Chapter 4: Are you afraid?

POV: Rose

Date: June 1, 20724

"Mum, wait!" Jenny cried. "Stop! You don't know everything yet! Please!"

I looked up into her panicked eyes. "I think I know enough. Doctor, would you help me fly 'er?"

"No, Dad, stop!" Jenny stepped in between the Doctor and the console. "How much has Donna told you?"

The Doctor's eyes flickered over to me. "Jenny, its Jackie we're talking about. I know that name doesn't mean anything to you, but she's important. Move aside."

I felt a smile tug at my lips over his statement for the smallest of moments before my attention returned to the console. "She's my mum, Jenny."

My daughter gave me a withering look. "I know, but you're mine. The Master's luring you there, he wants you dead. That's why he started all of this in the first place!"

"Why?" the Doctor demanded. "Why would he want your mum dead?"

She gave him a pointed look. "Why do you think? To get back at you!" She sighed heavily. "But there's more. Dad, haven't you felt it? Donna is wrong, just like Jack—isn't she? Hasn't she told you about the wound?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Explain."

Jenny pulled out a piece of paper and held it out to him. He snatched it away and read over it quickly.

I looked over at Donna. "What do you know about all of this?"

Her eyes were sad. "Enough."

The Doctor glared at Jenny. I felt my eyes widen. I'd never seen him so livid before. His body was rigid and his fingers clung to the paper so tightly I thought he was going to tear it apart. His face was scrunched up and his eyes full of a black hot rage.

"Doctor?" My voice was small. "Doctor, what is it?"

He kept his eyes on Jenny. "Did you even try to think of another way? Hm? Or were you just going to sacrifice yourself? I just got you both back, and you were going to go off and—" he choked off.

"If I don't, we all die!" Jenny shouted back. "All of us, Dad! And not just us! Everyone we've ever known—even just a little! Anyone who's ever heard our names gets erased from existence. Do you want that? Are we worth the death of billions?"

"Yes." His tone was deadly calm.

"Doctor." Donna stepped towards him bravely. "You know you don't mean that."

"Hello!" I cried. "Somebody care to explain what's going on?"

The Doctor passed the paper over to me. I read over it quickly, and glared up at my daughter. "You didn't think to share this sooner?"

Jenny threw her hands up in the air. "And this is why! You both are just too bloody stubborn to see that this is the only option!"

"There is always another choice, or have you forgotten that?" the Doctor growled through his teeth. "I thought I already taught you that lesson."

"Well then what do you suggest?" Jenny demanded with exasperation. "You're supposed to be the most brilliant one here, right? Well go on then! Dazzle us!"

"Jenny." Donna took my daughter's arm. "Calm down."

She yanked her arm away. "It's not like I want to die, but if I don't…" She let out a weary breath. "Not all of us get happy endings, Dad."

We all stood in tense silence for a moment. Donna and I glanced at each other as we watched Father and Daughter stare each other down.

"You know, she does have a point," a voice said.

We all whirled to find that strange woman from earlier perched on the captain's chair. "How did you get in here?" the Doctor demanded.

She rolled her eyes. "Not the point, Doctor."

"Enlighten us then." Donna's tone was harsh. "What is the point?"

The woman's eyes darkened. "Not everyone gets a happy ending."

"Okay." I marched forward and placed my hands on my hips. "Why don't you just skip all the cryptic mind games and jus' tell us why you're here."

She gave me a half smile. "To help."

The Doctor gave her a skeptical look. "How could you help? There's no way to close the paradox without losing them. You said it yourself. It's all become fixed."

She glanced at him. "Maybe not all of it. It's true, Jenny has to die, and Donna must forget…but you don't have to lose Rose, Doctor. That's all down to you."

"What are you talking about?" I demanded.

She gave me a sympathetic look. "Not everything is what it seems. You just have to remember." She inputted something into her Vortex Manipulator and touched a few keys on the TARDIS' console. "Oh, look, it's time for me to go. Well, I'll be seeing you all one more time. Until then I just have one last piece of advice. Remember what you're fighting for."

We stood in silence as she disappeared again.

"Donna?" Jenny's concerned voice made me snap my focus over to where she stood next to our friend. Donna's eyes had a glassy look and her face was scrunched up in pain. Jenny gave her a slight shake. "Donna, are you alright?"

Donna gave herself a shake. "'M sorry. What were you saying?"

The Doctor pulled out his sonic and scanned around her head for a moment. "Your synapses are collapsing. Something's causing them to shut down...Donna, you're burning up, what aren't you telling us?"

Her eyes quickly darted away from us. "Honestly, it's nothing. I'll be fine. Let's just find a way to fix this—" she cut off with a sharp breath and squeezed her eyes shut while her mouth opened into a silent scream. She started to fall forward then.

"Donna!" I cried as the Doctor lurched forward to catch her.

"My-my mind's on fire," she whimpered. "Doctor, I remember—I can see both of the timelines. It's hurting me." She curled her fingers into his jacket and a few tears leaked out of her eyes. "Can you make it stop? Please, please just make it stop."

The Doctor looked up at me with grief in his eyes. "Rose…"

I pursed my lips and went to squeeze his hand. "There really isn't any other way, is there?"

He shook his head, tears in his eyes. "I only wish."

I sucked in a deep breath. "Right, well…to Messaline?"

The Doctor nodded and carefully set Donna down before going for the controls. He stopped then, hands on the console. "I had so many places I wanted to take you," he whispered, and looked up at me with a wistful smile. "And you." He glanced at our daughter before training his dark eyes on Donna. "And you. Especially you. I was going to show you all everything—anything. Anytime and place you wanted…"

I went to his side and kissed his cheek. "We know."

He gave me a half smile. "Well then…allons-y!"

POV: the Master

Date: June 1, 20724

The moment I set foot on Messaline, I felt it. The wound that was the angry paradox currently eating up everything and anyone who had ever known the name Doctor at a rapid pace. I shivered. It would eat me; too, I was certain of it. That didn't matter, though. Not anymore. I was dying anyway. This body was never meant to last very long. No, all that mattered now was completely destroying the Doctor.

I smiled to myself as I observed the scene around me. Getting the humans and the Hath to come to an—admittedly—shaky alliance had been relatively simple. All I had to do was arrive at the right time and paint some colorful stories about the strange off-worlders and the blonde soldier. Now all I needed to do was sit and wait for that little brat the Doctor was so fond of to show up.

Rose Tyler. I wondered what the Doctor saw in her. Then again, I had never really understood what my old friend saw in any of the filthy apes. But, really, who was I to judge the Doctor's preferences? I'd married a Zygon once.

Truly though, his love for them was disgusting.

That General Cobb approached me with a new confidence in his step. "We have the off-worlders in custody and are awaiting your orders, sir."

I felt a cold smile spread across my face. "Bring them in here and tie them up."

The human nodded and ran off to do my bidding. I had to admit, although they were fairly worthless, humans made a wonderful slave race.

I sighed wistfully. It really was too bad the Doctor had destroyed my lovely Toclafane. They had been marvelous at helping me keep the human race in line.

I turned to the frail woman I had chained by his side. "Rose will be here soon, Jacks, isn't that exciting?" I rattled her chains, which caused her to wince as they bit in to her wrists.

Jackie spat in my eyes. "You're a bastard."

I slapped her across the face. "Rude! And while I'm being so merciful by letting you live so you can see your daughter one last time."

"Jackie!" I spun around to find the Doctor and his companions being brought in. My old friend froze in place at the sight of me. "But…that's not possible."

A malicious grin spread across my face. "Hello, Doctor, so nice to see you again." I yanked Jackie forward. "I believe you two know each other?"

"Doctor, who is that?" a redhead hissed into his ear.

"An old friend," the Doctor growled as he leveled a dark glare at me.

I only winked. "The Master, at your service. Lovely to meet you. And it is just so nice to see you again, Ms. Jones, how's the family?"

Martha scowled at me. "Better, now that they're not being tortured by a raging lunatic."

One of the soldiers shoved Martha roughly. "Sir, what are we to do with the prisoners?"

I shoved Jackie towards the rest of them. "Prepare them all for execution, save the Doctor."

"Oh, I really wouldn't do that if I were you."

The whole room spun towards the unfamiliar voice. True to their nature, they automatically trained their weapons on the unseen threat.

She was a fairly small girl with elven-like features and dark brown eyes. She stood next to where the source was being kept. Her eyes were fixed on it with a dreamy look.

I raised an eyebrow. "And just who are you?"

Her eyes snapped to me, and she grinned. "You know, I was rather hoping I would get to meet you in this life. Never boring, this job, but honestly meeting you has to be one of the most exciting parts. Well, that, or the big angry paradox that wants to eat us all. It's honestly a tossup at this point." She stepped closer to and look me up and down with a critical gaze. "Although…I think I imagined you somewhat taller and…less decayed." She wrinkled her nose.

I snarled and glared at the Doctor. There was only one way she could know I was dying. "She must be a friend of yours. Who is she?"

The Doctor looked just as confused as I was over the strange girl. "I have absolutely no idea. But I like her."

The strange girl smirked at him, and winked. "You always do. Right, anyway. As I was saying, you really don't want to execute them."

"And why not?" I demanded.

She pointed straight up.

The blonde girl—wasn't she called Jenny?—gasped. "What is that?"

High above our heads there was a wide crack stretching straight across the ceiling. I shivered again. It felt so wrong.

I growled low to myself. One quick glance at the timelines showed me how the anomaly was all Rose Tyler's fault. I could see how tangled the timelines had become around her—and all because the stupid cow just refused to die!

"Doctor, what is it?" Martha asked in a hushed voice.

The Doctor looked over at me. "What have you done? That's a wound in the very fabric of time—what did you do?"

"Me?" I asked incredulously. "Nothing! It was that pesky little ape you're so fond of—Rose Tyler. Honestly if she had just died like she was supposed to none of this would've even happened!"

The mystery girl giggled, and everyone turned to give her a strange look.

"What could possibly be so funny?" the old general asked.

Her smile faded. "You're right. It's really not funny at all." She gave me a hard stare. "Better run, Master, she's coming for you."

While usually the use of my name would thrill me, her hollow voice chilled me to the bone. "Who is?" I demanded.

The girl's eyes darkened. "Tell me, Master; are you afraid of the big Bad Wolf?"

"She's completely bonkers," Donna whispered as the girl disappeared.

POV: the Woman

Date: June 1, 20724

I sent myself straight to the TARDIS so I could grab the Doctor's arm before he could follow his companions out.

He jumped and smacked my hand away. "Oi! What'd you do that for? You nearly stopped my hearts!"

"Doctor." I pulled out the empty watch and pressed it into the palm of his hand. "You know what you have to do now."

His eyes grew solemn. "Yeah."

"There'll be an opportunity right when the paradoxes are closing in on themselves, but you'll have to bring her back to the TARDIS. You won't have long, but it'll be enough time. I only wish there was more I could do." I let out a weary sigh and kissed his cheek. "I promised I would do what I could, but now it's up to you."

He squeezed my hand. "Who are you?"

I gave him a tiny smile. "Not yet. Soon, I'll tell you, but not now."

The Doctor nodded, and gave me one last curious look before leaving.