A/N: Hi! Short version: not dead. Long version: my beta didn't have an internet connection and couldn't send me the edited chapter. And then I didn't have an internet connection and couldn't upload it. Fun times. But the chapter's long, so I hope that makes up for that!

I'm also super excited because I'M GOING TO CYPRUS! I got a place in one of the Erasmus programmes and they're going to Cyprus in September and I'M GOING TO CYPRUS! Sure, it's very close and the culture is very similar to ours, but it's another country and I'm gonna meet new people from other countries and get on a plane for the first time... Okay, not that excited for the last part...

So, I started a new writing project with my sister and we've fallen head first into it: we've designed the apartment of one of the protagonists exactly how we want it (and the second protagonist's is coming right along), we've started a timeline that covers almost all the back of our bedroom door, we've written out detailed character sheets and have figured out 2/3 of the plot... And I don't know when I'll update again. That project has taken over my mind right now and I'm a bit reluctant to deviate from that train of thought, and this story might distract me from the outlining process and rhythm we have fallen into. I will try to get a chapter up in two weeks time (I promised you nightmares, and you're getting nightmares...), but other than that, I can't promise you anything.

So on you go, and be sure to let me know what you think!

Alexandra had never been afraid of heights.

Being a hundred floors off the ground was a challenge.

Climbing a metal scaffolding with no place to plant her feet in the middle of a storm was another matter entirely.

How she even reached the mast without slipping or dropping the spanner from between her teeth (she could really do with pockets) she had no idea, and she wanted nothing more than to drop a kiss on the wooden deck the moment she found herself on horizontal ground. But she didn't have time for deviations; in front of her were three pieces of Dalekanium, the material from which a Dalek's armour was comprised of, bolted tightly to the mast by four bolts each. She reckoned that if she could manage to loosen two for each plate she would be able to remove them, but she was faced with a problem right off the bat.

The bolts were dome shaped and the spanner wouldn't latch on.

Alexandra cursed internally. Why did she always have to resort to this?! Why, in all her years, couldn't she not use that function of her brain long enough for it to be eradicated? Why did she have to put her mind under such strain? She wanted to let that potential die for good, for it only took away from other more important functions, but she just wouldn't let it fade away on its own! What had she ever asked for? Maybe control over her chronokinesis, maybe even an answer as to why some of her knowledge wasn't tethered to memories, but was an ability she wasn't even supposed to have to be lifted too much to ask for?

Falling heavily to her knees with an exasperated groan, she let her palm hover above the top bolt of one of the plates, her other one holding onto the mast to prevent her from being tossed off the edge. The wind howled in her ears and pulled at her cloak with such force she found herself being pulled backwards, but she held on fast, trying to block it all away and concentrate. She first gathered all her psychic energy, a thing harder to do when she wasn't completely mentally drained like she had been at the Royal Hope, but completely understandable, seeing as she wasn't supposed to be using it on her own without the mental support of ten or so of her sisters. But use it she did, and she should really have a good argument with herself after this was over regarding her use of it. For now she could only huff with effort, trying to concentrate on one thing: the bolt, and how much strength it would require to turn it in reality, holding the image and the sensation at the front of her mind and letting all her mental strength pool into it.

The bolt started turning agonizingly slowly only moments later.

~\8/~

The golden elevator dinged and Martha, Tallulah and Frank turned from putting the blueprints away toward the opening doors to see the Doctor and Lazlo, now a half-turned pig man, inside. ''Doctor!'' Martha exclaimed.

''First floor, perfumery,'' he greeted with a smile.

''I never thought I'd see you again!'' Tallulah said as she ran to Lazlo.

He met her halfway and pulled her in a hug. ''No stopping me,'' he told her, burying his face in her neck.

''We worked it out,'' said Martha as she pulled the Doctor to the blueprints. ''We know what they've done. There's Dalekanium on the mast and it's good to see you too, by the way!''

''Oh, come here!'' the Doctor grinned and lifted her in a hug, twirling her about… only for the bell to ding again and him to drop her abruptly. ''No, no, no!'' he shouted as he sprinted to the lift just as the doors closed, wiping out the sonic. ''See, never waste time with a hug!'' He tried using the sonic on the panel next to it, only to beat the frame in frustration. ''It's a deadlock seal. I can't stop it.''

''Where's it going?'' Martha asked after she joined him.

''Right down to the Daleks. And they're not going to leave us alone up here. What's the time?''

Frank stared at a clock nearby. ''11:15.''

''Six minutes to go,'' the Doctor concluded. ''I've got to remove the Dalekanium before the gamma radiation hits…''

''Gammon radiation? What the heck is that?'' Tallulah asked with a frown.

''Where's Alexandra?'' the Time Lord suddenly asked, coming up one head short. It was odd how she hadn't come up to him yet, either for a hug or a scolding.

''She's up top trying to get the Dalekanium off,'' Martha replied.

He felt all blood leave his face. ''What?'' he breathed in shock.

His companion – or near companion at this point – led him to the deck outside. Once he saw the actual height they were up on he stopped dead in his tracks right at the edge. ''Oh, that's high. That's very - blimey, that's high!''

''And she's gone even higher.'' She turned around to a wooden ladder leading upwards. ''That's the mast up there, look. There's three pieces of Dalekanium at the base. We've got to get 'em off.''

''That's not 'we'. That's just me,'' the Doctor countered, dead serious.

''I won't just stand here and watch you two!'' she protested.

''No, you're gonna have your hands full, anyway. I'm sorry, Martha, but you've got to fight.'' And then he was off before she could say anything else.

The climb up the ladder had been a stroll in the park. It was the imposing metal scaffolding that awaited him that made him gulp. As carefully as he could and thanking the universe for the long legs this regeneration possessed, he grabbed hold of the metal beam and walked along the edge, right over the hundred-floor drop underneath, and hoisted himself up, placing his foot on the place where the beams met to form an X, offering him a boost to go on. On his way up his hand slipped and he almost lost his balance, but he grabbed on to the metal as tightly as he could, the harsh wind almost tearing him away, and with a few more heaves he met wood and pulled himself up of the deck around the mast.

The sight before him made both of his hearts stop.

Alexandra lay slumped against the mast like a puppet with her strings cut, pale as a phantom, beaded with sweat forehead pressed against the pole, one hand over the loosened top bolt she had been working on, eyes half closed. She barely seemed conscious.

''Alexandra!'' he shouted over the wind as he made his way over, dislodging her rigid limbs from the mast. ''What have you done?!''

Her lips moved, barely but he could see them, but the howling of the wind around them was louder than her words. Gently, he pried her off completely and lay her on the wooden boards as close to the mast as possible, her body feeling like a dead weight, and he wrapped her cloak around her pale frame as best as he could. One hand involuntarily went to caress her cheek, cold against his skin, a reassuring gesture both for him and her, and for a moment she leaned into his touch before her eyes fluttered shut.

When he was relatively sure she wasn't going to roll off the edge, he got down to business. Getting out the sonic screwdriver, and with only three and a half minutes to go, he started working on the remaining bolt of the panel Alexandra had chosen, the process going slower than he would want with a bolt this size, and he almost sagged with relief when it came loose and he shook the first plate of Dalekanium off, throwing it aside and moving to the next one. That one was firmly drilled on the base, none of the bolts loosened by Alexandra, so he had to put extra patience in the task as he aimed and waited, his eyes not helping but turning to the sky all the while. The storm was moving in fast, lightning ripping the clouds apart and illuminating the night, the cracking of the thunder pressing against his body the closer it came.

That particular bolt was very stubborn and almost wouldn't budge, and he wanted to give it a good punch, if not to make it move then to expel his own frustration; but it only took one wrong move in his impatience for the screwdriver to slip from his fingers, dropping below. He dived for it, but it was already too far away.

He stared at the dark clouds above him. The storm was more persistent than before, its time almost imminent, and the other two plates showed no sign of coming off any time soon. He grabbed the bolt casing and pulled at it with his bare hands, grunting with effort, but of course that wouldn't work. He hadn't loosened it enough for it to come off so easily, and now he had no means of removing the rest.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a pale hand grab hold of the mast.

''No, no, no, no, no!'' he shouted, jumping to his feet to force the weak Alexandra to sit back down, but she shook him off. Her lips were pressed together in concentration, brow furrowed by the sheer effort she put into holding on to the pole with only one hand.

''If you have a better idea, then come stop me!'' she shouted back, bringing her other hand up to hold the pole.

''We can think of something else!''

''There's no time!''

He knew there wasn't, but he still couldn't bear to watch as she pulled herself up and climbed on top of the base, wrapping her arms around the pole tightly even on her shaky knees, her cloak flapping behind her in the wind, almost ten seconds before impact. The reason why she could be so stubborn escaped him, but he knew he was just as much as her. And that's what he kept telling himself as he joined her up on the mast, his arms going around her to hold her should she lose her balance.

''What are you doing?!'' she almost shrieked.

''There's no time!'' was what he offered her, not that he wasn't going to sit and watch her suffer the excruciating pain of being struck by lightning while he did nothing.

Her eyes studied him for a moment, seemingly deciding whether there was more to his explanation that met the eye, but she didn't tell him anything if she did before she wrapped her own arms around him, bringing the pole against their chests. She shut her eyes tightly, and the Doctor kept his gaze on her for a second longer before turning his eyes to the sky.

The lightning came moments later.

~\8/~

Pain. That was all Alexandra could register. Her head felt like it had been split open and something cold and sharp was being pressed against her very brain. And she couldn't even move, despite the fact that she wanted to raise her hands to grab her head so much that the inaction was painful on its own. She was immobilised under the excruciating agony, and the sensation of something clawing at her brain sent intense goose bumps down her spine, and she couldn't even cringe to relieve the tension on her shoulders.

When the uncomfortable feeling finally receded, it had felt like ages. Her limbs were made of lead, and her head was about to burst either way, but the worst part of her ordeal faded like a dream, leaving her feeling as heavy as having just woken up after an extremely ill-timed nap… or heavy sedation. She couldn't decide which it was.

She attempted to roll her head to the side to see where she was, only for a sharp migraine to grip her temple and make her groan, stopping the motion before it had eve started. ''Fff-fine,'' she spat out to keep from uttering some very inventive curse words she had heard from her students over the years, ''you little - gosh!''

''Alexandra!''

The cry bounced around her skull like sound inside a church bell and she winced, mustering enough strength to finally raise her hand and bring it to rest rather heavily on her forehead. ''Not so loud!'' she protested, though she speculated that she had actually spoken louder than the person. ''The headache's bad as it is.''

''I'll say.''

It felt like peeling away her own skin, but she managed to blink her eyes open and look up as three figures crouched above her, too foggy to make out. It took a few seconds, but when her vision cleared, she saw Martha and Frank staring at her from the side and the Doctor almost right above her head. As her body relaxed even more, she could also feel the latter's hand on her shoulder and Frank's at her waist, almost as if the two were pulling her more towards them as she lay on her back on wooden boards.

She raised an eyebrow, an action that sent a rather sharp jab at the centre of her forehead, which she ignored in favour of not losing face, even though the grimace she was sporting was worthy of an award. ''Something tells me that we haven't gathered here for a tea party.''

''Do you remember what happened?'' the Doctor asked slowly.

Alexandra felt like cobblestones had been dumped in her head, but she tried to work it out either way. Slowly, her memory started coming back: there had been Dalekanium, and a very stubborn bolt, and a huge strain on her mind, and the Doctor gathering her in his arms, and the crack of thunder in the air like a whip… At once, her eyes widened. ''Please tell me I'm not lying on the edge of this thing while all of you have been playing Operation.''

All three exchanged guilty looks. Before she could advice against it, the Doctor's hands went under her armpits and she was raised to a sitting position, her head nearly exploding at having to support its own weight so suddenly. Below her she could see the Manhattan skyline from a far too narrow deck that barely fit the four of them, and she averted her gaze to avoid having to fight off the delirium on top of her headache.

''At least the Dalekanium was dealt with, eh?'' she commented off-handily, rubbing at the back of her head, before her eyes fell on the two plates still attached and she glanced at the Doctor, who was looking at her with a very cross look on his face. She could only look at him sheepishly. ''Well, dealt with in a way…''

~\8/~

''Telekinesis?'' the Doctor said incredulously. ''You've been practising telekinesis ever since you left?''

''I haven't been practising it, I barely use it,'' Alexandra called down to him as she climbed down the ladder after him. ''The Sisterhood used to let me join my mind with them, and they just pushed the potential to the surface! It's been nearly 50 years since I last had need for it – well, that and the hospital.''

''You used it at the hospital?!''

''The Slab was going to kill me! And it had been 50 years since I had used it before that, are you listening?''

''And you thought on top of the tallest building in New York in the middle of a storm was the perfect place to use it again?''

''We needed to get those plates off, and it wasn't like I had a sonic!'' Her hands gripped the step she had been holding on to a little tighter as an oncoming wave of dizziness made her head spin. They had started climbing down the moment she had assured them she felt stable enough to move, but it would seem she had made a wrong call. ''Fat a lot of good that was, anyway!''

''Like you made any difference yourself!'' he quipped, jumping down the rest of the way when he was at a safe enough height to join Tallulah and Lazlo on the deck of the top floor.

''At least I tried! I didn't know you were coming up, did you expect me to sit with my arms crossed while there was Dalekanium on the mast?''

''And pushing yourself to your limits was any better?'' he demanded as he put his hands on her waist to help her down, only to spin her around to force her to look into his eyes, hands gripping her arms tightly. ''You could have ended up brain dead.''

''It wasn't my first choice,'' she stressed for what felt like the millionth time. ''I never resort to it unless I absolutely have to – do you think I'm that much of an idiot?''

The Doctor stared at her, and his hold loosened. ''Of course I don't think you're an idiot.''

Her eyes were fixed on his expectantly. ''Then why are we having this fight exactly?'' For the first time since they started climbing down, he didn't answer, and she placed her hands on his shoulders. ''I want it to stop, Doctor, I do, but I don't stop using it long enough for it to be contained. We can talk about it as long you want later, but right now the Daleks will be preparing for a full scale war. Can we please, for one moment, focus on that?''

She could see his reluctance in the way his lips were pressed together, but she allowed herself to relax when he nodded. Only then did her eyes shift from his own... only to land on something over his shoulder and widen. She raised a hand to point behind him. ''Who's that?''

He cast a glance behind him at the couple, Lazlo with one arm around Tallulah. ''Oh, that's Lazlo, I found him in the sewers when I was looking for you.''

Alexandra's eyes didn't decrease in size, but she nodded slowly.

''What do we do now?'' Martha asked from behind her.

The Time Lord let go of Alexandra to look at the New York skyline spreading out below them. ''The Daleks will have gone straight to a war footing. They'll be using the sewers, spreading their soldiers out underneath Manhattan.''

''How do we stop them?'' Lazlo asked.

''There's only one chance,'' he replied, turning to face the group. ''We got in the way. That gamma strike went zapping though us first.'' And without any further explanation he turned to head inside, followed closely by the Time Lady.

''But what does that mean?'' Martha asked as she ran after them, the rest following close behind.

''We need to draw their fire,'' Alexandra said, not much of a reply but that was all they would be getting. ''If our plan worked, then we need to face them before they can start their attack.''

''Where can we draw them out?'' the Doctor mumbled, mostly to himself, while both his hands ran through his hair to make it even messier than it already was. ''Think, think, think, think. We need some sort of space, somewhere safe, somewhere out of the way... Tallulah!'' he suddenly cried with a spin to face her.

''That's me,'' the blonde raised her hand, ''3 Ls and an H.''

''The theatre! It's right above them, and, what, it's gone midnight? Can you get us inside?''

''Don't see why not.''

He turned to head for the lift, but saw the bodies of the pig men that had come after them piled up inside – Martha's handiwork while they were up on the mast. ''Is there another lift?'' he asked Alexandra.

''We used the service elevator.''

''That'll do. Allons-y!''

''Oh, I missed that sentence,'' the Time Lady smirked and the group followed Martha to the elevator around the corner of the room.

~\8/~

They had to forgo using the sewers to get back to the theatre, seeing as the Daleks would have unleashed their hybrid army already, so having Tallulah with them to show them another way into the theatre was more than a blessing. The Doctor running ahead of them without so much as a word, on the other hand, wasn't, and they had to catch up with his long strides.

As soon as they entered the main theatre near the back rows, the Time Lord tossed his coat away with such force it flew to the front seats. ''This should do it. Here we go!'' he said as he jumped to perch on the seats and flashed around with the sonic.

Tallulah scoffed as she came behind them. ''There ain't nothin' more creepy than a theatre in the dark,'' she remarked, bringing her coat closer to herself to fend off the cold. ''Listen, Doctor, I know you got a thing for show tunes, but there's a time and place, huh?''

With no warning, Lazlo fell heavily in a seat next to her, panting.

''Lazlo?'' she asked, going to sit next to him and run a hand through his hair. ''What's wrong?''

''Nothing,'' he assured her, though his breathing didn't even out. ''It's just so hot.''

The blonde frowned. ''But… it's freezing in here. Doctor,'' she turned to him, seeing he had brought the sonic next to his ear to check the frequency a little better, ''what's happening to him?''

''Not now, Tallulah, sorry!'' he replied, the device starting to beep in his hand.

Alexandra spared him one glance before moving to the couple's side. She put two fingers on Lazlo's neck, and raised her eyebrows at the fast pulse she was getting.

''What are you doing?'' Martha asked the Time Lord as he raised the sonic in the air.

''If the Daleks are going to war, they'll wanna find their number one enemy,'' he told her. ''I'm just telling them where I am.''

''Heart rate's high,'' Alexandra observed after having gone over his wrist, as well. ''Shouldn't be this high for the amount of running we did.''

''Just leave it.''

When she raised her gaze to the man, she saw him looking at her with a pointed look, and she raised her hands in surrender, backing away slowly.

''I'm telling you to go,'' the Doctor was telling Martha behind her as he climbed down from the seats. ''Frank can take you back to Hooverville.''

''And I'm telling you I'm not going!''

Alexandra let out a breathy laugh. ''Great song,'' she said under her breath.

He cast her a warning look before turning his attention back to Martha. ''Martha, that's an order.''

''Who are you, then? Some sort of Dalek?''

Suddenly the doors to the theatre burst open and two lines of people marched inside, all as pale as corpses, armed with what looked like modified tommy guns now bearing Dalek blasters. Their faces were clear of any emotion.

''Doctor! Oh, my God!'' Tallulah exclaimed, helping Lazlo up to bring him closer.

Instinctively, the Time Lady stood a little closer to the Doctor, enough to feel his back pressed against hers. One of his hands dropped to brush against hers.

The hybrids positioned themselves in the aisles on either side of the seats, blocking any possible exits. ''Well, I guess that's them then, huh?'' the blonde asked.

''Humans…'' Martha mumbled, ''with Dalek DNA.''

Frank made to advance towards them, but the Doctor grabbed him by the shoulders. ''It's alright, just stay calm. Don't antagonize them.''

''But what about the Dalek masters?'' Lazlo asked. ''Where are they?''

As if prompted by his words, the stage before them exploded and they all ducked for cover behind the seats, the women screaming. When the Doctor did raise his head again, amidst the smoke appeared two of the Daleks, Dalek Sec crawling on all fours between them, chained to the Dalek on the right by a metal collar around his neck like a dog.

Taking a peak over the seats, Alexandra slumped against the back of the one she was hiding behind, eyes shut to calm her breathing. ''Lazlo, there are some sentences we should just keep away from.''

Seeing that neither the aliens on stage nor the hybrids were firing, the Time Lord stood up, and the others followed his example, looking around them at the enemy crowd. One look at them was enough for Alexandra's jaw to clench. This time she wasn't about to cower away. These were the beings who took away her whole life, and maybe even more. They deserved her fear as much as the Doctor deserved her hatred.

But she couldn't stop the frantic beating of her hearts no matter how she tried.

''The Time Lords will stand before the Daleks,'' Thay ordered.

The Doctor looked at her and she gave him a curt nod. Together, they stepped over the seats before them and he walked on the backs of the rows, the Time Lady climbing above them one at a time, coming to stand in front of him after he had taken his place on two chairs in the front row, looking up at the Daleks on stage.

''You will die, Doctor, and your fellow Time Lady will follow,'' it said. ''It is the beginning of a new age.''

''Planet Earth will become New Skaro,'' Jast said from next to him.

''Oh, and what a world,'' the Doctor mused. ''With anything just the slightest bit different ground into the dirt. That's Dalek Sec,'' he pointed at the unfortunate creature between them. ''Don't you remember? The cleverest Dalek ever and look what you've done to him.''

''Will he be the beginning of your new reign?'' Alexandra wondered out loud. ''An example for generations to come? The foundation of your grand empire?''

''My Daleks…'' Sec said slowly, as if it took effort to speak, ''just understand this. If you choose death and destruction, then death and destruction will choose you!''

''Incorrect,'' Thay retorted. ''We always survive.''

''Now we will destroy our greatest enemy, the Doctor!''

She felt the Doctor stiffen behind her.

''But he can help you!'' Sec protested.

''The Doctor must die!'' Jast agreed with his fellow Dalek.

''No,'' he said, crawling in front of the one on the right, ''I beg you, don't!''

''Exterminate!''

Before anyone could react, Sec jumped up, right as Thay fired at the Doctor. The hybrid screamed when the blast hit him before falling on his back in the centre of the stage, dead.

The Doctor shook his head. ''Your own leader,'' he spat out in disgust. ''The only creature who might have led you out of the darkness and you destroyed him.''

Alexandra looked at the Dalek-Humans on either side of them. ''Did you see what they did?'' she asked. ''Did you see what a Dalek is capable of?''

''If we're gonna die, let's give the new boys a shot. What do you think, eh?'' the man above her addressed the Daleks. ''The Dalek-Humans, their first blood. Go on,'' he prompted them, holding his hands out at his sides, ''baptize them!''

''Dalek-Humans, take aim!'' Thay commanded.

The sound of tens of weapons being readied broke the air and the hybrids turned their guns on the Time Lords.

Raising an eyebrow in a challenge, Alexandra raised her arms slightly herself. ''What are you waiting for, then? Give the command!'' she shouted at it.

''Exterminate!'' it cried.

Alexandra drew a deep breath in anticipation, as did the Doctor behind her… but nothing happened.

''Exterminate!'' Thay commanded again.

The hybrids had their eyes fixed on the two of them, but they made no move to fire.

''Obey! Dalek-Humans will obey!'' it tried.

''Not firing,'' she heard Martha say. ''What have you done?''

Thay turned its eyestalk to the first man on the row on the right. ''You will obey. Exterminate.''

''Why?'' the man asked, and both Time Lords looked over at him.

''Daleks do not question orders!'' Thay said.

''But why?''

''You will stop this!''

''But… why?'' he repeated, now turning to look at the Time Lords himself.

''You must not question!''

''But you are not our master. And we… we are not Daleks.''

''Of course you're not,'' Alexandra said loud enough for the man to hear, a small relieved smile on her lips, ''and you will never be.''

''Sorry,'' the Doctor said sheepishly, looking up at the Daleks. ''We got in the way of the lightning strike. Time Lord DNA got all mixed up. Just that little bit of freedom,'' he added with a wink.

''If they will not obey, then they must die!'' Thay declared and fired twice at the hybrid, who screamed in pain.

''Get down!'' the Doctor cried as he pushed Alexandra down to the floor with him, her ducking her head in his chest as he pulled her in his arms just before both factions opened fire at each other.

''Exterminate! Exterminate!'' the Daleks shouted, their shielding activated to help them fend off the attacks while they shot at the hybrids, taking out some of them rather easily. But under such concentrated fire, they should have known it was in vain. Jast went first, his casing exploding when the blasts made it through, and Thay followed in the same fashion moments later. When the hybrids stopped firing, a tense silence descended over the theatre.

Alexandra raised her head timidly to look over the Doctor's shoulder to the stage. The Dalek's domes had been blown clean off by the blasts, not a piece left intact. At the sight, she couldn't help the relieved sigh that escaped her lips as she dropped her head on the Doctor's chest.

Feeling her whole body relax, his arms tightened around her and the Doctor gave her a quick once over before jumping to his feet, arms raised. ''It's alright, it's alright, it's alright,'' he told the hybrids around him with a smile, ''you did it! You're free.''

But his mirth was short-lived, for all Dalek-Humans gripped their heads in their hands and shrieked in pain moments later.

His eyes widened in horror. ''NO!''

She was on her feet in an instant, just in time to see their creations crumble to the ground, their life snuffed out in an instant. Her eyes darted over the fallen bodies, every man and woman the Daleks had abducted and rewritten, and suddenly her feet couldn't hold her weight and she stumbled, grabbing a seat for support. They were all dead, she realised. Every single one of the new soldiers had had his or her existence – their new existence – terminated. They had been disposed of like trash. In the end, they were of no worth to them.

Nothing her comrades said or did was being fully registered in her mind as she fell heavily in the seat, the hard velvet irritating her skin. The only thought running through her head was how she had wished she could somehow be able to kill perfectly innocent Dalek hybrids, innocent victims in this war, not half an hour ago, and now she felt bile rising in her throat at the bitter realisation, how similar her thought process was to that of the creatures of her nightmares...

If she thought like that, she was no better than a Dalek.

''Only two of the Daleks have been destroyed,'' Lazlo's voice broke through her reverie from off to the side. ''One of the Dalek masters must still be alive.''

Her hands gripped the arms of the seat tighter. ''Of course it is.''

The Time Lord raised his gaze in time to see Alexandra stand up and face them. He was the only one that mattered from the group at the moment, a force compelling her to put one foot in front of the other just to reach him, and she was sure that her eyes matched the silent storm inside his brown depths, a darkness that could consume anything and anyone. ''In the whole wide universe…'' she drawled as he stood up to his full height, a smirk that would haunt them pulling at her lips, ''just the one.''

~\8/~

They found him exactly where they thought he would be. The lone Dalek was hooked up to the control hub at the back of the lab, cables and wires connected to the base of his dome and running to the controls behind him. He didn't say anything, only stared at the two Time Lords as they stood on the other end of the lab, their eyes on him, their faces blank of any emotion. ''Now what?'' the Doctor asked.

''You will be exterminated!''

''Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Just think about it, Dalek - what was your name?''

''Dalek Caan,'' it replied.

The Doctor swept his coat back to put his hands in his pockets. ''Dalek Caan,'' he echoed as he walked forward, Alexandra shadowing him with her hands clasped behind her back. ''Your entire species has been wiped out.''

''And now the Cult of Skaro has been eradicated in one single day...'' the Time Lady continued, ''leaving only you.''

Caan stared at them, not saying a word.

''Right now you're facing the only people in the universe who might show you some compassion,'' the Doctor said as they came to a stop a few feet in front of it. ''Cause we've just seen one genocide. We won't cause another.'' Next to him, Alexandra was burning holes in the Dalek's armour with her gaze. ''Caan… Let us help you.''

The Dalek was silent as it took all that in, too silent for her liking. ''What do you say?'' she asked.

The two of them watched the Dalek intently, until...

''Emergency Temporal Shift!''

Caan's whole armour shook and the wires popped off as he started glowing. The Time Lords charged forward, the Doctor with a protesting groan and her with a cry of ''No!'', but they were a moment too late: the Dalek disappeared from right in front of them, making them stop at the spot it had occupied seconds before.

''Doctor!'' Martha's voice shouted behind them, followed by the click of heels and a lot of wheezing. ''Alexandra! He's sick.''

When they did turn around, they were just in time to see Lazlo fall to the ground, guided to a more controlled descent by Tallulah and Martha who were holding him by the arms, breathing heavily all the while. ''It's okay. You're alright,'' Martha assured him as Tallulah pulled him in her lap.

The Time Lords exchanged a look before heading for the fallen trio. ''It's his heart,'' the medical student explained when the Doctor squatted down next to them, Alexandra remaining standing above him. ''It's racing like mad. I've never seen anything like it.''

''What is it, Doctor?'' Tallulah asked, on the verge of tears. ''What's the matter with him? He says he can't breathe! What is it?''

''It's time, sweetheart,'' Lazlo managed to say in between deep breaths.

''What do you mean 'time'? What are you talking about?!''

''None of the slaves… survive for long. Most of them only live a few weeks.''

''I bloody knew it,'' Alexandra grumbled under her breath.

''I was lucky,'' the man continued. ''I held on 'cause I had you. But now… I'm dyin', Tallulah.''

''No, you're not!'' his girlfriend whimpered. ''Not now, after all this. Doctor, can't you do somethin'?!''

The Doctor, who had been listening to them with his hands clasped over his chin, looked at her sorrowfully. ''Oh, Tallulah with three Ls and an H… just you watch me!'' In one fluid motion he was on his feet, striding to the end of the lab. ''What do I need? Oh, I don't know,'' he shrugged off his coat, throwing it away before turning to point at Alexandra, ''maybe another skilled geneticist would be helpful.''

The Time Lady smirked. ''Like you were going to do this on your own again,'' she said, undoing the knot of her cloak and throwing it on some machinery nearby with the same dramatic flair he seemed to be so fond of exhibiting.

He grinned at her. ''And what else?''

She hummed with a shrug. ''Oh, I don't know, how about a very conveniently located genetic laboratory?'' She made a show of looking about herself, spinning on her heel. ''Oh, we're in one!'' When she came back around to face the trio, she winked at Martha. ''What do you know?''

The human couldn't help but laugh at their antics.

''Lazlo,'' the Doctor called, pulling a trolley with various equipment on to the centre of the room, ''just you hold on!'' Before the humans knew it, the Time Lords had started running round the lab in a flurry of movement, grabbing what seemed like exactly what they had been looking for to work with each time, and not once did they get in the way of the other. ''There's been too many deaths today,'' he kept talking all the while. ''Way too many people have died! Brand new creatures and wise old men and age-old enemies. And I'm telling you, I'm telling you right now,'' he threw his sonic to Alexandra for her to start a fire under a container, ''I am not having one more death! You got that? Not one! Tallulah, out of the way,'' he said to the blonde as he put his stethoscope on. ''The Doctor is in!''

~\8/~

The sun was shining brightly over Manhattan the next day, though it didn't help much to alleviate the cold of the season. Still, the time travellers weren't complaining as they waited by a park bench in Central Park with Tallulah and Lazlo, who was bundled up in a huge coat and hat.

Frank hadn't left them waiting for long, and the couple straightened when he finally appeared. ''Well, I talked to 'em and I told 'em what Solomon would've said and I reckon I shamed one or two of 'em,'' he told them.

''Damn right you did,'' Alexandra remarked with a small smile from where she was leaning against the park bench next to Martha, her arms crossed over her chest.

''What did they say?'' the Doctor asked.

Frank nodded at Lazlo. ''They said yes. They'll give you a home, Lazlo.''

Tallulah gasped and hugged her boyfriend tightly.

''I mean, uh...'' he trailed off, ''don't imagine people ain't gonna stare. I can't promise you'll be at peace but, in the end, that is what Hooverville is for, people who ain't got nowhere else.

Lazlo nodded. ''Thank you. I-I can't thank you enough.''

As Tallulah gave him another hug, Frank walked over to where Alexandra was standing and took something out from his pocket. ''You forgot this,'' he said, offering her a small, leather bound journal, looking worse for the wear and held closed by a matching leather string wrapped around it.

The Time Lady gasped at the sight of it. ''I can't believe it! Why on Earth would I-Oh, I'm getting old... Is this what getting old is like?'' she turned to the Doctor.

''Oi!'' he protested before nodding to the journal. ''What is that?''

''My dream journal,'' she deadpanned as she took it in her hands. ''It's none of your business at the moment.'' She then looked at Frank, sincerity in her eyes. ''Thank you for bringing it to me, it would have completely slipped my mind.''

''Yeah, you always carry it 'round, and I didn't see you with it now, so... Do you really need to go?'' the young man asked, sounding almost defeated.

Alexandra smiled and punched him lightly on the arm. ''It's time for me to go back home, Frank, wherever that is. It was never New York for me.''

''Can't you stay a little longer?''

At that, she laughed. ''Oh, many have asked, no one has succeeded in making me.'' Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Doctor sit up straighter.

One of her hands went to touch the young man's arm. ''Don't worry, everything is going to be fine. They still have you, don't they?''

''And you're sure I'll be enough?'' Frank asked.

She scoffed at the absurdity. ''You were enough back there on your own, weren't you?''

He seemed to contemplate it for a few moments before his face broke into a grin and he pulled her into a hug, laughing as her hands went to wrap themselves around his neck. ''I hope I see you again, Frank,'' she mumbled in his ear, though her hearts felt heavy in her chest.

~\8/~

''Do you reckon it's gonna work,'' Martha asked them later when they had returned to Liberty Island, ''those two?''

''I don't know,'' the Doctor replied in all honesty, turning to look at the New York skyline beyond. ''Anywhere else in the universe, I might worry about them, but New York, that's what this city's good at.''

''Yeah,'' Alexandra almost scoffed as she raised her head from her notes. ''Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, and maybe a pig-slave/Dalek-mutant-hybrid to pass the time, huh?''

Martha laughed. ''The pig and the showgirl.''

''The pig and the showgirl,'' the Time Lord agreed with a smile.

''Just proves it, I suppose,'' she mused. ''There's someone for everyone.''

Upon her gaze involuntarily turning to the Doctor, Alexandra didn't fail noticing how his face fell at his companion's remark. ''Maybe,'' he replied quietly before striding towards the TARDIS.

As much as she wanted to say something to comfort him, anything to maybe make him feel better, Alexandra bit her tongue. She wasn't sure anything would be of much use, anyway.

Next to her, Martha seemed to be regretting opening her mouth. ''Meant to say…'' she said as the girls followed after him, ''I'm sorry.''

The Time Lady frowned. ''What for?''

''Just cause that Dalek got away. I know what that means to you two. Do you think you'll ever see it again?''

The Doctor unlocked the doors. ''Oh yes,'' he replied, holding them open for Martha to enter, only to pause just inside the doorway to look at the city spreading out before him thoughtfully. ''One day…''

Alexandra hugged herself as an involuntary chill ran down her spin. She shook her head to get the uncomfortable feeling away, only to spin on her heel to point at the Doctor. ''I'm driving,'' she said in all seriousness.

His pensive expression immediately became an indignant one as she pushed past him to get inside. ''You drove the last time you were in here!'' he protested, shutting the doors behind him.