A/N:

Hey guys, I'm sorry I abandoned this fic for so long! I had some really great ideas but no one really took interest in it so I stopped. I would like to get it back up again; I finished one of my books and nature hates a vacuum so here we are xD enjoy!

-Hannah

Doctor

"I think we've got it!"

The Doctor grins, his face lighting up like a Christmas tree. The man across from him says nothing, but allows himself a ghost of a smile. Almost a year later, and they've finally figured it out.

Sort of.

"Now, you're sure this is going to work, right?" The Doctor says uneasily, once again realizing the magnitude of the situation. What they were going to do was either going to get them all killed, or save the human he loves.

Richard rolls his eyes, sighing. "Nothing is ever certain, Doctor, but the odds are fairly good and providing you don't royally screw us, I think we've got a shot."

"Oh gee Richard, thanks for the vote of support, I'll be sure to keep your kind words in my hearts," the Doctor says sarcastically, practically counting the minutes until he didn't have to deal with the pretentious bastard anymore. "Can we get back to saving my friend, please? I don't want us to have to be together any longer than necessary."

Richard chuckles knowingly, "A friend, Doctor? You're tearing up space and time and possibly your own mind for a friend? I wish I had friends that devoted to me."

"That's because you don't have friends, Richard. Can we not do this here, please? Focus on getting my FRIEND back, thanks." The Doctor says scathingly, far too fed up with the man to filter his frustrations.

Richard smiles, never losing his composure, "Attitude like that is going to get you nowhere fast, dear Doctor."

The Doctor has to literally bite his tongue to prevent the string of obscenities he had in mind. "Okay. We'll do it your way. Now let's get a move one for cripes sake."

"As you wish, Doctor."

***

Rose

She was having such a good day.

No breakdowns for the last six months, her hallucinating was minimal and she was able to cope when she had them, she'd managed to level up and was finally allowed to have her art supplies back, and she was fairly confident that one day soon she could leave with a clean bill of health. What she'd do afterwards she hadn't the foggiest, but she could taste the sweet flavour of freedom not far away.

And then the hallucinations came back.

It was about 2:30am, and she was actually sleeping well and her dreams of the Doctor and monsters and aliens and angels and demons were few and far between. Yes, she did miss her Doctor and would give anything for him back, but she knew that focusing on him now would do her no good. She needed to leave here so she could properly look for him.

Rose was dreaming of her mother. Nice dreams, safe dreams, dreams that made her feel warm and loved.

Static hisses in her dream world, momentarily fuzzing out her mothers face. Somewhere in the back of her head she starts to panic. Even in her dreams, she was terrified of the sounds that the static preceded. Her fear wakes her up, and that's when the voices wake as well.

"Rose!"

Oh god.

"Rose Tyler!"

Oh no.

"Can you hear me?"

Please, no.

Rose sits up, pinching the insides of her wrists and thighs, trying to focus on the pain and not on the voices. It worked before, with the insane high pitched singing she would sometimes get, but if anything, these voices grew louder.

"Goddammit, Richard, what the hell are you good for-never mind. Rose! For God's sake answer me, I've got less than a minute window and I need you to let me know you can hear me so I know where to land."

Tears were streaming down her face. God, she was so close, so fucking close to recovery. She can't lose it now, not when she has made it so far.

But what if it was real? It sounded like her was right beside her, as if she could open her eyes and see him standing next to her bed. Could she really risk seeing her Doctor again just for the sake of her sanity?

"Alright Richard, it doesn't seem to be working, try again maybe? Don't give me that, help me you twat. Rose, seriously, if you don't answer me I don't know if I'll be able to get back again. Do you hear me? Ah, bollocks, she's not there. Richard-"

"No, I'm here," Rose whispers, her voice cracking with tears. "I'm here, I'm here. Don't leave me, please don't..."

"Rose Tyler, am I glad to hear you!"

The familiar voice brings tears to her eyes and joy to her soul. He finally found her! He finally came back for her!

"Doctor, are you real? Is this real? Please, tell me it's real." Rose whispers as quietly as she can, for fear of attracting unwanted attention from the night nurses.

"You can bet your life on it! Richard, we got her, let's go, quickly, we haven't got much ti-"

His voice cuts out sharply, taking the static with it. Rose is on the brink of panic, doing everything in her power to stay relatively calm. Soon, she hears something she never thought she'd hear again.

The TARDIS.

Rose jumped to her feet, emotion soaring through her as she watched the blessed blue box materialize in front of her.

The door creaks open, and there he is.

Her Doctor.

Rose hurdles her bed and smothers the Doctor in a hug, her arms squeezing his skinny frame so tightly he spluttered a bit.

"Sorry," Rose smiles through her tears, slackening her grip. She goes in for a desperate kiss when the Doctor pushes her back slightly, his gaze focused on something above her left shoulder.

"Rose..." The Doctor said, tightening his grip on her arms and putting himself in front of her, "Get in the TARDIS, and don't come out, okay?"

"What, why?" Rose asks, turning slightly, but the Doctor grips her shoulders tight and marches her into the blue box.

"Doctor, you really think that's gonna work on me? I've got you back again, there's no way in hell I'm leaving." Rose scoffs, shaking the Time Lord off her, and he sighs at her perpetual hunger for danger.

Rose turns to see a line of figures silhouetted against the light from the hallway. As her vision sharpens, the figures focus into several of the night nurses and her main doctor, Dr. Karwinsky. It was eerie, watching them stand so still and yet seem so ominous.

"Where are you going, Rose Tyler?" Dr. Karwinsky says calmly, his presence emanating darkness.

Rose begins to shake, hating herself for how weak she has become. It only took a year and a half in this place to break her almost completely.

But the Doctor was here. Her Doctor. For real this time. She can do anything with him by her side.

"I'm going home. With him." Rose says defiantly, some of the fire in her eyes rekindling.

"Oh, but we had such fun things planned for you!" Dr. Stone exclaims, his skin tight and stretched over his sharp cheekbones and strong jawline.

Rose notices that the Doctor is slowly inching her into the doorway of the TARDIS. She tries to pull free, but he tightens his grip and whispers fiercely into her ear,

"Not now, Rose, not now. I need you safe, I need you home, I need you with me, and that can't happen if we don't get the hell out of here. Rose, for once, listen!"

Rose nods, eyes still on the line of figures. They haven't moved from their spots. Rose whirls around and bolts into the TARDIS, the Doctor close behind. She looks out the window while the Doctor flips switches and mutters under his breath.

The staff has not moved.

"Doctor..." Rose says warily, "They haven't moved."

"What? Then what are they doing?" He says, briefly looking up.

"Just...standing. Watching."

"Well, that's...odd. But who the hell cares, we're off!" The Doctor proclaims, the TARDIS whirring to life, a sound that brought tears to Rose's eyes. She never thought she would hear that sound again. Sure, she had always hoped, but...deep down inside, she knew she would never see him again. She had never been more happy to be proven wrong.

Rose turns around, beaming at the Doctor as she squeals and jumps into his arms.

"God, Doctor...I missed you so much," she cries, "thank you for coming back to me."

The Doctor said nothing, only kissing her on her browning blonde hair with tears in his eyes.

"Well, that was very touching, but there is the matter of payment we need to address." A loud voice echoes around the console room, making Rose jump back from the Doctor.

Richard smiles thinly, clasping his hands.

"Who the hell is that?" Rose asks, confused and slightly wary. She could tell this man wasn't not one to be trifled with

"That is Richard," the Doctor said, "and he is the one who helped me get you back. But he's not going to stick around any longer, are you, Richard?"

The man nods, his regal ebony face stretching into a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Of course, Doctor. But, as I said, I need my payment. You know that I'm not one for charity."

The Doctor sighs, retrieving a small penknife from deep within his pockets. He presses the blade to his inner wrist, sending a shot of alarm through Rose's system.

"Doctor, what are you doing-" Rose begins.

"Not you. Her." Richard interrupts.

The Doctor looks up sharply, pulling the knife from his wrist, a small scratch left on his skin from the edge of the knife

"What?"

"You heard me. Not you. Her. I want her blood, not yours." Richard says.

"What? Why? Mine is far more valuable than hers; do you know what you can get for Time Lord blood on the black market? I'm the last one, in case you forgot. She's human. You can find them anywhere. Leave her alone." The Doctor says, stepping slightly in front of Rose.

Rose feels slightly put out at being called common, but she knows the Doctor is trying to protect her.

"I'm not interested in money, Doctor, you know that," Richard says in an amused tone. "I'm interested in value. Yes, Time Lord blood is incredibly rare, but the blood of the one he loves...that's much, much more valuable. And let's not forget I'm the one who helped you, I can hurt you just as easily." He added with a dark look at Rose.

The Doctor opens his mouth to argue, but Rose gently placed her hand on his skinny arm.

"It's fine, Doctor. He can have some. I have plenty."

"No, Rose, no. You don't know what he's going to do with it, you don't know how dangerous it is to give blood to the wrong hands."

"Well, I kind of have to, he's the one who helped you save me," Rose says softly, taking the penknife from his hands, "plus, I'm kind of used to it."

She takes the penknife and quickly rips it across her flesh, blood welling to the surface. The Doctor sees the other scars on her wrists, and sorrow floods his being.

"Ah, yes. Thank you, dear Rose Tyler." Richard says, pulling a glowing blue vial from his purple robe, holding the lip to the cut as blood pours in, filling the vial to the top. Richard puts a glass stopper in the vial, and a metal armour appears to encase it.

"Don't mention it." Rose says, smiling through a wince as the Doctor puts pressure on the cut.

"That was rather deep, Rose, I don't think that was necessary." The Doctor says softly, pulling a blue handkerchief from his pocket and wrapping her wrist.

"As I said, I'm used to it." Rose says, smiling sadly.

She looks over the Doctor's shoulder, and the man is gone.