Disclaimer: I don't own them, and I don't want to either - I have too much fun writing alternate histories etc. :D
Author's Note: If the Doctor had a clear head during Journey's End, he'd have remembered that Daleks are a scourge, and he's probably the only one who'd mourn them...in the sick, twisted sort of way that reverse nostalgia over horrible things makes one miss something.
And I'm sorry to say there'll be a longer delay before the story finishes: Chapter 5 is being a complete pain - I've rewritten it four times already, and it's still not cooperating. I'm at my wit's end with it, and I'll be sending the latest version to my beta to smack into reasonable shape, but the longest you should have to wait for the wrap-up is...well, I was going to say a month, but I don't want to make promises. My beta does more than beta for me - she's got her own life, as well as her own writing.
I'll repeat this offer in Chapter 5 when I finally get it posted, but if anyone has a scene they'd like to see that is not Jenny finding Romana (That's getting it's own story), feel free to ask either in review or PM. And if I feel inspired, I'll add it in as a DVD extra :D
Love to my reviewers and readers!
Chapter 4: So long, farewell, good bye
Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor whirled about at the sound of Daleks exploding, then looked back at Romana, eyes huge. "What did he do?"
"What he had to, Doctor." Romana sighed. "What he had to." She adjusted a few controls, then waved a hand at him. "Go get everyone in - I've got everything under control here. And we will be talking about what you've done to your poor TARDIS later!"
He made a face at the threat, then rushed to the door to see his twin, Donna and Jenny herding the rest of his friends toward the TARDIS. "Get in the TARDIS, everyone! All of you, inside! Run!"
Jenny made a last look 'round as her blue-suited dad...uncle...whichever he was, was counting off companions, then ducked inside herself, followed by Donna and...well, she was just going to call them both Dad until they said otherwise. Less confusing that way. Anyway, her blue-suited dad followed her and Donna in, then Jenny sighed as her brown-suited dad tried to convince Davros to come with them.
Well, that was Dad, trying to save everyone. Even the megalomaniac who started all the trouble in the first place. She could hear that mad Caan burbling something about 'one of them may still die', and wondered what he meant by that. Then her brown-suited dad came back in alone, shut the doors against the flames and bounded over to the console near Romana.
As the TARDIS dematerialised away from the exploding Crucible, Sarah Jane looked over at the two Doctors. "What about the Earth? It's still stuck in the wrong part of space!"
"I'm all over it," the brown-suited Doctor grinned at his old friend, then activated the Subwave Network. "Torchwood Hub, this is the Doctor. Are you receiving me?"
"Loud and clear," came the response, and Jack sighed with relief at the sound of Gwen's voice. Then grinned when she asked. "Is Jack there?"
"Can't get rid of him," was the Doctor's amused reply, then he did a double-take at Gwen's face - she looked incredibly familiar. "Jack? What's her name?"
"Gwen Cooper," Jack replied, with a bit of curiosity, then raised an eyebrow as Rose shoved past Jenny to stand beside the Doctor. That wasn't like Rose...or not the Rose he remembered.
"Gwen Cooper, tell me. Are you from an old Cardiff family?" The Doctor knew they were on the clock, but he'd forget to ask later and it was nagging at him.
"Ye-es," came her slow, confused reply. "All the way back to the eighteen hundreds."
"That explains why you look so familiar. Spatial genetic multiplicity!" He wobbled a bit as Rose shoved her head in to look at Gwen. That was ruder than -he- usually was...what was up with her?
Rose didn't even notice she'd pushed the Doctor aside as she looked at Gwen curiously, then grinned. "Oh yeah. Thought you looked familiar. We met one of your relatives, me and him."
Unlike Rose shoving him, he gently moved her aside, then said to Gwen. "Funny old world, isn't it? Now, Torchwood! I want you to open up that Rift Manipulator and send all the power to me!"
Off-screen came a voice that made Jack weak at the knees - Ianto survived! His voice was wonderful to hear, even though it was simply a confirmation of the Doctor's order.
"Dad? What's that for?" Jenny asked from her position on the railing.
"It's a tow rope, Jenny," He grinned at his daughter, perched on the TARDIS railing like she could have been all along if he'd not been so stupid, then turned to Sarah Jane. "What's your son's name?"
"Luke. He's Luke, and the computer is Mister Smith." Sarah Jane smiled, with just a bit of sheepish to it. She had been awfully silly, but it kept the memories alive in a way.
"Mister Smith? Reeally?" The Doctor gave Sarah Jane the goofy grin he reserved particularly for her, then got back to it. "Calling Luke and Mister Smith! This is the Doctor! Come on, Luke, shake a leg!"
The screen split to display half Torchwood and half gangly teenage boy. Luke looked out of the screen with hope in his eyes. "Is Mum there?"
"Oh, she's fine and dandy," the Doctor grinned, then tugged Sarah Jane over so she could see her son and vice versa.
"Oh Luke!" Sarah Jane clapped both hands to her mouth and her eyes were bright. Her son was still alive!
"Now, Mister Smith," the Doctor said, taking over the screen again, though keeping Sarah Jane close to hand. "I want you to harness the Rift power and loop it around the TARDIS. You got that?"
"I regret I will need remote access to TARDIS base code numerals," the computer replied
"Oh, blimey," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's going to take a while."
Sarah Jane peeked her head back around into monitor view. "No, no, no. Let me. K-9, out you come!"
Romana was looking over the Doctor's other shoulder, and she smiled fondly as a K-9 beamed into existence beside Luke. "Oh, K-9. Good dog!"
"Affirmative, Mistress." K-9's ear-antennae waved back and forth. "And it is good to see you again, Mistress Romana."
The Doctor had a huge grin on his face seeing K-9 again. "Oh! Oh, oh, good dog!"
"Master," K-9 replied and wagged his tail.
"K-9, give Mister Smith the base code." The Doctor's fingers fidgeted over the console, but didn't touch anything yet. He just had too much excited energy to hold completely still.
"TARDIS base code now being transferred, Master." K-9 extended his snout-sensor to a point off-camera, then continued. "The process is simple."
The Doctor watched his monitor until he received notice that the process was complete. Blimey, but he'd done good work on the latest K-9 - that was quick! "Now then, you lot! Sarah, hold that down. Mickey, you hold that," He pointed out what they needed to do, then turned to another set of friends.
"You know why this TARDIS is always rattling about the place? Romana, you know what to do. It's designed to have six pilots, and I have to do it single handed. Martha, keep that level. But not any more. Jack, there you go, steady that. Now we can fly this thing-"
He couldn't do anything about the limpet named Rose attached to his arm, but that wasn't important as long as she didn't interfere. But he did try and detach her from his arm. "-no, Jackie. There's nothing for you to do, just stand there. Rose, let go of my arm. Like it's meant to be flown! We've got the Torchwood Rift looped around the TARDIS by Mister Smith, and we're going to fly Planet Earth back home. Right then. Off we go!"
Along the wall, a bit away from Jackie, the blue-suited Doctor, Donna and Jenny were having a mental conversation, with occasional commentary from the busy Romana and brown-suited Doctor.
So, what do you think's going to happen to us? Donna asked.
Hopefully nothing, Jenny said. Dad already went through a whole crisis about blowing up the Daleks earlier, and even he agreed it had to be done. Was even about to tell Jack to do it when Davros had them all beamed to the Vault.
Yeah, the blue-suited Doctor said. I would have thought he'd have kittens when we blew up the Crucible, but all he did was order us inside.
That's because, the brown-suited Doctor interjected. You had Donna with you, and if her genius mind couldn't come up with another way, then that was the only thing you could do.
Only thing 'we' could do, you mean, you barmy Spaceman, Donna huffed. Not like I let him do it alone, is it?
That was very considerate of you, Donna, Romana noted as she corrected a bit that was going wrong. And Doctor? We are going to get this poor TARDIS some -proper- replacement parts as soon as possible. I almost had to hit the console to correct the stabilisers!
Eh, not like I haven't done it before. Get one of him to tell you how we found out that if we didn't make Vesuvius blow, the whole future of the Earth was in jeopardy, Donna said, and leant against the blue-suited Doctor. Helped him then, you'd better believe I helped him shoulder this burden.
Romana! Both Doctors whined, then the blue-suited one wrapped his arm around Donna and gave her a fond smile when she reciprocated. I told you I'd always need you, Donna. Think you might finally start believing either of us when we tell you you're brilliant?
Meh. Donna shrugged, then smirked up at the blue-suited Doctor. Might do.
Donna! Both Doctors again, only this time it was the brown-suited one that continued. You are brilliant! Even without the Time Lord mind...do I have to count off every single time you noticed something that was the key to everything? Right down to the bees disappearing?
Yeah, well, if you didn't have your head in the clouds all the time, I wouldn't have to rub your nose in the bleedin' obvious, would I? Donna glanced at Romana, who was discreetly hitting the console with the heel of her hand. Romana? Did you ever have to rub his nose in the obvious?
Seems like all the time, looking back on it, Romana replied after the stabilisers stabilised again. Or I had to pick up information from someone who wouldn't deal with his pigheaded arrogance.
Ooh! Sounds like story time to me! Donna grinned when both Doctors groaned.
Jenny giggled from her seat on the railing. Oh Dads, that sounds like fun! And think of how much I'll learn! She tilted her head and swung her feet. Speaking of 'Dads'...is that all right if I call you both Dad? Or should I call one of you Uncle? And which one would be which?
Well, we're both the Doctor, the blue-suited one started. But as I'm half-human, I could live with you calling me Uncle. If there's no objection?
"Rose, go sit down. I can't do what I need to do with you hanging off me." The brown-suited Doctor brushed Rose off his arm again, sighed and ran his hand through his hair in frustration then got back to work, this time without Rose's interference. As for what to call each of us, Jenny...I personally wouldn't mind you calling both of us 'Dad', as long as we knew which of us you were referring to at any particular time. Otherwise...I suppose you could call my twin Uncle. He'll make a better one than Brax ever would've.
You had to mention Brax, the blue-suited Doctor said with a groan, then turned to smile at Jenny. It's up to you, Jenny, what you'll call us. We're both good with whatever you decide.
Well, that brings up another problem, Jenny said with a frown. How can both of you call yourselves 'The Doctor' and not get everyone all confused?
That is a conundrum, Romana said, having finally gotten the stabilisers to work properly after three smacks and a good thumping. It isn't for our sakes as we'll always know which Doctor is which, but perhaps you, being newer, should decide on something different to be called.
Yeah, but if he feels like he's 'The Doctor', that'll be really hard for him, Donna noted.
But it's going to be a problem in the future, the blue-suited Doctor agreed. I'll have to think on it. Plenty of time for that, though.
Well anyway, I've decided, Jenny said, making all the older ones smile with her happiness at having settled a problem. You're Dad, Dad, and you're my uncle. Would've been kind of weird having two dads, now I think on it.
Another problem we're going to have, and lots sooner, is Rose, Donna said. She's determined to latch onto you like a limpet, Doctor.
Yeah...well, I'm not having it, the brown-suited Doctor replied. Not when I've found Romana.
That's very sweet of you, Doctor. Romana smiled at him. But you'll have to get it through her head that you're in love with me.
Been in love with you for centuries, he replied with a sappy grin.
Ooh, Jenny said with a worried look at her blue-suited uncle. That's another problem - cos you're identical to Dad, and you've got all his memories and feelings – uh oh! Incoming! Jenny added when she noticed Rose had left the jumpseat to come toward her uncle.
I'm him, yes. But I'm also half-human. I wouldn't fight my twin for Romana's hand just to curse her to live with someone who only has a human life-span. He watched Rose approach, then raised an eyebrow as she ignored him for Donna.
How do you figure that? His twin asked as Rose approached Donna. That's weird. I'd have thought she'd go after you...
I've only got one heart. Half human here, logically that means a shorter lifespan, he replied, and turned most of his attention to Rose. And yeah...shush, let's listen to the reasons, he added as Rose pulled Donna a few feet away.
Donna raised an eyebrow at Rose leading her away from the Doctor, but since the girl wasn't being blatantly mean about it or anything, followed along. She just hoped the Time Lord peanut gallery would stay hush. "So, you wanted to talk?"
"Yeah," Rose said, condescendingly, as she tried to ooze sympathy. "You and him, it's not gonna end well. He's a clone, only got a half-life. You'll only have ten years or so, if you're lucky."
"Why d'you say that?" Donna asked, mentally shushing the outrage of four Time Lords so she could hear herself think. Noisy buggers...so much for the peanut gallery keeping quiet. "Meta-crisis duplication-"
"Is still cloning," Rose interrupted. "An' we learned, he and I, that clones only have a really short half-life. If you'd really got his mind, you'd remember our trip to New Earth, and how he kissed me to free me from possession. An' you'd remember Chip, and how short a life he had."
Donna don't! Both Doctors exclaimed, desperate to interrupt a magnificent tirade that would keep them from learning any more of what Rose was up to. If she thinks being half human means I've got a decade for a lifespan, let her, the blue-suit Doctor continued. It certainly makes our decision easier.
Can't I at least remind her that it was Cassandra who kissed you and not you kissing her? Donna whined, then gave Rose the most poisonously sweet smile that the Doctors and Romana had ever seen. "That's really sweet of you to remind me, but could you get to the point of why you're bringing it up?"
"Cos," Rose said with a smirk. "I'm back, so I'll be with the Doctor. An' he and I travel best alone, so you lot will be leaving soon. Just tryin' to be helpful and get you ready for the inevitable. Specially if you're thinking about getting involved with the clone." Rose finished and turned her back on Donna to return to the Doctor's side, swinging her hips.
Donna, who'd had her mouth open to point out that Romana was a Time Lord, and if the Doctor was going to ditch his own daughter, much less the rest of them, for anyone, it'd be her, not a girl who apparently never grew up, closed it with a snap and returned to the blue-suit Doctor's side. I have never met anyone so full of themselves in my whole life! Not even Nerys!
Source! Talk about delusions of grandeur! Jenny sputtered mentally. She really thinks she's so important that Dad would just drop me off somewhere cos she wanted him to? Much less the woman he loves? Oh, and Romana? I think you'll make a lovely mum, in case you were wondering.
That's very sweet of you, Jenny...and I'll try to be a good one, Romana said and blessed that mental voices couldn't choke up even if they did convey all the emotions that would cause an audible voice to choke.
Well, at least now we know what's going through that stupid little ape-mind of hers, the Doctor stood by Donna said. Ooh, that was a bit of our last self coming through, wasn't it? Blimey, I'm going to have to spend some time figuring out just who I really am before I can plan my future!
The Doctor at the controls was seething, and only Romana's soothing mental touch allowed him to hide his outrage as Rose sauntered back to his side. No. No. Absolutely not. This is not happening! She is going straight back to Pete's World, and if I can figure out how to get us there without endangering the TARDIS, I'll destroy that dimensional cannon on top of it!
Easy - get the jump controls off of them, then use them to home in on the cannon, Donna and Romana replied with identical mental smirks.
Probably be easier on Jackie if we did it that way too, Donna continued alone. Didn't Rose say something about Jackie being pregnant last time you spoke to her?
Yeah, the Doctor said, calming down. Now all we have to do is find a good pick-pocket that Rose won't be suspicious of.
Easy! Jenny chirped and hopped off the railing as Earth was finally settled back into orbit. I'll just ask Jack. He's cute, and he likes me.
Jenny! Both Doctors shouted in fatherly concern.
Ow. Easy there, that hurt! Besides, Jack knows better than to piss off the Oncoming Storms. And that'll make it bloody difficult to date him later, when he's free.
Easy there, Spacemen. She's had ten years of growing and learning - she knows how to take care of herself. Donna wrapped her arm around the Doctor beside her and continued. And I'll ask Jackie for hers. She squeezed her arm around the Doctor briefly before wandering over to the woman. The blue-suited Doctor, left alone, approached Mickey for a quiet chat.
Meanwhile, looks like it's time to celebrate! Romana smiled and hugged the Doctor beside her the moment that human limpet had let go of him.
Oh yes! The Doctor said and kissed Romana with all the long-suppressed emotion in both his hearts.
And this time they both had to use their respiratory bypass.
After they'd dropped off Sarah Jane, Jack, Martha, and a surprise Mickey, the four Time Lords and Jenny worked at the controls while Rose tried to hang over the Doctor and Jackie held on to the railing.
"Where're we going?" Rose asked as the silence got a bit much to handle.
The TARDIS landed then, and the blue-suited Doctor ushered Jackie out, followed by Romana who had a fist-full of jump-buttons.
"Hey! How'd she get my jump-button!" Rose exclaimed and stormed out after Romana, to come to a surprised halt at the sight of the room she entered. "The dimensional cannon," she said, horrified. "This is the parallel world!"
"Yep!" Jenny said and pushed past her, carrying a backpack that the Doctor and his twin remembered with fondness. Ace always had so many backpacks full of Nitro-Nine that they hadn't been surprised when the TARDIS had made one show up just for this purpose.
"But you can't!" Rose turned about and shouted at the Doctor and Donna, completely ignoring that her mother wasn't even in sight, the other Doctor and Jenny were climbing around the cannon and Romana was busy attaching the jump-buttons to the computers.
"I spent all that time trying to find you!" Rose kept shouting and stomped her foot. "I'm not going back now!"
"All that time being five years," Romana said from the computers. "Five years of slamming through the walls between universes. They're there for a reason, you stupid little twit. To keep the universes separate. How many universes bled into each other and died because of you?"
"But...but I love you," Rose said, staring at the Doctor, her lip wobbling. This was all going so wrong! Nothing mattered except that she loved him, and was supposed to be with him.
"No, you don't." The Doctor said, frowning. "You love your humanised ideal of me - a man that never existed because I am, and always have been, an alien." He closed his eyes and got a grip on himself, then continued. "Today we saved all of Creation. But if you hadn't been so pigheaded and obsessed, we might not have had to."
Rose stood there, staring, jaw dropped. "What do you mean? I didn't have anything to do with that Caan rescuing Davros!"
"There's no knowing if your slamming through universes caused cracks in the Time Lock that let him slip through," the blue-suited Doctor said as he brushed past her back into the TARDIS.
"But even if that's not your fault," Donna added, fire in her eyes. "There's another thing that is. You killed me and murdered a TARDIS to do it. Or did you think I wouldn't remember that warehouse and that poor gutted TARDIS? Or remember that you dropped me off in the past too far away to safely make myself turn left, but you popped right up exactly where I was dying at so I could give the Doctor your message?" She snorted, then turned away to enter the TARDIS.
"Millions of people died needless deaths today, Rose. Millions, and that's just on Earth." The Doctor stared at her hard, then sighed. "And none of that matters to you, does it? Not to the girl who was willing to destroy two universes for a tryst."
"We're alive," Rose started, then got nudged aside, hard, by Jenny coming back with an empty backpack.
Jenny stopped in the door of the TARDIS to glower at Rose. "You know, at first I had a little bit of sympathy for you. You were trying to find Dad, and so was I. But when you told Donna that, in your idea of the future, none of us would be with him, I lost it all. He's my dad...how could you think he'd willingly abandon me for anything short of death? Were you going to kill us, me and Romana and Donna and my uncle? Were you going to kill us so you could have Dad to yourself?"
"No! I-" But Rose was cut off by Jenny's disbelieving glare and snort, and then the only people left outside the TARDIS were the Doctor, Rose, and Romana.
The Time Lady walked up beside the Doctor and took his hand. "You have no idea what love is, Rose Tyler," Romana said. "I've loved the Doctor, in good times and bad, faults, warts and all, for centuries. But never once did I truly try to change his essential being."
She sighed at the blank incomprehension on Rose's face, then continued in the hope that something would sink in. "But even if I didn't love him - I'm a Time Lord. You, with your selfish desires, would attempt to keep the Doctor, who's been lonely for far too long, away from the last remaining members of his own kind. How can you possibly think of being so cruel to someone you claim to love?" She squeezed the Doctor's hand, kissed his cheek, then slipped into the TARDIS.
"Rose," the Doctor said as Romana left. "You need to learn how to grow up and move on. Mickey did. It'll hurt, and because of how badly you hurt Mickey, not to mention how you treated him these last twelve years, you'll not have him to learn from. But you need to do it, especially the moving on bit. Because if you ever show your face in our universe again, I won't have any choice but to take you to the Shadow Proclamation to stand trial for universal endangerment. And it's even odds whether they'd execute you or imprison you for life if found guilty."
"But...but...you wouldn't let them do that!" Rose said, tears falling and smearing her mascara horribly. He was threatening her? No, he couldn't be! "You're the Doctor! You save people!"
"Didn't you...no, you never listen to anything but what you want to hear," He scowled and turned the Storm on her, making her back up a few feet. "I wouldn't save you, because I would be the one turning you in! I'd have already done it but for respect for your mother's feelings!" He growled in exasperation, then stepped backward into the TARDIS. "Try to do something with your life that doesn't involve death and destruction, Rose Tyler. Oh, and you'll have five minutes to get out of range before the cannon blows up once we leave." He shut the door then and stalked to the console.
Outside, Rose slammed her hands against the TARDIS doors and shouted. "At least leave me the other Doctor, then! He committed genocide, you need to keep him safe too!"
The blue-suited Doctor flipped on the speaker and said. "Oh, so now me having a half-life doesn't matter? Well forget it! I'd rather take my chances out there than live ten minutes with you!" He flicked the speaker off again and sighed. "Let's get out of here."
The five of them worked the controls and the TARDIS dematerialised to the sound of Rose Tyler screaming.
Her mother came back in with several large men and Pete to find her still screaming, because the TARDIS had left the contents of her old room behind. At least they were neatly packed, Jackie thought, as she manhandled her daughter out of the room that was going to have an explosion soon. Maybe they could get her stuff out before it all went up in flames. Or would it be a better lesson for her to watch the last remnants of the past be destroyed? Either way it worked out, she'd had enough of letting Rose have her own way. Her firstborn would just have to learn, or end up sectioned. Or possibly in prison, the way she was going.
Once they got the TARDIS back to their own universe, the Doctor let the Old Girl rest in the Vortex a while before the dreaded encounter with Sylvia he'd promised Donna for later. She was right, though, they did have to let that battle-axe see her daughter was all right. And he liked Wilf, and wanted to introduce him to Romana. And Jenny. And ooh, they'd have to explain his twin...yeah, staying in the Vortex a bit was the best idea he'd had in a while...
Romana, smiling at the train of thought babble from her beloved - like father, like daughter - noticed Jenny sitting on the railing again, but slouched down and rather depressed looking. "Jenny? What's wrong?"
Jenny looked up to see four pairs of eyes locked on her and sighed. "It's just...I'm worried. Uncle committed genocide...won't the Shadow Proclamation be after him?"
"Uncle and Donna committed genocide," Donna said and took the new Doctor's hand with a gentle squeeze.
"It was Daleks, and unless the laws have changed?" Romana cast an enquiring glance at her Doctor, who shook his head. "Then as they haven't changed, Daleks are the one exception. There would be an exception in any case, as it's easy to prove that your uncle and Donna saved this universe from a renewed and fresh Dalek scourge. They tend to weigh the greatest number of lives, and since it's impossible even for a Time Lord to count every race in any one universe, much less the number of beings in each race, and every being in every universe still existing was saved...well." She spread her hands in a 'there you have it' gesture.
"I'm not seeing how Daleks are an exception to punishment for genocide," Jenny said, frowning in confusion. "I mean, we just...they just...I mean it's an entire race! And they just got blown up!"
"Technically they aren't all destroyed," Romana said. "Daleks have been and will be scattered throughout all of history. Even being called to the Time War didn't erase their presence in the timelines. It just kept them from being further menaces...stopped their plans. But if we happen to wander into a bit of time before they were called away, it's entirely possible that we'll encounter them again."
The Doctor winced and nodded. "Before you found me again, Donna, I got sidetracked and ran into some. Bloody difficult to foil what they were doing, too."
"Ooh yeah, that looked really painful." Donna murmured, wincing at the memories. "But one of us should properly answer Jenny's question before she gets frustrated," she added with a smile at the somewhat annoyed blonde.
"Oh, right, right," the new Doctor said. "It's because Daleks, throughout all time and space, have been bent on destruction and genocide of all other races themselves. It was deemed by all lawmakers and judgement systems that had ever even heard of them, much less survived contact with them, that Daleks should be eradicated as best as possible, whenever found, to protect all other life in existence. So, no punishment for Donna and I."
"Now whether they're gonna penalise your dad for running off and not being their War-Leader when there wasn't time to gather their armada, that's a different thing," Donna said, with wry regret. Although she ruined it when she added, "Wish we could've seen the Architect's face, though, when we ran off to find where Earth had got off to."
"Yeah," both Doctors said with a small grin. "That would've been a sight to see." Then the original Doctor yelped when Romana swatted his arm.
"Idiot. We're going to have to apologise to the Architect...not to mention prove to her that there literally was not enough time to gather an army to fight the Daleks before the Reality Bomb went off." Romana sighed and rubbed her head. "...at least I know all the laws pertaining to this sort of situation..."
"Sorry, Romana, but she was pompous and demanding. And demeaning to Donna. And you know how I am with people like that," the Doctor hugged her and kissed her temple, then sighed. "...and here we were supposed to be relaxing before facing down Sylvia..."
"Is she really so horrible?" Romana asked, then looked at Donna inquiringly.
"Meh. She's an awful nag, and she's bossy...but he's afraid of her axe she keeps for burglars." Donna grinned and nudged the new Doctor with her elbow, since he was closer.
"Wilf's lots better. Lovely old chap, loves astronomy." The new Doctor started, followed by his originating twin. "Runs a newsstand - that's how I met him first, actually. Was on my own, Christmas Eve just last year and found myself on a spacegoing Titanic replica. Joined a tourist party, and there was Wilf being all informative about why London was a ghost town that year. Think I startled him when the teleport system recalled us..."
"Oh. My. God. You mean that wasn't a fake? That was a real Titanic replica almost crashed into Buckingham Palace?" Donna palmed her face and groaned. "Oh, you must have thought I was so stupid, babbling away when we were trying to get away from Matron Cofelia about the hoax Titanic..."
"Donna, it's all right," the Doctor closer to her pulled her close to him with an arm around her shoulders. "Really it is. And we didn't think you were stupid, did we?" He eyed his twin by Romana, who continued.
"Well, actually, given you'd missed one alien incursion because of a hangover, and another because you were scuba-diving, I figured you'd probably just slept through it or something, 'specially cos you hate Christmas, so I just brushed it off."
"That doesn't make me feel better," Donna snorted and rolled her eyes. Then looked at Romana and Jenny who were just ending an intense private conversation from the looks of it. "What's up with you two?"
"Um...we think we might have seen your granddad, that's all," Jenny said. "Cos we stopped at a newsstand so we could confirm the date, and the old man in it was so nice Romana bought a paper."
"He was a very sweet old man," Romana nodded. "White curly hair, short well-kept beard, comfortable cardigan?"
"Sounds like Granddad, yeah," Donna grinned. "Ooh, that'll be a treat, him meeting you two properly!"
The two Doctors shared a resigned look and a sigh, then ambled to the console. "Might as well get it over with. Come on, you lot. Next stop, Chiswick."