Disclaimer: Oi, I didn't know until I looked at some of the classic episodes last night but, apparently I don't even own the "Key to Time" title… I thought I was being so original too :P

Doctor Who: The Key to Time

Part 4

Something had to be done to stop Rachel from persuading Rose that he didn't love her.

"Rose Tyler, there's only one way I can convince you…" Then the Time Lord did something he would only do for her. He whispered two Gallifreyian words in her ear and kissed her lightly on her cheek.

"What's it mean?" She asked as he leaned back. He knew he had some explaining to do. He ran a hand over his face thinking of how to tell her.

"Ok so, no one really believes that my real name is "The Doctor" right? It's just a title." Rose was getting a little excited by now.

"Yeah, I suppose I'd grown to accept it but go on…"

"Well, it's just so much easier than trying to teach everyone how to pronounce that name and they always say it wrong, the accent's entirely unique to the Gallifreyian language and it just sounds silly coming from a Londoner. Anyway, converting the spelling from Gallifreyian characters to English is a nightmare." He whittled off these facts at a million miles an hour.

"Doctor who…. No longer a mystery is it then? When was the last time someone called you by your name?" Rose sat up against the wall again, she had all but forgotten that they were being held captive. Now it was just her and the Doctor, like it used to be.

The Doctor seemed off-put by her question; he had obviously not expected her to say something like that. It took him a few moments of thought to come to an answer.

"A long time ago."

Rose raised her eyebrows. "That's it, so long you can't even give me a rough estimate."

"Hey, you wait 903 years then we'll see if you remember details. It was a while ago, let's leave it there."

"Thank you," Rose said, she looked down at her hands, which were absently fiddling with a piece of ripped taffeta. After a slight pause, she raised her eyes to his and saw her own smile reflected there.

"You, above anyone, deserve to know." The moment, hung preciously between them, was shattered when he jumped to his feet and began studying the room. "Now, outta this cell eh? Can't keep us cooped up too long. You might turn me into a domestic." He faked disgust and offered her a hand. She stuck her tongue out from between her teeth and let him lift her up.

"One more thing," Rose said. He was at the cell door in a flash, whipping out the sonic screwdriver and working at the multiple locks.

"Mm?" he hummed, too focused on the door to answer properly.

"903 years… when's 904?" At this, he stopped his work, turning a disbelieving eye on his companion.

"Birthdays? You're thinking about birthdays? Honestly…" and ignoring her question he rotated a dial on the screwdriver. Rose walked slowly up behind him, slipping her arms around his waist and standing on tiptoes to rest her chin on his shoulder.

"Oh come on, you won't be 903 forever." She smiled. He stopped again, unable to ignore her coaxing.

"Ohh, alright." He turned around and she let go of him, smirking happily that she had changed his mind.

"It was a month ago. I'm 904 and one month." Her smirk broke into a 100-watt grin.

"There that's not so bad. Back to it, sonic us out of here!" She winked and leaned against the wall next to the door. Eleven months to plan a party… that'd be enough.

Less than a minute later (exactly 48 seconds, in fact) the locks where broken. The Doctor reached into his infinite pockets and retrieved a stethoscope that he donned and placed against the door. Nothing. They made their escape.

Outside of the cell the hall ran in two directions, the Time Lord headed right but Rose stopped him, pointing in the other direction.

"I've had better luck with turning left." She winked and ran down the metal corridor. The Doctor, not about to question her judgment, followed.

"Rachel had a sonic screwdriver, the parallel me must've given it to her, I've no idea why he'd be that thick, but he did. Either parallel sonic screwdriver could teleport or Rachel has more information and skill than she should." He had caught up with Rose long before now and they were joined at the hands, walking quickly around bends and always turning left. He continued to talk, giving her as much information as he could. "That screwdriver is Time Lord technology… there's a very slight chance that a human could make an upgrade of that caliber to such a fine piece of craftsmanship. It's virtually indestructible, no batteries (unlike Captain Show-off's sonic gun), scratch resistant, and machine washable."

"Doctor," Rose said

"Alright so I made that last bit up… but if I'd wanted to I coul.."

"No," she interrupted him "you're getting off the point. What about Rachel? How does she have a teleport?"

"Right, yes, Rachel. Ah, there she is. Good idea, stick to the left." They stopped just in front of a curve. The metal of the corridor halted suddenly to become a soft cream carpet. It looked as if a 21st century living room had been smashed onto the end of a large, metal AC unit. Rachel sat, reclined on a couch watching the telly, she saw Rose and the Doctor appear and quickly shut it off.

"I was just about to visit my prisoners. You got out all on your own though, I don't even have to leave my seat. That's very convenient. Oh, and Rose, thought about my offer?"

"Yeah I did, and I think you've gone completely mad. I trust the Doctor, and you killed him." Rachel's face turned a bit colder.

"I didn't kill him obviously he's standing right there! Now come Rose, after what he's done, it's really for your own good." Rachel pulled a small gun from a pocket in her baggy jeans and aimed it at the Doctor. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and rolled his eyes

"Fantastic, the former companion wields a tiny gun." He muttered in Rose's ear. Rose poked her tongue out at him with a sly smile before returning her attention to Rachel.

"Rachel, I'm sorry, really, but… your Doctor is dead. We're from a parallel universe where things are completely different." Rachel lowered the gun and Rose walked forward to talk to her. The Doctor was tempted to follow but, because of the heartless parallel Doctor, anything he said Rachel would take badly. "That's why he doesn't remember you. He never met you."

Rose was almost close enough to touch her. Rachel's features where softened by her confusion. Rachel snapped in the heavy silence that followed Rose's speech. Her eyes took on a look of blind hatred. Rose didn't see her raise the gun but the Doctor did, he grabbed the sonic screwdriver and pressed a button, hoping that it worked as he had planned. It did, but it was too slow.

The gun sent a bullet into Rose's shoulder and she collapsed on the ground. In the same second, Rachel and her living room disappeared to be replaced by the stone tunnel and the familiar shape of the TARDIS.

The Time Lord stashed the screwdriver and carefully helped Rose up, walking her into the Infirmary. Rose barely noticed the pain in her shoulder though, the Doctor couldn't teleport. This was a fact, so what had he just done?

Sensing her confusion, he smiled half-heartedly.

"Automatic updates. Installed last month as a birthday gift to me. My sonic found hers and learned how to teleport." Rose squinted up at him, half from confusion and half from pain.

"I thought teleportation was illegal."

"Course it is! That's why I'm blocking that particular feature right after we set things strait; we still have some unfinished business in Tibet." He winked at her and she couldn't help wondering if he meant un-freezing Tibet or finally breaking into a bottle of pink champagne.

To Be Continued…

Author's Note: Alright, mystery of Tibet almost done, but what of Rachel? I think I can wrap this whole thing up in one last episode, it's been a good run though! ^.^ Now I just have to think of something new :P Please review my brilliantly wonderful readers!!