I've had a few people asking about the romance. Yeah, this carries on from Romeo and Juliet, I'm just finding it hard to try and get the romance in there. As the author, I'm missing it too – it's fun and warm fuzzy to write. But you gotta admit, slipping romance into Romeo and Juliet was easier! I'll keep trying though, but I will say that the romance is going to be second to the plot itself.

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Rose looked around the dungeon room. She couldn't help thinking that it was maybe slightly unoriginal – it seemed to be the conventional dank dungeon seen in so many movies. Through the bars at the top of the door she could see nothing but darkness. What were they to do here? As if in answer, the arm computers promptly provided an answer.

Round three: Concealment. Get to the door on the other side of the compound without being seen. No time limit. The guards carry weapons and will not hesitate to execute on sight. These are my creations, Doctor; they have no compassion or soul but have extreme skill. If you are seen, you will be shot – and you will die .No regenerations for you.

Rose felt numb as she finished reading. This was a definite change in tact and feel to these games. This one was suddenly so much more dangerous and sadistic – the Toymaker was going on the offensive. Lost in morose thoughts, she felt an arm around her and looked up at the Doctor, who was smiling but had unreadable eyes.

"Easy, yeah?" Rose whispered, voice coming out in a croak.

He didn't reply, instead stared into the door before them. Rose wanted him to say something – anything – to give her some kind of comfort or confidence. She felt him sigh. "We had better start."

With that, he moved over to the door and opened it. What little light there was in the dungeon-like room spilled into a plain corridor, illuminating blank walls and a deserted corridor. Facing it seemed like a nightmare. Rose reached down, slipping her hand into the Doctor's, confidence growing as she was rewarded by the pressure of his grip.

They started down the corridor, passing the rooms on either side, all which appeared empty. Their footsteps, even heartbeats seemed too loud as they turned a corner and the light from the dungeon was all but diminished. It was like a horror film to Rose – the shadows, the fear that was welling up inside her, the knowledge that somewhere there were figures who would shoot on sight. The end could be around the next corner or hiding in a room.

As if to illustrate her thoughts, the sound of footsteps reached them. They were coming towards the Doctor and Rose, so, in a moment of panic, they turned to run, silently yet hurriedly retracing their steps and slipping into opposite rooms. It took Rose a moment to realise that she had gone into a different room as the Doctor, but there was no time to chance crossing the corridor and being seen – and killed.

The rooms had no doors, and she could see the Doctor in the shadows by the doorway. Rose was going to whisper something, but the approach of the gun-wielding guard made her change her mind. She pressed herself into the shadows, hoping, praying, wishing they would be all right, willing him to pass without inspecting any rooms.

She saw a small red dot on the ground before she saw the guard himself – it was, she saw as he (thankfully) passed, the laser sighting device atop the large and brutal looking gun he held. The footsteps continued or a few more steps and stopped. Then there was silence, the only out of place thing a small red dot on the ground of the corridor.

Rose breathed out – she hadn't realised she had been holding her breath. She looked across to where she could vaguely see the face of her love and companion, half hidden in the deep shadows of the room. She mouthed an apology, and he shrugged in reply. The small red dot was, she knew, from the laser sight of the hefty weapon carried by the guard – but if Rose could see it, then the guard was facing down the corridor, in their direction. There was no way to get across without being seen, and even if it was quick there was still a deathly chance. By the look on his face, the Doctor had worked this out too.

They were separated now – the guarding figure cutting them of from each other. There was no way to get back to the Doctor without being caught, Rose realised; at least, not right now.

The Doctor was carefully watching the laser sight. He pointed to himself, then behind him to the room he was in. With his other hand, he pointed to Rose, and to the room which loomed behind her. He pointed down the corridor (away from the guard), then crossed the pointing fingers on his two hands over one another. The meaning was simple. I'll go through my room, you go through yours. We'll meet back up later.

Rose nodded, biting her lip and aware that fear was the dominant emotion on her face. In a place like this, how could it not be? This was the Toymaker showing his true colours, using fear as an incentive to them. Cat and mouse. This was all this came down to: cat and mouse with death and guns. This was the end of life stalking the corridors right in front of them. The still figure could suddenly come into her room and she would be dead before she hit the floor. Or, even worse, he could turn into the room opposite her and-

No, she couldn't think about that. She raised her eyes to the Doctor's calm gaze, trying to find confidence and strength in it. He was smiling softly at her in the semi-darkness. Rose nodded again, as his smile became more gentle and the ever present shine of love in his eyes became even more evident. He mouthed 'I love you' across to her, reminding Rose of Romeo and Juliet and that balcony scene. She replied with the same words; as he nodded to her, smile fading and eyes unreadable. His eyes closed and Rose could tell by the movement of his shoulders he had sighed.

She thought she caught the glint of tears in his eyes when they opened again, and found her eyes, too, were wet. He mouthed 'go' to her, and she drew back into the darkness of the room, turning away from her only comfort. Two steps later she realised that there was more to their exchange than she had realised. It was more than a silent conversation – it was, should the game go ill, a goodbye.

She quietly and lightly ran back to the hall, but the doorway opposite her was empty, the Doctor having vanished into the shadows just like she had. She would find him again. In the darkness she swore that to herself – she would find him.

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Every time they went adventuring there was always the possible risk of injury or death, it was true – so why was it this time everything seemed so much more upfront and possible? Maybe it was because he couldn't talk his way out of this situation, he didn't have a plan, there was nothing and no one to help them. This was pure survival.

What if she were caught? He wasn't going to let her die, alone, caught in a game created by a homicidal maniac. The gun-wielding figures had no conscience or soul – they wouldn't see a young woman, alone, terrified, and living her last seconds so far from home – they would see an objective completed. If they were caught, it really was the end.

He wasn't going to let her die. He wasn't going to trap her here by dying himself, either. He would find her.

He didn't want to leave her safe gaze, but he had to. There was no way he could get with that stupid guard in the way. He had to try and find a way to her side of the corridor, and to do that he had to move on, move forward. As she vanished into the darkness the Doctor, too, turned his back on the corridor and headed across the shadow-filled room he was in.

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Rose was curled beneath a desk of some kind as the heavy footsteps drew closer. She had been caught unawares and almost stumbled right into the path of one of those guards, and so had turned tail and bolted towards a hiding place. The footsteps were louder now, and Rose could see movement on the other side of the room. The guard was in here with her.

She curled herself tighter, trying to make herself as small as possible as tears ran silently down her face. Thoughts were whirling in her mind as the image of probable death moved about in the room before her.

Jackie, Mickey, London. Home. All the things she'd never thanked Mickey for, the secrets she promised herself she'd tell her mum but still hadn't, all the little things she'd never done – and all the major things she had. Saving the world, the strange man with his blue box and the job at Henricks, which literally went up in smoke. All the things she had seen, the things of dreams and nightmares and wildest imaginings.

And him.

The stranger who saved her from 'students'; a time travelling alien with two hearts and thirteen lives. The person she had fallen in love with – and who loved her back, even though it took a maniacal group of thespians to make them both admit it. The one person she couldn't live without.

Thoughts of him would make this so much more bearable.

The footsteps had stopped. Rose opened her eyes to find two large boots opposite her. She almost choked, but bit her tongue hard and kept silent. A minute passed. Then, the figure turned away, apparently satisfied the room was empty.

The ordeal couldn't have taken longer than a few minutes, but Rose still had tears running down her face and was shaking. She had come so close. So close. I could have all been over, right then and there.

But it wasn't, a little voice reminded her. She had survived, she would go on, she would find the Doctor and they would escape. Ahead of her she could see another room – better lit, yet still dim, and bigger than the usual. Swallowing her fear and putting curiosity in its place, Rose crept forward to the doorway.

The room was filled with crates, with another seemingly non-patrolled level on the other side. It was a little like a warehouse, but she could hear footsteps as guards patrolled between them. It would be too risky to try and find a way through it – there was nowhere to hide should a guard approach. And, by the sound of the footsteps, there was more than one guard. Rose cast her eyes around, and saw there was another door close by – she could get there fast and not have to go through the entire maze. And, she realised, it would put her on the Doctor's side of the compound.

She ran to the door, skidding into it and pulling herself around the frame and into the comfort of the shadows. She took a last look at the room before she left and was glad she did – for, as her eyes swept the room, she saw him.

The Doctor was on the level above and opposite her, crouching behind a crate. She willed him to look around, see her, see she was okay. And he did – her silent message had been somehow heard.

His face broke into a relieved smile when he saw her. He couldn't get to her, but she was okay. That was enough to boost his spirits and determination.

Rose bit her lip, paused, and then mouthed 'I will find you.' The Doctor grinned, shook his head, and replied. 'Not if I find you first'. He winked at her, and she smiled. A ray of light in the darkness.

The Doctor watched as Rose kissed the tips of her fingers and held the hand up to him in a gesture of goodbye. He copied her, and then she was gone, through another doorway into the shadows.

There had to be way to get to that level. If she could get there, then she was, at least, on his track. Then maybe it would be easier to find him and get out. Two minds were better than one – three hearts better than one, too.

She froze as shots rang out. Not near her, somewhere else – somewhere behind her, in the direction of the warehouse.

There was only one other person who would be shot at.

Oh god.

A sudden image came to mind. The Doctor, lying still, a wound in his chest…bleeding onto the ground, a victim of the Toymaker and his screwed up world.

Rose found she was crying as she slid through a door into another room. It wasn't true, not until she found him and saw it with her own eyes. She had to believe she could get through this – that they both could.

She had to reach him. Flying down another corridor, heart pounding, ears open for the heavy tread of a guard, Rose almost cried aloud in relief as she saw stairs that had to lead to the next level.

She took them two at a time; heart leaping up in her throat as she almost fell. She carried on, staying close to the wall, her fear kept at bay by a steel determination. Ahead of her, she could see the crate, which the Doctor had been behind. She was almost there – and so he couldn't be to far away, either. She was almost at the crate when a small movement caught her eye.

Ahead of the crate was a corner. And on the wall was a small red dot.

One of those guards was coming.

Rose ran back to a doorway she had passed a few steps back, creping into the shadows as the footsteps kept coming – into the same room. Rose backed out another doorway into another dark room, as the footsteps retreated. She had escaped again – how much longer could she do it?

She turned to go out into a corridor, but froze as she saw a guard standing just down from the door, idly leaning against the wall, gun ready.

Rose crept backwards; silently praying the figure couldn't hear her thumping heart. She was clear of him but kept her silent movement as much as she could. As she turned to head out another door to another room, hands grabbed from the shadows before her. She was pulled tightly against someone; the scream of terrified surprise that ripped from her silenced in its early stages by the feel of lips against her own. Half a second was all it took for realisation to set in and she relaxed against the Doctor as they broke the kiss and stood in the darkness together. His arms were tight around her as she buried her head into his shoulder.

"I was so afraid something had happened."

"I know. So was I."

Standing together, hidden in the shadows of a room where death patrolled outside, Rose felt safe. It was as if, for a moment, the danger was gone, everything was still and they were the only people here. She had heard shots while running, tried to dislodge that horrible mental picture which had risen unbidden – and now, he was here.

"I heard shots."

"A distraction, Rose. That's all it was. Let's get out of this nightmare. I know where the door is – it's through here…"

Rose felt a surge of love for the Time Lord – he had come back for her. She could've probably made it to the door alone, sure, but she was silently grateful for his return. She held his hand tightly as he led her through two or three more rooms, and a mad dash across a corridor behind the back of a guard (for some reason Rose felt invincible as the passed silently behind him. The threat of death seemed to have vanished, replaced with a sense that they could go anywhere or do anything. She felt it when she was with him) before going through to a room with a familiar white door.

As they passed through the now open door, all fear and danger fell away - they had made it. Rose ignored the new room, throwing her arms around the Doctor and just standing, safe and silent, within his embrace.

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There we go – I hope that was a little more action-packed and cooler than the mundane key-sorting that preceded it. I wanted to turn up the heat a little and give a feel for the kind of sadistic maniac that the Toymaker is.

Reviews make my day brighter!