Character/Pairing: Ten/Rose
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: The BBC owns all, I am merely borrowing.
Spoilers: Through The Satan Pit.

Rose blamed the punch for a sudden wave of dizziness, but the giddiness she felt was definitely a direct result of the Doctor's possessiveness. She shook her head to clear it. "But...how?"

"You accepted his token," the Doctor explained tersely, inclining his head toward the brooch. "She didn't know your rules."

The older gentleman stared at them in disbelief. "But...you chose to attend the coupling party. Surely you knew it's purpose."

The Doctor shook his head. "We're travelers. We just happened by and..."

"Oh, but this is wonderful!" interrupted Elora, clapping her hands with glee as she approached them. "Now you can't refuse me, Doctor."

"There you are then," Rose said, her voice wavering. "Both of us taken care of. Maybe it's for the best."

The Doctor spun around, grabbing Rose's shoulders and gripping her tightly. "Don't say that. Don't..." Taking a deep breath, he leaned his forehead against hers. "Rose, I..."

The older gentleman cleared his throat. "You are as free to contest my claim as any other. Have you a finer trinket to present?"

Reluctantly, the Doctor took a step back, keeping his gaze locked on Rose. "Well, I..."

"Doctor?" she murmured.

Her soft voice moved him into action. Frantically, he reached deep into his pockets. "Don't worry, Rose. I've just the thing. Somewhere..." Still searching, he whispered, "Ready to run?"

"I feel like I'm gonna faint."

"Oh, you'll be fine. Just a bit too much punch, I wager."

Despite her earlier conclusion, she'd really barely had two glasses. Rose raised a hand to her forehead, closing her eyes as she tried to deal with the sudden bout of lightheadedness. "No, really, Doctor. I think...oh..."

The Doctor turned just in time to catch her. "Rose!" Kneeling carefully, he eased his unresponsive companion to the ground and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "What have you done to her?"

"Nothing at all. Your dispute must have been too much for her female constitution."

The screwdriver alerted him to all sorts of abnormal readings, but not ones he recognized. They did, however, appear to be connected to the brooch. It seemed to have latched onto far more than just her toga. But even with this information, he had no immediate solution. "Oh, Rose..."

"I think it is time you unhand my fiancee, sir. You have lost her. Retreat with your dignity intact."

The Doctor switched off the screwdriver and slowly stood to his full height. His gaze was filled with the menace of the oncoming storm as he snapped, "Fine. Have it your way. I'll just...take a walk in the garden." When Elora started to speak, he cut her off sharply. "Don't follow me." He allowed himself one last lingering glance at Rose, before he gritted his teeth and stormed out of the building in search of answers.

He stalked angrily through the garden, weaving between hedges and roughly pushing aside low hanging branches. He needed to locate that merchant as fast as possible and the best way to track him down was with the TARDIS mainframe. He was actually going to resort to conducting a scan for alien tech and Rose was going to miss it. Rose. He hastened to open the door of his ship, rushing up the gangplank to type a long string of commands on the keyboard beneath the monitor. "C'mon, c'mon..." he muttered as the search progressed not nearly fast enough for the urgency of the situation. Finally, the monitor flashed a set of coordinates and he set the ship in motion.

Once the TARDIS settled, he ran outside to find a ramshackle wooden building dominated by a large sign emblazoned with the glittering letters of the proprietor's name. The Marvelous Martin Milton. The Doctor strode purposefully to the door, pausing just long enough to sonic it open. Inside, he found a treasure trove of artifacts from the farthest reaches of several galaxies. He gaped at the extensiveness of the collection. Gadgets and gizmos a-plenty. Who's-its and what's-its galore. Frowning, he shook his head. That was from The Little Mermaid. There really was no accounting for how his mind rambled. Still, it was certainly true.

As the Doctor wandered through the crowded space, cataloguing objects and searching for anything useful, he heard a rustling sound coming from back of the shop. Suddenly, a small man in a plaid suit emerged and looked shocked to find someone else inspecting his wares.

"Oh. Didn't...see you come in. I'm Martin," he offered, smoothing his carefully combed blonde hair.

The Doctor nodded and smiled tightly. "I suspected as much from your sign."

"Do you need a cure for something?"

"Oh, no. I'm perfectly healthy. Need to pick up something for a friend." Pulling out his glasses, the Doctor leaned closer to one of the shelves crammed with objects. "Adverse reaction to a piece of jewelry."

"Ah," the small man exhaled, shifting nervously. "I'm not sure I've the necessary remedy for that."

"Oh. I heard you've got the cures for everything in this...shop." As his hands wandered over the items, the Doctor watched the man out of the corner of his eye. "Don't you?"

"I make do. I make do." Martin kept his gaze averted. "Hard with trade not being what it used to."

"I can imagine." The Doctor picked up a large metal disc from a shelf and turned it over, carefully inspecting it. "This helioston sprog for example. Tough to find in any circumstance."

Martin's eyes widened as he realized he wasn't dealing with any of his usual customers. "You're not here for a cure."

The Doctor took a deep breath, pocketing the sprog for future repairs on his ship, before turning around. "Actually, I am as a matter of fact. My friend had a nasty run in with one of your trinkets. You're going to help me save her."

Martin took a large step back, wringing his hands together. "But, um... the warranty on a remedy is quite specific and..."

The Doctor covered the distance between them in three quick strides, firmly looping his arm around Martin's shoulders. "Oh, cheer up! I'm giving you a chance to prove how marvelous you really are."

"Actually, my name is really Marticleenilocotax," the man admitted. "I was headed home when my ship crash landed. Now, I'm just trying to survive really. 'Til I can find a way out of here. I appraise and sell curiosities."

"Except these people don't know what you're really selling them." The Doctor released Martin to continue his assessment of the clutter, hands clasped behind his back. "Now, most of this junk is really harmless. Well...harmless if you don't know what to do with it."

"I don't give them the dangerous things."

"No?" asked the Doctor, his words laced with anger. "I suppose there's some other explanation for the brooch that is currently attached to my companion?"

"I didn't want to give it to him!" Martin insisted. "I never planned to hand out anything like that, but he threatened me. He was so distraught! So angry..."

"You'd better tell me everything." The Doctor sighed, pulling at his hair. "And...show me the good stuff."

Martin nodded, but kept his distance as he led the way further inside.

"Your ship's attached then," the Doctor observed, taking a reading with his screwdriver. "Power supply is almost entirely depleted. That's why I didn't notice it when we landed."

The back area was less crowded, weapons and power converters carefully placed on shelves. The Doctor took it all in, hope diminishing so rapidly his hearts faltered. Until he spotted something that couldn't possibly exist. Approaching cautiously, he held his breath, certain that at any moment it would disappear. "It can't be."

"Beautiful isn't it?" Martin asked, noticing the Doctor's point of interest. "I found it at a bazaar at the far edge of the Barmonia asteroid cluster."

"But...that's impossible."

The burnished metal of the necklace glowed softly in the artificial light, the pendant in the center of it shimmering slightly more than the rest. Carefully, the Doctor lifted the fine chain off of the hook from which it was hanging. "Oh, Rose is going to kill me," he whispered, tracing the delicate engraving on the pendant with one finger. It could save her. It really could. He sighed. She was his companion. Not...

He shouldn't have kissed her. It was putting ideas in his head that had no right to be there. Like father like son. He grimaced at the sudden wave of memory. No, it had to be done. He could save her and that was all that mattered. "Right. Martin. Tell me about the brooch."

Elora smiled as she looked over the comatose woman laid upon her bed. She reached for a strand of the blonde hair, marveling at how it gleamed in the candlelight. "How beautiful my new shape is. Don't you think?"

"Yes," the older gentleman agreed from his position near the open window.

"There's no need for you to be a lookout," Elora commented. "We're safe. It's too late for him to do anything."

"I hope so."

Twirling around the bed to a softly hummed melody, Elora abruptly stopped. "Oh, I feel myself slipping away already. Just like the last time." She skipped to the window, fondly embracing the gentleman. "Don't cry! I will see you again soon."

"Yes. Yes." He nodded, swiping at his eyes. "Come. Time to rest."

With a tentative smile, he took her hand and led her to the bed. Elora lay down on top of the silken sheets, regarding the blonde one last time before letting her heavy lids fall shut. "Until my next breath," she whispered as her awareness waned.

"Yes," the gentleman agreed. Silently, he watched over them both, waiting for the miracle to come. He was so focused on this task that the loud thump from the other side of the room entirely surprised him.

Brushing leaves out of his hair, the Doctor righted himself from his rather inelegant tumble through the open window. He really hoped that was the last time he'd have to climb a vine with such haste. He surveyed the room, breath catching at the sight of the two women on the bed. Things had progressed rather faster than he'd anticipated and there was no time to waste. His gaze locked on the older gentleman as he commanded, "This stops now."

"It's too late," the man whispered, backing away from the bed.

But the Doctor ignored him, hurrying to the bed and Rose. He rested his palm against her forehead before glancing at the brooch and then the unconscious Elora. "No. Not quite."

"But it is! It..." The man fumbled with his toga, pulling out a pistol that had been concealed within the folds. "Stop! I won't let you do this," he yelled, pointing the weapon at the Doctor's chest. "I can't!"

"You have to," the Doctor stated calmly without looking up.

"Don't you know what it's like?" the man asked, his hands shaking as he tried to keep the gun steady. "To lose a daughter so young. So full of life."

"Yes. And I'm sorry," the Doctor said with honesty, turning to face Elora's father. "But you can't take other's daughters to make up for your own. They'll be missed just as much. How many have you already stolen?"

"I just wanted to save her. Just for a little longer. Please," he pleaded, expression already haunted with the pain of the loss to come.

The Doctor shook his head. "I'm so sorry."

Elora's father swallowed hard, looking away as he slowly lowered the weapon, dropping it to the floor.

"Thank you," the Doctor said, before returning his attention to his companion. Carefully, he slipped his hands into her hair, resting his fingertips at her temples. He let his eyes shut, focusing every bit of himself on bringing her back to the surface.

Rose gasped and her eyes fluttered open. "Doctor? What...?"

He withdrew his hands, grinning at his momentary triumph. "Look! Turns out I did have a better trinket." He dangled the necklace in front of her, before leaning in to fasten it around her neck. "Now, give me your hands."

"What? Why?" she asked, trying to raise herself to get a better look at the necklace.

The Doctor gently pushed her back down. "Well, if you don't you're going to be subjugated by a little girl using that brooch to take over your body. Best reason really."

"Can't you just...take it off?"

"No. It's bonded to you. To your mind. Well, partially anyway. You'd go mad. Or die," he stated, expression hardening with the prospect. "This is the only option."

As if it had divined the threat of the Doctor's rescue plan, the brooch flashed with red light and Rose shuddered in response.

"She's fighting back." the Doctor observed, his tone becoming frantic. "Rose, give me your hands."

She wanted to, she always wanted to, but there was something compelling her to stop listening, to close her eyes and just...

"Rose, please. Stay with me."

It was the panic and desperation in his voice that made her fight the drowsiness that threatened to drag her under. She reached toward him and he pressed his palms against hers, interlacing their fingers. As if in response, the necklace grew warm against her skin.

"That's it," he soothed, gently squeezing her hands. "You're going to be fine, Rose. Better than fine. I promise."

He could feel her overwhelming trust as he slipped into her mind, easily gliding through weakened defenses. Clenching his teeth, he quickly suppressed the rush of pleasure at being so intimately connected. This was a desperate measure, not something to enjoy. At least not yet. Perhaps one day he might convince her. He grimaced. If she didn't kill him first for what he was about to do.

He would have to be so careful, her human mind was fragile and the alien technology contained in the brooch had had no reason to be gentle. It had crammed her into a corner, erecting mental barriers to keep her contained until it was ready to transfer Elora's conscience. This technology was more invasive than anything he'd run into before and he couldn't just disconnect it. He would have to protect her himself with a bond that had long been forbidden.

With the utmost concentration, he peeled back the barriers, assuaging every abrasion with his presence. Elora's conscience fought the interference, desperately pushing against him with every trick she'd learned. The struggle left Rose gasping and the Doctor shifted his focus, taking the brunt of the pain himself. Finally, he succeeded in severing the last connection to the brooch.

And solidifying his connection to Rose.

A pulsing warmth flowed through them both, the pendant acting as an anchor between them. The Doctor pulled back, letting go of her hands. "Rest," he murmured, caressing her cheek with his thumb. With trembling hands, he unfastened the brooch and offered it to Elora's father.

"Is it still...?" asked Elora's father quietly, taking the brooch.

The Doctor shook his head. "No. It's just a piece of jewelry now. She's gone."

The first thing Rose noticed was that she was lying on something soft and slightly damp. Her head felt like it had been stuffed to the brim with cotton wool. She opened her eyes slowly, seeing first the blades of grass tickling her face and then the familiar shape of the Doctor silhouetted in the early morning light. "Doctor?"

He glanced at her and gave her a small smile, before returning his gaze to the sky above. "Look."

She did. The sky was ablaze with oranges and pinks and yellows, the colors blossoming across the horizon in an incredible spectacle.

"Knew there was a reason I'd been here before."

Shifting to get a better view, Rose winced at the strange tightness in her chest. Her fingers brushed against something unfamiliar and she remembered the necklace.

"It's yours now."

She lifted the pendant to inspect it. "What is it?"

"It's..." The words caught in his throat and he sighed, looking up at the sunrise instead.

"Doctor, talk to me." She reached for his hand and they both gasped at the sudden burst of warmth where their skin touched.

"Sorry," he apologized, snatching his hand away. "Didn't even really ask you. I couldn't. I...had to act fast. If I hadn't..." His jaw clenched. "I couldn't lose...I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You saved me," Rose reassured him.

"Did a bit more than that," he said, caressing her arm.

Rose watched in fascination as the necklace sparkled in response. "Why is it...?"

"Ah. We're um..." He cleared his throat. "...bonded."

"Bonded?" She pushed herself up so she could see him better.

"It's a...well, it's a..." He gestured between them somewhat uselessly. "It means were...connected."

"Connected?"

"Well, my people didn't really have the concept of marriage as you think of it, but..."

"Doctor..."

He sighed. "Technically, it would be an accurate term to use."

"Oh."

"I didn't have a choice, Rose. You would have..." He refused to say that particular outcome aloud. "There wasn't another option."

"What about marvelous...?"

"The Marvelous Martin Milton? That's where I found the necklace. He's agreed to give me all the dangerous junk in return for a lift home. Nice man. Didn't mean to cause so much trouble."

"Like you?"

"Me? You get in far more trouble than I do. Eighty-seven point two percent, to be exact," the Doctor stated with absolute seriousness.

Rose rolled her eyes. "So...you and me are really...?"

"Yes."

"I don't mind," she said softly.

His eyebrows rose in obvious skepticism at her statement.

"I don't. Really," she insisted. She wanted to tell him all the reasons, but somehow she knew it wasn't the right time. Not yet. "What about that man that proposed to me? You gave him back the brooch, yeah? Oh, and Elora..."

The Doctor jumped to his feet, saying briskly, "Time for us to leave, I think. Lots of things to sort through." He held out his hand. "Coming?"

Without hesitation, Rose slipped her hand into his larger one, marveling at the new warmth in the familiar gesture. The Doctor might have mastered the art of avoidance, but this connection was real enough. That kiss had meant something, she was sure of it. Grinning, she looked up to meet his dark gaze. "Always."