I didn't feel worthy to write this and now I'm back after binging some Garo Studios Doctor Who videos, remembrance will always be my favorite. So I'm glad to be back. Hopefully Jodie's next season will be a lot better, I'm a huge fan of Sci-fi and I was missing that bit from the new season, I'm excited for it to see a really good female doctor. Thank you for all the positive replies, I really appreciate it.
Allons-y!
Chapter 10 Father's Day
The Doctor woke up to an empty bed the next day. He frowned as he sat up from the bed and pulled on a jumper. He grabbed his jacket and headed towards the main console and noticed Alice sitting on the couch talking to Rose. She looked up and gave him a smile as a greeting. He joined the two on the sofa and Alice turned to Rose.
"So, where are going next?" Alice asked.
Rose told them the story of what happened to her dad and Alice found herself feeling bad for her friend. She really did, but one couldn't change what happened. Not without serious consequences. She frowned at that and began to wonder where that line of thought had come from. The Tardis whispered in her head and she grimaced at the fact that she was slowly being given information that a Time Lady should know. Too much at one time would burn her brain so she was going to have to get used to small pieces of information appearing in her mind every so often.
"So I was thinking, could we, could we go and see my dad when he was still alive?" Rose requested.
"Where's this come from, all of a sudden?" The Doctor asked.
"All right then, if we can't, if it goes against the laws of times or something, then never mind, just leave it," Rose quickly stated.
"No, I can do anything. I'm just more worried about you," The Doctor stated, he got a dubious look from Alice at that.
"I want to see him," Rose stated.
"Your wish is my command, but be careful with what you wish for," The Doctor stated.
"Like a monkey paw or genie wish," Alice muttered.
"Exactly," The Doctor agreed as Rose gave him two dates to go to.
He began to pull levers and press buttons. The two women grabbed onto the railing as they took off on a rather bumpy flight. It didn't take long for the Tardis to land. Soon they were outside of a church and quickly walking in. Jackie stood before the altar in a beautiful dress with a smile on her face while the man across from her began to sweat nervously.
"I Peter Alan Tyler, take you, Jacqueline Angela Suzette Prentice," The Registrar started to say.
"I, Peter Alan Tyler, take you, Jacqueline Suzanne Suzette Anita," the nervous man began to say and Alice gave him a small smile of understanding.
"Oh, just carry on. It's good enough for Lady Di," Jackie stated, the Doctor laughed at that.
"I thought he'd be taller," Rose whispered to Alice.
"He is tall, compared to your mum," Alice whispered back as the two finished their vows.
They snuck out before the two noticed the group and headed back to the Tardis. They were greeted with a happy wheeze as Rose gave a final date that she wanted to visit.
"What exactly happened on November seventh, nineteen ninety-eight?" Alice asked as the Doctor put the time in and everything began to shake.
"It was the day my father died," Rose quietly replied.
"Oh, sorry," Alice softly apologized.
They parked between a telephone junction box and a road sign by a park railing. The group walked out to see a rather empty road. Rose looked around in slight shock and grief. It was almost like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Alice couldn't help but notice that it was a rather nice day out.
"It's so weird. The day my father died," Rose started, "I thought it'd be all sort of grim and stormy. It's just an ordinary day."
"The past is another country," The Doctor stated as he checked his watch, "nineteen eighty-sevens just the Isle of Wight. Are you sure about this?"
"Yeah," Rose stated as she began to lead them to the destination, "this is it. Jordan Road. He was late. He'd been to get a wedding present, a vase. Mum always said that stupid vase."
A green van bounded round the corner and parked at a curb. Rose began to choke up at the sight of it. Alice gently grabbed her hand and Rose accepted the comfort.
"He got out of his car," Rose continued, "And crossed the road. Oh my God. This is it."
Pete got out of his van and grabbed a vase from the passenger seat. The Doctor rested a hand on Rose's shoulder as she drew in a shaky breath. A beige car took the corner sharply and ran right into Pete. The driver shielded his face with his arms and kept on going. The vase shattered against the asphalt and Pete attempted to move.
"Go to him, quick," The Doctor quietly urged Rose.
"It's too late now. By the time the ambulance got there, he was dead," Rose stated. "He can't die on his own. Can I try again?"
They headed back to the Tardis and the Doctor reluctantly went back a few moments before. He parked a short walk from the road and they headed back out. Alice was eying Rose in curiosity and slight worry. They were too close to crossing timelines and that wasn't a good thing to do in quick succession. It was safe when time had passed, like if the Doctor went back to one of his previous regenerations he could safely do so due to time having passed. She shook herself from her thoughts and they looked around a corner of the building to see themselves.
"So that's what my hair looks like," Alice muttered, "I think I need a slight trim."
"Right, that's the first us. It's a very bad idea, two sets of us being here at the same time," The Doctor stated, "Just be careful they don't see us. Wait till she runs off and he follows, then go to your dad."
"Oh my God. This is it." The previous Rose stated.
"I can't do this," Rose stated.
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to, but this is the last time we can be here," The Doctor warned her.
Rose ran forward and passed their earlier selves to push Pete out of the way of the car. The Doctor watched with wide eyes as their previous selves vanished. He never wanted to see Alice vanish like that. He looked towards the brunette next to him and saw her sigh deeply. She was conflicted between anger and understanding. They headed towards Rose as she and Pete stood up. They came in towards the end of the conversation.
"Is that Sarah Clarke's wedding?" Rose asked.
"Yeah, are you going?" Pete questioned.
"Yeah," Rose smiled.
"You and your friends need a lift?" Pete asked.
The group of four entered the Tyler flat and Pete looked at them in slight confusion. Two of them seemed upset about something and he wondered if it had something to do with him. He shook that thought from his head, it didn't seem likely. He hadn't really done anything except almost be killed by a car.
"Right, there we go. Sorry about the mess," Pete started to ramble, "If you want a cup of tea, the kitchens just down there, milk's in the fridge. Well, it would be, wouldn't it? Where else would you put the milk? Mind you, there's always the window sill outside. I always thought if someone invented a window sill with special compartments, you know, one for milk, one for yogurt, make a lot of money out of that. Sell it to students and things. I should write that down. Anyway, never mind that, excuse me for a minute. Got to go and change."
He headed off down a small hallway and headed into a small room. He closed the door and Rose began to look around with a curious glint in her eyes. She had grown up in the same flat, but it seemed so different from the one that she knew. It had a feeling of being lived in by two people who were so opposite that it was surprising that they even got together.
"This is the stuff mum kept, his stuff, she kept it all packed away in boxes in the cupboard. She used to show me when she'd had a bit to drink," Rose stated as she looked at the trophies and tonics lying on a table, "Here it is, on display. Right where it should be. Third prize at the bowling. First two got to go to Didcot. Health drinks. Tonics, mum used to call them. He made his money selling this Vitex stuff. He had all sorts of jobs. He was so clever. Solar power. Mum said he was going to do this. Now he can."
She caught the expression that the Doctor was wearing. Alice was giving her a look of disbelief that kept her anger veiled. She scratched the back of her neck in an uncomfortable way. She didn't know what was bothering them exactly but she had a feeling. It wasn't a good feeling either.
"Okay, look I'll tell him you're not my boyfriend," Rose stated.
"When we met, I said travel with me in space. You said no. Then I said time machine," The Doctor pointed out.
"It wasn't some big plan," Rose defended, "I just saw it happening and I thought, I can stop it."
"I did it again. I picked another stupid ape. I should've known. It's not about showing you the universe. It never is. It's about the universe doing something for you," The Doctor stated in a cold tone.
"So it's okay when you go to other times, and you save people's lives, but not when it's me saving my dad," Rose pointed out.
"I know what I'm doing, you don't. Two sets of us being there made that a vulnerable point," The Doctor explained.
"But he's alive!" She stated.
"My entire planet died. My whole family. Do you think it never occurred to me to go back and save them?" He asked, his voice cracking a little.
"But it's not like I've changed history. Not much. I mean he's never going to be a world leader. He's not going to start World War Three or anything," Rose pointed out.
"Rose," Alice started, the two looked towards her, "I get it, I really do, but there's a man walking around that wasn't before. If you had done this the first time we were here then things might be different. You've created a paradox by allowing the first set of us to see you."
"What?" Rose asked.
"That Paradox can either be really small or astronomical," Alice stated, "You've messed up and there's no way to tell how big this time. Excuse me for a few seconds."
Alice left the flat and Rose stared at her in disbelief. She thought that Alice might be on her side due to her parents. She leaned against the wall and noticed the Doctor staring at the flat door. He turned back to her and held his hand out.
"Tardis key," The Doctor stated, "I gave you a fair warning."
"All right then," Rose stated as she dug the key out and placed it in his hand.
"You've got what you wanted, so that's goodbye, then," The Doctor stated as he headed towards the flat door and opened it.
"You'll be back in a minute, or you'll hang around outside the Tardis waiting for me. And I'll make you wait a long time!" Rose stated as he slammed the door behind him.
He sighed outside and noticed that Alice hadn't gotten too far as she walked down the street and towards the Tardis. He quickened his pace and joined her. She looked up at him and gave him a strained smile. He quirked a brow and it quickly fell.
"Is leaving her here the right thing to do?" Alice asked him.
"It's what she deserves," The Doctor grumbled.
"Then why did you bring Adam back to his time?" She asked.
He didn't answer her as they walked up the Tardis and he opened the door. What greeted the two was the inside of an empty telephone box. Alice walked up to the box and placed a hand against the side. It was the same coarseness of a regular wooden box; she couldn't feel the power that seemed to radiate from the Tardis. She let out a shaky breath and the Doctor turned to her.
"We need to find Rose," Alice stated, "This has gotten bigger than I originally thought. I think we need to head to St. Pauls' Church."
"Right," The Doctor nodded his agreement.
He held out his hand and she quickly accepted it. They began to run towards the church and when they rounded a corner onto the street where Pete was supposed to pass on a familiar beige car drove down the street before vanishing. They shared a look at that and Alice tilted her head in slight confusion. She didn't really know what was going on. She took a guess.
"Is that a time loop?" She quietly asked.
"Yeah," The Doctor nodded, "We need to hurry."
They continued on their way when the oddest thing happened. Alice's phone began ringing from the pocket of the black hoodie she was wearing. She pulled it out and frowned at the number. She answered it and held it to her ear.
"Hello?" She asked.
"Watson, come here. I need you," A male voice stated on the other end.
"Doctor, listen to this," Alice stated as she held it to him.
He listened for a few seconds before giving a grim grin. He hung up and tossed it back to her. She fumbled with it for a few seconds before sending him an unamused look. He gave her a cheeky wink and she placed her phone back into her pocket as they continued onwards to the church. They made it just as a smaller Mickey ran past them, yelling about monsters.
"Monsters! Going to eat us!" The Little Boy yelled.
The bonded pair came up the rear and Rose looked at them in confusion. She looked towards Mickey and Alice began to motion towards the church. She wasn't making sense at the moment. She straightened up and rolled her eyes.
"Get in the church!" The Doctor yelled.
"Seriously people, get in the church!" Alice began to order.
A large creature with bat-like wings appeared in the sky and hissed at the group of people. Alice and the Doctor began to eye it in slight discomfort as it hovered above the group of people that were standing outside the church. The bride had grabbed onto Alice and she started to move towards the church. A few of the people from the inside began to filter out and Alice shook her head in disbelief.
"Get in the church!" The Doctor ordered.
"Oh, my God. What are they? What are they?" The Bride asked Alice.
"I don't know, but we need to get inside," Alice informed her as she tried to figure out a way around the creature.
"Sarah!" The Groom called and he started to move towards her.
"Stay in there!" The Doctor ordered.
The groom backed up into the church with a slightly scared expression on his face. Even Alice looked a little disconcerted by the fact that the Doctor raised his voice. He was usually so calm and hardly raised it. She knew that meant that something was seriously wrong. They were all in danger from this paradox and she was terrified as to what could happen. Aliens she can fight against, a tear in time? She was a cop not a physicist, even if she did know basic physics. A middle aged man broke off from the groom and tried to run away. One of the creatures pounced on him and completely covered him from everyone's eyes.
"C'mon, everyone to the church," Alice ordered, her tone left no room for argument.
The Bride's group followed after the brunette and a creature swooped down towards them and headed towards Alice, it gave a hiss as it bounced away from her. They continued in and eventually slammed the doors to the church shut. One of the creatures flew into the doors, but couldn't get in. Alice let out a sigh of relief and moved away from the door and the bride backed away.
"Who're you then?" The bride asked.
"Alice," Alice thought for a few seconds, "Alice Sigma, sorry to impose on your wedding, you look lovely by the way."
"Sarah Clark," The bride smiled softly at that and her cheeks gained a light pink hue to them, "Who was that with you? Your best mate?"
"Husband, I may not wear a ring," Alice gave a cheeky smile.
"There's a surprising age gap there," Sarah replied.
Alice gave a light laugh at that and nodded slightly. She looked towards the Doctor and smiled softly at him. She wasn't bothered by the physical age gap. He noticed and gave her a small smile in response before turning to the crowd hiding in the church.
"They can't get in. Old windows and doors," he stated. "Okay. The older something is, the stronger it is. What else? Go and check the other doors! Move!"
The one and only Jackie Tyler stepped up to him and gave him a frown. Alice hid a smile at the fact that the woman had a mother's glare down already, and rose was just a baby. She wondered if all mum's gained that look upon a child being born. It was amazing that the Doctor moved back just a smidge, she couldn't' help but laugh quietly at the memory of him being smacked.
"What's happening? What are they?" Jackie asked him and he seemed to ignore her before she asked him once again, "What are they?"
"There's been an accident in time. A wound in time. They're like bacteria, taking advantage," The Doctor explained.
"What do you mean, time? What're you jabbering on about, time?" Jackie asked.
"Oh, I might've known you'd argue. Jackie, I'm sick of you complaining," The Doctor informed her.
"How do you know my name?" Jackie questioned.
"I haven't got time for this," The Doctor attempted to push past her but she stepped in front and stared him down.
"I've never met you in my life!" She informed him as Alice quietly excused herself from Sarah and went to help him.
"No, and you never will unless I sort this out. Now, if you don't mind, I've waited a long time to say this. Jackie Tyler, do as I say," He stated, "Go and check the doors."
"Yes, sir," She quietly conceded and headed off to do so.
"I should have done that ages ago," The Doctor informed Alice.
"She would've smacked you," She informed him with a small smile before it turned to a serious expression, "How do you heal a wound in time?"
"I don't know, the other time lords always made sure to regulate these kinds of things so this wouldn't happen," He replied as he gave a shrug, "Those creatures are here because of the wound."
"My dad was out there," The Groom stated as he walked up to the two.
"You can mourn him later. Right now we've got to concentrate on keeping ourselves alive," The doctor stated.
"Sorry about him," Alice apologized; she had the feeling she was going to be doing that for the rest of her life, "Please continue."
"My Dad had this mobile phone thing. I can't get it to work. I keep getting this voice," He handed it to Alice and she held it up to her ear.
"Watson, come here. I need you. Watson, come here. I need you," Alice heard.
She handed it to the Doctor; she didn't know what it was and wasn't going to act like she did. He listened to it with the smallest of smiles. It was the same one he wore earlier when he heard it. He hung up the phone.
"That's the very first phone call. Alexander Graham Bell," The Doctor explained, "I don't think the telephone's going to be much use."
"But someone must have called the police," The Groom offered.
"Police can't help you now. No one can. Nothing in this universe can harm those things," The Doctor continued, "Time's been damaged and they've come to sterilize the wound, by consuming everything inside."
"Is this because?" Rose quietly began, "Is this my fault?"
Alice didn't give her a response and turned on her heel to examine the lower levels. No one followed her. She moved chairs out of her way and scanned the stone with her sonic wand. It was old, but was it old enough to keep them safe until the Doctor finished coming up with a plan. She felt her anger rise and she brought a fist back and punched a wall a couple of times. She was furious with Rose, but at the same time sympathetic as to why she did what she did. If Rose could prove that she learnt from what happened then she would forgive the blonde. She punched the wall one last time, this time being the one that bloodied up her knuckles.
She let out a soft hiss at that and headed back towards the main hall of the church. She moved towards a bench next to a window and looked outside. The parasites were scuttling around the building in an attempt to get in and she frowned as one came near her side of the window and let out a pained hiss. She wondered if it didn't like her for some reason. Pete wondered towards the window as well and noted all the smoke rising from different parts of the city.
"There's smoke coming up from the city but no sirens. I don't think it's just us. I think these things are all over the place. Maybe the whole world," Pete stated.
"That's a possibility," Alice confirmed as a beige car appeared at the corner and drove down the street before disappearing.
"Was that a car?" Pete asked her.
"Don't worry about it, it's not important at the moment," Alice told him.
He replied with a small hum and walked off to have a small chat with Rose. Alice sat back on the bench and looked at the wood surrounding the windows; it was starting to splinter with how old it was. She gently ran a hand across the surface of the wood and looked at it in slight comfort. It was one of the few things that was keeping them safe, and she was thankful for that. She quietly mused to herself; she hadn't been in a church since her days in primary school. She didn't miss it in the slightest, but she did have a soft spot for old architect. The Doctor took a spot on the bench and pulled a curtain away from the window and gave a scan with his screwdriver.
"Excuse me, Mister," The Groom walked up to him with Sarah.
"Doctor," The Doctor informed him.
"You two seem to know what's going on," The Groom mentioned.
"We give that impression, yeah," The Doctor shrugged.
"I just wanted to ask," The Groom started but seemed to lose his nerve at the last second.
"Can you save us?" Sarah asked for him.
"Who are you two, then?" The Doctor asked them.
"Stuart Hoskins," The Groom introduced.
"Sarah Clark," Sarah introduced.
"And one extra," The Doctor noted as Alice finally noticed as well, "Boy or girl?"
"I don't know," Sarah stated as she rubbed the hidden baby bump, "I don't want to know, really."
"How did all this get started?" The Doctor questioned.
"Outside the Beatbox Club, two in the morning," Stuart replied.
"Street corner. I'd lost my purse, didn't have money for a taxi," Sarah smiled as she grasped onto Stuarts hand.
"I took her home," Stuart continued.
"Then what? Asked her for a date?" The Doctor asked as he smiled at the two.
"Wrote his number on the back of my hand," Sarah added.
"Never got rid of her since. My dad said, well never mind what he said," Stuart stated.
"That was sweet," Alice smiled softly at the two and Sarah smiled back.
"I don't know what this is all about, and I know we're not important," Sarah stated as she turned back to the Doctor.
"Who said you're not important? I've travelled to all sorts of places, done things you couldn't even imagine, but you two," The Doctor told them, "Street corner, two in the morning, getting a taxi home. I've never had a life like that. Yes. I'll try and save you."
Alice watched as the two moved towards a bench away from the windows and sat down together. The Doctor sat down next to her on the bench and she looked up at a stained glass window and smiled in slight remembrance. He was studying what his scans had unveiled before noting the amused and melancholy feelings that Alice was projecting. He looked up and noted the expression on her face.
"I haven't been in a church since primary school, Gran was a very devout Christian," Alice admitted, "She would've loved this building."
"She sounds interesting," The Doctor commented.
"She would've liked you," Alice told him, "She was eccentric and absolutely adored the idea of traveling through space. She was a trooper and lived through both world wars."
"She lived to be over a hundred?" He asked in surprise.
"Yeah, it sometimes felt like every time she got sick she would tell death to piss off and come another day," Alice stated, "She may have been a religious lady, but she could curse with the best of them."
"You must miss her," He stated.
"Sometimes," She replied, "Mainly when I get stuck in a rut, she used to pull my ear and send me to do errands for her to get out of it."
The Doctor went to reply when a very small Mickey came over and pulled on Alice's sleeve. She looked at him and smiled softly.
"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Alice asked.
"Are you two going to get rid of the monsters?" Mickey asked her.
"We'll try sweetheart," She replied before gently poking his nose, "You try and stay calm and be a strong little man for me, all right?"
Mickey let out a small giggle before nodding. He jumped slightly when a hand made itself known on his shoulder. Jackie gave him an apologetic smile as she held onto the carrier holding a baby Rose. She shuffled her feet slightly.
"Would you mind looking after Rose for a while?" Jackie asked Alice, "The bridesmaids asked for my help to check on some of the doors deeper in the church."
"Yeah, no problem," Alice nodded, "I'm surprised you asked me to watch her."
"Something about you makes me trust you," Jackie admitted, "Don't know what, thank you."
Jackie placed the carrier between Alice and the Doctor before walking off with Mickey. Alice looked into the carrier and the baby gave her a look. She leaned back from the expression and wondered if the baby knew something was seriously wrong. The Doctor looked in as well and the baby turned her expression to him and he joined Alice in her slight surprise.
"She is a very unhappy baby," Alice stated, "A right little miss."
"Babies are a strange phenomenon," He stated, "They can sense when something is wrong."
"Have you ever been a father?" She asked, at his surprised look she rolled her eyes slightly, "Oh come on, hundreds of years old and you haven't started a family? I would be genuinely surprised, Doctor."
"I did have," He admitted.
"I'm sorry," She quietly stated as she gently laid a hand on his arm.
Baby Rose let out a happy gurgle at the sound and Alice sent her a small smile. Even as a baby she still wanted to see the two of them together. She felt her anger flare up at the fact that this was her fault. She had a feeling that Rose felt bad as well, but would she even learn? She didn't know if the Doctor would allow the blonde to continue traveling with them.
"Now, Rose you're not going to bring about the end of the world, are you? Are you?" The Doctor asked Baby Rose.
"I don't think she like's being patronized," Alice stated as Rose walked up to them, "Jackie gave her to me to look after."
"I'd be careful. I think I just imprinted myself on Mickey like a mother chicken," Rose warned the two as she leaned to look at her smaller self.
"No. Don't touch the baby. You're both the same person. That's a paradox, and we don't want another paradox happening, not with these things outside," The Doctor warned her, "Anything new, any disturbance in time makes them stronger. The paradox might let them in."
"Can't do anything right, can I?" Rose asked with a small sigh.
"Since you ask, no," The Doctor and Alice had said that no in unison and the Doctor continued his sentence, "So, don't touch the baby."
"I'm not stupid," Rose stated.
"You could've fooled me," Alice stated, she then made a face at her words and gave a heavy sigh, "Sorry, I'm just upset at you right now."
"You shouldn't be, this entire situation is my fault," Rose stated as she plopped down next to Alice, "I should've had the courage to go to him the first time, not the second."
"We both went too far," Alice confirmed, "Lesson's learned?"
"I think so," Rose nodded, "What can we do to fix this?"
"Between the three of us, I haven't got a plan," The Doctor butted in, "No idea. No way out."
"We can think of something," Alice told him, "Oddly enough we need to remain somewhat optimistic during this."
"What sort of expression is that?" Rose asked as Alice made a face.
"If you had met me back in my days on the field you would know how weird it is for those words to be coming out of my mouth," Alice stated with a small grin, "We really do need to stay positive."
"The entire Earth's been sterilized," The Doctor stated, "This, and other places like it, are all that's left of the human race. We might hold out for a while, but nothing can stop those creatures. They'll get through in the end. The walls aren't that old. And there's nothing I can do to stop them. There used to be laws stopping this kind of thing from happening. My people would have stopped this. But they're all gone. And now I'm going the same way."
"If I had known," Rose started, "I never would've done it."
"Just tell me you're sorry," The Doctor stated.
"I am. I'm sorry," The three shared a hug, Alice was still a bit mad at Rose, but knew that the blonde had learned a lesson from this, she would have to work to get her trust back.
She let out a sound of surprise and pulled something warm out of her pocket. She dropped it as it turned scalding. She removed her hoodie, placing her phone into her back pocket. She knelt down and picked up her Tardis key. It was glowing white from the heat that was generating from it.
"It's the Tardis key!" The Doctor exclaimed, "That means we're still connected to the Tardis."
"Well come on, let's go share the good news," Alice grinned towards the Doctor.
They moved towards the pulpit and people looked towards the group in surprise it was the happiest anyone was at the moment. Alice was holding onto the baby carrier and baby Rose was gurgling happily before being given back to Jackie. They all took a stand behind the Doctor as he held up the key.
"The inside of my ship was thrown out of the wound but we can use this to bring it back. And once I've got my ship back, then I can mend everything," The Doctor told everyone, "Now, I just need a bit of power. Has anybody got a battery?"
Stuart looked around for a few seconds and thought about the mobile phone that his father had. He started to look around for it since he knew that it had a rather large battery in it. He lifted up a jacket that was resting on the chair in front of him and there it was. He picked it up and took out the battery.
"This one big enough?" Stuart asked as he held it up.
"Fantastic!" The Doctor told him.
"Good old dad. There you go," Stuart handed him the battery and the Doctor started to fiddle with it.
"Just need to do a bit of charging up and then we can bring everyone back," The Doctor stated as he pressed his sonic screw driver to the key and battery.
It took a few minutes until he lifted the key into the air and it stuck. The sounds of the Tardis filled the church and Alice grinned as the blue box began to slowly form. A few mutters rose up from the pews. Jackie looked at the outline of the Tardis with wide eyes. Rose was in her arms and cooing softly.
"Right, no one touches that key. Have you got that? Don't touch it. Anyone touches that key, it'll be, well, zap," The Doctor ordered everyone as he handed Alice back her hoodie, he was surprised no one had mentioned her Offspring tank top, "Just leave it be and everything will be fine. We'll get out of here. All of us. Stuart, Sarah you're going to get married, just like I said."
Everyone took a breather on the pews and the Doctor watched the progress on the Tardis as Alice put her hoodie back on. Rose sat next to her and let out a soft sigh. She had talked to her Father and he knew, he knew that he wasn't supposed to be alive anymore. She had hoped that he wouldn't figure it out. She looked down at her shoes and felt the guilt rise up in her, she had really messed up. She just hoped that she was allowed to continue traveling with the two. She enjoyed the adventure that was traveling in the Tardis; she knew better than to cause any more problems. She needed to be careful around her smaller self.
"What happens when time gets sorted out?" Rose asked the two.
"Everybody here forgets what happened. And don't worry the thing that you changed will stay changed," The Doctor told her.
"You mean I'll still be alive, though I'm meant to be dead. That's why I haven't done anything with my life, why I didn't mean anything," Pete stated.
"It doesn't work like that," Alice told him.
"Rubbish. I'm so useless I couldn't even die properly. Now it's my fault all of this has happened," Pete stated, Alice frowned at that.
"This is my fault," Rose stated.
"No, love. I'm your dad. It's my job for it to be my fault," Pete stated.
"Before you jump to conclusions, Mrs. Tyler," Alice stopped the slightly older blonde woman from speaking, "Have you not noticed that we are waiting for a ship that is materializing out of thin air? She looks like you, doesn't she; she even has your attitude."
"What are you talking about?" Jackie asked her.
"Oh, for God's sake, look. It's the same Rose!" Pete grabbed the baby Rose and went to hand her to her older self.
"Wait, don't," Rose began to tell him, "I can't touch her without creating another paradox."
Pete wasn't able to stop in time and as soon as baby Rose touched older Rose one of the creatures appeared in the middle of the church. Alice was glad that Rose had learned her lesson, but it had to come at the cost of human life. She was finding it hard to hold it against the blonde , now that she thought about it even more. The creature hissed loudly and looked around at the screaming crowd. It moved towards Alice and she glared up at it.
"You can't kill me, can you?" She asked as it bounced away from her.
"Everyone behind us," The Doctor stated as Alice stood next to him while glaring next at the creature, "I'm the oldest thing in here, and she's from another dimension, unaffected by the wound."
"Nice to know," Alice muttered as the Doctor pushed the group back and allowed himself to be pounced on by the creature.
Alice almost dropped to her knees when she felt him disappear. She was used to the bond and its sudden disappearance was causing her some distress. She pulled herself together and watched as the creature flew back and touched the Tardis. It vanished as did the Tardis. Alice walked up to the key and picked it up. It was cold to the touch.
Rose watched as her friend backed up until she was sitting in one of the pews. Her head was in her hands and Sarah told people to just leave her alone. Rose moved towards her and wrapped her arms around the ex-investigator. Alice let out a sniff and she noticed tears slowly rolling down her face. Alice wasn't a pretty crier, and Rose could relate to that.
"I'm so sorry, this is all my fault," Rose stated, "He's gone all because of me."
"The Doctor really cared about you. He didn't want you to go through it again, not if there was another way," Pete stated, "Now there isn't."
"What are you talking about?" Rose asked.
"The car, the one that was supposed to have hit him," Alice stated, her voice husky, "The reason behind the paradox, there's only one way to fix it."
"But you can't," Rose told him as tears began to well in her eyes.
"Who am I, love?" Pete asked her.
"My daddy," She responded as Jackie walked up to them.
"Jackie, look at her. She's ours," Pete told Jackie.
Jackie swept Rose into a hug as it finally dawned on her. Pete looked at the woman who had been crying but was now standing tall. It was something he knew his cop friend did. He always hid what he felt from others, but the moment he was alone he let the tears fall. Jackie released Rose and gave Alice a hug as well; her motherly instincts were kicking in around the two women.
"I'm meant to be dead, Jackie," Pete stated as Jackie let Alice go, "You're going to get rid of me at last."
"Don't you say that," Jackie told him.
"For once in your life, trust me. It's got be done. You've got to survive, because you've got to bring up our daughter," Pete told her before giving her a loving kiss, he broke it before turning to Rose, "I never read you those bedtime stories. I never took you on those picnics. I was never there for you."
"You would have been," Rose told him.
"But I can do this for you. I can be a proper dad to you now," He stated.
"But it's not fair," Rose cried.
"I've had all these extra hours. No one else in the world has ever had that. And on top of that, I got to see you. And you're beautiful. How lucky am I, eh? So, come on, do as your dad says. You going to be there for me, love?" He asked, she gave him a small nod, "Thanks for saving me."
"It was nice to meet you, Mr. Tyler," Alice quietly told him.
"Likewise, take good care of my Rose for me," Pete told her, "She may have messed up, but she's learned a lesson."
"We will, sir," Alice told him.
Rose handed him the vase and he nodded. He bravely marched out of the church and the two young women walked to the doors to be there for him. He had made it outside of the church gate and looked towards the sky. A creature had spotted him and he took off in a sprint towards the street corner where the car was going to appear. It did. The vase shattered on the ground as Pete dropped. Rose let out a sniff.
"Go to him," Alice told her, a male voice had mixed with hers.
Rose nodded and sprinted towards her father as Alice turned to see a slightly relieved Doctor. He didn't get to say anything when arms wrapped around his neck and Alice dragged him down for a kiss. She broke it and he smiled down at her. She kept her hands on his face and simply enjoyed the feeling of the bond making itself known again.
"What'd you do to your hands?" The Doctor asked her.
"Oh, I punched a wall," Alice shrugged, "Don't worry about it, we should go get Rose and swan off before someone asks questions."
He nodded and the two went over to Rose. She was giving Pete a kiss on the forehead and stood up as they walked up. The three quickly headed back to the street that they had parked the Tardis and they all breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the magnificent blue box. They all entered the Tardis and she let out a loud wheeze of relief and welcome. The Tardis knew that a rift had been brought between the two females that had occurred, but she knew that it would heal with time. Rose headed towards her room and the Doctor let her go without a fight as he plotted some points on the Tardis's navigational computer.
"What happened while I was gone?" The Doctor asked Alice as she removed her hoodie.
"Pete asked us to look after Rose, and give her another chance," Alice admitted, "He was a brave man."
"Are you all right?" He asked her as the Tardis gave a low groan and headed into a vortex.
"I've gotten used to feeling your presence that it was unnerving," Alice admitted, "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not feel that again."
"Likewise," The Doctor nodded, he moved forward and pressed a kiss to her temple.
He rested his hands against her cheeks and she placed her hands against his. He noted that her knuckles were healing and he moved a hand and pointed it out to her.
"That'll take some use getting to it," Alice muttered.
He chuckled at that and the Tardis joined him in that. Alice sent the main console a look before smiling at it. He released her face as she placed a hand against the walls of the Tardis and she got a hum in response. The Tardis said something to the Doctor and Alice gave a light laugh at her words. He gave a small pout in her direction.
"She's not wrong," Alice chuckled, "People are highly judgmental."
"A ring of all things," The Doctor stated, "How domestic can you get?"
Alice let out a laugh that showed she wasn't the least bit upset with his words. The Tardis let out another sound at the Doctor and Alice couldn't help but bite her lip in amusement at the fact that he was getting chewed out by his ship. She wasn't lying when she said she didn't care, she knew what they were and was happy about it. Not her fault that mankind is highly judgmental. Alice headed towards her room while shaking her head in amusement. The Tardis always knew how to cheer her up.