Title: Phantom

Genre: Angst, Romance, Drama

Rating: PG-13

Couple: Ten/Rose

Spoilers: Spoilers for season 2 through Doomsday

Summary: Hope. Simultaniously Humanity's greatest strength and greatest weakness. He might have said it was impossible, but he had also taught Rose not to believe in that word. Not even if it destroyed her. Post Doomsday.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3




Disclaimer: If I owned DW, I'd be spoiling a perfectly good plot.

AN: Skipped a coupls days, since I was dead exhausted from working all day, and then had a rather long haircut.

--

Phantom

Chapter 4: Routene



"You're dead, officially, back home." He changed the subject abruptly, glancing who-knew where. "So many people died that day, and you've gone missing...you're on the list of the dead."

Tears fought once again to overwhelm her, as she brought up a hand to fight for a semblance of composure. Dead in one universe, never born in another...belonging no where. No where but with him...and he was so impossibly far from reach now.

"Yet..." He seemed about to laugh, though no true mirth, or even genuine happiness, shone in his eyes. "Here you are, living a life, day to day."

His false cheer melted once again to a somber, sad, frown, as he looked down at her. "The one adventure I can never have."

And she would have given it all away for a few minutes more with her beloved Doctor. Really with him. Held close and warm in his arms, believing blissfully that nothing could ever go wrong, that they would always be together.

How she hated the naivity of her old self. Of the Rose Tyler that had two years of truly living, and threw it all away in the silly notion that she had so many more to waste.




She frowned in confusion. "I...I don't understand. How? How is that possible?"

He shook his head. "There is some sort of residual telepathic connection between...between you and the TARDIS. I'm stuck close enough to the barrier that the TARDIS can use you as a sort of beacon or buoy, to keep us anchored partially in this universe. That's probably what's protecting the TARDIS and me from most of the effects of the Void--but even she can't keep this up forever."

Horror crept progressively through her body as she listened to his explaination, and by the time he had finished, her hands gripped the sheets tightly, and her eyes were wide with fear. "What...what are you gonna do?"

"I can't do much more than I already am, Rose." He sighed. "The TARDIS is directing too much energy to simply staying anchored to do anything else, and I can't influence anything in this universe but you."

She swallowed softly, falling back into the old familiar mindset she once had, when she used to travel with the Doctor, and they worked out situations like this on a daily basis. "What can I do?"

"I'm not sure yet." He frowned. "But chances are, if there's anything to be done, it'll be at the rift."

She nodded, and swung her feet out of the bed, silky pink chamoise riding up to her thighs. The Doctor quickly averted his gaze to the ceiling, trying to appear nonchalant.

"That one's new."

She smirked. "You kept track of my night-wear?"

He looked uncomfortable. "Well....I mean, obviously it is. You didn't exactly pack up your things after all."

She grinned. "Yeah...Dad--well, Pete--gave it to me."

"So you're gettin on well with him, then?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I mean, it was a bit awkward at first, but he really loves Mum, and I guess I won some respect...I mean, I don't know if he'll ever look at me like his own child and not one he adopted, but I know he loves me in his own way."

He smiled. "That's good. Still working at Torchwood?"

She nodded, then winced when she remembered the incident from the night before. "I better get back there before they write me off as too sick for duty."

--

Mickey's attention was diverted from Jackie's incessant badgering about the ugly statue when the door to Rose's room opened, to reveal a fully dressed-for-work Rose.

"Oh, no you don't!" Jackie snapped, whose attention had obviously also been diverted. "You're not goin off to Torchwood and spendin' all day and then some again!"

"Mum, its my job!" She sighed, crossing her arms.

"You don't treat it as a job!" Jackie insisted. "You're just trying to make the days go faster until you die!"

She shifted uncomfortably. "Mum..."

"I know its hard, love." Jackie continued, ignoring the fact that her daughter had spoken at all. "But you have to live! You don't think he'd want you to die, do you?"

"I was, Mum." She said tersely, hands clenched at her sides. "I was livin the only way I could! But that doesn't matter now."

"Why not?" Mickey finally chipped in, frowning. "You're jus' givin up now?"

"No." She said cooly, narrowing her eyes at him. "It doesn't matter now, because he's back."

--

Rose sighed and gave her best 'this is all YOUR fault' look to the Doctor, who in turn gave her his best 'innocent lamb' look. He was better than she was.

The 'family', which was Mickey, Pete, and Jackie, were all gathered on the opposite couch from her, frowning in contemplation. They'd believed her last time when she'd had the dreams, and then they'd all seen the proof that she was right that time.

"But...didn't he say it was impossible ever to even see eachother?" Mickey frowned.

"He said that when you left, too." She replied curtly.

"Not quite--"

"Don't even start." She snapped, glowering at him, and making it clear it was still all his fault she was being looked at like she was crazy by her own family.

Mickey arched an eyebrow at her comment, but it was Pete that spoke. "Then...what can Torchwood do?"

"Probably nothing, on their own." The Doctor chimed in, even though he should have full-well known they wouldn't hear him. "Luckily, they've got me and Rose to do it."

She couldn't help but give him a grudging smile at the fact that he included her in the equation. In return, he winked at her. God, it was good to see him again without it being yet another heart wrenching goodbye.

"He says he can help them work to find a solution." She said simply.

"I liked my version better." He pouted slightly.

"That doesn't explain yesterday." Jackie said in her usual straight-forward manner. "And it seems a bit quaint to me."

She gritted her teeth a moment, thankful her mother didn't go into details about that particular incident...she didn't need to hear a lecture from the Doctor, too. "I told you, it was a scientific project."

"No no...you were cryin your eyes out, sayin stuff about him not comin...and now suddenly he has?"

The Doctor flashed her a concerned look.

"I guess it was a miscalculation."

"'Miscalculation'..."

"Mum, he doesn't have much time." She sighed. "And I'm the only one who can help him."

---

News had spread rather quickly through the relevant branches of Torchwood. After all, who didn't want to hear about their resident alien specialist with a tendancy toward obsession, and a penchant for looking only slightly sane at times.

Those in the know said she'd been working long after hours, just staring. The room had been checked for even traces of anything that could have provoked such a strangely shell-shocked reaction, but there was nothing.

Reportedly she even said it was nothing. In fact, that was all she would say when that janitor had found her. It might have been a bit worrisome were it anyone else. But when Rose Tyler had a wig-out, it was simply amazing she hadn't before.

Nevertheless, it was a surprise to most of the employees working on the Rift-Monitoring when she marched into the room hte next day, as if nothing had happened. Much to many of their's chagrin, she came bearing a new assignment.

"All of you, perform every scan we have on that rift." She said crisply, folding her hands behind her back. "Report to me anything that even seems out of the ordinary. Anything."

---

AN: Alrighty. Possibly 3 or 4 more chapters to go, then.