Author's Note: This is the second to last chapter. The last time the Doctor was there for Rose after a nightmare. So enjoy the fluffyness, because the next and final chapter is straight up angsty. This takes place after Fear Her and during another scene that would be spoilers if I told you about it so you'll just have to read it and see if you can figure it out for yourselves :). By the way, did anyone catch the reference to Love and Monsters in the last chapter? Cyber cookies to anyone who did :) Enjoy the last fluffy chapter! And as always, please let me know what you think.

Chapter 5

The last time Rose had a bad dream on-board the TARDIS, it was unexpected.

She awoke with a sharp gasp and later marveled at how normal it was compared to all her other dreams on the TARIDS. But it still shook her up. Nightmares are things that live in the moment, so it doesn't really matter that you've had worse, because just then, in that moment, that one is your worst. She vaguely wondered if she was going to have a nightmare every time something happened to the Doctor from now on. That wouldn't be very convenient, seeing as he got into trouble on a daily basis. She hadn't had a nightmare in a while, though. Ever since the Doctor had fixed her nightmares from Krop Tor she had been blissfully free of bad dreams of any sort. But apparently the fright of losing the Doctor again had been enough to bring one back.

As soon as she had shaken herself free of the leftover dream haze she climbed out of bed and got dressed. She was still tired, but she needed to see the Doctor. Without her even realizing it he had become an inseparable companion to her bad dreams. Whenever there was a nightmare, there was the Doctor to chase it away and make it better again. And this time was no different. By the time she got to the console room she was barely trembling. The Doctor noticed it right away though.

"Hey," she said as she came shuffling in, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Hey!" he looked up from where he was fiddling enthusiastically but his face turned worried as soon as he laid eyes on her. "What's wrong?" he stood up quickly and walked over to her.

"I had a nightmare," Rose said quietly but with no hesitation or shyness. Her arms wrapped themselves tighter across her chest unconsciously. The Doctor's reaction was immediate. He closed the gap between them with a few steps and pulled Rose into himself by her shoulders. Rose untangled her arms from her midsection and wrapped them around him instantly. The effect was just as swift. Rose took a deep breath as she readjusted her head to rest just below his chin and relished the feel of his arms tight against her back. Her shaking melted away into the heat emanating from his embrace. There wasn't a safer place in her whole world than right there, right then, surrounded by her Doctor's arms.

"It wasn't the uh… the really bad one, was it?" An edge of worry tinted his voice, arms readjusted to support her better.

"No," Rose replied quickly. Then unwrapped her arms and leaned back to look him in the eye. "That one's all gone. I can't even remember it, thanks to you I suspect." She smiled, her worries and fears forgotten.

"Are you alright?" he said as he gazed down at her.

She nodded. "I am now," she replied with a smile. She inhaled deeply through her nose and sat down on the console chair. The Doctor followed, sitting down next to her. He put his arm around her. Rose tucked her legs up under herself and leaned into the crook between his arm and chest, content to just enjoy his presence in silence. It was all she needed to banish the evils of the dream.

"What was it about?" the Doctor asked after a few minutes. Rose thought that the question should have seemed strange, since he had never asked her directly about her dreams before, but it didn't. They were too familiar with each other for anything to seem strange at this point. So she answered him truthfully.

"You," she paused to take a deep breath as the Doctor looked down at her head on his chest. A frown spread over his face and he began rubbing circles on her arm with his thumb. "I dreamed that you were still trapped in that Isolus drawing and I couldn't get you out," she gestured lazily as she spoke. "Then that scary nightmare dad of Chloe's started to burn the house down with you inside it and there was nothing I could do. I woke up right as the fire was about to burn you up." She still remembered how scared she had been, but she could feel the Doctor rubbing her arm and she could hear his hearts beating beneath her head, and the dream held no power over her at all. She told him about it in a matter of fact way, with no tremble or tremor making its way into her voice.

A strand of her hair fell down into her eyes and she leaned off of the Doctor with another relaxed breath to brush it away from her face and tuck it back behind her ear. The Doctor unwound his arms from around her back as she wrapped her own arms around her legs and tilted her head on her knees to look at him. She smiled and he smiled back, just enjoying gazing at her face.

"OOh!" he suddenly burst out and dashed over to the other side of the console. "I have a brilliant beyond brilliant idea!" Rose giggled and popped up onto her feet as he started dashing around in circles.

"What is this brilliant beyond brilliant idea?" she teased in a sarcastic tone. "I hope it doesn't involve getting into trouble because I still need to finish my sleep cycle. I didn't like how it went last time I skipped my sleep." A playful and excite smile lit up her face. The Doctor loved that he could make her smile like that and he gave her a goofy smile of his own in return as he pulled down a lever dramatically.

"Rose Tyler! Now when have I ever done such a thing!?" he pretended to be offended then his face split into a manic grin again. "NAH! This is much better than running around and getting into trouble."

"Oh? Well, what is it then?" her tongue pocked out between her teeth, just as they felt the familiar jolt of the TARDIS landing.

"See for yourself," he grinned at her and gestured towards the doors. Rose grinned back and walked over to the doors, she was still too tired to put her energy into skipping but her excitement bled through just as strongly. The Doctor joined her at the doors and put a hand on the latch with a soft smile. Rose linked her arm in his and looked up at him expectantly.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Always," she replied and with one last grin the Doctor opened the doors with a flourish and they both stepped out together.

Rose looked away from the Doctor to take in the new scene around her. When she did, she couldn't help the soft gasp that escaped her. They had landed on a round strip of rocky land surrounded on two sides by rocky cliffs. But the rocks had a smooth look to them. Behind them was an arch formed by the same rocks but the view towards the front was what took her breath away. Countless arches and other rock formations spread out into the distance, surrounded at their base by dark waters. The solitary sun was setting behind them and flying through the air around them were some kind of creatures that looked like sting rays. They were gliding through the air with the same grace as if they were floating through water.

She stepped out of the TARDIS and her arm fell out of the Doctor's as she walked farther out to get a full view of the sunrise displayed in front of her eyes. She couldn't look away. The Doctor on the other hand couldn't look away from her, absorbing the scene through her eyes. He stepped out behind her and then stood by her side, hands in his pockets as he finally tore his gaze away from her face and looked out across the view.

Everything about the moment was so peaceful and perfect. They didn't hold hands, but they didn't need to. Rose laughed softly and began swaying contently from side to side, biting on her lip unconsciously. The Doctor was suddenly struck with just how perfect the moment was. He looked over to Rose and asked,

"How long are you going to stay with me?" Rose looked over at him when he spoke and there wasn't a single trace of hesitation as she responded immediately,

"Forever." They smiled at each other and went back to watching the sunrise. It didn't matter that they both knew that her promise was impossible, because in that moment, they both believed it was true.