Hello, I'm back!

This chapter was a bitch to write...mainly because I really wanted to include the Doctor's speech when he cures everyone...but I couldn't figure in the mechanics of actually writing it. But I think I did all right. You decide.

Thank you to everyone that reviewed last chapter...I know it's been a while. So big thanks to grapejuice101, skidney, sailormajinmoon, TheGirlWhoImagined, DragonRose4, RawrSaysTheLion (I love your name), and Guest (whoever you are, thank you)

Disclaimer: Not Mine.


New Earth: Part 5

The first thing that greeted us when we walked into Ward 26 was a woman screaming at us as she ran towards us with a metal chair in her hands. I leapt back, raising my hands, "Look, look, look!" The Doctor said to her, showing her his hands, "We're safe, we're safe! Look clean! We haven't been infected or anything! Look at our hands! If we'd been touched we would be dead!" She finally lowered her chair, "So...how's it going up here? What's the status?"

She looked down shakily, "There's nothing but silence from the other wards, I think we're the only ones left," I sighed at that, shaking my head. In a hospital which was supposed to have the best medicine in the universe, there was only death in the corridors. I hope Cassandra realised what she had done now, "And I've been trying to override the signal," now that certainly didn't sound ver good. What was she doing? "If I can trip a signal over to New New York then they can send a private executive squad!" That wasn't a good thing.

The Doctor was shaking his head, "You can't do that, they'd be forced to break quarantine," she glared at him, "We can't let a single particle of disease get out. There are ten million people in that city. They'd all be at risk," he pointed to the large window, "Now turn that off!"

"Not if it gets me out," she snapped at him. I nearly buried my head in my heads. How could she be so stupid?

"All right, fine. So I have to fight you lot too," the Doctor stated, nodding, "Suits me," he got out the sonic, "Cassandra, Mary-Anne, Novice Hame...everyone!" He looked over at a portly man, "Excuse me, Your Grace. Get me the intravenous solutions to every single disease!" We all looked at him, "Move it!"

We all started to move, grabbing different coloured bags. The Doctor had fastened a rope around him, and was quickly tying each of the bags onto him, "What is he doing?" Cassandra asked me and I ignored her busy helping him out on the bags, "Alice?"

The Doctor turned around, "What do you think? Will that do?" He asked me and I nodded, "Good," he detached a metal piece from the ceiling, "Righty-Ho," and I saw him grin at it.

"Doctor!" I said to him and he turned to me, "I'm going to stay here to make sure this lot don't trip the quarantine or anything," he frowned. I nodded to Cassandra, "The route you're taking, there's only room for one passenger, and someone has to make sure she doesn't run off with Rose's body. I don't think New Earth could survive it," he sighed, walking over to me, "Get her to realise what she's done...or what she is going to do," I tweaked one of the baggies on him, "You've got the cures for every single disease there, doesn't take a genius to work out what you're going to do,"

"Clever girl," he noted and I shrugged modestly, with a small smile on my face, "You stay safe, don't let a single person with disease in here," I nodded, like it wasn't obvious, "You've got your phone...and this shouldn't take long," we both looked at Cassandra who was watching the outside world with a slight glint in her eye, "Maybe it's a bad idea to rely on her for this," he looked down, "You still have the option of coming with me for this. Closure of the adventure,"

I placed my hands in my pockets, looking upwards, "Doctor, I haven't really been here for most of the adventure," I told him, "I've been inside the TARDIS console room watching everything through the TARDIS screen," he looked confused, "I'll explain later," I looked around at Cassandra again, "I wouldn't be able to keep her here, I think you're the only person that actually scares her," he looked slightly chuffed, "Besides...me and the Face of Boe need a catch up. Didn't get to talk to him last time I was up here...other circumstances," I leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, gently, "Go, you have an appointment that can't be missed,"

He grinned, hugging me gently as to not burst the bags around him, "I am glad that you're back in one piece," he whispered in my ear and I smiled slightly. He straightened up before touching his tie a little, self consciously, "One question..." I looked at him expectantly, and he tilted his head in my direction, "How do I look?"

I admired him up and down, "Amazing," I answered him, and he beamed at me. I nodded towards the door, "Go, you've got a limited time frame in which to do this," I twisted on my heel to look at Cassandra, "Oi," she turned her head, "You're going with him for this one, Cassandra, try to do what he asks will you?" She walked past me to where the Doctor was heading, "Hey Doctor?" The man looked back at me, "See you in hell, yeah?" He grinned at the parting before nodding. The two left the Ward, "And good luck to you," I mumbled. I cleared my throat, "Frau Clovis," the woman raised her eyebrow at me, "Seal the doors of the ward..."

"As you wish," she replied stiffly to me, heading over to the glass plated doors. She returned shortly afterwards, "Although I don't see how they will be able to do anything," she sniped a little, "They're just two people against an army of diseased ridden people," I sighed, "What can they do? He's only got some bags tied around him,"

"Bags which contain the cure for every disease in this world," I finished for her, looking pointedly over at her, "Every single disease. Now I'd say if he had a container to fill the entirety of those medicines then he could empty them out and cure the people downstairs," she just stared at me, "He is the Doctor, ma'am, he knows what he is doing...most of the time," I amended, "And if he succeeds then he will be the one person that you will remember. And how brilliant he is,"

She sniffed, "And if he were to fail at this? If those people get him," I closed my eyes at that, "You can't deny that might be an actual possibility. If both of them die, then we're stuck here waiting for death," she continued to tap away at her palm pilot, "And I am not going to die in this hell hole of disease," she walked over to the window.

I sighed looking at the ceiling, mustering my courage to what I was about to do, "Let's see that," I said to her, holding out my hand. She looked suspiciously at me, "Oh come on, I just want to have a look," she reluctantly passed it to me. Immediately I threw it down on the floor, pulled out the squareness gun, and fired at it. It suddenly disappeared from the floor. I pocketed the gun, looking at the outraged woman, "Don't worry, it's got a reverse feature, I'll return it when the crisis is over,"

"How dare you!" She shouted at me, "You had no right to destroy that," I only smiled in the face of her anger. Hanging out with the Doctor really did have its advantages, "You're willing to just sit here and let yourself die? All we are doing now is waiting until they come bursting through the doors. We could have lived,"

"Like the Doctor said," I informed her calmly, "There are ten million people in that city of yours, and I don't know how many in the rest of this New Earth. If a particle of disease gets out and kills one person...more, then that is our fault. I'm not going to let that happen. So yes, I am willing to sit here until we die, if that is what is to happen to us," I straightened up, "So get used to it. The Doctor's not here and he is the best chance that we have. Get it? Got it?" She still looked outraged, "Good,"

I walked over to where the cat that the rest of them had met earlier...Novice Hane...Hame. That was it, Novice Hame. She looked so innocent sitting there, not really understanding what was really going on, "I'm not sure what's going on," there she just confirmed what I thought about her, "You unleashed the Flesh, didn't you?"

"No," I replied, looking down at her, "Long story, there's a psychograft in your basement. Bitchy trampoline placed herself in my mind, took control of my body. She's in my older sister now, decided to move on," I sat down in front of the Face of Boe, "Like I said, it's a long story. I'll have to write it all down tonight, if we get out of here," I smiled at her, "I'm Alice Tyler," I shook her hand, "Pleased to meet you and all," she nodded confused. "You look after him?" I nodded to the Face.

"He's not much trouble," she said to me, "Just maintain his smoke and he likes to sometimes talk to me. In my mind," I smiled softly, "And he likes singing as well. Very old songs that no one remembers anymore. I like the work," and it was hard not to like Novice Hame, she was just very innocent in this. She truly believed what the Sisters had done was right, "The Doctor said you met him just the once before today?"

I nodded, placing a hand on the glass, "Yes, Platform One. I was just starting out really," I mused, "He was kind to me, placed me at ease. I'm wasn't very good with those things," I sighed, rocking back, "What's wrong with him?" I asked her.

"Oh I'm sorry," she answered, "I thought you would have known," I shook my face, "The Face of Boe is dying," I let out a long breath at that, "It's just old age which we can't cure, not through lack of trying," I tried to not let myself tense up at that, even though it was technically the cat nurse's fault that this all really happened, "He's just lost the will to live really. They say he is millions of years old, but that's rather impossible. No one is that old, not really," she looked down, "But there are superstitions surrounding him,"

I smiled at that, "Tell me," I said to her and she looked away towards the set of doors, "Don't worry, they won't get through for a while now. The Doctor will solve it," she sighed, "Tell me what do they say about the Face of Boe?"

"Well one superstition says that just before his death, the Face of Boe will impart his last great secret," she told me and I raised my eyebrows, "It says that he'll tell it to a wanderer, the man without a home," a shiver ran down my back as I stared at her. That sounded very much like the Doctor, "The lonely God,"

"Fascinating," I murmured, staring at the Face of Boe. I pressed a hand to the glass, "I had a feeling you wanted to talk to me, my friend," I murmured, "I wouldn't have stayed behind if I hadn't," the eyes of the Face of Boe, "Hello again..." I smiled slightly, "Long time since Platform One, hasn't it been? Well especially for you, most likely. Little shorter for me naturally,"

"Mary-Anne Tyler," I smiled at him, "Indeed it has been far too long since you and I talked to each other. I rested my head on my palm, looking up at him, "The Doctor was here earlier with your sister," I nodded, "It's been a long time since I have seen them both, I did not think I ever would again. It has been such a very long time since...and I am growing older every single moment. It is getting heavier every second of the day,"

"You can't die yet," I said to him, placing a finger on the glass, "Not yet...it's not time to go for you," and I felt that it was true that it really wasn't his time to leave here, "You've still got so much to see...haven't you? It's not time to go yet..." I looked back behind me, "The Doctor will solve everything, and everything will be back to as it ought to have been...even with the trampoline,"

"Hmmm," the head moved slowly, "Yes, I can see that happening quite easily. Nothing is ever simple with the Doctor. A hospital filled with the potential of death, of course he would be able to survive against all the odds. He always survives, doesn't he?"

I bit my lip, not hiding my smile, "I sincerely hope so," I answered, "But I got the feeling that you wanted to talk to me about something specific," the eyes stared at me, and my smile dropped off my face, "Is it that bad, Boe?"

"The times that have left you were difficult," he said to me, "But the times that face you will be even harder," I felt very uneasy at that, "And you will find that some things are never quite as safe as they thought they would be. And the sacrifices that will come will be enough to test you and make you chose impossible options," now I didn't like those words, "This is the beginning of your life, Mary-Anne. I hope that you will be able to bear it,"

"I've already lost people," I replied shortly, thinking of Jack, "I'd rather not lose any more,"

"Sometimes...we don't get a choice in what happens," he answered and I sat back at that, thinking very hard about what he was saying, "All you can do is live everyday as it comes, and never forget that what rises must always come down...eventually," I nodded slightly, before standing up, looking around the ward, "We will meet again soon...and perhaps you will have realised that," I turned my head towards the Face of Boe, "I would only ask that you not tell the Doctor that...he doesn't like to know the endings. The fact that things are always changing,"

I sighed, "When you've been alive for that long, I suppose everything you see turns to dust so quickly," I mused, looking down at him, "They do say that time speeds up as you get older," the face only nodded slowly, "I bet you know a few things about that," I sighed, "Don't worry, I won't tell him," Boe smiled at me, and suddenly the doors opened in the ward, "That's my cue, I suppose," I smiled sadly, "Nice talking to you again," I walked over to the doors, seeing that men in police uniforms standing outside. I grinned wider at that, "Finally,"

"This is the NNYPD," the P.A. suddenly announced over the speakers, "Please step away from the shuttles. All staff will present themselves to the officers for immediate arrest," well that was a final result on the nurses behalf, "I repeat. Immediate arrest. All new lifeforms will be catalogued and taken into care. All visitors to the hospital will be required to make a statement to the NNYPD," I let the officers pass me by before running over to where the Doctor had just emerged from the lift and hugging him.

"You did it," I said to him and he grinned, "Are they all cured now?"

"Yep," he answered and we both grinned at each other, "Everything's cured, no more disease in this entire hospital, all vaccinated against as well...which probably means that they won't get any more disease...maybe," we all quieted down as an officer walked past us with Novice Hame in tow. I felt slightly sorry for her, she seemed so young, "The Face of Boe!" The Doctor sprinted over to the Face who was still there, looking wide awake, "You were meant to be dying," the Doctor informed him, "Change of mind?"

The Face of Boe chuckled, "There are better things to do today. Dying can wait," he answered the Timelord, "I had grown tired with the universe, Doctor, but you have taught me to look at it anew,"

"Oh I hate telepathy," I rolled my eyes as Cassandra made her dramatic statement, "Just what I need. A head full of big face," the Doctor shhhed her and she looked slightly taken aback by it, "Excuse me," she sniffed.

The Doctor crouched down in front of the glass, "There are legends, you know," he said, "Saying that you are millions of years old. Wouldn't that just be impossible," they both laughed at that, "I got the impression...that there was something you wanted to tell me," he approached it delicately.

"The Great Secret," the Face of Boe stated, and the Doctor nodded, "It can wait," the Doctor's nose wrinkled at that. He clearly didn't like not knowing. The Face of Boe's eyes slid to me for a second and I realised that he knew that he wasn't going to die here, that he wasn't going to tell the great secret, he wanted to tell me something, that which he had told me earlier, "We will meet again, Doctor, for the third time, for the last time, and then the truth shall be told. Until that day," he suddenly disappeared in a blur of sparkles, teleporting from sight.

"That was enigmatic," the Doctor nodded, "That was textbook enigmatic," he sighed as he straightened up, turning towards Cassandra, "And now for you," she stared at him, "You've lived long enough...leave that body and end it, Cassandra,"

She sighed, "But everything's happy, everything's fine!" She said, "Can't you just leave me?" He just looked at her and I folded my arms. She certainly wasn't living in Rose's body for all time. Cassandra sobbed a little, "I don't want to die!" She pleaded, "Help me!"

"I can't," the Doctor answered.

"Mistress!" We all turned to see Chip running towards us. Of all the people that survived, I had not expected for him to end up right in front of us, clear of disease, "I saved myself, mistress, for you,"

I looked at Cassandra, who seemed to be rather interested in what he had just said, "Hey," I stepped forward, "That's not fair, he's got a life of his own," she only winked at me, "Cassandra!" And with that she blew out the purple cloud going into Chip. I caught Rose as she fell, "Hey you," I said to her as she blinked wearily open, "Nice to have you back," she nodded tiredly, standing up straight.

"Oh sweet Lord," we all looked at Cassandra, who was admiring her hands "I'm a walking doodle,"

"You can't stay in there, Cassandra," the Doctor rounded on her, "I'm sorry, but that's not fair. I can take you to the city and they can build you a skin tank. And you can stand trial for what you've done,"

Cassandra didn't seem very bothered by this, "Well that would be rather dramatic," she said, "Possibly my finest hour and certainly my finest hat," she tipped the hat she was wearing on her head, "But we don't have much time. Poor little Chip, he's only a half life, and he's been through so much," she looked down at her chest, "His heart is racing so...He's failing. I don't think he's going to last," she suddenly collapsed, all three of us catching her, "I'm fine...I'm fine," she stared at us, "I'm dying..." She realised and pity moved slightly within me, "But that's fine,"

"I can take you to the city," the Doctor started.

She shook her head, "No you won't," she answered, "This planet is brand new, there's no place for Chip and me anymore. You were right Doctor...it's time to die," I looked back to where the Face of Boe had been. More people would die...had he known? "And that's good,"

The Doctor helped her up, "Come on, there's one last thing I can do," he said and we helped her from the room.


We didn't give a statement to the NNYPD, we slipped past them like shadows as we made our way back to the TARDIS which had been parked on that tiny little cliff overlooking the city. It was a silent walk back with no conversation between the four of us. Just before I went back into the blue box, I soaked the view of the city of New New York in once again. I got the feeling that it wasn't the last time I would be seeing it. Especially if we were going to be seeing the Face of Boe again. I doubt he would be moving from this planet any time soon.

The ride in the TARDIS was quiet as well, the TARDIS for once not rocketing around. Rose fussed around Cassandra, finding her a warm cloak. I wondered slightly where we were going, the Doctor looked very serious as he moved around the console. I was leaning against the railings, watching as the fob-watch ticked the seconds past, mainly thinking about what the Face of Boe had told me. That the times ahead of me were going to be difficult. I watched Rose carefully. More people would die that I knew. I sincerely hoped that wasn't going to be true, Jack's death had been enough for a lifetime.

The TARDIS finally gave a final jolted, and the Doctor quickly opened the doors. Outside was the exact scene that I had seen on the video player just before Cassandra had inhabited my body. Except obviously this was real people and real flowers and drinks. It was all rather odd. And of course right in the centre of the room, surrounded by a crowd of people was the Lady Cassandra who was young and beautiful. The opposite to the other Cassandra that stood behind us, "Thank you," she said to the Doctor.

"Just go and don't look back," he warned her and she nodded.

"Good luck," Rose added to her.

Cassandra made to walk over to her, "Hey Cassandra," I said to the woman who turned to look back at me, "I'm sorry," she seemed to get the message because she smiled and glided over to where the younger version of her was. None of us could hear exactly what was being said between the two Cassandras but I remembered what had been said in the basement of the hospital. How this night was the last time that Cassandra had ever been called beautiful. I guess that we had found out who exactly had told her that.

And suddenly the older one collapsed in the younger's arms, "Time to go," the Doctor said to us and we moved towards the door of the TARDIS. I looked back at the Doctor as he lingered at the door, watching the scene and I was reminded that the Doctor didn't like endings. And one had just enacted right in front of us. It must have made its mark on him. But he just walked into the TARDIS and started heading around the controls, charting our next course. I shivered slightly...it did not want to ever end up like Cassandra had.

Such a sad way to die.


"So it was a self fulfilling paradox," I said to the Doctor, late that night as he was fixing something under the grate, "The young Cassandra saw her older self tell her that she was beautiful for the last time, and saw herself die, and that made it so that she would always persevere to be as beautiful for as long as possible which led to her doing what she did on Platform One and New Earth, thereby leading to her telling her younger self that she was beautiful for the last time, kicking the cycle all off again,"

He looked up, "You're finally getting it then," he remarked and I threw a crisp at him that I was eating, "Oi," he brushed the crumbs off him, "Essentially you're correct, it's one big loop which never ends. Cassandra always has to be there to tell her younger self that she's beautiful otherwise it'll break the paradox. Boom,"

I nodded, eating another crisp, "Complicated things, aren't they?" I waved the bag around, "Just proves that time isn't one straight line, does it? It always loops around and goes back on us again. Awfully confusing," I crunched down on the food, "I wish it'd make up its mind some of the time," I thought about it, "Hang on, Rose held her baby self when we met our Dad, why did that go so terribly wrong? Cassandra did it just fine,"

"Well Cassandra wasn't exactly in her own body, was she?" he said and I made a noise of agreement, "And also we were in a bubble of temporal instability," I was just going to pretend I knew what he was talking about there, "And it was a paradox, it had to happen otherwise the end of reality...sort of," he looked over to me, "Understand?"

"Not a word," I replied, throwing him another crisp, "Which probably means that it's right," I shrugged, "I have to say it's been rather productive day in terms of an adventure," he raised an eyebrow, "Well...we saved an entire subspecies, uncovered a conspiracy by nun-cat-nurses, brought resolution to an old enemy, seen a bit of New Earth, and received a very interesting riddle from the Face of Boe who we know we will see rather soon. Other than the possession thing, it's been a rather good day. Even if I did miss most of it," I shrugged, scrunching up the empty packet of crisps, and opening my diary. The face of Cassandra stared back at me and I snapped it shut quickly.

"Yes...the Face of Boe," he looked at me, "What did he say to you when you talked to him?"

I looked at him slowly, "Not much, just caught up since the last time we both talked to each other," he narrowed his eyes, "Gave me some advice that he thought I needed," I waved it aside, covering the unease that I felt from what he had told me with blasé, "Nothing much. What's more interesting is this Great Secret that he's going to tell you the next time you'll see him," he nodded, "It's got to be something huge if he's been waiting millions of years until he tells you. Makes you wonder what it is, or what it entails,"

"Who knows?" he sighed, "But there's no point thinking about it at the moment. It's not going to come around by us just waiting here," he had a point in that, there was no point wasting time thinking about what could possibly happen, "Can you help me with this bit," I walked over to where he was, "Hold these bits up so I can weld them together," I did as he asked, "I was wondering...you said you saw everything...when you were trapped by Cassandra,"

"Yes," I cleared my throat, "Yeah, I was in here actually," I looked at the ceiling, "But only this room, the front door and the back were blocked by bricks. I could see what was happening through the screen. Made for very interesting entertainment," the Doctor was deliberately concentrating on the pieces of metal, "It's fine, you know," he looked at me, innocently, "What Cassandra did when she was in my body, it's all fine,"

"Really?" he asked, "Because I thought that you'd...be annoyed,"

"The way I see it, you thought that she was me, and I wasn't me," I stated bluntly, "So Doctor, it's fine," he opened his mouth, "Really," he closed his mouth, "I mean how many body stealing aliens are there in the universe anyway?"

"A lot," he replied and I hummed at that, "So it's all good?" I nodded finally, "Great," he focussed on the pieces of metal again, "Anyway I doubt that the next trip is going to involve anything quite so dangerous. A hospital filled with death can't be beaten by much I don't think,"

I looked at him, before rolling my eyes, "You know you say that and now it's going to happen," I informed him, "We've had nuns, I think I can wait a lifetime before we see any monks or anything else like that," he nodded quickly. I decided to change the subject, "So what are you doing here then?" I gestured to the two pieces of metal and he started babbling away, with me nodding at various times.

The Face of Boe had said that this was the start of my life, and I would do as he said by living it every single day at a time.


So tell me what you think, drop me a line or a smiley face (which always love). I have actually the next chapter all done so it should be quick getting it up.

Keep Smiling.

:)


Next Time

"The Tyler Sisters...ruining fashion in every era,"

"1879," he realised, before shrugging, "Same difference,"

Rose gripped my hand tightly, "The Head Monk said something about being taken to a beast," I looked at the terrified faces, "Any ideas about what that was all about or am I supposed to guess?"

A hissing noise echoed behind me and I closed my eyes as Rose gripped onto my hand incredibly tightly. That would be the beast then, wouldn't it? I turned slowly around to see a man sitting comfortably inside a cage staring at me almost curiously, "That's the beast," Rose whispered to me, sounding terrified.

"There's something in the walls," I said.

"Needed to show you something," he said and I raised an eyebrow, "It's good," he flung open the doors of the TARDIS, "Happy Birthday,"