Edit: I'm really sorry for the way the ending of this turned out before, but I've gone back and fixed it. Hope you like it!
Disclaimer: If I owned Doctor Who, Rose and the Doctor would get married and have lots of little Time Babies running around the TARDIS.
Chapter 8: I Am The Wolf
The Doctor started running. He had no idea what he was getting himself and his friends into, but he had to help Amy. Amy, who was with Rory and River. All of them were probably in danger. Rose and Jack were right behind him, but the Doctor paid them no attention as he ran towards the old house that he had first met Amelia in. He knew that's where the cry had come from. The Doctor knew that he'd still have to explain to Rose what the Time energy in her DNA meant, but for now he welcomed the distraction, even if it was his best friends being put in danger.
"Doctor! Are we just going to run straight in there? We might get killed!" Rose called out from behind him. The Doctor slowed his pace when he rounded the corner. She was right. He had to think, to learn what had happened and think of a plan. Unfortunately, time was one thing he was sure they didn't have. He stopped when he reached the door of Amy's old house. The door was open about three inches and hung loosely from its hinges. The wind was strong enough that, every time there was a gust, the door was pushed back an inch or so, then swung back. It creaked ominously as the Doctor pushed the old door open.
There was sign of an obvious struggle, but there was nothing that gave him a clue of where his friends had gone. Not on the landing, anyways.
"Doctor, what happened?" Jack asked quietly from behind him. The Doctor started up the stairs slowly, looking for something to give him a clue.
"I don't know, Jack. They were taken, but I don't know where or by whom." The three of them reached the second floor and the Doctor started searching the room. "Oh, that's very bad! I don't know how bad but it is definitely three bus rides, a long walk, and a taxi from good." In his peripheral vision, he saw Jack shoot a look at Rose, who shrugged.
"What's bad? Do you know who took them?" The Doctor turned to face her, his face grave.
"Oh yes. And when I find them, they will learn the hard way to never, ever, mess with my friends." He held up the vortex manipulator he had found lying on a table. "Recognize this, Jack?" Jack nodded. "We're going to the Time Agency." He grabbed Rose's hand, and Jack grabbed her other one. She grinned at him, that tongue-in-teeth smile he loved so much.
"Allons-y?" She asked him. He grinned back at her.
"No. Geronimo!" And he pressed the button.
The Doctor opened his eyes to see a half dozen] men and women in military uniforms pointing guns at his chest. He put his hands up, and motioned for his companions to do the same.
"Doctor..." He heard Jack say uneasily, so quietly only the Doctor and Rose could hear. "Third man to your left." The Doctor moved his gaze to the man Jack had pointed out. There, pointing a gun at the Doctor with his eyes locked onto Jack's, was Captain Harkness himself. He was younger, yes, but still easily recognizable.
"Doctor." Captain Harkness said evenly. He did not lower his gun. "I would ask why you are traveling with a future version of myself, but I would rather spare myself the paradox. Now, I'm sure you are wondering why you are here." The Doctor nodded and saw Rose scowling at their Jack, who was still frowning.
"You didn't tell us you were such a buzzkill, Jack. Embarrassed?" She smirked at him, and he gave her a tense smile before locking eyes with his past self.
"What's the date, Captain?" He said the title mockingly, like he knew something everyone else didn't. Which he probably did, seeing as he once was the man before him. The Captain glared at him before telling his future self the date. Jack nodded thoughtfully. "Okay. That explains it." Captain Harkness frowned at him.
"Explains what, exactly?" The Doctor was watching the exchange silently. He thought he already knew what their Jack was going to say. He lowered his hands and laced his fingers with Rose's once she did the same.
"Why I can't remember having this conversation. In about a day, you're gonna wake up and the last thing you're going to remember is going to be that strip club from 3140 you went to about two years ago." The Doctor shot a look at his companion.
"Jack, you should probably shut up now. I can read timelines and yours is still fixed, but that could change with any word that comes out of your mouth." He warned, and Rose gripped his hand tighter. Jack nodded.
"Private Bennet, take the girl to her cell. You know what to do once you get there. Private Farrow, take my future self to another cell. If he resists, shoot him." Jack gave his future self a wry smile.
"I hated you even when I was you, you bastard." Captain Harkness apparently didn't like that, and the Doctor winced at what he knew was coming. The Captain lifted his gun, which he had lowered at some point in the conversation, and shot Jack through the heart with apparently no remorse or concerns that he had just ended his own life. Jack collapsed onto the floor, a small smile still on his face. The Doctor glanced at Rose, who rolled her eyes.
"I swear, one day that man is going to be the death of me." Captain Harkness looked between the two of them in confusion. "He's giving you too much foreknowledge. He just sent your timeline into flux. Not a lot, but enough. Just give him a minute and you'll see why." The Doctor offered as an explanation. The Captain just looked really confused.
Just then, a loud, gasping breath came from the floor. "God, Doc, no matter how many times I die in front of you, you never even ask if I'm okay. How's that for a friend?" The Captain's jaw dropped and Jack smirked at him.
"Because you know I really don't need to. Also, you just sent your timeline into flux. Happy, Harkness?" Jack looked thoughtful.
"No, not particularly. I mean, we are at the Time Agency." Captain Harkness looked shocked still, but the soldiers he had ordered were standing to his side, ready to shoot any of the three people in front of them.
"Captain? Do we restrain the other two?" The Captain seemed to shake himself out of his stupor and nodded. The Doctor clung tighter to Rose's hand, but the female soldier yanked Rose's hand out of his grasp.
"Doctor? Doctor, what do we do?" Rose sounded scared as the woman restrained her hands. He grabbed Roses shoulders and kissed her quickly.
"Don't panic. Stay calm. I will find you." And then he was forced back by another soldier and Rose was led away. "Jack?"
"Yes, Doc?" Jack replied, still getting secured by the third soldier.
"Don't get killed too many times, and no me?"
"Yes, Doc. Anyways, I'm a married man. Or I will be, anyways. Say 'hi' to River for me if you see her first." And with that Jack was lead away none to gently by another soldier. The Doctor turned to Captain Harkness, who was staring after his future self.
"He sent my timeline into flux, yes?" The Doctor nodded. "I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing."
"It depends on how you look at it. I would say that Rose and I were the best thing to ever happen to you, and so would your future self. But you, you might not think so, from the outside looking in. Now, take me to your leader. I'm sure you brought me here for a reason, Captain." Harkness nodded.
"Secure him." He barked at the remaining two soldiers. They cuffed the Doctor, who did little to resist. "Come with me, Doctor. My supervisors would like to have a word with you." The Doctor followed the man through the chamber door and into a brightly lit military corridor. Whoever the supervisors were, he had a feeling that he would not like them one bit. He bit his tongue. No good would come from running his mouth to the man who was not the Jack he knew.
Rose was led from the large, obviously military chamber through several long corridors. The lights had gradually grown dimmer as she and her escort moved along the hallways. The soldier was silent as they walked, and Rose figured that it would be pointless to ask questions. They finally stopped in front of a door that was most likely her cell.
"What have we done? Why were we brought here?" She asked the woman, hoping she might get at least something. The soldier-Private Bennet, Captain Harkness had called her-did not make eye contact.
"We need the Doctor, and the only way to get him to help is to hold something over his head." Bennet finally looked Rose square in the eye then, and Rose knew that whatever was coming wasn't going to be fun. Bennet's eyes held regret and compassion. What could make a Time Agent-a soldier-feel that for a prisoner? "I'm very sorry, Miss. But we have to do this." Bennet swung the door open and led Rose inside.
The room held nothing but a metal chair that vaguely reminded Rose of an electric chair, and sent chills up her spine. There were cuffs on the arms and legs of the chair, and she had a pretty good idea of who they were for. On the wall facing the chair, there was a large screen, and on the left hand wall there was a large mirror, which Rose figured was a one-way window. Bennet led her over to the chair, and Rose sat down without resistance. It would just hurt her more to try. Bennet exited the room after pressing a few buttons on a controller at her side.
The metal cuffs clicked into place around her wrists and ankles, and Rose flexed them to see how much leeway she had. Not much, apparently. Before she could do much else, the screen in front of her flickered to life to show the Doctor, flanked by two soldiers and the Captain. He was standing in front of a large desk, where a man Rose had never seen before sat. The Doctor obviously recognized him, because he was glaring at the man like he was the cause of all the corruption in the universe. The Doctor's wrists were straining against the handcuffs and he looked ready to launch himself at the strange man.
"Master." The Doctor's voice came from the speakers, low and menacing. "I should have known you would survive. Though I must ask you how you did it. The last time I saw you you were getting pulled into the Time Lock. What happened, Koschei?" The last sentence was taunting, like the Doctor was invoking a name that hadn't been used in centuries.
"Oh, I got pulled into a parallel universe. One that I believe you are intimately acquainted with."
Rose stiffened in her restraints. It couldn't be. "And I met an old friend of yours. At first I thought that he was you, and I tried to kill him. But then he told me the story of how you created, abandoned, and destroyed him. You took away his love. Is't that right, John?" The man, the Master, called towards the door behind him. Rose couldn't breathe. He can't be here he was in the parallel world. How could he be here? Please, God, don't let John be here! She watched the screen without blinking as the door swung open and the man she had spent five horrible years of her life with stepped through it.
The Doctor growled and lunged at him, but the two soldiers held him back, though they just barely managed to restrain him in time. John Noble-Smith chuckled darkly and went to stand at the Master's side, then pulled up a chair and sat next to him. Rose tried to breathe, to relax, but it wasn't possible. John was back. John is back and he's going to hurt me again. Please don't let him hurt me, Doctor.
"Indeed, Master. So we made a dimension jumper and came back home. Unfortunately, we landed in the wrong time and since neither of us has a TARDIS, we had to...ah, reshape Torchwood. That took us about two years or so, and now we finally have the perfect bait. The Doctor's friends, and the woman he loves. My woman. The Master has promised that he'll spare Rose, and she can be mine again. But first, we need you to do something for us." The two men sat back and smirked at the Doctor. He glared at them in turn and Rose waited tensely for his response.
"Why would I ever help you? The man who hurt my Rose beyond belief and my once-was best friend who's been trying to off me for a couple hundred years? In your dreams." Rose smiled a little, but it was soon wiped off her face when the Master spoke again.
"Well, in case you haven't forgotten, we still have your friends. And since pretty little Rose is right through that door over there, if you don't cooperate, I'll send John in with her to have a little fun. Does that sound good to you?" The Master asked, a taunting smirk on his face. Rose's eyes widened. He wouldn't, would he? But she took one look at the screen, into that madman's eyes, and knew that if the Doctor didn't do it he would have no qualms about orchestrating her torture.
"And what exactly is it you need me to do?" The Doctor asked in a controlled voice. Rose exhaled in relief. She didn't want the Doctor to help these madmen in whatever they were trying to accomplish, but the thought of John being able to hurt her again was terrifying.
"Oh, nothing much. Just...we need your TARDIS, all the vortex manipulators available to the Time Agency, and Rose. Not too much to ask, yes?" The Doctor shook his head.
"No deal. I'm not letting you take Rose. And you won't be getting my TARDIS, I put a defense mechanism in her. You shouldn't be allowed to have the Vortex Manipulators either, but that's not up to me. Now, let me go." John smirked, glancing at the Master.
"May I, Master?" He asked in a singsong voice. The Master smiled cruelly and nodded. He picked up a remote and pressed a few buttons. Rose saw another screen appear on the wall of the room the Doctor was in, and the image on it didn't really surprise her. It was herself, strapped to the chair, with an expression of fear on her face. When she saw that, she started to cry. She had been holding back tears for a minute or so, but when faced with the reality that she was going to be tortured and the Doctor would be forced to watch, they spilled over.
"Observe, Doctor. This is what happens when you refuse us." Rose knew what would happen if the Master or John got their hands on the TARDIS, so she tried to pull herself together. She figured that there would be speakers in her room as well and tried to locate the camera. Staring straight at the space she thought it was, she spoke through her tears.
"Doctor, don't let them get to the TARDIS. I'll be okay, just don't help them." On the screen, the Doctor turned and looked to pinpoint the sound.
"Rose! Rose, hold on, I'll get you out of there!" The Master chuckled.
"Doubtful. John, go ahead and greet dear Rose. I believe she's waiting for her husband." John grinned and turned towards another doorway. Rose heard the doorknob turn from behind her, and tensed in fear. This was actually happening. The door behind her opened, and she heard soft footsteps she remembered so well.
"Hello, Rose. Long time, no see." She heard the voice from behind her and let another tear slip down her face.
"John." She choked out. He came into view and Rose shivered. There was a look of pure malice on his face, and there was cruelty mixed with the slightest bit of lust shining in his eyes. Eyes that, on another man, once shone with kindness and mirth. "John, please. Please don't." She hated that the Doctor had to hear her beg. John just smirked.
"I love it when you beg. Do you know he did, too? And I'm willing to bet he still does." She shook her head. He told her things like this to get under her skin, but they weren't true. She had almost believed it back in the parallel world, but now that she was back with her Doctor, she knew that they had been lies all along. John took a small remote from his pocket and showed her the face of it. "This, Rosie, controls the voltage of that chair you're sitting in. Feel free to scream as much as you'd like." Rose tensed, and John pressed a button on the controller.
Pain. It was the only thing she was aware of. There was pain coursing through her veins, reaching every corner of her body. There was a far off screaming, and she wondered vaguely through the fog in her head who it was. Her eyes were open, but all she could see was the white of the walls and a hazy form standing in front of her. Who was it? She couldn't remember. The agony increased, and finally her vision started going dark around the edges. She was just slipping into a pool of blackness when the force driving the pain stopped. Electricity still crackled under her skin, but the voltage had stopped. Slowly and ever so painfully, Rose reopened her eyes, unaware of when they had shut.
"Was that fun, Rose?" The man in front of her asked patronizingly. Doctor? No, no. John. The meta-crisis. She moaned in pain. "See, Doctor? This is what we can do to your love." Rose's vision was clear now, and she looked towards the screen to see the Doctor on his knees, hands still cuffed behind his back, with tears streaming down his face.
"Doctor." She groaned. John turned fast as lightning and backhanded her across the face. Rose heard the smack before she felt the impact, but when she did, she gasped in pain.
"He is not here. I am here, Rose, and you will say my name. He can't help you now, and I doubt he even wants to." Rose sobbed. "Tell me my name, Rose." She shook her head. She had promised herself never again. "TELL ME!" He bellowed.
"J-John." She stammered.
"Good. Who do you belong to?" He asked her just loud enough for the microphones to pick up. She kept her eyes shut and refused to answer. Then she felt his hands on her thighs. Her eyes flew open to see his face inches from hers.
"No. No, please, no!" She whimpered, but John closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to hers violently. She did not reciprocate, and tried to keep her mouth closed, but his hands moved down to her inner thighs and she gasped. He took control of her mouth then, and Rose fought the urge to scream. She couldn't let him do this.
Rose felt her rage swell up in her chest, and in that tight ball of anger she sensed a great, angry power that she had only felt once before: at the Game Station. She felt the power start to manifest under her skin, a different kind of electricity from before. The power that she knew was the Bad Wolf pulsed in her veins, and she opened her eyes. John went flying back, hitting the screen on the opposite wall and collapsing in a heap. The cuffs holding her disintegrated into golden dust, and the woman stood up with confidence.
Rose was lost, and standing in her place was the Wolf, ready to protect her no-longer-human child from harm. Rose was aware of herself this time, yet not in control. It felt vaguely like the time Cassandra had possessed her body, but the Wolf was comforting and felt more like an extension of Rose's brain, a personality she had only worn once. The Wolf turned her eyes on the human-Time Lord hybrid responsible for so much of her sister's pain.
"You will never hurt Rose Tyler again." The Wolf said firmly, but without malice. With a wave of her hand, she sent John to the TARDIS where she knew her Doctor could deal with him as he saw fit. Rose was screaming at the Wolf that it was a bad idea, that the Doctor would lose control and kill John.
Have faith in our Doctor, sister. He is stronger than you think, especially with us by his side. The Wolf replied to her sister.
But I don't want to see him hurting like that. You must have seen his face when John came in. He's so full of rage and pain, I'm afraid he'll hurt himself without meaning to. Rose replied more softly.
He is more afraid of losing us than you think. He will do nothing that he believes would drive you away. He does not believe that we will never go. We will not leave him nor our other sister for a very long time. The Wolf said to Rose, who seemed confused.
Our other sister? Do you mean the TARDIS?
Yes. Though she is more like you than you know. Feel inside yourself, Rose Tyler, feel inside this body. She has given you something to share with her Thief, something truly amazing. Try to feel it.
There was silence from Rose, and the Wolf came back into reality. Walking through the doorway, which she unlocked with no more than a thought. Her eyes immediately sought the Doctor, who was still kneeling and staring listlessly at the screen in front of him, which had been filled with static. His face was dripping with tears, and when he heard the door opening, he turned so fast that he almost toppled over. His face filled with horror as he caught sight of the Wolf; no doubt he thought that his precious Rose was dying, consumed by the vortex. The Master was staring at her in shock, no doubt wondering what on Gallifrey was going on.
"I am the Bad Wolf. I have the power of Time itself, and I am more powerful than you can imagine, Time Lord." Her words were directed at the Master, but the Wolf saw the Doctor flinch and immediately felt bad. Not wishing to deal with the Master, she sent him to the TARDIS with John. She turned to the Doctor and removed his restraints.
"Rose, what have you done?" He asked frantically, drying his face with the back of his hands.
"I am the Wolf, and extension of Rose Tyler. Do not fear, Doctor, she is well. Her body, as you well know, is no longer human and was, in essence, designed to contain my power. You have our sister to thank for that." The Doctor nodded, though he still looked worried. "I will erase the last two years, as you did with the Year That Never Was, and only Jack Harkness will remember them. Or, to be more specific, he will remember not remembering them"
"You're playing with things you shouldn't, Wolf. This is dangerous." The Doctor said, looking at her warily. The Wolf smiled sadly at him.
"You think I don't know that, Doctor? But I am a part of Rose, and I can see all the possibilities around your timelines-more so than even you." And it was true; the Wolf knew what could come, and she knew that she had no right to divulge any information. "And you know I cannot tell you." The Doctor smiled grimly.
"Of course. Can you bring back my friends? And fix Jack?" The Wolf shook her head.
"I can bring them to you, but the fate of Jack Harkness is beyond my control now. What's done is done."
"Of course. Do it now, please." The Wolf nodded, and with a thought brought Amy, Rory, River and Jack into the room with them.
"Rose? Rosie, are you okay?" Jack, who along with River was used to traveling without a capsule. "Why are you glowing?" The Wolf turned to him and smiled.
"I am the Wolf, and I have the power of Time. Rose, my sister, has called on me once before, this you know, and we are now one. Jack, River Song, use your Vortex Manipulators-" which she had returned to them when bringing them here- "and return to the TARDIS. The Doctor and Rose will meet you there."
The others were looking around in confusion, but Jack held out his arm to River, and she took it along with her mother's hand, who was holding Rory's with her other. With a flash of blue light, the four were gone.
The Wolf concentrated. She had just enough power to get her and the Doctor back to their own time stream. Jack hit the button on his vortex manipulator and the four of them transported back to the correct time. The Wolf turned to the Doctor.
"I'm sorry for scaring you. The Master and John are in a holding cell on the TARDIS, though I would advise dealing with them tomorrow. And I have told Rose about her DNA change, though the TARDIS and I have sped it up somewhat in the last few minutes. Tomorrow you will awake and Rose will be fully Gallifreyan."
"Why would you do this? Take away Rose's humanity?" The Doctor asked in a pleading voice. He knew that Rose treasured her humanity above all else, and the Wolf suspected that he would let the woman he loved grow old and die if it meant that she would be happy.
"Because this is what Rose wants. She wants to give you forever."
Thank you. Rose's voice echoed in the Wolf's mind. Thank you for everything. You can take us home now, Wolf.
You're welcome, sister. And know that I am always within you should you need to call upon me again.
I know. The Wolf closed her eyes and felt a rush as they transported back to their own time stream. She relinquished control of Rose's body and retreated to her mind, content with her actions.
"Rose? Are you okay?" Rose opened her eyes to see The Doctor and her friends staring at her with concern. She smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit tired, 's all." They made their way back to the TARDIS while Rose and the Doctor explained what had happened to them, leaving out most of the graphic parts.
"They just held us all in the same cell and wouldn't let us talk. I tried once or twice and they short me. Killed me dead." Jack recounted. "Scared the poor Ponds half to death. Sorry, by the way. I would have warned you, but there was the whole no-talking thing." Amy punched him in the shoulder, and he rubbed it ruefully. "Jeez, woman. You can hit!"
"Apology accepted. But I still don't like you." Amy told him, and Jack winked at her.
"Sure you don't, doll." River nudged him.
"Sweetie, I know you can't help yourself, but do try not to flirt with the in-laws." Jack blushed.
"Sorry." Rose and the Doctor chuckled at that. They entered the TARDIS, and River agreed to stay the night, leading Jack away with no trouble at all. Rose chuckled at their retreating backs, hoping the TARDIS would soundproof their room. She didn't realize that the ship had heard her until the console gave a hum and Rose felt a tingling of assent in her mind.
"Thanks, sister." She stroked the railing tenderly. She noticed the Doctor giving her an odd look.
"I guess we're connected now, the TARDIS and me. Even more so than before." The Doctor smiled.
"Just one more thing I love about you, Rose." The Ponds bid them a good night, and soon enough the two were alone in the console room. Rose sat down in one of the chairs littering the console room, while the Doctor tinkered underneath. They were enjoying the comfortable silence until the TARDIS started playing 'Moonlight Serenade.' Rose laughed as the Doctor leapt up from under the controls and pulled her out of the chair, dancing ridiculously the whole time.
They danced for a long time, moving from Moonlight Serenade to slow, sweet, romantic songs. The lights dimmed, and Rose leaned her head against her Doctor's chest. They weren't dancing so much as swaying, now, and Rose smiled.
"Doctor..." Rose whispered, tilting her head to look up at him. "I love you." He smiled at her.
"And I love you, Rose Tyler. But I can't stand it when you call me that." She furrowed her brow in confusion.
"But that's your name." The Doctor shook his head. Still holding her and moving slowly with the music.
"No, it's not. And I can't tell you my real name for now, but there was a name I was called when I was younger I would like you to call me."
"And what's that, then?" Rose felt honored that he trusted her enough to tell her his childhood nickname, and vowed that she would try to show him how much he meant to her.
"Theta, is what my friends called me back on Gallifrey. Theta Sigma." Rose smiled. It seemed to fit him, and it felt more personal than just 'Doctor'.
"Theta Sigma. Well then, Theta. I love you." He pulled her up against him and kissing her sweetly. She did not break away, and soon the kiss was passionate and heated, practically begging for more.
"Should we take this to my bedroom?" Theta asked her quietly, kissing her neck.
"Are you asking to take me to bed?" She said, gasping, marveling at what he was doing with his tongue.
"Yes, I suppose I am, Rose Tyler. What do you say?" She pulled his head up and looked her Doctor, Theta Sigma, in the eye.
"I say yes."
Edit: Okay, that's much better. I want to thank all of you who reviewed, you're all amazing. I hope I wrapped this up a bit better; I wanted to do more with John and the Master but ti was 12:30 and I just wanted to finish that night so you all got a crappy ending. Thanks for reading!
