Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor who. Those rights belong to the BBC and Russell T Davis. –Sob–

Rating: K+

Pairing: 10/Rose as always.

Spoilers: Nothing past Doomsday.

Possibly slightly AU here after. Somewhere between The Runaway Bride, and Smith and Jones, although it may not run onto Smith and Jones…BUT set in 2004, therefore Rose is aged 18.

Author's Note: I'm sorry, really I am. It's been, um, well a while. But I didn't know how to get from here, to be the place I wanted to be… so I was at a loss, and a bit of a writer's block. But anyway… little nudges here and there, and I decided I had to get this fic up and running again. So here's chapter five.  

"Let her go! " the Doctor screamed from the floor.

The creature simply looked on at him in curious amusement. "Me thinks you is in no way to make orders."

The Doctor's hand was in his pocket; his hand gripping the sonic screwdriver tightly. "What do you want?" he said desperately.

"Just her," said the creature, its sharp teeth glinting next to her pale neck. "Flesh."

The Doctor gritted his teeth, his eyes focusing dangerously on the monster. "You can't have her," he said in a precariously low voice. He stood up slowly, his back against the wall.

"Tis too late," murmured the creature, its claws tightening around Rose. "She is already mine."

The Doctor's brow furred slightly, his heart still hammering he tried a tone as nonchalant and calm as possible. "You know… I heard that a Toodion, such as you, is only able to leave its planet – Harretio – when exiled… And here you are. On a planet light-years from Harretio…" His eyebrows rose, as he took a very tentative step forward, "What happened? What have you done?" His brow furred further and he glanced swiftly from the creature to Rose and back again. "…Or what did you agree to do?"

A low, throaty growl erupted from deep inside the creature's chest and its eyes narrowed. "Tis nothing to do with this!"

"Isn't it?"

The creature growled again, "You know nothing!"

"Oh, that couldn't be less true." The Doctor exhaled steadily, taking another step slightly forward, his eyes still staging between the teeth at Rose's neck to the creature's eyes. "I know lots of things. I know the surface area of an average-sized brick is 79 centre metres squared. I know that those plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets. I also know that if you were ever going to kill Rose you would have done so by now." He took his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket, folding his arms across his chest and staring steadily at the alien in front of him.

"Which means," he said, sighing. "You – or rather, the one you're working for – knows me, and believes I would do anything to protect the woman in your claws. And by threatening her, you know I'll give you whatever you want to keep her alive."

The Toodion snarled, clearly surprised, and maybe even a little impressed by the Doctor's deducting skills. "Is it not true you should do whatever I wish for the child here? She is to become great, as yet. And that could still happen. But time could change, if she shall not exist me wonders what will happen…? Or if she were to… disappear."

"What is it you want?" The Doctor's tone had become dark. "Really?"

"My superior is wanting you."

"And who is your superior?"

The creature giggled, its teeth caressing against Rose's neck. The Doctor stiffened as he watched the contact. "Not yet time to say, me thinks," the alien whispered, its grip on Rose slackening ever so slightly.

"Really?" the Doctor boomed, his body moving slightly closer. "I would have thought that time would be of the essence. You know we've been talking of knowledge and knowing? Well, I know something else. I know that your species live off of the sunlight – a kind of energy source to keep you going." He smiled, "And if my own timing is correct, I believe the sunlight should be disappearing… well, anytime now."

The creature's yellow eyes became wide as its head leaned back to look up. The sky above had turned a deep blue, the tiny dotting of stars becoming apparent. Except to the left where a red orange colouring of sky could be seen disappearing over the houses.

The Toodon dropped Rose to the ground, its body shaking as the sunlight got lower and lower, just a tiny ripple above the roofs of houses.

Rose backed away, crawling over to where the Doctor stood. They stared at the alien as it screamed, its voice echoing through the street, before its skin turned a deathly black and it fell to its knees, pleading and screaming in agony. Rose shut her eyes tightly, holding her hands over her ears. The Doctor simply stared at it, his eyes dark.

Finally, the yellow eyes of the alien turned a fierce red before it gave one last gasp and disappeared into the air, nothing more than tiny particles cascading into the atmosphere. Gone.

The Doctor stared at the place it had disappeared for a single moment before whipping his head around to Rose. Her eyes were open and wide as she swallowed hard. He knelt beside her, "Rose? Are you okay?"

Her eyes fell on him, and she nodded slowly. An eruption of quiet, nervous laughter left her lips. "Yeah," she chuckled darkly. "Yeah…"

She stood up on shaky legs, and the Doctor pulled her into a tight embrace. His hands clasped tightly around her, he sighed in the scent of her hair. She hugged him back, and they held one another before the calls and shout of people nearby caught their attention. People were yelling and sirens could be heard. Rose wondered how much everyone had seen.

The Doctor pulled back. "We have to get out of here," he muttered. He took her hand, but before they began running he quickly added, "You're not hurt, are you?"

She shook her head and began jogging, pulling him with their clasped hands. They rushed towards the end of the street, turning and racing across the road. The Doctor led them down an alley, where he felt safe enough to stop and lean against the wall, closing his eyes for a second. Rose crossed her arms over her chest, letting out a low sigh.

They stayed in silence for several moments, regaining their energy. Rose stared at the man in front of her. His eyes were closed, his features contorted slightly with worry. He squeezed his forefinger and thumb against the bridge of his nose, sighing.

His eyes snapped open and his gaze rested on Rose. He walked forward, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You sure you're alright?"

Rose sighed, "Right worry guts you, aren't you?" She smiled, placing her hand on his where it rested on her shoulder. "I'm fine. You saved me." She shook her head. "That's twice you've done it now, too."

His lips turned up. "You make up for it," he murmured, more to himself. "And anyway," he grinned. "I think it was more of our friend, the sun, who saved you this time."

Rose nodded, her head resting on the Doctor's shoulder as she fell into him. He put his arm around her, his chin resting on her head. He let her warmth evade and surround him for a few moments, basking in the warmth of her being here.

At the same time, he couldn't help feeling slightly guilty as he thought of the Rose in the parallel world. He wondered how she was getting on – not for the first time, and certainly not the last.

He felt the tickle of Rose's hair against his chin, and wondered – was this supposed to happen? Who and what was that Toodion working for? And if when the time came – and he was sadly certain the time would come – how was he ever going to say goodbye to Rose, all over again?

A.N: Reviews are love. Thank you.