Tension snaked its way through the Doctor's muscles, eyes straight ahead, mind set and focused on the Torchwood Killer, at the same time brewing ideas on how to finally end all of this. This TARDIS seemed exactly like his, meaning that figuring out the best way to damage it enough, to require intense repair, would be easy. He'd keep going for the console, and the power cells below the platform. He didn't want to fully destroy it, in case Harold's TARDIS happened to fail them later on, as a TARDIS might be necessary to get back to his universe.
He attempted to send a mental message to Harold, finding it impossible since the shield was up. This put them at a disadvantage, but not a total one.
"Well, as a matter of fact I do believe I'm going to win, though not necessarily easily. Easy is boring, I like a challenge." He glanced at Rose for a moment, giving her a little smile then looked back to the Torchwood Killer. He could feel Harold beside him, arm just barely brushing the others, glad to have another Time Lord at his back. In that, they certainly had the upper hand.
The Doctor watched the Torchwood Killer moving to Jack and Rose, catching the look on Rose's face, gently nudging Harold in as subtle a way as possible to make sure he caught it as well. Indeed, the President had, and was readying his attack for the right moment. Who needed telepathy when you had instinct?
Slowly, the Doctor moved the sonic screwdriver towards the Torchwood Killer. "I am sorry, I'm so, so sorry," he said to him, his face suddenly becoming grim as simultaneously, he and Harold fired their screwdrivers, the Doctor's aimed for the Torchwood Killer's chest, Harold moving quickly to the right and aiming for an exposed part of Jack's side, the two Time Lords immediately rushing them once the shots were fired, Harold moving to pry Rose from Jack, the Doctor shoving the Torchwood Killer into the console as a means to further damage it, taking another shot through the grates on the floor to hit the power cells below their feet. By the smoke rising up and the cracking and hissing sounds, and the way the lights began to flicker in the TARDIS, things seemed to be working well.
The sounds of sirens were approaching from outside, helicopters and other vehicles surrounding the building.
"I gave you a choice," the Doctor said coldly to the Torchwood Killer, "but you didn't take it. Now you're going to pay the consequences. I'm sorry, I really am so sorry, but that's the way it's got to be."
Everything happened so fast-first she had been screaming at Harold to fire at Jack, regardless of her safety & then both her friends were on the move and firing. She felt her body lurch as Jack fell, her falling with him and screaming as they went down, her body slamming into the grated floor.
During the fall, Jack's arm had released her, so she took the chance to scramble for safety, only to feel someone grab her leg, causing her to scream again. The interior of the TARDIS was beginning to fill with smoke but she could see Jack's face, barely. "No!!" She shouted as she slammed her booted heel into his face, causing him to release her foot.
Spinning around, she saw Harold coming towards her and ran to him, her arms slinking around his waist, hanging onto him as she began to cough from the smoke. She couldn't see The Doctor or the Torchwood Killer, because of the smoke, but she could hear them-
The injured Time Lord laid against the sparking and sputtering console as his good imposter spoke to him; the sirens getting louder outside. "This is far from over…" he muttered to the cold Time Lord.
Rose could hear the sirens now and knew that time was short. They had to get The Doctor out of there. "Doctor!!" She shouted as she began to push away from Harold, coughing harder as the oxygen level in the room was being choked away by the smoke.
That's when she saw him through the haze; Jack Harkness, on the floor with a gun aimed at-her heart jumped in her chest as her gaze lifted up to The Doctor. "Noooooooo!!!!!" Rose emitted a telepathic shriek, unaware that the barrier had fallen during The Doctor's raid and it wasn't aimed at anyone, yet everyone, but only for a brief moment.
The same time she had emitted the shriek, though, she pushed away from Harold and dove for Jack; disappearing from Harold's sight into the haze of foggy smoke and landing on Jack.
The evil Time Lord heard the shriek and held his ears as he sunk to the floor, grateful that it had only been brief. When he regained his composure he made aim for The Doctor and lunged, intent on tackling the man; this wasn't over yet.
On the floor, Jack had gotten his bearings and was struggling with Rose for the gun; but she wasn't going to let him have it back. She heard the noise of others moving around, not knowing who it was or where. Pulling a fist back, she glowered at Jack, "no one hurts the people I love, you stupid son of a-"
Her last word was cut off as an explosion ripped through the air, rocking the TARDIS, from the outside, then her fist connected squarely with Jack's face and she watched as the man fell unconscious as she stood up to her feet, the smoke finally beginning to clear slightly. Standing tall, Rose turned to where the two Doctors had stood and gasped at the sight she saw-
Harold started to move quickly to Rose as she fell, worried he might've hit her too, pleased to see that he hadn't. He lifted his screwdriver again to fire at Jack as the immortal grabbed a hold of her foot, but Rose seemed to have it under control as Harold watched her shove her foot right into his face.
As Rose ran up to him, he wrapped his arms tightly around her, breathing a sigh of relief. "It's almost over," he said softly to her, eyes wide, breathing heavy, hearts pounding like mad.
The Doctor continued his fight with the Torchwood Killer, his teeth gritted as he prepared to murder his foe. It made him sick to his stomach, it went against all his morals, but there was no choice here but to kill him. He felt sympathetic to Harold, as once the Torchwood Killer was dead, Harold would be alone, as the Doctor was. It seemed the fate of the Time Lords, no matter what the finer details were, would be the same on both worlds always.
"No, it is over," he said grimly to his foe, hand slightly shaky as he held his enemy's screwdriver to his chest, suddenly startled, the killing shot delayed as Rose's telepathic shriek filled the minds of the three Time Lords in the room, the Doctor, wincing in pain, groaning slightly before starting to regain his composure, only to be tackled by the Torchwood Killer, hitting the floor with the other Time Lord and wrestling with him in an attempt to regain the upper hand and finish him off.
Harold nearly fell to his knees between the sound of the shriek and the still constant sound of drums within his head, which were beating louder and faster than ever in this final battle. He held onto one of the curved posts to stay up, looking up at Rose once the sound was gone, seeing Rose struggling with Jack. He lifted his screwdriver up to fire, unfortunately not having a clear shot, not yet. Then the explosion hit, sending him stumbling and hitting the floor, scrambling up to his feet just in time to see Rose's fist slamming into Jack's face, a sigh of relief escaping him as the man went unconscious.
He moved quickly over to Rose as the smoke cleared, staring at the sight before them as the smoke cleared, keeping his screwdriver out and aimed. One was on the floor, dead, two shots from the Torchwood Killer's sonic screwdriver taken to his chest, destroying both his hearts. The other was on his feet, staring down at his dead foe, breathing heavily, a look of slight shock upon his face as he turned to look at the two of them, gulping and turning to face them and walking closer.
"Rose...Harold. It's over. He's dead. The nightmare's over."
There before her were the two Doctors, one seemingly dead on the floor, with two scorch marks to his chest and the other standing over him. They had both been wearing the same clothing, so she had no idea if the one standing was The Doctor or the Torchwood Killer.
As the man neared her, she raised up the gun at him with one hand, taking a step back as Harold came up to her side, her free going out to keep him from going any farther. He was the President, she was the last surviving member of Torchwood; it was her duty to make sure he was protected at all costs, even with her life as far as she was concerned.
"Don't come any closer." She said to the man who was walking towards them, her voice firm, unwavering, the gun pointed directly at his chest.
Another explosion resounded outside, close to the TARDIS but not hitting it this time and then a voice spoke through a megaphone, "We have you surrounded! Come out with your hands up!!"
She kept her focus on the man in front of her, refusing to yield her vision towards the door of the TARDIS. She felt as if her heart was breaking in her chest, if this was the Torchwood Killer and not…She would die inside knowing she got him killed. "Which one are you?" She said, her voice wavering this time.
The Doctor stopped in his tracks from drawing near them as Rose brought up the gun and aimed it at him, sighing. When the smoke had billowed up around them, he'd feared something like this might happen. Ah well...least he knew he could convince her. He'd done it before, he'd do it again.
Harold flinched at the explosion outside, frowning, then looking back to the Doctor. The military and the police could wait; this was a far more important situation. He often forgot who he was in this country, his place of importance. He could be a bit reckless, something some bodyguards he'd had prior weren't too keen on, but that's just how it was.
Looking to the Doctor, Harold tried to reach into his mind. The drums were softer, still there but not as intense, and he got a feeling of some familiarity from the other Time Lord, but that was questionable, as it could've been another trick. He rested his hand against Rose's shoulder, still holding his screwdriver steady, waiting for an answer.
"I'm the Doctor. I'll prove it to you. The last time we saw each other, before all of this, I tried to tell you something but the transmission was cut off. So now I'm going to finish what I was saying. You said, 'I love you,' and I said, 'And I suppose... if this is the last chance I'll ever have to say it... Rose Tyler... '"
He paused, making direct eye contact with her, holding out one hand towards her.
"I love you too."
Rose felt Harold's hand on her shoulder, but it seemed distant as if it was light years away as her attention was focused on the man before her. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes, not falling as her eyes remained fixed on him. Would she be able to do this if she had to? The answer was yes. If this was the Torchwood Killer then she'd have no second thoughts in killing him for killing The Doctor.
She swallowed hard as the man spoke to her, her arm wavering as he paused after saying her name, the tears threatening to fall. Those last three words though, when she heard him say them it was as if her heart stopped for a second. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion-
The gun dropped from her hand, clattering across the grated floor as the tears she'd been holding back trailed down her cheeks. A breath of air escaped her lips, unaware that she'd even been holding it. Seeing The Doctor's hand held out for hers, she looked down at it then up into his eyes, a bright smile lighting up her features as she took his hand.
"It is you…" She whispered softly as she took his hand and stepped closer to him. The reunion had finally come.
A wide smile spread across the Doctor's face, turning into a grin, squeezing her hand as it was placed within his own, pulling her close to him, staring down into her eyes.
"Hello," he said softly, the smile still on his face. Finally. After this whole long, terrible ordeal, and the years before that, now finally, here it was the real reunion. Leaning down, he softly pressed his lips to hers, holding the kiss for just a moment before pulling back. As much as he would have liked to let the moment last, there were currently military and policemen trying to break into the TARDIS, likely looking for the Torchwood Killer and the President.
Harold watched the reunion, sighing but giving a smile. Hearing more shouting from outside, he and the Doctor made eye contact, and the Doctor nodded.
"Yeah...should get out there and clear things up, eh?" Harold said, pausing as he looked past the Doctor towards the Torchwood Killer. Frowning a bit, he walked over to the body, kneeling down next to it for a moment. One of the biggest threats was over, but now, Harold was truly the last of his kind. There was victory in it, there was triumph, but there was also brutal awareness of how lonely he truly was now. Especially since he knew damn well that Rose, should the other two find a way back to their universe, would leave.
The Doctor looked down at Harold with the body, gently moving Rose away from him a bit, so as to give him his space. He'd even leave the TARDIS, but that wasn't possible. He needed Harold for validation and to NOT get shot and killed.
Harold finally sighed and stood eyes watery but tears not flowing (at least not yet), looking to the two of them. "I'll make sure he gets a proper funeral. Now I suppose we go out there and let them know I'm not dead, and you're not the Torchwood Killer," he said, clearing his throat and pulling himself together, wiping at his eyes then moving to the door.
Speaking loudly, the President announced. "This is Harold Saxon and I'm exiting the uh, police box. I've got one dead, one possibly dead and two living with me. Despite what he looks like, do NOT fire upon or arrest the man with me, he is NOT the culprit we've been looking for. The Torchwood Killer is dead," he said, pausing, then pushing open the door and stepping out, glancing behind to the others and motioning for them to follow.
Looking to Harold, the Doctor nodded then glanced to Rose. "Right then. Let's be off. See if we can't find a way home, yeah?" he said softly, starting to walk, his hand reaching down to take her own.
The smile was still lighting up her features, even as he pulled her to him, her feet moving slowly as she stopped in front of him. He spoke and then he was kissing her, her eyes closing as the tears silently streamed. It was brief, but brief was good; she knew there was still too much going on around them to focus on just that one moment. She'd waited what had seemed like a lifetime, what was a few more minutes?
As he pulled away and looked at Harold, she took the time to wipe the tears from her face and regain her composure, hazel eyes drifting over the scene quietly. She moved when he pulled her away to give Harold some room, her heart rending at the heartbreaking scene before her, as the Prime Minister knelt down by the man who had been one of the last few Time Lords in existence.
As Harold passed them, she held out a hand, which only hung in the air as he shouted to the military and police outside. Her hand eventually fell back to her side as she glanced up at The Doctor. "Yeah," she said with a smile, "I would like that."
Stepping out of the TARDIS behind The Doctor and the President, she was surprised to see the amount of media there; it shouldn't have surprised her, but it did. Looking to The Doctor, she knew the police would want to talk to her; she was part of Torchwood, after all. "I should give a statement," she said softly to him, a soft smile on her face.
With the energy between the worlds going the way it was, he wondered if a way back was actually more than possible. The combined energies had made Harold's TARDIS work...it just might work for one shot to get them back. That was, once they figured out how bad the damage was to the barrier and how to fix it. So much to do...hopefully enough time. He wanted to get back to Donna, let her know everything was alright. But more than any of it, he was so happy to have Rose back.
The Doctor smiled down at Rose, watching Harold go and talk to the crowd, then following behind him with Rose, blinking at the media. A few wary looks were given, but no one acted on instinct, as the President had given an order.
Looking down to Rose, he nodded. "Go on then. I uh, I'll say what I can if you need me to. Something tells me you and Harold have got it," he said, squeezing her hand tightly.
The press of course was behind the police barrier, yelling questions to the police, the President, to the man who looked like public enemy number one, and to Rose:
"Prime Minister, are you alright?"
"Tell us what happened?!"
"What happened to the Torchwood Killer?"
"Who's that man who looks like him if it's not the Killer?"
Etc. Etc. Etc.
Feeling him squeeze her hand, she gazed up at him, a soft smile upon her lips. "I shall be right back," she said softly and then leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, which of course sent the media into a frenzy as pictures were snapped. A broad grin crossed her features as she laughed softly. "Sorry, I couldn't resist," she said playfully.
Releasing his hand she wandered over to a group of reporters, hands raised slightly as she shouted for their attention and for them to quiet down. "Alright, I am Rose Tyler, head of Torchwood 3 and I will only say this once. So if you don't get everything, tough." Rose glanced over at Harold then The Doctor, eventually turning her attention back to the media frenzy before her, lowering her hands to her sides.
"This man," she said motioning to The Doctor, "may look like the Torchwood Killer, but I can assure that he's not. The Torchwood Killer, is finally dead. You've heard of doppelgangers? Basically, we each have another person out there that looks exactly like us. Trust me, I know, I'm Torchwood, I can verify that."
Rose smirked inwardly, knowing the media would eat this all up. Being Torchwood, and Torchwood not being a secret organization on this world, gave her a chance to cover their tracks.
"The Torchwood Killer was this man's doppelganger. When we found this out, we asked for his help. This man's bravery saved our lives, as well as the bravery of the President."
"Who exactly is that man?!" A tall, red haired reporter asked her, causing her to double take the woman. "And why did you kiss his cheek?"
"That is…" she paused as she remembered The Doctor didn't have a name. She couldn't call him 'The Doctor' because that was the name of the evil Time Lord; she had insisted on calling him the Torchwood Killer, because of what the name had meant to her. Her eyes drifted towards The Doctor and then back to the media. "His name is…" she started again, the media beginning to wonder why she kept stalling.