Author Note: Hey guys, this is just a story I've had written down for ages, but never actually got round to posting. I hope you all like it, and I hope you will forgive me for irregular posting, which I have a tendancy to do, so I shall appologise now.

Anyways, I bet your wondering what the hell that summary meant. Well let me give you a better, more explainative version now, although you'll have to read the story to find out what actually happens.

How would Rose react if she was told that her cold wasn't just a cold andthat she only had 17 hours to live?And how about if her death was to be a painful and slow one?Of course, when Rose was told this by the Doctor, she didn't believe him.But what if there was truth in what hesaid?What if she did only have 17 hours, in which time she would suffer unbelievable pain?Margaret the Slitheen is back and causing havoc yet again, and she's no doubt behind Rose's condition somehow.Can the Doctor work out how to stop Rose from dying, or will he lose her forever?

Set Post Boomtown, Pre Bad Wolf with the 9th Doctor, Rose and Jack.

Oh and 1 last thing, these first few chapters are what happened in the hours before Rose was told she was dying.

So I hope you enjoy, and Remember, please Read and Review as always!

oOo

"Why won't she just get the hint!" the Doctor exclaimed in annoyance as he watched a plasma screened tv in a shop window.

Rose and Jack had been watching another of the screens a little further along, which had been playing Star Wars Revenge of the Sith on a huge screen that made the characters lifesize, not to mantion 3D. Jack had been miming a duel with Rose, and both giggling madly and trying to put each other off with stupid comments or funny faces. Eventually they had both collapsed in hysterics, and the Doctor had left them to it.

But now they stopped giggling and stared at him anxiously, getting back to their feet and walking over to look at his screen with him. Their mouths dropped open simultaneously and their eyes widened in shock. If the Doctor hadn't been so involved in watching the screen, he would have found it highly amusing.

However, the screen was more important at that time, because it was showing the familiar scene just outside 10 Downing Street, as the new Prime Minister gave an announcement about needing a new personal PA. This new Prime Minister was none other than Margaret the Slitheen, back to try and take over the world- again.

"That's impossible! We only dropped her off at Raxa - Raxa - Raxacoricofallapatorius a few hours ago!" Rose seemed delighted at herself for having conquered the difficult word, and Jack gave her a pat on the back. But the Doctor shook his head.

"You forget Rose. When she turned back into an egg, it was 2005. It's now 3020. It may only seem like a few hours to us, but thats over 100 years to her. Plenty of time to grow up, revert to her old ways and try and take over once again."

"Well then we have to stop her before she succeeds," Jack added and the Doctor nodded. He turned his back on the screen and looked out over the balcony.

They were 100 storeys up the outside of a skyscraper, and down below, vehicles skimmed through the streets, hovering just above the ground using turbo boosters. The people of London had finally worked out that the only way to cram even more shops into an already packed city, was to build upwards rather than outwards, so everywhere you looked now, there were towering skyscrapers touching the clouds, and each one had its own little street on each level, with shops galore.

"The thing is though, this city's become so advanced, why would Margaret want to take over it, destroy it and sell it as fuel?" he sighed as he watched the traffic below.

"Perhaps she doesn't want to destroy the planet this time," Rose said as she joined him, although she made sure she didn't look down because the fact that only a sheet of glass stopped them from tumbling 100 storeys was making her feel dizzy.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, still transfixed to the tv screen.

"Well think about it, yeah. Huge big city, enough electricity being created to light somewhere as big as the moon for a year. You harness that energy and there's your fuel. No destruction needed, no attention drawn to yourself, no apparent harm, therefore no logical reason to stop her."

"You know, strangely enough that makes sense. Well done Rose," the Doctor gave her a huge flashy grin and patted her on the shoulder, which made her blush. But the Doctor was already striding back towards the lifts, and Jack was still transfixed to the TV, so neither of them saw.

"Lets go show the world that logical reason!"

oOo

A few hours later, they had reached the ground again, and Rose sighed with relief as she stepped out of the elevator and felt the hard concrete under her feet. She couldn't help but look down and admire her latest purchase - a pair of brilliant white sprinting trainers, complete with the rather unusual air heels to give you that extra bounce, making you feel a little lighter on your feet.

She had only bought them because her old trainers had come unstitched at the seams from the countless times she had had to leg it from something or other, climb or do something equally as dramatic. Since she had been with the Doctor, she'd gone through more shoes than seemed possible, and she often wondered how the Doctor could afford to keep supplying her with the money needed for new ones.

However these trainers were the latest fashion, and a moving poster above the shelf in the shop had told her that a small micro-chip inserted into the tongue of the shoe could detect when the trainers needed repairing, therefore carrying out the repairs automatically. Rose had doubted this at first, but when the Doctor had scanned the trainers with the sonic screw driver, he had confirmed that there was indeed a self-repairing chip in the tongue. That had settled it and she'd grabbed two pairs off the shelf - one to wear and one as a spare set incase the first pair got wet, or needed to be washed. After all, the poster had said nothing about the trainers washing themselves.

So here she was now, walking along behind the two men with a little spring in her step, enjoying the morning sun as it appeared and dissapeared behind the huge buildings.

The feeling didn't last long though as the Doctor hailed a cab and all three of them climbed in, Jack sitting next to Rose facing forwards, and the Doctor sitting facing them on the little fold out seat opposite. He turned to speak to the driver through the holes in the glass window, gave him their destination and then turned back to the others.

"So, when we get there, I think Rose would be the best one to go in and try to talk to Margaret. After all, she don't know you as well as she knows me and Jack.You humans are all the same to her."

"Gee, thanks Doctor. You sure know how to make a girl feel special," Rose replied sarcastically, but there was a grin on her face anyway. "So how do I get this creepy bug woman to want to talk to me? Surely security's real tight? And what if she tries to kill me? Like she has done the last two times I've met her."

"Thats why you use this," he said, handing her his psychic paper. "Just think what you want it to say, and thats what anyone who reads it will see. and Don't worry about Margaret. She's already killed one PA, it would be far too suspicious if her new one dropped dead on their first day on the job."

"And what do I wantthis psychic paper to say?" she asked as she looked at the blank bit of paper.

"That you're...um...that you're her new personal assistant and you're name is Rosemerta Taylor."

"Rosmerta Taylor?" Rose repeated with a look of disgust. Up until that point she had been slowly warming to the idea of pretending to be the Prime Minister's new PA.

"How about Rosita?" Jack suggested but again Rose pulled a face.

"Ok, Rossaline?"

"Roz?"

"Rosahind?"

"Can't I just stick with Rose?" she asked as the Taxi pulled up at traffic lights.

"Too obvious. Rose Tylor, Rose Taylor, too similar. You'll think of something," the Doctor smiled encouragingly.

"Ok, so say I do actually get inside, and I get to meet Margaret and convince her not to kill me.What then?" Rose asked, changing the subject.

"Well you tell her that you'll be her new personal assistant, seeing as her old one was murdered, according to that news programme, and then ask her if you can go and get her a coffee or anything. Find someway to get away, sneak down to the back door and let us in. Then we can corner her together."

"You make it all sound so easy!" Rose laughed as they arrived a few blocks away from Number 10. Rose climbed out, bid them farewell, then set off down the street. It was only when she got a little nearer that she realised she wasn't exactly dressed as a PA.

She still had money left from her earlier shopping, so she dived into a nearbyshop and bought a hair scrunchie, a cheap but formal looking briefcase, some black stiletos, a pair of glasses which she was sure only had bits of glass as lenses and a pin-stripped suit. Then she went into a local toilet and changed as quickly as she could, drawing her hair back and tying it in a bun with the scrunchie. She jammed her old clothes and brand new trainers into the briefcase, hoping that no-one would want to check inside it.

Giving herself one last look in the dirty mirror, she decided that she looked at least more like a PA now and less like a teenager, and then left, setting on her way again.

oOo

The Doctor and Jack were sitting on a low stone wall across the street from number 10, waiting for Rose, who seemed to be taking an awfully long time. They were pretending to be tourists because the Doctor pulled out a camera and started to take pictures of the building, along with the Policeman outside. It amazed him that they still had policemen guarding the door, even 115 years later, although this police officer was dressed more like a soldier, with a rifle held in his arms, a belt of gadgets round his waist, and an ear piece attached to his left ear.

Jack had suggested that he go up to the officer and ask if he could have his photo taken with him, to add to the authenticity of their disguise, but the Doctor had reckoned the officer would more likely shoot him than agree to have his photo taken.

"Who's that?" Jack asked as the Doctor took another snap-shot of the police officer. He took his eye away from the camera and looked to where Jack was pointing. A woman with long blonde hair tied back into a bun was walking towards the door of Number 10. She was wearing a suit, and had high heeled stiletos that rung out on the cold conrete street. She was carrying a briefcase, and was fishing inside a pocket for something, which turned out to be a pair of glasses. The Doctor used his camera to zoom in, then almost dropped it as he realised who it was.

"It's Rose!" he exclaimed, handing the camera to Jack so that he could see for himself.

"Blimey!" the Captain exclaimed, holding back the urge to wolf whistle. "She scrubs up well, don't she." He looked back at the Doctor to see the dissaproving glare he was getting and quickly turned back to watch Rose as she walked up to the Police Officer and showed him the psychic paper. For a moment it seemed like he was reluctant to let her in, but eventually he nodded and knocked on the door for her. A few moments later the door opened and Rose stepped inside.

Jack and the Doctor let out a joint sigh of relief. Rose was in, now all they had to do was sneak round to the back and wait. They both knew Rose still had alot of work to do before that would happen, but they decided to set off now, just incase.