A/N Everyone knows what happens with everyone after the chat with Davros so I'm not going to re-write it because I want it all to stay the same and I just want to get on with the story. Also sorry, didn't have time to proof-read these two so i don't know how many mistakes are in them, hopefully not to many.

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Doctor Who because if I did Rose would have either not been pulled into the alternate universe or she would have stayed after Journey's End. Grr, wishful thinking.

Chapter 4: the Valiant Child

Previously

Rose shivered pulling away from the Doctor and staring fearfully into his eyes. Donna looked over to see identical tears glistening in their eyes, another sort of fear seeming to overcome both of them now… one that was almost more intense than the last.

'Doctor,' Rose spoke in a cracked voice barely above a whisper. 'It's happening again.'

Now

The Doctor stepped forward and, verging on violence, he grabbed the top of Rose's arms eyes blazing and Donna was amazed to find this was the first time she had ever seen him direct anger at Rose, even when he was only remembering her before all this had happened.

'Rose look at me,' he demanded as she stared at the TARDIS' grates, slowly raising her fearful eyes to his. His features immediately softened and he stroked her cheek, still gripping her other shoulder firmly. 'It is not happening again, he was just trying to bait me… I won't let you go.' He said with passion before pulling her into a familiar and bone crunching hug that she welcomed freely, craving his arms around her every second and only wished – as she stood in his warm embrace in the idle of all this chaos – that she had come at a better time and they didn't have to worry about fighting and war and running for their lives.

Donna watched, amazed at how often those two could make her feel like she was intruding by standing meters away in a room that was for common use.

'Sorry to interrupt,' she spoke a bit more quietly than usual, this time actually sounding sorrier than she had last time. They pulled away and the Doctor nodded at her to continue. 'I was just wondering… where exactly are we?'

'Good question,' Jack chimed in, snapping out of his "happy daze" at watching his two friends together again.

'We are being pulled into them that what the jerk was – all I did was turn the screen off,' he admitted, slightly sheepishly '… but we've only got a few minutes so no body panic and just listen to me.' He turned to Jack. 'What do you know?'

'There's a massive Dalek ship at the centre of the planets. They're calling it the Crucible. Guess that's our destination.' He stated simply, figuring it was best to get the information out simple and fast before they ran out of time.

The Doctor turned back to Rose, this time his face concentrated. 'Rose! You've been in a parallel world, that world's running ahead of this universe - you've seen the future, what was it?'

'It's the darkness,' she responded quietly, not quite sure what else to say, it was bad enough the first time… but she knew, this time she wasn't alone – the hand that was grasping her own demonstrated that, now that it was finally there and not just a wishful figment of her imagination.

'The stars were going out,' Donna stated, remembering from her time in the parallel world.

Rose nodded gravely looking at the woman she had already found a friend in. 'One by one. We looked up at the sky and they were just dying. Basically, we've been building this um... this travel machine, this... uh... Dimension Cannon, so I could... well, so I could...' she stumbled over her words, not quite sure why she was embarrassed over them, or even if embarrassment was what she was feeling as she looked back up at the man she had done all this for.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows, lips forming into a cheeky half smile. 'What?'

'So I could come back to you,' she said, smiling with her tongue between her teeth, the way she knew he liked, giggling just slightly at the impossibility of this conversation.

The Doctor beamed and laughed happy to see the smile brighten her face again and overwhelmingly happy to hear her say it even though he already knew.

Rose slapped him lightly on the arm, unable to wipe the smile from her face as they fell back into their old, easy banter.

'Shut up!' she exclaimed playfully, before coming back to a somewhat composed and serious state. Anyway, suddenly, it started to work. And the dimensions started to collapse.'

'Not just in our world - not just in yours - but the whole of reality, even the Void was dead. Something is destroying everything,' the Doctor added on the end, smile fading back into nothing as he ran a frustrated hand though his hair.

They all sat in silence for a second, merely staring at each other.

'Well-'Jack began, before the computer cut him off, beeping.

'The Dalek Crucible.' The Doctor stated unnecessarily. 'All aboard.'

They landed with a crash, everyone experienced enough not to fall over but all stumbling slightly at the force.

The Doctor looked at them. 'We've got to go out, or they'll come in.'

They all let the gravity of the situation clam in on them for a second, needing to steel themselves before being able to face his… their biggest enemy all over again or in Donna's case – finally.

'I thought nothing could get though those doors,' Rose said, almost conversationally.

'You've got extrapolator shielding.' Jack added.

'Last time we fought the Daleks, they were scavengers and hybrids and mad. But this is a fully fledged Dalek Empire... at the height of its power.' He took a breath, once again mussing his hair roughly, blowing the wind out through his mouth. 'They're Experts at fighting TARDISes, they can do anything. Right now, that wooden door is only wood.'

The tiny ray of hope that was shining in their eyes gave out and Rose wrapped her arms around herself, shivering again. Her pleading eyes searching his desperately, knowing that this time he couldn't give her what her needed.

'I don't want to do this again,' she whimpered as memories flashed through her head of her hand slipping and the combined screams of hers ande the Doctors, getting further and further apart. Unable to take it she threw her arms around him, kissing his neck just once to reassure herself, knowing in that moment anything else would be inappropriate.

Donna and Jack stood just apart from them, just watching.

Rose pulled away again suddenly and spun slightly on her feet, looking around the TARDIS. She could have sworn she had heard a heartbeat…

The Doctor touched her elbow. 'Rose, are you alright?' She just nodded distantly.

'What about your Dimension Jump?' Jack suggested, knowing she would probably kill him just for bringing it up. He knew that even though she said she didn't want to do it she would go through it all again if it meant staying by the Doctors side.

Rose turned to him sharply. 'I'm not leaving.' She said firmly, not bothering to come up with an excuse. Nothing would take her away this time.

'Right then. All of us together, yeah.' The Doctor said, taking the lead once again, not mentioning Jacks teleporter, knowing he'd be coming along if everyone else was, he wouldn't abandon them.

Even during the conversation Rose was sure she could hear a heartbeat, it was faint in the background… almost like it was coming from inside her own head, calling out to her.

All three of them now stood in front of the Doctor, looking to him confidently, trusting him.

'So Daleks,' Jack said, heaving out a nervous chuckle.

'Yeah, but it's been good hasn't it.' The Doctor said. 'All of us… All of it… Everything we did.' He turned to Donna now, staring at her intensely. 'You were brilliant.'

Her smile widened and she nodded at him, raising a hand in a mock-salute, which got her a tiny scowl. 'Super-temp at your service.'

He smiled and turned, passing Rose who was in the middle and turning directly to Jack. 'And you, although I hate to admit it, were brilliant.' He clapped him on the shoulder affectionately.

'You know me,' the Captain responded grinning, before adopting a more serious expression. 'Thank you Doctor.'

The Time Lord nodded and turned slowly; bring up a hand to lovingly stroke the beautiful blondes cheek. 'And you Rose Tyler… You were absolutely fantastic,' he said, gulping as she raised her hand to cover his on her face, holding it there and turning her head to kiss his palm.

She looked up at his face and drew him a bit closer, a warning in her eyes. 'You better not be trying to say goodbye,' she spoke as her voice quivered.

He smiled his sad smile at her, the one she had last seen on the worst day of her life on Bad Wolf Bay. 'Of course not… you know I'm no good at those.'

She nodded pathetically and he put his hand around her neck, pulling her in so his lips could meet hers.

It only lasted a few seconds but they both put everything into it… every thing except good bye.

'Blimey,' the Doctor breathed out, only half joking. He stepped around them and opened the TARDIS doors, trusting them to follow him.

First went jack, then Donna – none of them noticed Rose taking a single step before stopping, entering something like a trance.

Metallic and malicious voices rang out around them. 'Daleks reign supreme! All hail the Daleks!' The phrase was repeated, again and again as the three of them looked around the massive ship, dread filling them, even more so than before. The Doctor kept his hands securely in his pockets to keep them from shaking.

He took one out as one of them talked to him –

'Behold, Doctor. Behold the might of the true Dalek Race.'

- reaching for the hand that he knew would be there waiting… except it wasn't. Shocked and scared he turned back to the TARDIS to see Rose just inside the doorway, looking out at them, frightened about something… something other than the obvious.

'Rose?' He called, causing Donna and Jack to turn also, frowning as they caught sight of her.

'It's no safer in there you know,' Donna said, not understanding what the blonde was doing.

The Doctor frowned. 'That's not it.' He took a step forward but with a violent crack the TARDIS doors closed and locked with Rose still on the inside.

'ROSE!' All three of them called as one, the Doctors shout the loudest. He ran to his machine and banged furiously on the door. He hit it, kicked it, anything to get in... this couldn't happen. He wouldn't let it!

'DOCTOR!!' He could hear her just on the other side of the door, banging on her side just as hard as he was on his side – and considering he was a Time Lord and even his hands were hurting he could only imagine what she was doing to herself.

'What did you do?! Open the door!' he screamed desperately at the supreme Dalek, his voice growing hoarse.

He could hear her banging lessen, no doubt her hands becoming too sore and the hopelessness becoming too much. He could hear her sobs and it broke his heart.

'You promised me no goodbyes!' She shouted from inside, falling to her knees at the door, still pushing her hands weakly against it.

'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry,' the Time Lord couldn't stop the sob that erupted from him and could hear the gasps of his companions at seeing him in such a state.

'Stop it! She's my friend. Now, open the door and let her out. She's everything,' he pleaded with the Dalek, knowing how utterly pointless it was and falling to his knees, both hands pressed against the blue wood.

'This is Time Lord treachery!' the thing screeched and now he couldn't be bothered answering back by pointed out the stupidity of the statement, he knew he only had seconds left.

'Rose,' he did not speak quietly this time, needing her to hear him and not caring what the others heard. 'I'll save you, do you hear me?' He pleaded with her to answer him.

'Yes.' When she answered her voice came from the exact same spot on her side that he was leaning against on his, still full of trust, even though she knew he was swearing the impossible. Nothings impossible, something in the back of her mind taunted. Simultaneously, without knowing, they both pushed against the wood, cheeks resting sideways on their sides thinking maybe if they stayed long enough they would be able to feel each other.

We both heard what the supreme Dalek said next. 'The TARDIS is a weapon and it will be destroyed.'

'No,' he moaned against the door, banging weakly against it just once more.

'I love you Doctor,' she cried, 'I'm sorry it won't be forever like I promised.'

As soon as the last syllable passed her lips a trapdoor opened and the TARDIS fell through, dropping down in less than a milli-second and the Doctor fell forwards onto it as it closed. He stayed there on all fours, trying to control the hysterical sobs that threatened to burst from him as he experienced pain worse than anything he could remember as his hearts broke.

Donna and jack watched it all in devastated silence, knowing there was nothing they could do. They watched as the Doctor fell and didn't get back up and neither could help thinking that maybe, just maybe this was finally it. The thing that finally destroyed and broke him.

The thing he didn't get back up from.

'The Crucible has a heart of Z-Neutrino Energy. The TARDIS will be deposited into the core,' the cruel Dalek transmitted emotionlessly. And yet he still gained no reaction from the Doctor.

He knew Daleks never said things they didn't mean, he knew their luck had run out when he spoke of destroying the TARDIS, and he didn't want to hear details of how the love of his life and existence would burn to death – the very image made him want to vomit.

'Stop it!' Donna screamed, not willing to give up yet.

'You can still get her out of there,' Jack yelled at the Dalek with her, knowing it was pointless but willing to try anything for Rose, and the Doctor.

'The female and the TARDIS will perish together! Observe.' The Dalek said, completely ignoring the fact that either of them had spoken and bringing up a hologram screen. 'The last child of Gallifrey is powerless.'

The Doctor finally moved from his position on the floor, dragging himself up. But when he turned to them his eyes were empty, face red and awash with tears. His glassy eyes slid over them to the hologram and he walked towards it, reaching up a hand as if he could do something.

'Please. I'm begging you,' the Doctor spoke, his voice raspy and low. 'I'll do anything!' he once again pleaded with the Dalek, no longer caring about dignity or pride or power – they were all meaningless if he didn't have Rose there to share it with. 'Put me in her place! You can do anything to me, I don't care, just get her out of there!'

But there were no more words spoken and they watched as the TARDIS burned.

Every passing second saw the Doctor grow weaker, his will to even continue standing leaving him as he once more collapsed to his knees as the TARDIS disappeared.

His life long companion and the love of his everything blinked out of existence and it was like the world didn't care. Time didn't slow down, the Daleks didn't stop their chanting, now distant in his mind and his existence didn't end. But he knew it should have because now…

Now it just didn't have meaning. And with that the last of his mercy drained away.

A/N PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! I'm really not sure about these chapters and want to know what every thinks! So come on now – two chapters in a row has got to get me some extra!! :P Thanks for reading.