I originally had my doubts about writing this chapter, but once I started I couldn't stop! It contains random references to the old and new Doctor Who. It also contains my ideas on what could have happened in the Time War.

3. I will find out more about Gallifrey and the Time War.

Ah, the Doctor. Great guy, no doubt about it. But there was always something about him I wanted to know – his past. I knew he came from a planet called Gallifrey, he's a Time Lord and his people died in the Time War against the Daleks. But what was Gallifrey like? How did the Time War come about? I tried to think of ways to approach him about the issue, but I knew he'd just change the subject or something. And so, I thought of a plan.

I was in the library. I was reading a book on World War II. Okay, I wasn't really reading it. It was just a prop. The Doctor entered.

"Hi Rose," he said. "Whatcha reading?"

"Oh, just a book on World War II," I said innocently. "It's really fascinating to find out what happened, how we got involved, etc." The Doctor nodded.

"Of course, some of it's really dark," I continued. "Like the Holocaust and treatment of the Jews and things. But terrible as it is, you want to know about it. It's important to inform the world about these things. Take Rwanda for example. People didn't know about the horror and the genocide until it was on the news."

"I would've thought you'd be too young to remember that," the Doctor said.

"I did Modern History at school, and I learned a thing or two before dropping out," I said, slightly annoyed that the Doctor under-estimated me. "My point is, it's important to get things out in the open. If the people around you know, they can help you. Whether it be the UN helping people on the other side of the world or … someone helping a friend who has experienced deep trauma." I held my breath, waiting for the Doctor to respond.

"Rose," he began. "Do you want to know about my past?"

"If you're happy to let me," I said. "I just thought if you properly grieved and let out your pain, it might help you grow as a person. I mean alien. I mean … you know."

"Yeah," said the Doctor. "Okay then. What do you want to know?" I was surprised that the Doctor was so willing. When I thought about it, I realised I didn't have a prepared list of questions or anything.

"Um … what was Gallifrey like before the war?" I asked. That seemed easy enough to start off with. The Doctor sat down.

"It was such a beautiful place," he said. "There were people who went about their lives without a care in the world. Regeneration was just a way to spend as long as possible with the ones you loved. Then there were the proper Time Lords. They were the explorers. They went all over time and space, not looking for trouble but simply a good time."

"So the whole you saving the universe and everything …" I began.

"… got me into a whole lot of trouble with the High Council of Gallifrey," the Doctor finished. "I actually lost a life because of them. I was just one of those people who couldn't stand by and watch things happen. At one point I was banished to Earth. Incidentally I didn't mind it that much, but it did get a bit boring solving mysteries and stuff in mid twentieth century Britain every day. So it was a relief when I got the TARDIS working again. But listen to me, I'm rambling. You were asking about Gallifrey."

"Well, if you didn't spend that much time there, it doesn't really matter," I said.

"It's no problem," the Doctor said. "As I said, beautiful place. But it wasn't paradise. The fact that the Gallifreyans had such advanced technology made some people … power hungry. Some Time Lords weren't in it for the excitement or even the life saving like me. They were in it for the chance at world-domination."

"Ah," I said.

"Yeah," the Doctor said. "First the Master, then the Rani …"

"Are all Time Lords called 'the' something?" I asked, half jokingly, half seriously.

"No," said the Doctor, letting out a small laugh. "One of my companions was a Time Lady. Her name was Romanadvoratrelundar, Romana for short."

"Oh," I said. "So how long ago was the Time War?"

"Not very long," said the Doctor. "Take how long you've been with me, and add a week or two."

"Oh crap," I said, shocked. "I had no idea it was that recent. God, I can see why you were so sensitive about it."

"It's okay, I didn't do much to explain the situation," the Doctor said comfortingly.

"And … it was with the Daleks?" I said.

"Yep," the Doctor replied. "The Daleks are one of my oldest enemies. I can't tell you the number of times I've run into them over the years. But if they weren't serious about their intentions before, they were dead serious now. Their hatred of the Time Lords over the years built up until the rest of the universe didn't matter – they had to get us out of the way. It was all that mattered. So anyway, all the Gallifreyans were called forth to fight them. I may not have been on good terms with the High Council, but we forgot our differences to rid the universe of the Daleks once and for all. Oh, we had so much technology. The atomic bomb was like a twig compared to what we came up with. But the Daleks matched it. They developed new abilities and trained to be as ruthless as possible."

"Bloody hell," I said. "So it was a big deal."

"Trust me, there had been time wars before, but this was the mother of all of them," said the Doctor. "If we failed, who knows what the Daleks could be capable of? They could exterminate everything in the universe. We were all that stood in their way."

"So there was a lot of pressure," I said.

"Just a bit," answered the Doctor. "It was a long war. And it wasn't just in one place. It wasn't like we were behind the trenches. It was jumping all over time and space. All the higher species knew of it. The Trees from the Forest of Cheem, the Autons …"

"The Gelth," I remembered.

"Exactly," said the Doctor. "It was one of the biggest events in the universe. And it changed the way you thought about things. You remember the London Blitz, when I was so happy when everybody lived? Well, in the Time War, there was nothing I wanted more than to see a Dalek getting blown up. To see bits of it everywhere, floating through space. I was turned into a killing machine. All I wanted was to see the Daleks dead. And then along came my chance. I came across technology that could wipe out the Daleks for good."

"It wasn't a delta wave, was it?" I asked.

"No, but similar," the Doctor said. "It had enough power to wipe out everything in its path. All it needed was to be adjusted. But I didn't have enough time. I didn't learn everything about it. I didn't know of its properties or who would be affected by it. It was the biggest gamble of my life. And I …" The Doctor couldn't go on.

"It's okay," I said. "You don't need to go on." I gave the Doctor a hug.

"But it doesn't end there," the Doctor said. "It continues in Utah 2012 and on the Gamestation in 200,100."

"Actually, you never told me how you got rid of the Emperor and the other Daleks," I said. "Don't think I actually bought that crap about you singing to them. So did you use the delta wave?"

"Ah," said the Doctor. "Well, I didn't get rid of them. You did."

"Sorry?" I said, confused.

"You looked into the time vortex Rose, you had all the power in the universe," the Doctor said. I leaned forward, intrigued.

"It took no effort for you to disintegrate all the Daleks," the Doctor continued. "You spoke the words 'The Time War ends'. Rose, it was all you." My eyes widened. I thought all the TARDIS had done was take me back to the Doctor. Now he was telling me it gave me the power of a god.

"Whoa," I breathed. "I can't believe this."

"How do you think I felt at the time?" said the Doctor. "I'd just sent you home. I certainly didn't count on you coming back."

"You don't regret it though, do you?" I asked.

"It was the best thing that's ever happened to me," the Doctor said. I blushed. The Doctor smiled at me and held my hand.

Talk about revelations, I thought.

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

There we go. Now I'll just check the time on my NEW DALEK WATCH ... well I think that's all for now. I'm glad I got interested in this again. Please review!