Who's scared of the Big Bad Wolf?

by PepperonyOwl

AU GITF. Her first Doctor had loved Rose enough to put her first; her second Doctor loved her like a goddess - distant, but fiercely. Neither of them ever understood her sacrifices, how many dimensions she'd seen, how many wars, how many she'd loved and lost. Her third Doctor learned that Bad Wolf was a name to be feared; in every dimension. And she was his.

9. Let me be your light

A/N:

Timelines issue from the last chapter – a query was raised and I just wanted to explain it. Basically, Rose's timeline is meant to be cut off when she dies; except it can't be. That very fact would normally bring in reapers – like for her Dad – when she is saved, except she isn't meant to die and not part of that universe's time stream. However, her survival and subsequent actions, which are often set the moment she came back to life, reset all future timelines. Hope, instead of dying, lived and travelled and found the Judoon, putting Earth under the protection of the Shadow Proclamation. Many others were affected by these changes – living instead of dying, having children and a normal life now that Earth is free etc. Basically, she changed every single thing in that universe by not doing, that's what I meant by the ripple and by timelines rewriting themselves, potential futures disappearing and new ones taking their place. I hope that clarifies it – but if not, feel free to PM me :)

Congratulations to SassyFrassKerr, the only person to correctly guess the content of the prophecy.

Thank you to my wonderful beta reader, Don't-blink-doctor-rose, who is amazing and whom I have not yet given a chance to review this chapter - so all spelling mistakes are my own! And a great big, thank you also goes out The Clever Doctor, who was invaluable help in planning the next chapter and the end-reunion episode, so big, big thank you to you for your hard work, your quick responses and your advice on this chapter. Thanks!

Anyway, I know I said in the next chapter Rose would meet the Doctor but.. well, I started out this chapter by thinking I'd use that night as a quick lead-in. That quick lead-in turned into 7.5k words and I hadn't done anything I'd intended to for the plot of the flashback. I never intended for everything to turn out as it did, except the very end, so yeah. Nearly 14k of emotional ups and downs – happy moments, sad moments, funny moments, romantic ones and everything in between. Sorry guys, I do hope you'll enjoy it but I've just put off the current meetup with the Doctor off for another chapter.

Anyway – enjoy, a full chapter of flashback! This is dedicated to all my reviewers and beta reader - your responses are at the bottom.

Cursive writing – flashback

"Bold, cursive speech" – Speaking Gallifreyan

---

Any non-cursive text is that way for emphasis.

When Rose woke up, it was still the middle of the night. It took a moment before she realised what had woken her; the Doctor had finally given up on resonating concrete - no doubt muttering the entire time about adjustments he needed to make to his sonic screwdriver – and lain down next to her. He was lying sideways, facing her, one hand absentmindedly playing with her hair.

Now, Rose loved contact and she loved those nights the Doctor came to sleep or read in her bed, but she really hated nights like these, because no matter how careful he was, he inevitably always woke her up. His anxiousness was almost something she could physically touch, visibly in the air, and, inevitably, it always woke her up and then she'd be unable to go back to sleep until they resolved whatever it was that was bothering him. And Rose hated that; she wasn't a good listener in the middle of the night – too irritated and cranky and her grip on her emotions was tenuous at best when she'd just awoken.

Stomping down on her irritation and the sigh she wanted to give, the blonde tried to gather her thoughts as best as she could.

"Doctor...?"

Brown eyes blinked once, twice, before a slow smile spread across his face; he always moaned about how humans slept their life away, so anytime she was awake was automatically good. Rose was tempted to show him just how good she felt having had only four hours of sleep, but swallowed down her growing anger.

"You're awake! ... Why are you awake? You normally sleep for at least another 3.28 hours before waking up."

There was simply no use in telling him he'd been the one to wake her up; she knew from experience, because she'd tried too many times before. With a deep sigh, Rose finally gave up on sleeping again that night, sitting up in bed, and forcing her breathing into an even pattern and allowing her anger to dissipate slowly. Once she could breathe without strangling the man next to her, she turned to him.

He was still lying on his side, head curiously tilted as he undoubtedly analysed her movement and every breath she took for clues. A quick sideways glance showed that his jacket, tie and shoes were neatly folded in the corner. The top two buttons of his shirt had been undone, a small concession he'd made for comfort, and Rose found herself relaxing again slightly. It was the first time in a long time that he had actually consciously taken off what she'd dubbed his 'armour' and allowed himself to relax in her presence. It was funny, mere moments before she'd been incredibly annoyed but now she was well on her way to forgiving him everything.

Chuckling slightly, Rose slid back down on the bed, mirroring his pose so they were both facing each other.

"Don't worry about it. I take it that resonating concrete is still not working for you?"

He pouted, drawing a quiet laugh from her. The brown eyes immediately softened, his shoulders relaxed and, almost automatically, he started playing with the blonde strands of her hair in his reach.

"Yeah, I need to work on that," he admitted, lips twitching, knowing as well as she did that it wasn't a feature even he was capable of incorporating into the sonic. Finally, he paused, eyes serious as he looked at her, and Rose unconsciously found herself holding her breath, knowing that whatever he said next; it would be bad news.

"I'm sorry."

She frowned almost automatically, her mind racing, trying to figure out what it was he could be apologising for.

"This is... uh... an important thing for you, isn't it?"

He looked nervous, looking like he wanted to start playing with a tie he wasn't wearing – something that almost made her smile, before his meaning finally dawned on her.

"Oh, I don't believe you!"

Rose hit his arm, annoyed – this was what he woke her up for? This was the bad news?

"Really? This?"

The Doctor who'd been rubbing his arm, an expression of wounded pride on his face, now looked genuinely surprised.

"But- I- I thought this was something important for women."

Well, Rose thought wryly, at least he thinks of me as a woman not a girl. Sighing in genuine annoyance, even though she knew that he wouldn't know what she was thinking unless she verbalised it, the blonde pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Of course it is, but not here, not now. It's-" Rose paused, floundering, wondering how to explain the feelings inside her.

---

It hadn't occurred to him at first, until he'd thought about Jackie and what she'd say – well, what she'd say after slapping him into his next regeneration and then he'd remembered just how important a wedding was meant to be to women, both the daughter and the mother. If he remembered correctly, it was meant to be a bonding experience. That was why he'd stopped pacing and calculating. He'd already acknowledged over an hour ago that there was no way out of this, that they would have to go along with the wedding, but now, realising that Rose, once again, hadn't raised a fuss, hadn't made him feel guilty even though she had every right to, but rather had simply accepted it, had accepted his need for solitude and his need to attempt to find another way out – any way out – before accepting the inevitable and simply let him be, he couldn't just continue. Even though she still didn't know why he'd pretended to be married to her, why he was so adamant in finding a way out rather than just acknowledging that they weren't married, she simply trusted him and accepted it, when everyone else would've long since started fighting.

Sighing in defeat, he gave in. Rose didn't deserve this; but more than that, she definitely didn't deserve to spend the night before her wedding scared and alone in bed. Taking off his shoes, his tie and his jacket, he could almost feel himself breathe easier, his hearts beating rapidly as he finally picked up on the soft scent of honey intermingled with that unique smell of Rose that lingered in the air around him.

His eyes drifted to her without any thought on his own, as he slowly unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. She was so beautiful lying spread out on the bed, unpretentious and honest in a way few women were. Everything about her was so quintessentially Rose that, even when she wore makeup and was dressed up, even when they were pretending to be someone else, everything she was, always shone through. She never hid herself, never pretended to be something she wasn't and challenged him when she thought he wasn't making the right call. It was as though someone had taken everything he had ever wanted and added everything he needed but had didn't dare dwell on and there she was. Perfect.

He'd had so many companions but he'd never dared – nor wanted – to take the liberties he took with her. Sleeping in their bed with them would've been unthinkable – especially for as frivolous a reason as this one; because he thought she wanted or needed him. Sometimes he admitted to himself that it was less a matter of her needing him, but rather him needing her, wanting to surround himself with her, day and night. She kept his demons at bay, reminded him not of what he'd done but of who he wanted to be, for her and for himself; she was his saving grace, his everything. When he couldn't live with himself, when he couldn't forgive himself, all he needed to do was look at her and remember that no matter what, there was one human in the entire universe that knew the most horrendous thing he'd ever done and still forgave him. He wanted to bury himself inside everything that was so quintessentially her, wanted to surround himself with her, day and night; and she allowed it, - no, not only did she allow it, she welcomed it, welcomed him.

He was so used to everything he wanted, craved, being denied, but here she was, always welcoming him into her life, into her arms, no matter what he'd done, what time of day or night it was, always there for him. And it looked as though now he was about to deprive her of what he knew was an important dream most women had; it wasn't fair and yet she still hadn't accused him of anything. The least he could do for her, was to be there, give her comfort and someone to rant at, should she need it.

He smiled slightly, knowing by now that Rose thought she wasn't pretty, that she needed to put makeup on to feel confident and yet he knew without a doubt that in moments like this one, without her makeup on, hair damp and tangled all around her like a golden halo, she was the most beautiful person he'd ever seen.

Still, unable to help himself, his thoughts wandered, trying to envision the kind of wedding a younger Rose would have dreamt up and what kind of wedding she'd imagined for herself when she'd been with Mickey compared to now. He didn't know; all he knew was that once again he was taking something from her that couldn't be undone and once again she was giving it to him, without a single complaint or any anger at him.

It took a moment to realise that the blonde woman in front of him was now awake – well, sort of awake really, given by how often she blinked and how relaxed her body still was.

Rose's warm hand slipped into his and she pulled him up, out of bed and alongside her by the window. He found himself following her lead, as he so often did, curious as to what she was going to say this time.

"Remember, on our first adventure, we were on a spaceship and watched my planet burn? Then we went down to Earth, in my time, and we had chips."

Of course he remembered; remembered how he had once again drifted, remembering screams and pain, the smell of burning and the endless chorus of Exterminate – and then suddenly she'd brought him back; her touch, her words an anchor that made his hearts skip and burn with relief. He hadn't found a single remedy, a single way of finding his way back once he got lost in his memories, yet she had suddenly provided him with one and he'd been so glad, so endlessly glad that she had been the one he'd come back for, that he'd offered her a second chance when he never had done so for anyone else. And the wonder he'd felt, the surprise, when she'd told him they'd be getting chips before she'd let him take her away into the blue box again, instead of running away from the danger, as she had every right to.

"That was our first date," he found himself saying. And it was, in his head, in his hearts, and yet, technically, they weren't dating, they certainly weren't lovers and yet she was the closest person to him in all of his lives, the one person he trusted above all else, including himself. And to him, despite everything, it was a date. It had been at that time, even when he hadn't been able to believe that this woman could possibly be even remotely interested in him, and definitely now, when she had remained with him, even through regeneration. Rose's lips quirked up in response, but she didn't deny his words, she never did.

"Yeah, it was. Now see, since I've been with you, my favourite food has been chips. Don't get me wrong, I've always liked chips – but my favourite food when I was with Jimmy were hotdogs and with Micks it was Pizza. It's not the food that counts, it's the memories and feelings you associate with it. I love chips not because I have a craving for deep-fried potato – though they are gorgeous – it's because it reminds me of you and me; of that time just after the world ended, of all the other times we've somehow ended up getting chips even in high-class restaurants at the other side of the galaxy. So yeah," Rose smiled at him warmly, her hand intertwined with his, amber eyes flooded with memories and affection she couldn't hide – not from him. He wished, so desperately, he could make her as happy as she made him. Yet even now, even here, he couldn't give it to her, not this; he couldn't tell her his name...

"I certainly wouldn't bat an eye if tomorrow I were to get married to my best friend. And I definitely won't be upset or disappointed because, in the end, it's you and me. As far as I'm concerned, everything we do, can mean as little or as much as we want it to."

She paused and all he could do, was keep staring at her.

"Doctor," Rose was smiling warmly at him, both her hands now holding his, her amber eyes searching for his, "Trust me. It's okay. I won't be upset or resent you. I won't regret this. All we're doing is saying meaningless words said in front of people while wearing uncomfortable clothing; that's not what I think of when I think of marriage."

He watched her, as her amber eyes drifted, looking up at the stars for a moment before finding his again.

"Being married...," he prayed she never found out just how distracting he found her in moments like this, her teeth worrying her bottom lip, her forehead drawn into a slight frown as she contemplated the best way of describing her feelings. "Being married," she finally continued, "isn't one moment like that – being married is a commitment between two people, a commitment to each other, to help each other through their fears, their nightmares, their darkness, to be the one holding out a hand when there's no one else, to stand together when the entire universe is against you, to trust each other, to believe in and to support each other, no matter what. So I don't mind getting married tomorrow, a thousand times on a thousand different planets. It doesn't mean anything, do you understand? You and me, we've been through worse. Remember, ghosts in Cardiff? The Werewolf and the Queen? We'll still be the Doctor and Rose Tyler. And tomorrow, we'll say yes and then we'll run, and it'll be like any other time and we'll be off for another adventure."

Her smile was luminescent, and he couldn't help but respond in kind, even though his mind was racing and his hearts were pounding strongly against his chest. He knew Rose and he had no doubt that she hadn't realised, but everything she described about marriage were things she was already doing – for him. Smiling and wryly, he leant his head against her shoulder, his hands gently parting from her, curving around her lower back in a gentle half-hug instead.

Every time he decided he needed to re-establish the distance between, every time he thought she was too close, he was too emotional, every time he thought of how difficult it was to reign in his emotions, his desires, she'd do something that made it impossible for him to be anything but close to her, she'd make his love for her rise up until he found it difficult to think of anything else but her, anything but telling her just how much he loved her.

Her shoulder was soft and so warm against his cooler body temperature, soothing the fire raging inside him – and then he noticed it, the soft smell of honey mixed with her own was only stronger this close to her. His tongue had slipped out, moistening his lips before he was aware of where his thoughts had led him to; he knew in this regeneration his taste buds were incredibly sensitive and strong, and he knew he'd only need to lick her skin to tell the exact composition of hormones in her, to tell- he shook himself, taking another breath and forcing himself upright again, his hands sliding against her lower back, loath he was to return to only minimal contact, to only holding hands. The moment he felt her shiver, he jerked his hands back, his breathing a little bit too fast for comfort, his hearts racing. Then his eyes met hers – amber eyes, darkened ever so slightly, cheeks slightly flushed and a flash of pink as she unconsciously moistened her lips.

"Arkytior," the name came out in a fervent whisper, voice hoarse and full of dark promise – promises, he knew he couldn't keep. Her amber eyes sought out his and after just a moment's hesitation, she replied in kind, in his tongue, as she only dared to when they were alone.

"Doctor..."

The gallifreyan version of his name, from her lips, was too much and sent him spiralling. His hand was on her cheek and his lips were close enough to hers that every breath he took, it was her he breathed in. He could feel the heat of her every exhale on his lips, a pleasant tingle and yet he restrained himself, attempted, so desperately, to regain control, to not lose himself completely. Still, just as he was losing the battle, as he was about to give in, the very person who'd made him lose it in the first place also allowed him to regain his composure.

"It's okay... My Doctor..."

No... No, it wasn't okay. And he wouldn't force himself on her, not like this, not here. She deserved so much more, but above all she needed to know everything. Because he couldn't – not with her; if he kissed her now, he'd want more, he'd want everything and she'd shown him just how easily he lost his control around her. He couldn't do this to her, not without her knowing everything. He almost wept as he closed himself off, shutting the doors in his mind, one by one, locking his love for her away behind so many other emotions, so many memories and thoughts, until it didn't feel so overwhelming anymore.

Their closeness became less painful, less filled with desire and barely hidden longing and slowly, he stepped back, putting the distance between them again. He watched as Rose swallowed harshly, forced himself to watch as her eyes avoided his and she turned her face away, forcing himself to see the repercussions, to see just how much he was hurting her.

"I'm sorry..."

For the second time in a short time he was forced to apologise to her, for the pain he was causing her. His heart throbbed with near-physical pain when she turned around, a smile that was just slightly too wide and all-too-familiar on her face.

"I'm alright," Rose's words hurt and he watched as her amber eyes darkened and her face closed itself off, slowly, as too many memories flitted by in her mind for him to follow. As she closed down, in a manner too similar to his own for him to feel truly comfortable with, hiding away the pain he'd caused her to ease his own hurt, her voice came out in a whisper he unfortunately heard only too well, a lifetime of pain carrying in a simple statement, "I'm always alright."

He had taught her Gallifreyan, watching as months passed and as she slowly started to be able to speak on her own; but this – this wasn't something he'd ever wanted to hear her say, not in her own language but even less so, in his tongue. His eyes closed, a mute acknowledgment of his defeat, before he stepped closer and enveloped his companion in his arms, feeling her body only slowly relax as he spoke.

"Arkytior, please don't say that.I am sorry, so sorry, but please don't close yourself off, not to me." He knew what he was asking – he was asking for her vulnerability, when he himself hid away. He was asking a lot – too much for many people... but this was Rose, his Rose. He needed to see her emotions, needed to see her open, needed to know that she trusted him with everything she was, even though he hurt her, even when he did things like today. It was selfish, but he couldn't bear the thought of Rose looking the way she did now, emotions hidden and a smile too wide, a smile that didn't make his heart jump and his lips twist in kind in response. She wasn't meant to be false. Not her.

"And yet, you close yourself off from me. I could see the walls going up, the shutters coming down in front of your eyes, every emotion hidden away so securely that no one but you will ever know them."

Gallifreyan had long since lacked a lot of ways the English language had for describing emotions, but her words were eerily accurate to what he'd actually done. The Doctor flinched slightly under the her silent gaze, remaining silent, unable to explain himself, because, well, yes, that's exactly what he wanted. He couldn't help himself, watching as she read his silence to her accusation as an admittance of guilt, and knowing that she was right in doing so.

"Okay." Her words were quiet, but echoed in his head, his hearts beating ever faster at her simple acquiescence to his request.

He watched as she sighed, closed her eyes and just a moment later they opened again, baring herself, all that she was, to him, again, in a measure of trust he knew he didn't deserve and that she selflessly gave to him, whenever he asked. He could see the hurt, the deep well of pain darkening her normally amber eyes until they had the rich colour of whiskey, swirling with anger and affection, sorrow and longing.

"Thank you," he breathed out, knowing how much it had to cost her to be so vulnerable and gently kissing her forehead, allowing his lips to linger for a moment longer than was strictly friendly, before parting from her again, reiterating his earlier "Thank you," hoping that she'd somehow understand just how much it meant to him, the same way she always figured him out – because she was Rose.

"'s okay, Doctor," she said, returning to the English language she was still far more familiar with, her hand seeking out his. Relieved, he sank down on the bed, next to her, pulling her closer to him.

"There's something I've been meaning to teach you, something in my language. Now, normally this wasn't done on my planet," he grimaced slightly. "Emotions were not talked about, physical contact was very limited and, well, marriage was for convenience. But there was the rare case of someone finding the right person, however little that was acknowledge among society, especially the higher echelons. But, point is, sometimes, instead of marriage, they'd undergo a handfasting ceremony, similar to Earth in the obvious aspects, only being a society of telepaths, obviously some other things involved and, of course, telling your partner your true name-"

"Ha! I knew Doctor wasn't your true name."

"Of course not," he scoffed, "you know as well as I do it's what I want to be, what I aim to be – not necessarily who I am." Frighteningly enough, it probably was true that she knew better than anyone else just what the name Doctor meant to him. She even knew about the Master, even if he had yet to tell her the name he'd chosen.

"So, when someone says you true name... how does that feel?"

She looked genuinely curious but he could feel himself blushing and his breathing stopped for a moment, imagining her tongue wrapping itself around each syllable, her voice caressing his true name and for just a moment he was too flustered to speak.

"Ah, well," he finally said once he had himself under control again, clearing his throat slightly, "I- Well, I can only guess, but it's meant to be very intimate." He could see her lips curling up in a smile and found himself responding in kind, even though he knew she was amused by how flustered he was.

"It's well- Humans choose names they like or based on family ancestry or traditions. Time Lords have three names – the one you are given at birth, by your parents which will only ever be shared at handfasting with your wife; that name gives the other person power over you. It describes everything you were, everything you are and everything you will be. The second name is a name known to the public; my family name is Lungbarrow, technically speaking I'm part of the House of Lungbarrow, a Lord, if you will," he grimaced, "much preferred the title of being a renegade Time Lord," he admitted with a mischievous grin and a quick wink.

"Anyway, the other one is a name or a title you choose for yourself once you've looked in to schism. I chose the Doctor though it was only later, once I'd met the Daleks, that I started to understand what I wanted the name to mean. Koshei chose to be called the Master and, unfortunately, rather lived up to the name he's chosen."

"So what, you're Lord Time Lord Lungbarrow?" Rose broke out into a giggle and he laughed lightly, feeling the tightness around his chest relax somewhat now that the pain in her eyes had faded and curiosity taken its place.

"Something like that," he admitted, gently pulling his companion back until she was lying on the bed again, her head bedded in his lap, amber eyes blinking up at him curiously. His hands carded through her hair, finding the action relaxing as the strands parted or curled around his hand, shimmering softly under the moonlight. Rose gave a slight satisfied hum, her mouth opening in a yawn and her eyes closing gently.

"Ooh, this is nice," she admitted, eyes blinking slowly as sleep started to take hold of her again. He grinned slightly. Originally, he'd almost intended to tell her just how much she meant to him, disguising it as a language lesson in a way which would be unlikely to fool even her, yet somehow they'd been diverted, again, and now the entire topic had been avoided.

"So what were you going to teach me earlier?"

... or not.

"Nothing important."

"Come on, all that lead in – it had to be something, right?"

Clicking his tongue, his brain full engaged in finding another way out, it took him a moment to respond, "Well, I was going to teach you how to say honeybear in Gallifreyan, which by the way is-"

"Nuh-uh, no way. If that had been what you wanted to teach me, you wouldn't have needed that elaborate a history story. No way. And really? Honeybear? You don't have a word for describing longing, but you have a word for Honeybear?"

"Well, strictly speaking we have a word for honey and one for bear."

"Come on, out with it."

"Honeybear," he said, grinning, watching as her lips curled up in amusement.

"Well, Honeyclothless-" The Doctor found himself bursting into loud laughter at her mistaken pronunciation, accidentally creating a brand new word. A few moments later he explained what she'd actually said before correcting her words until she could say it flawlessly.

"Still never meant to learn that word... At least now I know how to say naked – or well, a stiff, formal version of it anyway," Rose grumbled amidst his chuckles, "point is, you definitely had something else you wanted to say or teach me."

"Nah, nothing I can think of," he said, intentionally pulling his face into a mock-innocent expression. Rose's eyes narrowed and she scrutinised him intently, before finally shrugging.

"Fine. Don't tell me. One day I will find out."

Oh, he hoped she would, he really, really did.

"I'm sure you will," he found himself saying, hoping his voice was even.

---

With a resigned sigh, Rose relaxed back into his lap, enjoying his ministrations with her eyes closed and for the first time, he had a chance to actually look at her. Something had bothered him earlier, but he hadn't had time to look closer without overtly staring. Without intending to, he stopped carding through her hair, head bent over her stomach. Unfortunately, the lack of attention meant his companion opened her eyes only to find him bent over, inspecting her bare stomach.

Rose knew what he was looking at and panic took hold; with quick move she sat up, hand desperately covering her stomach as she looked around for her own clothes.

"What are you doing?" Unintentionally, her voice had come out much harsher than she'd originally intended for it to. Instead of backing down, the Doctor followed her, stopping her from entering the bathroom and changing with one well-placed hand in her path.

Rose turned around, allowing her own anger to rise up, knowing that she couldn't tell him, that it would hurt him too much and therefore also knowing that a confrontation now was inevitable.

"What is that?" He pointed to the scar hidden below the jumper she was desperately holding in front of herself. Her heart skipped a beat and her mouth went dry, when she met his eyes. The brown in his eyes had darkened so much it was nearly indistinguishable from his pupil and the anger was only barely forced into control.

"That is a scar – now get out of my way."

"No!" Instead of a shout, he had delivered the denial in a low tone, his voice threatening and everyone else would have backed away or given in by now. But he was the Doctor and he didn't scare her. She had been with Jimmy, she had seen the men her mum was with – she knew what someone looked like when they were about to hit a woman; and she knew that for whatever flaws the Time Lord had, the willingness or ability to hit her, was not one of them.

"Where did you get it? You didn't have this four months ago when we met the werewolf. I know that. So when? The Krillitanes? The Clockwork robots? Cybermen? Who did this? When? And," she knew now he was coming to the point that was infuriating him above all else, "why didn't you tell me?"

"Because there was no need to – it was taken care of."

"Taken care of? TAKEN CARE OF? You call this-" he pulled her arm forcibly away, baring the scar that went from just below her right breast to her hipbone, and making her flinch slightly. She knew it hadn't been a clean cut, jagged and the scar was even worse. But she had done the best she could at the time with the limited Tardis functionality. Mickey and her had thought the clockwork robot was well done with but unfortunately it just seemed to have waited for an opportunity; when Mickey was gone and she was staring out at the stars, it had struck. Her only warning had been a metallic glint in the reflection – so yeah, she was kind of proud of that scar. She'd saved herself and this was all she'd been left with and she was so glad that she had learnt how to sew a straight line. "'TAKEN CARE OF'?"

A part of her wanted to tell him, wanted to tell him how she'd defended herself, that she had beaten the monster all on her own, that she'd sewn it shut and disinfected it all on her own, too, that he had left her behind and that she had dealt with it. A part of her wanted to see the same pain in his eyes that she'd felt when he'd talked about the Madame de Pompadour, a part of her wanted to see him flinch, to see him realise just how long she'd been alone for... but in the end, she couldn't. Not to him, not to her Doctor. Because a much bigger part of her, never wanted to see him in that much pain, never wanted him to know just how much hurt and pain he'd caused her, however unintentional.

"Yeah, I do and it was, taken care of, that is. I'm alive, aren't I?"

"Al-Alive?" He spluttered, "ALIVE? You think this is because you could've died? This is not just because you nearly died – you were under my care, I am responsible for you – what if you had gotten an infection? What if you had gotten deadly bacteria or germs in you and I couldn't have saved you? What if-"

Oh, this would hurt... she knew it would, but he wouldn't leave it be. He would never back down, not from this, not unless she struck back – because she rarely ever did. Gritting her teeth, calling on every ounce of anger until she was able to physically push him away from her, watching him stumble slightly as he regained his balance, cut off mid-sentence.

"And that's it, isn't? That's the problem," Rose fortified herself, knowing it would hurt to say to him but also well aware that he couldn't find out, couldn't know. He'd be so hurt and then he'd be disgusted and leave her, reject her. A human who had changed herself – he hated them. She couldn't bear the thought of being left behind again, if all she had to do was to have this one fight with him.

"Not the fact that I was injured, but rather that you couldn't come to my rescue, that you were not the one who saved me. You can't bear it when I can save myself. You always have to be the Doctor, don't you? Always rescue the damsels in distress? Well, I'm no damsel in distress. I can take pretty damn good care of myself. Done it for nearly two decades before I met you – so BACK OFF!"

She took the moment where he was still standing there, staring, flabbergasted and undeniably hurt, to flee to the bathroom and close the door behind her. The moment the door lock clicked into place, she allowed the fake anger to fade away and the pain took its place almost immediately. Heart in her throat, she sank silently to the ground, crying, muffling any sounds behind her jumper before they could escape; the Doctor didn't need to know just how painful that had been.

---

Her words kept echoing in his head, even though he tried to forget. Oh, she knew him well, had managed to hit every sore point with such precision. 'You always have to be the Doctor, don't you?'

At first he'd been worried – he should have smelt it, at the latest once they were in the Tardis where there was always clean air. The tang of blood in the air, the way breathing in it made his mouth taste, was unmistakeable; but then there should have been signs before then – a cut in her shirt, the red colour... so how the hell did he miss it? It made no sense... Unless it had happened with the clockwork robots... maybe one had been left behind...? Nah, impossible. She would've had problems moving, carrying heavy things and there hadn't been any of that. So it made no sense, and Rose was the only one who knew, the only one who could tell him, explain to him when and how it had happened.

And yes, he'd been angry – less so at her and more at himself for not noticing. But damn it, she should've told him, regardless. And yet she didn't. Problem was, if Rose was hiding serious injuries from him, how could he trust her when they went out on an adventure? That was not a minor scratch she'd suffered from; he'd stitched enough open wounds to know that and he also recognised that her stitches were done by her own hand – it was clear in the unevenness, the patterning and he hated the fact that she'd done it, that she'd felt the need to do it on her own. He knew how much it hurt when someone else was doing it and even more, he knew the utter agony of doing it to yourself. He knew how hard it was, trying to concentrate enough, biting back the pain while pinching the flesh together to sew it shut. Rose should never have experienced that; it was as simple as that.

And yet – she hadn't told him, hadn't made even the vaguest mention of it, never complained and it all came back to one thing; would he have to leave her behind like so many others? Could she not be trusted to be honest with him, to tell him when her life was in danger? If she couldn't be trusted when her own life was in the balance, how could he trust her judgment with anyone else's? He didn't want to leave her behind and yet she was giving him every reason to do just that. How- The bathroom door opened.

He needed to confront her, to make her tell him why, why she hadn't told him, why... she had hidden something, from him of all people. She never used to hide anything from him. Turning around to face her, about to start another argument, he abruptly stopped himself, his voice strangled as he whispered her name.

Oh, she'd hidden it well, almost too well, but he knew her better; eyes ever so slightly reddened and the taste of salt in the air. Rose, his Rose, had hidden in the bathroom and cried. Alone. His hearts sank and his anger disappeared as if it had never been there. It was like a well-choreographed dance – he stepped forward, arms slightly spread at the same moment that she launched herself into him. Having expected the shift in weight, he didn't hesitate to lift her in his arms and carry her to the bed.

He had understood it the moment he'd realised she'd cried; of course, it was so like Rose, he didn't know why it hadn't been his first thought. She was protecting him, because that's what she always did, never mind the fact that he was over a millennium older than her. He didn't know why she was protecting him or what from, but he did know that he wouldn't get it out of her until she was convinced he didn't need protecting from whichever secret she harboured.

"Promise me, there are no other consequences awaiting us, if I let you keep this secret?"

He looked at her for any sign of deception, when she promised him, but couldn't find any, and so resolved to let it go – for now, at least.

"Well, I bet this is not what you had in mind when you thought of the night before your wedding," he teased, smiling at her, trying to ease the air between them. Rose laughed slightly, though her voice was still obviously choked with tears.

"Doctor, 'm sorry..."

He smiled at her, showing her that he truly bore her no ill-will – which he didn't, because he understood that whatever the secret was, she thought it would hurt him worse than that fight could – and watched, as she tentatively smiled back.

"Now, tell me," he started in a mock-serious tone, "this is better than any wedding with Mickety-Mick, right?"

He paused a moment too late, remembering the man was now in another universe and grimacing, fearing he'd just either made Rose cry again or started another fight; and by god, he hated fighting with her. She knew him too well. Instead, she started giggling.

"Well, if you start talking about the size of the wedding, I'm out of here," his blonde companion said, in between bouts of laughter, giving him a mischievous grin with her tongue poking out teasingly between her lips.

"Oy!" He found himself protesting automatically, not sure what he could safely say in retaliation.

"Nah," she finally continued, wiping away the tears and growing serious again, leaning ever so slightly against him, "Micks talked about it sometimes, but it wasn't ever gonna happen. He was a good boyfriend and-"

Rose paused, throwing him a suspicious sideways glance, "you sure you wanna hear this?"

He didn't quite know how to explain his intrigue for the subject away, so he merely nodded, which she, luckily, accepted with an absentminded shrug, her hand intertwining with his and her thumb drawing circles on his hand.

"'Kay. After Jimmy," his curiosity reared its head almost instantly once she'd said that name. He had yet to find out just what her (first?) second last ex-boyfriend had done but he was almost a curse word in the Tyler household and to Mickey. "I needed someone... stable. I've known Micks since I was small and I know what you think about him – but he was exactly what I needed. Mickey had a routine, he didn't aspire to greater things, content with what he had and in turn was very stable, very-"

"Monotonous?" He found himself suggesting, lips twitching slightly when Rose just rolled her eyes at his antics.

"He was Mickey. Not the best when it came to emotions and things and, okay, yes, a bit monotonous," she admitted, blushing and throwing him a glare when he chuckled, "but he was safe. Micks would never hit a woman and he'd always protect me, even if he wasn't..."

Rose blanched, no doubt realising just what she'd revealed. His hands clenched around hers before he could stop himself, a cold, icy fury rising up when he thought that another man, a boyfriend of hers, had put his hand up against her, against Rose. But now was not the time to get angry, not the time to think about just what he'd like to do to Jimmy Stone. He and Rose both had had a long, exhausting night.

Pulling her closer, until her back was pressed against his front, a small concession to his desperate desire to ensure her safety and wellbeing, he allowed his forehead to sink down, touching her clothed shoulder before he felt himself calm enough to continue.

"So Mickey was safe but not husband-material?"

He felt the tenseness in her shoulders disappear and knew she was incredibly grateful for the fact that he hadn't pushed. They both knew he would but not now, not today.

"Yeah," she admitted, "and then he became more like a brother and I didn't know how to tell him. I couldn't imagine it," Rose finally confessed, "that safe, stable life, the white picket fence or council flat or whatever. I... wanted more. I had dreams – didn't understand how Mickey didn't."

He couldn't see her face from his position, but the bitterness in her voice was unmistakeable. "Mum didn't either. Kept telling me to be happy with what I had, that I was 'putting on airs', getting above myself."

Rose sighed, relaxing her neck until she was leaning against his shoulder. It was rare for his companion to be so open about how her mum and others had hurt her, and so he remained quiet, hoping it would encourage her to open up to him. It was hard to believe just how many people had tried to stomp on her dreams, how many had attempted to tell her that she would never amount to anything and he grieved for all the times she'd had no one to tell her just how brilliant, how fantastic she was; all the times she'd cried, alone, because she had no one.

"I just... I wasn't happy. I was going through the motions, I was doing my best to please everyone; mum, Mickey and everyone else, but all I wanted, was to get away. To see, to explore, to understand; I wanted to see the world, wanted to reach for the stars... and then you came. You took my hand and you showed me everything I ever wanted and more. You and the old girl," his eyebrows rose in surprise, wondering just when she'd picked up on his nickname for the Tardis, "showed me a better way of livin' my life, helped me be so much more than even I thought I could be... I owe you both everything and that's why, what I said back then, still holds true. No matter what will happen or has already happened, I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

He was pretty sure they had been fighting just half an hour ago, yet here and now, he was ready to kiss her, to take her away with him to the stars and never, ever let her go. Chuckling at the hopelessness of his situation and the tumultuous nature of his emotions, he pressed a soft kiss into her hair. One thing had rapidly become clear to him; he needed to find a way to tell her just how special she was, how much she meant to so many people and how she'd saved him. He couldn't leave her to remember only how other people had put her down; he needed her to know that they were wrong, that he knew they were wrong.

"Get some sleep. I'll watch over you."

Rose gave him a warm, gentle smile, obviously already half-asleep and whispered "I know."

Smiling to himself, a warm rush of affection surging through him at her words, he sank back into the bed, allowing her to curl herself around him.

---

Rose sighed, fidgeting uncomfortably in the dark blue dress she'd been outfitted with. The blue reminded her of the Tardis, so she didn't mind too much, but the material was surprisingly itchy.

By the time she'd awoken, they had already been surrounded by female Abalonians; and they had no qualms stripping her in the Doctor's presence, though, to be fair, he had declared himself as her husband so they probably thought he had seen it all and more. At least the Doctor had been decorous enough to turn his back away from her – and from any reflective surfaces – though the back of his neck had taken on a light shade of pink to her amusement.

They had insisted on a full bath in some sort of milk she presumed – more like hoped fervently but hadn't dared to ask – when the Doctor had been escorted out for his own preparations; which he'd only agreed to after she'd verbally given her approval. For just a moment he'd looked like he was about to turn to her, before, no doubt, the situation had dawned on him and he'd looked away quickly, asking her out loud.

Finally, one of the attendants gestured for her to go out. Luckily, the wedding was being held at noon rather than in the evening and they'd be able to make their escape soon. Her Doctor waited on top of the hill, at the entrance to the temple and she gave him a quick glance, unmistakably staring at the stairs and her dress afterwards, forcing him to choke down his laughter when, with an aggravated huff, she picked up the uncomfortable dress and stomped her way up the hill. Yep, definitely not what she'd had in mind and she was sure they'd imagined a more graceful and gracious goddess as well, but too bad; she couldn't be bothered anymore. The heat was unbearable, her dress was itchy and she just wanted to get back to her favourite ship and have a shower in the perfect temperature, put on her most comfortable clothing and watch a movie with the Doctor. Anything but this.

The Doctor's eyes sparkled with barely hidden amusement by the time she finally reached the top, and Rose found herself smirking slightly despite her exhaustion.

"You will need to exchange rings," the same pompous old man from last night announced, staring at them, obviously waiting for the Time Lord to admit they weren't married. Rose felt herself flush – that hadn't even occurred to her and, even though his face hadn't so much as twitched, she knew that it hadn't to the Doctor either.

But then she felt her Doctor's hand squeeze hers reassuringly and, relieved, she smiled at him. To her surprise, his hand disengaged from hers, and went around his neck.

"We didn't exchange rings, we exchanged other tokens. I received a piece of her home and she one of mine," his voice was matter of fact but Rose just barely kept herself from gaping when he pulled out a necklace which did, indeed, have a simple key on it. She had no idea where he'd gotten it from, but it looked remarkably like the key to her house... how? She nearly missed the priest's glance and only very reluctantly did she reveal her own key and necklace. Carefully, she released the clasp and took necklace and key into her hand.

The old man looked like he'd bitten into a lemon, before nodding his acquiescence and Rose quickly handed her necklace to the Doctor and received his in return. To her surprise, the old man and the crowd remained silent, staring at them in anticipation. Finally, patience no doubt running thin, the Abalonian prompted them to exchange their vows.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows in surprise and she couldn't keep her own from showing but obediently turned to one another.

"With this necklace, I thee wed," he announced, stepping towards her only to be stopped by the old man.

"No, your vows."

Rose felt more than a little puzzled but the Doctor only looked exasperated before finally, nodding curtly. He seemed more resigned now than anything.

"Rose Tyler," his voice was hesitant, but warm, her name spoken the same way he always said, like an invocation, a prayer, and she felt herself blush in response.

"No matter what I say, you don't seem to grasp your importance in this universe. Maybe this time you will hear me," he fidgeted, adjusting his tie – he'd argued to keep his clothes, now she wished desperately, she had, too. Still, her heart had started racing, the moment she realised that he was taking this vow semi-seriously.

"For everything else I could say, they do have one thing right," he looked at her firmly, not fidgeting, not hesitating, certain of every word in a way that made her heart ache and her intentions to take this vow as something a best friend would say, wavered precariously. "You are a goddess."

He paused for a moment, gaze tender, before continuing, "I've travelled for a very, very long time and I've seen a lot of things, met a lot of people. What you did back then, made you a goddess to everyone. But if they could see what I can, they'd understand that, power or no power, you will always be a goddess. When I first met you, I didn't think I deserved to be saved- No," he shook his head, "that's not quite right; I didn't think I could be saved nor deserved it. Then I met you."

He laughed slightly and Rose tried, vainly, to suppress the tears in her eyes, the way her heart was threatening to burst out of her chest, the love for the man in front of her, a love that filled every fibre of her being.

"You often tell me that I saved so many people and even entire planets. But you, Rose Tyler, are the one woman, the one person in the entire universe, that saved me. Once, a long time ago, when there was no one else, when I told you I'd lost my entire planet, all my people, you told me you were there for me. I want to make that same vow to you again that I already made too you, oh, such a long time ago... Rose Tyler, no matter what happens, I will always be there for you."

She remembered it, that time where she'd been crying and he'd told her he'd always be there for her. He'd broken it, unknowingly, when he left to save the mistress of the King of France, but now he was renewing the vow and she couldn't stop her heart from aching, her mind trying desperately to commit every minute expression, every single second and word to memory, to remember the look in his eyes, his feelings open and bare for her to see, a depth of affection visible to her alone that she almost dared to call love.

"Rose, I know you deserve so much more, but this is all I can give you. I can't promise to put you first, because the universe has to be first; I can't promise you that I'll always save you, I can't even promise that I'll always be able to take you back home but just this once, I want to be selfish. You have seen the darkness inside me, know what I have done and forgiven the unforgivable. If," the Doctor paused, swallowing hard, yet his eyes remained steadfast on hers, "if this is all I can ever give you, I at least want to make this a wonderful memory for you. I have travelled for so long but you are the first person to make feel again, to feel the wonder, to be surprised, to enjoy every single second because you never know how long it will last. I- We both know that I will live on, long past your comparatively short time and I know you are scared I'll forget you. I don't know how you ever thought I could ever forget you, even if I wanted to. You gave me life, gave me sunlight when all I could do was stare at the abyss. Even if I forgot everything about myself, about my past, even if I forget the Tardis, I'd never forget you... Rose Tyler, the woman who saved the Doctor, my best friend for all of time."

He had used the Gallifreyan expression, which he'd once told her more closely translated to 'in every regeneration, past, present and future in every single instant in time'. It wasn't a declaration of undying love, but it was a promise of eternal friendship and it was beyond anything she'd ever expected from him. Her heart hurt with the sheer love for him she didn't dare to express as anything other than friendship and yet it was so difficult to not read more into his gestures, into his words when he was treating her like this. The sheer pain, the utter agony of knowing just how much he did love her – but not in the way she so desperately wanted him to, was nearly unbearable and yet it was as he had said; this was all he could give her. It had to be enough. She'd always known that she wouldn't be enough, would never be able to match him, so if this moment was the only one she could have, the only time he could ever allude to any kind of love he held for her, she'd take it.

Wiping away the tears she'd cried at seeing him opening up to her, she bent forward slightly, allowing him to fasten the necklace around her neck again.

"With this token from my home, I thee wed, Rose Marion Tyler."

He gave her a quick smile and a concerned look, but she shook it off and smiled back at him, letting him know they were okay.

"My Doctor...", Rose's smile turned warmer almost automatically at the affectionate term she so rarely used in front of him, "I wish you could see yourself the way I see you, the way millions of other people see you. When I first met you, you saved me, as you did to so many others. Before we met, everyone told me to stop dreaming, to start living in the real world, that I'd never be good enough for anything else. And the thing you don't understand is that when you took me away with you, for the first time for as long as I can remember, I could breathe. It was...," Rose paused, floundering, unsure how to describe the feelings which were so clear in her head, how to make her Doctor understand just how much he had given her. Then, suddenly, she realised what she wanted to say, "It was like I had been crawling all my life and I didn't know what it felt like to stand until suddenly you were there, extending a hand, helping me stand on my own. You showed me just how much more beautiful everything was, how much more there was to life, how much was out there and how much I could do."

Pausing for a moment, she was almost amused to note just how stunned her Doctor looked. Giving him a quick smile, she intertwined her hand with his again.

"When I say that you saved my life, I don't mean when you saved me from the Autons; what I mean is the moment you helped me escape, the moment you gave me the strength to discover myself, the strength to fight for what I believe in, to go past what everyone else thought I was capable of and try and be the person you thought I could be. You...", Rose swallowed hard, wondering for just a moment whether she really wanted to say this out loud. He had changed since then, but in so many ways, it was still him; in the end, he had bared himself to her when he didn't have to. She couldn't sully that by being any less than honest with him.

"You were the first person in my life who ever put me first. I know you said you couldn't back then, and I would never want you to put me ahead of the universe, but the simple fact that you paused, with the Slitheens, because it would mean my death; the way that you sacrificed yourself just to spare me the pain of watching my father die again – you never understood and I suspect that you still don't, that I'm not afraid of my death. If – When I die, it will be to save someone, to help someone in some shape or form. I'm not afraid of that. I'm afraid for you. You go out there and you save everyone, but you have no one who saves you and, contrary to what you think, you don't need someone to stop you," he flinched, and Rose almost retracted what she said; she didn't meant to hurt him, but she wanted him to know, so, taking a deep breath, she continued, "you need someone who can remind you just how beautiful everything is out there, how precious life is – because you'll stop yourself then."

His grip on her hand tightened, almost painfully, and his brown eyes shimmered with unspoken emotions; Rose allowed her thumb to caress his hand, a gesture made to soothe, to show her support when they could do precious little else in front of these people. He gave her a tight nod in acknowledgment, allowing her to continue.

"You keep on counting them, I know you do... The lives lost. But you never count the lives you saved, never remember just how many people you mean the world to, not because you're a Time Lord, but because you're The Doctor, because you help people. You saved mine in so many different ways and I know you did the same for Sarah-Jane and Jack. You and the Tardis, you're both my best friends, you're my home. I love this- travelling to new planets, seeing different cultures, jumping in headfirst, paying with the wrong currency, landing in jail, kissing strangers," Rose winked at him, eliciting a quick smile in return, "and I love the danger, the running, saving people. If I could, I would stay with you for as long as you live. Instead, I promise to stay with you for however long you'll have me or until I die. You were the one man who put me first, so allow me to put you first, to be there for you, give you a hand to hold and remind you how beautiful and precious every single moment is."

Smiling warmly, Rose contemplated her next words, unsure how to tell him she loved without using those exact words.

"I want you to know that everything I do, it's not because I feel like I owe you or because I think I should. It's because you never asked for it, because you never ask for anything, because you never feel like you deserve it and I want to offer you everything I have, everything I am, because it's the least of what you deserve... And even back then, I never hesitated, not for one second, even knowing it would cost me my life – if it meant saving yours, I'd do it all over again. I'd burn myself from the inside out, I'd give all of myself over to the Tardis, gladly, if it meant saving you – be it from a fleet of Daleks or anyone else. You are my Doctor and there's nothing I wouldn't do for you. And all I can promise you, is to do the very best I can to stay at your side for as long as I can," even, if it means lying to you, Rose silently added.

The Doctor's eyes were dark and unreadable, emotions swirling through them, replaced to swiftly for her to identify them. His hand gave hers a quick squeeze, before he bowed to her, extending his neck so she could fasten the necklace.

Even the older man seemed to have tears in his eyes from their vows and offered with a wide smile, "You are now husband and wife. Please treat our goddess with the reverence she deserves."

For a moment, Rose was disappointed that they hadn't been asked to kiss; she had longed for it for such a long time, had spent far too much time wondering what his lips on hers would feel like and now the perfect chance had been taken away for her. But then the Doctor, grinning mischievously, bowed elegantly and pressed his lips to the back of her hand.

"Of course... I'll 'revere' her appropriately," he declared, winking outrageously at her in a manner so reminiscent of Captain Jack, she couldn't help but burst out laughing. Grinning, they both walked down the steps, Rose once again cursing the dress they put her in, having momentarily forgotten about it during the ceremony.

"Oh I can't wait to take this stupid dress off," she muttered to him, exasperated as, even holding half the dress in her hand, she still couldn't see the steps and every move was as nerve-wracking as the last one, half-expecting to tumble down the hill at any given time.

The Time Lord at her side simply chuckled, wagging his eyebrows at her, suggesting teasingly, "that eager for the wedding night to start?"

Laughing, Rose let go of the dress so she could hit his shoulder, "Oh, shut up," but unfortunately the next step, her dress got caught and, had it not been for the Doctor's secure grip on her, she would've undoubtedly fallen down the stairs. Hand on chest, eyes wide and heart racing, the blonde was only given a mere moment to recuperate before she was swept up into the Doctor's arms.

"Oy, let me down – we'll look ridiculous! You all thin and-" At his raised eyebrow, she didn't have the heart to explain that he was built much slimmer than she was, so him carrying or lifting her was bound to look out-of-proportion and utterly absurd. Blushing deeply, she gave in and allowed him to carry her to the bottom of the steps, where he finally allowed her to stand back on her own two feet.

Unfortunately, against their expectation, they were unable to make a quick escape. The crowd had already been waiting at the bottom and surrounded them again on their way to the castle.

"Right," the Doctor muttered to her under his breath, "we'll try again after dinner tonight. Let them have their celebration. Okay?"

Nodding quickly, Rose followed him and the masses to the ostentatiously decorated hall, where everything had been decked out in blue. Exchanging a short glance with the Doctor, both returned to miming the happy couple.

In between thanking at all the people who came to congratulate them, a smile permanently frozen on her lips, she found herself holding whispered conversations with her, apparently now, husband.

"With all these celebrations I'm going to be fat enough that you'll have to roll me out of here."

She heard him cough, trying to suppress the laughter, and received a quick jab from his elbow for her troubles. In the end, it quickly turned into a game between them – both desperately trying to make the other one burst out laughing first.

As the afternoon progressed into evening, they both found more and more outrageous games to entertain each other with, until they finally found a chance to talk to the man who was obviously the leader and who had acted as their priest.

"Now that she has been married according to your customs, my wife and I shall return to her home."

The hall quietened suddenly, and the old man stood up from his seat, placing himself in front of them.

"You can't. The prophecy-"

"never said anything about her being married, but, seeing as she is, you cannot-"

The other man cut him off, "We can, we have to."

The Doctor pushed her behind him in single move, his body standing protectively in front of her, his hand clasping her forearm securely.

"You will not have her."

Not knowing what it was about, but trusting the man in front of her, Rose remained quiet, watching the scene unfold.

"We will give you time to think on your position."

Her Doctor was fairly vibrating, a tightly coiled spring, ready to unleash and she didn't doubt that he was glaring fiercely at the people around them, watching as so many bowed their heads in shame and quivered in fear.

"I don't need time," he asserted harshly, his every word menacing, carrying an unspoken threat, "you will not have her."

For a moment, neither moved but then they were both being escorted back to their room, the man at her side seething silently, glaring at the guards surrounding them.

---

As soon as the doors closed, some of his tension dissipated now that they were alone again. His eyes swept the room again, scouring every corner as if a new, hidden path out of the castle would suddenly appear out of nowhere.

"Doctor," Rose started tentatively, knowing that the time where he could still hide whatever was actually taken place here, had long since passed them by, "what do they want?"

"You trust me, don't you? You trust me when I tell you I won't let that happen, not to you, no matter what."

Something inside her clenched and for a moment she held a breath. He never said these things, not ever, not unless he couldn't see a way out and whatever they were planning was bad, as in they probably intended to do to her exactly what she feared. And she knew that even her Doctor couldn't always save her, that he was, in the end, still just one man. But that was not what he needed to hear.

Smiling openly, touching his arm, she reassured him, "Of course I know that, Doctor."

His eyes sought out hers for a moment, and there was a desperate edge to his movements, his words, that belied his earlier confidence.

"Their prophecy," his lips curled up in distaste at the word, "states that their goddess – you – will bear them many children at a time where they are unable to have any."

Rose swallowed hard, automatically moving away from the bed, her Doctor's intense, dark eyes still remaining on her. After a moment, she found her voice again, "I- Can't we help them? Find out what's wrong with them and fix it?"

He shook his head. "No, already tried that. I scanned several of them earlier with the sonic, both males and females. I looked over the reading several times, but fact is, that their physiology is intact and perfectly capable of reproduction. I honestly don't know why they don't have children."

She knew her face had paled but hadn't appreciated quite how frightened she was, until the Doctor had securely ensconced her in his arms, a hug that always made her feel safer, no matter where they were.

"Rose, I will not-"

The door snapped open and both flinched for a moment, but only an instant later, the blonde was once again pushed behind him and the Doctor stepped in front of her, glaring at the man who had entered.

" GET-OUT!," he hissed dangerously, well aware of just how frightened his companion was, now that she knew the truth.

"I- I am an honourable warrior and have great strength and stamina to offer. I am an Alpha male as the prophecy states."

The Doctor snorted and, had she not known him as well as she did, she would've almost mistaken it for real amusement.

"You are no alpha and you're definitely not strong," stepping up to the other man, eyes glacial and fury emanating from him in waves that made Rose believe for just a moment, that maybe they would make it out of here unscathed, the Doctor's eyes darkened, and for a instant, she could see the urge to kill in his eyes, an abyss, a darkness in him, rising to the surface in a way it rarely did – but then his eyes met hers, and it subsided slightly, bubbling just beneath the surface, still too close for comfort. But instead of taking action, the Time Lord continued speaking, voice low and the threat in it made the other man shiver.

"I could crush you if you so much as even tried to look at her the wrong way. And don't ever speak of honour to me again, not when you are despicable enough to do this. I will never allow you to touch her."

The man visibly cringed and she would've felt sympathetic, had it not been for his intentions. However, to both hers and the Doctor's surprise, the man looked genuinely affronted at the suggestion he would be touching her.

"Why would we touch her? We are not worthy enough to touch the goddess as her husband is."

He visibly cringed under the Doctor's hard glare and she knew that despite the man's words, the Time Lord was still looking for any weapon to use, for any way out when the blue man suddenly sank to the floor, knees bent and face touching the floor, hands stretched out in front of him, towards her, yet not moving.

Both her and the Doctor paused, exchanging a puzzled glance while the man remained immobile. Cautiously, the Time Lord moved back to her side, never taking his eyes off the other man.

"What do you think this is about?" she finally hissed to him, hoping the man on the floor didn't hear.

"Goddess, did you receive my seed?"

Flushing, torn between embarrassment, anger and utter confusion, the blonde woman ended up repeating the words, "your... seed?"

The Doctor looked equally puzzled, eyebrows raised in surprise, the darkness fading slightly as a more calculated look took its place.

The other man's face fell, a blush colouring his cheeks.

"Pardon me, I will try harder."

The man definitely looked taken aback when the Doctor, in a snap decision, knelt down beside him, looking genuinely curious rather than threatening, when he asked, "what are you doing?"

"You read the prophecy," the man stated, "I am seeding the goddess so she will bear many strong children. Another twenty men are lined up outside. We require many children."

With those words he sank back into the floor, head touching the ground, brows furrowed in concentration.

Baffled, Rose sat down on the bed, staring at the man in part disbelief and part amusement. She could see her Doctor's lips twitching, humour shining through until the last of the darkness had dissipated.

By the time the blue man looked up again, her Doctor was in the corner, grinning quietly to himself and Rose only just stopped herself from rolling her eyes, seeing as the Abalonian looked at her with such hope in his eyes.

"Goddess, did you receive my seed?"

Blushing, realising what she would have to say to end this charade, she shot the Time Lord, who was watching with barely hidden amusement, a sharp glare. He just waggled his eyebrows and directed her gaze back to the man in front of her, whose face was slowly falling.

"Ah... erm, yes, oh great warrior, I have received your seed and I have no doubt a strong child will, err,... come out of it."

The wide smile that spread across the Abalonian's face almost made her feel bad about her blatant lie, but then he thanked her profusely and left her alone, telling her she would be given a few minutes to recuperate between each 'seeding'.

The moment the door closed, her Doctor, who had been shaking with suppressed laughter, burst out, loudly.

"Oh, shove off," Rose told him, her face red from embarrassment but a moment later, glancing at her Doctor, who was leaning heavily on the chair, frame still shaking with laughter, she couldn't help but start giggling as well.

Both finally collapsed on opposite ends of the bed, facing each other.

"My stomach actually hurts," the Doctor admitted, a curious frown on his face. Nodding slightly, Rose attempted in vain not to smile, her facial muscles aching already and commented, "Yeah, that was great..."

The Doctor's chuckle made her automatically look across at him. Waggling his eyebrows, he suggested, "shouldn't you be telling them that?"

The door opened and Rose valiantly attempted to muffle her laughter behind her hand, hitting the still chuckling Time Lord in the face with one of the pillows before turning to the Abalonian, trying to portray the seriousness they were expecting. She knew better than to look at the Doctor, knowing that he was by now undoubtedly doing his best to make her laugh again and she really didn't want to know what that would do to the ego of these poor men.

The man gave the Time Lord a dismissive glance before focusing on her with smarmy smile that made her skin crawl. Rose had never been happier that they saw it as something of a sacrilege to touch her. He looked arrogant, sneering as if everyone else but her was below him; nevertheless, he sank into the same floor-touching bow the other man had also taken.

She used the time he wasn't looking at her, evening out her breath and trying to regain her composure. After a very short time – and wasn't that just too true, apparently even for alien men – he stood up again.

"Goddess, I presume you have received my seed?! And I have no doubt it will bring children of greater strength than my cousin's."

Rose did her best to ignore the Doctor's snigger as she responded, "Ah yes, I have indeed ... received your seed. You were," there was no way to stop her lips from curling upward, "very impressive indeed and I'm certain your children will be no less, err... pleasing."

Nodding in satisfaction the man left and a moment later, both Rose and the Doctor were in tears, laughing.

"Oh god, alien and human men, they're all the same," she pressed out between laughter, "wait a few seconds, they're done and then want to desperately know they were bigger and better than everyone else!"

It took her a moment to realise that the Time Lord was no longer laughing; rather his brown eyes had darkened and were studying her intensely.

"What?" She found herself saying, laughter forgotten, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

"Only young people and species forget about the partner's pleasure. I assure you," his eyes had darkened considerably and even Rose couldn't convince herself that it was anything other than desire in them, "that with time," his hand trailed along her neck, a gesture so intimate that it sent her heartbeat into a frenzy; something he could no doubt tell, judging by the way his lips curled upwards in satisfaction, "you become more proficient at making your partner scream," his eyes went darker still, silently forbidding her from moving and Rose, in turn, found herself unable to tear her eyes away from his, "at making time bend around them, prolonging the ecstasy, extending every second until they're begging, having forgotten anything but your own name..."

They stayed, motionless, for another moment, his hand at her bare collarbone, hesitating, before he blinked, the desire disappearing so fast that for a moment, Rose thought she'd imagined it. Disappointment crashed into her, even though she knew how unlikely it was he'd ever continue, and she finally let out the breath she'd unconsciously held in.

"I'm sure Jack would be more than keen to demonstrate his... prowess in the matter."

Unwillingly, she grimaced at his comment. Jack was hot – very hot, actually, but she couldn't shift her feelings, seeing him more as a brother rather than a lover.

"I'm sure he would – but I think he'd much more enjoy if we let him loose on this entire society. Who better teach them about sexuality than 'Captain Jack Harkness'?"

She grinned at the Doctor, but both their attentions were diverted when the door opened again.

The moment the door closed and the last of the Abalonians left, Rose heaved a sigh and leant back on the bed.

"Well, that was surprisingly exhausting."

"Oh, I should think so," had she bothered to look, she would've seen the Doctor grinning at her, eyes twinkling with mischief, "considering you just had twenty men attempting to impregnate you."

Rose laughed to her own surprise, thinking that they'd spent most of the evening already in laughter and she couldn't possibly find this funny anymore.

"Oh, shush you. Or I'll have to tell my mum that you sat there and watched while twenty alien men came in to 'seed' me."

To her surprise, the Doctor first blushed and then blanched, obviously imagining her mum's reaction. Grinning, Rose grabbed her clothes and hooked her arm into the Doctor's leading him to the door.

"C'mmon, hubby, time to make our escape."

Grinning in satisfaction at the Doctor's chuckle, her face quickly became blank as she opened the door and faced the guards.

"I will show you where the children are and then we will depart for our home."

"That quickly?" One of the guards exclaimed in surprise, before quickly putting one of the webbed hands in front of his mouth, looking as though he'd broken a terrible taboo.

Suppressing a grin, Rose shot him a sharp glance, "I am no mere mortal," she declared, feeling the Doctor quiver slightly next to her with barely suppressed laughter, "I am a goddess. How dare you question me?"

Stepping in front of both guards, giving her Doctor a surreptitious wink, she led them out the castle doors. Slowly the procession grew and finally she stopped, pointing to the other end of the castle. "They're way back there, behind the corner."

She only barely stopped herself from adding that they were in baskets in the river. Her Doctor had obviously guessed her thoughts, smiling and clicking his tongue in approval. The moment everyone's eyes were diverted and they slowly stepped forward, she took a step back. Turning on her heels quickly, she pulled the Doctor along. To his credit he only stumbled momentarily before turning the same way she was and soon, both were running. The Abalonians didn't think to stop her, all too interested in what was behind the castle.

Grinning widely, she lowered her voice slightly to resemble the tone his previous self had used in the first word he'd ever said to her, and repeated them back to him, "Run!"

Her Doctor, always game, laughed loudly and fell in step at her side, both starting to finally hear a ruckus behind them, grinning at each other as they sped up, both headed towards the Tardis, which was gleaming off in the distance, the last sunrays reflecting on its surface.

"So, I get to choose our next destination," she found herself shouting to him, still running, nearly at the Tardis now.

"What? Where did you get that ludicrous idea from?"

Rose shot him a quick glance, noting the wide grin on his face and rolling her eyes fondly.

"Remember, if our life was in danger I get to choose the next trip."

"Yup," he acknowledged, quickly unlocking the Tardis door, letting her slip through first, "but I don't see how our life was in danger."

"Oh," Rose taunted, grinning as she stepped closer to him, his back to door he'd just closed behind them, "trust me, your life was definitely in danger if they had caught us again due to your slowness," she gave him a wry smile, amber eyes glinting with mischief and just the slightest remnant of anger, "really, trust me."

The unspoken threat finally seemed to register, yet he seemed to be unable to help himself.

"MY slowness?"

Rose grinned, stepping away, satisfied that she'd won the battle even if he refused to admit it yet.

"Yeah, your slowness," she taunted, grinning widely, tongue peeking out between her teeth, "Oh, sorry, old man, is your hearing going as well?"

The Doctor spluttered for a moment, before a dangerous smirk pulled on his lips.

"Oh, I'll give you slow..."

Laughing loudly, Rose started running again.

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Right, everyone, this is obviously not what I had in mind for this chapter but... well, it sort of wrote itself. I'm very sorry, actual plot will come in the next chapter. I couldn't help myself and I couldn't delete it either, cause I kinda liked it. Sorry guys. I do hope you enjoyed it. Anyway, thank you all for your lovely reviews – responses below! I would love to receive another one from all of you and every other reader, naturally. Let me know what you think!

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cecilehem

You're very welcome – another quick update, even if it's not what you expected, I hope you still enjoyed it. I hope you've read the chapter by now, which means you now the marriage was just a way he thought of for getting them out of that problem; didn't work but I hope it made your heart still beat slightly faster *wink* I did my best. I am very sorry to say you didn't guess right, though I did enjoy reading your thoughts. I do hope I made you alternatively laugh and cry and then laugh again with this chapter. Would love to hear from you again, please :)

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Kylaia78

Yay! Thank you for waiting. I am glad I lived up to your expectations. Yep, Rose has been through a lot. Unfortunately, the plot development didn't really happen – apologies again for that. I do hope you enjoyed the flashback instead. I would love to hear from you again.

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The Clever Doctor

I was so flattered by your review- thank you. I hoped to develop even the side characters in such a way that you couldn't help but empathise with them and the decisions they had to make. It's a tough call to make – do you trust the aliens who have already betrayed you the first time to keep their word this time around? But if you don't what are your options, realistically speaking? So yeah, I can definitely see why you'd make the same choice but at the same time, I would also argue that there are many reasons not to make that mistake again :) I'm so glad the Bad Wolf explanation went down well; I wasn't sure how well I'd described so that's a relief, thank you!

And thank you, again, for all your help with this chapter and with plotting out the direction of this story. It's immensely helpful and thanks for your quick feedback on this chapter. I am so happy, it's such a help, figuring out which episode to return her to.

So, just, yep, brilliant work, thank you so much. I do hope you like the rest of this chapter which you hadn't read yet.

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BabyBlues37

Thank you for all the flattery :) Well, the next chapter came rather quickly even if it's not what any of us – me included – were expecting, I do hope you enjoyed.

Thank you, I'm glad you're saying it's a unique idea and that you like the fact I don't requote entire episodes; to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't have the patience for that. So thank you for all the flattery and I do hope that this chapter is still enjoyable even if the plot hasn't really moved... at all. I would love to hear from you again!

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SassyFrassKerr

Double yay right back for a review – thank you! I've put a quick explanation at the beginning of this chapter, just in case anyone else was confused. You're the only one who guessed correctly, by the way, so congratulations you've earned... a cyber-cookie ;) I do hope you enjoyed the humour in this chapter and I would love to receive another review! Thank you.