Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

A Second Chance

Chapter VI

Hope skipped up to the console, humming a little victory tune under her breath. "We are the champions, my friends! And we'll keep on fighting till the end!" she sang out loud, dancing around the console. Anthony smiled in fond amusement as he flicked a few switches that she was having trouble reaching. "Thanks" she beamed at him, "so where do you want to go?"

Anthony blinked, having not expected that question. "Go?" he repeated dumbly. Hope rolled her eyes playfully at him. "Yes, go. Forwards in time, downwards in space, upwards in space, backwards in time…come on Ant, work with me here. We won, I want to celebrate!" she explained cheerfully. "Technically, I lost. I was on the other team, remember?" Anthony reminded Hope, who replied, "Yes, and then you realised you'd made a mistake, didn't you? So come on, pick somewhere – no wait, I know, we'll go on a mystery tour!"

She entered some random co-ordinates and Juni lurched to the side as they tumbled through the Vortex, both of them clinging on for dear life and laughing all the while. "Where are we?" asked Anthony when they landed. "I've no idea" Hope smiled, walking up to the doors and peering out. She saw a desert beyond, but with patches of greenery around that suggested a water source wasn't far. "It looks safe enough, come on" she called back.

They wandered through the rocky desert, seeing a mountain range in the distance to the east, and what appeared to be a forest to the northwest. Anthony gazed in awe at the blue tinted moon hanging in the sky, clear even in the broad daylight. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this. Walking across an alien planet" he breathed, and Hope smiled at him, letting go of his hand to smell some flowers on a nearby cactus.

Something flashed in the sunlight and caught Anthony's eye; he squinted, spotting a shiny object sitting on the ground. He walked over and crouched down, brushing away some dust to find a small blue crystal lying on the ground. He picked it up when Hope cried "Ow!" – In a flash he was back on his feet and hurrying over to her. "What's wrong?"

Hope held out her finger. "I pricked it" she explained, showing him the drop of blood. He lifted her finger to his lips and kissed it. "Better?" he asked her; chuckling, Hope nodded. "I think a gift might cure you completely – I found this just over there" said Anthony, holding up the blue crystal. Hope took it from him with a smile, but it soon faded when she recognised the crystal. "Oh…we're on Metebelis Three, in the Acteon Galaxy. Anthony, you're not scared of spiders, are you?" she asked.

Anthony shrugged. "They do creep me out a bit, yeah" he admitted. "They might creep you out even more after this…no, this isn't safe. Let's go back to Juni, try for another place" said Hope. They turned around and saw they were being stalked by a giant snake, like three anacondas stuck together into one huge body. It hissed at them, displaying dagger like fangs; "Run!" cried Hope, dashing off in the other direction.

They sprinted through the forest, not daring to look back to see if the snake was still chasing them, it's scales eerily silent on the sand. "Is this why it isn't safe!" Anthony shouted over to Hope. "Run! And the snake is the least of our worries!" she yelled back, grabbing his hand and urging him on. If they could just make it to that ridge…they scrambled up the rise and stopped at the top, staring down into the ravine below. "Is there another way around?" asked Anthony.

Hope looked back; the snake was about ten metres away and closing fast, the other side of the ravine was too far to jump and she could see a net of webbing stretched across the ravine itself. "Anthony, would you rather be eaten by a snake or a spider?" she asked, much to his bewilderment. "Err, spider?" answered Anthony, not sure why she was asking that now of all times; Hope pushed him off the edge and jumped down after him, just as the snake snapped at her ankles.

Anthony yelled as he plummeted; about thirty feet, only to land hard on something with a bounce like a trampoline. Moments later Hope smacked into it as well, rolling over on top of him. "Sorry, sorry!" she said, scrambling off him, with difficulty considering the stretchiness of the net they'd landed on. He assumed the net was either here as a safety measure…or as a trap. He went with the second one when he realised what the net actually was – a giant web.

He looked at Hope. "When you say, eaten by a spider…" he began, and Hope nodded. Great, so the spiders were gigantic here too. "They're called the Eight Legs" she explained, holding up the blue crystal. "These crystals mutated some spiders from a crashed spaceship into monsters. Psychic monsters, actually…my dad, in his third body, he destroyed their queen but he couldn't destroy all of them – and for all I know, we're at a point before she was killed".

Hope sighed. "I'm sorry, Anthony. I should have checked where we were, not just"- she began to scold herself, when Anthony said "No, don't beat yourself up. It's not much of a mystery tour if you check where you are, is it?" he asked, making her smile slightly. "So if we're the flies, where are the spiders?" Anthony wondered, shading his eyes to peer up at the sky. "It's early afternoon, about…two o clock, I'd say" he guessed.

Then he looked at his watch and found to his surprise that it was dead on two o clock. "Huh, talk about a lucky guess" he muttered, not noticing Hope eyeing him oddly. They heard a scuttling sound and looked up, to see several large spiders crawling down the ravine walls. "They don't look big enough to eat us" said Anthony, the spiders were huge, but they'd still be bigger. "They won't eat our flesh, they'll just drain us of all fluid and leave two empty husks" replied Hope. "Right, thanks for that" he nodded.

The nearest spider bared it's fangs at them; Hope just held up the crystal. "Don't even bother trying to hypnotise us" she said coolly. The female has a blue gem! the spider cried telepathically; Anthony shuddered, it felt like little spider feet were scurrying over his mind. "Yes, the female does. And the female might give it to you, if you let her and her mate go" replied Hope.

The Great One requires the blue gems. We will put the male and female human in the farm where they can work and breed! said the same spider, apparently the leader. Anthony grimaced in disgust; these things farmed humans? "I don't suppose any of you have a very big newspaper do you? Or maybe a giant flyswatter?" Hope asked airily, making Anthony smile and even chuckle a bit. She shot him a wink. You will come with us and be harvested the lead spider told them.

The spiders dragged the web up to the top of the ravine, where Hope and Anthony scrambled off. You will give me the blue gem! ordered the lead spider, but Hope stuck it in her pocket instead. "Nuh-uh, not till we get to this 'farm' of yours" she refused. The spiders marched them along the edge of the ravine, first Anthony and then Hope. Do you have a plan? asked Anthony.

Not getting eaten, for one thing.

Oh good, I was worried you were going to make that plan C

More like plan D for Dinner. I'll think of something, Anthony, I always do

Anthony sighed; he hoped she did come up with a plan, because he really didn't fancy being 'farmed' or 'harvested' if he was honest. Eventually they were led away from the ravine to a small village. At first glance it appeared to be deserted, but Anthony spotted several nervous faces peeking out behind curtains and through cracks in the doors. Give me the blue gem! ordered the lead spider, poking Hope in the shin with one spindly leg.

Hope pulled the gem from her pocket and held it up out of the spider's reach. "I'm afraid I can't do that" she replied, and the spiders crawled closer to her menacingly. You will give me the blue gem immediately! the spider demanded, trying to hypnotise her into handing it over. "Don't bother; I'm shielded from your hypnosis trick as long as I've got this. At least let me explain; your Queen wants this, is that correct? It would be terribly rude of me to give it to anyone other than your Queen" Hope explained.

If you will not give up the blue gem then we shall take it by force! Announced the lead spider, leaping up onto her front. Hope screamed and Anthony whacked the spider off of her with his arm, pulling her behind him. "Legs off my wife!" he snarled, kicking out at the spiders. They attacked en masse, trying to crawl up their legs and onto their backs. In the struggle, the gem fell from Hope's hand and tumbled towards the ground. Anthony grabbed it just as one of the spiders leapt for it, wincing as he felt two sharp fangs pierce his skin.

Hope kicked the spider away and examined Anthony's hand; he felt the ground lurch and sway beneath his feet, his vision growing dim. The last thing he heard was Hope screaming… and he was hitting the ground…and he was so…so tired…gradually, the hazy fog lifted from his mind and Anthony began to stir. "Hope!" he cried as he sat up with a jolt. "Easy now, you've got a terrible bump on your head there" said the woman sitting by the low bed he was lying on.

Anthony scrambled to his feet, looking around for Hope, but he couldn't see her anywhere. On the pretence of trying to calm down, he reached out through their Connection. Hope? Where are you?

Being escorted to the cavern of the Great One – after they knocked you out I threatened to smash the crystal unless they let me give it to the Great One herself. Get to Juni and then come back for me; I'll be fine for now

Be careful he answered, before opening his eyes again. The woman by the bed was staring at him oddly. "Do you have any transport here?" he asked her, "buggies, carts, horses; never actually ridden a horse before, but I guess now's as good a time as any to learn – oh my God, I sound like the Doctor" Anthony realised with a gasp. "Doctor who?" the woman asked.

"What's your name?" he inquired, and she replied, "Lucinda".

"Lucinda, those spiders, Eight Legs, whatever you call them; they've taken my wife and I need some way of getting back to our spacecraft to rescue her, is there anything here that can get me there faster?" he asked, trying not to get his hopes up. Lucinda shook her head helplessly. "No, nothing, the Eight Legs don't let us leave the village. They control the creatures here, they'll send them to kill you if you try to escape. They'll know, they always know!" she wailed.

Anthony put an arm around her shoulders. "Lucinda, I'm sorry, I don't mean to upset you; but my wife is in danger, I have to save her. Just tell me, the Eight Legs pulled us out of a ravine, is there a way across it?" he asked her, but she didn't know, she'd never seen it. "Okay, I'll have to improvise then- I don't suppose you know where I can get some rope, do you?"

Lucinda took him to the store house where the rope and other supplies were kept, only to find it guarded by a spider. Anthony thought he recognised it; he was sure it was the same spider that had bitten him and sent him to sleep. "We must go back" hissed Lucinda fearfully, but he held up a hand. "Wait". Anthony remembered, strapped to his shorts beneath his jacket was a small penknife. He flicked the blade open, holding it like a dagger.

He felt a bit sick as he sneaked around behind the spider; he didn't like killing things, but he wasn't particularly fond of these Eight Legs – he would probably get over it. Anthony tensed, readying himself, and then – he leapt. In a stroke of pure luck, he brought the blade down right through the wretched arachnid's thorax, killing it instantly.

There was a lock pick attachment on his penknife; Anthony flicked that out, trying to ignore the spider's corpse. He forced his way inside the store house and searched for a good stout bit of rope. He found a very long, sturdy piece and a slightly smaller length; they both felt pretty strong, and when he tested his weight on them hanging from a low beam, they held his weight easily.

Suddenly, Anthony felt a burst of fear and humiliation spike through him; he knew instantly that these emotions weren't his own, but his Connection's feelings. His determination grew, and he sneaked through the village to the outskirts, keeping an eye peeled for any more Eight Legs, his penknife clutched in his hand. There was no sign of Lucinda; she must have gone home to hide.

He made it out of the village without any problems, and ran back to the ravine. Hope had blocked her mind from his, but he kept getting flashes of emotion, and it seemed that the Great One was toying with her. Anthony dashed along the edge of the ravine until he spotted the TARDIS over on the other side. Conveniently, there was a rock outcrop on his side of the ravine, and another close to the edge of the other side.

Anthony tied the longer piece of rope to one rock, and made a lasso at the other end. His first toss missed; cursing, he dragged the rope back and tried again. Success! Then he tied the shorter rope around him in a makeshift harness, attaching it to the rope pulled taut across the ravine with a loop that would tighten if he fell. Anthony had never been more thankful that his parents had sent him on a sailing course than now.

By the time Anthony made it across the rope, his hands were smarting, bleeding a little; but he ignored the pain and ran to the TARDIS; Juni began to dematerialise the moment he was inside, sensing that her main pilot was in danger. Anthony used the telepathic circuits to take her 'straight to Hope'. As soon as they landed, he ran to the door and looked out.

Beyond lay an enormous cavern filled with crystals, with a monstrously large Eight Legs towering above Hope, kneeling on the ground. "Hope! Run!" Anthony shouted, but she didn't respond. The Great One screeched at him; Anthony ignored her and ran out into the cave, pulling Hope into his arms and turning her head to her. Her gaze was blank and lifeless but he could feel her fear, and he did the only thing he could think of – he kissed her until he felt her start to respond.

"Anthony?" she asked dazedly when he pulled away. "Come on!" he urged her, pulling her to her feet. They ran back to the TARDIS, Anthony keeping the spiders at bay with his penknife. As soon as she had set the TARDIS in flight, Hope collapsed besides the console, panting. "Hope! What's wrong, tell me" Anthony said worriedly, cupping her face in his hands. "The cave…might have been filled with radiation…and it might be a bit…deadly" she explained nervously.

"Deadly to Time Lords?" asked Anthony, praying that the answer was 'no'. When Hope nodded he felt his hearts stop. Thinking quickly, Anthony set the co-ordinates for her parent's TARDIS; if anyone would know how to help her, it would be them.

/

Anna and the Doctor were in the middle of teaching their son about the basics of quantum physics when an alarm went off. Worried, they went to the console room and found a grey TARDIS sitting there. Anthony stuck his head out. "I know I shouldn't be doing this, but Hope is sick" he told them hurriedly. "Sick with what?" asked the Doctor; as soon as Anthony told him they'd been on Metebelis III, he strode off into the TARDIS.

Meanwhile Anna and Danny came into Hope and Anthony's TARDIS, to find Hope herself sitting on one of the jump seats, arms wrapped around herself. "Don't worry Hope, mum and dad will save you" Danny told her. Hope smiled and pulled the little boy onto her lap. "Hey, champ. How've you been?" she asked, trying to sound cheerful. Danny told her about the adventures he'd been having; he was in the middle of describing the beach they'd visited a few days ago when the Doctor returned.

In his hand was a syringe with a green solution inside it. "After my third incarnation regenerated because of the radiation in that blasted cave, I tried to find a cure" he explained as he rolled up Hope's sleeve. "No child of mine is going to regenerate so soon after their first one" he said firmly as he gave Hope the injection. "Thanks dad" she smiled, feeling the effects of the antidote take hold quickly. The Doctor kissed her forehead. "Anything for you, darling"

Then Hope got up and went over to Anthony, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him thoroughly. Danny pulled a face and covered his eyes; the Doctor laughed and led his son and wife out, leaving the two lovebirds alone together.