Chapter 10

If there's a Grid-key, there must be a Gridlock!

~0~

Allison's POV

I don't know why I gave her directions, she would just run around like crazy. You see, I knew what my best friend was like during a sugar high, she actually goes through stages. And let me say something, it's pretty hilarious.

Stage 1- More hyper than a puppy who's running on adrenaline. Stage 2- What do you mean I'm out of candy? Stage 3- The Hippie Transcendent Stage. Stage 4- The Literal Crash, which involves her just slamming down on the floor. Stage 5- The 'If You Even Talk To Me, I WILL Rip Your Head Off' Stage. Stage 6- The Philosophical Phase, which is usually spent on the floor. And finally, Stage 7- Acceptance, where Lily finally agrees to never touch a piece of candy again… that is, until she finds some in my room.

Sometimes, she skips a few stages, but my personal favorite is Stage 5, it's so cute when she tries to be scary. Even though she tries to be scary it doesn't really work, because Lily is about as terrifying as a Share Bear, and that's being generous.

Though Lily's behavior was hilarious, it reminded me of all the junkies on this God forsaken planet. Which in turn, reminded me of Gavin and- NO! I will not think about him right now, the tears have been shed, time to move on with my life.

We finally made it to the floor where the Face of Boe was being held. Lily was just petting the wall like it was a baby lamb at a petting zoo. Stage 3- Hippie.

"I'm gonna go ahead." I stated, trying to step around her. Lily stopped petting the wall for a second and grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look at her.

"Okay. I'll be here. I'm always here for you." Lily whispered before let me go and she started swaying to a song she was humming. Sometimes I wonder if she's high or something, I mean, what is in that candy she eats?

"Alright then." I said, opening a door that would lead me out of the stairwell. I quickly soniced the door behind me, locking it. I couldn't have Lily running around making daisy chains or later threatening to stab someone in the neck with a spork. She would just have to get this weirdness out of her system, and then I would let her out.

I straightened my coat as I walked into the lighted area. I saw Boe, eyes closed, in front of a window, with a cat nurse at his side. Oh My Gosh, what is her name?

"Ahem." I spoke up, alerting the cat nurse to my presence, if Boe knew I was here he didn't do anything to show it.

"Who are you?" The cat nurse questioned. Her name's gonna be Cat Nurse until I can figure out what it really is.

"I received a message telling me to head to these co-ordinates." I explained. Oh, shit, what if I'm too early in the timeline?

"I never sent any mess- Wait! Are you the Guardian?" Cat Nurse asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Yes, I am."

"I sent you the message on his behalf." Cat Nurse said before turning back and stroking the Boe's jar, as if that helped ease his pain. Though this planet was known for its advanced medical prowess, the one thing it couldn't cure was what Boe was suffering from, age. Boe was dying of old age, a seemingly peaceful death for a rather adventurous man. I walked up to Boe's jar and placed my hand on it.

I saw a glimpse of one of Boe's memories as my hand met the cool synthetic glass. It was of Jack and me, yet I'm seemed to be older. There also seemed to be a faint feeling of fondness in that one memory. I felt head tilt slightly to the side as I crouched down and stared at Boe's sleeping form.

"He has shared with me many memories of his adventures with you." I looked up at the cat nurse at this statement. Did Jack have a thing for me in the future?

'Strictly platonic,' Boe's voice echoed in my head, stronger than it was in any of my universe's episodes. 'That's what you would say. And also that I'm a little shit, but you still loved me anyway.' The Cat Nurse just stared at Boe, it was obvious that this conversation was between only me and him.

'That sounds like me.' I thought back to him. My brow furrowed as the full comprehension of his words finally hit me. 'I'm sorry, but I don't truly know you yet.' I thought before the Cat Nurse walked over to the table with a skeleton on it in the middle of the room. She grabbed an old Vortex manipulator and disappeared in flash of light. I heard Boe sigh aloud as I turned back to face him.

'I know, that's why I sent you that message.' I nodded slowly as my thoughts processed what he was saying.

'You didn't call me here because you needed help; you called me here because you wanted to say goodbye.' I thought, but I didn't stop there. 'And I also received that message too early in my timeline because you didn't want to say goodbye to the me that you know from the future.' If Boe could nod, I bet he would be doing that right now.

'Yes.' Boe thought. 'That is all true, I did call you here because I wanted to say goodbye. I know my time is running out.'

"It doesn't have to be." I said aloud, but even I knew it wasn't true. This was the day that Boe died, and I think that he knew it and maybe even accepted it.

'We both know it must. Now, you must go. Before the Doctor arrives, and sees you.'

"How do you know about that?" I asked. If everybody knows that I'm avoiding the Doctor, then it may become a little hard to do just that.

'I ran with you for quite some time. I figured it out eventually. Goodbye, Guardian.' Boe thought, smiling slightly at something, probably the adventures that I would have yet to have with him. I nodded slowly before standing up out of my crouch and heading to the door where I had entered was.

I looked back at Boe for a moment, he was once again asleep, probably trying to save his energy for when he meets the Doctor, as I muttered, "See ya soon, Jack."

I frowned a little as the way he spoke hit me, it wasn't the raspy voice that had spoken to the Doctor, and it was a little bit full of life. My heart pinged as my imagination got the best of me and thought up a scenario where Boe would have built up his strength just to say goodbye to me.

That was the weirdest thing ever, knowing that someone will mean so much to you in the future that they would want to see you before they die… Holy crap, he River Song'd me.

That thought made me crack a grin, pushing the sad thoughts to the back of my head for now.

I soniced the door, unlocking it, and I walked right through it, closing it softly behind me.

"Oh, come on!" I exclaimed as I saw what lay before me. Nothing, Lily was nowhere to be seen. Ah, crap, she must have wandered off somewhere. Damn it, Lily, now I have to look for you. I swear my friendship with her is like taking care of an over-sized four year-old.

I started walking down the stairs, grumbling to myself under my breath. Hopefully if I just check everywhere, I could find Lily before she really messes something up. Yeah, right, like that'll happen, she already jinxed us.

Geez, Lily. Where the crap are you?

~0~

Lily's POV

Where the crap was I? Pardon my language, but I am thoroughly frightened right now. One minute I swaying to some jazz song I heard over the radio, the next I'm thinking about how death is inevitable, and now I'm wandering around this hospital-like place.

Ugh, I am never touching another piece of candy in my life ever again. And I know that I told myself that before, but this time, I mean it. No more candy, because every time I have a sugar high, I have no idea what's going on and where I am thirty minutes later.

My feet ached slightly as I continued walking. I had literally been wandering around for about ten minutes, and yet I still haven't found Allison.

I shivered as I entered yet another cold, empty room. Oh, why didn't I wear a thicker shirt? C'mon, Lil, think: warmth before fashion. Yeah, like I'll remember that in about forty minutes, or however long it takes for me to find Allison. But that's pretty good, I should probably write that on a t-shirt, and… it's gone.

Wait, what was I thinking about anyway? Oh, yeah, finding Allison before I die of slight hypothermia. I turned yet another corner and almost screamed.

"Oh, that's not creepy at all." I remarked, my voice echoing in the room full of skeletons. Literally, there were skeletons just lying all over the room, completely filling it. "Just a room full of skeletons, nothing to freak out about." I said, stepping over one. Don't freak out, Lily. Don't freak out.

My foot snagged on some skeleton's rib and I fell, inches away from dead guy's skull. I let out a tiny little shriek, as frantically stood up and started quickly backing against the wall. I think that I'm entitled to freak out now.

It's okay, just try to find Allison.

Wait! I hear voices. Allison's probably here somewhere. All I need to do is follow the voices, and I can get the flub away from this planet and never return.

I followed the voices until they led me outside of a room with a computer on one side and a smashed jar near a darkened window. There were two figures sitting on opposite sides of what looked like… a severed head on the floor. Wait, that's the Face of Boe! Isn't he usually in his jar? I saw another figure approaching the other two, um, three.

I was about to enter the room, but a familiar voice stopped me. I just hid behind the curtained doorway and in the shadows. I had also noticed that that room had skeletons as well. Yay! Okay, definitely not going in there.

"What's that?" A female voice asked. Wait, a second, Martha? That was Martha's voice! What was she doing here? How was she here? She approached the other people and I saw that she was wearing that red leather jacket I got here for her birthday last year.

"It's the Face of Boe. It's all right. Come and say hello." The guy with a trench-coat answered, before looking up to glance at Martha. His coat was just like Allison's, except a shade darker, and he had brown hair that sort of stuck up. This guy must be the Doctor that Allison wanted me to avoid. "And this is Hame. She's a cat. Don't worry. He's the one that saved you, not me." I finally took notice that the final figure was a cat-like creature who was for some reason dressed in nun-like clothing.

"My lord gave his life to save the city, and now he's dying." The cat thing pitched in. It seemed like she was holding back tears. Okay, kinda feel like I'm missing something right here.

"No, don't say that. Not old Boe. Plenty of life left." The Doctor countered. But even I knew that wasn't true. In this universe I had trained for quite some time to be a Doctor, so I know when someone is about to die. And by the looks of it, Boe's gonna die soon.

'It's good to breathe the air once more.' A voice that seemed to echo in my head said. It seemed to be that it was Boe who spoke, even though his mouth didn't move. I quietly slapped a hand over my mouth, otherwise I would have gasped in shock and alerted the people in the room to my presence. For some reason, maybe Allison's warning to stay hidden, I didn't want them to see me.

"Who is he?" Martha asked. Okay, good, I know more than Martha.

"I don't even know. Legend says the Face of Boe has lived for billions of years. Isn't that right? And you're not about to give up now." The Doctor explained. Well, dang, he's old!

'Everything has its time. You know that, old friend, better than most.' Boe's telepathic voice said. So, the Doctor knows about death? I bet Allison could give him a run for his money, based on the stories she told me.

"The legend says more." Cat thing added. Well, the waterworks will be arriving soon, I just know it. Okay… I may be spending too much time with Allison, since I was starting to spend her abrasiveness in myself.

I leaned forward some, listening very closely to their conversation through the curtain. Why does this place even have curtains? I snapped myself back to the matter at hand, noticing the Cat-nurse was still seconds away from bursting into tears. If something wasn't holding me back, I would probably go up and try to comfort that cat thing.

"Don't. There's no need for that." The Doctor replied. Um, no, shush your face, Doctor. I wanna here the rest of the legend. Oh, wow, I'm hanging out with Allison so much that she's rubbing off on the way I think as well.

"It says that the Face of Boe will speak his final secret to a traveler." The cat creature said, ignoring the Doctor's words.

"Yeah, but not yet. Who needs secrets, eh?" The Doctor questioned, slightly agitated. I was kind of wanting to hear this final secret, whatever it was.

'I have seen so much. Perhaps too much. I am the last of my kind, as you are the last of yours, Doctor.' Boe's voice said in my head. Well, that's not true.

"That's why we have to survive. Both of us. Don't go." The Doctor voice said softly. It was so soft that I didn't hear it, but I did, thanks to my super hearing. It also sounded like he too was holding back tears. If Martha starts crying, I'm out, well not really, I'll still listen.

'I must. But know this, Time Lord.' Boe's voice spoke telepathically. "You are not alone." Boe stated before he closed his eyes and died. First off: he can talk? Second off: well, that was anti-climactic, I already knew that. Third off: goodbye, Boe. I'm sorry we never got to meet in person. Well, maybe he heard of me from Allison, and that's why he included me in the telepathic messages. Yeah, seems likely. The cat creature started sobbing and both Martha and the Doctor stood up to look down at Boe. The Doctor held Martha in a side hug as they just stared at the now dead Face of Boe.

"He's right." A voice added. Every head, besides the cat thing's and Boe's dead one turned to look in my direction. Oh, crap on a cracker, did I say that? Aloud?

The Doctor and Martha started making their way towards where I was. I quickly stumbled backwards, tripping over the bloody curtain and tangling my right leg in its string cord.

I looked through the curtain and saw that the Doctor had a look of anger on his face that would make anyone runs for the hills. Martha had a similar expression, yet hers was slightly softer and had a bit more curiosity in it than the Doctor's did.

The Doctor stopped, his hand on the curtain, about to yank it open. I was extremely certain that they could both see my outline through the curtain, but not completely. Oh, Good Lord, I was about to get caught. What would I say? What would I say to Martha? How would I get out of this?

In a moment of weakness, I faintly whispered for the one thing, I mean person, who could possibly help me right now.

"Allison, please help!"