Disclaimer: I own nothing, no copyright infringement intended.

Author's Note: Good Golly y'alls are demanding about updates. Here it is. Happy 50th, and for my fellow Americans, Happy early Thanksgiving. Enjoy stuffing yourselves until you can't move. Please don't get trampled at Walmart on Friday.

Rose let go of Harriet as they landed. "Brilliant. Luke, this is my brother, Tony. You're going to look after him and keep him safe."

Luke blinked. "Rose?"

She winked at him. "The one and only."

"Rose!" Sarah Jane said, rushing over to her. "You made it."

"Of course."

"And Harriet, I'm so glad you're safe."

"Yes, well. I wasn't expecting that." The former Prime Minister said. "Rose, but you're dead."

Rose groaned. "More important matters at hand." She and Sarah Jane went back to Mister Smith. Martha pointed a finger at Rose.

"You have some explaining to do."

"Now, Martha? You want to do this now?"

"I-" She broke off as another caller appeared. The faces of Donna and the Doctor swam into view. Rose stepped back into the shadows. It had been so long and she wanted to see him in person. Not over a screen. She found her connection to the Tardis and hopped, leaving Tony and her backpack behind.

"Sarah Jane! And Harriet Jones! Who are those boys? That must be Torchwood." The Doctor pointed them all out to Donna. "Aren't they brilliant? Look at you all, you clever people!"

Sarah Jane, realizing he hadn't seen Rose, turned to look for the girl, but she was gone.

"That's Martha. And who's... that?" Donna asked, pointing to the handsome captain.

"Captain Jack. Don't. Just... don't."

"It's like an outer space Facebook." Donna said.

"Everyone except Rose..." The Doctor murmured softly.

"What?" Martha said, just noticing that the blond woman was gone.

"I think that's my cue." Jack said, turning to his team. "I'm sorry, but I've got to go. I'll come back."

"Don't worry about us." Gwen said, "Just go."

"We'll be fine." Ianto added.

Jack smiled at him. "You'd better be!"

The transmission went blank and the friendly faces were replaced by one determinedly less so.

Sarah Jane scrambled around the attic, grabbing her coat and keys.

"But there are Daleks out there!" Luke protested.

"I know, I'm sorry, but I have to go find the Doctor. Don't move, don't leave the house, and look after Tony." She added, nodding to the very quiet little boy clinging to Luke.

"They'll be safe with me, Ms. Smith." Harriet said.

"I will protect them." Mister Smith added.

"I love you, remember that." Sarah Jane told her son and left the house.

Sarah Jane drove quickly towards the location where Mister Smith had detected the surge of artron energy from the Tardis. She screamed and slammed on the brakes as a Dalek hovered out into the street in front of her. The Dalek prepared to exterminate her, despite her protestations.

A loud bang later, Sarah Jane climbed out of her car. "Mickey?"

"Us Smiths got to stick together." He told her.

The blond woman with him turned to Sarah Jane. "Jackie Tyler, Pete Tyler," She said, pointing at the balding ginger man next to her, "Rose's parents. Now where the hell are our children?"

Rose walked towards the place where the Tardis would appear. There wasn't much on her mind. The Doctor, that was it. She would finally be able to see him, to hug him, and to stay with him. She sang under her breath as she walked.

"Ohhh, I wept alone

I know what it's like to be on my own.

Ohhh, the things I've know

Looks like I'm taking the hard way home..."

She stopped as breathing failed her the moment the Tardis arrived.

The Doctor stepped out, looking harried and talking to Donna. Then he turned and saw her.

They both smiled, they couldn't help it. She sprinted towards him, cursing the weight of the gun. He ran to her as well, all set to meet in the middle. Both of them stopped as they heard a loud bang and turned to see the remains of a Dalek, along with Jack Harkness.

"Well, carry on!" Jack yelled at the frozen pair, grinning madly.

Rose was the first to recover and ran the rest of the way to the Doctor, throwing her gun to Jack as she did so. She launched herself at the Doctor, just as she had after the planet orbiting the black hole.

"Rose." He breathed into her hair as he spun her around. "Rose. Rose Tyler. Fantastic, brilliant Rose Tyler."

"Uh, Doc?" Jack said, "We might want to move into the Tardis." There were several more Daleks approaching. Jack had both guns trained on them, but it would be significantly more prudent to be inside.

"Right." The Doctor set Rose back on the ground and took her hand. "Rose Tyler, run."

She laughed helplessly as all four of them ran into the Tardis.

"So, the Earth has been moved, Daleks are everywhere, and the stars are going out. Am I missing anything?" Donna asked. Not even a second later, the power in the Tardis went out.

"No, no, no, no, no!" The Doctor yelled, running around the console, flicking levers which did nothing. "They've got us! Power's gone! Some kind of chronon loop!"

Jack explained about the Crucible and the Doctor tried to work out what they were doing with the planets.

A beep from the monitor indicated their landing.

"Doctor, you will step forth or die." Grated a Dalek voice from the outside of the Tardis.

"We'll have to go out. If we don't, they'll get in." The Doctor said mournfully.

Rose nodded. She could feel the Tardis' weakness with the chronon loop around her.

Jack, on the other hand, protested. "You've got extrapolator shielding!"

The Doctor shook his head. "Last time we fought the Daleks, they were scavengers, and hybrids ,and mad. This is a fully-fledged Dalek Empire, at the height of its power. They're experts at fighting Tardises, they can do anything. Right now, that wooden door- is just wood. What about your teleport, Jack?"

"Down with the power loss."

"Rose?"

Rose shook her head. She was fairly certain she could get all of them out, but something, possibly the Tardis, told her she shouldn't.

"Right then, all of us together, yeah?" The Doctor said.

More commands came from the Daleks outside the doors. They tried joking to lighten the tension, but it just didn't quite work. The Doctor said his version of goodbye, telling each of them they were brilliant. Rose felt tears welling as she remembered her first Doctor telling her she was fantastic right before he regenerated.

"Blimey." He muttered then opened the door and stepped out, Donna close behind. Jack looked at Rose but she gestured for him to go ahead. He raised an eyebrow at her. She winked and mouthed 'Spoilers' knowing he would understand. She was preparing to follow when the Tardis doors slammed in her face.

The song Rose sings is called 'Hard Way Home' by Brandi Carlile. She's brilliant; listen to it.