A/N: I know I'm a little early with this one, it's just so I can finish off my next filler without worrying about it.
BarbMack; Hope you're okay hon, it's been ages since I've heard anything from you and your mobile's not taking calls in case you didn't know. Get in touch soon?
And that goes for you too Alex!
So anyway, Jack's in a very unpleasant situation and Rose and Martha are about to be naughty girls and not do as they're told. (Not much of a change there really.) Let's hope they know what they're doing!
Chapter 9
Rose and Martha tentatively stepped out onto the street.
"Okay?"
"So far so good," Martha nodded, pulling her car keys from her pocket.
"Just, remember what I said yeah?"
"Let's get going."
"Right. First things first. Location." Rose closed her eyes and reached out for Jack.
XxXxX
The Doctor looked round at the rest of the room's occupants. They were closing in on him, cutting him off from Jack. He looked over and Sarah-Jane and Donna knowing there was nothing he could do. If the Master wanted them to hurt him, they would. His eyes travelled to Keisha, the poor girl knew nothing of their world and yet here she was, probably about to kill her friend's partner without even realising it.
There was nothing more he could do. He only had one option and it wasn't one he liked.
He raised his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the Master. "Call them off," he growled.
"Or what? Your Sonic Screwdriver is about as dangerous as a cotton bud," the Master laughed as Ianto continued his assault on Jack.
"It's had an upgrade since we last met." Burying one ear against his arm and blocking the other with his free hand, the Doctor pressed the button.
The Master cried out as his ears pulsed and his minions screamed.
"I warned you. I tried to tell you."
"Stop it!"
"Then call them off!"
"Fine!"
The Master sounded like a petulant child as he huffed and stopped the attack, Ianto and company returning to their places.
The Doctor rushed to Jack's side.
"I'm okay Doc. Man, I never realised how hard Ianto could hit," Jack groaned as he struggled upright.
'Jack? Please don't tell the Doctor you can hear me. He'll worry and get distracted.'
'Rose? What's going on? I thought the Doc said we wouldn't be able to contact you in the Zero room.'
'Never mind that, where are you?'
'Why? What are you up to?'
'Please Jack. I can help, I know I can. The TARDIS let me out, I can't explain right now, just trust me and tell me where you are.'
'I'm not sure about this. The Doc is going to be apoplectic.'
'I don't care. You've been gone for three days! Tell me.'
'Three days? Rose we've barely been here an hour!'
'No, for Martha it's been three days.'
'What the hell is going on?' Jack looked over at the Doctor. He and the Master seemed to be having a staring contest. 'I guess we have come to a bit of a stalemate. We're in St James' Palace.'
'I'm coming. See you soon.'
'Rose, be careful. He just got Ianto to beat me up.'
'I will.'
Jack sighed and shook his head. He had no doubt Rose had a plan but he was certain that the Doctor was going to kill him when he finds out he didn't talk her out of it.
"What is it you really want Koschei? You're hesitating and you never hesitate. You want something from me other than my death; otherwise I'd be down to my last regeneration already."
"Never could fool you could I? I want you to help me break a Time Law. It's a silly thing, one that is just selfish really when you look at it."
"Now what on Gallifrey would I want to do that for?"
"But that's it! That's the point; what on Gallifrey?! I can't do it by myself, I need you and your TARDIS. We can go home Doctor. We can rebuild Gallifrey. It's only a silly law, and who's left to govern them but us?"
"Doc? What law?" Jack asked nervously.
"'No Time Lord shall use the Power of Creation,'" the Doctor quoted quietly.
XxXxX
"Rose I don't feel so good. It feels like I've had way too much to drink," Martha complained, pulling over to the side of the road.
"Remember what I said. Imagine it as a person and throw it out through a door. Slam the door shut. You can do it Martha. He is not going to win this."
"I don't know that I can. Can't you feel it?"
"Yes I can. I can feel him but I won't let him have me. We have to beat this Martha if we have any hope we have to keep fighting."
Martha shook her head. "I knew I should've stayed in bed."
"Martha Jones you are going to fight this and you are going to win. The Doctor only takes the best, remember? That means you are one of the best. Now believe me when I say it's really fun sometimes when people prove him wrong but this isn't one of those times."
"Rose I can't. He's too strong," Martha slid down lower in her seat resting back against the headrest.
Rose unclipped her belt and got out of the car. She ran round to the driver's side and flung the door open, crouching down beside her friend. "We haven't got far to go now. My friends and my lover need me. I can't let them down but if I can't save you then there's no hope of me helping them. Look, it's nearly Christmas!"
"No it's not. It's the beginning of November. The lights aren't even switched on," Martha breathed, closing her eyes against the pain that was shooting through her head.
"They are, Martha, look! I don't know why I didn't notice them before. Just think of it. Christmas in the TARDIS, the Doctor in a silly apron trying to cook a giant turkey, more alcohol that you can consume in a lifetime. That's what's waiting for us. We just have to keep going."
"I'm sorry," Martha whispered.
"Don't you dare, Martha Jones!" Rose grasped the girl's head in her hands, "don't you dare!" She was pleading now, feeling the tears burn her eyes. "I can't do this on my own!"
XxXxX
"You're tempted I can tell; I can see that spark in your eyes. Just imagine it Doctor. Between us we could find Gallifrey's twin planet, make it as great and powerful as its predecessor should have been. We could rule a Gallifrey! That big old orange planet would be lighting up the heavens once more; with its warm, burnt orange skies and its shimmering dome over the city. The places of our childhood rebuilt. We could even rebuild your family home. You would be the Lord of Lungbarrow. Just think of it Doctor, the most beautiful planet in the universe where it belongs."
Jack studied the Doctor who was staring off into the corner of the room completely transfixed.
To those watching him it looked like the Doctor may have actually been considering the proposition when in fact he was trying to formulate a plan for getting everyone out. But something had caught his eye. The corner of the room seemed to be shimmering. If he concentrated he could even see lights flickering in the space. What was going on? He closed his eyes for a brief moment and breathed in deeply, reaching out to the universe. There was a faint smell of pine and cinnamon in the air and the world felt off kilter; as if something was weighing it down on one side. There were only two people who could create that feeling and they were both in this room. He could hear the Master waffling on, no doubt trying to convince him of the merits to his plan. The Master had created a time bubble somehow; the world around them was moving at a different pace. He opened his eyes again and continued to stare into the corner. He almost laughed as he recognised the familiar shape and scent of a very large Christmas tree forcing its way into existence on the very edges of the bubble. The Doctor was so very glad Rose had no concept of time. She'd be going spare by now. Reluctantly he let go of that thought and started to listen to the Master.
"You could undo all that you've done. We can rebuild Gallifrey. We could even restart the looms and create a whole new generation of Gallifreyans and Time Lords. Imagine it Doctor, you'd no longer be alone in the universe. You could have a family. A true family, one you created instead of the strays you've picked up off the street."
"Doctor!" Jack snapped. "Think about this! There must be another angle. You know him, you said yourself he's insane; he always wanted to rule the universe. There's no way this is as straight forward as he's making out. Your laws were written for a good reason. You've stuck to the important ones so far, what makes this one so different? Imagine the damage he could do if he ruled an entire planet! You know that he would get rid of you as soon as he was given the chance, you wouldn't have any control. Once he's got what he wants he'll get rid of you and then the universe will be at his mercy! You destroyed your home to stop the Daleks taking control. How would this be any better?"
"Blah, blah, blah! Oh shut up you old woman," the Master spat.
The sound of a gunshot echoed round the room, breaking the Doctor from his reverie. Spinning round he found Jack on the floor, a smoking gun in Owen's hand.
"Well, turns out he'd already killed Captain Jack once before, didn't think one more time would matter," the Master sneered as the Doctor darted to his friend's side. "Tell me, what's he captain of anyway?"
"Stop it," the Doctor growled as he moved Jack into a more comfortable position.
"What are you moving him for? He'll be alive again soon and he can move himself."
"Because it's what we do. We make the people we care about more comfortable."
"So, what do you say? Do you want to go home, Doctor?"
Before the Doctor could answer the front door slammed closed.
"Ooh looks like we have visitors," the Master watched the doors expectantly. "Now who could it be? Perhaps Miss Jones received my invitation after all!"
The Doctor felt his chest tighten as the doors began to open.
"Oh look, I got a two-for-one! I do like surprises. Oh and your Captain is resurrecting just in time to welcome his friends."
The Doctor could barely hear him over the rushing in his ears as he stared at Rose. His anger flared.
How had the Master brought her here? He couldn't understand it. Rose wouldn't have put herself in harms way, would she?
Looking her up and down, he finally noticed his old scarf hanging round her neck. That meant she'd left the Zero room at some point. He sighed and wiped his hands down his face.
"Doc, she'll be okay," Jack's pained voice came from behind him as the Master jogged over to his new additions pulling them to opposite sides of the room. "She's a tough one."
The Time Lord nodded and turned to face his friend. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I've been shot," the former Time Agent chuckled. "Which one was it?"
"Owen. Sorry, I didn't see him."
"I'm thinking about having his gun licence revoked. He only ever seems to use it on me these days."
"As much as I hate to say it, and you know I never take Owen's side; wouldn't trust him as far as a mouse could spit, but you can't blame him for this one."
"'As far as a mouse could spit' huh? Never heard that one before."
"Me neither, just made it up."
Jack chuckled as the Doctor turned to look back at Rose and that's when he heard it.
He could hear singing in his head. Not the type of singing he usually heard from the TARDIS when she was trying to communicate. This was real singing of a real song.
The Doctor looked over at Jack who regarded him quizzically. What the heck was that song?
He turned his attention to the people surrounding him, it was them, they were singing, they were the voices he could hear in his head.
'Near Chitty, far Chitty, in our motor car
Oh what a happy time
we'll spend.
Bang Bang Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Our fine four
fendered friend.'
"What the hell?" Jack hissed.
"Can you hear that?" he whispered as the Master inspected Martha on the other side of the room.
"I'm hearing but I'm not understanding. What's going on?"
'In your head, Jack. I don't want him catching wind of anything.'
'What's there to catch wind of?'
'I'm not sure yet.' The Doctor's gaze bore deep into Rose's hazel eyes. There was something odd about the look in them. It was as if she was trying not to blink. He looked around at the rest of them, desperately looking for clues.
"They're all under Doctor. Careless of you not to warn your friends." The Master grinned. "Although I must admit I was more than a little surprised when I found you have friends at Torchwood. The very institute set up to rid the earth of incomers like you."
"That's not how it works anymore. Not while I'm in charge," Jack growled.
The Master turned his attention to the American. "Ah yes, Captain Jack Harkness. Funny, you don't exist. Not since the war. And you haven't aged a bit in 60 years, that's not possible, even for a Time Lord unless he jumps those 60 years."
"You'd be surprised."
"So tell me, just how long have you been on this planet? Because there is no way you can have the knowledge that you do just by travelling with him. You're not from this planet."
The Master's attention was now fully focussed on Jack, leaving the Doctor free to eyeball Rose once more.
There was a light behind her eyes that he didn't recognise and that concerned him.
'Oh Rose. What did you do this time?' he sighed.
XxXxX
Next Time:
'Who's afraid of the big, bad wolf?'
The voices were back, but one was louder than the rest. If the Doctor didn't know better he'd say it was laughing at him.
'The big, bad wolf.
The big, bad wolf.
Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?
Tra-la-la-la-la'
A/N: That's all for this one. Hopefully I'll have finished the filler for "Fear her" (finding it quite hard actually) and will post asap! As always I'd be glad to hear from you, so don't neglect the lilac button down there, give it a tickle and leave me a review?
"Catch ya on the flip flop!"
