#but instead i went back to ulv

[foxstens]

i just second tried the apparently tankiest boss in the game

[harmony88]

Andromeda

Series: Forever With You 

Story: Andromeda 

(excerpt under cut) 

He was running around the console, chatting her ear off about all the things he would show her the moment they reached Andromeda, a planet that creates a new supernova every 612 years, and he wanted her to watch the birth of the one. She was smiling, his eagerness intoxicating as he twisted knobs and ran his hand through his hair, remembering the ice cream they’ll be able to get as well, and she found herself drawn to him like a magnet, her eyes following him everywhere he went.

She was, truthfully, more captivated by the movement of his lips more than the words he was saying. This happy lecture had been going on for seven minutes, give or take, and her mind was starting to wander, wondering if he knew how stupidly, ridiculously attractive she finds everything he does...

“Rose?” he eventually asked, sensing she had started to tune him out. She sat up straight and smiled at him, her fingers sliding off her hoop earrings.

“Yeah?” she asked, and he just grinned.

“You were staring at me,” he said smugly, and she just rolled her eyes.

“Was not,” she said, which made him grin more and move to her.

“You were, you think I’m foxy,” he said. It wasn’t flirtatious, it was pure play. The classic Doctor was standing before her, clearly in a boisterous mood, so very excited for this trip. She just groaned and ruffled his hair, and rather than scoffing like she thought he would he ruffled hers back, grinning madly at her.

“What’s gotten into you?” she asked, laughing at him. He just smiled at her, a little more genuinely than he had been.

“It’s our honeymoon!” he said simply, and she felt her heart flutter.

“Oh, is it? Strange, nobody told me...Think I would’ve remembered that…” she said, rolling her eyes at him.

“It’s a surprise honeymoon, Rose Tyler,” he said, and suddenly his tone was much more serious. “We never took one before. And...well...things could have gone better on your birthday trip.”

“I don’t want to talk about that,” she said softly, and he just nodded.

“No, I know, I just...I wanted us to have some fun. What do you say?” he asked, pushing aside any discomfort that could circle around them and instead focused on his excitement, and his love for her, and she just smiled at him.

“I’d love it,” she said, and with a sound of content he kissed the top of her head and moved back to the console, pulling the lever until the spin of time beneath their feet halted, and he ran to the door.

“Allons-y, Rose Tyler,” he said, and smiled when her hand slipped into his, pushing the blue doors open.

There were zeppelins in the sky.

The Doctor and Rose both froze, looking up at the blimp-like ships with creased brows, and Rose felt her breath catch in her throat.

“That’s impossible,” the Doctor said, no longer smiling. His voice was low and dark, and when Rose looked at him she saw his wheels turning rapidly. She bit her lip.

“We should go,” she whispered. He turned around without a second thought and tried to open the door, but it was locked.

“No, no, no, not now ,” he growled, banging his hand against the wood. “Damn it!”

She grabbed his hand again and gave it a squeeze, her eyes tracing his face as he turned and looked at her. “She won’t let you in?” she asked. He just shook his head, and Rose knew that meant whatever had happened had wiped the old girl out, and she needed to rest. He groaned and pressed his forehead against the doors, when suddenly they both felt a gush of wind hit their faces. Rose’s stomach dropped as she looked around for the first time, and saw they were very clearly on a beach.

She recognized a rock in the middle of the water. Dårlig Ulv Stranden.

“Oh, my god…” she whispered. The Doctor noticed it, too, and he felt a panic attack begin to brew inside of him. He turned back to the TARDIS and banged on the doors again.

“THIS ISN'T FUNNY!” he shouted at their ship, and he ran his hands through his hair again. Rose was still staring at the rock, the wind whipping her hair around her face, and the Doctor clenched his jaw, trying to ignore the memory of the potential timeline that had haunted his dreams.

“We have to move,” she said. “We can’t stay here.”

“We shouldn’t even be here ,” he snapped, and she turned to him.

“Look at me,” she said. “We’re together this time. I don’t care about the rest of it.” He stared at her, and sighed. He found himself reaching for her, pulling her into a desperate hug, and she closed her eyes, the feel of his hearts pounding beneath her jumper. “Nothing we can do now, right? She’s locking us out, which tells me we’re supposed to be here. So let’s just walk. See what we find. Hold on tight.”

He felt his throat tighten and knew he was being selfish again. She was probably terrified as well, and even though everything inside of him was screaming that this was the worst thing that could have happened, and the devil on his shoulder was currently dominating his every thought, he just nodded, and felt her hand hold his, pulling him along beside her.

“It’s just sand,” he said after a few minutes. “A lot of bloody sand.”

“There’s an inn nearby,” she whispered. “Maybe we can...I dunno get a room or something while the TARDIS recovers. We stayed there when...you called me.”

He looked at her, realizing she’d never told him her side of the story from that day. All he knew was she got his transmission and he found her on this beach, about two hundred meters from where they were standing now.

He realized she’d never told him anything about her time here. Two years, and he never thought to ask, too relieved that she was back. He felt his throat tighten and stopped walking, staring at her. “Are you alright?” he asked. She looked at him, and flashed him a smile.

He could tell she meant it.

“You’re here. With me. I...honestly, Doctor, I don’t care about anything else right now. I’m choosing to just trust we’re supposed to be here,” she said. “Timelines.”

“Timelines,” he repeated, and felt his own pulse start to even back out. “Right.”

[khorren]

30 Days of GW2 - Day Fourteen - How do you pick your character’s names

Hi. Enjoy some word vomit.

My humans have had the surname of Fae since GW1 and it's just carried on over from there. The GW2 Faes are all descended from the GW1 versions, though I haven't worked out who some of them are related to yet. On top of that, most of them didn't know about the others until they got involved in the Commander's guild. Two exceptions are my thief and my mesmer. They both carry the surname "Sun" instead. Thief has it cos boything asked me to change when he helped me make Dreamer. And Mesmer has it as its one of her aliases. She picked the Sun surname cos of someone she met on her travels, which just so happened to be one of boything's characters :) Some of the names of the humans are just "That sounds like a pretty name" but I take a lot of inspiration from TV. Characters that I like, the actress's name, or even a name that actress plays from another tv show.

My norn have the surname of Ulvstrom. Ulv meaning Bear, and the strom from "maelstrom". The surname is a mashup of their dad, Ulvar, and their mother was Maelstrom. The girls all have names from an Irish origin, with the exception of Fia whose name is from a Scottish origin (since she had a different mother). Aisling probably shouldn't be Aisling then since her parents are completely different, but uh, I just really like the name :)

Charr are all in the same warband, the Ember warband. I disliked charr for the longest time (1070AE never forget!) but originally wanted to call my charr, should I ever make one "Cinder" or in the Cinder warband, but ended up going with Ember. It sounded better for more options. Emberblade for the warrior, Embergleam for the ele. Gleam was the original name for Glint's child we now know as Vlast. They started life with Fae and Khorren, so people knew it was me, but recently gave them some actual names.

The asura have names that sound fitting to asura culture. Aloreca is acerola backwards, which is a type of cherry. My friend used to have an asura called Elppa, which was apple backwards and I wanted to steal the idea. :D. Nokomai is a body of water... somewhere. A friend had some characters named after bodies of water, so I stole that idea. Yhalea was a name kind of similar to a friend's OC and I just tweaked it. Blixxie just sounded cute (though it has an accent on it). And Viianna exists because I wanted an asura who went by the nickname of Vii.

And the sylvari are just kind of a mish-mash. Amarilis was named after an actress from the Sweet Valley High show, which is close to the actual flower called amaryllis. Khorren was going to be the name of a norn character, this was decided back when GW2 was announced, but then I came up with the family name of Ulvstrom instead and wanted to go down the irish naming scheme. So the name Khorren was given to my first made character, it's also my account name :D. Faebrynn was just Fae with a sylvari-ish sounding ending to it. Never really 100% liked Teaghaann's name. She originally was just Teaghan with an accent in there, but the accent bugged me way too much, so used the free rename from buying PoF on her. She's not really played, has already been used for full world completion so the odds of her being treated to a rename token are slim to none. Sorry Tea!

[natural--blues]

The April Fool

Fandom: Doctor Who Pairing: Rose x Ten Baby!fic, Time lady!Rose, Doomsday rewrite. The Doctor unable to return turns out to be a horrid prank.

AO3

-------------------------------------------

Last night I had a dream. Rose. I heard a voice and it was calling my name. Rose. Rose. Rose. I had a dream. I told Mum, and Dad, and Mickey. Anyone else would think I was mad. But not those three. They believed it because they’ve met the Doctor. So they listened to the dream. He was calling me and that night, we packed up, got into dad’s old Jeep, and off we went. Mum cried the entire time she packed my duffel. She said she knew that I had never belonged there. She said she understood it even more when I’d gotten shot at Torchwood, by a bullet that had meant to be a rubber round, but was instead live. It hit me in the heart, and I was on the ground, choking on my own blood.

It was the best and worst feeling of my life. I was going to die. It was a certainty that I’ve never before experienced with anything else in life. They’d called Mum and Dad to say goodbye, but instead, the light energy still latent in my dna, missed by the Doctor, came to life and lit me ablaze in the longest and shortest shock of my life. I’d seen this, when I’d been Bad Wolf. I’d become this.

Mum’d had kittens when she heard.

The medic had informed her, after a full workup, that I had two hearts. Multiple stomachs. That everything was healthy still… that my body had known how to protect….

She’d always known that I was going to become an alien and run off with the Doctor. Now, here was my chance, sad as she was, she was also happy knowing I wouldn’t have to watch everyone I love grow old and die before me – not alone, anyhow.

We followed the voice across the water, kept on driving hundreds and hundreds of miles, because he was calling.

Rose.

Rose walked alone across the windswept beach, duffel in hand, remembering the last time she’d tossed it at the Doctor, laughingly telling him that he was stuck with her, now. There she was, at last…. and she’d have to tell him the story of how she’d died. He’d hate it, for sure. An image of the Doctor appeared in front of her, startling her from her revierie.

“Where are you?” she asked, fearing his response. Fearing letting go of all of her newfound hope.

“Inside the Tardis.” His voice was so grim….

Inside the Tardis….. he’s going to say he can’t come and get me…. I’m damned to live here and watch them all wilt…

“There’s only one tiny little gap in the Universe left, just about to close, and it takes a lot of power to send this projection. I’m in orbit around a supernova. I’m burning up a sun just to say goodbye.”

The words were like a shot. She knew then, that the best course of action would be to lie to him, tell him everything was fine, that she was happy…. but she couldn’t…. could she?

“You look like a ghost…” she murmured.

“Hold on,” he responded, and the sound of the sonic was something she’d missed so much.

“C…. can… I…?” she reached, but his instant negative response made her flinch and stop.

“I’m still just an image…. no touch.”

Yeah, boy, doesn’t that sound like when we first met…?

“Can’t you come through properly?”

We’ll never be together…

“The whole thing would fracture. Two universes would collapse.” I’m losing everything. It feels like my universe is collapsed anyhow.

“So?” she joked bitterly.

I have to be strong for him. I should….

“Where are we? Where did the gap come out?”

“We’re in Norway.”

“Norway. Right.”

“About fifty miles out of Bergen. 50.17 miles, to be exact. It’s a town called Dårling Ulv Stranden.”

“Dalek?” “Dårlig. The A with a small circle above it, makes the ‘aw’ sound. It’s Norwegian for Bad. It translates as Bad Wolf Bay.” He nodded, and she felt prompted to say anything.

“How long….?” she could barely get the words out, tears streaking her face.

“Two minutes….” she could hardly hear him over the water rushing sound in her ears. Her mum was crying softly in the background. She’d never wanted this life for her girl….

“I can’t think of what to say…” she laughed a bit, nervously.

“You’ve still got Mr. Mickey then?”

“There’s five of us now. Mum, Dad, Mickey and the baby.” it rolled off her tongue so automatically.

“You’re not?!”

Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit….

“Oh no, it’s mum. She’s three months gone. More Tylers on the way.” Had the Doctor seen the look of abject horror and confusion on Jackie’s face, he would have seen through the lie.

“And what about you? Are you–”

“Yeah, I’m back working in the shop.”

“Oh, good for you…”

“Shut up. No I’m not. There’s still a Torchwood on this planet. It’s open for business. I think I know a thing or two about aliens.”

Jackie’s loud snort and Mickey’s cough were thusly ignored, although the Doctor did raise an eyebrow.

“Rose Tyler…” he said her name with so much affection. It reminded her of the way he said it when they made love, when he kissed all along her body, when he gasped it into her ear and mind when he came.

“Defender of the Earth. You’re dead, officially, back home. So many people died that day and you’ve gone missing. You’re on a list of the dead. Here you are, living a life, day after day. The one adventure I can never have.”

“Am I ever going to see you again?”

“You can’t.”

She crumbled. “What are you going to do?”

He was putting on a front. He kept biting his lips, trying to keep his face brave for her. “Oh. I’ve got the Tardis. Same old life, last of the Time Lords.”

“On your own…..” she breathed. Just say it, you idiot. Last chance. “I…. I love you….”

The look in his eyes was shocked to the teeth, and he looked like he was struggling to form words for a moment. “Quite right too… And, I suppose, if it’s one last chance to say it, Rose Tyler, I…”

The Tardis vanished, and she collapsed to the beach, sobbing. Jackie ran to her daughter, throwing her shoes off to get a better grip on the sand.

“You can’t get so upset, it’s not good for the–” she was cut off by the sounds of the Tardis.

The Tardis was solid this time, and she looked at him in shock as he exited, smiling wildly. “Happy April Fools Day!” he announced, as though he’d just pulled a rabbit out of a hat.

His smile took on a confused and strained look, and then he finally gave up the ghost. “Rose….”

She was breathing heavily, trying to control the urge to let him bloody have it mixed with her body recovering from shock and the worst sadness of her life. This was where her mum took over, pinging rocks at him from the beach left and right, that he struggled to dodge, both hands up in defense.

“BLOODY. TIME. LORD. ARSEHOLE! YOU! DO! NOT! DO! THAT! KIND! OF! PRANK!”

He tried to take Rose into his arms, getting winged by sand dollars by Jackie when Rose swung at him. She barely missed.

Even Mickey shook his head at him. “Some bits don’t even begin to be appropriate, Doctor. You can’t joke about this sort of bit. Pregnancy pranks, death pranks, screamers, and breakup pranks. They’re literally not okay.”

“Oh….” he murmured, looking confused. “They were appropriate on Xylon 5. Prank capital of the Universe….”

“Earth, mate. You should know.”

Rose’s lip quivered, and he felt like the biggest bastard in the universe. He reached for her, and she sobbed in his arms, as he spun her around.

“I thought I’d have to spend forever without you….” she hiccupped, and he shook his head.

“I’m sorry. I thought you’d figured me out…. what with that whole bit about the shop….”

“N…. no…”

He shushed her, holding her tightly.

“I’m…. s’me…. I’m pregnant….”

“You don’t have to do a joke in reverse, Rickey just said that those pranks aren’t appropriate.”

Mickey flipped him the bird.

“S’not a joke….” she whimpered, unable to handle much more emotional drainage today.

He suddenly felt it, felt exactly what she was, and then felt the life blooming, once he had begun paying attention. “Y…. you….. we…. oh, Rose….”

His tears came without prompt, and she gave him a watery smile. “I told you…. forever…. I jus’ really, really meant it….”

He held her tightly, and after a few apologies and goodbyes to Jackie and everyone else – ‘YOU HAD BETTER MARRY HER’ screamed in his ear – he took off with the love of his life, the holes in the universes closing as soon as he left.

“I’m just saying,” he kept trying, feeling guiltier and guiltier by the second. He’d pretend permanently broken up with the mother of his child. Who was now a Time Lady, who would have had to outlive everyone… oh, he was space rubbish… “It seemed funny at the time. I thought we’d have a laugh.”

“It wasn’t funny. It was dreadful.”

“I’m rubbish at pranks, Rose, I’m so sorry–”

“Make it up to me?”

He was about to ask her how, when he caught the hidden meaning and grinned, widely. Oh yes. He would.

—————————————

A few hours of rowdy lovemaking, one telepathic bond, and a mug of tea later, Rose sat on his lap, on the jumpseat, wearing only his shirt and a pair of knickers and socks. He was honestly up for round four, at this point, nuzzling into her neck and repeating his promise to never do that type of prank again.

“I, The Doctor, do solemnly swear…”

“I, The Doctor, do solemnly swear…”

“To never again perform a prank that makes people cry…”

“To never again perform a prank that makes people cry…”

“Or to act like such a penisgoblin about it….”

“Or to act like su– such a what? A penis what?”

“Ahem.”

“Or to act like such a penisgoblin abou— really, Rose, a penisgoblin? What even is a penis goblin?”

“Doctor….”

“….Or to act like such a penisgoblin about it….”

“Forever and ever and ever, the end.”

“Forever and ever and ever, I love you Rose Tyler, the end.”

She giggled, and nuzzled him. “Forgiven.”

He sighed in relief. “I just didn’t know what sort of prank would be funny– ”

A redhead in a wedding dress appeared, and began flipping out.

“Apparently…. neither does the Tardis….” Rose murmured, blinking as the redhead threw her jacket across the room.

[dentalinfotoday]

My dental office was designed by an architect in 1946 (before I was born). It has small treatment rooms and a large waiting area.  The operatories have doors or folding accordion doors to provide privacy. As time went by, this design fell out of favor among dentists. Open treatment areas became more popular and most offices have smaller waiting areas and more treatment rooms. This created "efficiencies" but did make for additional crowding. Over the years I have toyed with the idea with adding additional treatment rooms to the three that I already have, but I never executed any of the plans I envisioned. One of the reasons, aside from the initial costs, was that it would add more staff and dentists to our facility which would have created more crowding and less privacy. My office houses an essentially "boutique" practice and  I liked the vibe our layout created and felt that additional treatment rooms might alter the mellow mood. Now with our efforts to make our office safe, it turns out that I have the perfect layout and setup. We have no central air conditioning but instead utilize individual window units in rooms that don't circulate air to adjacent rooms since our rooms can be closed off by closing our doors. Our waiting room is large and easily adapted to allow patients to socially distancing. My receptionist/office manager sits behind an opening that we were easily able to protect with a fixed Plexiglas sneeze guard. Of course my collegues in the building have for the most part  taken the steps needed to adapt their offices to the new CDC guidelines. My upstairs dental college has a tiny waiting area and he has placed seating, spaced six feet apart in the hallway for patients to wait for their appointments( Here in NYC, most dentists do not have parking lots than can be used for patients waiting). Not all offices have adapted well. I went to a physician in my building and I showed up 10 minutes before my appointment time and they wouldn't let me in and asked me to come back at my appointment time (10 minutes later)...hmm, not very friendly but I guess that's there way of ensuring social distancing. Right now I am really glad that I never changed the "inefficient" layout of my office. It works well for our new normal and each week I have been open ( we are in our fourth week now) our work flow and comfort levels seem to increase so by now my team seems to fully adapted to our new routines. I come in early ( to avoid the subway "rush hour" and turn on all our air purifiers and window air conditioners. Each day we have our temperature and O2 levels checked with a pulse oximeter and Ida records these measurement in a book. My assistant and hygienist apply surface disinfectants and then  fog our operatories between patients using  a ULV fogger and HOCL 200 ppm . Afterwards they close the door for 15 minutes and wait. This allows the mist and any residual moisture to disappear. At this point our treatment rooms are ready to be reused , if needed. All patients are prescreened over the phone prior to their appointments and their temperature and O2 levels are checked when they first arrive. While this doesn't totally ensure they don't have an asymptomatic case of Covid 19, most of our patients are over 50 and have been pretty careful to take the steps they need to stay safe during the last several months. Most likely the percentage of our patients who might test positive is below .5%. Given that my assistant and I are both wearing faceshields and N95 masks, I believe our risk level is acceptable (under the circumstances) and we can safely provide dental care to our patients. from Ask Dr. Spindel - http://lspindelnycdds.blogspot.com/2020/07/whats-old-has-become-new.html - http://lspindelnycdds.blogspot.com/

[chocolatequeennk]

To Bring Them Home, 2/5

Losing Rose only a month after they bonded hurt more than the Doctor could have imagined. Then he discovered he’d lost more than he’d realised, and he was determined to bring them home–Rose and their unborn baby. But how could he do that, without two universes collapsing?

Ten x Rose, pregnancy fic

This story is part of The Course of True Love, following With This Ring. If the end seems familiar, “What He Didn’t Know” was an early version of this scene and I reused a few paragraphs from it.

This was written for the beaches and goodbyes drabble prompts on @legendslikestardust​, and “Mum, Dad, Mickey, and the baby” prompt on @doctorroseprompts​, plus this fanart.

Betaed by @lastbluetardis​.

AO3 | FF.NET | TSP | Ch 1

Rose.

Rose pressed her face to the window, watching the sun set over the German countryside. It felt so good to have the Doctor in her head again, even if he was still too far away to actually talk to. The relentless headache that had started the moment the breach closed completely was gone.

Her fingers curled around the edge of the seat at the memory of the first few days in Pete’s World. The pain from the broken bond had left her in a daze—she still didn’t remember how she’d actually gotten from Torchwood to the mansion. But finally, she’d gotten used to it, had learned which pills would soften the pain to a dull ache she could work through.

The loneliness was harder to fight. Waking up every day, expecting the Doctor to be beside her. Reaching for his hand whenever she wanted to show him something.

Tears sprang to her eyes when she remembered the loneliest moment—looking at the two blue lines on the white stick that announced they were going to have a baby. If she could have had the Doctor with her for just one day out of the last three months, that’s the day she would have chosen.

She sniffed and wiped the tears away. But I’m going home now, she reminded herself.

The road curved, and the sun disappeared entirely behind the hills in the distance. Rose glanced at the SatNav mounted on the dash, wondering how much further they had to go. The Doctor’s voice got stronger with every mile, but she thought they were probably only about halfway there.

Rose.

I’m coming, Doctor, she told him, though she doubted he would be able to hear her. His telepathy was stronger than hers, and it had been three months since she’d practiced talking to him over their bond.

Tiredness hit her suddenly, as it had been doing for the last two months. “Keep going this way,” she told Pete through a yawn. “I’m gonna sleep for a bit. Wake me up if we get to a crossroads.”

Pete nodded, and Rose’s mum patted her shoulder. “You rest, sweetheart. We’ll wake you up if we need to.”

Rose shifted in her seat until her neck and head were supported by the headrest. Then she rested a hand on her still-flat belly and let herself drift to sleep, imagining how the Doctor’s face would light up when he found out they were having a baby.

oOoOoOoOo

Twelve hours later, Rose was on the edge of her seat as Pete drove the Jeep straight onto the Norwegian beach. As soon as she’d seen the first signs twenty miles back, she’d known where they were going. Dårlig Ulv Stranden—Bad Wolf Bay. A message to lead myself here, she remembered.

Rose’s stomach gurgled uncomfortably as the vehicle lurched to a stop, and she took a few deep breaths and a sip of herbal tea before opening the door. She wanted to tell the Doctor she was pregnant; she didn’t want him to find out when she threw up all over his Chucks.

The sea breeze blew her hair into her face as soon as she got out of the Jeep, and she was grateful her leather coat kept the wind from cutting through her. The surf pounded against the rocks behind her and seagulls cawed overhead, but those were the only sounds Rose heard as she walked across the wet sand.

Even the Doctor’s telepathic voice had gone silent, and Rose stopped and stared at the ocean, rather than take a step in the wrong direction. She knew this was the right place, but seeing an empty beach instead of the Doctor with the TARDIS sent a shiver of trepidation down her back.

Her left hand clenched into a fist as she fought back her sudden fears, and her right rested on her stomach. Are you ready to meet your daddy, little one? she asked, refusing to believe the day would go any differently.

The air shifted around her, and Rose turned towards the disturbance, dropping her hand as she did. Her fears sharpened when she saw a holographic projection of the Doctor, instead of the Doctor himself.

“Where are you?” she asked, immediately hating how small and weak her voice sounded.

“Inside the TARDIS.” The Doctor’s voice echoed, as if it were coming over a poor mobile connection. “There’s one tiny little gap in the universe left, just about to close.”

He took a deep breath, the way he did when he was upset, and Rose clasped her hands in front of her as the truth became painfully clear. He hadn’t found a way to bring her home after all.

“And it takes a lot of power to send this projection—I’m in orbit around a supernova.” He paused and tried to smile at her, but she could feel his grief over the bond. “I’m burning up a sun just to say goodbye.”

Rose stared at the hologram of her bondmate and shook her head. She heard his voice, but her heart struggled to accept the words.

“You look like a ghost,” she told him, needing to say something so the word “goodbye” wasn’t lingering on the air.

“Hold on.” The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at something Rose couldn’t see.  

Finally, he was standing in front of her, looking as real as possible. Rose crossed the remaining distance between them and reached for his face. “Can I—”

The Doctor shook his head and blinked back tears. “I’m still just an image, love,” he told her, his voice raspy. “No touch.”

Rose dropped her hand and nodded quickly, swallowing back the tears that threatened. “Can’t you come through properly?” Maybe he couldn’t bring her home, but if he could come through, they could build a life here—the two of them and their baby. She brushed her hand over her belly at the thought, holding her breath as she waited for his answer.

The muscle in the Doctor’s jaw twitched. “I tried to find a way, Rose, but no matter what I did, two universes would collapse.”

Rose reached up to smooth away the furrow between his brows before she remembered, no touch. In his voice, she could hear the long hours spent in the library, looking for a way to bring her home. The need to soothe his pain made her heart ache, and she had to press her lips together to hold back a whimper.

After they took a moment to compose themselves, the Doctor looked around, like he was checking out their surroundings. “Where are we? Where did the gap come out?”

Another gust of wind came up and blew Rose’s hair in her face. She pushed it back, then answered the Doctor. “We’re in Norway.”

“Norway.” The Doctor nodded. “Right.”

Rose smiled at him. There was something so familiar and Doctor-ish about the way he pretended this was all going according to his plan. “About fifty miles out of Bergen,” she elaborated. “It’s called Dårlig Ulv Stranden.”

The Doctor’s eyes went wide, and he reached out as if to shield her, before he remembered he was just a projection. “Dalek?” he asked, his voice sharp and fearful.

“Dårlig,” Rose repeated, enunciating the g. “It’s Norwegian for ‘bad.’ This translates as Bad Wolf Bay.”

They shared another pained smile. How could she have seen everything, and only given them a way to say goodbye? What was the point of being a goddess of Time if you couldn’t bend reality to your will?

Rose clamped down on her bitterness and asked the most important question. “How long have we got?”

The Doctor’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “About two minutes.”

A sob caught in Rose’s throat. She’d been so certain when she heard his voice that she was going home, and instead they only had time for the briefest goodbye.

But if they only had two minutes, she wouldn’t waste it talking about things that didn’t matter. “I love you,” she told the Doctor, keeping her voice as steady as possible.

“Oh, Rose.” The Doctor’s hands flexed at his sides, and the muscle in his jaw worked. “I love you, too.”

“Am I ever going to see you again?”

“You can’t, love,” he whispered, and she saw tears glistening in his eyes.

Rose closed her eyes and ran her hand through her hair as she considered her next words. This was not how she’d planned to tell the Doctor he was going to be a father, but who knew how long it would take her to find a way across the Void?

“I see the whole family came,” the Doctor said after a brief pause.

Rose smiled. He couldn’t have given her a better opening. “There’s five of us now,” she told him. “Mum, Dad, Mickey… and the baby.”

“You’re not…?”

Even though their bond was weak, separated as they still were by the Void, the Doctor’s devastation was strong enough to push its way across dimensions. Rose gasped when it washed over her, and in an instant, she knew what she had to do.

She licked her lips, then pasted a smile on her face and shook her head. “No.” Rose attempted a laugh. “It’s Mum. She’s three months gone. More Tylers on the way.”

The lie was sour in her mouth, but she told herself she was denying her baby to protect them. If the Doctor knew what he’d lost, he would force his way through this tiny crack and bring them both home, and damn the universes it would destroy.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes and his forehead creased, and Rose held her breath. Had he believed her?

“I miss you,” she blurted out, hoping to distract him. “Is there… the bond. My head’s been killing me.”

Remorse pinched the Doctor’s features. “I’m so sorry, love. If I’d known, I never would have…”

Rose slashed her arm through the air, cutting him off. “Don’t you dare,” she said fiercely. “I don’t regret it—I never have. If we’d only had a day together before we were separated, it would have been worth it.”

The Doctor breathed out a shaky laugh. “Rose Tyler,” he said, “you are brilliant.”

Rose tipped her head back, feeling a bit of her spirit return. “I am,” she agreed. “And do you know what I’m going to do with that brilliance? I’m gonna find a way to come home.”

“You can’t, Rose.” The Doctor’s shoulders were slumped, his mouth turned down in defeat. “It’s impossible.”

She snorted softly and raised an eyebrow. “When’s that ever stopped us?” she challenged. “There’s still a Torchwood open for business on this planet, and we’re already studying the old dimension hoppers.”

“Rose…”

She shook her head quickly. “Nope. Nothing you say will stop me, Doctor. I promise I’ll be careful, but I’m not staying here.” She tried to smile, but she suspected it looked more like a twisted grimace. “I promised you forever, remember?”

The Doctor’s mouth opened and closed a few times, and finally he nodded. “Just be careful, love,” he begged.

The air shifted again, and Rose knew their time was almost over. She stepped closer to the Doctor’s hologram and raised her hand to his face. Even though she couldn’t touch him, it just felt right to try.

“I love you.” She projected all her love and adoration over the bond, and was rewarded when he drew a sharp breath.

He leaned forward as if to press his forehead to hers, and Rose pushed herself up on her toes like she would if he were really there. Then a wave of love swept over her, and she cried out as her eyes flew open.

The Doctor’s eyes were dark with grief and tears as he looked down at her. “Rose Tyler, I love you.”

The final syllable came through faintly as the Doctor disappeared from the beach. A moment later, sharp pain stabbed through Rose’s temple, telling her the bond had broken again.

Rose curled in on herself, with her arms wrapped around her waist. Tears welled up inside her, and she let them fall onto the sandy beach.

A moment later, she felt a hand on her elbow, and she turned into her mother’s waiting embrace. “It’s all right, sweetheart,” Jackie crooned as Rose sobbed on her shoulder. “Just let it all out.” She paused for a moment, then asked, “Did you tell him?”

Rose sniffed and shook her head. “I started to, but he looked so… I just couldn’t tell him he’d lost his whole family, again.” She stepped back and wiped the tears from her eyes. “So I told him it was you having a baby.”

Jackie snorted. “No, ta,” she said. “Moving universes is enough stress for my life–I don’t need to add chasing after a toddler to that.”

Rose pressed her lips together and tried to swallow back the tears, but a few leaked out. “I wanted him to know,” she said hoarsely. “I wanted to tell him. I don’t want to do this without him.” Her voice broke on the last word.

Jackie wrapped her in another tight hug. “You may not have him, but you won’t be alone,” she whispered fiercely. “And as soon as this baby’s born, we’ll start looking for a way to send you both back to your Doctor.”

[chasingthecosmos]

Three Hearts to Own

Fandom: Doctor Who Rating: G Pairing: The Doctor/Rose Tyler, Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Chapters: 11/12 Read on AO3 here.

A (sort of) season re-write centering around the Doctor’s touch telepathy and the many ways that it makes his life difficult while he attempts to move on from the loss of Rose Tyler. This work is based around Seasons 3 & 4 and the Tenth Doctor. It’s the final entry in the “A Hand to Hold” series, but it can also be read as a stand-alone. The first four or five chapters will just be short excerpts from the Doctor’s time away from Rose, but there will be a Journey’s End fix-it and a happily ever after at the end. Tags will be updated as I go. Chapters will vary in length.

Chapter Eleven: Journey’s End (Part Three)

They all ended up escaping with their lives only because of Rose's brilliance and Donna's nimble fingers. In fact, the Doctor found that he really didn't need to do much work at all when he had his two fantastic girls at his side working with him, and with the added help of Jack, Sarah Jane, Mickey, and Jackie (yes, even her), Davros and the daleks really never even really stood a chance to begin with.

They ended up leaving the whole horde of daleks spinning helplessly and completely disabled after Rose, Donna, and the Doctor sent the twenty-six planets in the Medusa Cascade home and then prepared to handle the remaining twenty-seventh themselves. Even though the Doctor may have preferred a more fiery end to the remaining ship full of hateful robots, he had Rose in his head reminding him of just how far he had come since the Time War, and he found that he simply couldn't muster up the same level of hate and anger that he had had all those years ago when they had first come across a broken down dalek buried underneath the sands of the Nevada desert.

Instead, the Doctor merely extended one last half-hearted attempt to save Davros, but when his offer of mercy was vehemently and predictably denied, he gladly shut his TARDIS doors on the whole bloody crucible and set it resolutely behind them.

Rose didn't have any additional words of comfort or reassurance for him, in the end - though the Doctor didn't really think that there were enough words in the universe that could heal the complexities of the Time War and all of the damage and destruction that it continued to leave behind, even now. But his brilliant, beautiful girl still managed to overshadow any lingering despair and anger with her feelings of love and peace, which she projected into his mind until there wasn't room for anything else.

With Rose filling his thoughts and the rest of his companions filling his TARDIS, the Doctor's hearts were more full than they had been in a very, very long time - though, of course, the knowledge that goodbyes were inevitably around the corner did dampen the mood somewhat.

Sarah Jane went first - she was eager to get back to her son (a story that she still didn't bother to tell him completely, though the Doctor suspected that he would find out the details sooner or later). She was followed close behind by Jack and Martha - then, to all of their surprise, Mickey.

"There's nothing in that world for me, now," the young man proclaimed decidedly as he left Pete's World behind him and set his sights on the new world that lay before him, "certainly not Rose."

The Doctor shared a weighted look with the young man who he had spent an inordinate amount of time being jealous over in the past. It all seemed like such a long time ago, now - even though he knew that, in reality, it had only been a few years. Mickey had grown up and changed so much from that frightened kid cowering in a back alley just because a couple of plastic dummies were attempting to threaten his life. The Doctor still couldn't admit it out loud - not even now - but there was no denying the fact that he was proud of him.

When he finally ran off after Jack and Martha, the Doctor knew that he wouldn't have to worry about Rickey the Idiot anymore - he already had all of the resources that he would need in order to make a successful life for himself all over again. However, the rest of the Tyler family was another story.

"Time for one last trip," the Doctor announced as he swaggered back into his TARDIS with an air of easy confidence that he didn't really feel at all. Rose and Jackie didn't meet his eyes as he moved back to the TARDIS monitor, but he caught Donna's look of pained sympathy that did nothing at all to improve his mood as he declared resolutely, "Dårlig Ulv Stranden."

--------------------

"Oh, fat lot of good this is. Back of beyond - bloody

Norway

?" Jackie moaned as soon as the TARDIS touched down again and they all stepped out onto that cold, cloudy beach once more.

"Couldn't you have gotten her a little bit closer to home?" Rose agreed, sighing heavily as she scowled out at the horizon. The Doctor could sense that she was just as wary at seeing this place again as he was. There were simply too many bad memories of half-formed sentences and rushed goodbyes.

"Do you ... have someone who you could call?" the Doctor asked awkwardly, not quite sure how to phrase his question without sounding completely ridiculous as he subtly attempted to learn as much as he could about the life that Rose had made for herself here without him.

"Mum could always phone Dad," she replied with an off-handed shrug. "How long can we stay? I'd like to make sure that she's alright before we head back."

When the Doctor's only reply was a beat of unsure silence as he silently gauged her expression and thoughts, Rose rolled her eyes dramatically and added, "I mean, of course I'm coming back with you. What, did you think you were just going to drop me off on this sad old beach again and leave me behind forever?"

"I thought ..." the Doctor tried weakly, not really sure how to explain the many different doubts, fears, and anxieties that he was feeling in that moment.

"Oh, no. You're not getting rid of me that easily," Rose cut him off simply. "I just ... need to explain to her everything that's happened." She paused for a moment as she tore her gaze away from him and glanced at her mother over her shoulder, her expression falling as she silently prepared herself for the last, momentous goodbye that still lay ahead of them.

Do you want me to come with you ...? the Doctor asked hesitantly, his hands shoved into his pockets as he shifted his weight awkwardly in the sand. He had always been bad at the goodbyes, and he had always been bad with his companions' mothers. He suspected that those two negatives wouldn't exactly cancel each other out - especially when it came to Jackie Tyler.

But Rose's smile was confident and infection as she met his gaze and slowly nodded in assent and gratitude. "Might want to wait a minute, though," she suggested blithely as she moved to follow after her mother. "Probably don't want to be within slapping-distance if her first reaction isn't exactly ideal."

--------------------

However, Rose needn't have worried - her goodbye to her mother was heartfelt and satisfying, leaving absolutely no loose ends like the Doctor was notoriously known for doing. He and Rose were able to explain quite clearly that Rose's lifespan now far exceeded her mother's, and that she really would be safer and happier in a place where she wouldn't constantly be having to explain to people why she wasn't aging. Jackie even took the "Bad-Wolf-leading-them-all-to-this-point-and-changing-Rose's-body-specifically-for-him" part better than he had expected.

"Always knew it would come to this, one way or another," she sighed ruefully through her tears. "From the first moment you stepped into that bloody box with him, I knew I'd never get you back completely."

"It's better this way, Mum," Rose insisted gently, blinking through her own watery eyes. "You don't need me anymore. You've got Dad and Tony and everything you could ever want here. You'll all have a long, happy, normal life without me."

"I'll always need you, Rose," Jackie muttered, bringing her daughter into a crushing hug before they parted ways for the last time. "But you need him - and we all know how he's completely rubbish without you. So you go, and you live the life you've always wanted. Just know that I love you - no matter how far you go or how long you travel, just know that, Rose. Know that I love you."

The Doctor's hearts broke in sympathy for his bondmate when they finally turned their backs on Pete's World for the last time, but he took comfort in the fact that Rose was able to say goodbye to her mother in the end, and he was pleased to find that she didn't have a single ounce of lingering regret left in her as he fired up the TARDIS engines and set their course back for their home universe.

However, as per usual, Donna couldn't let the quite, reflective moment last, and the three of them were left standing in silence for only thirteen seconds before she piped up sarcastically, "Well, there's at least one person who's still fully human on board, and she is honestly very, very tired. do you think I can trust you two not to go running off into any explosions for a few hours while I take a quick kip?"

"Of course," the Doctor replied gently at the same time that Rose grinned and teased, "No promises."

Donna heaved a weary sigh as she glared at the two of them, but she didn't offer any more warnings or advice before shuffling off deeper into the TARDIS in the direction of her room.

"Speaking of explosions ..." the Doctor muttered as casually as he could while flashing an assessing gaze in Rose's direction out of the corner of his eye.

"Yes, yes, I know ..." Rose sighed dramatically as she rolled her eyes at him with a long-suffering expression. It seemed that she knew without him having to tell her that he was still intensely curious about her new state of being and was eager to dissect the issue down to its molecular roots as soon as possible.

"I'll meet you in the infirmary," Rose muttered as she ran the tips of her fingers over the Doctor's arm on her way past him before following Donna's path deeper into the TARDIS. He didn't miss the sudden exhausted slump of her shoulders as she went, but before the Doctor could even attempt to ask her what was wrong, she tugged teasingly against his thoughts and quickly assured him that she was fine.

Don't keep me waiting, she reminded him as soon as they were out of ear-shot from one another. It's been two years and we have a lot of catching up to do ...

[wholockgal]

Flashback Fic: Fade Into You, ch. 2

Summary:

Everyone deals with tragedy in their own way. Some worse than others, especially when their loved ones are literally a (parallel) universe or two away. The angstiest thing I have ever written.

Chapter 1. Chapter 2. Chapter 3. Epilogue. Can also be found on AO3 in its entirety.

Part 2 of the Swaddled ‘Verse, also on AO3.

Chapter 2: Mental Anguish

It nearly broke Mary’s heart to see her best friend so shut off from everything. She knew how much Rose had already lost, and to add not only the baby, but the hope of any future children to the list made her want to cry. Instead though, she managed to keep a neutral expression as Sherlock did something he never did: asked for help.

“I had hoped that being home with Jacqueline would help,” Sherlock explained. “But I just…”

“What can we do?” Mary cut across. “Anything you need.”

“She can’t be alone, I can’t… I can’t trust her with Jacqueline. I came home the other day, and god knows how long she had been left crying as Rose just sat there. Mrs. Hudson tries to help, but she’s less than ideal.”

Mycroft shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “If Jacqueline is unsafe-”

“You are not taking my daughter.”

“I merely meant that-”

“Enough,” John interrupted. “The fact is that Rose needs help. She is suffering from severe postpartum psychosis. It’s rare, but not unheard of, given the situation.”

Mycroft rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes. You’re a doctor, we know…”

“Mycroft!”

~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~

As had become her custom, Rose sat in the recliner at the window, her knees now tucked up to her chest, her eyes trained on the outside world but not seeing. Never had she felt so empty and alone, but that is exactly what she was.

She had heard the doctor’s words in the hospital as he explained what happened. She understood that it was the only option to ensure her survival; that no matter what the baby would be lost. But knowing something, understanding the meaning of the horrible words, and living with the consequences of them were two completely different things.

This was her life now. She was to become one of those bitter, barren women. Sherlock would have no further need for her. He had been so excited to find out that they were to have a son, and soon enough he would want to experience that again. With someone else. Someone who could actually have his child. Not her.

More than anything, Rose longed for her mother. She would know what to do, what to say to make everything alright again. But that was the rub. Jackie Tyler didn’t exist anymore on this world, and even if she did, she wouldn’t be the same.

Hugging her knees tighter to her chest, a thought occurred to Rose. What if there was a way?

Once the thought entered her mind, it became the only thing that she could focus on. There was no way to predict when she would be able to make a go of it; someone was constantly with her and Jackie. If Sherlock was out, then it was Mary or John, or even Violet and Siger. Mycroft would stop by, but never to stay. From conversations she overheard she knew that Mycroft was keeping an eye on everything from the outside.

And then one day Rose had her chance.

John had just put Jackie down for a nap when his phone rang. There was some sort of emergency with a patient that couldn’t wait. Mary was on her way to take his place, but wouldn’t be there for a few minutes more. Against his better judgement, he asked Mrs. Hudson to keep an eye on Rose and Jackie, calling Sherlock as he left.

Mrs. Hudson had just set a cup of tea next to Rose before stepping into the loo. The second that the door clicked shut, Rose sprang to her feet. Shoving clothes haphazardly into a small bag, she flew upstairs to Jackie’s room.

Throwing the diaper bag over her shoulder, she gathered the sleeping child in her arms and ran down the stairs, pausing when she heard the flush of the toilet. Taking a deep breath she made her way through Mrs. Hudson’s rooms and out the back door, knowing that Mycroft had eyes on the street.

Once in the alley she unearthed a prepaid cell phone from behind a dumpster and sent a text message:

Bad Wolf howling in the wind.

Within 30 seconds, she had responses from nearly a dozen people, all with addresses of safe houses. Choosing one that she knew she could reach without touching a main street or passing a member of Sherlock’s homeless network, she said a silent prayer that Jackie would remain asleep and left Baker Street behind.

~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~

Three days, seventeen hours, forty-two minutes, and 218 - no - 219 cigarettes later, Sherlock was no closer to finding his wife and daughter than he had been the moment he learned of their disappearance. Scotland Yard was useless, and Mycroft and his connections weren’t far behind. There had been no sign of Rose or Jacqueline anywhere in London, not that he expected there would be.

He could feel his resolve shaking, the mania creeping its way into his head as he imagined countless scenarios of what might have happened. Would Rose hurt herself? Would she hurt Jacqueline? He didn’t want to believe that she would harm her child, but after everything that had happened, after the last two months, he wasn’t confident.

In the following weeks, Sherlock followed every lead he could think of, and each time the trail went cold. It terrified him to think that he might never see them again, but with her connections he was forced to admit that it was a very real possibility. He had suspected that her underground network was keeping her hidden from him, and he hated that there was nothing he could do about it.

~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~

They had moved locations twice within the city that first night, but once Rose and Jackie were safely hidden away in a Shepherd’s Bush flat, the real planning began. Documents were procured, transportation arranged, and smokescreens programmed for various security feeds around the country should anyone get too close. Everything was in place for their journey, and risk of being caught was minimal at best.

And so it was, six days later, that Rose finally felt a smile cross her face for the first time in nearly 3 months. Setting a squirming Jackie down on the sand, she relished in the glory of feeling the sun on her face, the salty air in her lungs. They had arrived in the one place on Earth that Rose felt might allow her the chance of seeing her family again: Dårlig Ulv-Stranden.

Weeks passed without incident in the small Norwegian town. Rose and Jackie - or Sarah and Toni, as they were known - mostly kept to themselves. Every day the pair could be found on the deserted beach, Rose sitting in the sand, staring at the familiar-and-yet-not dunes, and Jackie running and splashing in the surf or playing happily in the sand.

It was so peaceful there, but Rose still felt a darkness within her. At night, after tucking Jackie in, she would sit outside of their small room and allow her world to crash down around her. She was alone. She and Jackie, it was only them. She prayed to any gods that would hear her for a sign, for a mysterious crack, or a familiar mechanical wheezing. Anything that meant she could go back, go home. All that she wanted was the comfort that only her mother’s arms would bring.

After a particularly horrific night of fitful sleep, Rose reached out to her comrades to inform them of her intent to return to England. The answers she had hoped for did not come, but there was still one more sliver of hope; one place she could go to beg for peace.

~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~

Six weeks. It had been six weeks since Sherlock last saw his wife, since he last held his daughter. He was beside himself, a shell of himself.

Cigarettes no longer offered any clarity, music no longer provided distraction. Alcohol never held anything for him. Apart from the relief that only seeing Rose and Jacqueline could provide, there was one remaining option.

He had chased everyone away, drawn the sitting room curtains, and sat silently in his armchair. Save for the small plastic bag that he flipped back and forth between his fingers, he didn’t move a muscle.

The pull was so strong, the temptation so powerful. Oblivion. Nothing mattered anymore, not with things as they were. He could give in so easily, free himself from the nightmare that had become his every day. One taste and his mind would be free.

There were so many times that he was sure they had been found. Glimpses of Rose and Jacqueline on closed circuit security feeds, alleged eye witness accounts of mother and child traveling on a bus or train. None had panned out, none proven true. So when John threw open the door with a triumphant cry, Sherlock made no effort to acknowledge him.

“Get up,” John commanded. “Mycroft has a plane- What is that?” His eyes had trained onto the small packet in Sherlock’s hand, snatching it away from him.

Sherlock did not respond.

“Where did you get this?”

Silence.

“How much did you take?”

Silence.

John forced the sleeves of Sherlock’s shirt back, checking for puncture marks; pushed Sherlock’s face up, checking his eyes to see whether his pupils were blown. He heaved a sigh of relief when neither sign was found. “Get. Up.”

“Why?”

“She’s in Norway, Sherlock. She and Jackie. Some small beach town in Norway.”

Sherlock shook his head. He had already considered that possibility, already explored every channel he could find in the region. He refused to open himself to even the tiniest sliver of hope only to have the rug pulled out from under him. Again.

“You go,” he said, his voice hoarse. “If you’re so sure, you go. I’ll just be here.”

“And leave you here? Alone? With this? I don’t think so.”

“I don’t need a babysitter.”

John sighed, sitting down across from his friend. He tried to keep the pity from showing so plainly, but knew he wasn’t completely able to succeed. “No, you’re right,” he agreed. “But you do need a friend. When is the last time you ate something?”

“I had tea…”

“Come on,” John urged, getting to his feet. “Just come to the house, let Mary feed you. Mycroft can handle Norway. Then, you have my word, you can come back here to wallow. Without the drugs.”

~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~

Jackie toddled across the carefully manicured grass, pulling up dandelions and other wild flowers, blissfully unaware of the turmoil that was wreaking havoc on her mother. The area was deserted, which suited Rose just fine; she needed no further witness to her current mental state.

Instead, Rose focused her attention on the weathered stone in front of her, on the ground beneath her feet. A strangled sob escaped her lips and she collapsed onto her knees, no longer seeing the words engraved on the tombstone:

Here lies Jacqueline Andrea Suzette Tyler.

“Mum,” she choked out. “I need you…”

Rose wasn’t sure how long she sat there, her grief so raw, her body shaking uncontrollably. All she knew is that seemingly out of nowhere she felt Jackie’s tiny arms encircling her neck, her warm cheek resting on her shoulder.

“No cry, mummy.”

“I’m so sorry,” Rose whispered, pulling Jackie onto her lap and hugging her close.

Jackie reached up and carefully wiped a tear from Rose’s face, her face scrunched up in concentration. “Daddy?”

“He’s not here, sweetheart. But d'you know who is?”

Jackie shook her head - and the rest of her body - from side-to-side.

“That right there,” Rose said, pointing to the gravestone. “That’s my mum. This world’s version anyway.” A fresh wave of grief crashed into her at the words, and she pulled Jackie close. “I wish you could have known her, that she could have seen you even once. Oh, god. I’m so sorry, Jackie…”

Rose was at a complete loss. She had no idea what to say, what to do. She had nowhere to go and no one to turn to. The only remaining link to her mother was held tightly in her arms, that warm bundle of energy that exuded life and promise and hope, none of which she herself felt.

Coming here had been a mistake. When Bad Wolf Bay failed her, Rose truly believed that she might feel some sort of absolution, some sort of reprieve at her mother’s gravesite. But the fact was that this wasn’t her mother. It was a Jackie Tyler, but not her Jackie Tyler.

No matter what she did, she couldn’t outrun the demons that had taken up residency in her mind. Everywhere she turned she felt the darkness encroaching on her heart. It wasn’t healthy. Not for her, and certainly not for Jackie. There was only one thing that she could think of to do.

It had to end.