your old self."

The Doctor suddenly went rigid on the spot, staring at her in shock. "…My old self?"

"Yeah, you know…" she gestured to her ears, then to her nose.

"Ears and nose? You're kidding me."

She shook her head, suddenly excited as she set off at 1000 miles per hour. "God Doctor, it was so weird! First of all Rory strolls in – his future self I mean, not little Rory I mean the one in the bus crash…did you know he was the one who saved you life though you don't really remember – and by the way he's hurt himself with that, my past self was telling me he just wondered in and stuff and the TARDIS had gone wrong again – that thing has a curse – and basically he wondered in just in time because of the…oh my God! The baby! Zoë? Ring a bell?"

The Doctor just stared at her.

"Yeah well," she carried on, not really looking at him. "She turned up and like no one knew what was going on but then we found out where you were 'cause of this weird thing your past self did like from the Mummy when Alex is guided by the bracelet and we saw everything and stuff and Scotland! You're in Scotland if you didn't know, and basically Jack call his team, your past self called UNIT and I called Sarah-Jane and so now everyone's chipped in and…" She managed to stop for a moment, giving him a flash of a smile. "We're comin' to save you."

The Doctor could hardly believe his ears.

"Everyone?" he asked disbelievingly, a rather unimpressive conclusion to Rose's rant. Usually it was the other way around. "But-"

"I don't care what you say," she cut straight across him. "I want you back. She's hurtin' you, isn't She? We're comin' to get you."

The Doctor considered getting angry, but brushed it off and gave a smile. "No stopping you, is there?"

She returned his smile, folding her arms and sticking her tongue out at him. "Just watch me."

Then she disappeared.

Rose woke up, staring into the blankness of the ceiling above her. She sat up in bed, taking a few moments to realise what had just happened. She felt herself move almost robotically out of the bed and towards the adjoining door, passing through into the living room that many people still occupied. They all looked up on her entry, mildly surprised. She was wearing baggy teddy pyjamas.

"Mum…Jack…" she said in a whisper, hardly able to believe it herself. "He's alive. I saw him, and he's alive. He spoke to me, he knows we're coming…he's still alive…"

Then she was crying; crying tears of joy. Jack gathered her into a hug and guided her back to bed, convinced she had been dreaming. She was too happy to argue.

Rose looked around her room for the girl who had made it possible – but she was long gone.

Most people in the Tyler household were asleep when Torchwood arrived, shortly followed by UNIT. Jack introduced each member of his Torchwood team personally to Rose before breakfast: Owen, the boyish Londoner with a stout attitude; Tosh, the relatively shy Japanese computer whiz kid and Gwen, a girl who had an uncanny resemblance to the Gwen who had sacrificed herself to close the rift with Dickens. Jack explained there was one more, Ianto, who was currently at the base in Cardiff looking after the Weevils and management affairs.

Much to Rose's surprise the leader of the UNIT squadron was a woman: a tall, slim, brown haired and rather attractive girl in full soldier's uniform. Her face was hardened and straightened by army life, with eyes that constantly looked like they were scanning your brain for information every time she looked at you. She was supported by five heavily armed UNIT soldiers, well built and scarred by the experience of war life. Rose could tell when she was in their presence that she was pretty much safe as long as they were on her side.

The UNIT woman introduced herself as Jill Lethbridge-Stewart; daughter of Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart who she added had once been a close associate of the Doctor himself, which the Ninth Doctor confirmed for the gathering. She and Jack had taken an immediate dislike to each other, which Rose thought, had to be a record breaker for Jack where a girl was concerned.

The Doctor briefed everyone on the situation before companies parted – leaving Jackie, the past Rose, little Rory, Lottie and Zoë at the flat whilst everyone else filed into the Tenth Doctor's TARDIS. It seemed empty without him, Rose thought. Silently she asked to TARDIS to somehow connect hers and the Doctor's minds together, and in the back of her conscience Rose suddenly heard the sweetest melody she'd ever known, and she instantly knew that her Doctor would be hearing the same beautiful song.

"Well, allons-y then," Jack said, shooting Rose a grin to which she returned. Rory nodded, yanking down a lever to send everyone crashing to the floor as the team headed to save the Time Lord.