A/N: This is a sequel to "A New Way to Keep Company" and "It's a Gift." This story takes place after episode "The Satan Pit." I place it as taking place a few weeks after the events of "A New Way to Keep Company."

An impossible planet. An impossible enemy to defeat and an impossible escape to make. It was all in a day's work for Rose and the Doctor. The stuff of legend as he had just called them and they truly were if their daily life was any indication. However, what had been happening inside of Rose all day was not normal and whatever it was was now coming to a head.

"I promised you I'd bring this spacesuit back intact," he chattered on as he fiddled with a button on the console. "And I always bring a good spacesuit back in proper condition. Welllll...I say always but there was this one time on Apollo 13. Though in my defense-"

The Doctor continued his story, talking quickly and excitedly but Rose didn't know what he was saying anymore. Something was happening inside of her head and right now that was all she could focus on. She didn't know what it was. Something had felt wrong, felt off, inside of her all day but it was now reaching an alarming level. She clenched her eyes shut in pain, hung her head and grabbed the console in front of her for stability.

They had just visited a sanctuary base on Krop-Tor, the so called "impossible planet," suspended in orbit around a black hole. Even for the two of them it had been an eventful day. They had nearly lost the TARDIS forever, been attacked by the Ood and a monster who called himself Satan, and the Doctor had almost been lost down in the pit of the planet. Rose would have understood if she was tired, maybe even feeling a little spent after the day's events. Even though she kept up well with the Doctor most of the time there was still a point after the adrenaline wore off where she had to call it quits for the day.

But what she was experiencing now was not that. This wasn't just a headache as a result of stress from everything that had happened today. The problem was with her mind, not her head. Ever since the night she and the Doctor had touched each other's minds she was more aware of her own mind. She was now conscious of its power and strength and just its presence in general. Now that she had a moment to stop and focus she realized that this was where her problem rested. Her concern grew as she realized just how much it was aching. While she was now aware of her mind it had never hurt like this. It was pulsing and sounds around her were fading and the colors were distorting. She was starting to panic at the feeling it might explode.

She felt the Doctor's hand on her arm. "Rose, what's wrong?"

His voice sounded distant though she knew he was right beside her. She was getting dizzier by the minute. "It's my head," she said putting a hand to her forehead.

"What's wrong with it?" he asked running his hand comfortingly up and down her arm. Her skin tingled and seemed to spark under the touch and the aching in her mind intensified. Her mind felt like it was bursting with energy. It felt like it was straining to release it but it was bound by some invisible restraint.

"I don't know!" she cried desperately. "It's my mind, something's wrong with it."

"Your mind?"

"Yeah," she said gripping the console in front of her tighter with both hands. "It feels like it's gonna explode! There is so much energy. It's pulsing and throbbing. It's aching so."

Though she couldn't see it, a look of realization was dawning on his face. "When did this start?" he asked already piecing it all together.

Rose took several deep breaths, trying to think clearly, to formulate a thought. "It started, well I guess...now that I think about it, it started back when we thought we were stranded, though it wasn't that bad at first. I felt strange all day, like something inside of me was trying to reach out and my emotions were stronger than usual. I don't know. Does that sound daft? But it got much worse when you were down in the pit. But it wasn't until we got back to the TARDIS that it became unbearable."

"Does it get worse when I talk or I touch you?"

"Yes...how did you know that?"

"Rose" he said quietly, putting his hands on her shoulders and guiding her over to the jump seat. "I know what's going on," he said helping her sit down.

"What is it? What's wrong with me?" she asked fear clear in her voice. She struggled to open her eyes and look at him but the look she saw on his face did not comfort her. He looked pained, guilty, sorrowful.

"Nothing's wrong. You're going to be fine."

"I don't feel like I'm going to be fine."

"I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

"What is?"

"I didn't know that this would happen. I would have warned you. I just didn't think it would happen since you're human. That's why I never explained it."

"What is it?" she cried desperately needing an answer. Her mind still felt out of control and the way he was looking at her really scared her.

"It's your mind; it's trying to reach out."

"Reach out? Reach out for what?"

"For me."

Rose was surprised. This is not where she thought the conversation was going to go. She was terrified that something bad was happening to her. Now that she was starting to get a hint at what this meant she was becoming less frightened and more excited.

The Doctor noticed her surprised expression and continued on. "Your mind is trying to reach out and touch mine."

Rose had a shot of pleasure run through her at the mention of her mind touching the Doctor's. They had touched minds before but that had been different. She'd had to focus and reach out. But this was something that was happening on its own.

"I don't understand. Why is it doing it on its own?"

"It's our bond," he said and he looked apologetic about it.

"Our bond?" she asked. She didn't know why he looked apologetic when he said it. She felt warm inside when she said it. It sounded good to say. Our bond. He'd not called it that before. Memories flooded back into her mind of the night that they had touched minds for the first time. It was something he greatly needed and something she hadn't even known they could have. It had felt so good to reach out and touch his mind and feel his against hers. She remembered how close she had felt to him that night and how incredibly special it'd been to be with him in that way.

That had been a few weeks ago but neither one had spoken of it yet. She had desired to try it again as soon as they could but she had forced herself to be patient. She knew what a big step it was for the Doctor to admit his need for telepathic touch and to ask her for it. She was certain he didn't regret letting her in or sharing so much with her but it had been a great leap of faith for him to share so much. She knew he might need some time to allow her to be close with him like that again and so she was giving him that time. He couldn't be rushed into things like this. As much as she wanted to be close in their minds again she knew you often had to take your time with the Doctor. That of course didn't stop her from being bursting with anticipation for the day when they would do just that.

Even after that first and only time, things between them were different. Outsiders wouldn't be able to put their finger on just what it was but she and the Doctor knew. They loved each other and now they both knew it. The changes on the outside were subtle, so subtle in fact some might not even be able to tell if they were a couple or not. Only the two of them could feel the real changes. Those changes were deep and on the inside. Only they could feel the invisible but strong thread that bound them together. Not much had changed between them in the traditional human sense but she knew that something had certainly changed in a deeper mental sense.

She could tell that the time together inside of each other's minds had changed her. She had always been good at reading the Doctor but she now could sense his emotions much stronger than she ever had. She couldn't hear his thoughts but she could definitely sense more than she ever had been able to before. Surely, those things would only grow stronger the more times they shared their minds.

She was glad they were talking about it now and hopeful this meant they could try it again. But for all her excitement over this new development in their relationship, he didn't look excited at all. He looked remorseful. Did he regret it all? "What does that mean?" she asked in concern.

He let out a breath and stood up. He walked a few steps away and ran both his hands through his hair. "I should have known this would happen," he said almost to himself. She squinted to look at him as he walked away, her mind still raging.

"You should have known what would happen?" she asked.

"We're bonded now," he said gravely. She waited but his explanation ended here.

"Come over here," she motioned for him to come back and sit beside of her on the jump seat. The physical distance was making it difficult for her hear and speak with him. It also made her notice a definite emotional distance between them which she did not care for at all.

He shook his head and looked down. "It'll only make it worse."

"Actually, what's making it worse is not getting a straight answer from you. Get over here. Please," she added the last word with more softness than the others. She could sense a full blown self-loathing sulk session coming on him and she was eager to nip it in the bud. Especially, now when she needed to know what was going on. She knew he didn't like to talk about things like this but she deserved to at least know what was going on.

He sat down beside her and she took one of his hands in hers. Her mind seemed to press against some invisible barrier at the touch but she tried to ignore it and focus solely on the Doctor. "Alright," she managed to say calmly. "We're bonded now. What does that mean?"

He took a deep breath and tried to think of where to start. "When we touched minds before, I wasn't entirely honest about that process means for Time Lords. I wasn't trying to dishonest or misleading," he was quick to add. "I just didn't think to tell you because I didn't think it would apply to you."

"Go on," she encouraged to show she wasn't mad like he seemed to sense she would be.

"Well, when Time Lords would sit down to touch minds, really make a connection, like we did, we were always very careful to choose who we did that with. It wasn't just because it's so personal. It was because when we sat down and really connected with a person, sharing memories and emotions, and really delving down deep into that person, you would bond yourself to that person. You could touch a person's mind casually and not have that happen; we did it all the time. But what you and I did would be enough to bind people together."

"What does it mean to be bonded?"

"It means..." he said trailing off, like it was difficult for him to say." It means you will always need that other person."

"You mean, you need to connect telepathically with them?"

"Yes. You not only want to touch minds and be close in that way but you have to. Your mind aches for it. But it's just...so much more than that. You are more in tune to that person. You're more aware of them and what they're feeling. You're emotionally more connected to them."

"So, that's what I'm feeling right now? My mind needs telepathic touch?"

"Yes," he said and she did not like the look of shame that was on his face. "Your mind is trying to touch mine. Everything that's been happening to you today is a result of the bond. The aching isn't usually this bad. Stress can make it stronger. That's why you first felt it when we thought we were stranded. You were upset, at first, so your mind was seeking comfort. But almost losing me was what surely made it come to this undeniable level. You thought you had lost me and then your mind needed to know I was alright, so it became more persistent."

It was a lot to process but she wasn't entirely surprised. It made everything that had happened in the past few weeks make sense and she was just about to say as much when he interrupted.

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" she asked.

"It's...something you can never get away from. It cannot be broken as long as both parties are still living. Even being physically distant, you can't get away from needing that person."

Rose couldn't help but feel a twinge of pain and it had nothing to do with her mind. Why would he be talking about getting away from it? "You don't want it?" she asked though she almost said it as a statement. He was clearly not happy with this particular turn of events.

He looked uncomfortable and tugged at his ear before he spoke. They had learned so much about each other the first time that they had bonded. But they'd still yet to say anything about what had happened, out loud with actual words. It was still difficult for him to voice his feelings to her. Maybe he wouldn't have even said anything expect he could see how upset she was. "Of course, I want it," he said quietly he said taking her hands, "I just...I just should have considered it more thoroughly and warned you that this could happen. I just thought since you were not born with a need for telepathic touch that connecting would not create a need for it in you. It was something you didn't need and now you do."

"Didn't you think I would want it?" she asked in a small voice glancing away. She found she was a little nervous talking about it too. It hurt a little to think that he didn't realize what that night had meant to her.

"I'd hoped you'd want it but I didn't think you'd need it. Not like a physical need for it. Humans don't need to connect telepathically with each other. They're not really even made for it. That's why your mind feels like its bound and bursting with energy. It's trying to reach across the distance and touch like Time Lords could but you needs the physical touch. "

"Hold on," she asked looking at him again, realization dawning on her. "You knew all of this already, about yourself. You knew it would was going to be that way for you? You knew that if you did that with me you would need me that way?"

It took a few moments but he finally looked at her with a look of determination in his eyes and answered. "Yes," he said looking down, his tone holding something in it that stirred her heart. The Doctor knew that if he was close to her the way they had been that night that he would need her even more. He knew he would physically ache for her, that he would be more connected to her and need her more than ever, even if she didn't need him. And still he had done it. She found herself awed by his commitment to her that she had not even known he was making.

So overwhelmed she was at this new knowledge that she had a hard time coming up with something to say. He pressed on in the silence. "It wasn't fair of me to put you in that situation without letting you know it could be a possibility. Wanting something and having to have it are two very different things."

"You are acting like this is a problem," she said still reeling from the revelation and what it meant of his feelings for her.

"Isn't it?" he asked self-consciously.

"Not to me it isn't."

The Doctor looked around for a minute, confused, and then looked back at her. "You're not mad?"

"Mad? Why would I be mad?"

"Welllll..." he started uncomfortably, "I kind of signed you up for a lifetime commitment to me. The bonding, it's a good thing, undeniably so. There is a lot to be gained from it."

"Yes, I've seen that," she said with a tongue in teeth smile.

It worked. He smiled back before becoming serious again. "But it does require something of you. It tethers you to actually need that person. You'll never stop needing them," he said with some gravity.

She knew he was expecting this news to hit her hard. But the truth was that she had already tethered herself to the Doctor a long time ago. She had needed him for a long time now and she had chosen to stay with him forever. She had already decided that she would spend the rest of her existence with him. If this new connection meant that she could be closer to him and have to touch minds with him more often...well she just couldn't see anything wrong with that. This would only be a different way she needed him than before.

"Why do you think my answer would have been different if I had known what I was getting myself into ahead of time?" she asked and it was her way of saying that it would not have been. "You have got to get it out of your mind that you-" but she stopped because she almost said 'that you love me more than I love you' but they still hadn't uttered those words even though they knew they were true. So, she rephrased it. "-that the scales are uneven between us."

"But-"

She took his face in both of her hands and pulled him closer. "I want this. With you," she said simply and clearly so he would be listening. "It's alright for you to want it too. You don't have to feel guilty for wanting this or for being glad we have this."

For a moment she could see that he was touched at her words. He did want this and he wanted to take her permission to be happy about it. But he thought it was selfish and he shouldn't be glad. He was at war on the inside. After a while, he opened his mouth to continue talking but she stopped him.

"That's enough talking. Do something about my head already," she said and then stopped. "Sorry. Was that was rude?"

But he smiled back at her. "Been spending too much time with this rude not ginger, I think."

She closed her eyes and bit her lip in anticipation as he reached for her head. He took his hands and swept his fingertips very lightly along her hairline, across her forehead and down the sides till he was cupping her face. Her head tingled all the way along where he had touched. She waited but he didn't move any more.

"Well don't stop now," she said with a hint of joking in her voice but mostly she was serious.

She heard a chuckle on his part and she opened her eyes and looked at him. "Are you teasing me?" she asked.

"What? Do you mind?"

She was slightly taken back by this comment. Was the Doctor flirting with her? The fact that she was even asking herself that question was amazing. It also meant he was starting to be more comfortable.

"Of course not," she said coyly. "That is as long as you plan on doing a little more than that."

"I thought you might like to reach out first this time. Since I did the last time."

"I don't know what to do," she said nervously.

"Yes you do. You're brilliant at this," he said with confidence. He turned crossing his legs and facing her on the seat.

Rose tucked her legs under herself and scooted closer to him on the seat. She reached out her hands towards the Doctor's head. Her hands were shaking slightly betraying her nervousness so she pulled them back and she held them together in embarrassment.

"It's alright Rose," the Doctor encouraged. He took both her hands in his. "We've done this before."

"I know," she said quietly. She wasn't sure why she was nervous. This was something she'd wanted to do ever since the first time they'd done it. She'd longed to feel his mind against hers, to hear his voice from inside her head. Her mind was nearly driving her mad from wanting it now. But now that they were getting ready to do it she felt an annoying rush of nerves.

She supposed this was how the Doctor felt last time. She remembered how nervous and jumpy he had been. She had been the one to have to try and reassure him that it was alright for him to need that and for him to reach out to her for it. Now he was doing the same for her.

Suddenly, she was overcome by everything she had felt today, from being separated from him, from almost losing him. "Today when you were gone...I was so lonely for you," she said honestly. "I just...I just..." she said stuttering, it all becoming overwhelming to her. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," he admitted quietly.

"Do you feel what I'm feeling?" she asked. Maybe these feelings were one sided, maybe it wasn't normal to feel this so much. He hadn't said his mind was aching for hers.

But his words eased her fears. "Terribly so," he answered quietly and so honestly she wasn't used to it.

"You didn't say," she said breathlessly.

"I guess I...just have more practice at feeling it."

She understood now what it must have been like for him. The loneliness of the mind was a deep thing and utterly personal, something that was hard to address but needed to be so much. She'd only been feeling it briefly but already she wanted to end it. How long had he felt this way before he'd finally told her what was wrong? She couldn't imagine feeling the way she felt now and not being able to be close with him in this way.

He reached out and placed a hand on her cheek and looked into her eyes. "How did you stand it?" she asked.

"Stand what?"

"The loneliness. Is this what it was like for you...before we bonded?"

He paused remembering. "It wasn't as bad as this, what you're feeling right now. After you bond with someone you need to bond with them, specifically. The pain becomes specific, more intense, more frequent. But it did still hurt for me not to have it at all," he said struggling with his words as he did when he spoke about himself. "It was lonely."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she asked. It broke her heart to think about how long he had been carrying around the kind of loneliness and pain she was feeling right now. He hadn't said anything today about needing this because he had needed it for so long he'd gotten used to ignoring it.

He tugged on his ear nervously with one hand and glanced away. "Wellll...It's just so personal...," he stopped, at a loss for words. "You understand."

"Yeah," she said with a smile. "I do." And she did. He hadn't known how to ask. And now because of her he didn't have to. She knew what they both needed and she was about to take care of it.