Rose felt something coming to her in her sleep. It was eager and impatient and tinted slightly with worry. It was a light that wove its way inside of her and coaxed her towards consciousness. It was familiar to her and she recognized the feel of it. It was calling out to her, urging her to wake up. She felt herself respond to that, wanting to be awake like it asked but she was finding it a slow and painful process at that moment. Sleep was heavy on her and part of her just wanted to move towards that and let it take her. But the other force was persistent, needed her, wanted her and would not be ignored.

With some pain she did wake up and when she opened her eyes the Doctor's were staring back at her. He was the one, of course, who had been in her head trying to reach her. She was glad for that and for the hand that was holding hers and she smiled at him. He smiled back but there was something troubled in his expression she couldn't quite place.

"Wh...what happened?" she asked in confusion.

"I could ask you the same thing," he teased gently, squeezing her hand.

"Yeah...but I don't have any answers," she said groggily, trying to push herself up into a sitting position.

He laughed softly and helped her sit up in the bed. She noticed that she was in the infirmary of the TARDIS now and it all came rushing back to her. She remembered the dark presence that had been with them and the pain and their connection being interrupted. She remembered the Doctor, his hearts no longer beating and his light no longer shining. She thought she had lost him but somehow he was here standing right in front of her.

Remembering it all, she quickly reached out and took his face in her hands stroking his cheeks with her fingers and taking a good long look at him. "I thought I had lost you," she whispered quietly, the words difficult. She felt so happy to have him here with her again but she also felt like crying when she remembered what it had felt like to lose him if only temporarily.

"I'm right here," he assured. "Right as rain," he added with a smile.

"Your light…it was completely gone. Your hearts weren't beating."

"Everything is alright now," he said soothingly. "You gave me just the jump start I needed."

"What happened to us? It felt like someone else was there."

She watched as the Doctor's smile faded. She saw a hint of anger pass over it before he could push it away. He smiled again but this time it didn't reach his eyes. "It seems that our thief of thoughts wasn't ready to give up on me quite yet."

"What do you mean?"

"While we were joined he decided he was going to try and finish what he started."

"But you weren't asleep. I thought his victims had to be asleep for him to try it."

"I think that is the only way he can actually be successful at it. But it seems he got desperate and tried it anyway. It didn't work, of course. It was much too harsh; way too much agony for a person to handle while they were conscious. That's why he needed to do it while people were unconscious and distracted by their dreams. While a person is awake, they're in too much pain to endure long enough for him to get what he wants. I guess he thought he could take a short cut but it didn't work."

The Doctor was talking about everything so casually as if they weren't discussing an event that had nearly led to his death. She couldn't believe that the person who had almost killed the Doctor once had returned to try again. "So, that's what broke off our bond…what made you…" she said, letting the words trail off. She couldn't manage to finish the sentence.

"Yes," he said taking one of her hands in his own and giving it a good squeeze. "He came after me and my thoughts but you were linked to me at the time. That's why you felt such too pain and why we were torn apart. The pain of it is too much for a person to bear; even second hand it was almost too much for you," he said looking at her with concern at the memory.

"Why didn't you regenerate?"

"The Time Lords weren't immortal. Just nearly. We die and then regenerate into a new life but there are some limits. Some things make it difficult to regenerate and some things are even too great to come back from. An injury to the mind is more complicated than an injury to the body. I don't even have a lot of experience in this area since attacks on the mind were considered such a heinous crime; they did not happen often. I guess this injury was too extensive for me to be able to focus enough to regenerate and come back from on my own."

"It was such a close call."

"Yes, it was," he said staring at her meaningfully. His eyes betrayed the way he was feeling and she knew he was thinking about how close she had come to being killed in the process as well. "It was a mistake too. Because I was conscious when he attempted his attack I now know who he is and where he is. Now I can end this," he said. His voice was angry but grave. He was eager to catch the killer and stop him hurting anyone else but he was reluctant to find out the means it might require to bring justice.

"Doctor," she started nervously, "something strange happened and I don't know what it was."

"Like what?" he asked, a serious look on his face. He looked a little nervous himself, almost as if he was worried about what she would say.

"Something happened while you were…after your hearts stopped beating. I thought you were dead and something happened to me."

"Go on," he encouraged.

"It was like a fire was inside of me, it was like a burning from inside of me. But it wasn't like anything else I've ever experienced."

"Did it hurt?"

"Yes. I was so hot and it felt so powerful like it could destroy me. And yet-"

"And yet, you weren't afraid of it," he finished.

Rose's brow furrowed in confusion, wondering how the Doctor could know that. "Right. I wasn't afraid of it."

"You probably even helped it along. You probably felt like you needed it."

"Yes. Doctor, how did you know that?"

The Doctor took her hands and smiled at her kindly. But she felt uneasy, wondering what he was about to say. "I know because I've felt it myself many times. It's brought me back to life on numerous occasions, just like it did today."

Nerves made Rose's stomach flip and flop and made her heart beat rapidly. "What are you saying?" she asked her voice starting to shake.

"Rose, it was regeneration energy."

Rose remembered those wisps of energy that had hovered out of her hands. She hadn't questioned what was going on while it was happening; she'd only calmly let some unknown instinct guide her. Somehow, she had known that those orange and yellow waves would bring life but she hadn't thought about how she had known that. How could she have forgotten? She had seen that strange glow before. She had seen it when the Doctor had regenerated in front of her eyes.

She shook her head. But this wasn't the Doctor they were talking about; this was her. This had happened to her body and she was human. Humans didn't regenerate.

"Doctor, I don't understand. Regeneration energy? That…that can't be."

The Doctor sat down on the bed beside her. She wasn't sure why but she had the overwhelming urge to cry. She wasn't sad but it felt like something big was about to happen; it felt like something significant was changing. "I'm afraid," she said quietly, breathing deeply to control the flood that was building within her.

"You don't need to be," the Doctor quietly reassured, his hands still holding hers. She was afraid but she felt a sense of peace and calm come over her. She knew the Doctor was sending it to her. But under it she could feel that he was nervous as well.

"What's wrong with me?"

"There's nothing wrong with you."

"Then why do I have regeneration energy?"

"Rose," he began. "You have felt yourself changing ever since we started bonding our minds, right?"

"Yes," she agreed hesitantly.

"The bonding has been changing your mind ever since we started it. As a human you were born with telepathic abilities but they were dormant. Your race doesn't use or exercise them. But because of the time me and you spend together, you are using them. You are growing stronger and pushing the boundaries of what you can do. That has changed your mind a lot."

"I knew that…but I didn't know it had changed me physically."

"It didn't. The bonding has changed your mind but not your body. I was aware of the mental changes and I guess I let myself become so focused on that I didn't notice that there were ways you were changing physically too."

"I don't understand."

"When you looked into the time vortex it changed you. I didn't realize it at the time. After I took it out of you and you revived safely I thought that was the end of it. When you seemed alright I didn't think it had left a lasting change on you. But I should have known it would; I should have checked more thoroughly."

Rose looked down, thinking about the Doctor's words. It took her longer than she meant it to for her to speak again.

"It's alright if you're upset about this. It's a lot to take in," he said encouragingly.

"Is that the only reason I am telepathically skilled? Am I only good at this, all these skills, because it changed me into something else?"

The Doctor looked surprised but relieved that this was what was bothering her. "No. No, not at all. That is all you. You're good at it because you're amazing. What I mean when I say that it changed you, I mean it changed you physically. Your mental strength and abilities are all your own."

She was glad to hear this. For some reason, it mattered to her that her mental strength and talents were her own. She didn't want to have to credit them to anything besides herself. She was relieved to know that she didn't have to attribute any of that to the time energy she'd taken. She was happy to know that apart from any change that might have happened to her, this she had achieved on her.

But what were the changes? "Am I…a Time Lord now?" she asked after a moment's pause but she wondered if it was a ridiculous thought.

He laughed slightly but his answer was a serious one. "No. You're still very human, Rose. But not completely. You're something somewhere in between the two," he said with affection.

She gave him a puzzled look and he continued. "You are still human," he reassured her again. "But there are things about you that are different than other humans. I'm sorry that I never saw it sooner; I should have. The regeneration energy is one of those things. When I woke up and realized what you had done to revive me it gave me suspicions."

"So…does that mean I can regenerate?" she asked. It felt so strange a question to ask. She couldn't believe that she was seriously asking it of herself.

"I don't think so, not like I do, exactly. I don't think you would be able to do a full regeneration into a new body. But from what I can tell you have enough of the energy in you that it could heal you if you were injured or if you got sick. Even with me today you gave me a little of that energy to restart my hearts. I think the same would be true if something were to happen to you. Like with my own, I think there would be limits to what it could to but I think it would be sufficient for almost any danger you might encounter. "

Rose couldn't quite believe it. It felt so bizarre to think about being this different. She supposed she shouldn't have expected to come away unchanged after taking the vortex into her but she just had not thought a lot about it. She hadn't felt that different after it had happened and she hadn't noticed any changes. She didn't know what to make of the fact that she had super human healing abilities now. It was peculiar to think that if she got sick or hurt that her body would heal itself from the inside with regeneration energy.

"Are there any other changes?" she asked, she managed to ask even though her head was still spinning from what the Doctor had just revealed. It was odd how calm she seemed about this and how unaffected she felt at the moment. She thought she should have some more emotions, any emotions, about this but she didn't.

The Doctor suddenly seemed uneasy about something and hesitant to tell her the rest. "What?" she asked, now feeling anxious instead of the strangely calm from a moment ago. "What is it?"

"It affected your aging."

"Affected it how?"

"It slowed it down dramatically. It slowed it so much, in fact, that it's practically nonexistent."

"I'm not aging anymore?"

"As far as my initial scans have shown it has nearly stopped."

"So…I'm going to live a lot longer?"

The Doctor smiled slightly. "I think it's safe to say that you will have a very long life, Rose."

His smile was reserved but she felt that he wasn't sad in delivering the news to her. He was holding himself back for some reason but her head was too full to figure out why.

She was quiet for a long time and it was like she couldn't process what he was saying exactly. She had almost completely stopped aging and she could now heal from nearly anything else that might try to kill her. She was going to live for a very long time. She meant to speak, meant to look at him and respond to this news, but she was frozen. It was such a surprise and a shock to her.

"It's alright if you have mixed feelings about this," the Doctor said quietly after a while when she still hadn't spoken. "It's alright if you even feel negatively about it. And even if you are happy about it, it's still alright to take some time. It's a big change and I would understand if it took you a while to adjust to it."

His words seemed to wake the emotions inside of her. The dam she felt must have been inside of her holding them back now seemed to break and let them come rushing out. She started to cry and it wasn't just a little bit; she was sobbing. She found herself shaking as they flowed out of her. She'd felt so little at the start but now she felt so much and all at once.

The Doctor reached out for her alarmed at the outburst but trying to remain calm. He placed his hands on her arms and rubbed comfortingly. She was sure he meant to pull her close but she was shaking so much she didn't think he could.

"It's alright to be upset," he soothed. "There are many who would not see a long life as a blessing. This is a completely normal reaction."

He meant what he said; she knew that for a fact. It was true that many might feel they had been dealt a curse instead of a blessing and they would feel upset upon learning they were going to live for a long time. And he was honest when he said he really wouldn't hold it against her if she felt that way; he wasn't upset right now even though he thought that was how she felt. But she could also feel that he was happy about this news. He was glad that she was going to be around for a long time.

Rose started to laugh even in the midst of her tears. Her reaction was ridiculous and she knew that she must look like a basket case. But she finally understood how she was feeling. She knew why she was crying and it wasn't sadness. It wasn't sadness because it was rising as happiness inside of her. She rushed to explain herself, so that the Doctor would understand.

"I'm not upset," she said finally looking up at him with a half cry and a half laugh.

He looked as if he didn't know what to do or think or say. He gave her a quizzical look which was rare to see considering the things he saw on a daily basis and didn't even bat an eye at. "It's O.K. really. You don't need to pretend."

"No, Doctor. Really," she insisted taking several deep breaths and trying to get control of herself. "I was overwhelmed at first but it's not because I was sad."

"Rose-"

"Maybe I should be upset. Maybe I will feel that way at times. By right now isn't one of them," she said drying her tears and smiling at him.

He seemed to relax a bit now. "Are you sure?"

"I'm very sure. I'm so happy."

He laughed a little and shook his head. "Humans…sometimes I think I will never understand your emotions. Crying out of happiness; what a strange thing that is."

She nodded her head and smiled at the silliness of it. "I was crying because I'm so relieved."

"Relieved about what?" he asked.

As much as she had composed herself there was waiver in her voice now and a fresh set of tears threatening her. "Relieved that you're not going to be alone."

The Doctor's face fell and he looked contemplative. He tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and looked like he was fighting his own emotions now.

Rose hadn't realized how much she had worried about that. It wasn't until now that she realized how great a burden her mortality had been to her. They had only spoken of it once, the time they'd fought about it during Sarah Jane's visit. At that point, she had realized how affected he was by her short life and after his reaction, she had never wanted to discuss it with him again. She had felt they needed to talk about it again but the harsh words he'd used to describe her aging process had kept her from ever bringing it up again.

When they had realized they were bonded she thought about it even more. The Doctor would have even more to lose when she would die. He would have a very short time with her by Time Lord standards and then he would be the one who would have to deal with the loss of their bond forever. She had worried what that would do to him and how he would be able to move on after that.

"I know we never really talked about it," she said quietly. "But I worried about my mortality and what would happen to you. Whenever I thought about…dying, I felt guilty to think that I would be leaving you behind. I knew I would be leaving you alone to bear a great loss on your own."

The Doctor looked sad remembering the past and thoughts of losing her. "We should have talked about it. I'm sorry."

"Did you ever think about it?"

"Of course I thought about it. But I was so happy when we were bonded," he said, smiling here as he remembered. "I was so happy that I could forget a lot of the sadness I had. But that fear remained; it even grew bigger when we were bonded. I wouldn't allow myself to dwell on it because if I had I wouldn't be able to appreciate what was; I'd have only feared losing it."

"So, I guess the 'Stuff of Legend' will have a long time together?" she said smiling.

He smiled back. "It certainly seems that way."

She reached out and he hugged her tight. She nuzzled her face against his shoulder and laughed and cried again but more softly this time. She didn't care anymore about the mix of them. The Doctor was alive and she was alive and they were going to have their long lives to spend together. It was a wonderful powerful thing to feel and she was happy in it.

And, if she wasn't mistaken, the Doctor might have been crying some happy tears himself.


"I can't believe this creep came back!" Jack said shaking his head.

The Doctor, Rose, Martha and Jack were all gathered in the console room. Rose and Martha sat on the jump seat while the Doctor stood and Jack walked slowly back and forth. The Doctor had just explained to Jack and Martha the most recent attack of their enemy. Of course, he was careful to leave out the personal details of what he and Rose were doing at the time it had occurred.

"Yeah, I guess he didn't intend on leaving his work unfinished," the Doctor said.

"I can't believe you almost died again," Martha said shaking her head.

"Very nearly killed us both," the Doctor said without thinking about what he was saying.

"He came after you too?" Martha asked turning to Rose. The Doctor looked over at them quickly, realizing his mistake.

"Well, no not exactly," Rose said shifting in her seat, feeling embarrassed by the question. "He came after the Doctor I just…got in the way."

"Got in the way how?" Jack asked.

"Rose and I were…uh…joined at the time," the Doctor said uncomfortably.

"Oh," Jack said a wide smile breaking out slowly across his face. "I see. Why didn't you just say so, Doc?"

"It isn't what you think," the Doctor said exasperated. "Rose and I were communicating telepathically at the time. This thief was after me but he hurt her in the process because her mind was connected to mine. But that was where he tripped up. Because I was awake when he attacked me, I was fully aware and now I know who he is."

"Who is he?" Martha asked.

"He's from the planet Crecelea. It was one of the three that I had narrowed the suspect down to based on ability alone but I didn't suspect it any more than the others because no one from that planet has ever done anything like this before."

"Have you interacted with these people before?" Rose asked.

"I did, a long time ago. Back before the war. But not much. They were very arrogant and prejudice and kept mostly to themselves. They were always highly skilled in telepathy, to a point I would say that their abilities exceeded those of my own people. But because of that they thought they were better than everyone else. They were always a very wise and academic society but they thought that gave them the right to isolate themselves from everyone else."

"Were they ever violent?"

"No. Like I said they hardly even interacted with other species. They thought most people below them, not even worthy of their time. Their greatest crimes really were pride and superiority. They were always on a quest for knowledge but I never knew any of them to steal that information from the heads of others."

"So, what we're dealing with is someone who's gone rouge?" Jack asked.

"Mostly likely, yes. It's been a long time since I've interacted with anyone from Crecelea but it's unlikely they would have changed so drastically since then. Besides, this person isn't even on Crecelea right now so it's likely he's either been exiled or run away."

"Great," Jack said clapping his hands together and looking eager. "Let's go and get this guy."

"We will. And by that I mean Rose and I will. You and Martha are going to stay here."

"Come on, Doc. There's no way I'm going sit around here while you guys go and face this guy alone."

"Yes, you are," the Doctor said firmly and seriously.

"I can help. I deal with people like this all the time."

"No you don't. Not like this. The person we're dealing with won't be fighting with weapons or physical strength. He will be fighting with his mind and I'm sorry but you are not equipped to fight him."

"Yeah but-"

"No, Jack. I'm serious," the Doctor insisted. "This guy is even more skilled than I am in telepathy. I need you and Martha to be safe and the only way that will happen is if you're away from him. I'm counting on you."

Jack looked very reluctant to agree but he eventually nodded his head.

"Are you sure you and Rose will be alright?" Martha asked with concern.

The Doctor paused for a second. Though he quickly put on a confident smile, Rose could feel that he had his doubts about it. It didn't happen very often but she could tell that he was worried about this one. But he turned to her and she could feel a shift in what he was feeling. "Together I think we'll be just fine," he said looking into her eyes as he answered Martha's question.

Rose smiled back at him. He was nervous about facing this threat but she could also feel he was gaining courage from her. He would have been even more anxious about this but some of that worry left him when he thought about having her by his side. She could feel that he doubted his ability to conquer this person with his own strength alone. But with her he knew he was stronger. He believed that together they would be powerful enough to win the fight.

She nodded her head slightly and silently joined the Doctor's side in this fight. "We have to end this," Rose said with determination as she turned to Jack and Martha. "He can't be allowed to continue this."

"But just in case," the Doctor said speaking up, his words directed at Jack. "If we don't return soon, you know what to do. You aren't to come after us," the Doctor said, the last sentence so quietly that it was almost impossible for anyone besides Jack to hear.

Jack's face was grave and serious but he nodded his head. "I understand."

"Good," the Doctor said, grateful. Rose could feel the relief he felt in knowing that least Jack and Martha's safety was guaranteed.

He took a deep breath and turned towards her. "You ready?"

"I'm ready," she said getting up and standing next to him.

Together they walked slowly to the doors of TARDIS leaving Jack and Martha behind them. But before the Doctor opened the door he turned suddenly to her. "You don't have to do this," he said urgently and quietly. She could tell he hoped to get her to stay behind. This was going to be dangerous and he was worried about her.

"Don't be daft," she said smiling at him. "We're the 'Stuff a Legend' together. Not separate. I'm sorry, Doctor, but you don't get to keep all of the fame for yourself anymore."

He smiled sheepishly and nodded slightly. Of course, he had known that wouldn't work; they didn't do anything on their own anymore. They were a team, now more than ever, and she was never going to leave him. "I'm relieved to hear that."

He held out his hand to her just as he always had and just as he always would. She gladly took it and held on. They each took a deep breath, strengthened by the hand in theirs and walked out to face one of their greatest enemies.