Hi Everyone,

Sorry this one took so long, but I discovered something when writing this which I was previously blissfully unaware of. I absolutely, utterly and totally hate rewriting episodes with a passion. It's a chore, a task, and I don't enjoy it. Normally writing just flows but this was really, really hard to get on paper; I expect the next chapter will be no different, if not worse. Sorry, but you'll have to wait. I do hope this has not carried across into my writing and I do hope you'll still enjoy it.

Quick recommendations: Read the Harry Potter fanfic "Deprived" by The Crimson Lord. Even if you don't like HP (I don't like reading JK); this one's brilliant! And watch the documentary series "Power of Nightmares" by Adam Curtis! Fantastic stuff!

This is dedicated to all my old and the surprisingly massive influx of new reviewers as well as my brilliant beta reader – The Clever Doctor; you have her to thank for me not finishing with a half-hearted chapter at 8k! Thank you all for sharing your thoughts with me – this chapter is for you guys (16 reviewers! WOW! You are the best ever! Thank you so much!):

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"Sometimes I think there's way too much coincidence around you, Donna," he finally admitted what had been bothering him the entire time about his companion. "I met you once, then I met your grandfather, then I met you again. In the whole wide universe, I met you for a second time. It's like something's binding us together."

He couldn't put his finger on it; it was at the tip of his tongue, like there were hints everywhere and he just needed to connect the dots. And there was something else, something just at the edge of his senses, something tingling, warning him. A storm was approaching.

"Don't be so daft," Donna rebutted as expected. Not for the first time he wondered if he didn't specifically go out looking for companions in people who thought less of themselves, who thought they didn't measure up. Oh, that and obviously jeopardy-friendly ones who disobeyed every single instruction and rule he ever gave them. He withheld a sigh, looking at the redhead at his side. "I'm nothing special," she continued, oblivious to his thoughts.

"Yes, you are," he assured her, trying to put as much emphasis as he could behind the words, "you're brilliant."

She gifted him with a wide smile and he couldn't help but remember Rose, who had also always thought less of herself, whose mother had instilled her with the same lack of confidence Donna had, a deep-seated understanding of not being good enough. He showed them the universe, watched them save entire planets and still they were convinced they weren't good enough. How do you make someone believe in themselves?

In the end, Donna much like Rose had, in a way, saved him from himself. Oh, his new redheaded companion couldn't take the pain away fully, couldn't make him believe that maybe, for once, everything would turn out alright the way Rose had, but she had helped in letting the pain dull a bit. It was still there, ever-present, a deep ache with his every breath, but it wasn't quite as debilitating, wasn't quite as unbearable and he'd even started to realise that, as devastating as her loss was, as difficult as living every day without her still was and, he suspected, always would be, Donna had made him realise that he really could live without Rose.

His companion's voice ripped him out of his thoughts, her voice hesitant but rapid, as though Donna had recalled something she hadn't remembered for a long time, "she said that."

Blinking in surprise, he looked back at the redhead. "Who did?"

"That woman," his companion said before shaking her head slightly, continuing, "I can't remember."

Ah, the Doctor realised, her parallel world.

"Well, she never existed now," he said, a tinge of real regret in his voice, trying to dismiss someone she was unlikely to meet again – though that was probably not a bet he wanted to make, considering Donna's rather remarkable history in regards to coincidences. Shame though, his companion could've used someone else in her corner.

"No," Donna denied, eyes wide and firmly meeting his, as she obviously recalled more details, "but she said the stars..." the redhead paused, trying to remember something that was rapidly slipping out her mind, before continuing, "she said the stars are going out."

It was a hard concept to grasp, he realised, having an entire parallel world created around you and then having it gone, people different to what you remembered and expected; of course Donna would be struggling with it.

"Yeah, but that world's gone," he tried to explain again, but the redhead interrupted, her head shaking quickly.

"No," she asserted, "but she said it was all worlds. Every world."

The moment those words had been said he could feel it, a yearning, a hope he didn't dare even think of, for fear of breaking it. It couldn't be, right? But... she'd said all worlds, every world... And if every world then... Conceivably, she could've... Still, squashing the notion, refusing to allow himself even the faintest of hopes, knowing just how much it hurt every time he saw a blonde woman who reminded him of her only to realise it wasn't her, not Rose, he clenched his hands tightly, hoping the pain would fight what he had no hope fighting against. It simply couldn't be. It couldn't. She was safe.

"She said the darkness is coming," Donna continued, unaware of his inner turmoil. "Even here."

His chest clamped, his hearts slowed and yet he still refused to entertain the absurd notion that she'd come back. She was gone. Forever.

"Who was she?" he found himself asking, desperate, trying to extinguish the hope burning brighter inside him with every second.

"I don't know," Donna's eyes left his as she tried to recall the moments that were slipping away with every passing second.

He had to know, he had to. "What did she look like?" the Time Lord attempted, hoping to find out something that would stop the tightening of his throat, the trembling of his fingers; because he knew, without a doubt, that it couldn't be her. And yet, he doubted, he believed, he had faith in the one person he could never see again. He was a fool, but he could no longer help himself.

"She was... blonde," Donna said and it was his downfall. The hope rose until he could scarcely breathe, until his hands shook with the effort of not shaking Donna and forcing her to tell him everything she knew, until his hearts were filled with nothing but Rose, his love, his yearning and his unshakable belief which stood up even in the face of the impossible.

Okay, he told himself, even if they were blonde and female, there were millions of those out there. It didn't have to be her...

...But it could be...

"What was her name?" he demanded, voice quick and urgent. He had to know; if it was her, if she was coming back then... then...

"I don't know," the redhead was shaking her head and it took everything not to grip her, not to ask her if he could look at her mind or – even worse – her timeline to find out. But this was Rose. Might be Rose, he corrected himself quickly, forcing himself not to even think of doing the unforgivable. Donna was his friend.

"Donna," he said again, knowing some of his fierce need, his urgency, was transferred to his voice, but unable to help himself, "what was her name?"

It could be Rose, his hearts said with every double-beat and for the first time he succumbed to it. Hope. It was glorious; it made him feel alive in ways he hadn't known he'd missed, his blood singing and his mind filled with happy memories – memories of her – the longing abated, the need, the desperation, got subdued for the first time in such a long time that he was surprised to find how much easier it was to breathe without those feelings choking his every breath.

And that was another thing; he could breathe and enjoy the moment rather than feeling the need to analyse every second. It was wonderful and brilliant and magnificent and fantastic.

And it was also the very reason he'd not allowed himself to hope, not until now, because he'd known, known, just how much it would hurt again, how bad he would be – like when he met Donna for the first time. He didn't want to go through that again, didn't want to wonder, in the darkest corner of his hearts, if it wasn't easier to just give in, to die alongside his enemy – one last hurrah.

"But she told me..." Donna said, brows furrowed, "to warn you... She said two words."

He hated suspense; had never enjoyed it; well, not unless he created it for dramatic effect... but not on this topic, not where she was concerned.

"What two words?" he pressed her. "What were they? What did she say?"

And then she said them; two words he simultaneously dreaded and yet made him want to cry in relief.

"Bad Wolf," Donna said and his heart stopped for an instant. She was back; Rose, his Rose, was back... and the end of the universe was impending; something so large, of such magnitude it could affect not only this world but parallel ones? Oh, he should be scared, frightened even. And he was, truly, he was, but it was distant, every echo of his hearts a hymn to her, a prayer, a memory that no matter what, they could face it. Together. Because they were going to be together again in ways he hadn't dared ever hope for and never allowed himself to believe could happen and yet she had, once again, made the impossible, possible. Bad Wolf. Words that meant his death, but, more than anything, they meant his rebirth, they told him she was coming, to help him, to save him; the way she had done since the very first moment he met her.

"What does it mean?" Donna's eyes found his and he found himself unable to explain, needed the proof, needed to see the truth with his own eyes. Stumbling, desperate in his need to get outside and verify her words, the Doctor rushed up and as soon as he was out of the room he saw it.

It was everywhere. Bad Wolf. The words, in every language, an endless repetition, no matter where he looked. Rose was back. Rose, wonderful, beautiful, Rose Tyler. Even his beautiful ship was inscribed, her name across the box and he could feel the Tardis' humming warningly in his mind. He knew why, had known it as soon as he knew she was back. The end of the universe. Rose was back, but at a cost. It was time to find out what the cost was, and he hoped to god it was something he could pay, some way he could save the universe and still have her with him. He didn't want to lose her again, not just after he'd found her.

"Doctor, what is it?" Donna asked, a few steps behind him as he had rushed inside the ship, undoubtedly surprised by the red emergency lighting – the Tardis had refused to change it back to mauve once Rose had said she liked it despite his protests – and the sound of the cloister bell.

"What's Bad Wolf?" she questioned and for the first time he allowed himself to be afraid, to dread what was coming. Because, just like the last time she'd come for him, just like the last time when her name had been written across the stars, there was a cost, a price. The last time he'd given his life; and if that's all it was, he'd gladly give it, as long as it just meant he'd have her hand in his again – not this him, maybe, but him nonetheless. There was so much he still wanted to do, to see, to taste – in this body, the body born and made for Rose Tyler. But it was a small price to pay for her return.

And unfortunately, the Tardis didn't seem to think that whatever was coming was insignificant or small.

"It's the end of the universe," he announced to Donna, swallowing down his panic once he realised it had carried over in his voice. It would be too cruel if he was bound to lose Rose just after finding her again. He'd fight. He wouldn't relinquish her hand, wouldn't let her go, not again. He refused to. And there was very, very little he couldn't do when he set his mind to it. His panic, his fear, subsided, replaced by sheer determination and focus.

Time to save this universe, all other parallel worlds and find Rose Tyler; and not necessarily in that order.

Shivering, Rose came to on the hardwood floor of her apartment. Wincing, gingerly, the blonde sat up, looking around herself. It had happened often enough now and with ever-increasing frequency so she knew very well what had taken place.

Still, this time had been close, she recalled – far too close for comfort. The pain had been excruciating and her decision to fight against the time vortex in Pete's world had made it increase exponentially. The pain had amplified until her body had been in spasms and Rose had completely lost control over herself, her body moving without her say-so, without control or thought. And she had been tired, so tired, and breathing hurt and it had been so god-damn hard to hold onto even the slightest thought, that she'd nearly given in, nearly lost her fight and herself, nearly allowed herself to be erased. At the very last moment, she'd remembered what was happening, that she couldn't just give in – that it wouldn't be losing the battle, it'd be losing the war – and so she had fought back, but it had been close – too close. In the end, even after the attack subsided, the pain had been too much and she'd fallen unconscious right after.

With a slight hiss, Rose forced herself to stand up and made her way to the shower. During last night's episode she'd obtained several new bruises and had come to the frightening realisation that she couldn't wait any longer. Not even a single day. This was her last, her only chance; she couldn't survive another episode like that.

The dimension cannon had to be adjusted now that it was – relatively – portable. It was cumbersome, large and heavy, but it wasn't anywhere near impossible. But Pete would just have to give them the go ahead. And besides, there were only a handful of stars left between them and Earth's disappearance. Time was, quite literally, running out.

Taking a deep breath, Rose slung the dimension cannon over her shoulder.

"You can discharge the dimension cannon, if need be," one of the scientists advised, brows furrowed in concentration as he rushed to make last minute checks. "It is pure energy; should be able to kill or disable just about anything. We haven't had time to test it under the right circumstances since you insisted on going today, but it should recharge itself fairly quickly."

Rose nodded, indicating her understanding of the functionalities, though her heart was heavy. Pete had insisted and he wasn't wrong, but the knife in her shoes, the gun at her waist and now this large one on her felt too heavy, bearing on her conscience with more than their physical weight. More deaths she would be responsible for. More people, more aliens. It was only too obvious that they didn't know whom they were entrusting with these weapons.

Nevertheless, Rose was left with little choice but to accept the weapons they supplied her with. Her Doctor hated guns and he would see just how different she was. She knew, more than most others, just how much he feared that he changed his companions and she'd appear in front of him, one of the few ones he had dared to believe had not been turned into a soldier, showing him the exact opposite. And it would hurt him; she'd hurt him. Closing her eyes for a second, pushing down her grief, her anger, Rose accepted the fact that she had no choice. Whatever was strong enough to break down the barriers, to destroy all the universes; she needed to be able to defend herself; at least long enough to find him. The Doctor... Not her Doctor, not anymore. To be honest, she'd lost the right to use that moniker a long time ago, long before now; the first time she betrayed everything he stood for, the first time she learned how to shoot, how to kill instead of learning how to heal and help. The pain, both physical and emotional, had by now just become another part of everyday life, an inescapable fact of her existence.

Jake pulled her into yet another embrace and Mickey watched on from the back of the room, eyes suspiciously red. She gave him a soft smile but could no longer put her heart behind it.

Stepping out of Jake's arms and moving back, away from him, she used the machine in her hand to pull her through the dimensions, refusing to say any more goodbyes. Rose had learned to hate them as time passed. There had been too many people she'd never get to see again, too many people she'd been forced to say goodbye to as they bled out in her arms, too many she'd left behind, never to be seen again. She would have liked to say that at least when she'd left, she had made sure they lived in a better place, a better world; that she had ensured her friends lives were better, that they would not be forced to fight for their daily survival, but the simple fact was, that she hadn't. She'd tried, had fought so hard, every time, but in the end, she was not the Doctor, had left some worlds no better than they had started out with and left her friends, her family, behind, abandoned them and left them to deal with the fallout.

Others, living on a planet not ravaged by war, had never understood and she refused to tell them, to take their innocence, to explain about aliens and wars which the human race had been unequipped to even offer a fight, the sad reality of how vast the universe really was and how easy, how quickly humanity could be overrun. To them, she had just disappeared one day, knowing that they would never understand her goodbye, would never understand the inescapable fact, that they would never see each other again, that there wouldn't be any 'accidental' run-ins.

And Rose started to learn, to understand, just why the Doctor had never said goodbye to Sarah Jane, why it hurt so much; because she knew what she was leaving behind, how little she had done to help and how ill-equipped they were to deal with anything that came after she was gone. A goodbye was something you said to friends; how could she see herself as their friend, their family, if she was willing to leave them behind just like that? And yet, Rose prioritised one man above them; oh, she told herself she was saving them, was saving their dimension in doing so, but the truth was, that she wanted to be back with him, at his side. He saved people, saved worlds, and made everywhere he went a better place. She didn't have that strength, that knowledge, but she wanted to help him. Rose was tired of losing, tired of losing not just everyone that she loved, but of losing the battles, the war, of trying and failing where the Doctor would have succeeded.

The moment she entered the right universe – not a parallel world where her own should have been – it was magnificent. She was still just matter, separate cells forced through the barriers, the walls that separated all worlds and it would take a moment before she coalesced. Normally, it would all be an instant to her; the tearing apart of her body, her very essence, atom by atom, and its subsequent reassembling – a nauseating, painful instant, but an instant nonetheless.

This time, however, every part of her hummed and sang, and a feeling spread through her, a feeling of being home, of being welcomed back, of a warm hug on a dreary day as the vortex rushed through her and the power of time itself at her fingertips. So she held on, allowed the instant to stretch to a moment, to taste the ancient power on her non-existent tongue, allowed herself to be part of it, to be everywhere and anywhere, any when, all at once. Rose allowed her entire self to stretch and fill until she felt the power would either force her to her knees in submission or make her cry in delight, until every part of her was submerged and yet riding all that power, all that had been, is and ever could be.

And in that moment she allowed her name to spread across the stars, told the entire universe that she was back – back where she belonged, the one place where she had always been meant to be – relished in the power that had formed her, that had allowed her to come this far, to travel so many worlds and yet still find her way back here, to the place she'd been born, the universe her Doctor had sacrificed so much to protect.

Bad Wolf.

Two words which, for a few moments, were written in every known language in every galaxy, every planet at the same time, announcing the return of a goddess, a warrior, a singularly unique being of time, before disappearing again, just long enough to herald her coming to her friends and to put fear into the hearts of her enemies. And then Rose let go, allowed time around her to resume, allowed the dimension cannon to forcefully return her body to Earth, to where it had last tracked the Tardis.

Rose stumbled upon her landing, feeling oddly off-kilter with the heavy machinery weighing her down and her return to a full-fledged human being with a corporeal body rather than a conglomeration of matter which had no physical body to observe the effects of gravity with.

Before she could regain her balance, she could feel a memory changing, a new fixed point with her at its center where there had been none previously. It wasn't malicious, Rose could tell that much easily – this wasn't someone else invading in her head; she was all-too familiar with that feeling. Rather, it was time being rewritten, her actual timeline, her past in this world, had been changed.

Specifically, her memory of the 2005 New Year, the same year she'd first met the Doctor in, had been changed; and it was a fixed point.

In her original memory, she'd said goodbye to her mum and then run upstairs, back to the flat. In the other one, the new one, she'd found someone and had a conversation with him before returning.

She had heard someone, hidden in the shadows, grunting with what she could now, in retrospect, identify as pain. "You all right, mate?" she had asked.

And it was the Doctor who had answered, the man that she now knew, the second one, not her first – though she couldn't see him in her memory, shadows obscuring his face, his voice was all too clear and recognisable, even in just the one word. "Yeah."

The scene played out with her leaving, never having seen his face and yet she didn't flounder, didn't doubt. Rose knew that man almost as well as she knew herself. The Doctor, the second incarnation of him. But her heart ached with the realisation, the instantaneous understanding of the implication of the changed memory and the fact that it was not malleable as most of time was.

No, that couldn't be true. Not a fixed point. He wouldn't have a reason to say goodbye – not unless she wasn't with him. And if he said goodbye and she wasn't with him, then there was no way he knew about what she'd done, who she'd become. And if he didn't know then- suddenly she remembered something, something she'd buried deep inside, had tried to forget along with all the other memories that kept breaking her, bit by bit, from her time with the Silence.

"Please," his heartbroken plea came, in her head, the tears evident in his voice, stopping her dead in her tracks. "I just need a little more time... Please..."

And she had, hadn't she? She'd given him more time. Because he'd been the one asking, no, pleading, and she hadn't been able to say no, but now... a dreadful realisation came. He hadn't needed the time to save people. He'd needed it to say goodbye; the last time he'd regenerated, with her, he'd been unable to hold off for long and this time was obviously no different and yet, with her help, he'd managed to find her, to see her before she ever knew him, and she had helped him, helped him in creating that fixed point.

Because if she were to have been with him, he would not have been begging her for time. And if he had not held her back from her first escape, then maybe she would have escaped the Silence earlier and maybe, she wouldn't be here now.

Swallowing hard, biting back the tears, Rose stared for a moment, realising that either she was going to meet another man, a new one, who was called the Doctor or... or she wouldn't survive. Something would have to happen to her, for her not to be with him, right? She'd either never see him again, or only be with him for a short time. It was hard to tell which was worse; losing him again or leaving him to find out she had died or hoping that Donna didn't remember, that he could still live in the belief that she was safe, somewhere.

"The thing is, Doctor, no matter what's happening, and I'm sure it's bad, I get that," Donna followed him around the console, pausing momentarily before continuing, asking him the one question he'd been unable to get out of his head, "but, Rose is coming back. Isn't that good?"

A part of him was still in disbelief; it should have been impossible and he knew something had to be happening, had to be tearing down the walls between universes and that was never good... but she was back. Rose – his Rose – was back and he had cursed the universe, had been so certain that it took and took until there was nothing left, no one left, until all that he loved had been ripped away from him... and yet... and yet, Rose was back. His wonderful, beautiful, Rose, who had promised him her forever, who had promised to stay at his side... he would finally have her again and yes, he knew there were a lot of unanswered questions; how she got here, what she had lived through... if she found someone. But, for the first time in his life, he didn't care. He simply didn't care. Not if it meant she'd stay with him, not if it meant he would feel her warm hands again, fingers intertwining with his they were they meant to, the way his body, his hand, had been born to be; not if it meant she'd run with him, joke with him, fight with him, live with him, be with him. Not if it gave him Rose back.

She had promised him and he had believed in her, a fool's hope, against everything he knew, every fact he had been aware of, and yet she'd done the impossible. She was back. He hadn't found her, not yet, but his hearts were no longer filled with grief and his feet felt light as though a weight had dropped off him, as if the whole world was suddenly lighter, as though he could do anything and, a part of him truly believed that with her at his side, there was very little he'd find impossible. Because Rose was back. And he had no way of expressing just how good that was, how fantastic and brilliant and a thousand other words.

"Yeah," a slow smile spread across his face as he looked at Donna, a fierce happiness inside him that he wanted to share with her; for her to see just how much better that small bit of news made him, how intensely glad he was, how much easier and happier life was with Rose in it. There were things he'd have to figure out but even if it meant telling River Song his name, he would not marry her, not now, not when he could have Rose. It wasn't as though he was incapable of sharing his name it just was intensely private and almost a violation but... if it meant having Rose with him instead, he'd do it in a heartbeat.

And there were other things he'd have to tell her, things which he knew would hurt her but ... she was Rose. Somehow, despite the rather unique circumstances around both instances, he'd ended up kissing both Donna and Martha; he knew that Rose and him had never formalised their relationship, but if any Time Lord had seen them, they would have been able to tell in an instant that he was together with her. For a touch telepath to have as much contact as he always had with his blonde companion was almost indecent; he hugged Martha and Donna, of course he did, and when running, he took their hands too, but there wasn't the constant hand-holding, danger or none, there wasn't the shoulder bumping, the subconscious leaning into each other, the sheer and admittedly blissful ignorance of personal space he had had with Rose. As far as he was concerned, he had been – and still was – together with Rose, just as he had once told Martha.

That meant, unfortunately, as far as he was concerned, he'd have to tell her and he knew it would hurt her. More than anything, he hated hurting her. On top of that, there was Jenny... and River; he still wasn't quite sure how to even start explaining those two disasters. But all that didn't matter. Even if Rose was angry, she'd be with him. Together.

He'd explain everything to her, somehow, and, or so he hoped, eventually he'd earn her forgiveness and he would tell her everything, would finally be able to ask her what he should have, such a long time ago. He'd offer her his forever.

Rose had become far better than she wanted to admit to at burying her emotions, at feeling nothing. It had been needed a skill she'd relied on too often, a skill she had acquired on her travels where intense concentration and focus was often required at a moment's notice. Her eyes automatically scanned her surroundings. A rural neighbourhood with quiet, small roads and few cars... and a milkman, apparently, who was looking at her with wide eyes. Well, that wasn't good. This wasn't the first time she'd managed to, rather unfortunately, land in plain sight, but this was her original universe and not one she wanted to attract attention in.

Ignoring the baffled milkman for the moment, her eyes automatically flitted upwards, scanning the sky, as something that should be impossible had appeared in her peripheral vision; only to find that this may be Earth but either it had moved, or other planets had. Because this was definitely her first time finding other planets in such close orbit to theirs; to be honest, she was surprised the temperatures had yet to drop and that gravity hadn't been affected, considering the fact that the sun was nowhere to be seen and the other planets were in such close proximity.

"Right," she said to herself, trying to not feel quite as overwhelmed at what she was going to have to face, "now we're in trouble."

The enemy couldn't be far behind. This – whatever this was – must have been what they wanted and what caused this entire chaos, and undoubtedly responsible for causing the walls between the universes to thin and slowly vanish.

Her eyes still fixed on the planets in sky which were uncomfortably close, Rose swallowed, charging her gun, whispering to herself, "and it's only just beginning," because she'd suddenly remembered that she didn't just have to worry about their enemies, their planet and the others, all the dimensions breaking down; she also had to worry about the humans.

Humans, when panicked, were likely to start rioting and looting, believing it was their last day or night on this planet and more likely to take what they wanted. Unfortunately, a lot of people might suffer as a consequence and fall casualty to the crowds.

Rose glanced around her, pushing down her own fear, before deciding on a direction and setting off. She needed to find a computer. And a phone. But most important was definitely a computer to find out what's going on, what they knew; mainly by hacking into Unit and Torchwood. Though hacking was such an ugly word and really, stealing the Doctor's passwords couldn't be considered hacking, could it?

"But if the Earth's been moved, they've lost the Sun," Donna said, making a very good point – not that he'd tell her that. She'd start worrying about her family and- "What about my Mum? And Granddad? They're dead!"

And too late. His eyes slipped to the redhead who was desperately asking him for reassurance – reassurance he couldn't give her. All the monitors, all the calculations, they told him nothing.

"Aren't they?" her voice was trembling and he wished he had something he could give her, wished he could blindly reassure her that yes, of course he'd take care of it. That he would magically fix the problem when he didn't even know what precisely the problem was. But she didn't deserve that, didn't deserve the blind lies and soothing words; she'd stood by his side in Pompeii, had heard and helped the Oods; Donna had been a faithful and true companion even when he had not been sure he wanted anyone at his side. "Are they- are they dead?"

He pulled himself away from the Tardis monitor, looking at Donna; proud, strong Donna, whose eyes were glistening with unshed tears and who was so very afraid of what he might say.

"I don't know, Donna," he said, regretfully, hoping she understood just how much he wanted to be able to give her better news. "I just don't know. I'm sorry, I don't know."

His eyes flitted back to the monitor, knowing that he didn't have time to console her now, that he couldn't focus on her when the rest of the universe was in the balance; the same way he had known that though he longed to program the Tardis to look for Rose, he had to check on Earth first.

"That's my family. My whole world," Donna said and he wanted to tell her that he could empathise – he really could – and that he, too, wanted to rather be looking for Rose, wanted to be able to tell the redhead that he would be able to fix it, but he couldn't. Because he didn't know if he could.

"There's no readings," he finally admitted, exasperated and anxious, trying to figure out what to do when even the extremely advanced scans of the Tardis were unable to unearth the exact nature of the planet's disappearance.

"Nothing," he continued, trying to illustrate just how impressive – and frightening – it was that not only had a planet been taken, but also to leave no trace, none at all behind, was beyond most – if not all – races in this entire universe, both past and present. "Not a trace. Not even a whisper."

Stepping back, hand absentmindedly rubbing his neck as he tried to comprehend just how it had been done and, more importantly, whom he could ask for help, who would know more than him, he admitted to her in a voice carrying equal measures of both dread and awe, "oh, that is fearsome technology."

"So what do we do?" Donna asked him and a thought formed.

"We've got to get help," he told her, eyes still focused on the Tardis. Was he really going there? Without the Time Lords, there were very few still actively monitoring the entire universe, and, at present, they were the only ones he could think of.

"From where?" his companion's voice had a slight edge of hysteria to it and he looked up, his demeanour calm even when he felt anything but, knowing Donna wouldn't quite understand what it was he was proposing. There was a reason he barely ever saw them or went to them for problem-solving.

"Donna, I'm taking you to the Shadow Proclamation. Hold tight."

Finding a store with internet and computers was easy; the rather impressive size of the dimension cannon also easily scared away the kids who had been either stealing or destroying – to be perfectly honest, she didn't care which. Once they were gone, she picked one of the laptops, cleared the chair of glass shards and set to work.

It didn't take long and she found out what they knew. 27 planets, in perfect balance with one large spaceship at its center. A fleet of 200 smaller spacecrafts and all of them likely belonged to an enemy; a rather overwhelmingly large enemy, though considering the fact that they had managed to steal and relocated entire planets, she suspected they'd have to be. And they would be in control of rather fearsome technology and certainly a lot more intelligent than a lot of the warrior races she'd encountered. So far she'd come up with only a handful of potential suspects – or, obviously, a race she hadn't encountered before.

They had also devised and surrounded Earth with an artificial atmosphere that kept humans alive, sustaining them; the heat, the oxygen, everything. Rose still wasn't sure if that was good news or not. And then a voice, a chorus of voices, echoed through the speakers; a metallic sounding voice that she, unfortunately, recognised only too well.

"EXTERMINATE!"

Daleks. Her heart sank and her courage faltered. Was that how she was going to go? Harnessing the time vortex, putting Earth back to where it belonged (could she even do that?) and was her last act going to be one of genocide? Rose wasn't sure, couldn't be sure, but she guessed that, seeing as she was back in her original universe, she was fully capable of dying; a hypothesis which seemed to be backed by the fact that she wouldn't be with the Doctor anymore, though there was still the tiniest sliver of hope – and dread – that he'd already regenerated. For some reason she doubted she was that lucky; maybe it was time to pay for everything she'd done, to atone, even in the smallest way.

She squashed the urge to run; there was a time to run, and a time to fight. This was the time to fight. She wouldn't give them her planet, the one she'd grown up on, the one the Doctor had saved countless times. And if she died, then she'd make damn well sure that the Doctor, at least, was safe and his enemies destroyed and Earth safe... somehow. No matter what.

Quickly retrieving her old phone, she called Jack. She knew that she had given him a very, very long life, had made him a fixed point – something a person should never be, but she hadn't understood the magnitude of what she was doing. All she'd known was that Jack was her friend; and he wasn't supposed to be dead – not now, not ever. She still didn't know why her Doctor had left him behind, but by now Jack was definitely on Earth; she knew that much. And she still had his number from back when he'd been with them; though, apparently, he had a new number now – not knowing that Jack had stored the phone, hidden it away safely with a few treasures, seeing as Rose was the only one who knew it and she was in a parallel universe – or so he thought.

In the end, there was really only one other option, one other person she could call, seeing as she could reach neither Jack nor the Doctor.

"Rose?" Smiling in relief that she'd managed to get hold of at least one of the Doctor's old companions, the blonde nodded quickly.

"Hello, Sarah Jane. How are you?"

A disbelieving laugh greeted her through the phone. "Oh, hanging in there; what about you?"

"Tryin' to find out where the Doctor is. Can you reach him?"

A heavy sigh and she could hear the naked fear in the other woman's voice though she was trying to hide it. She'd met too many people, had lived too long, to be fooled by Sarah Jane which unfortunately meant that the other companion had also encountered the Daleks before. And she doubted that it had been pleasant.

"No. Got K9 here and no one can get a hold of him. We're trapped."

Swallowing, closing her eyes, Rose nodded to herself. It was just as she'd feared then.

"Okay, listen. I know his current companion. Donna Noble. I'll find her and through her, I'll find him. Listen," she sighed lightly, but knew there was no other way. "If you find the Doctor, don't tell him, don't ask about me and no matter what, don't ever mention to him that time you looked after Micks for me. He can't know. If something happens to me, he can't know; you know him."

"Promise," Sarah Jane assured her, before pausing momentarily, "and you do your best to make it to him alive."

"Of course," Rose said, only half-meaning it. She did want to see him again, had fought so hard for it, but if needed, she'd do her very best to ensure his survival instead of her own.

Heaving up the dimension cannon, she left the shop and made her way through town, knowing that she needed to find the Doctor, to find out his plan. Killing had to be the last resort. She would not choose that option, not again, unless faced with no other option. Besides, this could be like the last time, with more than just one enemy to be fought against, both Cybermen and Daleks alike.

She knew she couldn't save them all and her priority had to be to find Donna, to find a way of getting in touch with the Doctor, but maybe she could save some of them on her way to his companion's home.

By the time, she found them, Donna's grandfather and mother, she had almost been too late. Rose had liked him, even in Donna's parallel world, Wilf – but in this one he was just brilliant. He was clever and refused to hide, accepting what so many had trouble to, what his daughter was still fighting to understand.

More than most people, Rose understood the desire to hide, to not know, but her patience with Sylvia was rapidly running thin; luckily, Wilf was more helpful but the moment she heard him, in an argument with Donna's mother, exclaiming that his granddaughter was in outer space with the Doctor, her heart sank.

"You were my last hope," she found herself saying, trying to think of any other possibilities, any way to find out what was going and, more importantly, how to help. "If we can't find Donna, we can't find the Doctor... Where is he?"

She'd attempted to call him, again; but she hadn't been able to get through. It was maddening. Rose could feel her, the Tardis, could reach out to her, hear her song and feel the bond between them, but she couldn't tell where she was. It was like they were hidden, like a partition of the time vortex, separated and taken away and she didn't know how to reach through it, like she wasn't in synch with the rest of time. And she could feel it – so close, all that power, all those dimensions. The Doctor had mentioned it once, the Medusa Cascade; a rift, in space and time that Time Lords used to be able to travel through yo the different dimensions. But one Time Lord alone couldn't do it, he'd clarified when she'd asked if they could visit Mickey. Too much power; it would rip their Tardis – and them – apart.

Rose snorted. All this power, she should be able to do something, and yet she was just as helpless as everyone else. Oh, she could destroy the Daleks, but their planet and the others would still be here, still out synch and she if she did destroy all Daleks, she may very well kill all the life on her planet by destroying the artificial atmosphere as well. There was no choice, nothing she could do. Helpless.

Eyes dark, her hands absently wrapped around the cup of tea that Sylvia had provided her with, she stared at her phone, praying, that any moment now he'd call her. Wilf sat down opposite her, his own cup of tea in his hands.

"So..." Her lips quirked slightly in amusement at the slight pause before he asked what he'd been really wondering, "how do you know him, the Doctor?"

Eyes dark, allowing her phone to fall by the wayside, Rose looked up at the grey-haired man who undoubtedly understood a lot more about this world, this universe than he was saying.

"Was a companion, sorta like Donna. Travelled with him for a bit. He... The Doctor, he saved me."

"You're young," Sylvia interrupted, derisively, adamant in her refusal to believe that Donna was with the Doctor in the first place and simultaneously refusing to believe that, even if her daughter was with him, there was no way he was alien, "you don't know what you're talking about."

A bitter laugh escaped her before she could stop herself, but she didn't explain, rather she told them about him. They didn't need to know how old she truly was.

"The Doctor... he's been alive for a very, very long time. He saw the birth of the universe, of our planet and he will be there at the very end, when time runs out. He may scare you, and that's okay. But one thing you have to understand is that the Doctor, he will do absolutely everything, will give everything, to protect you, protect this planet and this entire universe. It's all he's ever done. He's been there, protecting you even when you weren't aware. The only reason you were even born, is because that man was there, every step of the way, stopping invasion after invasion, saving people, humans, when no one else would. He's sacrificed more than you can ever understand so you can enjoy your everyday life, blissfully unaware. And that's what Donna is doing. Your daughter is a hero. She's out there, running with him, saving planets, saving your life and saving him. Out of everyone on this planet, he asked Donna to come with him; which means that she is the most 'human' human, she's emotional, she empathises and she knows what's right and what's wrong. Your daughter, Sylvia, is saving the universe and the man protecting it. You should be proud."

Sylvia Noble turned away and Rose allowed it, having seen the sheen in her eyes, the glistening on her cheeks and Wilf gave her a half-smile, nodding slightly in gratitude, before asking her quietly, voice certain and eyes full of sympathy, of understanding, "you love him, don't you."

It wasn't a question, not really, and, eyes dark, Rose just nodded. There wasn't much more to say. Everything she'd been through, everything she'd done to herself, had been to get back to him, to be with him. She loved him, with everything she was, everything of herself she still had left; however little that was.

Once Wilf rejoined Sylvia on the sofa, Rose sought out pen and paper, running calculations, hoping to understand just how it had happened, what was tearing apart all the dimensions, how much force was needed to have such a drastic effect on not just one world, but on so many of them. And still it all ended up telling her the same thing; even with all the strength of the time vortex behind her, there really was nothing she could do, doomed to wait for the Doctor to save them even though she had learned to save herself, and to depend on only herself, as the years and decades passed her by. And yet, every simulation, every thought led to the same conclusion. Not without risking everyone else and that wasn't a sacrifice she was prepared to make.

Her eyes automatically went to the TV; both TV and laptop had become sound pieces for the Daleks. Then, suddenly, a human voice resounded through it and for just a breath, she had hope; but it wasn't him, and it wasn't hope; it was humanity, giving in. She watched as Wilf and Sylvia hugged each other, their desperation almost tangible.

"This is the Commander General of the United Nations calling the Dalek Fleet. We surrender. Repeat, we surrender. Planet Earth surrenders."

Closing her eyes, trying to will a miracle to happen, Rose only absently heard the Dalek's instruction, concentrating instead on reaching out to the Tardis again.

"Humans selected for testing will follow Dalek instructions. The Daleks reign supreme. All hail the Daleks. You will obey Dalek instructions without question. You will obey your Dalek ma-"

She could tell that the ship had moved, but it still wasn't anywhere near them. The loud beeping jerked her out of her concentration and with it came the slightest kindling of hope.

"Can anyone hear me? The Subwave Network is open. You should be able to hear my voice... Is there anyone there?"

The laptop was now covered in static and Rose found herself standing up, walking towards it. She knew that- that voice. So familiar. Such a long time ago... but who...?

"I know that voice," she whispered, slipping easily into the seat, trying to see if there was any way to boost the signal and find out who was still resisting, still out there, fighting, against all odds.

"Can anyone hear me? This message is of the utmost importance. We haven't much time. Can anyone hear me? ... Captain Jack Harkness, shame on you. Now stand to attention, sir."

Rose laughed in disbelief as the image suddenly cleared up and there she was, in full colour, just as she remembered her from the first time we met.

"Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister."

Rose could barely stop herself from giggling when, as she had done since the very first time they met, the woman in the screen held up her ID for identification. Shaking her head in slight amusement at the fact that even when so many years passed, so many things changed, there were some people who still remained the same in so many ways. She wondered if her Doctor had picked up some new quirks, absently, as her eyes tried, in vain, to find a camera.

"Harriet, it's me! It's me!" Despite everything, she couldn't help herself, hoping that they would somehow hear her. Of course they didn't. "Have you got a webcam?" She asked, turning to Wilf and Sylvia.

"No," Donna's grandfather said, confirming her suspicions, tilting his head slightly to indicate Sylvia, next to him, as he continued, "she wouldn't let me. She said they're naughty."

With a sigh, shoulders dropping slightly in disappointment, Rose turned back to the screen. "I can't speak to her then, can I?"

"Sarah Jane Smith, 13 Bannerman Road. Are you there?"

Rose's head shot up, eyes widening. Sarah Jane? Just who was Harriet contacting? Jack, Sarah Jane... old companions?

"Good. Now let's see if we can talk to each other," Harriet said over the laptop and her image got smaller and was joined by Sarah Jane and... Jack. He looked good. Her guilt lessened ever so slightly; she hadn't completely ruined him by giving him that very, very long life. Then Harriet continued and Rose became aware of the one square still filled with black and white dots, "the fourth contact seems to be having some trouble getting through."

And for a moment, just a moment, she thought they were trying to get to her.

"That's me. Harriet, that's me."

"I'll just boost the signal," Harriet said and shortly after, another woman came on screen.

"Hello?" She seemed familiar; not in the way someone she'd met, but rather something she'd seen in the Doctor's timeline, a vague memory of someone, like a picture she'd once seen but never met.

"Ha, ha! Martha Jones," Jack exclaimed and for a moment, Rose smiled. If Jack knew her, that meant he'd joined the Doctor again at some point. She hoped they'd forgiven each other.

But then, why wasn't she there, why had she not...?

"Who's she? I want to get through," Rose murmured but then she realised; of course. As far as everyone but Sarah Jane was concerned, she was still in a parallel world. And she had requested that Sarah Jane not speak a word of her return; and they'd never think to look for her at all, never mind looking in someone else's home.

With a sigh, Rose settled back in her chair, realising that her only way of contribution would be text messages to Sarah Jane at this point and helping them along with whatever scheme they came up with. She ignored them, her lips curling up slightly in amusement as Jack flirted with Sarah Jane who seemed to have her son with her.

"This, ladies and gentlemen, this is the Subwave Network," Harriet introduced, "a sentient piece of software programmed to seek out anyone and everyone who can help to contact the Doctor."

Rose's eyes narrowed as she saw Martha show them the Osterhagen key. She'd heard that name before, once, in a parallel world and hoped to god, that this wasn't the same one, but when even Harriet told them to forget its very existence and forbid Martha from using under any circumstance, she realised she wasn't that lucky. The last time it had been used, she'd spent week after week, floating in space after she'd been unable to prevent them from using it; dying over and over again, every time luckily widening the tear in the dimension wall until she could disappear. Rose was just glad that your mind, for self-protection, never truly allowed you to relive the horrors; you remembered them, sure, but they were never as painful, as horrifying as they had been at that time, where she was floating in nothingness with only the odd object floating past her, gasping for air that wasn't there, suffocating only to come back to life again and repeating the cycle.

And then, finally, they came up with a plan, Jack's voice interrupting the others.

"Wait a minute. We boost the signal. That's it! We transmit that telephone number through Torchwood itself, using all the power of the Rift."

"And we've got Mister Smith. He can link up with every telephone exchange on the Earth. He can get the whole world to call the same number, all at the same time. Billions of phones, calling out all at once," the boy beside Sarah Jane suggested and just like that, Rose knew they had an actual plan, a way of finding him, of leading the Doctor back to them.

They were going to call him, send him a signal which he could trace back and find them with. Relieved, Rose leaned back against the chair, smiling at Sylvia's and Wilf's banter behind her. Time to help. She'd call him, too, just as everyone else was and she'd put some of her power behind it; not enough to draw attention, but enough to alert the Tardis, to give the old girl something just a little bit easier to lock onto.

There was nothing to be done about Harriet, unfortunately. She was in no position to help her... or was she? Eyes wide, Rose instead sent a text message from her phone, knowing that her phone would attempt repeatedly to send it to the same number, while she concentrated on finding Harriet.

It was an odd feeling; there was only a limited part of the time vortex she could access here. They had to be slightly out of synch, otherwise she'd be able to feel it all; but they were still in the Medusa cascade and all that power of time and space was just ripe for the taking.

"Got to go," she told the Nobles, "but I'll be back."

And with that, Rose quickly used her communicator to get in touch with Pete's world.

"Not ready yet. Earth under threat of Daleks," once the message had safely transmitted and the Nobles were in a different room, Rose allowed herself to open up fully to the vortex, quickly scanning it, hoping to identify Harriet's timeline so she could use it to get to her location.

The Shadow Proclamation had definitely been the right place to go, inspite of their utter arrogance, believing they knew everything in the universe. Even with all his years of travel, all the knowledge in his mind and the Tardis, he still had very limited knowledge of the universe; it was one of the many reasons he kept travelling, kept exploring. There was always something new to find, to explore.

Still, looking at the display of planets that had been taken, he could easily identify all of them by sight. "Callufrax Minorr. Jahoo. Shallacatop. Woman Wept." One of the planets he'd been to with her; Rose had loved it – and he had loved how exuberant she'd been at the frozen waves, the snow. "Clom." Hold on... "Clom's gone?" he found himself saying, remembering only too well that it was the sister planet to the Slitheen and rather unremarkable over the course of its existence; which begged the question, "who'd want Clom?"

"All different sizes," the architect said, ignoring his question, "some populated, some not. But all unconnected."

In his experience, things were rarely unconnected; just because they hadn't found it, didn't mean it wasn't there. And he was clever, very, very clever and knew more than these stuffy people who never saw the world, the universe, all the people in it. And he knew that there was something, had to be something which connected all these planets, which explained their disappearance.

The predominant feeling of missing something was back, something that was right there, staring him in the face; he had hints, pieces of the puzzle and it was just a matter of finding out what they were and putting them together – which, unfortunately, was easier said than done.

"What about Pyrovillia?" Donna questioned and his brows furrowed momentarily, but the architect interrupted him before he could respond.

"Who is the female?" she asked him with a raised brow and he remained quiet, knowing that Donna would lay into her momentarily, feeling his own ire against the Shadow Proclamation and, more specifically, the woman next to him, rise with every word. For all that they knew, it was rapidly becoming clear just how little they knew about him if they hadn't heard about the companions he always had at his side; and especially so, if they didn't know that you didn't ignore any of them and definitely not Donna Noble, and to do so in front of her face was just utter foolishness.

He almost laughed, lips twitching into an irrepressible grin, when his companion proved him right, fiery temper exploding and fighting back at everyone, no matter how dangerous, what their species or position was. Even him. Never flinching, never giving up, never giving an inch to anyone irrespective of who or what they were. Indomitable.

"Donna. I'm a human being," his smile disappeared at her next words, his own voice ringing in his ears when, once upon a time, he'd smiled at the blonde at his side and said those very same words, had spoken of her and him, together, just after she had managed to send the Devil – or whatever it had been – to a black hole. "Maybe not the stuff of legend but every bit as important as Time Lords, thank you."

It took a second to put the smile back on his face, knowing that even Donna would be able to tell just how shaky it was, even though her focus was undoubtedly elsewhere. "Way back, when we were in Pompeii, Lucius said Pyrovillia had gone missing," Donna told him and he allowed his feelings to slip by the wayside, focusing instead on the problem at hand and he could feel it, another piece of the puzzle sliding into place and still it didn't make sense yet.

"Pyrovillia is cold case. Not relevant," one of the Judoon said and he could see the redhead's brows furrow in response.

"How do you mean, cold case?"

"The planet Pyrovillia cannot be part of this. It disappeared over two thousand years ago," the architect explained, having obviously understood that he valued Donna's opinion and would not be telling her to shut it any time soon – mainly because he valued his life, too. And because she asked the right questions; his companions always did, helped him solved when he was too thick to see what was right there, just out of reach, like now.

"Yes, yes, hang on," Donna continued, ignoring the other woman, looking at him, "but there's the Adipose breeding planet, too. Miss Foster said that was lost, but that must've been a long time ago."

And it clicked, all the pieces rapidly reassembling in his head and starting to form a picture.

"That's it," he exclaimed, hands flying over the keyboard, "Donna, brilliant! Planets are being taken out of time as well as space. Let's put this into 3-D. Now, if we add Pyrovillia and Adipose Three," the hologram showed the two additional planets without problem, but there was something still missing, something not right.

Lost in thought, trying to sort through over a millennium – nearly two, actually – of thoughts, of random comments and trying to remember any other planets that had gone missing, he found himself talking out loud, trying to find that elusive connection, to trigger the one memory he needed.

"Something missing. Where else, where else, where else? Where else... lost, lost, lost, lost. Oh! The Lost Moon of Poosh."

Stepping away, he watched, fascinated, as the planets automatically rearranged themselves until they were perfectly aligned.

Absently noting the architect's query about what he'd done, he stepped further to the side, inspecting the hologram and answering her and Donna at the same time, "Nothing. The planets rearranged themselves into the optimum pattern. Oh, look at that. Twenty seven planets in perfect balance. Come on, that is gorgeous."

It was difficult. She hadn't really ever given the other woman much thought, but at least she did recall some identifying factors. Eyes golden, teeth biting her lower lip, well aware of just how fast she was running out of time, she rushed through them, looking and discarding hundreds of time streams within seconds, trying to identify the right one, the one of the- and there she was. Breathe out, Rose reminded herself, mentally caressing the timeline, trying to find the right time, the right second; getting it off by even just a split second and either Harriet was dead, or she'd come into the picture too soon, which could, potentially, have even more catastrophic consequences.

Utmost concentration was required and then she found it. Keeping her mind focussed on that one, tiny split second, Rose charged her gun and then she pulled. Knocking Harriet to the side, she watched as the beam impacted the cameras before shooting at – and destroying – the first Dalek. Stepping fully out in front of the ex-prime minister, she quickly destroyed the second Dalek.

"I- Rose?"

Giving her a small smile, the blonde nodded quickly after making sure that those two were the only ones that had been sent for Harriet's elimination.

"Hello, Harriet," in her eyes, at least, the woman had redeemed herself. But it was time to get her somewhere else, somewhere safe. Only hesitating for another split second, Rose finally grabbed the former prime minister and focused instead on a far more familiar time line. Sarah Jane's.

Breathing in, feeling an intense wave of pure, unadulterated power rush through her, the blonde pulled them both to a new location, unaware of Harriet's surprise at the power she'd so casually displayed.

The eyes of Sarah Jane lit up the moment they laid eyes on each other but then her lips curled up and she gave a slight laugh.

"Another stray?" she questioned, looking amused and Rose grinned, feeling, for the first time in a long time, a rush of emotion – affection – for the other woman.

"Yeah, that okay? Need to keep her off camera."

"No problem," Sarah Jane confirmed.

"Thanks, for everything," Rose said, hesitantly, knowing just how much she owed the Doctor's former companion who had helped her so much without ever asking for anything in return. "'m sorry. I gotta go. Good luck."

Nodding at each other, faces grim with determination, Rose easily returned to the home of the Nobles, just a few seconds after she first left.

Grinning, eyes focused on the screen, hands flying over the ship's controls, he couldn't believe his luck. It was almost gone, but still enough there to go on. Truthfully, he'd expected it to have dissipated entirely by now but sometimes, it seemed, luck was on his side. He just wished he'd been there sooner, had realised this sooner; he would have had a much stronger trail to follow, one which would have led him the entire way. He hoped this was enough.

"We're a bit late," he explained to Donna, brows slightly furrowed as he stared at the readings, "the signal's scattered, but it's a start."

Giving her a wide grin, he leapt to the door, knowing that they needed to move quickly if they wanted to find Earth.

"I've got a blip," he announced to the Shadow Proclamation, exuberant, forgetting momentarily just why he usually never went to them for help, "It's just a blip, but it's definitely a blip!"

"Then, according to the Strictures of the Shadow Proclamation," the architect announced, eyes cold and an unholy light in her eyes which he took a moment to identify as bloodthirstiness, "I will have to seize your transport and your technology."

And it had turned out exactly the way he'd dreaded at the beginning; the very reason he usually never went to them. They knew no mercy, no forgiveness; they didn't understand atonement or regret. The Shadow Proclamation would not hesitate, not ever, would not even give anyone a second to explain themselves before executing the offenders; judge, jury and executioner without a hearing.

"Oh, really?" he asked, stunned in faint disbelief that they actually thought they could take a Tardis off a Time Lord – never mind his Tardis off him – before inquiring further, deciding that they had helped after all, so maybe they weren't as single-minded as he had thought, "what for?"

Maybe he should give them a chance; it wouldn't be the first time he was surprised. It's what he loved about travelling – the very fact that people still could surprise him, that they would not choose as he expected but rather chose the road less travelled, chose to help and save rather than conquering and destroying.

"The planets were stolen with hostile intent. We are declaring war, Doctor, right across the universe, and you will lead us into battle," the architect said, hatred, anger and a thirst for blood in her voice that took even him aback.

Unfortunately, all too often, he was not surprised and met people like her, all across the universe; people all too willing to kill, to murder, people who enjoyed bloodbaths and screams. People that would never, ever, lay their hands on his ship.

But the Shadow Proclamation was arrogant to the exclusion of almost anything else, never even considering his disobedience, not understanding that he would never allow them to start off another war, which, though its magnitude was unlikely to ever match the Time War, would still end up with so many innocents dying, too many screaming, too much blood on his hand.

His eyes narrowed dangerously for a moment, understanding that he would have to keep a much closer look than before on the organisation, two words ringing through his mind, two words which had not faded in their clarity, in their emotion, not over the time that had passed since he had last spoken those words, two incarnations ago.

'No more.'

Forcing himself to smile, to pretend, hiding his disgust, he responded as they had expected, "right. Yes. 'Course I will. I'll just... go and get you the key."

Eyes dark, he pushed himself away from the door, closing it easily and ignoring the incensed shouts behind him. He didn't have time for them just now. Earth had a much higher priority. And Rose. He still didn't know what someone wanted all these planets for, what they were trying to accomplish; but he did know that it definitely wasn't good.

Blinking away the darkness, he rushed back to the console, throwing a quick grin at Donna. Time to find Earth.

As far as the Nobles were concerned, barely a moment had passed since she'd left them, any they both looked slightly stunned when Rose ran back into the room.

"What? But you only just left!"

Grinning, she shook her head. "Time travel."

And then Rose gasped, stopping mid-step as a song of longing, of love, of welcome echoed in her head, loudly, accompanied by a very real rush of love from the ship that brought her to the tears. She had no illusions of being able to hide anything from the Tardis; they were too well connected and the Tardis saw everything, all the time... there was no way she didn't know. And she still loved her. For a moment, breathing was hard and her heart ached at feeling a love she felt she didn't deserve and yet... how do you argue with someone that knew so much more, was so much older than you, knew all that had come and all that was yet to be, all the time.

Closing her eyes, allowing herself just a moment to feel relieved and almost content, she sent her own mixed tangle of emotions back to the Tardis, unable to focus enough to discern between them. She knew the love was mixed with guilt and relief, the feeling of being undeserving as well as endless gratitude, but she could almost hear the ship's satisfied hum in her head.

"He's here. He made it," she announced to Wilf's and Sylvia's stunned faces and realised a moment too late that her eyes were still aglow. Blinking quickly, she let go of her connection to the ship, to time, and with it glow receded almost instantly.

And before they could question her, the static screen which had previously hosted the video with Harriet, now instead showed him. And Donna.

"Where the hell have you been?" Rose nearly laughed at Jack's question, but froze when she heard his next words, knowing how much it would hurt him. "Doctor, it's the Daleks."

"Oh, he's a bit nice. I thought he'd be older," the woman beside Jack said and Rose's lips curled up again, though her eyes remained on the Doctor, watching him carefully.

"It's the Daleks. They're taking people to their spaceship," Sarah Jane said quickly.

"It's not just Dalek Caan," Rose blinked in surprise at Martha's words, realising that he must've faced the Daleks again after they'd been separated.

Then, finally, he spoke up, grinning at seeing everyone onscreen and Rose nearly rolled her eyes. Of course. Pride at his companions shone through instead of the darkness she'd expected. She couldn't decide if that was better or worse, though Donna at least seemed very capable; she would definitely tell him if he ever went too far.

"Sarah Jane. Who's that boy? That must be Torchwood. Oh, they're brilliant.

Look at you all, you clever people."

Then Donna piped up, identifying Martha to Rose's surprise; it would seem that she wasn't the only who had met his previous travel companions. A part of her couldn't help but wonder if that had been an accident, as her meeting Sarah Jane had been, or if it had been intentional, a way of opening up to them that had taken two years for her to get him to do with her. Was he closer to them, to Donna, than he'd ever been with her...?

"And who's he?"

"Captain Jack," the Doctor identified reluctantly before turning to the redhead. "Don't. Just... don't."

Biting back a laugh felt like an action she hadn't done in too long, lips twitching as she looked at the Doctor's grimace in the face of Jack's hilariously predictable effect on most men and women which had always bothered him.

"It's like an outer space Facebook," exclaimed Donna.

"Everyone except Rose."

Her hands found the edge of the laptop without her express intent, looking at a man she hadn't seen for so many decades, the man she'd crossed dimension after dimension for. The man she still loved, so much. Her heart ached when she heard his words, noted the slight disappointment in his voice and the fact that he'd obviously received her message and had been expecting her, looking for her even.

"I'm here," she found herself whispering, her hand so close to his picture and yet not daring to touch. The Doctor was here and he was looking for her. That had to be enough.

But still, her heart broke because she knew – knew – they wouldn't see each other, that somehow, some way, she wouldn't make it. It was the only thing that made sense; otherwise, why would he have said goodbye to her on the first of January 2005. He couldn't have met her, couldn't have her with him, so something had to have happened. If she'd been with him, he had even told her that he would go so far as to manipulate time itself to save her. She almost wished now that she hadn't told Donna her name, hadn't given her the words Bad Wolf. Maybe then he wouldn't have been given hope, wouldn't have to lose her all over again.

Then, suddenly, the screen changed and a new voice came through.

"Your voice is different, and yet its arrogance is unchanged. Welcome to my new Empire, Doctor. It is only fitting that you should bear witness to the resurrection and the triumph of Davros, lord and creator of the Dalek race."

"Doctor?" Donna's voice rang through, even though they couldn't see her anymore, her reassurances ringing hollowly in Rose's ears.

"Have you nothing to say?" Davros pushed and she clenched her fists, wishing she could help him somehow, lessen his pain at least a little.

"But you were destroyed. In the very first year of the Time War, at the Gates of Elysium. I saw your command ship fly into the jaws of the Nightmare Child. I tried to save you."

Her eyes closed in silent agony, a deep wave of sympathy rising within her. She still remembered it so vividly, the moment he'd confessed to her that it hadn't been the Daleks, but rather the Time Lords which had been the bigger threat, that they had scared even him, afraid of what they were capable of, willing to risk, to sacrifice, in the name of an endless war. She wanted, so desperately, to offer him some comfort, a small measure of peace when faced with yet another piece of his past, a stark reminder of five centuries of war, of fighting, on the front lines, against both sides; his own and against the Daleks, caught in an ever tightening noose until he saw no escape, no other option than to destroy both races, both planets and all the innocents.

"But it took one stronger than you," Davros taunted, "Dalek Caan himself."

Her mouth opened in silent horror at the almost childish voice that echoed out from behind the creator of this race of monsters.

"I flew into the wild and fire. I danced and died a thousand times."

"Emergency Temporal Shift took him back into the Time War itself," Davros elaborated.

"But that's impossible," the Doctor interrupted, brows furrowed, "the entire War is timelocked."

"And yet he succeeded. Oh, it cost him his mind, but imagine. A single, simple Dalek succeeded where Emperors and Time Lords have failed. A testament, don't you think, to my remarkable creations?"

Lips curled up in disgust, Rose found herself staring at the man on the screen, for the first time feeling a hatred starting to burn inside her that only two races had ever made her feel; the Silence and the ones who tore through her mind.

"And you made a new race of Daleks," said the Doctor, quietly.

"I gave myself to them, quite literally," Davros confirmed, before opening his tunic and showing them his body, skin gone with his bare ribs visible, very few nerve endings and his internal organs on display, making Rose shudder in disgust, "each one grown from a cell of my own body. New Daleks. True Daleks. I have my children, Doctor. What do you have, now?"

"After all this time, everything we saw, everything we lost, I have only one thing to say to you," his voice was dark but lightened only a moment later, accompanied by the familiar grinding noise of the Tardis, "Bye!"

"Control," Rose quickly said to her communicator, "Doctor located, I repeat, Doctor located."

Cutting off her communicator, turning back to the Nobles, she smiled warmly. "Thanks. I'm off. I'm going to find him. Wish me luck."

"Oh, good luck," Sylvia said, followed by her father. "Yeah, good luck, sweetheart." Wilf's endearment made her smile and, impulsively, she gave them both a hug and a kiss on his cheek.

Time to find him, the Doctor. The Tardis was ever so loud in her head, and it was just a simple matter of pulling herself along their bond towards her, towards her best friends, in every universe.

A moment later she found herself near a church on an abandoned street, and then she saw him.

A daft, old man with his blue box.

Swallowing down tears she refused to cry, Rose took a hesitant step towards him, not knowing whether she was welcome, whether she'd really get to have him, to feel his arms around her, smell him – that perfect mix that only he had; of adventure, of one if not several jam flavours, of something indefinable that was just, well, him that seemed to carry through the generations and then, of course, he smelt of time – but she longed for it, had imagined it, for several decades, what it would feel like, to feel his arms around her again, his fingers intertwined with her own.

But he had said goodbye...

And yet he was here. He was here!

And then he turned to her, and after only one infinitesimal second in time, he started running, a grin on his face, arms open in an unspoken invitation. Her heart lightened and a smile she'd thought herself incapable of, so wide it hurt, spread across her face and then Rose, too, started running. Towards him. As she'd been doing all along, for decades, throughout every dimension.

She hadn't been sure, hadn't dared to dream, to hope, not after all this time. He'd been so sad, so alone, on that day on the beach and yet he'd seemed okay on the laptop and she had wondered if maybe she shouldn't have told him those words on the beach, if maybe he no longer wanted her, afraid of hurting her feelings if she was with him and if, maybe, he had not found someone better to come with him.

And yet, the moment he laid eyes on her, she could see something come to life inside him that hadn't been there before, could see the same hope, the same longing and the same smile, unable to suppress the sheer joy, their exuberance at finally finding each other, at having, once again, done the impossible and at finally being together again.

But then she saw it and stopped dead – though Rose was a moment too late. The Dalek had already fired off its gun and, helpless, she watched, as his head turned, as he stopped instead of continuing to run. And it grazed him.

Heart in her throat, she watched, incredulous, as the Doctor's body froze, lit up for a moment from the inside out, before crumbling to the ground. Luckily Jack appeared in the nick of time and was more capable of gathering his wits than her and he shot the Dalek before it could send off a second shot while she was unable to tear her eyes off the man she loved.

Heart racing, throat tight and breath coming in tight gasps, she rushed the last few steps to his side, dropping the dimension cannon carelessly to the side, never noticing as the button on its side lit up twice in rapid succession, signifying that two people from Pete's world had made their way across.

Tears shimmering in her eyes, a desperate smile on her lips, she tried to deny what had happened, hoping that somehow he'd survive, he wouldn't regenerate. He couldn't. His goodbye was a fixed point but yet...

"Shh, I've got you," she pulled him slightly up, her arms around him, unable to understand what was happening. He couldn't have been hit, right? "It missed you," she told him despite knowing otherwise, "look, it's me, Doctor."

His voice came out as a pained gasp, so similar to his last regeneration that she could no longer suppress the tears, as he spoke her name. "Rose."

Heart in her throat, eyes dark, the desperation, the knowledge that she'd lose him the very moment she found him, spread through her, but still she gave him a heartrending smile, her hands soft on his cheek, allowing the world around them to dissipate until it was just the two of them; the way it had always been.

"Hi," she said warmly, watching as his brown eyes lit up slightly, his hand intertwining with hers and he breathed out just as she did at the feeling of belonging, of being home, of finally being together again.

"Long time no see," he said, voice slightly teasing, despite the fact that she could see the pain slowly getting stronger, could feel his hand flexing around her own.

"Yeah. Been busy, you know," she joked, knowing that she was no longer able to hide her sorrow from him, tears choking her voice. And then he gasped in pain, body jerking beneath her, and Rose felt herself holding onto him tighter, incoherently pleading with him even though she knew it was absurd, that there was nothing he could do.

"Don't die. Oh, my God. Don't die. Oh my god, don't die."

Jack got her to focus again, snapping her out of her grief and she rapidly remembered that there were Daleks, potentially everywhere and that they were vulnerable to secondary attacks. Nodding, biting back the tears, having long ago learned the ability to focus on the task at hand to the exclusivity of everything else, that in a war, you didn't get the luxury of indulging in your emotions, she slid her arms around his waist and helped him stand, stumbling precariously under the added weight and glad when the redhead took his other side. With Donna's help, they were able to quickly move him back into the ship, the Doctor only able to stumble, almost drunkenly, between them and of very little help. Nonetheless, with Jack protecting them and the ship opening her doors at Rose's silent request – something which her Doctor was in too much pain to notice and everyone else, luckily, attributed to him – they were back in the Tardis, safe, in very little time.

As soon as they were inside, the Doctor refused to cooperate anymore and they were barely able to let him down to the ground gently as his full weight suddenly pulled them down.

"What... what do we do? There must be some medicine or something," the desperation was clear in Donna's voice, but Rose couldn't bring herself to explain, her hand still intertwined with his, having dropped to her knees at his side, wondering if there was any way she could help. Could she take the energy somehow? Filter it off into the Tardis? Absorb it?

The Tardis hummed warningly in her mind and she backed down, knowing that even if he changed, at least she was here, with him. Still didn't explain the 1st January, a voice in her mind reminded her, but she could take a closer look at the timelines later, find out what she needed to know. Maybe she'd been wrong, maybe he hadn't been regenerating... maybe... maybe he'd just been in pain...?

"Just step back," Jack reminded them and, when she still refused to leave him, to let his hand disentangle from her own, she felt his hand on her shoulder. "Rose, do as I say and get back! He's dying and you know what happens next."

Heartbroken, she stood up, allowing her hand to gently slide out of his, watching as it dropped to the floor where the... where her Doctor lay, teeth gritted against the pain, trying to hold off his regeneration.

"What do you mean, what happens next?" Donna questioned just as the Doctor started to glow and he stumbled to his feet, bracing himself against the console.

Jack's hand came to touch her, to pull her into him and Rose automatically flinched back, before realising who had reached out to her. She noticed his sideways look, his silent enquiry, but refused to explain and they turned back to the Doctor as he turned away from the console, standing by his own strength.

"It's starting," he declared.

"Here we go," Jack announced, pulling both her and Donna tight against him. "Good luck, Doctor."

"Will someone please tell me what is going on?" Donna interrupted, eyes wide, fixed on the Doctor. Rose could almost sympathise, remembered how confused she'd been when he'd suddenly changed in front of her without any real explanation, so, her eyes still fixed on the Time Lord, she tried to explain it to the redhead.

"When he's dying, his- his body, it sorta repairs itself. Except it does it by changing into someone else, someone new," then, directed at the Doctor, she shouted, desperately, not wanting to lose him the moment she'd found him, "But you can't!"

He sounded truly regretful, eyes dark as he met hers just moments before the energy consumed him.

"I'm sorry, it's too late. I'm regenerating."

Then, with a scream, he gave in, his body alit with a golden fire. Rose refused to look away, wanting to remember it, the last few seconds in that body, knowing that no matter who he turned into, she'd still love, would always love him, but it never felt like she'd had enough time. Not with his previous body and not with this one. She didn't want to give in, didn't want to lose him, wanted to try, despite the Tardis' warning... but she dared not. All that power in her hands, Rose knew, she could easily cause irreversible damage. What if, instead of helping him, she killed him? Unable to help, unable to do anything but watch, the blonde leaned against her old friend, Jack, knowing he would understand her loss better than anyone; that he was the only one who would ever understand, truly, just what they lost with each body, each new face he wore.

You're all brilliant. I'll do my best for the next chapter, but it will probably take some time. I hate rewriting episodes with a passion, but for you guys, I'll try and get something done for you as soon as I can.

Responses to reviews below:

hotsasukefan

Hi! And thanks for both reviews. I definitely understand the feeling of life interfering. I am glad you enjoyed and sorry you still ended up having to wait for the next chapter. I hope you continue enjoying it and I hope your life's running a bit smoother now :)

50penny

Yay! Thank you so much for your lovely review. I'm glad you enjoy my characterisations of the Doctor(s) and Rose. It's always nice to have someone new reading it. Thanks again for your compliments on my latest chapter. Actual reunion will be in the next chapter. Sorry :) I admit, I'm rather curious as to how I'll handle the River-situation as well. Got some ideas, but I'll figure it out in time, promise :) I am looking forward to writing the eleventh Doctor. Would love to hear from you again.

eleanoralovesananias

Wow – just, wow! Thank you so much for this massive review. I'll do my best to address everything. I'm always happy to have someone new joining the ranks, and a big thanks for taking the time to give such a detailed feedback!

Thank you for thinking my Rose is not OOC; I admit to rather liking her. I do have plans to resolve bits and pieces and I do hope you'll enjoy it. I promise it's not a "yay, she's back and everything's magically alright and fixed" solution. Rose has and will go through some very real trauma. It's not easily fixed. She is deeply damaged by a lot of the things and they have and will continue to accumulate over the years and decades. The Doctor will have to decide in the end, if he will help Rose heal and how far he is willing to go for her, how much he is willing to forgive, to understand.

I understand what you mean about the Doctor. I think he sometimes comes across that way mainly because I want to demonstrate just how Rose has made him playful, has made him be happy and childish rather than dark and mature all the time. I think their relationship at that point has been rather one-sided though; Rose healed him, Rose helped him, Rose stopped him. He loved her and he showed that in his actions, but he didn't understand her deepest fears; he was rather self-centered – and I don't mean that in a negative way. He had been through something really terrible and, inevitably, because he holds onto the guilt and the pain, he finds it hard to focus on others to a greater detail, to understand their pain. He will have to learn and come to terms with that, as he uncovers what has happened to Rose – and what she has done and been forced to do. So, if that makes sense, at the moment this is all Rose-centric and will be for a while, before we focus on the Doctor and watch as he learns about her, about himself, about his willingness to bend his morals, his viewpoints where she is concerned (or not). Don't think there's much violence to come still, but a lot of angst still. And fluff, I'm afraid. Some in the next chapter, mixed with angst and lots of other things so hopefully no toothache (but maybe a tear or two?).

As I said above, it's not a simple solution, not a hey everything's okay. It will involve a lot of character development, fights, things said in the heat of the moment, understanding and pushing of boundaries. You don't just get over this and over what's yet to come. Hope that soothes your main worry a bit. And you're right; I'm not describing and putting her through all this character development to just have it blown off. It's a betrayal on both sides, in a way. A betrayal of trust plus all the lies and abandonment. You're right. Just as he was most afraid of the Time Lords, he is most afraid of what he is capable of. He will be even more so once he realises what Rose is capable of, has done. And Rose is incredibly scared of how far she is willing to go for him and yet cannot back down now that she has gone this far. There will be some Bad Wolf scenes yet to come. I'm glad you enjoyed my silence chapter (took a bit to think of a good title; glad you liked it!). I understand; my beta reader mentioned the same thing. It's like your favourite song, but listen to it too often and it starts getting repetitive. I will try to curb this slightly in as much as I can once these stupid recap-chapters are over. Anyway, I do hope you'll continue to enjoy the story and the coming chapters. Thanks so much for your review and I'd love to hear from you again!

Bad Wolf Jen

Thank you for all three reviews! Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed my character development and the couple of jokes I've built in. I hope you'll continue to enjoy the story and I would truly love to hear from you again.

Diving in

Hi! Glad to hear from you and I hope the rest all made sense :) I do hope you'll enjoy this chapter, afraid it's stopping, sorta, at the same point. I hope to hear from you again – please review :)

MuppetKatie

Yay – thank you so much for writing three reviews! Thank you so very, very much! And for the detailed feedback. So glad you enjoyed my take on the Doctor. It was fun writing him; especially with Jenny. My beta pointed out to me that the companions didn't appear, which is why I built-in those two scenes; I really liked Jack talking about her, because he would hurt, but not as much as the Doctor. He's had two-hundred years, of sorts, to deal with not having her around. I think he loved Rose, just as he loves the Doctor – a mix between deep friendship and romantic interest. I'm excited for what happens in three chapters (can't wait – stupid recap-chapters!).

Chap 10 – So glad you enjoyed the Silence (and that it creeped you out *muahaha*). It was interesting to write it and I tried to make it more emotional with how you could see what was happening, what she didn't remember and watch as she lost herself, as her mind got so twisted she didn't understand reality, convinced fully of what they told her. It will take a lot of time to overcome all this, all the guilt, the self-hatred, the pain and the Doctor will have to be the one to heal most of it, because he's the only one who can fully understand and he's the one she did it for, the only one she'd trust. She will be quite a bit like the Doctor when she first met him and once he understands that, he will have to find out just how much he is willing to forgive, to understand. I'm looking forward to writing it. That will be also a POV-reversal, where we'll see more from his perspective as he uncovers Rose, bit by bit, and his character develops further.

Chap 9 – Yay! Thank you so much. I'm glad you enjoyed all the different emotions and issues; it never was intended that way, but once I'd written it, I simply couldn't delete it. I think it's an essential part of them, the fact that they always protect each other over themselves when it really matters and yet end up hurting each other when they're not paying enough attention. I'm so glad you enjoyed the seduction scene. It was my first one and, I'm really sorry to say, I can't quite see them having intercourse. In my head, the Doctor, above all, is still kinda asexual; odd, I know. But that was very fun to write and I tried to portray the very real heat and lust and love between the two, even when they never even kiss, they still do want each other. It's just that they are too important to one another, I think. Thanks a ton for all your lovely reviews and for sharing your thoughts with me. I'm so glad you enjoyed reading and I do hope I don't disappoint. We still have a long way to go and I hope you'll continue reading and giving me feedback.

lizbethia

YAY! Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed all the emotions and I am sorry it took so long to update. I do hope you'll enjoy this chapter and I'll do my best to turn the next one around asap. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter, if you got time! Thanks again :)

lillideathflower

Wow *blush* thank you so very, very much. What glowing praise :) Thank you. I do hope you'll continue enjoying the story. We're just about half-way (if that). I'd love to hear what you think of this latest chapter, if you got time! Thanks!

cecilehem

Hi – thanks for your faithful reviews and for such a lengthy one to boot! Sorry this one and the next one are a bit slow in coming. I haaaate episode-recaps. Anyway, don't want you to feel that way too, so I won't go on about it too much. I'm glad you think I portrayed the seduction scene well. Sorry, I never went into much depth about it with regards to the what women expect; it's not the fact that he doesn't know her, but it's the fact that everyone and every experience he has, tells him differently. He can't help but wonder if maybe Rose is accepting it, but still wishing for the fairytale; and if he could, that's what he'd want to give her. But Rose never says. She is very concerned about telling him she's not going to leave him and that she doesn't want a normal life but even her mother keeps telling him different. So it's not a matter of him not knowing, but rather of him doubting what he knows is the truth. Does that make sense?

During the near-kiss, Rose is giving in, she is telling him it's okay to kiss her, but because she is giving him her approval, he realises that this is not how he wants to kiss her. When he kisses her, he wants Rose to know what entering a relationship with him means, what he's done, what he's capable of, and what her future with him would look like, what he's willing to give and what he can't give. But it takes time to open up; he is trying and divulging, bit by bit, but he wants everything with her and not just a kiss and her to then realise she can't handle the rest of it.

With regards to the not-human anymore, he has made a comment about Jack and 51st century humans changing themselves – same as with Cassandra, always changing until they are not human anymore. He never broached the subject of Bad Wolf again and Rose fears that, should he discover that she intentionally went in to change herself so she could handle more of the vortex, he would be disgusted by 1) the fact that she rewrote herself, dabbled with something she had no hope of understanding and changing herself and 2) that she did it for him; he would never want her to do that, and she knows that, and she fears that when he looks at her, all he'd be able to see is not the person he originally met, that he died to keep her from doing just this, from it changing her and yet she did precisely that. I appreciate it doesn't fully make sense but with her fear of her mother's insistence against aliens, her Doctor's casual comments against humans changing themselves, and her inherent feeling of being inferior plus the loneliness, it would all add up to something larger in her head than it actually is. Of course that one thing isn't going to bother him one iota, beyond the pain and the fact that she had been forced to do it, because he had not taken the different time into account. Does that make sense?

Yeah, there's a whole lot still coming with her having killed people. She'll have to deal with it and she will have people helping her; mainly the Doctor, of course. But that's a bit off yet. I'll write those from his perspective; looking forward to it, actually. And you're right, she can't control everything, but she holds herself to the same standards as the Doctor does himself. Even one person dies and he has failed as far as he is concerned. And killing is stages and stages beyond being unable to help or solve the problem in time to save everyone.

... I can't comment on that and that alone will probably tell you more than I want you to know at this stage. I promise, there will be explanations on every side.

So glad you enjoyed the Doctor-chapter – there will be a lot more of them inthe future. Yep, I definitely watched for those elusive Rose-scenes. I don't think he did achieve the different smiles, unfortunately and I highly doubt it was part of the script. For me it was a matter of the increased closeness between the two and the sharpness of her loss would be reflected in every area of his life, I think.

I know what you mean about River. I do like her, but I don't like the flirting nor the fact that she doesn't seem to like his personality quirks (bowtie, Stetson, fez). I'm still trying to decide on River's position in his lives and everything, but I can tell you, that Rose will definitely be with eleven. I hope that helps. I understand what you mean about the betrayal at the library and I personally think that largely contributed to his letting go of Rose; he had to go off, live his life, and at some point apparently marry someone not-Rose. The only way he could do that if she wasn't with him, if he believed her to be happy. The only way for her to be happy was if she was with him and her family; the perfect solution. No danger. River's coming back for xmas? I didn't know that. Sigh. Not looking forward to that, then.

Your large review definitely made up for it – thank you so much for leaving me with such detailed feedback and all your thoughts. I answered your concerns to the best of my ability and hope this helps understand some of the decisions. I promise, whatever comes, I'll do my best to explain their decisions. Again, thanks so much for all the feedback and all your thoughts. It's really great and I'm glad you get excited getting emails about new chapters; I always get excited when I get another review!

Kylaia78

Yay! Thank you so much for your review. I do hope you enjoyed this latest chapter. I would love to hear from you again!

AppleGrass15

Hi! Thank you so much for your review. I'm glad you enjoyed the flashbacks! They are fun to write. I wanted to show his playful side a bit more. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Would love to hear from you again.

Darkwolfberlin

Haha! Danke fuer deine review und gern geschehen :) Ich kann dir jetzt schon verraten, dass spaetere Kapitel eher von der Perspektive des Doktor's geschrieben werden und Rose eher zwischendurch. *lol* Ich hoffe, ich habe den Mittelraum zwischen Depressionen und heulen getroffen. Freut mich, dass dir seine Perspektive gefallen hat. Es hat echt spass gemacht ueber Jenny zu schreiben, denn egal wie sehr er sich auch gewehrt hat, es war klar, dass sie schon ihren weg in seine Herzen gefunden hatte. Ja, ich gebe gern zu, dass auch ich gespannt darauf bin, wie ich River erklaeren werde. Muss ich noch drueber nachdenken. Habe nen paar Ansatzpunkte aber noch nicht richtig fuer etwas entschieden. Wuerde mich freuen auch hier wieder von dir zu hoeren; bin neugierig was du von diesem Kapitel haeltst.

LG PepperonyOwl

hyperdragon97

Hiya! Thanks so much for your review. I do hope you'll enjoy my Rose and I am very much looking forward to writing the eleventh Doctor. I hope you'll continue reading and reviewing! I always love the feedback!

SassyFrassKerr

Aww... I did put some fluffy moments in, didn't I? What about the snowball fight? And a big thank you for your review btw! I know, River's still being sorted but I promise, here and now, in my story, she'll never be his wife. The family of blood was interesting one to write. I liked leading it all back to her; that was interesting. No fluff yet. Stupid rewrites. I wanna write fluff, but I have to get episode rewrite out of the way first. Stupid things! I like her as a character too, I think she'd be a brilliant companion. Just not his wife. She doesn't make a good wife to him, not in my opinion. I would, as always, love to hear from you. Thanks for the review

Technokitty818

Hi! Thanks for your review and not a problem. I like responding to everyone; it's fun. It makes me think and occasionally gives me new ideas for fluffy scenes :) It's unfortunately quite a bit more complicated than you think; I'll tell you Season 6 will be there as well, but I am not doing any more episode rewrites really after this. More like the Doctor, snippets of thoughts or moments in between; not rewrites. Rewrites are boring. I am glad you enjoy the setup and thanks for the compliments! I am not quite sure, but I will tell you that we're around half-way, possibly – probably – a bit less than half-way. I'm glad you enjoyed Jack's speech; it was an afterthought thanks to my Beta, but fit in incredibly well in the end. So thank you! I will endeavour to do my best with the next chapter, but episode rewrites are tedious. I do hope you'll continue reviewing; I'd love to hear from you again.

CupcakeFlake

Thank you again for your review. I really like your nickname by the way. Yep, three years is a bit better, but it just adds onto everything. All stuff she and the Doctor will have to deal with.

I know, Fred really grows on you though, doesn't she? There are some brilliant Youtube videos out there. I personally also like the Illyria Breath of Life video on Youtube.

I'm glad you liked Jack, Martha and Donna. Those scenes are thanks to a prompt from my beta who suggested putting the companions in there. I am glad you enjoyed their characterisations.

*lol* I like your ending words; I will do my best to muddle through the next chapter as quickly as I can to get it up! Thanks for the lovely reviews.