AN: I love hearing from you all and I hope you enjoy this next chapter :-)

(UNEDITED SO FAR)


Gridlock
Part Two – Fast Lane

Martha had tears in her eyes as the song finished. It really was humbling, the way they all stood together, definitely not alone, in the dark.

"Fast lane access, please drive safely." The electronic voice signalled their arrival a the fast lane.

"We made it. The fast lane." Milo cheered.

Cheen grinned as their car descended, into an open lane.


"If you won't take us, We'll go down ourselves."

The Doctor scrambled to the middle of the car and pulled out his sonic screwdriver.

"What do you think you're doing?" Brannigan turned around, shocked.

"Finding my own way. I usually do." The Doctor shrugged.

"Capsule open." The electronic voice accompanied the whoosh of the trapdoor opening.

Valerie and Brannigan looked down, amazed at the door in the floor of the car.

"Here we go." The Doctor leaned forward, ready to jump, but Thalia put her hand out to stop him. "Don't tell me I can't go, because I've already made my mind up." He warned, ready to push her out of the way if he needed to.

"I need to go first." She replied simply.

"Why?" The Doctor glanced at her suspiciously.

She looked down at her current attire, and if looks could kill, he was sure that her dress would have burst into flames. "I'm wearing a dress." She almost growled.

He laughed, and she soon followed, until they had to sober up for their jump. The Doctor handed Valerie his coat and sighed. "Look after this. I love that coat. Janis Joplin gave me that coat."

"But you can't jump!" Valerie was horrified.

"If it's any consolation, Valerie, right now, I'm having kittens." The Doctor looked at the gap in the floor, and after a moments thought he turned to speak to Thalia. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

She rolled her eyes and took the sonic from his hands. "I'm more willing than you."

"This Martha – she must mean an awful lot to two." Brannigan smiled a them.

"Hardly know her. I was too busy showing off. And I lied to her. Couldn't help it, just lied." He glanced at Thalia, who shook her head, almost disappointed. He felt a pang of regret that she was disappointed in him, he wanted to impress her.

"Bye then!" Thalia saluted both Brannigan and Valerie, and jumped down on to a car that had pulled up below them. As she opened the next hatch, The Doctor gave Brannigan a wave, and, coughing, jumped down into the now open trapdoor that Thalia had disappeared through.

"They're completely insane!" Valerie exclaimed.

Brannigan leaned out over the opening and looked down at the car below. "That, and a bit magnificent!"

The Doctor dropped down to find Thalia conversing with a very pale man at the wheel of the car while she worked on the next trapdoor. "Who the hell are you?" The man seemed more wary than angry.

"Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol. We're doing a survey." Thalia pointed to The Doctor over her shoulder. "How are you enjoying your motorway?"

"Well, not very much. Junction Five's been closed for three years!" His nose wrinkled in obvious annoyance.

"Thank you. Your comments have been noted." The Doctor crouched next to Thalia, ready for the next car.

"Have a nice day!" Thalia jumped from the car with another salute.

The Doctor quickly followed, closing the hatch behind him, hanging in the air, waiting for Thalia to open the next car and drop down. He watched her as she worked, obviously the TARDIS had already linked her into the psychic field, like most other companions, because the sonic was working for her.

She coughed for a while, but she opened the door very quickly and lowered herself into the next car.

The Doctor was thankful for the chance to escape the toxic fumes. Coughing, he jumped into the next car, where two Asian girls sat. They wore very colourful clothes and Thalia repeated their excuse to the two girls, while he fetched two scarves from a nearby rail. One was pink and the other was a dark purple.

"Thank you for your cooperation. Your comments have been noted." He hand Thalia the pink one, nearly laughing when she wrinkled her nose in disgust at the colour, and turned to the two girls. "Do you mind if we borrow these? Not my colour, but thank you very much."

Thanks to the two scarves The Doctor had grabbed from the car, they continued their descent a lot faster, passing through quite a few cars without much trouble. There had been a moment when they had walked in on a naked couple, but had been able to leave pretty quickly, with Thalia's hand still over The Doctor's eyes.


Martha still stood, tense, while Milo tried to get them onto a junction exit. The rumbling, groaning noise filled the car again and Milo began to press more buttons.

"Brooklyn Turnoff One closed." The electronic voice stated.

Cheen gripped Martha's hand over her shoulder."Try the next one." She suggested.

"Brooklyn Turnoff Two closed." The electronic voice annoyingly calm, considering their current situation.

Cheen started to panic and let out a moan. "What do we do?"

Ever the voice of reason, Milo placed a hand on Cheen's knee and tried to think of a solution. "We'll keep going round. We'll do the whole loop. By the time we come back round, they'll be open."

The groaning noise repeated, louder still, causing the occupants of the car to glance around nervously. "You're still calling that air vents?"

"What else could it be?" Milo kept the fear from his voice, but it was still in his eyes.

"What the hell is it?" Tears welled up in Cheen's eyes and she placed her uninjured hand on her still flat stomach.

"It's just – the hydraulics." Milo tried again, but he wasn't fooling anyone.

"Sounds like it's … alive." Martha whispered, tears welling up in her own eyes now. She hoped she would make it out alive.

"It's all exhaust fumes out there. Nothing could breathe in that." Milo dismissed again.

"Calling Car Four Six Five Diamond Six. Repeat, calling Car Four Six Five Diamond Six." A voice rung out from the transmitter, getting everyone's attention.

Milo picked up the transmitter and spoke. "This is Car Four Six Five Diamond Six. Who's that? Where are you?"

"I'm in the fast lane, about fifty yards behind. Can you get back up? Can you get off the fast lane?" The voice asked urgently.

"We only have permission to go down. We – we need the Brooklyn Flyover." Milo replied, convinced they were safe.

"It's closed. Go back up." The voice immediately replied.

"We can't. We'll just go round." Milo shrugged.

"Don't you understand? They're closed. They're always closed."

Cheen gasped and brought her hand to her mouth in distress, almost sobbing, fear evident in her eyes.

"We're stuck down here. And there's something else. Out there, in the fog. Can't you hear it?" The voice barely finished speaking before the groaning turned into deafening roars.

"That's the air vents."

"Jehovah! What are you, some stupid kid? Get out of here!" The voice yelled as they heard the screams of two girls, followed by an enormous crash.

"Hello?" Milo asked.

"Just drive, you idiots! Get out of here! Get out!" The voice screamed as they were torn apart.

"Can you hear me?! Hello?!" Milo tried in vain to contact the car that was now most likely crushed metal.

"Just drive! Do what she said – get us out of here!" Martha was staring to panic as well.

"But where?" Milo gestured to the closed junctions on the screen.

"Just straight ahead! And fast!" Martha snapped.

Cheen had tears streaming down her face as she cried out. "What is it? What's out there? What is it?"#


Thalia dropped down from the roof, spluttering and coughing, trying to catch her breath. She helped The Doctor down, who was in a similar condition.

"'Scuse me, is that legal?"

Thalia whipped around to fine a man in a pinstriped suit sitting at the wheel of the car. "Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol." She couldn't finish her sentence, because she, like The Doctor, was coughing hard from the fumes.

"Whatever. Have you got any water?" The Doctor stepped forward, having recovered a bit.

"Certainly. Never let it be said I've lost my manners." The man reached forward to a water cooler and filled up two cone shaped glasses for them.

They took the drinks gratefully, The Doctor downed his in one, and started to breathe normally. "Is this the last layer?" The Doctor looked out of the window, unable to tell where they were.

"Ah, we're right at the bottom. Nothing below us but the fast lane." The man informed them.

"Can we drive down?" The Doctor asked.

"No. It's a lot safer up here." The man was stubborn.

Thalia could see that he wasn't going to take them down so she tried to think of another way. "If you'll excuse me." She ran over to the door in the floor of the car and started opening it.

"You can't jump. It's a thousand feet down!" The man was slightly concerned.

The Doctor stepped up behind Thalia and peered down into the fog. "No, we just want to look."

They could hear screeching and groaning, definitely coming from below them. "What's that noise?" The Doctor was sure he recognised it.

The man gulped. "I try not to think about it."

"What are those lights? What's down there?" The Doctor thought aloud, uncertain for once.

He coughed at the smoke that was now concealing their view of the fast lane, and tried to wave the smoke away with his hand. "I just need to see."

Thalia handed him his screwdriver, having already worked out a suitable solution to their problem.

He leapt up and started pacing, trying to think of ideas. "There must be some sort of ventilation. If I could just transmit a pulse through this thing, maybe I could trip the system, give us a bit of a breeze."

He brushed past the man, who was now next to Thalia, and began fiddling with the wires.

The man decided that he liked the look of Thalia, but he wasn't sure if she was with The Doctor or not. "Do you and your husband do this a lot?" He asked innocently.

"We're not together or anything."

"We're just friends." They started talking over each other, denying any claims that they were 'together'.

An awkward silence followed, where the man began eying Thalia up without her knowing. The Doctor narrowed his eyes and decided to finish his work as quickly as possible, and interrupt him. He fused a wire together and snapped his fingers. "That's it! Might shift the fumes a bit, give us a good look."

The Doctor placed himself between Thalia and the man, and they all looked down through the trapdoor at the fast lane again, this time all three of them could see strange shapes and weird lights at the bottom.

"What are those shapes?" The man voiced the question they had all been thinking of.

"They're alive." Thalia almost gasped when huge snapping claws could be seen through the smoke.

"What the hell are they?" The man said, wide eyed.

The Doctor almost growled. "Macra."


Martha struggled to hold on as the car was jostled about.

"Go faster!" Cheen yelled, frightened for her life.

"I'm at top speed!" Milo yelled back.

He became less frustrated and more panicked when the electronic voice forbade them to escape. "No access above."

Milo grabbed the transmitter. "But this is an emergency!"

The car barely managed to escape a Macra's claws, but they were in what seemed to be an endless sea of crabs.

"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold." The electronic voice informed them.

There was another crash from outside and the girls screamed.

The car shuddered violently and Cheen whimpered slightly. Martha had her eyes shut tight and Milo gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles.

Martha's eyes suddenly flew open, an idea forming as she remembered something. "Turn everything off."

"You've got to be joking." Milo refused to tear his eyes from the windscreen as he tried to steer the car.

"No, listen, it's all fog out there, so how can they see us? Maybe it's the engines, the sound, or the heat, or the light — I don't know! Turn everything off. They might not be able to find us." Martha reasoned.

"What if you're wrong?" Milo didn't want to put Cheen in danger.

She raised her arms, exasperated. "It can't be worse than this! Just do it!"

After a quick glance at Cheen, Milo quickly flicked every switch off on the console and suddenly they were enveloped in a erie silence.

"They've stopped." Cheen whispered with a hint of relief and ewe that Martha's plan had worked.

"Yeah, but they're still out there." Milo eyed the side of the car as if the groaning would start up again.

Cheen turned to Martha, curious. "How did you think of that?"

"I saw it on a film." Martha shrugged, almost amused. "They used to do it in submarines. Trouble is, I can't remember what they did next." The others could hear the fear in her voice.

Milo, obliviously concerned for Cheen snapped at Martha. "Well, you better think of something, because we've lost the aircon. If we don't switch the engines back on, we won't be able to breathe."

"How long have we got?"

"Eight minutes, maximum." Milo informed them with a grimace.

Martha placed a hand on Cheen's shoulder as she started to sob.


Thalia, The Doctor and the man from the car looked out at the swarm of Macra, while The Doctor explained who they were. "The Macra used to be the scourge of this galaxy. Gas. They fed off gas, the filthier the better. They built up a small empire using humans as slaves and mining gas for food."

"They don't exactly look like empire-builders to me." The man glanced at the mass of writhing creatures with a mix of fear and disgust.

"Well, that was billions of years ago. Billions. They must've devolved down the years and now they're just beasts. But they're still hungry and our friend's down there." The Doctor feared for Martha's life, but felt a hand land on his shoulder, offering support. He looked up to see Thalia's guilt ridden face, and before he could say anything, a clank sounded from the roof, before sparks flew from the roof.

The man leapt up with a start and glared at the ceiling. "Oh, it's like New Times Square in here, for goodness's sake!"

What looked like a light blue nun jumped down from the hole.

Thalia helped The Doctor up and he almost laughed despite their situation. "I've invented a sport!"

"Doctor, you're a hard man to find." The nun, clearly female and evidently a cat said.

The man pointed an accusing finger at the cat and yelled, "No guns! I'm not having guns!"

"I only brought this in case of pirates. Doctor, you've got to come with me."

"Do I know you?" The Doctor's brows furrowed as he tried to place the face that he was sure he had seen before.

"You haven't aged at all. Time has been less kind to me." The cat looked down, almost ashamed.

The Doctor's eyes widened in realisation.

"Novice Hame!" He hugged her and patted her back, before withdrawing quickly when another though came to mind. "No, hold on, get off. Last time we met, you were breeding humans for experimentation." He frowned, as did Thalia, both of them clearly disgusted at the memory.

"I've sought forgiveness, Doctor, for so many years, under his guidance. And if you come with me, I might finally be able to redeem myself." Novice Hame smiled and Thalia could tell she had definitely changed for the better. She couldn't help wonder who 'he' was, but The Doctor clearly had other things on his mind.

"I'm not going anywhere. You've got Macra living underneath this city. Macra! And if our friend's still alive, she's stuck down there!"

"You've got to come with me right now!" Novice Hame insisted.

The Doctor just shook his head and Thalia subtly placed herself between The Doctor and the gun, which everyone seemed to notice, except The Doctor.

"Thalia?" The was a short silence as Novice Hame's question floated in the air.

"I'm sorry, I haven't met you before." Thalia eyed the cat warily. How had she had known her name?

"I know, I can't believe I'm finally meeting you! I'm sorry, Doctor, but I have no more reason for you to stay now I've found her. The situation is even worse than you can imagine."

She grabbed his and Thalia's wrists and pressed a button on the glowing green bracelet she wore. "Transport."

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare!" The Doctor struggled and tried to free his hand, but to no aval. They vanished in a flash of white light as they were teleported away.

"Oh! Rough teleport. Ow." The Doctor grimaced as he tried to stand up. Thalia had managed to stay on her feet and she turned to The Doctor and helped him up. "But you can go straight back down and teleport people out, starting with Martha." The Doctor ordered.

Novice Hame looked down guiltily. "I only had the power for one trip."

"Then get some more!" The Doctor spun around to look at his surroundings. Where are we?

"High above, in the over-city." Novice Hame replied, with her eyes still cast down.

"Good! 'Cause you can tell the Senate of New New York I'd like a word. They've got thousands of people trapped on the motorway! Millions!" The Doctor yelled.

"But you're inside the Senate, right now. May the goddess Santori bless them." Novice Hame looked up and The Doctor and Thalia were stunned to see the Senate of New New York above them. Rows of seats lined the walls of the vast chamber, all filled with skeletons.

"They died, Doctor. The city died." Novice Hame spoke softly.

"How long's it been like this?" The Doctor asked.

"Twenty-four years."

Thalia walked up to one of the skeletons and bent down to look at it. "All of them? Everyone?"

Before Novice Hame could answer, Thalia noticed a mood on the neck of the skeleton, it was labelled BLISS and was almost identical to the one the car jackers had used on her about an hour before.

She picked it up and opened her mouth to speak but she suddenly felt a mind pressing against hers. She could feel a telepathic connection between her mind and another's and she was sure that it meant that she had connected to the mind before, in the past or future, for there to be such a strong link.

She glanced at The Doctor, who was knelt next to her, still speaking with Novice Hame. He didn't seem affected and she was sure she was the only one who felt it.

Thalia glanced around the room, but couldn't see anyone else alive.

Novice Hame pulled her from her thoughts when she pulled the mood from her hand. "Everyone tried it. They couldn't stop. A virus mutated inside the compound and became airborne. Everything perished — even the virus, in the end. It killed the world in seven minutes flat. There was just enough time to close down the walkways and the flyovers, sealing off the under-city. Those people on the motorway aren't lost, Doctor. They were saved."

"So the whole thing down there is running on automatic?" The Doctor realised.

"There's not enough power to get them out. We did all we could to stop the system from choking."

"Who's 'we'? How did you survive?" Thalia asked, wondering if that could be the mind she now felt.

Novice Hame smiled for the first time since they had arrived in the Senate. "He protected me. And he has waited for you, these long years."

"Thalia. Doctor." A low, grumbling voice spoke from the next room, causing Thalia to leap up and run into the room, closely followed by The Doctor.

She crouched down in front of a glass container and placed a hand on the glass. The Face Of Boe looked out at them and she would have smiled if they had been in a different situation. She knew who The Face Of Boe was because when she had tied to The Doctor, she had seen all his memories, including the time where he and Rose had gone to New New York and they had met The Face Of Boe.

"The Face of Boe!" The Doctor knelt down next to Thalia and mirrored her, putting his hand on the glass as well.

"I knew you would both come." The Face Of Boe spoke telepathically to everyone in the room.

"Back in the old days, I was made his nurse, as penance for my sins." Novice Hame hung her head, ashamed at what she had done over twenty years ago.

"Old friend, what happened to you?" The Doctor turned back to The Face Of Boe and sighed.

"Failing." The Face grumbled.

"He protected me from the virus by shrouding me in his smoke. But with no one to maintain it, the City's power died. The under-city would have fallen into the sea." Novice Hame supplied with a sad but grateful smile.

"So he saved them." Thalia smiled softly at the creature and slowly stroked the glass of the container.

"The Face of Boe wired himself into the mainframe. He's giving his life force just to keep things running." Novice Hame added, gesturing to the many wires and controls that were scattered around.

"But there are planets out there. You could have called for help." The Doctor wondered.

"The last act of the Senate was to declare New Earth unsafe. The automatic quarantine lasts for one hundred years." Novice Hame admitted.

The Doctor glanced at Thalia, and made sure she was keeping an eye on The Face Of Boe and stood up. "So the two of you stayed here — on your own, for all these years."

"We had no choice." Novice Hame hung her head again and Thalia stood up and hugged her to offer support.

Thalia knew what it felt like to be alone and think you don't have any other choice. You had to make big decisions and be fully responsible for the consequences. "You did brilliant. Think of how many lives you two have saved. You may not have seen it but the community down there are happy. Without you, they would all be dead. You did have a choice, you could have run away, but instead you saved them. Every last one."

Novice Hame relaxed into Thalia's arms and said, "I'm not sure when was the last time I was hugged by anyone. Thank you." She slowly drew back and Thalia smiled softly.

The Face Of Boe spoke, pleading from his corner, "Save them, Doctor, Thalia. Save them."


The car was silent and still. The occupants were panting slightly from the lack of air and were sweating slightly.

"How much air's left?" Cheen asked, struggling.

"Two minutes." Milo informed them.

"There's always the Doctor and Thalia, those friends of mine. They might think of something." Martha trusted them with her life and couldn't help but hope they were still coming to get her.

"Martha, no one's coming." Milo sighed, almost sure the girl was nearing delusional because of the lack of oxygen.

"He looked kind of nice." Cheen tried to raise Martha's spirits, which had been almost crushed at Milo's words.

"He's a bit more than that." Martha sighed.

"Are you and him … ?" Cheen asked.

"Sometimes I think he likes me, but sometimes I just think he likes Thalia, the other girl who was with us. The way he looks at her sometimes! He seems to gravitate towards her, you know?" Martha admitted reluctantly.

After a contemplative silence, Cheen spoke again. "I never even asked. Where's home?"

"It's a long way away. I didn't really think. I just followed the Doctor, and … they don't even know where I am. My mum and dad. If I died here, they'd never know." Martha realised with a sudden jolt. She felt tears welling up in her eyes and she shuddered.

"So, um, who is he, then? This Doctor?" Milo asked, curious.

"I don't know. Well, not really. There's so much he never says." Martha shrugged, obviously uncomfortable that she didn't know much about him.

"But that means that … the only hope, right now is … a complete stranger." Cheen gulped and stared horrified at Martha, who looked a bit guilty. "Well, that's no use!" Cheen was panicking even more now.

"It is, though, because you haven't seen the things he can do. Honestly, just trust me, both of you. You've got your faith, you've got your songs and your hymns. And I've got the Doctor."

"Right." Milo glanced at Cheen and turned the engine back on he gripped her hand, before turning to the steering wheel. "Good luck."

"And you." Martha offered. Cheen could only sob.

They started driving again and the crabs sprang to life, trying to crush them.


The Doctor stared at the screen intently before he found the results he was looking for. "Car Four Six Five Diamond Six — it still registers! That's Martha. I knew she was good. Novice Hame, hold that in place." He pointed to a lever of sorts and he ran over to work on some other controls.

"Think, think, think. Take the residual energy, invert it, feed it through the electricity beds." The Doctor jumped up now that he had a plan in mind and got to work.

"There isn't enough power." Novice Hame informed them.

"Ah, you've got power! You've got me! I'm brilliant with computers, just you watch." The Doctor stated boldly, still fiddling with wires and buttons.

"Hame, every switch on that bank, up to maximum!" The Doctor yelled, desperate for his plan to work.

Thalia stopped listening and turned to The Face Of Boe, he was nudging her with his mind, trying to get her attention. It was almost like a telepathic poke on the arm.

She briefly opened up her mind to him and he spoke inside her head:

I know who and what you are, yet you should feel no fear.

I am from your future and you will come to trust me.

I need you to know that it will get better.

Thalia was stunned and quickly replied:

I would help with this but I'm not supposed to know how to. I'm sorry.

He replied with two words:

I understand.

Satisfied that she had explained herself to The Face Of Boe, she quickly stood up and began to contribute as much as she could without being noticed.

"I can't power up the city, but all the city needs is people." The Doctor explained as he whirled around the controls.

"So what are you going to do?" Novice Hame asked.

The Doctor gritted his teeth and flipped a rather large switch."This!"

The lights on the console went out and The Doctor flew about in a panic. "No, no no no no, no!"

The Doctor reached into his jacket and pulled out his sonic screwdriver and knelt on the floor again. "The transformers are blocked. The signal can't get through."

"Doctor …" The Face Of Boe wheezed, interrupting him.

"Yeah, hold on, not now." He dismissed.

"I give you my last …" The Face Of Boe let out a long, rasping breath and the computer lit up.

"Hame, Thalia, look after him! Don't you go dying on me, you big old face. You've got to see this." The Doctor was exited again because his plan was finally working.

The Doctor flicked the switch again, this time he succeeded. "The open road. Hah!"

Thalia leant down and placed her hand on The Face Of Boe's glass, much like she had earlier, and tried to give him more energy through her healing legacy.

The Doctor used a microphone to talk to the people I. The cars below, and explained to them what was happening."Sorry, no Sally Calypso, she was just a hologram. My name's the Doctor. And this is an order. Everyone drive up. Right now. I've opened the roof of the motorway. Come on. Throttle those engines. Drive up. All of you, the whole under-city. Drive up, drive up, drive up! Fast! We've got to clear that fast lane. Drive up and get out of the way."


Martha, Cheen and Milo stared in ewe at the sunlight above, relieved that they were finally safe and free.

Suddenly their screen crackled to life and the image of The Doctor appeared. "Oy! Car Four Six Five Diamond Six! Martha! Drive up!" He grinned.

"That's the Doctor!" Martha pointed, laughing in relief.

"We can't go up! We'll hit the layer!" Milo protested.

"Just do as he says! Go up!"

"You've got access above! Now go!" The Doctor continued.

Their car freed itself from the crabs and burst into the sunlight with the other cars. Cheen gasped. "It's daylight! Oh my God. That's the sky, the real sky!"

Martha cheered. "He did it!"

She reached over and gave Cheen a hug, and when she withdrew from Cheen's hold, Milo and Cheen kissed happily.


The Doctor danced over to the window and looked out at the city that was now filling up with cars. "The city of New New York. And it's yours." The Doctor smiled softly and glanced Thalia, who was still fussing over The Face Of Boe.

"And don't forget — I want that coat back." The Doctor lifted the transmitter again.

"I reckon that's a fair bargain, sir." Brannigan's voice blared from the nearby speakers.

"And Car Four Six Five Diamond Six, I've sent you a flight path. Come to the Senate." He added.

Martha quickly grabbed the transmitter from Milo's hand and replied, enthusiastic. "On my way!"

Before The Doctor could reply, Thalia's voice rang out, concern evident in her voice. "Doctor!" He whipped around in a moment of panic, worried that something had happened to her, but was met with the sight of Thalia and Novice Hame, kneeling in front of The Face Of Boe, as the glass container slowly cracked around his face.


Martha rushed into the Senate, only to stop short when she saw a skeleton on the ground in front of her. "Doctor? Thalia?" She called tentatively, worried that the skeleton could be one of her friends.

"Over here." The Doctor called softly.

"Doctor!" Her face lit up at the sound of his voice, but her smile fell when she burst into the room and saw The Face Of Boe dying on the floor.

"What's that?" She frowned at the alien.

"It's the Face of Boe. It's all right." The Doctor quickly reassured her. "Come and say hello. And this is Hame. She's a cat. Don't worry."

Martha edged her way over and knelt down next to Thalia, who had her hand on The Face Of Boe, and was slowly stroking him.

"He's the one that saved you, not me." The Doctor admitted.

"My lord gave his life to save the city." Novice Hame sniffed. Thalia lifted her other arm and gently placed it around the sorrowful cat. "And now he's dying."

"No, don't say that. Not old Boe. Plenty of life left." The Doctor tried to convince himself and the others, but to no avail.

"It's good to breathe the air once more." The Face Of Boe replied.

"Who is he?" Martha asked.

"I don't even know. Legend says the Face of Boe has lived for billions of years. Isn't that right? And you're not about to give up now." The Doctor added.

"Everything has its time. You know that, old friend, better than most." The Face Of Boe answered cryptically.

"The legend says more." Novice Hame pressed.

"Don't. There's no need for that." The Doctor warned her.

"It says that the Face of Boe will speak his final secret to a traveller and a warrior."

"Yeah, but not yet. Who needs secrets, eh?" The Doctor persisted. "There isn't even a warrior here, is there?"

Thalia tried not to flinch and she felt like she supressed any reaction very well.

"I have seen so much. Perhaps too much. I am the last of my kind — as you are the last of yours, Doctor." The Face Of Boe started.

"That's why we have to survive. Both of us. Don't go." The Doctor pleaded desperately, not wanting anything to happen.

"I must. But know this, Time Lord. You will never be alone, you need to forget the past and look to the future. Everything you could possibly want is staring you in the face, but you can't see it. There will be a time in your future where your trust will be tested. Follow your heart, not you head. And, at all costs, remember, You are not alone."

The Face Of Boe spoke the last four words out loud and he gently closed his eyes for the last time.

The Doctor stared ahead of him, trying to comprehend what The Face Of Boe had just said. And what it could have been about.

Novice Hame began to break down and weep, so Thalia slowly released her and squeezed her hand to offer comfort.

She then stood up and helped The Doctor up, hugging him tightly while he tried to keep it together. He clung to her and took strength from her strength.

Slowly Thalia led The Doctor away, followed by a solemn Martha.


Thalia led the way through the street where they had first arrived and stopped in the middle to take one last look at New New York

"All closed down." The Doctor realised.

"Happy?" Martha asked.

"Happy happy." The Doctor grinned.

Martha laughed a little and Thalia gave a tiny smile. Though she knew that, like hers, The Doctor's smile was forced.

"New New York can start again. And they've got Novice Hame. Just what every city needs — cats in charge! Come on, time we were off." The Doctor started walking but only Thalia followed him.

Martha stood in the middle of the street, waiting. "But what did he mean, the Face of Boe?"

The Doctor stopped and turned to face her.

"You're not alone." Martha quoted.

"I don't know." The Doctor only half lied.

Martha stepped towards him and smiled. "You've got me. Is that what he meant?"

The Doctor shook his head, trying not to laugh. He glanced at Thalia and couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking with such a blank expression on her face.

"I don't think so. Sorry."

Martha shrugged. "Then what?"

"Doesn't matter. Back to the TARDIS, off we go." The Doctor dismissed, but Martha grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it up, siting on it in the middle of the street, refusing to move.

Thalia pulled The Doctor back to look at Martha, who pretended not to know what she was doing. "All right, you staying?"

"'Till you talk to me properly, yes. He said "last of your kind." What does that mean?" Martha persisted.

Thalia was torn. She could see that The Doctor felt pain every time he talked about his planet, and she knew first hand what it felt like. But Martha couldn't be lied to, she needed to know.

"It really doesn't matter." The Doctor tried again.

"You don't talk. You never say! Why not?" Martha was getting angry and Thalia tried to think of a way to intervene.

Thalia quickly found her solution and held her hand up. "Listen."

Martha calmed instantly at the beautiful singing that they could faintly hear. "It's the city. They're singing."

The Doctor looked at Thalia, who subtly nodded and moved to put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Thalia, again, gave him strength, so he took a deep breath and confessed. "I lied to you, 'cause I liked it. I could pretend. Just for a bit, I could imagine they were still alive, underneath a burnt orange sky." He paused, still looking at Thalia who gave his shoulder a squeeze. "I'm not just a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords. The Face of Boe was wrong. There's no one else."

Thalia quickly withdrew her hand, stung by The Doctor's words. She would do anything to lift the pain off his shoulders and tell him that at least he wasn't the last of the superior races, but she knew she couldn't.

Martha shook her head sadly, still shocked with the news. "What happened?"

Thalia grabbed two more chairs and they both sat down. "Sarah told me." She said with a look of understanding on her face.

The Doctor's eyes widened with the realisation that she had known all along but hadn't said anything and had played along with him. Martha was just confused, who was this Sarah?

The Doctor sighed and looked into the distance and began to describe the planet that was so dear to him."There was a war. A Time War. The last Great Time War. My people fought a race called the Daleks, for the sake of all creation. And they lost. They lost. Everyone lost. They're all gone now. My family, my friends, even that sky. Oh, you should have seen it, that old planet. The second sun would rise in the south, and the mountains would shine. The leaves on the trees were silver, and when they caught the light every morning, it looked like a forest on fire. When the autumn came, the breeze would blow through the branches like a song …"

Thalia knew that she would end up thinking about Lorien again, it was inevitable as soon as The Doctor started describing his planet. She was sure that Lorien was prettier, but then again, she was biased. She could only hope that when The Doctor found out, if he found out, he would eventually forgive her.


The Doctor slowly circled the console. It had been a long day. He pulled levers and spun dials to occupy his mind rather than actually doing anything of significance to the TARDIS.

It had been Thalia who had suggested they all rest for a while when she had seen Martha yawning. He was quite glad for the break actually. His words about his planet and people from not even an hour before still rung in his ears and he needed a chance to clear his head and think.

Did he want Martha to stay? She was really growing on him. Before, he had thought she was a bit childish and annoying, but now she was sometimes fun to be around. Thalia didn't look at the universe with the same awe as Martha and it was refreshing to see Martha discover the wonders of the universe. Thalia didn't openly show her amazement. He knew she was amazed by it, all humans were. He wasn't even sure if ha had even met a human that hadn't found the universe magnificent.

He had given Martha a room of her own regardless if she was going to stay or not. He had let the TARDIS choose a room for her and he was sure, if Martha's reaction was anything to go by, that the TARDIS had made the right decision again. When he had shown Martha her room, she had squealed in delight and hugged him tightly. He couldn't really remember the room that much but he was sure there were lots of purples and reds involved? And it was about three halls down from his room? Something like that.

It wasn't really Martha that worried him, it was Thalia. She... he couldn't really describe it... every time he looked at her he felt this nagging in the back of his mind. He wasn't sure if it was a good feeling or a bad feeling, but it made him curious. She was just a human. She may be a genius, but she was definitely human. So why was she so different to Martha?

He couldn't really work out how he felt about her. There were times when she was really kind and empathetic, and others where she was very withdrawn and closed off. He wasn't sure why she was sometimes a bit off, but he wasn't about to ask her. He wasn't that stupid. He desperately wanted her to stay and probing her with personal questions would probably drive her away. He didn't want that to happen.

He walked over to the jump seat and sat down. He should really find something to pass the time. He thought about Thalia's room. The TARDIS had placed her around the corner from him. He hadn't even seen the inside of her room. They had both left Martha off at her room and had started walking. Thalia was smiling, happy that Martha was happy, and they had turned the corner, when she had stopped short. There had been a door to their left and Thalia had stood there, just looking at it. He remembered her saying, "Is that mine?"

It really was weird. When he had explained that the TARDIS would only put her name on the door if it was her room, and that of course it was hers, her face had this look of stunned happiness. He made sure he wouldn't forget that expression, especially since he had sort of been the one to cause it.

That was another thing that puzzled The Doctor about Thalia; she never took anything for granted. Martha had almost expected a room and hadn't been surprised, but Thalia had. He wondered what she was doing now. Probably sleeping. He couldn't have been more wrong.


The room was silent. Thalia sat on new bed with her legs crossed, stunned. She really hadn't expected the TARDIS to have made her a room and she was almost overwhelmed by how much she really felt at home on the TARDIS. For the first time in what felt like, and most likely was, forever, she felt safe.

Her room was filled with deep TARDIS blues and the TARDIS had even included a window that nearly brought tears to her eyes. The window overlooked Lorien in its former glory. Before the Mogs or the war, just in its natural state. She knew it was fake, but she hadn't seen the planet in its best condition in anything but her dreams. Speaking of dreams, her bed was beautiful. It was soft and modest, with plain white sheets. She loved it. The walls were plain blue and there was a small wardrobe and bedside table. It was everything she wanted and needed.

She sat back down on her bed and, after checking that the door was definitely locked, she carefully set her beloved watch in front of her. The watch didn't look anything special. It had an average sized plain white face and a plain black strap. But Thalia knew better. It had been one of the many things she had inherited and she was sure it was time lord technology. If you pressed the small button on the side of the face that was usually used to adjust the time, the face would open. It was bigger on the inside and held her every possession in it. She wasn't sure how much was actually in there, but she was telepathically connected to it and all she had to do was picture the object she wanted and it would appear in her hand. He wasn't going to take everything out now, but she wanted to make sure it was still working.

Concentrating hard, she thought about her mobile phone. All she had to do was close her eyes and her small but efficient mobile was soon sitting innocently in the palm of her hand.

Smiling, she turned the device on and found the number she was looking for. Obviously she had fixed her phone with a universe roaming program and all she had to do was press a few buttons until she could hear the distinctive trill of the phone ringing.

It wasn't two seconds before the voice of one of the few people she truly trusted in the universe came over the line. "You need to tell me everything. You think that letter was enough? I was nearly torn to shreds by the suspense and not knowing!"

Thalia's face broke into a large grin. "Why 'Hello!' to you too, Auntie J! Don't worry I'll tell you everything. Let me start from the beginning..."


AN: So sorry I couldn't update, sooner, I was away in Poland in Auschwitz and didn't have much time to write this.

I hope you liked Thalia's interaction with The Face Of Boe (I'm sure you all know who The Face Of Boe really is, but just in case some people didn't, I didn't put any spoilers in here ;-) )

I hope everyone still understands who my character is and if you don't you can easily drop a review or PM me and I will be happy to explain. Thalia will be fully explained quite far off in the future and I want to make sure no one is confused.

I wanted to show a bit of what goes on in between the shows and their life in the TARDIS. Was it believable? I know it's not much to go on yet but I wanted to leave it short and sweet. Does it work here?

Can anyone guess who Auntie J is? I tried not to make it too obvious, but I'm not sure how obvious it is.

Thanks again for your lovely reviews, they really put a smile on my face and I really look forward to posting chapters to see your reaction. I'm still open to lots of suggestions so please don't hesitate to PM me or review.

Till next time!