Chapter Two: Second Chance

Rose names her daughter Cassandra. Cassandra Yvonne Tyler. Cassie for short.

Cassandra, after the Lady Cassandra O'Brien.Δ17.

Yvonne, after Yvonne Hartman, the leader of Torchwood during the Battle of Canary Wharf.

"But Yvonne was so awful," Jackie protests when Rose introduces her daughter.

"Yes, exactly, was."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You don't know about Cassandra, but remember, Mum? You were nearly upgraded, and then a Cyberman saved you."

"Yeah...?"

"That was Yvonne; she went into the upgrade room with a strong mind, strong enough to fend them and their control off, and so she saved you. One good thing before she died. The same happened with Cassandra."

"And who's Cassandra again?"

"Cassandra was on Platform One-"

"What's that?"

"An observation deck in the year 5 billion, to watch the Earth get destroyed."

"You went there?"

"Yeah, it was the Doctor and my first date... We had chips... Anyway. Cassandra used these metal spider things to take over the computer system and override the sun filter on the platform."

"But why?"

"Destroying the ship and killing everyone would get her a ton of money to pay for operations."

"Operations?"

"Yeah, she was all flat, like a piece of skin. I called her a bitchy trampoline. Anyway, the Doctor saved everyone, but she caused the temperature to skyrocket, and her skin dried out. We thought she was dead."

"But she wasn't?"

"Well, no, her brain survived. We bumped into her twenty-three years later, when she was hiding in a hospital on New Earth. She used a psychograft to possess me."

"Why'd she do that?"

"Well, she hated me for what the Doctor and I did, so it was revenge, but she also wanted to use my body so she could live longer. But the Doctor saw right through it. Cassandra was hardly good at imitating me."

"Okay, so what happened?"

"Well, the Doctor and Cassandra-inside-me had to save a bunch of clones in the hospital, but that's a story for another time. Anyway, after everyone was saved, the Doctor wanted Cassandra to leave me, but she didn't want to die. But then her little assistant, Chip, showed up, and so she went into Chip. But Chip was dying, too, and eventually she accepted that. We took her to see her past self, so she wouldn't die alone."

"So what did she do that was good? Sounds like a terrible person to me."

"She was in my head and I could feel her. She wasn't evil. She just wanted to live forever. She wanted to be always, eternal, you know? And when she went into Chip's body, she told me, 'Why can't I just be beautiful like you, little human girl? You're beautiful, and loved, and I'm nothing, just an old creature that can never shine. It's the end now, little girl. I'm through. Just let me die in peace. Beg your Doctor not to hurt poor Chip for me. He's so unloved, like me. Just let me be loved, little girl. Please, let me be beautiful, just once before I go.' And I never told the Doctor this, but she went into Chip for a reason. She knew Chip was dying, and she chose to leave me and go into Chip. She saw something in me, something she knew she could never have, even if she was inside of me. One good thing before she died, just like Yvonne. Neither of them got a second chance to be good. So this is for them, the two people who never got their opportunity to stand at the Doctor's side. Because Cassie never will, either."

Rose's heart breaks when she says this, never thinking for a minute that that second-chance name would one day fit so perfectly to this second-chance child.