Hiya everyone!

From here on in, it should be much easier and faster to write – apologies for the wait. Please feel free to PM me any time btw! Oh! And one of my readers has a candy store / tea room called Clockwork Rose! Visit it if you happen to live nearby – it even has a fireplace!

I've got a big request for all you guys – please, please sign the petition to have a season 2 of the show Forever. It's a cool mix of Sherlock Holmes and the Doctor – of sorts and the lead guy is really hot! I absolutely love this show and it ended with only one season! *cry* So, please help!

As for this chapter – a big thank you for the steady encouragement from my lovely beta reader, The Clever Doctor, without whom this chapter would've taken another couple of weeks to come.

This chapter, as always, is dedicated to my beta and all my fabulous reviewers, both old and new:

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Just so no one's confused, this chapter starts off with the Doctor's POV of his reunion with Rose.

He opened the Tardis doors, stepping outside, eyes scanning the street automatically. It was empty, abandoned; cars, houses and a church but not a single human being – or Dalek for that matter. Cars, half-opened, in the middle of the streets; bicycles, prams, all left behind... but why?

"It's like a ghost town," Donna said behind him.

It was still hard to fathom that the Daleks had somehow made it into the timelocked Time War but little else could explain what had taken place. Dalek Caan, Davros – he had been right. The universe always demanded a price; and it was a rather steep one for her return. He just hoped he could fix this entire mess, save his companions both old and new, and return all the planets to their original places and defeat the Daleks. No pressure.

But to do all that, he needed to find out what their plan was; his only hope was that Rose knew and Donna had that information, somewhere inside of her.

"Sarah Jane said they were taking the people," he said, fixing his attention fully onto his companion, turning around to face her. "What for? Think, Donna. When you met Rose in that parallel world, what did she say?"

Donna shook her head slightly, voice soft, "just, 'the darkness is coming.'"

There had to be something, something that would explain all this though.

"Anything else?"

He could see her brows furrow, eyes going past him as she tried to think and he could see her eyes widening slightly in surprise; yet it still took him another few moments to understand her question.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?"

For a moment, a split second, his brain couldn't make sense of it. His brows furrowed and he was aware of staring at the redhead, but her question didn't make sense. Of course he would be asking her directly if she were here – but she wasn't.

He watched, uncomprehending, as Donna gave him such a warm smile, her eyes sympathetic and happy – happy for him. His throat tightened as hope rose up in him and when his companion's eyes flitted past him again, just over his shoulder, he only hesitated for another second.

Half-turning, he looked up again at the previously empty street. His heart beats were thundering in his ear, blood rushing, hands trembling. His hope was suffocating him and breathing was difficult, every breath forced past the tightness of his throat, his chest clamping...

...and then he saw her.

At the other end of the street. Blonde hair, lips parting to give him a wide grin that made his hearts jump and his eyes glisten; he'd never thought, hadn't fully been able to believe that he would really get to see her again, to see her blonde hair, her smiles, her. His hand twitched, wanting to reach out to her; and then she started running and so did he. Towards her, the woman he loved, the woman he hadn't seen, had thought he'd never get to see again, not in any of his long lives.

The Doctor wasn't sure if he'd ever run this fast, every inch of him yearning to hold her, to be with her, touch her, to make sure it really was her, his Rose. He could scarcely believe that here and now, she was actually with him, had found him when he had resigned himself to looking for her once he had sorted all this mess out. His Rose.

She was here, really here and she had done the impossible. Both his hearts felt fit to burst with happiness, a feeling he had become so unaccustomed to. Even at this distance, he could see it, see it in her smile, her eyes; the same longing, the same happiness that could no more be contained and he smiled so widely he was sure his face would split. Rose was here, Rose was back, really back.

The Time Lord only had eyes for her, for the woman running towards him just as he was running to her; despite knowing where they were, how dangerous it was, and he blamed himself, most of all, for not having paid attention when he really should have.

He loved her. Loved Rose. He needed her, every inch of him, every fibre of his being, yearned for her, her hand, her smile, her laughter, her hair, her teasing. He missed her in ways he'd never thought possible and hadn't dared to dwell on. But now that she was back, that she was right here, he wanted it all.

And he hadn't cared; not what was happening, not where they were, because it didn't matter. Why should it matter?

Except he saw her eyes skitter to his left, saw her mouth drop open and her eyes widen in horror and in that same moment he heard it; the voice of his enemy, of an enemy he had all but forgotten about in his exuberance.

"Exterminate!"

They both tried to slow down, to fight or escape; but it was too little, too late. And if one of them had to pay the price for his inattention, he was glad it was him rather than her. He wasn't sure how well he would've handled losing her just after he'd gotten her back.

The Dalek's attack only managed to graze him – but it was enough. He grunted out in pain, his legs crumbling beneath him as his entire system slowly shut down. His body hit the tarmac, hard. The impact forced the air out of his lungs and he closed his eyes for what he thought was only a moment, but then she was at his side, her arms around him and her smell hovering in the air around him.

Rose, his wonderful, brilliant, fantastic Rose.

"Shh, I've got you," her voice, beautiful, fantastic voice, rang out around him and his hearts ached for a moment. Another thing he'd missed; except he could hear the note of sorrow threaded through it, could hear the tears she was choking back. He never wanted her to cry, not her, never her.

"It missed you," a lie, they both knew, "look, it's me, Doctor" she continued, regardless and he opened his eyes, desperately staring at her, scanning her, trying to memorise every inch of her, the new her, trying to see how she'd changed and fathom just how much of her was still just as he remembered her to be.

She had changed. Her hair was lighter and there was darkness in her eyes; he wondered, absently, if that had been his doing. When he'd left her behind, on that beach, had the darkness, the loneliness, the desperation and grief carved its way into her heart the same as it had into his? Was that the cause for the darkness in her eyes? Had he done this to her? Forced the light away, forced it to bow to the grief? Was that why she looked so much older, why her eyes let him know that she had aged beyond her physical years? Had his loss driven her to distraction as much as it had him? Had she fought or had she, as he had on occasion, contemplated just giving in?

But did that matter, right here and now? She was back with him, her arms around him and he found that while he wanted to know, wanted Rose to share every memory, every experience she'd had without him, wanted to hear her talk until she fell asleep at night, wanted to surround himself with her; feel her arms around him, her hand in his, watch her face light up and see her lips curl into a smile – he wanted to hear her voice, wanted to hear her talk, ceaselessly, for hours until it drowned out everything else, until she made him forget that he'd ever been without it, without her – but all that faded to his far more urgent need to just have her with him in any way she would offer.

"Rose," he gasped out, pain in his voice but more than that, overwhelmed by his body's response to her. He'd thought his body was sensitive in general, but he found it was even more so for her, attuned to her, tingling pleasantly wherever they made contact, hyper-aware of every scant inch of her skin, especially when they touched, her warmer body setting his on fire. By Rassilon, he loved her. Everything about her. The warmth, the rush of emotion inside him, flooding his entire system with one overwhelming emotion. Love.

He felt her hand slowly touch his cheek but refused to close his eyes despite the wonderful rush of hormones left in her wake. And then she smiled at him, warmly, softly, so full of emotion he couldn't help but respond in kind, ignoring the pain, relishing in this one moment where the world around them dissipated, where everyone and everything except them no longer mattered.

They had always been able to do it, focus on each other to the exclusion of everything else, no matter where they were. He forgot about the Dalek, about Donna, the danger and the 27 planets. All that mattered was her. His Rose, smiling at him, his chest tight with the swell of a myriad of emotions inside him, and all he could do was smile back at her, his body lacking the strength to touch her face, her hair the way he longed to.

"Hi," she said, voice soft, the same note of longing, of desperation and love in it that he felt himself. They were good at pretending, had always been. She'd known what he needed even when he wasn't certain, had always given him what he wanted – and needed – and they both pretended, pretended that it was perfectly normal for him to sleep in her bed, for them to spend their every waking hour together, to read each other the way they did, to open up about anything and everything to each other; pretended they were just best mates, nothing more. Pretended they hadn't gotten married. Pretended they didn't love each other as fiercely as they did, pretended they weren't a couple in every way that mattered.

He felt the coldness seep in as her hand left his cheek and he only barely stopped himself from protesting, from breaking the farce, but felt heat rush through him, relief spreading through him, as her hand met his, fingers threading through one another and suddenly, for a moment, even the pain disappeared. He was home. Every day, everywhere they had gone, past body and new one, they had always held hands. In his previous incarnation it had merely been her hand in his as he showed her the universe; in his new body their fingers intertwined perfectly, as if that's what they had always been meant for, his body born for one sole purpose. Rose Tyler.

His lips twitched into an answering grin, hearts thundering in his ears despite the pain returning.

"Long time no see," he teased and watched her amber eyes light up slightly though it nearly faded when his hand squeezed hers harder than he meant to when the pain momentarily overwhelmed him.

Still, she understood the game, knew that he needed this moment between them, this moment where they pretended everything was alright. So her smile never faltered, but her eyes darkened, involuntarily, and he wished desperately he could take the pain out of them; he'd gladly suffer through all this and more if only he could take the darkness out of her eyes. He had never meant to hurt her, never meant for her to learn the effects of grief, the pain of separation, of loss, of a longing that they had both thought would forever go unfulfilled.

"Yeah," she said, trying to hide the pain and play along, as she always did, forever being just what he needed, "been busy, you know." But despite the smile, he could hear the tears choking her, could see her true emotions shining through, the same way they had always done, her eyes telling him what her words didn't.

Despite his best efforts, a strangled gasp escaped him as his body bowed under the strain of holding off his regeneration, trying to fight the effects of the Dalek's weapon. He wished, desperately, he could reassure her, say anything to Rose to show her he was okay; except he wasn't. He was almost grateful for the fact that the pain took his voice; at least he wouldn't hurt her further by screaming, by gasping in pain – at least she wouldn't know just how much every breath hurt, prolonging the agony.

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

He wanted to follow her wishes, do as she asked – not just for her, but for him, too. He didn't want to go, didn't want to let go of this body, not now, not when he'd just gotten her back.

Despite all their time together, he'd never told her, had been too embarrassed by all the implications if he were to confess this, but this body had been made for her.

His previous one had been born out of hate, cold anger, desperation and grief. A reminder of everything and everyone he'd lost, of everything he'd done. But then she'd been there and she had made him better – a better man, a better Doctor, not just someone who aspired to be better, but she made him someone who was better. And then he'd kissed her, had felt all that power flood into him, amazed she'd been able to hold out as long as she had, amazed it hadn't burnt her from the inside out, and, above all, that she had done all this for him. And for the first time he realised he didn't want to die anymore – he wanted to live. She made him want to live.

And he never, ever, wanted to let her go. It wasn't a pure thought or desire, it wasn't for her sake or for the universe. It was selfish; a longing to never be alone again, a dark realisation that he didn't want to ever find out what kind of man he was without her at his side, a need to have her around him, with him, forever.

And so, when he'd changed, it had been with only one thing in his mind, one person filling his hearts.

Rose Marion Tyler.

It hadn't been a conscious process, a thought, but nevertheless when he first saw himself, he had realised it. His body – it was made for her. Young-ish, fit, pretty, hands created to fit hers so perfectly, born longing for her hand in his, her arms around him, born craving her lips, her taste, her scent, needing everything that she was and born being everything he thought she wanted. This body was for her, her alone, and it didn't – couldn't – work without her. Without her, all his senses had felt duller whereas she could set him on fire just by touching him. Without her, all the voices where just one of many, innumerable, whereas he could pick hers out in a crowd, always tuned in to hear her voice, no matter where they were. He had been lost and his companions had helped – but now she was here and everything had been right again for one tiny moment. He didn't want to lose this body – because it had been hers, it wasn't his to give up.

Except he didn't have a choice. He heard Jack, faintly, and wondered when exactly the immortal had joined them, though he half-suspected he'd been there almost as long as the Dalek – and probably the reason the Dalek hadn't sent off a second shot, something he really should have considered before but all his attention had been focussed on Rose.

He felt her lean closer to him, her shoulder under his, her arm around his waist and he did his best to help her get him upright though he knew his strength – and focus – was rather limited at the moment. Thankfully his new companion, Donna, supported him from the other side, aiding him as he stumbled between the two, unable to keep his focus sufficiently but trusting them to get him to a safe place; the Tardis.

He could feel the moment they were inside and his strength left him; both Donna and Rose helped him lie down on the grating, Rose's hand in his, refusing to leave his side.

The redhead was protesting and he wished he could tell her, tell her he'd survive this; it wouldn't be this him, but still him. But he had little strength left and Jack could explain. What little time he had left, he wanted to spend with Rose, wanted to enjoy her presence, to relish in the warm little human hand that tightened around his own, almost as if she understood what he couldn't say.

But then he felt it; the energy inside of him rising to a loud hum, drowning out everyone but her, a rush of time, of strength and power that made him almost delirious; except the pain was still there, still ravaging his body and it was about to get worse.

He gritted his teeth, thankful when Rose allowed her hand to slip out of his and stepped away – and at the same time wishing she would have held on for longer. The pain was less present, less overwhelming when she had been at his side and yet he knew he could not hold off for much longer and he didn't want to hurt her, never her.

Almost in wonder he held his hand out in front of him, staring as the golden light gently started pulsing through it, announcing to his companions, both current and former, "it's starting."

Stumbling to his feet, hands clutching the console for a moment, listening as his blonde companion, whom he'd sorely missed, explained to Donna what was about to happen.

"When he's dying, his- his body, it sorta repairs itself. Except it does it by changing into someone else, someone new," then she turned, her voice desperate, tearing at his hearts; he wished he could grant her wish, wished he could fulfil it, wished he could fulfil her every wish, "But you can't!"

Only he couldn't give her this one wish, couldn't stay, not even for her. It was burning, inside him, his body aglow and in moments he'd heal, the pain taken away before he'd turn into a new man. A new man not made for her, a hand that would not be made just to interweave with hers, his skin no longer aching for her touch. And he wished he could do as she asked. But he couldn't. Not this time.

Regretful, hearts aching, he looked at her for a moment, allowing himself to memorise her even now – tears running down her face, desperation etched into her face, mouth twitching downwards instead of upwards – before he denied her.

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

Stepping away from the console, his eyes landed on the hand. His hand... HIS HAND! Oh, he was an idiot. If he was careful – and Rose was here, so for her he could be very, very careful – he could use the energy to heal him, just enough, and then siphon the rest of, the ones that would normally change him. Because he had his hand, his perfect, biological match of a hand. It should be able to contain the energy.

Eyes narrowed in concentration, all his focus going into judging just the right moment, he allowed the golden light to suffuse him and engulf his entire being.

It was difficult, regaining control in the middle of regeneration, but for her he was willing to risk everything to stay just as he was. Struggling, he spun to the side, forcing the energy into a narrow tunnel, through both his arms and hands, directing it towards the glass container with his hand inside.

Gasping in both pain and surprise, he stumbled back, the energy forcing him backwards once the last of it had left his body and he only narrowly avoided headbutting the coral strut behind him. Breathing heavily, sweating with the strain, he stared wide-eyed at the hand in the glass container, still unable to believe he'd actually managed to accomplish what he'd set out to do.

"Now then," he found himself saying, focusing back on the astonished trio on the other side of the console, "where were we?"

Rose, Donna and Jack looked utterly flabbergasted, unsure what to make of what had just taken place. Ignoring them momentarily, his hand already longing to hold hers, he stepped forward to check on his spare hand in the jar, kneeling down in front of it.

"There now."

Grinning slightly, he blew on the jar and watched as the glowing stopped.

"You see?" he asked his companions excitedly, looking back up at them. Noticing the still bemused looks he was receiving, his grin widened and he explained, "I used the regeneration energy to heal myself, but soon as that was done, I didn't need to change."

Then, frowning slightly, he added, "I didn't want to." He could see Rose's lips at twitching traitorously – at last – as he fiddled with his tie and then his hair, sniffing slightly against the imagined slight upon him. "Why would I? Look at me!"

He was well aware that he was talking very fast but, to be fair, he was really only focused on one person. Rose. And how much he wanted her... to hold her, that is. Well, mostly hold her. That and obviously the enormous influx of energy his body was still trying to absorb and handle; the equivalent of a massive adrenaline rush for humans.

"So, to stop the energy going all the way, I siphoned off the rest into a handy bio-matching receptacle, namely my hand. My hand there. My handy spare hand," he grinned widely at them, before using his hold on the console to push himself fully upright, all his attention now focused on the one person in the room that mattered most to him.

"Remember?" he asked her, "Christmas Day, Sycorax? Lost my hand in a sword fight? That's my hand."

Though he paused for nary a second, he wondered if Rose remembered the circumstances, the moment he'd once asked her the very same question, asked her a question filled with so many meanings – meanings lost to most others, but not her.

"What do you think?"

She would understand what he was asking. He wasn't asking for her approval, rather he was looking for her acceptance.

He watched her, as she stepped closer, her hands following the crease of his suit jacket, for a moment, inspecting him, he knew, before her eyes met his, a gentle smile curling at her mouth. He looked at her, analysing her in return, searched for any changes, any differences, searched her face for new wrinkles – something he found himself oddly looking forward to; he wanted to see an older version of the blonde, wanted to watch her face slowly gain more wrinkles and laughter lines, wanted to be there every step of the way, a chance he'd thought he'd lost and a feeling he'd never experienced before. But she was here, now, and her face was unlined. Her hair was lighter and she wore a blue leather jacket similar to his previous regeneration, an armour she carried like a shield in around her akin to his own, because while she had not physically aged, Rose looked older than he ever remembered her being.

He wondered how much time had passed; not enough to show its passage on her face and yet sufficient to darken her eyes, to bring the bright light that normally shone in them down to a flickering candlelight, close to extinguishing and yet its flame remained lit despite any and all opposition, stubbornly fighting the world at large. He wanted to stoke that fire, wanted to see her light return; he wanted to drown out the darkness in her with happiness, with laughter, friendship and love until she was back, his Rose.

He didn't know what had changed but the woman he had known never hid, never apologised for being herself, refused to be cowed or distrust anyone on sheer prejudice alone; she entrusted her vulnerability to everyone, displaying what she felt, telling them what she thought, fighting for what she believed was right even when everyone else refused to lift a hand. The Rose in front of him still had that spark, that life, but she hid it, had learned she couldn't trust everyone with it, couldn't have that same blind faith. And he didn't like it; it was almost like a distorted reflection of himself, thoughts and emotions carefully locked away.

She had saved him once and now, he supposed it was finally time for him to help her; she didn't need saving, rather, he thought, she needed someone to trust, to rekindle that light until all her emotions sparkled in her eyes again, reflected in her face, until she felt she was free to show her feelings and lower her guard, to trust the world at large not to abuse her faith.

A part of him wondered at the faint scar by her neck disappearing beneath the collar, wondered if there were any other scars he had yet to discover, new ones with new stories, hidden behind her shirt and felt abashed and surprised at the momentary uncontrollable flare of desire that shot through him as his thoughts suddenly turned from clinical to a more passionate exploration of her body and discovering all the secrets her clothing was hiding from him. With nary a moment's pause, unable to full extinguish the root of his thoughts, he firmly shoved and locked those thoughts and feelings away.

He did not know if their relationship would ever veer towards such a physical act, but for the moment it bore no consequence; he had simply been taken aback as Time Lords and Gallifreyans both had long ago lost the ability to reproduce naturally and with it, the urge for sex and most physical lust and desires had disappeared. Rose had always been able to evoke sensations in him he had not anticipated – and found himself unprepared for, every time – and he was not unfamiliar even with strong desire for her, but this was the first time it had been so overwhelming, dousing all his senses in hormones for a second before he counteracted it. His control around her after this long was on very thin ice and he knew he'd have to be very, very careful he didn't push the boundaries of their relationship too far, especially after so long apart. It would take another few minutes before his system would be fully purged of the hormones.

"You're still you," she simply said, shrugging slightly and, ripped out of his reverie, he couldn't help himself, lips twitching upwards.

"I'm still me," he confirmed and allowed his own grin to widen into a full smile, watching as she did the same, eyes still glistening with tears as she threw her arms around him, hugging him.

He breathed out in relief at the familiar weight, the comforting feeling of her arms around him, her scent – a mix of vanilla, Rose, salty tears and, curiously enough, time – surrounding him and he allowed his eyes to close for a moment.

When he opened them again he untangled himself from her – not fully, just slightly enough so he could look into her eyes. Keeping his other companions in mind, he lowered his voice so only she could hear him, gaining a husky quality he noted with slight embarrassment, "still my Arkytior?"

Her amber eyes softened, the darkness in them receding as her left hand – the one not entwined with his – gently stroked his cheek.

"Forever," she promised, never hesitating, never pausing – she never did. No matter what happened, what he did, there was one constant in the entire universe. Rose Tyler; forgiving him and offering him all she had, all she was.

Hearts thundering in his ear, his right hand slipped from her back up her neck, entangling gently in her hair, leaning closer, needing – wanting – to feel her lips on his. He knew there were things unsaid, things they had to talk about; but not now, not right this moment. It wasn't fair, but he didn't care. He'd waited, he'd waited so long and he'd already lost her twice – once on Krop Tor and then to another world. Not again. He refused to let another moment pass by without first tasting her once, feeling her lips on his, feeling her love for him and giving her the same in return.

"This alright?" he questioned, his lips separated by barely a millimetre from hers, feeling her every exhale on his own, lips tingling and a yearning starting deep in his chest. And yet he held himself back, needing to ensure this was not just what he wanted, but also what she wanted.

Her lips twitched slightly, her eyes dark not with grief but rather desire, as she responded, "more than alright." He was nervous; he couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this nervous. They had kissed before – of sorts, but never both fully aware, fully consenting, fully conscious of every movement, every implication, every touch, every emotion. But she'd given him permission. Angling his head ever so slightly, he leant forward, allowing their lips to finally touch.

Time Lords had more than a passing familiarity with all the complexities of time and a deep, inner awareness of time passing. So he could tell that his lips had barely touched hers for one tenth of a second – not enough time to find out what Rose Tyler tasted like, what she felt like, what she enjoyed or how she kissed. He couldn't even tell if her lips were as soft as he imagined them to be, as they looked, because one tenth of a second was too little time even for a Time Lord.

But unfortunately the Tardis had jerked sideways the moment he'd touched her, his ship's abrupt movements forcefully separating him from Rose, his lips pulled away from hers almost the moment they met – not far, just a step away – and then the Tardis went dark and silent. He bit back a groan – brought about not by the attack on his ship but rather born out of sheer frustration at the realisation that the moment had passed, that the real world, the universe, once again had to take precedence, before he locked the emotion away, concentrating on figuring out what had happened instead.

Sending Rose a quick apologetic glance, he fiddled with the Tardis, running around the console in what he suspected was a futile attempt to elicit a response from his ship.

"They've got us," he confirmed aloud, "power's gone... Some kind of chronon loop."

The moment he said those words, the entire Tardis jerked sideways yet again, unsettling her passenger's fragile balances. He held onto the console and secured Donna at his left, noting that Jack had managed to grab a banister and Rose's hands were both firmly on the console as well. A small relief – at least his companions were alright, though he feared they were now all prisoners of the Daleks. Grimacing, he gave Rose another cautious glance.

The price the universe had demanded for her return was rather steep indeed.

Ignoring the others, Rose carefully felt along her bond with the Tardis, hoping she could communicate with the ship without having to lower her mental barriers.

'Can I help?' she asked carefully, wondering if maybe she could channel power or assist in any other way.

The Tardis' response was kind but no less firm. Rose couldn't help; the ship still had power, just locked a second out of time so she had no defences or help to offer her passengers other than analysis. And it was necessary, a requirement for a fixed point they were rapidly approaching, so any interference on Rose's part could potentially have drastic consequences – such as the destruction of the universe.

The blonde cursed silently for a moment, wishing she could look at the time vortex to figure out what she could and couldn't do, what this fixed point was, but she knew it would involve her being aglow with its power; something she could ill afford in front of the Doctor and the Daleks. And while she could look at people's timelines, she'd never done it in front of a Time Lord before and she wasn't certain if he wouldn't be able to tell what she was doing; something that she had no time to explain.

They were being dragged through space to the Dalek ship, she suspected, but at least the jerking movements had stopped and the Tardis was stable in flight. The moment the ship had stabilised, Jack's arms slipped around her.

"Hello again, Rose."

Her body had tensed initially, a knee-jerk reaction, almost intuitive by now to the intrusion in her personal space she had become so unused to. Then, realising it was one of her oldest – quite literally – friends, she relaxed, turning around in his arms to reciprocate the affection.

"Hey Jack. I've missed you."

"Of course you did," he merely said in return, as if anything else was unthinkable. Rose giggled lightly at the captain's arrogance.

"You know, Doctor, you can hug me too. No need to glare at poor Rose," he added, looking over her shoulder where her Doctor was undoubtedly giving Jack another one of his 'hands off the blonde' glares. Her giggles changed to full-out laughter and she heard Donna laughing beside her as well. It was nice, being surrounded by friends again, the irreverent jokes that were so common place between them even in the face of impending doom, the hugs and casual touches, their affections expressed so easily with words and contact.

She was back with him and somehow, he'd save them all. He might not save everyone – maybe not even her – but he'd save her world, the other planets and every other universe out there. Because he was not a warrior, not a Doctor, he was her Doctor. Stepping out of Jack's embrace, she stepped closer to the Time Lord, needing the ability to reach out and touch him even if he was now fully concentrating on the problem at hand.

Jack behind her grew serious as well. "There's a massive Dalek ship at the centre of the planets. They're calling it the Crucible. Guess that's our destination."

"You said these planets were like an engine," Donna said, "but what for?"

Her breath stuttered for a second when the Doctor turned to her instead of the redhead, his full focus on her in a way that never failed to make her heart skip, brown eyes intent.

"Rose, you've been in a parallel world. That world's running ahead of this universe. You've seen the future. What was it?"

And she remembered it, only too vividly.

"It's the darkness," she finally managed to say, unsure how to continue when Donna came to her help.

"The stars were going out."

Rose nodded, confirming the redhead's statement. She couldn't tell him a lot of things as they all related back to her, in one way or another, but at least she could give him this. "One by one. We looked up at the sky and they were just dying. Basically, we've been building this travel machine, this... this dimension cannon, so I could... Well, so I could-"

Unusually flustered under his firm gaze, no trace of joking or stopping the emotional moment before it could occur, before she could bare her feelings to him as he usually did, she watched as her Doctor never flinched, scrutinising her intently as he asked, almost daring her to confess her heart's desire, "what?"

"So I could come back," she admitted, trying to suppress a blush but knowing he'd be able to read her embarrassment – and read the emotion behind it, undoubtedly, with ease. As expected, his lips twitched into a teasing grin and she couldn't help but respond in kind, tongue poking out the corner of her lips for a second.

And, to her surprise, she watched as his focus went and his eyes narrowed in on her tongue. When focused on a problem it was usually to the exclusivity of everything else. Her Doctor would remain unaware of pretty much everything – and everyone – around him; once she'd seen one of the women at a party they'd attended in the 1920's 'casually' unbutton more and more of her top and he'd still remained blissfully unaware, all his focus on solving the problem at hand.

Which was why it was such a surprise when now she'd been able to distract him without even intending to and for such a mild thing; for a moment she couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if she were to unbutton her top – not that her top had buttons, but she was genuinely curious to see if he'd notice or if he would have been as unaware of her action as that poor woman at the party who had every man staring; every man but him.

Feeling flushed and warm beneath his gaze, an expression she didn't know how to interpret on his face, she rolled her eyes, hoping it would cover up her real feelings as she told him, "shut up."

The Doctor chuckled lowly and her heartbeat started racing at the husky quality to his voice. Then his hand found hers, intertwined with it almost as if he'd never done anything else and she smiled softly, calming herself down, realising that there was a much bigger problem at hand they had to solve.

"Anyway, suddenly, it started to work and the dimensions started to collapse. Not just in our world, not just in yours, but the whole of reality. Something is destroying everything."

"In that parallel world," Donna prodded her, "you said something about me."

Turning to face the redhead, Rose nodded slightly.

"Yeah. The... The dimension cannon could measure timelines," a blatant lie; the dimension cannon had no such functionality – it was her ability but revealing that would start a much bigger discussion with the Time Lord which there was no time for, "and it's weird, Donna, but they all seemed to converge on you."

Her Doctor's eyes were calculating as the redhead floundered, looking confused.

"But why me? I mean, what have I ever done? I'm a temp from Chiswick."

Before Rose could tell her that she wouldn't be here if the Doctor didn't think she was brilliant and just how amazing she'd been in that other world, the Tardis scanner beeped, interrupting them and warning them of their impending arrival.

"The Dalek Crucible," the Doctor announced, voice dark and foreboding, "all aboard."

"We'll have to go out," he found himself saying, eyes dark as he looked at his companions, "because if we don't, they'll get in."

"You told me nothing could get through those doors."

He could see his blonde companion was starting to understand just in how big a bind they'd found themselves in and even Jack spoke up, looking as surprised as she did. "You've got extrapolator shielding."

Wincing, the Doctor reminded himself that his companions didn't realise that for all the enemies they'd encountered – and even the Daleks they'd met – they had never seen why they were the most feared creatures in the universe, why even Time Lords had feared them, had sought to erase them before they ever came to existence. Unlike most his enemies, the Daleks were highly intelligent and in their desire to conquer the entire universe, they had picked him out as its defender – and in turn, all their weapons, all their defences, all their ideas had one core idea at its heart. To defeat the Time Lords and, above all, him and his Tardis. They'd had many a ploy to render the defences of the Time Lords Tardis' null and void, but even he had to admit, that this was one of the unfortunate ones which stood a very good chance of succeeding where the previous ones had failed.

"Last time," he found himself explaining, his hand tightening its grip on Rose subconsciously before he forced himself to ease his hold and continue, "we fought the Daleks, they were scavengers and hybrids, and mad. But this is a fully-fledged Dalek Empire, at the height of its power. Experts at fighting Tardises, they can do anything. Right now," he said darkly, "that wooden door is just wood."

"What about your dimension jump?" Jack queried, turning to Rose and he found his hearts beating faster. If at least she'd be able to escape, he'd count that as a victory; a small one, but a victory no less. He'd figure this out without having to worry about her, too.

"It needs another twenty minutes. And anyway, I'm not leaving," her eyebrows were raised, an unspoken challenge and he could feel his lips threatening to turn up into a smile despite the situation; of course not. Rose had squashed his burgeoning hope and yet he couldn't help but also feel relieved that, even if the worst came to be, she'd be at his side, holding his hand – he hated himself for it, for feeling relieved that she remained at his side though it would put her in danger, could end in her death and yet a part of him didn't want to relinquish her, not yet, not so soon.

Though it was a moot point anyway. Even if her transport had worked, he had long since come to expect not only the impossible from her, but he'd also learned to accept one thing; no matter what, no matter who was in her way, Rose Tyler would always – always – find her way back to him. And if she had to fight every single step along the way, she'd do it. She'd looked into the heart of the Tardis because she refused to leave him behind. He should not have expected any less from her now.

He hoped she understood how much her actions meant to him, even if he had neither the time nor the words to express his feelings. Squeezing her hand slightly, he allowed his grip on hers to loosen, sliding his palm against hers, enjoying the pleasant tingle rushing up his nerves despite the situation, before his fingers slid in between hers, intertwining, and his thumb caressed hers in a silent display of affection and gratitude for her refusal to leave him behind.

"What about your teleport?" he questioned Jack, though he suspected he knew the answer already.

"Went down with the power loss," the captain confirmed, shaking his head slightly and he just nodded in acceptance.

"Right then," he gave them all a dark smile, wishing he had a way of protecting them from what was to come. "All of us. Together. ... Donna?"

The redhead was staring off into nothingness, completely unaware. Frowning slightly he stepped closer to her, wondering if she was thinking of her family or if this was about something else he was unaware of? Her eyes were blank as if she'd drifted off while standing which was somewhat worrying.

"Donna?" he asked again and this time she blinked, head snapping around to look at him.

"Yeah," she gave him a wan smile and he grimaced, knowing that this was not what she'd imagined – she'd wanted adventure, different lives, different cultures; not certain death.

"I'm sorry," he apologised, eyes hooded as he watched her, Rose's hand lending him her silent support. "There's nothing else we can do."

To his surprise, he could see his blonde companion flinching slightly in his peripheral vision at his words and for a moment he wondered if maybe her dimension cannon did work but then he shook himself; of course not. Rose would have long since offered the use of it to others even if she didn't want to. Curious, though, her reaction.

"No, I know," Donna said sadly, grabbing his attention again and he gave her an encouraging smile.

"Surrender, Doctor, and face your Dalek masters," came the metallic instruction from just outside the Tardis doors and he felt his hatred and anger rise up in him. Dalek masters? Oh, no matter what happened to him, that was definitely something they never were and never would be. They had some guts to call themselves his masters; so far he'd always somehow managed to beat them back. He didn't know how he'd manage to do it this time but hope had not yet deserted him, not fully.

A cold smirk formed on his lips when one of the Daleks announced that the Crucible had been placed on maximum alert. Despite their words, it seemed he still instilled these creatures which reputedly held no emotion with fear.

"Daleks," Rose said behind him, her voice trembling and immediately his attentions returned to his companions, burying his latent feelings. They didn't need to know, didn't need to see all the ugly emotions these creatures brought forth in him.

"Oh God," Jack chimed in, looking just as afraid as the others, undoubtedly remembering the last time he'd faced them – and died, fighting them and yet still determined to face whatever may come.

Jack, loyal, brilliant Captain Jack; humorous, self-sacrificing, charming Jack. It had been a long time and yet he remembered the times they'd worked on the Tardis together vividly, companionably bantering back and forth – the joy in having someone else to talk about possible repairs and improvements with, even if it had only been for a short time. And as the Face of Boe, still Jack had been the very best he'd always looked for in companions, had been out there, saving people with his dying breath.

And Donna – brilliant, self-effacing, vivacious, loud-mouthed Donna. She kept challenging him, kept seeing what he had refused to see once Rose was no longer at his side; the good in people. She fought, she was loyal and stood at his side, helping him, making him laugh. She was, truly and utterly, fantastic.

And Rose... Well, she was rather simple. Rose Tyler was his everything.

And she was here. Looking at the three humans, he felt a genuine smile pulling at his lips as he stared at them, feeling proud of this one indomitable race in the universe that accompanied him on so many of his travel, the race his granddaughter Susan had brought so much closer to his heart and he could see all she had always seen in them, reflecting in each of the people in front of him.

"It's been good though, hasn't it? All of us. All of it. Everything we did..."

He could see Jack smiling back, a sparkle in his eyes and Donna's reluctant smile was only a second behind and he half-expected her to call him a great big space Dumbo again – lucky she'd never seen his previous incarnation or he'd never get rid of the nickname Dumbo – but she merely looked amused. And, finally, Rose – her amber eyes were shining and her lips had curled into a wide grin, her tongue poking out at the corners, teasing him, undoubtedly thinking of the many adventures – and occasional misadventures – they'd had. Suffused in warmth, a rush of affection surging through him for each and everyone of them, he smiled widely, his throat clogged with emotion and regret.

"You," he addressed Donna, making sure to keep eye-contact with her, "were brilliant." Then, turning to Jack, he repeated, "and you were brilliant." His eyes sought out amber ones, throat tightening when the emotions in her eyes eclipsed anything else he'd ever seen, the love she'd proclaimed for him shining through and he barely held himself back from finishing what he'd started earlier, knowing that now was not the time. "And you," he told the beautiful blonde in front of him, "were brilliant."

He stared once again at all three of them before releasing a deep sigh, feeling the anxiousness and danger rush back up, knowing that he'd pushed his luck far enough already with the Daleks.

"Blimey," he said under his breath, his hand still in Rose's as he turned to the Tardis door. Time to face the music.

It had all happened so fast. One moment they had been in the Tardis, then she, the Doctor and Jack were outside, surrounded by Daleks and Donna locked inside. Rose had complied, had watched, silently – mainly because the Doctor always had a plan and because of the fixed point – but enough was enough.

As soon as the Dalek had declared the Tardis would be deposited in the Crucible's core, made of Z-neutrino energy, she'd reached out. Rose knew that she could easily call the Tardis back, no matter what. There was a bond between them and pulling the ship towards her should be relatively easy feat; she hadn't done it before, but she was well aware of what she ought to be capable of.

Closing her eyes, ignoring her Doctor and the Daleks surrounding them, she reached for her friend. The Tardis was still chrono-locked but Rose could smash through that with brute force if need be and, thanks to the Medusa Cascade close by, the one thing she really wasn't lacking, was power. Her left hand clenched automatically as she sought out the vortex with her mind; she didn't tap into it, not yet, just made sure she knew how to easily reach for its strongest point so that she could do whatever she needed to do.

The Tardis hummed warningly in her mind, but she refused to obey the silent instruction. Two of her friends would die if she remained still; it didn't matter who found out what powers she had. Rose wouldn't be able to face her Doctor or herself if she allowed the Tardis and Donna both to perish when she had the power to save them. She'd hardly met the redhead but she was already attached to the woman and the Tardis had become family to her, a home, and there was no way she would hesitate, would allow her own fears to overcome her need to save them and watch her friends perish simply because her courage had faltered when they needed her most; too often she'd hesitated, had acted too late, when every precious second could mean someone's life. But not now, not theirs, not his. She refused to; and if she didn't have the strength or the courage herself, she only needed to look at Jack and her Doctor to find her strength again. No more.

Brows furrowed, splitting her concentration in searching for both the power and the Tardis, it was easy for the ship to disrupt her thoughts.

'Your destruction and Donna's death,' she argued with the ship, 'can't be a fixed point. I won't allow it.'

Her hand tightened around the Doctor's, trying to draw strength from him while she fought the Tardis. The ship's response was tinged with amusement as it told her that it wasn't their destruction that was the fixed point, but rather it was their survival and that the manner of survival was vital; it had been leaking back through time already and if she interfered and changed how they survived, she would destroy not only them but the universe, too.

Hands clenching tightly, a mute protest to her continued inability to aid her friends in need, Rose finally acquiesced to the Tardis, knowing it had a much broader view of the timelines and what was required and that her 'help' could very well spell the ruin for all of them. Useless, she chastised herself, sending a hard glare at the red Dalek.

"The female and the Tardis will perish together," it intoned, focused on the Doctor rather than her, "observe. The last child of Gallifrey is powerless."

Weaving her fingers through her Doctors, she squeezed slightly, telling him silently that she would lend him her strength and support, no matter what. Her heart went out for him, knowing that he was unaware of the Tardis' survival, that her bond extended far beyond even his to the ship, and that he had to believe they both were being annihilated.

"Please," the Doctor pleaded, his eyes torn between the Daleks and the image of his Tardis burning, "I'm begging you. I'll do anything! Put me in her place."

Rose's heart sank at his words, though she understood his sentiment. He would always attempt to sacrifice himself for his companions, thinking – hoping – that he would figure a way out where they couldn't.

"You can do anything to me," he continued, unaware of the pain he was causing her with his words. She couldn't tell him what she knew but leaving him to suffer was heartless and cold, every word, every plea a stab to her heart. He was pleading with the Daleks, his worst enemy, knowing how futile an action it was and still he begged, offering himself though she knew it was no bargaining chip. The Daleks thought they had them, either way.

"I don't care, just get her out of there!"

"You are connected to the Tardis," the red Dalek announced, a note of unholy glee swinging in its voice, of cold, harsh cruelty and her hand around the Doctor's tightened, trying to give him support as his enemy was intent on destroying him, "now feel it die."

He couldn't believe it. All these centuries and finally the Daleks would destroy her. The last time ship, the last Tardis, in every dimension. A relic of a time long since gone; just like him.

And, in some respect, that was okay – well not okay, never okay, but bearable in some way. Because as much as it would hurt, his Tardis having been the only one to see and remember Time Lords, to remember Susan and Gallifrey and all the fantastic adventures they had experienced over the years, having been his one constant companion through everything, Donna's loss would hurt more. Because Donna had been under his protection, Donna had helped him when he hadn't known how to help himself; Donna had been his companion, one of the people he was meant to keep safe. And he hadn't.

She'd die. She'd burn; a few agonising seconds before her body would either be swallowed by the flames or she'd be mercifully unconscious before the true horror of the situation had time to dawn on her.

They were taunting him now. "Total Tardis destruction in ten rels. Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

His heart broke as his ship was finally fully swallowed by the flames, wishing he could reach out, could have comforted her – either of them – during their last moments at least, but he knew he couldn't open himself like that, couldn't leave himself so vulnerable, not in front of the Daleks. Even with his ship gone, there were still many secrets buried in his brain, weapons and other knowledge that could easily spell the end of the universe for any race other than the Daleks.

Sending a mute apology down their tenuous bond along with his utmost regret, knowing deep within his hearts that it was a devastating failure on his part that he had nothing else to offer to his friend of almost two millennia, he heightened his walls, closing and locking down his mind bit by bit until it was as impenetrable as he had time to make it.

For everyone else it had only been the blink of an eye; he was grateful that at least Rose had remained at his side, though the price for her return was heavy. He had understood something, a long time ago, that if Rose's survival was threatened, unless she stopped him, he would rather see entire worlds burn, than to allow her death. Never had he contemplated losing his Tardis and a dear friend for her, not this way.

His regret, his grief, nearly brought him to his knees were it not for her hand in his; but she reminded him of something. He had lost them and he could grieve their loss; but not now, not here, not in front of the Daleks. So, instead, with no other option, he did what he had learned to do a long time ago. Deep anguish and grief turned into molten rage, his anger at the Daleks eclipsing everything else.

"The Tardis has been destroyed," the red Dalek announced before turning to him. "Now tell me, Doctor. What do you feel? Anger? Sorrow? Despair?"

"Yeah," he allowed, eyes narrowing darkly at the perpetrators, the monsters who had survived, time and again, wondering why, once upon a time, he'd deemed the Time Lords a worse enemy, why, once upon a time, he'd even sought to rescue these very creatures from the weapons created by his kind.

"Then," the red Dalek continued, "if emotions are so important, surely we have enhanced you?"

Unrelenting rage rose up inside him at the Dalek's taunt, tightening around his throat like a noose as the words to express his hatred escaped him and he remained mute, watching the creatures around him.

Jack undoubtedly saw the same thing as Rose did, the hatred, the fury, the darkness and, though he was loathe to admit it, Jack once again proved why he had been not only his companion, but one of his best friends, his loyalty shining through when he stepped out with a small gun and shot the Dalek, even though he knew it would result in his death.

"Yeah? Feel this!"

The Dalek's response was swift and predictable, but no less horrifying for his blonde companion who jumped forwards – not quick enough, luckily, to get killed herself but fast enough to catch their friend's body and hinder his descent towards the ground.

Eyes dark, aware of just how callous his actions would seem to her but unable to bring himself to show enough sympathy towards the immortal as his body would always recover whereas he had already lost two others who would not revive within a few moments.

"Rose, come here," he instructed, his voice cold as he remained several steps from Jack's motionless body, maintaining a tight hold on his anger so as to not slip up and allow the sorrow to swallow him up. Donna and the Tardis. Gone. Irrevocably. Never to return, unlike Jack. "Leave him," he continued, holding his hand out to her.

Her amber eyes shone with tears as she turned to face him and for an instant he even felt a small wave of sympathy; though Rose had made him a fixed point, she didn't remember her work and didn't know that Jack would survive.

"They killed him," she told him, her voice trembling, though she did stand up, her hand finding his and clinging to it as though he was her anchor, her rock, as though he could give her the strength to hold both of them upright. He daren't tell her that he knew not if he could find the strength within himself to lend to her as well, his own already faltering.

"I know," he admitted, voice softening ever so slightly for her benefit as he added, "I'm sorry."

Understanding she shouldn't have swirled in her eyes but both their attentions were diverted by the red Dalek.

"Escort them to the Vault. They are the playthings of Davros now."

"Activate the holding cells."

A spotlight shone on her Doctor and he reached out with his hand, finding a blue field enclosing him before rapidly retracting, his hand twitching slightly as though he'd been burnt, electricity racing across the barrier. Before Rose had a chance to escape, she, too was enclosed in the holding cell, a blue circular dome around her which burnt to the touch.

"Excellent," Davros intoned, "even when powerless, a Time Lord is best contained."

Eyes hooded and form stiff with barely suppressed anger, the Doctor taunted, "still scared of me, then?"

"It is time we talked, Doctor. After so very long."

Rose watched mutely, as her Doctor surveyed their surroundings, his eyes never leaving Davros, with dark glee and seething hatred he no longer bothered to hide.

"No, no, no, no, no. We're not doing the nostalgia tour. I want to know what's happening right here, right now, because the Supreme Dalek said Vault, yeah? As in dungeon... cellar... prison," a cold grin twisted his lips into an expression she'd never seen before, not on him.

"You're not in charge of the Daleks, are you? They've got you locked away down here in the basement like, what, a servant? Slave? ... Court jester?"

"We have an arrangement," Davros said abruptly but it only fanned the flames of her Doctor's ire.

"No, no, no, no, no. No, I've got the word. You're the Dalek's pet!"

"So very full of fire, is he not?" Davros asked, turning to her for the first time and she blinked slightly in surprise. "And to think you crossed entire universes, striding parallel to parallel to find him again."

All amusement gone, voice low and threatening, her Doctor jumped in. "Leave her alone!"

"She is mine to do as I please," the creator of the Daleks asserted.

Brows furrowed, for the first time she allowed herself to be part of their conversation. "Then why am I still alive?"

"You must be here. It was foretold. Even the Supreme Dalek would not dare to contradict the prophecies of Dalek Caan."

A reality bomb. Across the entire universe, people and planets reduced to dust and atoms and... nothing. Across every parallel world, every dimension, every creation would meet its end. Rose swallowed hard, her hands shaking. She'd known, had seen the power that broiled just beneath the surface of the Medusa Cascade; it had never occurred to her that there could be something strong enough out there to rip it apart. She wished she could hold him, now, her Doctor. He always seemed to give her strength when she had none of her own.

Rose blinked in surprise when suddenly a screen came up, showing Martha but she didn't like the desperation she could read in her eyes. Surely not...? No one in their right mind would ever think that was an acceptable solution. Not when he was here, her Doctor, not when he would save them; not all of them, maybe, but he would never think this was an acceptable price – and neither did she.

"This message is for the Dalek Crucible. Repeat. Can you hear me?"

"Put me through," her Doctor said, eyes bright with hope which Rose feared Martha would soon extinguish if she really was intent on using that dreaded key.

"It begins as Dalek Caan foretold," Davros said, a cold sneer on his face.

"The Children of Time will gather, and one of them will die," Dalek Caan half-sang, half-spoke and Rose gritted her teeth to stop herself from drawing their attention. Her focus was still on the power of the Medusa Cascade. She wasn't drawing on its power just yet, well aware of the potential disasters, but with every breath she allowed herself that tiny bit closer, that tiny bit more power to run through her so she could take a hold of it and do whatever was needed to aid her Time Lord if needed, without any delays, knowing that they likely couldn't afford them.

"Stop saying that. Put me through!" the Doctor demanded, eyes fixed on his former companion on the screen.

"Doctor!" Martha exclaimed and Rose was mildly grateful that at least the other woman looked guilty about her decision. "I'm sorry, I had to."

"Oh, but the Doctor is powerless. My prisoner." Davros was a fool, Rose privately thought, if he really imagined the Doctor was ever powerless. Even without his ship, he still had her and all his companions fighting for him, helping him. The Doctor was never powerless because he was never truly alone, no matter how much he believed otherwise. "State your intent."

"I've got the Osterhagen Key," Martha announced, voice firm and Rose's stomach sank. "Leave this planet and its people alone or I'll use it."

"Osterhagen what? What's an Osterhagen Key?" Rose blinked in surprise at realising that for once, she knew something the Doctor didn't; well, she knew something worth knowing that he didn't. Though, she guessed even that was debatable. She certainly would rather go back to not knowing what exactly Martha could do to their planet if she used this key.

"There's a chain of twenty five nuclear warheads placed in strategic points beneath the Earth's crust. If I use the key, they detonate and the Earth gets ripped apart," Martha explained, slightly apologetic and yet still believing in her decision. Rose had to admit that, had she not experienced the consequences first hand, if she didn't have such an intimate knowledge of what exactly this would mean for Earth and all of humanity and the rest of the universe, she could understand Martha's decision to an extent. She thought she was saving the rest of the universe even if six billion people died.

Martha didn't understand that humans had travelled the stars, explored and saved entire species – created new species; she didn't understand that without humanity, the universe was a much, much darker and lonelier place.

"What?" the Time Lord exclaimed in surprise and outrage. "Who invented that? Well," he amended, attention momentarily diverted, "someone called Osterhagen, I suppose," though, as his attentions returned to his former companion, the disbelief and indignation was clear in his words. "Martha, are you insane?"

"The Osterhagen Key is to be used if the suffering of the human race is so great, so without hope, that this becomes the final option," Martha justified but Rose couldn't help but agree with her Doctor.

"That's never an option!"

"Don't argue with me, Doctor! Because it's more than that. Now, I reckon the Daleks need these twenty seven planets for something. But what if it becomes twenty six? What happens then? Daleks? Would you risk it?"

Lips twitching into a slight grin, unable to help herself, Rose commented, "she's good."

Trying to blackmail the Daleks; certainly a rather interesting idea and one she could only condone – though she hoped with all her heart that Martha really was only using it as blackmail and had no actual intention of following through.

"Who's that?" Martha suddenly asked and she blinked slightly, suddenly realising that she'd been so used to not being seen or heard, she'd forgotten that Martha could actually hear her.

Suppressing a blush, she quickly introduced herself, "my name's Rose. Rose Tyler."

For a moment she didn't know what to make of Martha's half-whispered surprised exclamation, "oh, my God. He found you."

Then her eyes were inevitably drawn to the Doctor, and Rose raised an eyebrow, teasing him silently though she knew he could read the true emotion that ran beneath it which she dared not express in front of all these people; gratefulness. He had not forgotten her, had told both Martha and Donna about her. He'd kept her alive, rather than hiding her away. Her Doctor's lips curled up slightly on one side, though his eyes remained dark, reassuring her silently, telling her that he wouldn't have had it any other way, that he would never allow her to be forgotten.

Then, in unison, they both turned back, not needing to exchange any words, just in time for a new screen to appear.

"Captain Jack Harkness, calling all Dalek boys and girls. Are you receiving me?"

For a moment, the Doctor found himself unable to completely stop the quick grin forming on his face after Jack's audacious introduction. Then his eyes scanned the contraption the man was holding and his grin faltered. It couldn't be... it wasn't possible... was it? Was this what he'd done to them? To all these brilliant people? His eyes darkened slightly. Though he was glad to see Jack and Sarah Jane both alive and well – and he really wasn't sure how he felt about Mickey and Jackie both being here – this was not exactly the circumstances he'd imagined for their reunion.

"Don't send in your goons, or I'll set this thing off."

Rose suddenly spoke up at his side, "he's still alive. And... Oh, my god! That's my mum."

He knew they'd joked once that Jackie would fight a werewolf barehanded – and win – but he'd never actually ever imagined her here; they'd always done their best to keep the true dangers from Rose's mother though she'd indicated more than once that she knew it was a lot more dangerous than either of them had ever told her. He definitely never imagined her coming from a parallel world to a spaceship full of Daleks. And he certainly didn't want to be responsible if anything happened to her; and unfortunately he knew very well that Rose had inherited her speak-first-think-later approach from her mother, as well as her bluntness. Neither of which usually carried over well with Daleks.

Focusing on the group again, he queried angrily, wondering what had possessed Mickey to let Jackie come with him and what the Captain's intention were with regards to what he suspected was a rather dangerous weapon in his hand, "Mickey, Captain, what are you doing?"

"I've got a Warp Star wired into the mainframe," Jack said, confirming his fears. "I break this shell, the entire Crucible goes up."

First Martha and now Jack. What had he done? What were they doing? Was this what he had taught them?

"You can't! Where did you get a Warp Star?"

His hearts fell when Sarah Jane stepped forward. Brilliant, wonderful Sarah Jane. The Reporter, not the Destroyer. And yet, here she was.

"From me," she spoke quickly as if trying to justify their actions, "we had no choice. We saw what happened to the prisoners."

"Impossible," Davros exclaimed behind her, "that face! After all these years..."

Her voice started off as a whisper, but he could see the fury growing in her, the same fire he remembered from so many incarnations ago, shining through.

"Davros. It's been quite a while. Sarah Jane Smith. Remember?"

"Oh, this is meant to be," Davros spoke with quiet glee echoing in his raspy voice. "The circle of Time is closing. You were there on Skaro at the very beginning of my creation."

"And I've learnt how to fight since then," the older woman rebutted, and the Doctor found his anger choking him. So that's what he'd done. Made them into fighters, like his daughter had been. "You're such a warrior," – well, she wasn't wrong. But worse than that, it seemed he turned everyone around him in one, too.

"You let the Doctor go, or this Warp Star, it gets opened. I'll do it. Don't imagine I wouldn't," threatened Jack, certainty in his voice and even the Doctor couldn't doubt him. For the sake of the world, the Captain would sacrifice himself and all the other companions and yet all they demanded in return was him. At least, he tried to console him, they were still using it as blackmail, as a last resort than just taking action. And Rose was still with him. She wasn't a warrior. He hadn't turned her, hadn't made her into a fighter... or had he?

"Now that's what I call a ransom," his blonde companion said, amusement in her voice and his hearts sank. Even Rose, his wonderful Rose, seemed to condone their actions. First Martha's, and now Jack's and Sarah Jane's. He swallowed hard, trying to suppress the anger, the self-hatred and his loathing for the creatures around him that had forced all his companions to even consider these drastic actions – and for forcing him to see what he'd done to them, how much he'd changed them.

When he'd first met Martha, she'd been a Doctor, Jack had been a conman, intent on harming no one, Sarah Jane a reporter and Rose a shop assistant. And now they were suggesting genocide. Look at what he'd turned them into, what he had done to them. Was that what happened? He'd regretted the ones he'd lost and left behind and the ones who'd left him, but he'd never imagined this, not in his wildest dreams. His hearts ached and the darkness, the abyss deep inside him, became all-encompassing.

"Doctor?" Rose asked and he could hear the uncertainty in her voice, knew she would see more than anyone else about what he was feeling, but he could not stop himself, could no longer suppress the turbulent mix of emotions rising up inside him, taking control.

"And the prophecy unfolds," Davros said, unholy glee swinging in his voice at his defeat. Even if they couldn't understand it, he knew that the Daleks had once again managed to weaken him, to deal him a decisive blow.

"The Doctor's soul is revealed," Dalek Caan spoke up, laughing maniacally, "see him. See the heart of him!"

He knew all his companions were now looking at him, but he couldn't stop himself, couldn't suppress the loathing, the seething hatred, the anger and revulsion at their actions, at his own insistence of having companions, at turning normal humans into this – murderers, willing to kill their own kin and erase an entire race.

"The man who abhors violence, never carrying a gun," Davros said and he found himself unable to look at them, to look at all the people who were so very different from what he remembered. "But this is the truth, Doctor. You take ordinary people and you fashion them into weapons. Behold your Children of Time transformed into murderers. I made the Daleks, Doctor. You made this."

"They're trying to help," he defended, lifting his head and facing Davros, though she knew it was weak and his hearts weren't behind it; he wasn't raging at the insult and that, more than anything, told Rose that he, at least, believed Davros' spiteful words were the truth. What, she wondered, would he think when he finally found out the truth about her?

But now was not the time. Now, he needed her, needed them, their unconditional support. She dearly hoped he would come to understand, given time, that they were not warriors, not fighters, that they all just wanted a better world, a better universe, and that they were doing their very best to turn the world into that place; even if their methods might not always be condoned by him, she hoped he would come to understand, that he had no fault in their decisions, the choices they'd made.

Concerned, she looked at him, only half-listening as Davros spoke up again.

"Already I have seen them sacrificed today for their beloved Doctor. The Earth woman who fell opening the Subwave Network."

Oh no – she'd forgotten about that! Shooting a quick glance at Sarah Jane, Rose swallowed, knowing that the news should not come from the heartless creator of the Daleks, at least. Later on, when they were safe, she could explain to him that it wasn't true. Now she'd put Sarah Jane, Luke and Harriet in too much danger if she told him in front of the Daleks.

"Who was that?" her Doctor asked as expected and before anyone else could speak up, she raised her voice, making him turn towards her, conveying as much emotion as she could to the man she loved, hoping he would understand everything she couldn't say. He wasn't responsible. They all loved him. Harriet Jones was alive.

"Harriet Jones. She, err... She gave her life so we could reach you."

"How many more?" Davros interrupted and she felt at a loss the moment her Doctor tore his eyes from hers, knowing that instead of helping, she'd only piled more guilt onto his shoulders. "Just think. How many have died in your name?"

Her heart ached and Rose pressed her hand against the barrier, hoping to reach him though his eyes remained on the enemy. She wasn't sure if he knew he was trembling, his entire body shaking, nostrils flaring, barely containing the flood of emotions, the overwhelming guilt, anger and self-loathing. So many, too many, had perished, she knew, had seen it, both past and future, how many had sacrificed themselves. But he didn't understand; it wasn't his fault.

Her hand was burning – not the flesh-searing actual fire burning sensation, but rather almost electrical. Closing her eyes, ignoring the pain, pushing past it, she concentrated on one memory, intent on broadcasting it. She hadn't done it before, had been too intent on locking herself up so tight, she'd never learned or even attempted to learn, but she hoped it would work. Rose had told it to him once before, when she thought she'd die, and obviously he'd not remembered, had forgotten that all his companions, all the sacrifices they made, were done willingly, knowingly and that it was their choice to make – not his; and therefore not his responsibility.

"Sorry, I was a bit slow. It's the end, Doctor. But it's not your fault! Remember that, okay? It wasn't your fault! ... And you know what? I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

She allowed him to see it all, opening herself up to someone for the first time in decades in a much more intimate way than she'd ever dared to imagine she would; her fear, her determination, the panic that had gripped her back then and the hundreds of other feelings which had run through her – none of which were anger at him, blame or even hatred.

When his head swivelled back to her, genuine surprise etched into his features, she knew she'd succeeded though Davros seemed rather upset that she'd managed to rip her Doctor out of the hell he'd created for him. Absently she noticed that Jack's eyebrows had both risen which inevitably meant that, apparently, she'd broadcast very strongly to anyone with any telepathic capabilities within range; definitely not something she wanted to repeat, ever again. Rose shuddered slightly, remembering the disconcerting feeling of others seeing memories and feeling, of the invasion of privacy before noticing her hand was still in contact with the field containing her. Ripping her hand away from the barrier she noticed that at least it was only slightly burnt, angry red welts running across it. Well, that might not have been the cleverest action, injuring herself.

"The Doctor," Davros continued, making the Time Lord turn back to him, though she could tell that his shoulders were just a little bit less tense, his eyes fractionally less dark and she hoped that it had been enough. "The man who keeps running, never looking back because he dare not. Out of shame. This is my final victory, Doctor. I have shown you... yourself."

"Enough," the red Dalek interrupted. "Engage defence zero five."

"It's the Crucible or the Earth," Martha said again, holding the Osterhagen key in her hands openly for everyone to see.

"Transmat engaged."

Suddenly both groups vanished in a flash of light before reappearing in the vault, in front of them.

"Don't move!" Her Doctor shouted out, his hand touching his forcefield and she watched as the dome around him lit up. "All of you. Stay still!"

"Guard them! On your knees, all of you. Surrender!" Davros commanded and to their surprise, the Doctor agreed, eyes steadfast as he looked at all of them.

"Do as he says," he instructed and to Rose's surprise, her mother was the first to trust the Doctor's advice, sinking to her knees, hands behind her head. Her mum, who now had Tony – she wasn't meant to be anywhere near here, wasn't meant to travel back to their home dimension. Jackie had suggested it once, but Rose thought she had come to see just how bad an idea that would be. Apparently, her mother didn't agree. She only hoped that Jackie wouldn't tell the Doctor anything before she'd had a chance to open up to him.

"Mum," she whispered quickly, "I told you not to!"

"Yeah, well, I couldn't leave you," Jackie said simply and Rose found her eyes watering. She'd had a lot of issues with her mother over the years, had fought and argued and yet this once again brought her every action into clarity. Her mother was human; sometimes, she didn't make the right choices, spoke too rashly, but at her heart, she loved Rose. And this time she'd chosen to leave her family behind, Pete and Tony, for her, to make sure her daughter was safe, to make sure she was happy. Her heart ached with familial love for her mother and she dearly wished she could finally hug her again, could feel the embrace that, as a child, had felt like the safest place in the world.

For a moment her attentions were diverted when Mickey remained standing, frown on his face until she glared at him and he, teeth still gritted, under silent protest, finally sank to his knees.

"The final prophecy is in place. The Doctor and his children, all gathered as witnesses. Supreme Dalek, the time has come, now! Detonate the Reality bomb!" shouted Davros and Rose's heart stopped, her head swivelling to her Doctor, despite knowing he was trapped.

"Activate planetary alignment field," the red Dalek intoned. "Universal Reality detonation in two hundred rels."

"You can't, Davros, just listen to me! Just stop!" There was an edge of desperation swinging in his voice and Rose swallowed hard. Not much time. She could still stop it. But the Tardis had said...? Except, there was no time left. Closing her eyes, she relaxed her body, reminding herself that she had to give this her utmost focus if she didn't want to accidentally kill herself or half the universe because of a mishap. Time was fragile and using it to unravel and change timelines was a foolhardy endeavour; one she'd done before, of course, multiple times in fact, but not one she relished and one that could have disastrous consequences should she make a mistake.

Davros started laughing maniacally. "Nothing can stop the detonation. Nothing and no one!"

She'd almost succeeding in tuning him – and everyone else – out, when she heard the most beautiful sound in the universe. Her eyes snapped open and she released her hold on the vortex, knowing that whatever was happening, she was glad she hadn't had time to interfere. The Tardis was returning.

"But that's..." Her Doctor started, stunned, staring at the empty space the noise was echoing from. Around him, his companions slowly got to their feet and Rose was heartened to see the hope blossoming in everyone's eyes even as she sent out her own silent greeting to her friend.

"Impossible," Davros spat out, though even he turned around to face the Tardis who was now fully materialising.

Rose found she was staring, agape, at the figure appearing from within the Tardis, standing in its doorway, his figure achingly familiar. What the...? Eyes narrowed she shot another look at the man beside her before looking at the other one ahead. How could this be? Two Doctors?

"Brilliant," Jack breathed, his eyes equally wide as hers and her lips twitched automatically at what she thought was probably a half-though innuendo; most things coming from Jack were.

Sending a silent inquiry to the Tardis, she was surprised to find the ship confirming that they were both the Doctor, of sorts; though the Tardis refused to explain what exactly of sorts meant. Then the Time Lord dressed in blue ran across the vault, towards Davros, a new contraption – undoubtedly of his own making – in his hand.

"DON'T!" her Doctor yelled, but it was too late; just as he was a few feet in front of him, Davros sent a bolt of electricity at the man running, hitting him square in the chest and sending him backwards, the machinery landing on the floor. Rose winced sympathetically, her hand shaking slightly at even seeing the electricity and well aware of what pain he was going through.

"Activate holding cell."

At Davros' words, another blue dome formed around the Doctor just as he was getting up again. That wasn't good. Two Doctors and both trapped. She wondered for a moment if it wasn't maybe a future version of him, before dismissing the thought quickly. The how's and wherefore's could be figured out later.

Suddenly another person exited the Tardis at a dead run; Donna. Her hands closed around the gizmo on the floor.

"Doctor! I've got it. But I don't know what to do!"

Before either of the Doctors could give her instruction, Davros sent another bolt towards her, launching her backwards and in that moment, Rose felt something snap into place in the timelines and her eyes widened.

"Donna! Donna! Are you all right, Donna?" Her Doctor yelled, but Rose couldn't help but stare at the huddled form, trying to make sense of what she'd just felt come to pass.

"Destroy the weapon," Davros ordered and one of the Daleks obeyed. "I was wrong about your warriors, Doctor," he continued, "they are pathetic!"

Something had happened – with Donna. A fixed point – and it had something to do with the two Doctors. Frowning, Rose looked at the Time Lord beside her, querying, "how come there are two of you?"

He only sent her a quick glance, his focus on Davros who was advancing on him. "Human biological metacrisis. Never mind that. Now we've got no way of stopping the Reality Bomb."

"Detonation in twenty rels. Nineteen..."

"Stand witness, Time Lord. Stand witness, humans," Davros said, pulling up another screen to show the planets and allowing them to see their impending destruction. "Your strategies have failed, your weapons are useless, and, oh, the end of the universe has come."

Panicked, Rose reached for the Tardis but the old girl assured her that she was not to do anything – that someone else would. Biting her lip, trusting that the ship would know better, she stood back and watched as everything unravelled in front of her, heart racing with adrenaline and panic, hoping that she was right to trust the eleven-dimensional being.

"Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one..."

A loud beeping noise, an alarm, suddenly echoed the moment the screen had disappeared and Rose released the breath she'd been holding, relief and happiness spreading through her, realising that of course the Tardis had been right. The ship hummed in amusement at the fact that Rose had ever doubted the veracity or accuracy of her statements.

Everyone looked around the room, puzzled, including both Doctors, but Rose's eyes were fixed on where she'd last seen Donna disappear to. Her Doctor's incarnation was not as time sensitive as some of his earlier ones, which was presumably why he had yet to notice the fixed point.

"And closing all Z-neutrino relay loops using an internalised synchronous back-feed reversal loop. That button there." With flourish, the redhead flipped the switch and Rose chuckled slightly at Donna's exuberance and both her Doctor's flabbergasted expressions.

"System in shutdown," one of the Daleks announced.

"Detonation negative," said another and Rose found herself whipping slightly on her feet, a habit she'd subconsciously picked up from her Doctor as she grinned happily at the redhead. There would be consequences, of that there was no doubt, but she could figure out a way together with the Tardis, she was sure. Or her Doctor would. Donna would live. For right now, she'd just enjoy having two of her Doctors in the room with someone who was cleverer than them; and who wasn't afraid to tease them about it.

"Explain! Explain! Explain!"

"Donna, you can't even change a plug," her Doctor, the one in the brown suit, said, still looking stunned and taken aback at Donna's obviously correct explanation.

"Do you want to bet, Time Boy?"

Humming in slight amusement – and earning her a quick reprimanding glare from her Doctor – she grinned at the redhead's reply. Oh, she really was brilliant. Clicking her tongue slightly, mischief alight in her eyes, Rose resolved to lean back and watch as, for once, someone else saved the Doctor – both Doctors.

"You'll suffer for this," Davros warned.

Tilting her head slightly in a challenge, Donna quickly lifted one of the levers and Davros received an electrical charge before he ever had the chance to attack her.

Rose's grin widened at the clear taunt in Donna's voice and the redhead's high spirits. "Ooh, bio-electric dampening field with a retrograde field arc inversion."

"Exterminate her!" Davros ordered and Rose's smile fell, fearing for the redhead's life if these creatures were to attack her; though she calmed, somewhat, noticing that the other woman wasn't worried but rather quickly pressing several buttons as the voices of several Daleks echoed threateningly around her, lips half-curved up in a smirk.

"Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!"

Confident, almost arrogantly, the redhead simply raised her eyebrows as slowly all the Dalek's weapons were under her control and Daleks powerless. "Oh," Rose found herself whispering, "she's good."

Her words went unnoticed as, at the same time, one of the Daleks exclaimed, "weapons non-functional!"

"Macrotransmission of a K-filter wavelength blocking Dalek weaponry in a self-replicating energy blindfold matrix."

"How did you work that out? You're..." Her Doctor was actually speechless and Rose grinned as the other Doctor had cottoned on and finished the sentence.

"Time Lord, part Time Lord."

"Part human," Donna agreed, wide smile on her face. "Oh, yes. That was a two-way biological metacrisis. Half Doctor, half Donna."

That seemed to spark a memory in her Doctor and not for the first time, Rose wished she knew every single adventure he'd ever been on, knew the details of all of his lives, had shared in everything that took place in his long life.

"The Doctor Donna," he called her, his voice far away as he recalled something, eyes wide as he stared at his redheaded companion. "Just like the Ood said, remember? They saw it coming. The Doctor Donna."

A gentle smile curved Donna's lips before she tapped another few buttons.

"Holding cells deactivated. Unseal the Vault," she said, before looking at both Time Lords and shaking her head. "Well, don't just stand there, you skinny boys in suits! Get to work!"

Rose watched, amused, as both Doctor's sprinted to do her bidding, exchanging a quick glance with Jack who was also grinning at the picture of the Doctor receiving order for once and, what was more, complying with them.

"Stop them!" Davros shouted. "Get them away from the controls!"

"Aaand spin," Donna said and Rose stared, amazed, as the Daleks started to actually spin, helplessly, on the spot, unable to interfere.

"Help me! Help me!" One of the Daleks shouted and she couldn't help but wonder just how much better a place the universe would be – with both the Doctor and Donna in it. Or would that be both Doctors and the Doctor Donna? Brilliant. Part Time Lord, part human. Perfect mix from what Rose could tell.

Jack had his arms around Martha, both laughing as they watched the dreaded, nigh unstoppable race, rotate on the spot, completely helpless and under the redhead's control.

"And the other way," Donna said and Rose laughed, watching as the Daleks unwillingly obeyed, incapable of regaining control, spinning the other way around now. To her amusement, both Doctors were still flabbergasted, watching the Daleks before turning to Donna, looking perplexed.

"What did you do?" Her Doctor – in the brown suit – finally asked.

"A trip stitch circuit breaker in the psychokinetic threshold manipulator!"

"But that's brilliant!" her new Doctor exclaimed, a wide grin spread across his face while her Doctor in the brown suit looked, frowning, at the metacrisis, before asking, "why did we never think of that?"

"Because you two were just Time Lords, you Dumbos," Donna said and Rose watched as both Doctor's slowly started to grin at the insult, eyes sparkling and her heart eased at seeing them all in such high spirits, "lacking that little bit of human, that gut instinct that comes hand in hand with Planet Earth. I can think of ideas you two couldn't dream of in a million years. Ah, the universe has been waiting for me," she added with a bright grin and Rose couldn't help but agree.

"Now, let's send that trip stitch all over the ship. Did I ever tell you, best temp in Chiswick? Hundred words per minute."

"Ha!" the metacrisis exclaimed, laughing at his brilliant companion and Rose's smile turned soft. Things were well under control and both her Doctors were happy.

She turned to her mother and engulfed her in a hug, though she'd noticed Jackie paling and jerking backward – only to be surprised when nothing happened. "Not a problem in this universe," she explained under her breath and heard her mother break into relieved laughter, her arms closing around her. Barely a moment later, Mickey turned it into a three-way hug, his arms going around her stomach from the back and Rose laughed, tears shimmering in the corner of her eyes.

"I missed you," she admitted, leaning her head back onto Mickey's shoulders, eliciting a wide grin from him.

"Missed you too," he said, his arms tightening around her. For a moment, she indulged in having the warmth and love radiating from her mother and childhood friend, relishing in the hugs and the touch she'd sorely missed. But when she noticed Jack running past her into the Tardis, she forced herself to step out of their embrace and focus on what was happening, though her arm remained around her mum's shoulders.

"Come on then, boys," Donna said, grinning. "We've got twenty seven planets to send home. Activate Magnetron."

"Stop this at once!" Davros yelled, futilely, as at that moment Jack exited the Tardis, his gun and her dimension cannon in his arms. Mickey took the dimension cannon from him, just as the Dalek's creator spoke up once more.

"You will desist!"

He pointed her cannon at Davros at point blank range. "Just stay where you are, mister."

"Out of the way!" Jack pushed one of the spinning Daleks down a side corridor.

Grinning widely and seeing an equally wide grin on Sarah Jane's face, they both mutely agreed on a Dalek, forcefully pushing it out of the way, enjoying the chance to take even the smallest bit of revenge on the creatures which had bothered them both for such a long time.

"Good to see you again," the reporter said, obviously glad to find her alive after their last – rather short – conversation.

"Oh, you too," Rose agreed, smiling widely. She missed the other woman; it would have been brilliant to have her with them on their travels, though she understood that she had her own adventures to embark on now – and just how much it hurt to be left behind and how hard it would've been to find her footing in the real world again, a world where running away was not always an option.

"Ready? And reverse!" Donna said and both Doctors immediately started pulling out rods, watching as planet after planet disappeared back to its original point in time and space.

"Off you go, Clom," her Doctor said.

"Back home, Adipose III," the metacrisis said and Rose's lips twitched, amused, noticing Sarah Jane was also looking between both Doctors with an eyeroll and a smile on her face.

"Shallacatop, Pyrovillia and the Lost Moon of Poosh, sorted!" Donna grinned cockily – well deserved in Rose's opinion – and she watched as her Doctor looked up, lips curled up in a half-smile, eyes glinting before focusing back on the panel in front of him. "Ha!" Donna cried out only to be echoed by the metacrisis.

"We need more power!" her Doctor said and Rose finally stepped forward, well aware of her mum following her and Mickey's enquiring looks.

"Is anyone going to tell us what's going on?" she asked but it wasn't her Doctor who responded, rather it was the redhead. Her Doctor was concentrating on sonicing something in his hands and Jack was focusing either on the Time Lord's hands – something she could understand only too well – or the cables he was fiddling with.

"He poured all his regeneration energy into his spare hand. I touched the hand, and he grew out of that but that fed back into me. But, it just stayed dormant in my head till the synapses got that little extra spark, kicking them into life. Thank you, Davros! Part human, part Time Lord. And I got the best bit of the Doctor." Well used to operating with her Doctor, Rose always tried to keep an eye on him – or them, as it was – and so she noticed how he raised both his eyebrows teasingly at Donna's comment and only barely suppressed a smirk. The best bit, eh?

"I got his mind," the redhead finished with a gentle smile.

"So there's three of you?" Sarah Jane asked and her Doctor, screwdriver in his mouth, looked up, both hands still handling the cables.

"Three Doctors?" she found herself asking, tone teasing, noticing the echoing grin on both Doctor's faces.

"I can't tell you what I'm thinking right now." Jack commented almost casually and she choked back a laugh, realising that, knowing the Captain, he was well beyond thinking and onto imagining.

Rose grinned as both Doctors obviously resolved to ignore Jack's comment though she couldn't help but wink cheekily at the Captain, offering him her silent approval and he chuckled in return.

"You're so unique the timelines were converging on you. Human being with a Time Lord brain," the Doctor explained to Donna in a hushed tone.

"But you promised me, Dalek Caan." Mickey allowed Davros to turn to face the other Dalek, his cannon still unerringly pointed at the creator's head, following his movement. "Why did you not foresee this?"

Dalek Caan laughed and she couldn't help but shiver slightly at the insanity so clear in its voice.

"Oh, I think he did. Something's been manipulating the timelines for ages, getting Donna Noble to the right place at the right time," her Doctor jumped in, eyes fixed on the Dalek-like creature Caan had become.

"This would always have happened," Dalek Caan contradicted, "I only helped, Doctor."

"You betrayed the Daleks," Davros reaffirmed, half in question, sounding incredulous, and Rose understood, at least partly. He had built them to obey, to think Daleks were superior to the exclusion of everything else – and that no one else should exist in the universe; betrayal should have been impossible.

"I saw the Daleks," Caan corrected, "what we have done, throughout time and space... I saw the truth of us, Creator, and I decreed, no more!"

Rose couldn't help herself – her eyes flitted, automatically, to the Doctor, remembering him saying those very words to her, a long time ago, but he didn't flinch. His eyes were still fixed on Dalek Caan, shining with what she'd almost call sympathy, obviously understanding better than anyone just what he'd seen the Dalek had seen in his own race and how it would have felt, being forced to deceive them.

"Heads up!" Jack suddenly yelled, loading his gun and Rose whirled around to find the red Dalek slowly floating down to them. Quickly, she forced her mother behind her with one hand, hoping to protect her in case Donna was unable to control this new version of the Daleks as easily as the other ones.

"Davros, you have betrayed us!"

"It was Dalek Caan," Davros defended but the red Dalek ignored him.

"The Vault will be purged. You will all be exterminated!"

Rose had barely managed to take a step into his direction, but luckily her Doctor had managed to launch himself out of the way and the Dalek's attack hit the control panel instead.

Both Doctors were safe, at least for the moment. She had no weapon to hand though and there was little that could penetrate a Dalek's armor. Rose quickly remembered that they had only two weapons really and Mickey needed his unless they wanted Davros to cause chaos. Which left-

"Like I was saying – feel this!" Jack shouted and his gun blew through the defensive casing and destroyed the red Dalek. Relieved, allowing her tense shoulders to relax again, she watched as both Doctors were looking at the control panel annoyed – always at the last hurdle. Rose grimaced slightly at the smoke rising from the Dalek's attack, knowing without looking that it would be rather difficult to repair.

"Oh, we've lost the Magnatron! And there's only one planet left," her Doctor exclaimed before his words turned into half-exasperated, half-desperate growl. "Oh, guess which one! ... But we can use the Tardis!" He ripped the glasses of his face and started running for the ship and Rose found herself following him.

He was circling the console while she leaned against corals by the door, stroking the Tardis softly and apologising for not having greeted her old friend the first time she stepped back aboard. When she looked up, she noticed her Doctor had paused, his eyes on her, soft and warm, smiling tenderly at her until her heart raced and she flushed, unable to tear her eyes off him. He didn't say a word; he didn't need to. Few ever took the time to appreciate his ship and anytime she did, he would always look at her with an expression she could never quite decipher but which still spoke of undisguised admiration and appreciation and never failed to make her blush.

"Holding Earth stability," he finally said, shaking his head and flipping a switch, before turning to the next panel. "Maintaining atmospheric shell."

Suddenly the Tardis shook and explosions could be heard outside. Rose blanched, feeling hundreds and thousands of timelines around her disappear, almost simultaneously. Her hands shook and she was only able to watch as her Doctor ran outside, unable to follow him as her feet were rooted to the spot, heart aching, frozen in silent anguish.

"What have you done?" She heard him ask, his voice ending in a desperate, angry shout and her heart broke as she understood what had happened. She'd stood in front of him, once, had stopped him. This time, Rose had followed this man, her Doctor, and had forgotten about the newly born one. She should've been there, should've stood in his way, made him pause; but she hadn't.

"Fulfilling the prophecy," her metacrisis-Doctor merely said and she only barely suppressed her tears, closing her eyes, forcing her breathing to even out. It had happened, it had been done. She could not change that now, but she could help him – help them – work through it.

"Do you know what you've done? Now get in the Tardis!" He wasn't merely angry; he was furious, watching as the metacrisis ran past him. Everything he'd done, all the work, all his intentions – his metacrisis should have the same knowledge, the same understanding. How could he just commit genocide without blinking an eye? Again! After all he'd lost, all he'd done to atone for it? Did he not remember all the nightmares, the screams, the pain? Did he not remember his mind screaming, his hearts aching? How could he – any version of him – ever forget that?

"Everyone!" he shouted, waving to all his companions who were attempting, in vain, to cover their heads from the falling debris, to get into the Tardis. "All of you, inside! Run!"

Barely a moment later one companion disobeyed him – as usual – and her hand slipped in his, Rose's amber eyes searching out around them, watching as the others ran past them inside the safe haven the ship provided for them.

"In! In! In! In!"

Rose saw him just a moment before he did, half-running across the room and he could only barely suppress a half-choked scream when a beam fell down in front of her, just between her and Davros, his hearts racing as for one panicked, grief-stricken moment he'd thought it would hit her. He wasn't sure if he was glad or not; he didn't want her to deal with Davros – it was his burden to bear and he dreaded to think what the creator of the Daleks would do to someone he obviously felt so much for and yet they could save him, they could save someone, at least; just one though. Like in Pompeii when Donna had begged him. Just one.

"Davros?" he found himself shouting across the room, taking a few hesitant steps as the ground beneath his feet shook and trembled. His hearts were in his throat, watching as a far too analytical glint appeared in Rose's eyes, undoubtedly calculating her chances of getting through the fire and barrier and saving Davros. Cursing quietly, he continued, hoping to coax Davros to make his own way instead of risking her. "Come with me. I promise I can save you."

He could see Rose stepping back, getting ready to jump and he leapt forward, his hand fastening securely around her wrist, stopping her from risking herself for his mistakes.

"Never forget, Doctor, you did this!" Davros shouted, anger and pain in his voice, "I name you, forever! You are the Destroyer of the Worlds!" He winced slightly, watching as the flames obscured his view fully and Davros screamed before it got cut off, abruptly, meaning now the Dalek's Creator was dead as well.

"One will still die," Dalek Caan intoned from the other side of the room. Swallowing heavily, he pulled Rose back and though she resisted at first, after only a step she whirled around, her hand in his and her step even with his. Both burst into the Tardis together, his companions and the metacrisis gathered in a circle around the console.

"And off we go!" he shouted, running and flipping the switch to dematerialise the Tardis just moments before the entire Crucible exploded.

The ship shook and with hooded eyes he watched as his metacrisis smiled at Sarah Jane who responded in kind. Rose's hand in his reminded him that, once again, now was not the time to deal with this new version of himself. He'd do that later, much later. An idea was forming in the back of his mind though he refused to look at it closer, his hearts aggrieved at even the merest hint of it.

"But what about the Earth? It's stuck in the wrong part of space," Sarah Jane reminded him and he nodded curtly.

"I'm on it," he assured her before building a transmission to the Captain's workplace. "Torchwood Hub, this is the Doctor. Are you receiving me?"

"Loud and clear," the same woman from last time confirmed on the screen before looking around him. "Is Jack there?"

Mockingly, lips curled up in a half-smile, he said, "can't get rid of him," to her before turning fully to the Captain, "Jack, what's her name?"

Jack was grinning broadly, introducing them, "Gwen Cooper."

Rose, next to him, had her brows furrowed, elbowed him quickly and mouthed 'Is that...' and he shrugged slightly, turning back to the screen, remembering now why she seemed so familiar.

"Tell me, Gwen Cooper, are you from an old Cardiff family?"

"Yes," she confirmed, "all the way back to the eighteen hundreds."

Grinning widely at being proven right once more, he turned to his blonde companion. "Ah, thought so. Spatial genetic multiplicity."

"Oh, yeah," she confirmed with a wide grin and he took a moment to turn his attentions back to the screen, momentarily transfixed.

He loved the way they'd gotten right back to being in each other's space the moment they were together – her head was mere inches from his, her foot next to his, her hip touching his and her shoulder brushing up against him in lieu of holding hands. His every breath was laced with an addictive and unique aroma he'd long since ascribed to Rose, and her warmth easily penetrated even through his suit, delicious heat spreading out from wherever she touched him.

Clearing his throat, he focused back on the screen, "yeah, it's a funny old world. Now, Torchwood, I want you to open up that Rift Manipulator. Send all the power to me."

"Doing it now, sir," Ianto confirmed on screen.

"What's that for?" Donna asked and he explained quickly.

"It's a tow rope. Now then. Sarah, what was your son's name?"

"Luke. He's called Luke. And the computer's called Mister Smith!" Sarah Jane quickly added and he nodded in quiet thanks before focusing back on the control panel.

"Calling Luke and Mister Smith. This is the Doctor. Come on, Luke, shake a leg."

He grinned widely when the boy's first question was about his mother. "Oh," he reassured him, "she's fine and dandy. Now, Mister Smith, I want you to harness the Rift power and loop it around the Tardis. You got that?"

"I regret I will need remote access to Tardis base code numerals."

The Doctor winced, frowning slightly; he'd forgotten about that. "Oh, blimey, that's going to take a while."

Suddenly Sarah Jane jumped into action, "no, no, no. Let me," she said, forcing herself between him and Rose to speak directly into the screen. "K9, out you come!"

"Affirmative, Mistress," the tiny robotic voice echoed through the Tardis and he could no longer contain his smile.

"Oh, good dog!" he praised exaggeratedly before remembering what K9 needed to do. "K9, give Mister Smith the base code."

"Master. Tardis base code now being transferred."

"Now then, you lot." He quickly guided Sarah Jane back to her original spot, indicating one of the levers. "Sarah, hold that down." Continuing his circuit, he showed another lever to Rickey. "Mickey, you hold that. Because you know why this Tardis always is always rattling about the place?" He said, addressing them all, passing by the metacrisis, knowing he'd already know which one to hold. It was surprisingly hard to swallow down his jealous when he noticed the metacrisis and Rose were touching hands and, okay, yes, so maybe he'd overdone it when he'd leaned over Rose's shoulder, his head separated by only a few centimetres from hers as his entire left side moulded itself to her back and only the presence of his other companions – and her mother – reminded him not to give in to the temptation her the stretch of bare skin along her neck provided him with. His skin fairly hummed at the contact, a pleasant tingle of electricity racing across it, every part of him hyper-aware of the woman in front. Knowing just how little time they had, he stepped sideways, his hand on Rose's waist gliding over the small of her back in a lingering caress as he showed her the lever – though her hands were already fastened around it, and his lips quirked up in a smile, allowing himself another half a second before moving on. "Rose? That, there... It's designed to have six pilots, and I have to do it single handed. Martha, keep that level. But not any more. Jack, there you go. Steady that. Now we can fly this thing."

He grinned at them before realising he'd left one out; Jackie Tyler, Rose's mum. Her very slap-happy and not technologically minded mother whom he was definitely not letting anywhere near any of the delicate instruments. "No, Jackie. No, no. Not you. Don't touch anything. Just... stand back." He noticed Mickey giving her a helpless shrug and hoped he hadn't just earned himself another slap or – possibly worse – food tasting.

"Like it's meant to be flown. We've got the Torchwood Rift looped around the Tardis by Mister Smith, and we're going to fly Planet Earth back home. Right then. Off we go."

Amused, he watched as Donna and his metacrisis circled the console, keeping a careful eye on everyone and, finally, he allowed most of his focus to go to his blonde companion at his side. He still didn't know how she'd done it – shared that memory with him. She shouldn't have been capable of that, and though he'd learned a long time ago, that nothing was impossible with Rose Tyler, she still managed to surprise him, time and again. He wanted – wished – desperately, he could find out more, could find out everything; all that happened, all her thoughts, could find out if maybe he could talk to her, if maybe she could fill the void in his head, share herself with him in the most intimate way possible – something he had never actually dreamt was possible and yet he found out now, that she may actually be able to share her mind with him. He craved it, wanted it, wanted her, wanted that golden light in his mind. Subconsciously he reached out, his hand covering hers as it lay on the console, allowing her heat, the sensation of her hand, the information of her body that automatically flooded his system the moment he made skin contact, to soothe away some of his desires until it became bearable again.

Rose Tyler. His metacrisis gave him a knowing look and he knew precisely what he was doing – and that with everyone else, he trusted the Tardis scans and filters to alert him to any changes or dangers for his companions, but not so with her. Everytime they touched – everytime they made skin contact – he automatically catalogued all the information this body could garner from her, monitoring and analysing her health, her happiness in any way he could. Temperature – slightly elevated but to be expected considering the strain of today and the exposure to fire. Still rather large amounts of adrenaline in her system – again, nothing unusual and something he often found after their adventures. What he was slightly worried about was the levels of Enkephalin in her system; Enkephalin regulated pain so judging by the levels in her system, she had received an injury at some point. The levels were relatively low so it wasn't a severe one, but still something he had to take care of as soon as they landed. Orexin levels – normal for Rose post-adventure. Elevated Oxytocin levels which had spiked again the moment he touched her – he barely managed to hide his smirk before she had a chance to notice.

Rose turned to him immediately the moment he touched her, head tilted at a slight angle, a happy, mischievous smile curling at her lips as she looked at him, her amber eyes warm and sparkling with emotions and it eased his hearts. He had missed everything about her – but especially this, the way she'd always turn towards him, unfailingly, the way she offered him her everything without ever saying a word, her faith in him uncontested no matter what happened, no matter what he – any version of him – had done. Only Rose could ever quench the yearning, the longing he had never experienced before, not with anyone else, and only she could quieten the turmoil broiling deep inside him until she was all there was, until she'd drowned out the entire world and the universe at large, until it was just the two of them, until he could feel like he wasn't the Doctor but rather just another man and all his senses were focused on the woman he loved to the exclusivity of everything else, until she was all he could see, all he could feel, all he could smell and all he could taste. He loved her, wanted her, wanted to forget, to drink in her presence, wanted to drown in her unconditional love, her unquestioning, unfailing forgiveness. Rose gave him something no one else ever could; she was his haven, his sanctuary, his home and he didn't know how he'd ever survived even a second without her by his side.

But then he ripped his eyes from her to double-check the location, ignoring the snort of laughter from Rose beside him at his silent acknowledgement, that okay, yes, maybe he didn't always land where he intended to, before releasing the planet – safely back where it should be.

Earth was back in the right solar system and where it belonged. Looking up, he watched as his crew – because he had a crew now! – broke out into loud cheers and clapping, celebrating their success before falling into hugs and loud laughter filled the halls of the Tardis.

I do apologise for the fact that we've still not quite finished the episode; in my defence, I was at 19k already and accepts no chapters longer than 20k. So there you go. But the next bits will be fun and involve all the characters – Martha, Jack, Sarah Jane, Jackie, Mickey, both Doctors, the Tardis! Yay, fun times coming up – finally, for me at least. Oh, and I hope you all enjoyed the kinda-almost-sorta kiss!?

I'd love to hear from all you guys again. In dire need of some encouragement after this chapter! Also lost a writing competition to someone who writes Mills and Boons novels; very disappointing :(

Everyone – Please Review – be it criticism, likes, dislikes, expectations, hopes, encouragement, anything at all and everything is very much appreciated. You guys help shape this story.

Responses to reviews below:

DoctorMadhatter

Hi! Thank you very much for your review. I'm glad you enjoyed it! This chapter is ready to go and I'm working on the next one! I hope you will continue reading – I'd love to hear from you again after this chapter.

mariontyler

Hey! Thank you so much for the review. Ironically enough, you are actually (or have seen, dependant on how patient you are) the reunion through the Doctor's eyes as well now. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I promise the next one will be more enjoyable – heartbreaking, angst, fluff, romance, humor, everything I can think of and have been yearning to write!

Thanks for all the compliments (and the accuracy comment *blush*). I'd love to hear what you think of the Doc's perspective on the reunion!

TechiePandah

Hi! That was very sweet of you and I'm incredibly flattered to hear you say that – both about never having loved a fanfiction as much as this one, considering just how many are out there and the petition. That is really, really sweet. Unfortunately, I don't think I'd be a very good script writer. I hinge everything on emotions and thoughts rather than actual words spoken. Script writers really have my admiration; I couldn't do it, I don't think. But I really, really appreciate the compliments and the sentiment. I'm unspeakably happy to hear you say you think there's no OOC-ness. That's immensely flattering. Thank you! Feel free to PM me just to chat. I always love to chat! Big thank you. I do hope you enjoy this chapter as well – I promise the next one will have a lot more scenes and all characters involved! I'd love to hear what you think of this chapter. Reviews are a great encouragement for me :)

Tykhe-Nemesis

Oh wow, thank you for the extensive flattery. I'm glad you like my Rose. While I enjoy the occasional Mary Sue aka perfect being, I think it makes it harder to relate to her. I enjoyed and still enjoy crafting a deeper character for these people and evolving them slowly through experience. I'm very happy to see you say this has become your favourite story! Thank you! I do hope you enjoy this chapter as well. And thanks for all the compliments! I would really love to hear what you think of my latest chapter! Reviews are fabulous motivation!

BUCKYBARNESGIRL2016

Thank you for your review. I'm unsure if you're past chapter two – if you are, I do hope you enjoyed the rest of the story and I'd love to hear whayt you think of the latest chapter!

IamEcho

Thank you for your review. I'm uncertain if you've read past chapter one – if you have great! I'd love to hear what you think of the rest, especially this latest chapter! Hope to hear from you again!

Bad Wolf Jen

Hiya! Thank you very much for your review. As you can see, very little changes – the whole Donna reality happened which means, inevitably, that the timelines were still converging on Donna. Anyway, I do hope you enjoyed this rewrite and I'd love to hear from you again!

Seralina

*blush* Oh, thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoyed the story and that you're in love with it! Afraid I cannot answer your question about Tentoo or 2005; all will be revealed in a chapter or two. I do hope you'll enjoy what I write never mind the direction it leads into. You made me laugh and blush so much with your comment – I'm glad you accept it as canon; I agree, definitely what should have happened! I'm glad you thought they were beautifully written and thanks again for all the flatter and encouragement! It is very much appreciated and really helped me find inspiration to finish this rewrite!

I promise the next chapter will be much, much faster. I'm glad that this is your new favourite fanfiction – and intensely flattered – and I do hope you'll continue leaving me reviews as encouragement :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I promise the next one will be more emotive, lots of scenes between all characters!

Tiggrchic982

Wow, thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoyed the rewrite. I hope this one doesn't fail everyone's expectations. Very flattered by all the compliments, thanks again. I'm sorry I kept you awake for so long, but am I allowed to say that I'm also very pleased that it was riveting enough you felt unable to put it down until 1 a.m.? Thank you again, I always love having new readers and reviewers and it's really nice to hear that you enjoyed it. I would love to hear from you again! It's brilliant motivation for me! Let me know what you think – criticism, likes, dislikes, any and all of it!

greeneyesCutie

Hey! Thank you so much for all your comments at the end of all the chapters. It was really sweet of you to keep reviewing as you went along! Thank you.

I can see your point with regards to the healing processes; it was kinda badly phrased. He doesn't so much need to decide what to forgive – there is very little to forgive and, well, it's Rose. Let's be honest, she's been forgiven for anything and everything before she ever started confessing.

It's more a bit where he needs to find out his own boundaries and morals; he has staunchly been against certain things but he'd forgive Rose for them but not himself which simply makes no sense. On top of that he'll end up having to tell her pretty much exactly what she always told him; that it's not his fault, that he can't be held responsible – and can't hold himself responsible – for everything and anyone. So when he ends up helping her, he ends up having to confront himself as well in a lot of ways. Sorry, I do hope that explanation makes a lot more sense. And of course, his support and love for her is always unconditional, but he will have to realise that too, in some ways. Just like he has to learn that he would actually let worlds burn if it meant Rose was alive; it's not moral, it's not good – but she's Rose. So there you go. And yeah, forgiveness is, as I said, definitely a given – but it means forgiving himself as well which is a lot harder. Oh, he'll definitely jump at it, but right now he has no idea of the depth of her pain, of what she's been through; right now he thinks it's only their separation weighing on her. Once it gets to where he finds out, believe you me, he'll definitely be there for her. He wouldn't be the Doctor otherwise, would he? Anyway, I do hope these explanations have soothed you a bit and I promise I won't suddenly turn the Doctor into a completely OOC-Valeyard kinda person on Rose. He'll be lovely as ever with her. I hope you still got to enjoy this chapter and the next chapter should be more intimate scenes between all the friends – humor, romance, friendship, pain, grief, all of it. I hope. Depends on how long it turns – might be two chapters, but nevertheless, the non-canon stuff is finally coming before we return to canon. I would love to receive another review from you; feel free to debate or argue anything with me – it often helps me find plotholes or mistakes before they can occur. I'd love to hear from you.

AppleGrass15

Hiya! Well, you probably won't be glad to know that this chapter ended before the episode did; in my defense, it had some of the previous chapter from the Doctor's POV? Well, nevertheless, I do hope you enjoyed this chapter and are as excited about the next one as I am! I would love to hear from you! Every review is motivation to write faster!

cecilehem

Hiya! You are very welcome – thank you for reviewing every time; I really appreciate it and look forward to your comments.

Re-River

You are, unfortunately, making a vital mistake in your assumption that the Doctor remembers 2005 goodbye. For him, it hasn't happened yet; only Rose remembers, because for her it has already happened! But your assumption is really sweet! That he could live with her being with another him as long as it meant she was alive *awww*.

Oh dear, I didn't realise me saying I don't enjoy writing them sucks the fun out of it for you. That was never my intention. In that case – it's the greatest pleasure on earth, being allowed to rewrite these episodes! Afraid Harriet currently has no planned recurrence, I just realised that Rose would save her if she could and so I couldn't really not save her. But if you have any ideas or anything you'd like incorporated, let me know.

Happy times definitely coming up! I'm so excited I finally get to write all the sweet, fluffy moments I've been yearning to for two weeks now. My poor beta probably had it coming out of her ears with me telling her what I'd rather write other than this episode rewrite *lol* Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter. I'll work on it, pronto, promise. And I am afraid I cannot comment on any bloody beaches :( The next chapter will definitely have more fluff. This one I built only one in – that near-almost-kinda kiss. I do hope you enjoyed that, even if it was incredibly short. There will definitely be 10/Rose time. Anything else would be cruel, extremely cruel.

Jack was, unfortunately, rather underused. I just went by the episode pretty much. Jack will definitely be in the next chapter and he'll come up again in the future with Rose. Is there anything in specific you're looking for with him? Some Doctor – Jack teasing? Or Rose – Jack friendship moments?

Jackie, I think, really cares for her daughter and loves her but she has two major flaws, in my opinion. She was telling Rose not to be getting airs, like she was never going to be anything better. It's a constant putdown which unfortunately lots of parents are prone to do, I think in an effort to not built either false hope or to not give their children too big a head. Unfortunately it has the effect of undermining their confidence if the person who is meant to support you always tells you that you can't do any better and that you shouldn't aspire to better. Jackie's other flaw, I think, is that she's a bit too friendly rather than motherly with her daughter. With an older daughter that's not a problem, but when they're young and in their teenage years, it makes them grow up too fast, puts too much pressure on them to be on an equal level rather than allowing them to grow at their own pace and be nurtured into slowly appreciating the world around them. I think she cares a lot for Rose, loves her to bits and wants to shelter her, but she doesn't understand just how much harm she could do. I hope that makes more sense – both the above are canon words from Jackie, I just read a lot of similar situations and seen a lot of them, so that's why I think Rose would be affected this way and interpreted more into the casually spoken words; I think the very fact that they were spoke casually and Rose didn't protest against the getting airs is evidence of a frequent tirade. I do hope that clarifies and makes more sense? I don't doubt Jackie's devotion or love for her daughter, just her ability to cope with raising her after losing her husband.

And yes – you got a nice insight – I hope, anyway – into the Doctor's thoughts and feelings before, during and after regeneration.

As always, I would absolutely love to hear from you again! Also, please feel free to PM me anytime to discuss anything about my fanfic. I always enjoy healthy debates!

msschaller99

New reader! Thank you for reviewing. I do hope you enjoyed the latest chapter and thanks for the flattery :) Please review again and let me know what you think of this chapter!

Darkwolfberlin

Hi! Ich habe eine fanfic fuer dich falls du Herr der Ringe liest; Auf den ersten Apfel. Ich habe sie zum ersten Mal for mehreren Jahren gelesen und wuerde sie dringendst empfehlen! Falls nicht, vergiss alles – und hi!

Vielen Dank fuer das Kompliment. Leider hat dieser Teil doch etwas laenger gebraucht, aber ich hoffe das Kapitel gefaellt dir. Wie du gelesen hast, gibt's eben doch einen menschlichen Doktor und leider eine passive Rose, zumindest groesstenteils. Tut mir echt leid, weiss nicht wie sehr dir das hier alles gefallen hat nun da Donna na eben doch alles wieder gerade gebogen hat. Dein Kommentar mit Sarah Jane hoert sich brilliant an! Schade nur, dass er momentan nicht in meine Kapitelplanung passt *schmoll* Auf Jenny musste leider noch nen bissl warten. Ich hoffe, dir haben zumindest Teile dieses Kapitel gefallen. Fuer mich geht's jetzt wieder lustig weiter! Endlich kann ich wieder die romantischen, lustigen Szenen schreiben die jetzt seit drei Wochen in meinem Kopf kreisen und die ich erst schreiben konnte, sobald das rekapitulieren endlich vorbei war! Im naechsten Kapitel haben wir die ganze Crew! Wuerde mich wie immer ueber einen Kommentar von dir freuen!

CupcakeFlake

Hiya! Thank you for your lovely review! I liked Harriet Jones too; she made a mistake, but nevertheless cool! Hope you liked the Illyria video :) Breath of Life is such a cool video!

I'm very flattered – I admit I went back to my own chapter to the paragraph you mentioned just so I'd know what I was talking about. But yes, I'm very flattered – thank you. I do hope you enjoyed this chapter as well; I would love to hear what you think!

SassyFrassKerr

Yay, thank you for your review. I do hope you're not too stressed out. Did you know stress turns you nails weak and soft and your hair brittle? I found out last week. Don't like that! Anywho, probably not the best forum to discuss this. You're not the first one to suggest it's the metacrisis saying goodbye. For the moment, all I can say is wait and see. I do promise, she will end up with the Doctor at the very end, no matter how long the wait ;) Thanks so much for all the extra flattery! It was really great encouragement when I was stuck with this chapter, so thank you! I would love to hear what you think of this chapter and I promise in advance that the next chapter will have a lot of moments between everyone – friendship, romance, grief, humor – the whole emotional spectrum. Or, at least that's my intention. You never know until I've actually finished writing... Anyway, I would love to hear from you again! Please review!

Guest Aka silvay

Hiya! Thank you so very much for your review! I promise up front that the Valeyard has no part in this story. The next chapter will be more exciting and new stuff, but I do hope you still enjoyed this chapter. I would love to hear what you thought of it – every review is encouragement and motivation to write quicker!

XSunshine95X

*lol* Hey! Thanks for your review. I agree, there's something perversely satisfying about cliffhangers and reading everyone's speculations. I'm always disappointed, though, when they guess correctly. I'm glad you enjoy them; I know I do too, even when reading. There's something about your heart racing the moment you see there's a new chapter and the eager excitement that's kind of addicting! Thank you – I'm flattered to hear you've been reading this story for a while and thanks for all the compliments. I think this chapter didn't have many answers yet and I hope all my new chapters will throw new questions into the woodwork as well as answering old ones! I am actually quite excited about it and I hope you are too! Let me know what you think of this chapter please! I always love reviews!