Warning: This chapter contains spoilers for Doomsday. I assume you have all seen it, and that won't be a problem. Probably 2 more chapters left to go.

Ghosts… The human race could be a right bunch of nutters, when left to their own devices. Why wouldn't anyone search for a better explanation for the noncorporeal apparitions that sodding ghosts? Alien interference as an explanation could be completely rational, but poltergeists from beyond the grave?… That's just preposterous. The only race that could conjure deceased spirits were the Tooshleths. But since they were already nebulous gaseous life forms to begin with, it was virtually impossible to tell the 'ghosts' from the living Tooshleths. Besides, the only way that they could achieve such a feat, was that gas couldn't really die by conventional standards in the first place. No, this must be related to the dimensional rift… Void stuff… He would have to find a pair of 3D glasses soon.

"Ah-ha! Here's what I was looking for!" He strapped on the rucksack he had found and grabbed the chorded modulator socket… Ironic, a bit, how it looked so much like the Ghostbusters pack. He chuckled thinking back to Bad Wolf's bad joke about Zuul. He could laugh about the paradox box now, it had all worked out for the best. "Oooo... paradox box, I like that. It rhymes!"

Rose walked across the grating above him. "According to the paper, they've elected a ghost as MP for Leeds. Now don't tell me you're going to sit back and do nothing."

How could he resist such an easy gag? Obvious answer there, he couldn't! The Doctor popped out from under the console floor with a: "Who ya gonna call?"

"Ghostbusters!" Answered Rose, merrily.

"I ain't afraid of no ghosts!" And why shouldn't they be merry? Rose was practically immortal now, he could keep her! Really truly keep her! Her forever had just gotten significantly longer, so long as they kept up with regular shagging. A 'sacrifice' he was waaaay more than willing to make. Nothing could ruin his good mood, not even Jackie Tyler. The Doctor stepped back out of the Tardis to where Jackie was standing, waiting for them. "When's the next shift?"

Jackie replied: "Quarter to. But don't go causing trouble. What's that lot do?"

It was true, he did nothing quite so well as causing trouble. The 'lot' she was referring to were the three conical coordinate detectors that he was setting up. He would be using them in an attempt to catch one of those so-called 'ghosts'. "Triangulates their point of origin."

Rose came up behind them. "I don't suppose it's the Gelth"

Smart as a whip, his Rose... But unfortunately, this was much bigger than the Gelth. "Nah... They were just coming through one little rift. This lot are transposing themselves over the whole planet. Like tracing paper."

"You're always doing this. Reducing it to science. Why can't it be real? Just think of it, though. All the people we've lost. Our families coming back home... Don't you think it's beautiful?" Jackie, not so smart, but she was beginning to grow on him… a little. Any woman that could produce Rose couldn't be all bad.

"I think it's horrific." That ought to shut her up for a while, he thought. Jackie hadn't grown on him that much, not to the point that he wanted to hear her mindless drivel.

…

So those ghosts? They turned out to be legions of cybermen crossing the void from Mickey's universe. They were pulled through the rift that had been created by an ominous spherical void ship. However, the cybermen were not the biggest problem they were currently facing. That blasted void ship had contained a group of daleks, protecting a Genesis Ark. Sweet bumbling Mickey had accidentally activated the Genesis Ark, but Rose couldn't hold that against him. If it hadn't have been opened by Mickey, the daleks might've blown up the sun in order to do so… This way, they had more time to deflect the tremendous threat.

Thousands of daleks were pouring out of the Genesis Ark. Luckily, (If one could consider cybermen lucky.) the cybermen were providing a distraction for the emerging daleks, as they fought for control of the Earth. Most humans were able to temporarily seek cover. Just as everything was appearing hopeless, her wonderful Doctor had come up with a plan to open the Void in reverse, and suck back in the daleks and the cyberman alike. Anything tainted by the void would be pulled back in. Since she and the Doctor had crossed into the alternate universe a few months prior, they were also at risk. In an effort to protect her from the Void, he had tried to send her to the safety of the parallel universe with her Mum and Mickey… Silly Doctor, sending her away to protect her hadn't worked on the Game Station, and it wasn't going to work at Canary Wharf either. She would fight by his side until the bitter end.

"Once the breach collapses, that's it. You will never be able to see her again. Your own mother!"

"I made my choice a long time ago, and I'm never going to leave you. So what can I do to help?" Rose meant every word. She loved her Mum, but she had Pete now. Her Doctor needed her in this universe, he didn't have anyone else. But he would never have to tumble through space and time alone again, not as long as she had anything to say about it.

After some quick recalibrations of Torchwood's computer terminal, they anchored magnagrips to the walls near the two levers that would re-open the breech. Cybermen were coming up the stairs from the floor below them, they were running out of time to put their plan into action.

"When it starts, just hold on tight. Shouldn't be too bad for us but the Daleks and the Cybermen are steeped in Void stuff. Are you ready?"

"So are they." Rose said, when she caught sight of a few furious daleks hovering just outside the window.

The Doctor took note of them too and shouted: "Let's do it!"

Simultaneously, they activated their respective levers before locking their arms around the magnagrips. A blinding light engulfed the wall behind them as the breach opened. Powerful gusts of wind began being sucked into the void and Rose tightened her grip to avoid being pulled in. The daleks outside the window crashed through the glass and flew past her into the nothingness.

"The breach is open! Into the Void! Ha!" The Doctor taunted them as they rushed past.

The forces pulling at her were relentless, but she wouldn't perish like this. After all they had been through securing their future; she was not going to give up, not now. Daleks and cybermen flew past in her peripheral vision, but she did not take her eyes off the Doctor across the room. Hold on, she told herself, hold on just a big longer. She was just beginning to think that they were going to make it out of this predicament unscathed, that is, until the lever holding the breech open on her side was pulled offline by the force of the portal.

It absolutely had to be put back online, or else this whole universe would be decimated by daleks. Even the Time War would have been for naught if daleks continued to maurade unchecked. There was no other race powerful enough to stop them anymore. There was no one left to fight against them, save for Rose and her Doctor… And fight, she would… Be strong, for him.

She let herself drop back to the lever. With the void only at half power, she was able to muster enough force to push the lever back online. Unfortunately, she was that much closer to the source when the void was opened back up to full strength, and the lever proved harder to hold onto. Soon it became evident that her weak human fingers couldn't maintain their grasp. It was too much, too overwhelming. She was going to slip, it was inevitable. Tears fell from her eyes as her tenuous grip on that dimension gave way.

A painful jerk caught her by the wrist, before she had time to accept her fate. Somehow her bracelet had gotten snagged on one of the pieces of the lever, and was cutting painfully into her skin. Her wrist was stuck in a tense flexed position due to the precarious way she was hanging from it. It will not break, she heard a version of herself saying. It will not break, it will hold fast… It may hurt, but it will not break… Be strong, for him...

Blood started streaming down her arm toward the breach as the chain cut deeper into her flesh. The excruciating pain was nothing compared to losing her Doctor, she told herself. She thought she felt something sinewy snap, but the blood was too thick for her to see how deeply the bracelet was carving. She realized then that she had been screaming in agony, but she was powerless to stop herself. The Doctor was panicking, yelling something at her desperately. Over the roar of the void and her own cries, she couldn't make out what he was saying. The rate at which she was losing blood was unsustainable, and she fought to maintain consciousness. Every second that passed, the bracelet severed through more of her wrist. Please let my bones be strong enough to support me for just a moment longer. Be strong, for him… Another snap, more blood, less feeling… Be strong, for him…

It was as if she were watching herself from above, it was easier to observe than participate in the searing pain… Floating, detached, suspended indefinitely… Her out of body experience came to an abrupt end when the void finally shut, and she crashed down to the floor. The Doctor leapt from his magnagrip on the wall to her side the instant the portal closed. Her head was reeling and reddened shapes danced across her field of vision; they threatened to consume her.

"Rose, Rose… Stay with me… You're losing a lot of blood."

"I can't… I can't feel my fingers." He ripped off his tie, and wrapped it around her forearm as tightly as he could.

"It's going to be ok… Everything is going to ok, I'm here… MEDIC!"

"Did we win? Am I still with you?"

"We won, Rose. I'm here..." All she could see was the blinding blue light of his sonic screwdriver. "Stay with me, I'm going to cauterize the wound... SOMEONE BRING ME SOME SURGICAL SHEARS!"

At some point, someone injected her with something to dull the pain, but her mind was so dull already that she had lost all feeling. Blurry people rushed back and forth with reddened cloth and hot water. All she wanted to do was close her eyes and let this be a dream. Tingly, restful, blackness beckoned to her, but she refused to give in. Rose was positive that she wasn't lucid, but it took every bit of strength she had left to stay somewhat conscious. Be strong, for him…

...

While watching the scene unfolding in front of her, Rose felt a phantom pain shoot up her left arm. She looked down at her bionic hand and flexed her mechanical fingers. Its flawless fabrication was thanks to her dear Doctor, of course. He had made her this hand so that she could be complete once more. Ironically, without the meticulous precision afforded by her prosthetic, she would have been unable to recreate the silver bracelet. Perhaps it was not ironic, but intentional. She shook her head, oh Bad Wolf, and her deliberate manipulation of destiny. Rose reflected on the way time intertwined itself throughout her life, it was mysterious, strange and utterly beautiful. Big ball of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff indeed.

"Is it done then?" A gruff voice came up from behind her, just as they were strapping the younger Rose onto a stretcher. Her tie tourniquet had been replaced with a standard rubber one, and the bleeding had all but stopped. Thankfully.

"Yeah, the paradox is a closed loop."

"So it is…" From the shadows, they watched the tribulations of the younger couple, hand in hand. It was hard to witness the anguish of their former selves, but at the same time it was somewhat cathartic. When they had seen enough, the two companions turned to leave before someone noticed them. He asked: "Did you really say that I'm not as foxy now as I was then?"

"Well, maybe if you'd trim your ear hair from time to time."

"So, if I trim my ear hair, I'll be foxy again?"

"No, but you'll do a better job eavesdropping and you won't have to ask me to repeat myself." She gave him one of her impetuous tongue touched smiles.

"Oh! Shut up."

"Quit your pouting! You know I'll always find you sexy. You're my silver fox now...And I love you just the way you are." Rose leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah... Ditto." The Doctor squeezed her good hand tightly and almost grinned.

This version of him wasn't overly romantic, but she knew his hearts still beat only for her. Plus, he was endlessly fun to tease, and shamefully easy to confound. "Well, come on then, Mr. Foxy... Clara's waiting for us."