This is intended as a writing exercise to get me going on my original fiction. My take on Season 3 if Rose never left. Let me know what you think, though I'd appreciate constructive criticism only.
The Doctor turned from the window to face Pete, his 'I've got a brilliant idea' smile firmly in place. His smile got impossibly wider as he regarded his friends for an instant before leaping into action
"Oh, I'm ready. Equipment right here- thank you Torchwood- slam it down and close of both universes." As he spoke, he hurried to one of the terminals typing quickly. Rose frowned at him.
"But we can't just leave." She began, following him as he worked "What about the Daleks, and the Cybermen?"
"They're part of the problem, and that makes them part of the solution! Oh yes!" He beamed at Rose for a moment, who chuckled uncertainly in response. He paused looking round at everyone expectantly.
"Well? Isn't anyone going to ask 'what is it with the glasses?'" He demanded.
"What is it with the glasses?" Rose immediately returned with an enthusiastic smile.
"Because I can see, that's what!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Because we've got two separate worlds, but in between the two separate worlds, we've got the void. That's where the Daleks were hiding. And the Cybermen traveled through the void to get here. And you lot! One world to another- via the void." He paused, momentarily distracted. "oh, I like that; via the void!" He removed the paper and plastic 3d specs, and pushed them onto Rose's face excitedly. She grinned and straightened them on her nose. "Look, I've been through it. D'you see?" the Doctor asked bobbing and weaving his head in front of her so she could see the particles shift around him. She laughed, stretching out a hand as if to touch them.
"What is it?" she asked, fascinated.
"Void stuff" he replied still weaving around. Rose's eyes widened and she shifted her hand to point at him.
"like, um, background radiation!"
"That's it." The Doctor answered. He spun her around by the arm, excited as always when they were on the same wavelength. "Look at the others" he continued, hovering just behind her. "The only one who hasn't been through the void" He pointed dramatically, at Jackie "Your Mother. First time she's looked normal in her life". Jackie fixed him with a withering glare
"Oi!" The Doctor ignored her, and continued
"The Daleks lived inside the void, they're bristling with it, Cybermen, all of em'" He declared, running towards the wall, Rose trailing behind. "I just open the void, and reverse. The void stuff gets sucked back inside" Rose having caught on now was every bit as excited as he was and gestured wildly.
"Pullin' 'em all in!" She exclaimed
"Pullin' 'em all in!" he echoed
"S-sorry, what's the void?" Mickey asked, pulling Rose and the Doctor from their shared reverie.
"The dead space." The Doctor answered simply, then seeing Mickey's expression, elaborated "Some people call it hell." Mickey paused for a moment to consider this as he pulled the flat yellow disk over his head.
"So, you're sending the Daleks and Cybermen to hell?" He looked over at his shoulder to Jake with an appreciative smile "Man, I told you he was good."
Realization was slowly spreading on Rose's face as she looked down at her own hands.
"But, it's like you said, we've all got that void stuff. Me too, cause we went through that parallel world." She looked down at her hand and the sickly green particles floating around it as the Doctor approached her. She ripped the glasses off her face. "We're all contaminated, we'll get pulled in." The Doctor steeled himself for the argument he knew was coming, and looked at her seriously.
"Reboot in two minutes" a mechanical voice interrupted.
"That's why you've got to go." The Doctor said gently "Back to Pete's world." He paused, and grinned over to Pete "Hey, we should call it that; Pete's World!" He turned back to Rose, his face all business again. "I'm opening the void, but only on this side. You'll be safe on that side." Rose stared at him in growing horror. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did he really think he was going to send her away again? Didn't he get it?
"And then you close it?" Pete interrupted "For good?" The Doctor seemed almost startled when Pete spoke, and turned to answer.
"The breech itself is soaked in void stuff, in the end it'll close itself. And that's it. Caput. "He turned back to Rose.
"But you stay on this side?" She clarified.
"But you'll get pulled in" Mickey cut in. The Doctor ignored him for a full five seconds, as he stared into Rose's eyes, willing her to understand. He needed her safe. He shook himself slightly, and bounded off towards the others.
"That's why" he ran past to fetch the large black magnetic clamps "I've got these. Just have to hold on tight- been doing it all my life." Rose stepped forward.
"I'm supposed to go?" She began.
"Yeah" he said nonchalantly as he dropped the clamp.
"To another world, and then it gets sealed off." She continued. He didn't meet her gaze, instead turning to the nearest terminal, staring fixedly at the screen.
"Yeah"
"Forever?" He didn't answer. She chuckled to herself at the absurdity of the idea of leaving him forever.
"Well, that's not going to happen." Her words were punctuated by a glass shattering explosion. The sound galvanized Pete, who grabbed Jackie by the sleeve. All of his people moved towards the center of the room.
"We haven't got time to argue, the plan works, we're going. You two- all of us."
"I'm not leaving him!" Rose protested
"I'm not goin' without her" Jackie told Pete, who for his part looked supremely annoyed.
"Oh, my God, we're going" he commanded stepping forward to grab Jackie. Jackie glared at him.
"I've had twenty years without you, so button it, I'm not leaving her!" She snarled. Rose spun Jackie around to face her.
"You've got to!"
"Well that's tough!" Jackie snapped back.
"Reboot in one minute" The mechanical announcement seemed to punctuate her words.
"Mum" Rose began softly "I've had a life with you for nineteen years. But then I met the Doctor. And all the things I've seen him do for me, for you, for the whole stupid planet, and every planet out there- he does it alone, mum!" The Doctor straightened, face indescribable as he listened to her words. Over Jackie's head, Pete fixed him with a pleading look. The Doctor slowly stepped towards Rose, face drawn in resignation. "But not anymore" Rose continued oblivious as Pete slowly pulled out his dimension cannon, and the Doctor pulled another from his pocket. She stepped backwards, closer to the Doctor. "Cause now, he's got me" She finished with a sad smile. As the words left her mouth, the Doctor hung the disk around her neck, and Pete grabbed onto Jackie, smashing his hand against the button as he did so. The Doctor had just enough time to register the shock on Rose's face, and then she was gone. He stood there for a moment, allowing just a second of grief for the loss of his dearest friend, and then steeled himself for the task ahead.
Rose materialized on the other side of the void, not quite comprehending what just happened. She glanced around at the dark room for a moment, feeling the anger rise in her stomach.
"Oh, no you don't. He's not doing that to me again!" She lifted the disk, briefly, and fiddled with it for a moment, squeezed her eyes shut, and slammed her hand against the button, in her haste missing the horrified look on her mother's face.
"I think this is the 'on' switch" She announced by way of greeting as she appeared in the brightly lit room once again. The Doctor spun around in surprise and alarm as she spoke. He dashed over to her, grabbing her arms furiously, face inches from hers.
"Once the bridge collapses, that's it! You will never be able to see her again- your own mother!" Rose took a steadying breath and replied in a remarkably calm voice, despite the terror she felt at what she had just done
"I made my choice a long time ago, and I'm never going to leave you." The Doctors eyes widened slightly as the import of her words crashed down on him. Afraid of being sent off again, Rose continued
"So what can I do to help?" The Doctor didn't reply for a moment. He continued to stare at Rose, unable to accept that someone would forsake their whole family forever just for him. The overhead announcement that the system had completed its reboot snapped him back. He pointed to a terminal.
"Those coordinated over there. Set them all to six. And hurry up!" He growled, visibly irritated. Rose hurried over to the terminal, trying to stave off the panic rising in her throat, not bothering to remove the disk from her neck as she quickly complied with the Doctor's order.
A warning beep on the computer got both of their attentions.
"Got Cybermen on the way up" Rose announced, and the Doctor hurried over.
"How many floors down?" He asked.
"Just one." He dashed away again redoubling his efforts. He finished quickly, pressing the last button with a flourish and a grin.
"That's more like it, bit of a smile" Rose said returning the expression. "The old team." The Doctor ran to retrieve the two clamps, continuing her sentence as he did.
"Hope, and Glory! Mutt and Jeff! Shiver and Shake!"
"Which one's Shiver?" She asked as he handed her a clamp.
"Oh, I'm shake."
They ran to opposite sides of the room, each positioning themselves just behind one of the two levers. "Press the red button" the Doctor ordered Rose. She complied, and the electromagnet activated sealing the clamp to the wall. As one they moved towards the levers. The Doctor paused to look at Rose. "When it starts, just hold on tight. Shouldn't be too bad for us, but the Cybermen and the Daleks are steeped in void stuff." He grabbed onto a lever, and waited for her to do the same. "You ready?" He asked. Rose looked out the window at the Daleks preparing to exterminate them, and nodded once.
"So are they" She murmured. The Doctor followed her gaze, and his eyes widened.
"Let's do it!" He yelled, taking a breath and hauling on the lever for all he was worth. As soon as the levers clicked into place, the Doctor and Rose dove towards the clamps, wrapping their arms through the grips and holding on for dear life. There was a whirring sound as the machinery revved up, followed by a whine as the breach ripped into being. Rose clutched at the clamp as the first Daleks went sailing past her. She tried to brace herself against the lever mechanism as the Doctor was doing. The void pulled at her ripping at her hands, clawing at her body like a living thing. The Daleks shrieked in their harsh mechanical voices as they were pulled to their deaths. Over the din she dimly heard the Doctor shouting. "The breach is open; into the void! Ha!" He cried.
As the number of Daleks swarming past her increased, the Doctor spared Rose a concerned glance. She gave him the best smile she could. They never knew, focused on each other as they were what exactly caused the malfunction. Whether a Dalek managed a lucky shot, or impacted the mechanism, or if it was an electrical short in the circuitry. The next thing they knew, sparks were flying from the lever mechanism at Rose's feet, and the lever was moving of its own volition towards the 'off ' position. The flow of Daleks slowed, and in the increasing quiet "Offline" could be heard. The Daleks slowed further, and Rose exchanged a panicked look with the Doctor before reaching for the lever. She stretched as far as her arms would let her, but she could only just manage to brush it with her fingers. Loosened by her struggle, the disk slipped out of her shirt. She ignored it, and let go of the clamp, grabbing onto the lever instead.
The Doctor's eyes were wide with obvious terror. As he watched Rose's struggle he twitched as he fought the urge to reach for her. His mouth opened and closed a few times, but he wasn't sure what to say. "Hold on!" he screamed as she reached for the lever. She let go of the clamp, and his eyes widened further. One didn't need to be able to see the future to realize what was about to happen. She cried out, shouting something about getting the lever back upright, but he was too panicked to focus on her words. She met his eyes, and he knew. They both knew she wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. She turned away again. Gritting her teeth, and pushing with all her might. She felt as much as heard when the lever clicked into place, and the emotionless announcement of "Online and locked" was nearly lost as the void's pull doubled, then doubled again. Daleks and now Cybermen were streaking past Rose lightning fast, but she barely noticed. She was closer to the void now, and the pull was that much stronger. She felt her grip loosening.
"Rose! Hold on!" The Doctor cried, reaching a hand out to her. She looked at him, as her body was lifted from the ground by the pull from the breach behind her. She cried out with the effort of holding onto the slippery lever.
"Hold on!" the Doctor yelled desperately. For a moment she met his gaze again. She could feel her fingertips slipping from the handle, and all she could think was; if this is going to be the last thing I see, I want it to be him. His eyes widened, and for a moment she thought he was going to let go himself. The disk round her neck came free, and hit her again, this time hard enough to stun her, just for a second, but it was enough. Her fingers came loose from the lever and she was flying. The Doctor's scream cut off sharply as she landed on the ground with a huff, and looked up to see her mother, Pete and Mickey on the other side of the room. In half a second she was on her feet, dashing forward, and mashing her hand against the button around her neck. She appeared once again beside the lever, and grabbed onto it just as her feet were lifted from under her. She waited for the ripping sensation of the void, but it never came. Instead, with an odd whirling sound, the breach behind her crumpled in on itself like a piece of paper. The wind died down, depositing an exhausted Rose on the ground, as the automated system announced to no-one in particular "Systems Closed".
Half a second later, Rose felt herself pulled from the ground, but this time it wasn't the void.
"What the hell were you playing at?" The Doctor yelled, shaking her slightly, before pulling her into a bone crushing hug. Rose didn't respond, she locked her arms around the Doctor, and held on. He wasn't sure if the sounds escaping her throat was laughter our sobs, but he was too happy to have her here and alive to care. He lifted her as he stood, swinging her around in a circle. That definitely elicited a laugh or two, and Rose held on tighter, kicking her legs slightly.
Eventually, the Doctor set her on the ground. He took a step back and cleared his throat.
"Good work, Lewis" he said in a mock serious voice. Rose shot him a grin and an ironic salute
"Thanks, Sarge." Her smile slowly faded, as she turned to the now blank wall. Slowly she walked over to it, and gingerly placed her fingertips against the smooth surface.
"Mum" she murmured. The Doctor let her stand there for a moment, tears slowly tracing down her face, before he stepped forward, and took her hand.
"Come with me" He said softly. She nodded, and let him lead her away, looking back at the sterile white wall. "I can't get you back to your mother" The Doctor said as he led her into the TARDIS. "But I might be able to let you say a proper goodbye."
Jackie was staring out at the ocean when Rose materialized. Behind her, Rose could see Mickey and Pete a few yards away.
"Mum!" Rose said, wishing more than anything she could hug her one more time. Jackie spun and saw her daughter.
"Rose! Oh sweetheart, I've missed you!"
"I've missed you too, Mum." Rose said, fighting the tears that pricked in the corner of her eye.
"Where are you? How comes you look like a ghost?" Jackie demanded. Rose looked to her left, at someone Jackie couldn't see, but she could guess.
"Hold on" Jackie heard the Doctors voice. A moment later, Rose solidified. Jackie stepped forward to hug her daughter, but Rose held a hand up
"We're inside the TARDIS" Rose answered Jackie's previous question "The Doctor found one tiny little crack in the universe left, just about to close. I'm still just an image."
"Well, cant you come through properly? Cant that Doctor bring you back to me?" Jackie's voice grew shriller as she fought to keep from crying. A tear trailed down Rose's cheek. "Put the Doctor on! Let him tell me why he can't bring you back to me!" She demanded. As she spoke, the Doctor stepped into view just behind Rose. He placed a hand consolingly on Rose's shoulder and Jackie felt a momentary surge of anger, that that man could touch her daughter when she could not.
"We, cant, Jackie, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, but if we tried, the whole thing would fracture. Two universes would collapse."
"So?" Jackie asked
"Where are we? Where did the gap come out?" The Doctor asked, hoping to lighten the mood for mother and daughter.
"Back of beyond, bloody Norway" Jackie shot back "Darlink Ulv Stranden"
"Dalek?" Rose and the Doctor said together.
"Darlink" Jackie corrected. "Norwegian for bad. It's Bad Wolf Bay or sommat" Rose and the Doctor exchanged a look.
"You've got about two minutes" The Doctor whispered in Rose's ear. Her eyes widened, and more tears fell.
"I can't think what to say" Rose cried.
"Oh sweetheart!" Jackie said involuntarily reaching for Rose but touching only air.
"You've still got Pete and Mickey then." Rose said trying to pull herself together. Jackie smiled at this.
"They miss you too. There's four of us now. Baby on the way. Three months gone I am" Rose smiled at her mother.
"That's wonderful!" Jackie's smile faded
"What about you, sweetheart. What are you going to do now?"
"I've got the Doctor. Same old life, kicking around the Universe." Jackie's eyes flashed at the mention of the Doctor. She looked up at him.
"That's another thing! You're she's got now, my Rose. She's not going to have anyone to come home to if you leave. I want your word, you're going to take care of her! You can't bring her back to me, but you promise me you'll keep her safe!" The Doctor opened his mouth, and closed it again.
"Mum, you can't-"
"Yes I can! If I'm never going to see my only daughter again, I want that much at least. Can you do that, Doctor? Promise you'll always do your best to keep her safe?" The Doctor nodded.
"I love you Mum!" Rose said, tears falling in earnest now.
"I love you too, Rose" Jackie said, losing her composure. She covered her mouth with one hand as she choked back the sobs rising in her chest.
"Give Mickey, and Pete my love. Don't forget me." Rose cried.
"I will. You promise me you'll be careful!" Jackie responded. Rose opened her mouth to reply, and vanished. Jackie stared at the empty space for a moment before she lost the last of her composure. She doubled over where she stood, sobbing, and when Pete gathered her into his arms, she didn't resist.
Rose stared at the spot where the image of her mother had just been. Tears fell silently down her cheeks. The Doctor turned her around, and pulled her against him, letting her cry to her heart's content. He didn't say anything, just held her, and softly stroked her hair. When the last of her tears were spent, she stepped back from him, gratefully accepting the hanky he offered. She dried her eyes, as he stepped over to the controls to take them back into the vortex, and away from the supernova.
"What?" She heard the Doctor and looked up. She followed his shocked gaze to a very surprised looking woman in a wedding dress.
"What?" Rose echoed. The Bride squeaked.
"What?" The Doctor asked again, slightly louder.
"Who are you?" The Bride demanded. The Doctor looked helplessly at Rose
"But"
"How the-" Rose started
"Where am I?" The Bride wanted to know
"What?" The Doctor repeated clearly bewildered
"What the hell is this place?" The Bride snarled.
"What?"