Chapter 10
The walk back to the bunker was a strange one. All through the streets, people were cheering, crying and knocking over the now inert Dalek unit shells. The Doctor took as many back streets as he could. He wanted to be back with his friends as soon as possible, yet despite his best efforts, he was forced to sign twelve autographs. Each one, of course, he signed differently.
On returning to the bunker, he found that only four of his companions remained. Rory and Amy were waiting by the TARDIS, which didn't seem to be smoking anymore. Susan was sat at the monitor screen, silent tears rolling down her face, and Jason stood silently next to her.
The Timelord gently put his hands on his granddaughter's shoulders as he stood behind her. "Thank you", he said. "You were great". She didn't reply. It was then that he noticed what she was looking at: ruined streets, broadcast from all over the world.
"Susan", said the Doctor, "I can take you away from all of this". He motioned toward Jason. "And he can come too".
She stood bolt upright, knocking the chair she had been sitting on to the ground. "How can I go?! The world's been destroyed!"
"It's not your world anymore".
"Of course it is! I've lived here most of my life! Look at the screen!"
The Doctor nodded. She was right, and he knew it.
"I have to help them rebuild", Susan said.
"We may just need better defences", interjected Jason. The Doctor nodded grimly. "That's the worst thing about all this. On one level at least Ronson was right".
Susan wiped the tears from her eyes. "Then I'll have to work on that. Now you go and do what you do best". Her grandfather nodded and looked over to his Timeship. Susan and Jason exchanged embraces with both Rory and Amy before the latter pair entered the TARDIS. As Susan hugged Amy, she told him to take care of her grandfather. Finally, Susan asked Jason for a moment alone with the Doctor.
"You will be back, won't you?" she asked.
"Of course I'll be back. You haven't seen the last of me".
"Are you sure? You took ten regenerations before you saw me again. We only get thirteen lives, you know".
The Doctor closed his eyes. Again, he knew he couldn't argue. "I promise you", he said, drawing an imaginary circle around his face with his forefinger, "when you see me again, I'll still be wearing this face". He stopped and thought for a moment. "Although maybe I'll be wearing a fez too".
Susan looked up, not really knowing what to say. She didn't have to. Before she could, her grandfather gave her one last instruction. "Now go and rebuild paradise".
They exchanged a mutual smile, before the Doctor turned and went back into the TARDIS. The familiar whooshing started, and the amazing vehicle slowly faded from her view. Turning around to rejoin Jason, she thought on the last words her grandfather had spoken to her. "Rebuild paradise"? Yes, she'd done it before, there was no reason she couldn't again. But although someone like her could rebuild paradise, it took someone like her grandfather to save it.