Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who

Thank you to everyone who's reading this. I meant to update last week but work's been taking up pretty much all of my time and energy.

I'm going to post two chapters at once, I've had a relatively quiet Sunday afternoon and I was really missing writing this story – so here goes. I hope you like it.

Chapter 14

"Oh, Rose." He sighed sadly. "It's still your job." He knew she hadn't meant him to hear that but he had. Guilt pooled within him. He reached for her hand and squeezed it.

"I think it's time for some explanations, Rose."

She was biting her lip, apprehension in her eyes as she turned her head to look at him. They were still sitting on the cold metal floor in the corridor where he'd found her. Their backs resting against the wall. They could easily move to somewhere more comfortable, and part of him wanted to do that, to find an excuse to put off this conversation, even for a little while… but he knew if he did that, he'd keep finding reasons to delay… he couldn't put it off any longer, there was too much at stake.

"I think you've already overheard some of this, and some of it you might've guessed, but I'm going to start from the beginning and tell you what I know. But believe me when I say I haven't got everything worked out yet…

And I'm sorry, Rose, I'm so sorry, but some of this is going to be… difficult for you to hear. I really wish I could spare you that but I think there are things that you need to know."

"Just tell me, Doctor. Whatever it is, however bad it is… just tell me."

He nodded. "Okay, you remember Peter Tyler suddenly appearing in that room at Torchwood?"

"Yeah, couldn't really forget that! I suppose he was there to take me to that other universe?"

"That's right. And in a way he did, because you came back, you found a way to cross dimensions and you stopped yourself falling." He paused for a second. "Pretty impressive, by the way, if not really, really dangerous."

She half smiled, still braced for whatever was to come.

"And then your future self flickered out. Stopped existing because time had been changed, and that seemed to be an end of it… but it wasn't."

"How d'you mean?"

The Doctor swallowed. This was the tricky part, the part he hadn't fully worked out yet and as far as he could tell, it was still in flux, nothing was set yet.

"Rose, the other universe, Pete's universe had a place for you. There was something, perhaps lots of things, you had to do there… Just like it had been in this universe. How many times have you helped me save the universe here? So many times Rose Tyler, it was fated, it was your purpose."

"Yeah, I heard that bit when you were talking to Jack, but now I'm not supposed to exist right?"

"Not quite. You are supposed to exist Rose, just not here. That other universe needed you, I don't know what for but maybe you were supposed to save that one too. Only now you can't."

"So you think I should try and get back there?" she shook her head and snorted in disbelief.

"That's not gonna happen! I'm not just going to leave you!"

He squeezed her hand again. "You can't anyway. Like I said before, travel between parallel universes is impossible. When the sphere broke through the walls between dimensions, it made it possible, for a while at least. But it couldn't be sustained and now that breach has closed we can't ever reopen it."

"So what does that mean for me?" she pulled her hand from his, wiping her palms distractedly on her jeans for a second before hugging her knees up to her chest, defensive, bracing herself for the worst.

"It's not just about you anymore, Rose." He explained gently, putting his hand on her shoulder to maintain the physical contact, to let her know that she wasn't on her own. That whatever he was about to say, he was still here, still with her.

"This has become so much bigger than that… And that's where we come to the TARDIS."

Rose's eyes flickered to him in alarm. She'd known something was wrong, that somehow she'd affected the TARDIS, but did she know how deep that went? How much had she guessed?

"When you opened the heart of the TARDIS and looked into the time vortex you absorbed it. I know you don't remember any of this, you're not supposed to, but the TARDIS formed a connection with you, a bond, and sometimes you can feel her inside your mind, am I right?"

Rose nodded slightly, her gaze dropping to the floor. "I think so; I thought I was imagining it most of the time but yeah, sometimes."

"So, remembering what I said about that other universe, and the fact that you were supposed to be there. Imagine this; imagine if your purpose there was so strong that the universe hasn't accepted the change."

"I don't get it, what am I supposed to be imagining?"

"Well, so far as I can deduce, and this is me being exceptionally clever and having no real evidence by the way! But as far as I can make out, although your physical presence exists in this universe, your future your present, your very essence exists in the other universe… and that… well that's actually completely impossible… but impossible seems to be your forte at the moment."

"So if my 'essence' as you call it, is in the other universe, shouldn't I be able to feel it?"

"You're human, with normal human senses, you don't have the ability to feel that and no reason why you should, like I said, it's impossible. But the TARDIS can feel it; she's connected to your physical presence here and your essence in the other universe through the same single bond… remember when we landed in that other universe Rose, the TARDIS couldn't function because that universe was incompatible? Well, it's kind of like that, but it's more than that."

Rose's eyes widened in horror as the realisation begun to dawn on her.

"It's hurting her, Rose." The Doctor said gently, tightening his grip on her shoulder in reassurance as she gasped in a ragged sob.

"I didn't mean to hurt her! I didn't! I didn't know! " she blurted, while clearly trying to fight down a bout of hysteria.

"I know, Rose, I know." He waited patiently for her breathing to slow, all the while maintaining a firm grip on her shoulder.

"The thing is, she can't cope with the bond, Rose, not when it's tearing her apart, and she's been trying to sever it but she can't and she's…" he broke off, she'd heard enough, she didn't need to know exactly how much pain she'd caused.

"So she trashed my room…" Rose exhaled in horrified realisation. "Oh, God! I thought it was the Master… oh, my God!" Rose lost what little control she had over her emotions and the Doctor wrapped his arms around her, pulling her head to his chest and waiting patiently for the guilt-loaded grief to run its course.

"It's not your fault Rose." He reassured her, tightening his grip. "Even the future you couldn't have known what would happen – and I can't be sure it'll work, but I'm trying to fix it."

"But I'm hurting her! Just me bein' here is hurting her, right?"

The Doctor clenched his jaw and chose not to answer.

"It is!" she shrieked, taking his silence for acknowledgment. She pulled herself roughly out of his embrace. "I have to get out of here!" She scrambled to her feet.

"Rose, no!" he barked, jumping up and reaching for her and missing as she turned and sprinted down the corridor. He tore after her.

"Rose! Stop!"

He caught up with her just before she reached the main doors, yanking her arm and spinning her towards the console, pinning her there with his body while he reached around her to flick the switch to deadlock the doors.