A/N: Well you've all astounded me again with the numerous story alerts and amazing reviews. Thank you so much by the way. Unfortunately, it only just occurred to me that the more people who like this story the more pressure there is on me to make it good. So I'm now experiencing just a mild panic, which is probably why this is about the fifth draft of this chapter. Hope it's okay.

Enjoy!

*PREVIOUSLY*

Shaking her head, she frowned, "As you know time moves faster there then it does in this Universe. It has been four years since the day your clone died, and she has become much different to the girl you once knew. She is now lost and truly destroyed. So why would she want to return to a man who repeatedly broke her heart and left her cursed. No Doctor, Rose Tyler is not returning...

... She is dying."

After the events of the Time War, he had been plagued by the voices of his people screaming his name in pain as they took their final breaths. The guilt of his actions weighed heavily on his soul and in remedy to this, he had run from them. For a while that had worked, whenever the guilt became too much he would block the voices out and choose another place within the vast Universe to explore.

It was a burden only he could carry, but for a while, Rose had shared that with him. She had held his hand and promised to help him run forever, but that had been when he was still naive enough to believe the Universe could be so kind.

She helped to quiet the voices, to find a silence within the cries of guilt. However, it was not until he had heard The Sister's words that he finally realised how much of a misguided fool he had been. He could not keep running from the guilt, and the silence he had craved and searched for was impossible without involving death.

And because of his foolishness and unwillingness to face his past Rose was dying. It was his fault entirely.

At this sudden moment of clarity the ghosts of the past returned with a vengeance so intense, it bought him to his knees. They taunted him; screaming the phrase 'Rose is dead' so forcefully that they began to blur the lines of his conscious thoughts until all he could hear was the sound of his hearts shattering.

Pools of water began to well behind his eyes waiting patiently for the time to begin their slow descent, but he refused to let the tears fall; instead gripping his hair and pulling at his scalp in desperation, willing his mind to block out the vicious cries.

Letting out a cry of anguish he repeated a mantra repeatedly feeling the strength in him begin to fight back. "I can save her", he whispered, bending forward and dropping his hands to the ground before him.

"Yes you can". The Sister answered stepping towards him and placing a hand onto his head. "There is still time to save her".

"Time", he scoffed, cringing at the pain in his head beginning to burn. The voices were becoming louder again.

"Yes Doctor, now let me help you". Tendrils of the light encasing her form moved down her hand and slowly began to seep into his head where she touched him. The sudden intrusion into his mind had him snapping his eyes shut and attempting to erect barriers, trying to keep his memories safeguarded.

The Sister almost let out a soft chuckle at his actions, "Relax Doctor, I already know everything you have done. I will not look, now concentrate on the light before you."

Her words calmed his fears and as much as he was still hesitant, he cautiously moved towards the blue light erupting from the darkness. Pushing his mind further, he finally reached the cloud and startled, as it seemed to envelope him. All of a sudden, he was drawn into the peace and comfort of The Sisters power, and the voices inside his mind seemed to fade away.

As his mind became more relaxed, he could hear the familiar sound of The Tardis' gentle hum. It brought him slightly more peace and he breathed a small sigh of relief. His eyes opened and he lifted one hand to his face, watching as a light blue light shone gently from his skin before it dissipated into the air.

He glanced up at The Sister whose eyes glowed with the power she held; her hand was no longer on his head, instead clasped in her other hand and held before her in the silent prayer once more. Closing his eyes he shook his head to clear it, the voices were still there marginally but this time they were much quieter. As he pulled back, he came to a stand, tilting his head to one side and straightening his shoulders.

"What did you do", he asked quietly.

"Your guilt surrounds you and burdens you heavily. When I told you of Rose Tyler's fate the wall you had built to block the voices crumbled because your pain became too much. I have merely rebuilt the wall."

"Rose" he whispered, moving over to the console and leaning heavily on his hands. Turning his head slightly he spoke, "how can I save her?"

"You wish to save her then."

"What", he said spinning back to face The Sister, frustration edging its way into his voice, "Of course I do, how you can ask me that?"

"You wanted to know why I'm here. I am to offer you a choice. You may complete your regeneration, or you may fix what you have broken."

"I don't want to change, and I need to fix this, if I can save Rose by staying this way then that's what I will do."

"Very well, but this will hurt".

"Why..." before he could finish a blue light engulfed him again flowing from The Sister and turning golden as it seeped into his skin. His skin tightened and the burning in his stomach returned causing him to let out a silent cry. As his arms shot out to the side, his head fell back and for a moment, he panicked; it felt like he was dying again. All too soon, it was over and the light vanished after being completely absorbed by his body. Breathing heavily his eyes widened as he slowly lowered his arms, moments passed before he raised a hand to his face.

"Do not worry Doctor you have not changed."

"Ah", stopping his movements his hand hovered over his lips before he lowered it back down to his side. "I, erm... I knew that, but you can never be too sure,and you're right that did hurt."

"I wonder though, are you fond of this form because you like it, or because Rose Tyler does?" She asked curiously.

Raising his eyebrows in surprise at the question, he could almost feel his cheeks reddening. It was ridiculous; this woman had managed to make him, a nine hundred year old Time Lord blush. Running a hand through his hair he looked away from her, "I like my hair", he answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Mm".

Ignoring the almost amused look on The Sisters face, he crossed his arms before repeating his earlier question. "How can I help Rose? She's in another Universe... wait, earlier you said she could have come back again, how?"

"How did she return last time?"

"You like answering a question with a question don't you." Not getting a response, he sighed and let his arms fall. "She said it was a dimension cannon, but I never got the chance to discuss it with her properly. The only reason she could have achieved that though is because of the tear in the void between the Universes."

"You are wrong; it was not the cannon which enabled her to return. It was the Vortex. Rose Tyler, in her desperation to return accessed the piece of the Vortex within herself, allowing her the ability to cross the Void unharmed."

"But that's imp-..."

"Do not say impossible", The Sister fumed interrupting him. "Nothing is impossible, and the sooner you learn that the better off you will be."

"Fine. Seeing as you keep insinuating you know more then me, tell me this... how would she have been able to return this time. The walls are closed and I know because I was the one to do it."

"Her power is growing stronger; it is the reason for her coming closer to death. Without you there to help her control it, she will burn herself to dust. However this power does mean she is the only thing outside of The Sister's who has the ability to pass between Universes unharmed."

"But according to you she won't." Leaning back against the console, he rested his hands inside his pockets, whilst staring intently at the floor. Moments passed before he finally spoke in a whisper, "does she know?"

"About the power she harnesses, yes she has an idea, about her ability to outlive any human, for certain."

Frowning he snapped his head up to look at The Woman questioningly, "She knows she can't die, how long..."

"... Has she known?" The Sister stated interrupting him again. At his nod she continued. "Since she lost you in the great Canary Wharf battle. In her world after you said goodbye the first time, she was injured, it would have been fatal but the power inside her healed her wound before she could take her last breath."

"She knew when she came back." Standing he paced over to the Captains chair and back to where he had leant against the console, clenching and unclenching his hands together as he walked. "Why didn't she say anything?" He asked brokenly, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration.

"She tried to, but you stopped her with the Meta-crisis on the beach."

"Rose chose him... she kissed him." He argued.

"No, she merely did what you wanted. Rose Tyler may seem to be merely human to you, but this power she has gives her the ability to sense your thoughts... not read them, merely sense the direction they head. She knew you wanted her to pick him."

"Why would she do that?" He asked baffled.

"Doctor, you really are blind to those around you. She loves you." She stated with a sigh.

"I know."

"No I don't think you do, because she loves you she chose to put you above herself. When she kissed him her soul was screaming for you to react, but you ran instead. Did you know that once you had vanished she tried to run after you?"

"Don't." He said forcefully through gritted teeth.

"Don't what... speak truthfully to you? If only you had owned up to what you feel Doctor none of this would have happened. Before you can save her you need to stop running."

"Fine."

"Is that it, no excuse?"

"There isn't one. I know what I did was wrong but I can't change the past, all I can do is fix this." He stated with a frown.

"Good, you are learning Time Lord. Now before you can save Rose Tyler you must collect the others".

"Pardon." He asked looking around confused.

"The other Children of Time. Jack Harkness, Martha Jones, Mickey Smith and Donna Noble."

"No Donna can't be a part of this; she'll die if she remembers."

"We have already restored her memories."

"How dare you? You could have killed her." He shouted stepping closer to The Woman.

"Do you really think we would be so careless? She is alive and well."

"She's happy, getting married and everything. I'm not going to destroy that". He argued vehemently.

"She was not truly happy. She was chained to a life she never deserved; she was the most important person in the Universe for one time. You must go and collect her."

"I can't..."

"Yes you can. Donna Noble is trapped inside her own mind. When you erased her memory, you merely pushed her to the back, creating a split in her personality. The Donna you saw is merely a second persona living in her body. All we have done is destroyed the cell you confined her too and rid her of the other personality."

"But... I..." he stuttered unable to comprehend how ridiculous he had been in all this. "Wait, how did I manage that?"

"It was not all you. At the time, you entered her mind the clone died in the alternate universe. This released the regeneration energy he held and therefore she was also freed from the energy. Had you waited a moment longer she would have been fine. However because she knew what you were going to do before it was done, as a reflex the Time Lord part of her tried to protect itself by creating another persona and pushing her memories to the back of her mind."

"Will she recall what has happened for the past year?" He asked horrified by the sudden prospect of condemning Donna to a private hell.

"She was not aware at the time; however by restoring her memories she has also been giving the knowledge of what has happened since she was trapped. Therefore, in a way, she will know everything, but she would not have suffered.

Groaning at the new information he rubbed his temple lightly with his fingertips, "this is turning into a terrible day..." looking up he waved his hand around in the air, as he continued, "Don't get me wrong I'm ecstatic that Donna is coming back but... everything is extremely out of control."

"Every action has a consequence Doctor; yours are just coming together all at once."

Nodding he dropped his hands and sighed, "Okay, so I need to collect Donna and then all of the others, after the moments I chose to see them today of course. Right, there was something else..." Running his hands through his hair, he walked a few steps forward before lowering his hands and spinning back to The Sister, "aha... why do I need them with me exactly. Not that I'm complaining."

"They all hold an ability which will help you in the final battle. Jack Harkness is immortal and good in tough situations, Martha Jones is medically trained and a loyal fighter, Mickey Smith is good with technology and brave, Donna Noble is your best friend and has already saved the Universe once. You need them to help you find Rose Tyler who is the key to your hearts and your destiny."

"Mm... okay then." He said with a shrug of his shoulders, before moving over to the console.

"Before you begin your task Doctor, know this, you have exactly one month in earth time," she stated halting his movements.

Closing his eyes, he cringed as the next question left his lips. "What happens if I go over?"

"Then Rose Tyler dies."

A quiet descended over the Tardis as he registered the answer she had given him. Breathing in deeply he opened his eyes and resumed his walk to the console. "Right then best get to it."

"Then I bid you farewell Doctor", she said softly, waiting for him to turn around before nodding her head down gently in a small bow.

With a sincere smile he repeated the gesture, "Thank you, for everything."

"It was my pleasure; we have faith in you, all of you." As she finished the light surrounding her flared and she began to slowly fade, stopping the movement as The Doctor called out to her.

"Wait..." he cried holding a hand out to stop her. As she became more solid he stepped towards her, "I know this goes against everything I believe, but... you know the future... so do I, no... I mean... Rose doesn't die does she?"

The Sister smiled at his question, sympathy for him shining in her eyes; bowing gently once more the light engulfed her before she faded away, her parting words echoing around the room. "Only time will tell Doctor."

Raising his eyebrows, he stared mystified at the spot where the woman had been. "Well that was informative". Shaking his head, he continued over to the console and began to type in the coordinates for his first destination. Hand on the lever he smiled, strangely elated because Donna would be fine and this time when he saw her she would remember him.

"Get me to the church on time." he called out with a laugh before pushing the lever and moving The Tardis into action.

Through the void and into another Universe Rose Tyler slept in her room, a dream filled with torture and destruction echoed within the confines of her mind, whilst her eyes moved rapidly behind closed eyelids. Frowning in her sleep the shell of the human woman let out a small cry and a haunted whisper.

"Doctor."

A single tear fell from her eyes as she gripped the sheets around her tightly before letting out a small sob. Suddenly her room lit up with a soft blue glow and from the shadows stepped The Sister with her robe pulled up over her head to conceal her face. Reaching forward she placed a hand over the sleeping woman's forehead, letting blue tendrils of light pour from her fingertips and seep into Rose's skin.

Instantly she calmed and The Sister pulled her hand slowly away, a mournful look on her face as she began to fade away, but not before her whispered message echoed around the room.

"Hold on Rose Tyler... he is on his way... but you must hold on."

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