Author's Note: This chapter takes place after New Earth.

Chapter 2

The second time Rose had a bad dream onboard the TARDIS, it hurt.

Her head had been aching even before she went to bed. She had hoped that she would be able to sleep it off, but that clearly had not been the right idea. Nothing was right. Everything was wrong. But she didn't know why or what or who. It was so confusing it hurt, and it didn't help the steadily increasing physical pain she felt inside her head. It wasn't a normal headache. She could tell because it wasn't concentrated to one area of her head, instead it enveloped her whole mind.

As the pain grew so did her awareness that she was dreaming and that something was trying to push its way through the haze of utter confusion that enveloped her. She felt its presence grow larger and larger until it felt like her head was going to explode from its size.

In the console room, the Doctor looked up from his fiddling when he heard a noise. He listened intently until he heard it again: a tiny whimper full of pain. He stood up and made his way to Rose's room briskly, all the while the whimpers were growing louder and closer together.

Just when Rose felt like her whole body would burst from the pressure inside her head something tore at her and she screamed in pain as the presence in her mind ripped a hole through her mind and came tearing out.

The Doctor stood outside Rose's room. He had tried knocking but there had been no response. Rose wasn't whimpering anymore, she had gone quiet, and he didn't want to disturb her if whatever had been bothering her had faded away. But then suddenly, she screamed, and his spine turned to ice even as he rushed into her room calling her name.

Everything faded out, all the confusion and distractions disappeared in the wake of the ripping pain in her mind and she collapsed, praying that she would lose consciousness to escape the pain even though she knew she was already asleep. But almost as quickly as it had ripped through her mind the form escaped from the crack and healed it behind itself.

And then she recognized what it was, and she gasped in fear. She had thought it was gone. The Doctor had taken the power out of her, but apparently some part of it had survived and was now fighting for presence fiercely. The confusion returned, but this time it was accompanied by a feeling that her mind was infinitely expanded and the expanse scared her. She cried out in confusion and fear.

"Doctor!" The Doctor's hands moved from shaking Rose's shoulders to her head and he cradled it desperately. Her face was contorted in pain, and her body was convulsing violently. Her eyes were screwed tightly shut and now she had started calling his name in between her frantic gasps for air.

"Rose! Rose, wake up! Wake up! Come on, Rose. Rose!"

Everything swirled around her at incredible speed. Everything. Memories, some from only days ago and other ones she didn't even know she still had, names, faces, information, tastes, touches, and smells. Everything swirled around her all at once and drowned her. All she could do was screw her eyes closed and squeeze her head between her hands in an attempt to block it all out as she called the Doctor's name.

The Doctor was beginning to panic. He couldn't get her awake, she just wouldn't wake up. He stayed calm though, knowing that if he was scared, then Rose would be terrified. He had to wake her up. He couldn't stand to see her in so much pain, so he did the only thing he could think of that he had left. He called her name one last time before he repositioned his hands gently on both sides of her head, fingers on her temples, and closed his eyes.

Through the haze, Rose felt something else seep through and call to her. It was familiar but she couldn't focus on it. It was still distant and remote compared to the torment and pain consuming her. But it grew quickly, and within moments she recognized the Doctor's voice calling to her softly but urgently, and felt the strength that she needed to wretch herself out of her dream wash over her.

Rose let out one last gut wrenching cry and then, with a violent gasp, her eyes burst open and she bolted upright in her bed. The Doctor jumped back with her but kept his hands on her head in a firm but not rough hold. Rose's eyes shrunk and then dilated and she looked around but her stare went right through the Doctor who was holding her head so that her face was right in front of his own.

"Rose! Breathe! Breathe, just breathe," he coaxed as her breath came in out of control, painful breaths. Another stab of pain made her seize up and screw her eyes shut with another cry.

"Rose! Look at me," the Doctor readjusted his grip on her head and forced her chin back up so she was facing him. "Look at me," he repeated firmly but gently. Rose's hands came up to his own and grasped them tightly. He shifted them again thinking that he was hurting her but she only tightened her grip on them as she finally took a long breath. "Rose, open your eyes. Look at me."

The creases in her forehead relaxed and her eyes opened a fraction, but she inhaled sharply and closed them again.

"My head… It hurts," she breathed.

"It's the after effects of nearly being compressed to death by Cassandra," the Doctor spit out bitterly, but then his voice softened. "I'm sorry Rose, I'm so sorry. But please, open your eyes. Just look at me. Please."

Rose's head was pounding and she gripped the Doctor's hands even tighter, desperately trying to fight the pain somehow. She forced herself to open her eyes and was met with the sight of the Doctor kneeling down in front of her, staring at her intensely. Seeing his face calmed her and she managed to inhale deeply, and let it out in a long, shaking breath. She focused her attention on him and his hands that were gripping her head. It was then that she noticed she was trembling.

"You're alright. The pain will stop in just a moment. Your brain was trying to fight its way back out from the corner where it had been shoved, breaking walls along the way. It's going to hurt. But you're ok now. Just breathe. Just keep breathing and looking at me. You'll be fine."

Rose's eyes were frantic and her breathing was still quick and forced, but even as the Doctor soothed her she felt the pain easing away to be replaced with pure exhaustion. Her vice-like grip on his hands loosened and she suddenly practically fell into the Doctor's arms with a tight hug which the Doctor returned full force.

She stayed like that for a while, clinging to him and forcing herself to breathe deeply now that she didn't feel like her chest would rip apart with every intake of breath. A while later the Doctor pulled her back and took her face in his hands again, but this time it was a gentle comfort rather than a restraining hold.

"Are you ok?" he asked, searching her face intently.

"No," Rose replied honestly with a hoarse and shaky voice. "But much better than…before."

"Good," he replied and pulled her back into a more gentle hug.

"Doctor," Rose said, sounding hesitant and frightened.

"It's over Rose. It won't happen again, I promise," he assured her stroking her hair.

"No, that not it," she said, though she was relieved to hear that the ordeal was over.

"What is it?" the Doctor said as he pulled her back. He searched her face once more and found hesitance and fear bleeding through. His expression became even more worried, if that were possible at this point. Rose hesitated. "Rose, tell me. What is it?"

Rose was about to tell the Doctor about Bad Wolf and how it had figured into her dream and her pain, but just as she was opening her mouth to tell him, she talked herself out of it and said instead, "Stay?"

The Doctor looked relieved and pulled her back into a hug once more. "Of course," he replied.