This can't be how it ends she thinks, it just can't be.

"Take me back! Take me back!" Her hands protesting as she slams her fists into the stark white wall.

"Take me back..." She all but begs through sobbing tears, vaguely aware of the man who is and isn't her father somewhere behind her.

"It's stopped working." Pete murmurs staring down at the hopper in his hands, "He did it. He closed the breach."

"No..." Rose shook her head in denial, and then she felt it, the faint ever present tendrils of the Doctor's mind, her husband now a universe away, so close, yet so painfully far away. She tries to press herself through the wall, searching him out and she knows he can feel her there too. He lets her know he will try anything to find her, that for now she is safe and they saved the universe once again, no one suffering the cost more than the two of them. But they both know the universes are sealed now and all too soon the Doctor's mind fades out to almost nothing. He's gone and with a wipe of her sleeve across her tear streaked face, Rose turns and tries to reign it all in. It's what he would do. Suck it up and carry on. And so she does.

"Right," She ordered moving towards the doors purposefully, "We need to seal this place off. Make sure no one can get in and muck about with it."

"Shouldn't be a problem," Pete replied, "We are Torchwood, or rather what's left of it."

"And Jake." Mickey added. "Mostly it's a skeleton crew, no one wanted to work here after everythin' went pear shaped."

"Still," Rose nodded, "Best close it off, this world doesn't need to be meddlin' with things they don't understand."

"Rose-"

"This place gotta vault," she continued ignoring her mother, "Some place they keep all the stolen tech?"

"Two storeys down is A & R," Pete answered, "Well, what used to be-"

"There's a vault," Mickey confirmed holding up the rather large gun in his possession with a smirk, "It's where I got this baby from-"

"And that's why it's goin back." Rose pressed, "You just can't go flouncin' about with a D-Mat gun."

"Don't you think you're takin' this a bit far-"

"My understanding of things is that Earth has a level 5 planetary designation by order of the shadow proclamation-"

"Rose I don't think-"

"I may not know a lot about anythin' but I know this," She levelled her gaze at Mickey, "The Doctor once said the shadow proclamation were the only thing keepin' out the rest of the universe, if you accelerate the technology too fast we change our designation and then we'll have nothing, do you understand that?"

"No-one's doubting you Rose or the Doctor-" Pete interjected.

"You did once," She replied evenly, her eyes flickering from Mickey to Pete, "And how did that turn out."

The two stared at each other for the longest time until finally Pete caved.

"What are you suggesting?"

"We can't destroy it but we can lock it all away," She reasoned. "Keep an eye on the buildin' make sure no-one goes in or out."

"We can't do that," Mickey disagreed, "There are still Cybermen out there, strange stuff's crawlin' all over the city, you haven't been here you haven't seen what's out there-"

"That's nothing compared to what's out there," She pointed angrily towards the sky.

"You sound like im' ya know-" Mickey snapped.

"Well good," She shouted, "Someone has to."

She stumbled slightly, her breath coming in short pants, the wall now at her back the only thing supporting her weight as the world swam before her eyes.

"Come on love," Jackie soothed wrapping an arm around her daughter with a concerned glance towards Pete, "We should get outta here."

"No, I-" Rose began to protest.

"I'll make sure it's all locked up," Pete spoke up from Jackie's side, "Security won't be a problem, whole place is under surveillance already, but for now, let's go home get some food and rest and we'll sort it all tomorrow yea?"

Rose took one last glance at the wall that had destroyed her life and with a reluctant nod she let her mother lead after Pete into the elevators and out into the waiting car. The hatred for the organisation the caused everything dissipating only slightly as they pulled away from the building.

Nothing much is said on the way back to Pete's, save for his phone call to organise things back at the house, the four of them sat scattered about the limousine, Jackie leaning heavily on Pete's side, Mickey unconsciously sprawled out across another seat exhausted, and Rose staring mutely out the dark tinted windows at a world that wasn't her own as the sun began to fall behind the buildings of London. She hated it already.

Before long they'd arrived at the mansion, it appearing as though nothing had changed and Rose found herself staring at the burn marks still visible in the front lawn from their last visit.

"How long has it been." She asked Mickey as he stepped beside her, following her line of sight.

"Eight months." He shrugged.

"What?" She frowned across at him.

"Time moves different here." He replied, "Bout three months by our reckonin'. We'd been undercover in your Torchwood for months before you showed up."

"It's not my Torchwood." She snapped then apologised, "Sorry."

"You don't need to apologise to me Rose," Mickey wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards the house.

"I can't stay here," She whispered.

"Ah it's not so bad here with Pete and Jake," He replied softly. "Besides, where else would you go?"

"I have to find the-"

"He's not comin' back Rose," Mickey shook his head, "He closed the breach, he's not-"

"You don't know im' like I do," She pulled away from his embrace, "He'll find a way-"

"And what if he doesn't." Mickey challenged.

"Then I'll find a way." She sneered. "I have to, he needs me-"

"He tried to send you away again Rose," He snapped, "When are you gonna except that you're just another-"

"Don't you dare Mickey Smith," She pushed past him violently, "You know nothing-"

"I know a prat when I see one-" He called after her, the glare he received in response something he had never seen displayed on her pale features.

Rose barely slept that night, her screams echoing through the house to the point that both Jackie and Mickey had tried to sleep beside her to calm the nightmares that tormented her until finally giving up to sit watching in horror as she thrashed about violently.

When she awoke exhausted the next afternoon she found herself on the floor beside her trainers, a sleeping Jackie in the chair beside the bed and Mickey at her feet snoring softly on her knee.

"Mum?" She murmured, stirring them both.

"Oh Rose," Jackie sobbed quietly. "We were so worried."

"What happened?" She frowned.

"Oh love the nightmares," Jackie sniffed, "I don't know what happened but I was terrified. Reckon you probly woke everyone within a three mile radius of the place."

"I'm sorry." She mumbled pulling herself from the floor, her memories washing over her from the night before and a pain that tore through her chest. "I think I'm gonna go grab a shower yea."

"Sure," Jackie sniffed nodding towards some bags by the door, "Pete had some things sent up in case you needed anything."

"Thank him for me will you?" Rose smiled, "Why don't you go do the same and grab some sleep, you look terrible."

"Oh that's just lovely," Jackie whined, "Spend the night worried sick and she insults me, well I never-"

"Love you mum." She rolled her eyes as she disappeared behind what appeared to be the ensuite door.

"Love you too," She sighed, listening for the sound of running water, "You keep an eye out for her Mickey."

"Always Jackie," He nodded as she left the room.

Without a second thought Mickey stepped into the ensuite and sat himself down behind the shower cubicle.

"Is she gone?" Rose asked poking her wet head out from the shower.

"Yea." Mickey chuckled."Now are you gonna tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing's-"

"Don't lie to me Rose," He rolled his eyes. "You may not be my girl anymore but I know you."

"You're right." She agreed.

"Ah, but about what exactly." He mused.

"I'm- I'm-"

"Yea I thought as much." He smiled sadly. "I'm so sorry Rose."

"Yea." She sniffled softly.

"I'll meet you downstairs ok," He stood and moved to the door, "Take your time and I'll have a hot cuppa waitin', it's the least I can do."

"Thanks Micks."

They were taking tea out on the back porch when she finally surfaced around the corner of the house walking barefoot through the grass, clean but exhausted and red eyed, the day coming to an end once again, unfamiliar sky above her as she gazed up at it.

"Do you think she'll be alright?" Mickey queried Jackie softly.

"I don't know Micks." She shook her head. "But maybe now she has a chance at a normal life."

"Yea right," He snorted, "You know that's not what she wanted, never was."

"Yea well himself isn't here now is he." She replied sadly. "She'll have to move on."

"I don't think it's that easy Jackie," Mickey admitted, "The Doctor was somethin' special, you saw her last night, you heard-"

"What are you trying to say?" Jackie frowned.

"There's no-one else for Rose, I don't think she's capable of it." Mickey sighed staring sadly out at his friend. "Literally."

"I'm not following."

"Back when I travelled with them the Doctor told us that his people were telepathic," Mickey supplied sipping his tea. "That back in the old days his people used to bind themsleves together, was their version of gettin' hitched."

"What does that have to do with Rose?" Pete queried confused.

"You can't see it, can you?" He chuckled.

"See what?" Petes' frown deepened.

"She's the Doctor's wife," Jackie breathed in realisation, her heart breaking for her child.

"He's a part of her, I don't know how I know but- well now that part is lost." Mickey sniffed.

"The nightmares-"

"That weren't English she was screamin' all night long."

"Oh Rose." Jackie whispered clutching at Pete's hand as she watched her staring hopelessly up at the darkening sky.

And so when Rose came to her weeks later and said he was calling, they packed up the jeep and set off for a desolate beach in Norway and the second worst day of her daughter's life. And when it was over and she held the shivering, broken girl that was her's and the Doctor's life close to her heart, she hoped that for her sake and for his, that impossible was just a word.