Rose had about had it with the Doctor. He had dragged her into the TARDIS and had her send them into space so he could have 'total privacy' while he tried to figure out what's wrong with her. She'd been grateful at how fast he had wanted to check her for something as minor as some chest pain. But after the first hour with no more than a few words from the Doctor, she was getting agitated. "Doctor, have you found anything?" She asked for the thousandth time. Currently, he was looking at a hand held screen that had to be some sort of reading. He kept aiming it at Rose, then bringing it to look at, back and forth. Rose waited for him to answer her, but after five minutes of silence she yelled, "Doctor!" He looked up at her from his screen through his specs and just stared. It almost looked as if he were feeling - no - was it.. guilt? "Doctor," she said gently but forcefully, "What's wrong with me? I know you found somethin', jus' tell me. Please." He looked down and avoided her gaze, busying himself with tubes, vials, and monitors.

"I haven't found exactly what's causing the problem, but I know it has to do with the Bad Wolf," The Doctor said, devoid of any emotion. Rose froze. The Bad Wolf was something she didn't quite remember, but was glad she forgot. All she could remember was pain and gold, and the words she had said. After that, it was pretty much a blank. But what scared her even more was the Doctor. His voice contained no emotion. He was detached, cold even. And it scared her. Maybe she was worse than he was letting on, but best not to press it.

He kept checking her for hours, and by 3:30 P.M. Rose was starting to get tired. Twice now she had closed her eyes to blink and ended up dosing off. That is, until the Doctor would tell her to give him her arm or to switch sitting positions. She was just starting to nod off when she heard the Doctor say, "Tired." It wasn't a question; he knew she had almost fallen asleep three times now. She nodded her head in agreement, looked up to find the Doctor again avoiding eye contact. She slumped against the wall in defeat and closed her eyes. She heard him sigh.

"You can go to bed if you're that tired. First thing in the morning though you're back in here." He was in drill sergeant mode, talking to her as if she were a soldier and had to do exactly as she said. Normally, she didn't mind it. Today, it made her angry.

"Alright," Rose said, jumping off the bed and making her way towards the exit. When she got to the door she looked over her shoulder to find him turned around, his back to her. She frowned and turned towards the door again. She wasn't sure why he was acting this way, but it made her angry, frightful, and upset all at once. The last time her health had been bad - when she accidentally ate an apple who's poison worked on humanoids - he'd been nurturing and taken care of her for a whole week. She was doted on in every sense of the word. Now, he detached himself from her physically and emotionally. Thinking about it made the anger go away to be replaced with rejection. When she got to her room she shut the door and sat on her bed. Suddenly she wasn't so tired anymore. She fingered the stone on her necklace, which pulsed a mucky yellow color. She grimaced and tucked it away in her shirt, not needing to be reminded of her mood by a stone. She pulled the covers over her head and closed her eyes. Sleep didn't take too long to find her.

She's running. The only coherent thought that's in her mind is that she has to get to them. She has to find those kids. Without her and the Doctor's help, they'll die. They'd been split up half an hour ago and had been searching for the kids by themselves. Rose had heard someone cry out a few minutes ago and had been going in the direction she thought she'd heard it. After a few more minutes of searching, she found them. Three kids, two boys and a girl, all around the age of seven. They were clinging onto each other for dear life, huddling in a corner. Rose, careful not to make any noise, made her way over to them. They squealed in delight but she shushed them. "Quiet now," she said, "and follow me. Quickly." She led them silently out of the place they were in and through the tunnel she came through to find them. Several minutes later they ran into the Doctor. He took Rose's hand.

"Run!" They were of like rockets, the Doctor in front, Rose behind him, and the three children taking up the rear. The sound of a Skether's cry made the five some run even faster. They found out the kids are gone, Rose thought. It was all she could do not to be terrified. She'd seen only shadows of the beings and knew only of their appearance by the Doctor's descriptions. He'd told her Skethers only ate children because they're weak and easy to catch; if they'd find a weak adult easy to prey upon they'd be in for a treat. Rose hoped she'd be able to outrun the alien monster. The cave was slowly collapsing, and their plan was to get the kids out moments before the cave fell apart so the Skethers would be trapped inside. If worse came to worse, the Doctor would sonic a boulder across the exit after they were outside so there was no chance the aliens would leave the cave. They'd die inside.

They turned a corner and were about to bolt for the exit when a Skether jumped in front of them. That was when Rose froze. She looked at the creature and was pumped with so much adrenaline she felt she could run up a wall. It's teeth were bared, it's eyes a piercing yellow, the stench of rotting flesh. It's body looked as if it were decaying, skin shredded off it's body. It's claws dug into the ground and it's muscles tensed. It wasn't letting them out.

"Other way!" The Doctor yelled, turning the gang the other way. But Rose didn't budge. When he realized that him and the kids were leaving Rose behind, he stopped. "Rose!" He called, "Come on!" But she stayed completely still. The thing began to move towards her painfully slowly. She wasn't even thinking about the fact that she could very well be aiding in the killing of the doctor and the kids. She wasn't thinking about anything, other than the fact that that monster was coming towards her. There were tears in her eyes, but her vision never blurred. She had never been this afraid, never in her whole life. Her heart pounded in her chest, her palms began to sweat. She could vaguely hear her name being called. A tear rolled down her cheek. "Doc... ter... Doc.. tor.."

"Doctor!"

He was in her room faster than he thought possible. Her eyes were closed and she was thrashing about in her sleep. The sheets clung to her like thy were stuck together with glue instead of the sheen of sweat that covered her entire body. She was calling his name in agony and distress. Her eyebrows knit together and her eyes were shut tight. Fear shot through him and shook him to his core. Seconds later she was awake, tears cascading down her cheeks. "Doc.. tor?"

He dove for her bed and brought her head to her chest while she sobbed. "It was just a bad dream," he assured her. "Just a bad dream."

"More like a bad memory," Rose said absentmindedly through her tears. The Doctor had no idea what she was talking about, but decided she could tell him in her own time. After she calmed down he asked her gently,

"What were you dreaming about? What do you mean a bad memory?"

"Earth," she replied, wiping away the tears, "4296." Oh, the skethers. He grimaced.

"Rose, that wasn't your fault, you-"

"Don't patronize me Doctor." She said, avoiding his gaze.

"How long?" He asked. Rose looked at him, confused. "How long have you been having nightmares?" Rose looked away,

"Ever since that day."

"But I slept in bed with you at your mother's. If I heard you the whole way in the console room, I think I'd hear you when I'm laying right beside you."

"I woke you?"

"I was already awake Rose; I don't need that much sleep. You know that. Stop trying to change the subject, answer the question."

"I didn't have the nightmares when I was with you!" Rose cried, desperate to shove the words back in her mouth. His expression softened. Hastily, he removed his suit jacket and trainers, and crawled into bed with Rose. "What are you doing?" Rose asked, voice a higher octave than normal. The Doctor snuggled in beside her,

"Scaring away the nightmares. Go to sleep Rose," he said. She turned to face him.

"And what about you?" Rose asked. He curled an arm around her middle,

"Not tired. Probably wont have to sleep for another forty some hours. Rose Tyler, go to sleep." Rose wasn't keen on bossy Doctor, but listened to him anyway. After returning to the land of dreams, she wasn't plagued with nightmares.

He stayed with her until she woke up, but as soon as she awoke it was back to the infirmary. They spent hours in there, like the day before, except they were actually making progress. Apparently there was some regenerative energy in Rose, which the Doctor told her must be traces of the Bad Wolf. Rose asked for some tea, and so he went to get some for her. He was busing himself with the pot when he heard her scream. He dropped the teapot, which shattered into what seemed to be a million pieces, and rushed in the room. She was on the ground, clawing at her chest. "Rose? Rose!" He dove at her and grabbed his sonic, pulsing at random trying to find the right setting. Nothing seemed to work. "Rose, what's wrong? What's happening?" She continued to wimped. Then, all at once, she stopped. She blinked up at him and pulled away. His eyes narrowed.

"Are you alright?" He asked, waving his sonic screwdriver at her.

"Think so," she said, sitting up. They looked at each other for several more minutes until Rose's hand reached for her heart. "I feel funny," she said. He leaned in close, specs perched on his nose, screwdriver in hand,

"Where?"

"My heart. It feels.. weird." In his mind, the Doctor thought he heard a scoff from the TARDIS. He didn't know why and so he ignored it.

"How does it hurt? What does it feel like?" The Doctor asked. Rose thought for a moment, and through the confusing feelings she managed to say,

"It.. feels like.. something is, pushing. Pushing out of.. my chest." The Doctor stared at her for a moment, eyes large with worry. "Doctor? Have you thought of something?"

"Did you drink the water on Teveros?"

"No?"

"Did you touch a spore on Shello?"

"No."

"Did you eat one of those pink lizards on Resco?"

"No. Doctor, what's this about?"

"Well Rose Tyler, all of my theories of what's happening to you have just been flushed down the toilet. Rose, I'm sorry, but I don't know what's wrong with you." His mouth went dry and his palms began to sweat. He was the Doctor. He was supposed to fix people, to help them. But more importantly, he was supposed to protect his companions. He failed. He failed her. He leaned against the wall behind him and put his head in his hands. He groaned, loudly, and punched the wall with the back of his hand in defeat. Rose jumped a bit at the sound but made no comment. Then, in his mind, he got a picture. A mental picture of something he hasn't tried. A sort of cat scan, except it's a monitor instead of a large machine, giving instant results. He looked at the ceiling in a confused way. It was obviously a disease, not something wrong inside her body. But the TARDIS continued to send him mental pictures and even cured a bit at his stupidity. It was worth a try, at least. He left from his perch and ran for the scanner. Grabbing it, he flicked it on and told Rose to stand up. She did, and he ran it over her body. At first, no results came. Then a soft buzzing noise emerged from the device. "Oh yes! Finally! You're going to be alright Rose! Molto bene! You're going to be fi-" When he saw the readings, he stopped. His smile evaporated and was left with a grim line.

"What does it say!?" Rose asked, ready for some good news. At the sight of his face, she faltered. "Doctor, what does it say?" His eyes brimmed with tears,

"I'm sorry Rose. I'm so so sorry."

"What? Doctor, what is it? What's wrong?" He shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, eyes zoned in on his trainers.

"You've got two hearts Rose. The chest pain was the second one coming in." Her eyes widened,

"But you're joking. You're joking, right Doctor? Doctor, please tell me you're joking." He went into lecture mode when he replied.
"Your, DNA. It's changing. I think it's the Time Energy from the Bad Wolf mixed in with the energy you get when time traveling. I should've seen this coming, I should have paid attention.." He looked menacingly at the wall, as if somehow it were it's fault.

"Will I.. Will I survive?" Rose asked tentatively. He wasn't looking at her when he said,

"No race but Gallifreyan have ever been able to withstand the power of Time Energy inside of them." A tear rolled down his cheek and he wiped it away hastily. Inside his mind he could hear the TARDIS saying something to him, but he shut her out completely. He didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment. He wanted to curl up in a ball and scream at the universe for being so cruel. They spend many painstakingly long minutes in silence. Inside his mind the TARDIS was screaming at him, but he couldn't tell what she was saying. He mentally told her to shut up. Then the room began to fill with the sound of her humming. She wasn't letting up. Whatever she had to tell him, she wasn't letting him go without hearing it. He focused on her words and asked her what the Hell she would want to talk about right now.

The night of your last regeneration, the Bad Wolf had not taken control of Rose; Rose had linked with the Bad Wolf. Rose is the Bad Wolf.
What does that matter? He angrily asked her.

If she is linked with a part of the Vortex, would that not make her part Time Lord. You are linked with the Vortex through regeneration and your bond with me. Linking with the Bad Wolf, a part of the Vortex, would make her a part of it too, would it not?
Yes, he said, starting to get where she was going with this.

Which means growing two hearts is just a part of her evolving, is it not?

Yes.

Therefor, Rose is going to be fine.

The Doctor gave Rose a goofy grin. She looked utterly astounded.

"Rose Tyler, you are going to be just fine."