Chapter Nine
"Mulder, have you finally gone off the deep end?"
Mulder sighed. He and Scully were sitting on a bed in one of the spare bedrooms.
"Scully, you oughta see the guy. He's heartbroken over losing this Rose. We should help him get her back."
"Mulder, has it ever occurred to you that maybe the Doctor knows what he's talking about when he says two universes might collapse if he tries to go get her? I haven't known the man very long, but I have a feeling he does know a bit more about time travel than you do."
"I went and got you when you were trapped in Antarctica," Mulder argued.
"Yes, but I wasn't trapped in Antarctica in another universe. I mean, Mulder, sometimes I really do question your sanity. You have done some reckless and irresponsible things before, but going on a quest with a 900-year-old alien that could involve collapsing two universes tops everything you have ever done. And, suppose we make it over to this other universe and get her? Will the Doctor be able to get us back? What if we get over to this other universe and end up getting trapped?"
"Now see, you're giving up before we even get started. Typical."
Scully threw her arms up.
"All I am doing, Mulder, is injecting some rationality into this whole crazy scheme of yours. You never think anything through. You just go off half-cocked into any situation, which is why you get into trouble all the time and need someone to rescue you. I mean, how long has it been since he lost her?"
"A couple of months ago."
"Okay, so why hasn't he tried to get her before now? Did you ever stop to think it's because he knows that there's a danger of destroying everything if he does? Now, why he's suddenly changed his mind and agreed to risk all our lives to find this Rose, I have no idea. All I know is I don't want to take an unnecessary risk and end up dead. It's risky enough traveling with him without going and looking for trouble."
"Well, then you're in the wrong place, Scully. Because if there's one thing I'm good at, it's finding trouble."
Mulder and Scully looked over and saw the Doctor leaning against the doorframe.
"Sorry to interrupt, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. You were yelling, Scully. I could hear your voice in the console room."
Scully blushed.
"I'm sorry, Doctor. I didn't realize I was being that loud."
He smiled warmly.
"Don't worry about it. Not the first loudmouth I've had in the TARDIS," he said.
He cleared his throat.
"I understand your concerns, Scully. But, Mulder didn't say anything that I haven't thought myself over the past few months. Yes, there is a risk that we could collapse two universes, but there are also ways to cross the void safely. My people knew how and used to do it all the time before Gallifrey was destroyed. In addition, other races knew methods of void crossing. There are a race of higher beings called the Eternals who know how to cross it safely. Unfortunately, after the Time War, they fled this reality, and no one knows where they went, otherwise we could go petition them to help us. There are also black holes that are gateways to other dimensions. However, the ones that are portals are extremely rare and very tricky to locate. So, those are a few of the ways to cross the void that comes to mind. There are others, I'm sure, but those are the most plausible ones."
"Then, why haven't you attempted any of these before?" Scully asked.
The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck.
"Weeeell, like I said, most of them involve great risk and tons of patience. Vast chunks of my people's knowledge went with them when they died including how to cross voids. Now, they did write that information down in books, and it is conceivable that some of those books ended up off world somewhere. But, you are talking about the whole of the universe, and without a clue where one of the books might have gone, that's pretty much a lost cause. The Eternals…don't know where they went, and I have no idea how to contact them. Lost cause, there. That leaves the black holes and as I said, it's tricky to find the ones that are portals to other universes. Not to mention we could end up in a universe completely different from the one Rose is in, and as you mentioned earlier, become stuck there. So, you can understand my reluctance to try."
He sighed.
"The other reason is simply because I was afraid if I got Rose, I would be upsetting the balance of the universe in some way. Sometimes, people have a part to play in a drama that isn't known to us yet. It's hard to see the big picture and there are instances when I thought I was doing good and ended up making things worse because I didn't think things through properly. That is why my people vowed never to interfere in the universe, only to watch."
"So, why did you do the opposite?" Mulder asked.
The Doctor smiled.
"Because I couldn't sit back with the rest of them and see injustices happen, not when I had the power to do something about it. That's why I was considered a renegade among my people, but even someone like me can muck up history in the course of doing good. That's what frightens me about going after Rose. She was a very special girl, and I can see her being chosen by fate to do something monumental that would save lives and bring good to the universe. If that's the reason she's in the other universe now, then a part of me wants to leave her alone and go on my merry way."
He paused and stared off into space.
"But, there's another part of me that wants to see her again, and hear her voice, and feel her hand in mine, and say to hell with fate. It's tormented me since I lost her. I told her I couldn't see her ever again when I last spoke to her, but I also didn't tell her that there were these remote possibilities that I could reach her. I had mixed feelings as I do now, and I didn't want to get her hopes up and have her spend the rest of her life pining away, waiting for me to come. I would rather she didn't know and go about the business of living, than think there was a slim chance and hang all her hopes on that."
He looked at Mulder and Scully.
"The other reason I was reluctant is because up until now I haven't had anyone traveling with me. I'd rather not do something this monumental by myself. If we do this, it's gonna take the three of us working together in concert to achieve this. That's why I actually entertained the idea when Mulder brought it up."
"So, you are saying you're really gonna do this?" Scully asked, "You're gonna try to find a way to get back to Rose even if she's supposed to be in this other universe?"
"Yes, I want to. I want to at least find her and say goodbye properly, in person. Also, I have to finish what I was going to say to her before the gap closed on us."
"Is it that important to you?" Scully asked.
A wistful smile spread over the Doctor's face.
"Yes, it is."
Mulder and Scully glanced at each other when they noticed the faraway look had returned. He stared off quietly into space for a moment with a slight smile on his face before he realized where he was and snapped back to reality.
"I'm sorry," he said. "But, yes, I want to do this. At least, if I try and there is no way back, I will be able to finally put the past behind me for the last time and move on. Now, I won't lie to you. You are correct, Scully, about it being extremely dangerous. Not only that, but what we are about to do requires a lot of patience and a fair amount of luck. I don't know how good you are at handling danger, although I assume being FBI agents, you are well trained, but I wasn't kidding earlier. I am a trouble magnet. 90 percent of the time when I land somewhere, I end up running for my life, and that's on a good day. You have to be at the top of your game when you're with me, because you will be facing death at every turn. I've been hated, hunted, captured, tortured, brainwashed, enslaved, starved, beaten, shot, electrocuted, and killed. And, that's the short list. What I do is not for the faint of heart, and I would be telling you this even if we weren't trying to find Rose. This is my job, essentially, and those I ask to come with me need to know that because if you are here, I want it to be of your own free will and with full knowledge of the consequences. I do not sugarcoat anything. The universe is wonderful, beautiful, and fantastic, and there are parts of it that will astound you and leave you changed forever. But, there is a dark side to it, as well. There is evil, villains, and monsters. Out here, the bogeyman is not a child's fairy tale; it is a day-to-day occurrence. In addition to the things that will take your breath away, other things will leave your hair standing on end and make you run screaming from the room. I'm not saying any of this to scare you away, I'm just being brutally honest about the risks. I want more than anything for you to travel with me, but I can't allow you to roam around time and space with blinders on. It's not fair to you, or to me. So, after all that, do you still want to come with me, or should I change course and head back to DC? Your choice. I'm happy with any decision you make, because I want you both to make the decision that you are most comfortable with. That's all that matters to me in the end."
Mulder glanced at Scully.
"Whatever you decide, Mulder. You know I'm with you, 100 percent," she said.
Mulder nodded and took her hand.
"First off, thanks for being so honest about the risks, Doctor. It's nice to know you care about your traveling companions enough to warn them like this in advance."
"Well, I'm speaking from 901 years experience, you understand."
Mulder nodded.
"Seeing as how Scully is allowing me to make the decision for the both of us, I think she knows what I'm going to say and is comfortable with it. So, I feel confident speaking for both of us when I say that we want to travel with you, Doctor. We are no strangers to danger and certainly, we are no strangers to odd occurrences and monsters. Everything you have described going through, we either have gone through it or witnessed it firsthand. I, personally, think that what you are offering us is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I would go through the depths of Hell to do this. And, if it's going to take awhile to find Rose, then at least, we'll be along to enjoy the ride."
"But, you do mean what you say about taking us back to the same point you picked us up at, so Skinner won't know we're gone?" Scully added.
"Ah, screw Skinner; baldy would jump at the chance to do this if he could."
Scully stared at him.
"Baldy? We're calling him baldy now?" she said, as Mulder snickered.
"Sure, we're a million light years away, he's never gonna know. I say, screw baldy, let's go through time, and space with the Doctor."
Scully gave Mulder a long hard stare.
"Uh, I'm beginning to wonder if I should return the favor and warn you of the dangers of being around Mulder too long, Doctor. The man isn't called Spooky for nothing."
"Shut up, Scully."
The Doctor chuckled.
"Spooky, eh? I like that, it suits you."
Mulder raised his eyebrows while Scully laughed.
"Okay, I don't know which way to take that comment, to be honest," he said. "But, all kidding aside, we are honored to be traveling with you."
"And I am honored to have you," the Doctor replied," nice to have friends in the TARDIS again. Even if we don't find a way back to Rose, I can at least show you the wonders of the universe."
"So, what do we do first then?" Scully asked.
The Doctor thought for a moment.
"I think we should start with the most plausible scenario. You guys up for a bit of black hole hunting?"
