Disclaimer: Idon't own Doctor Who! I only write for fun and don't profit from my work – my payment is in the joy of reviews! Hee hee!
A/N Hello all! Glad you enjoyed the last Chapter! Time to play the plot out now…phew! There are still two chapters and an epilogue to go though so don't tune out just yet! Thanks and huge hugs to everyone who reviewed the last chapter…PLEASE keep reviewing everyone! They make me so happy and I really do value your comments.
The end of this chapter will probably come across as seriously cheesy and I did toss and turn over putting it in or not…but once it was there it just seemed right as something the Doctor might think given the circumstances of the moment…so don't beat me with a shovel! ; ) lol! Enjoy! Review!
11 – The Final goodbye
The TARDIS materialised just outside the sealed room on the top floor. The Doctor, Rose and Martha all stepped out quickly and were met by the familiar clicking of a host of Torchwood security arming their weapons.
"It's OK – it's only me – the Doctor." The weapons were lowered. "Now...listen closely." He explained his plan quickly to the security team and then turned to the steel doors, determination in his eyes.
"Everyone stay back." He said to the hall at large. "Rose, Martha – keep well out of the way until I've shut these doors again. I don't know what's gonna happen…" He looked at both women, and they nodded silently. "Okay…here we go then." Taking his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket the Doctor pointed it at the security door making it slide open just a little.
"It's the Doctor!" Caan screeched, as the Time Lord appeared from behind the door.
"Yep – it's me! Honestly…who did you think it was? The Tooth Fairy?!" The Doctor said poking his head around the door to look at Caan. He held up the Dimension Divider. "I think I've got something you want. Here, you can have your Time Lord technology." He slid the device across the room to the Daleks.
"I do not understand." Said Dalek Caan, rolling forward. "The Doctor does not give up."
"Well understand it now Caan. I'm tired. I'm tired of fighting you and your ridiculous hatred. You can do what you like – I'm going off in the TARDIS, and you can have the earth. Help yourself." He winked, then quickly shut the door and looked back at Rose and Martha. "They may be geniuses but they don't have one ounce of common sense…" He grinned, cheekily.
Rose was just showing Martha how to handle one of Torchwood's alien guns. She smiled up at him, reaching her hand out. The Doctor took it with his own, squeezing it tightly for a moment before realising her.
"Good luck, both of you. Be careful." He looked at his companions. "Okay everyone…" He spoke up, addressing the Torchwood staff, "we haven't got much time, so…On the count of three…" he said, sonic screwdriver ready to override the security doors on all levels. "One…two…THREE!"
The doors opened. Dalek Caan was dormant. His armour had shut down, just as the Doctor predicted. The Dalek soldier was going around in circles screeching: "I need orders…I need orders!"
"Orders?" The Doctor said, determination burning in his eyes. "How's this? OPEN FIRE!"
Suddenly the room was ablaze with gunfire. The lights were green, blue and red, shots firing from the various alien weaponry that Torchwood had in its possession, all concentrated on the Daleks.
"Exterminate! Exterminate!" The lone operational Dalek cried, using it's death ray to kill as many as he could, several men falling to the ground in agony, but the concentrated fire power was too strong and with one final screech the armour exploded spectacularly and the Dalek inside burnt.
Although Dalek Caan's armour had shut down, it was still much stronger than that of the soldier. He could not perform a temporal shift…he knew his end had come. Inside his armour he screeched as the weapon rays began to break through and burn his flesh. Just before his life ended his armour began to screech back to life and with communication restored he managed to croak to the remaining Daleks: "Abort! Abort! It's the Doctor! Abort!" Then he breathed no more.
The firing ceased at a signal from the Doctor. He walked forward, a grave expression on his face.
"Well that's it then…the last of the Cult of Skaro. Gone."
"What about the other Daleks?" Martha asked. "The ones on the ground level?"
"A very good question Martha Jones…" The Doctor turned to the leader of the security unit who radioed down.
"Doctor…the team downstairs went in and fired. One is dead…but the other – they said it disappeared. Sorry." He turned away to dismiss his men.
"Emergency temporal shift…" The Doctor gritted his teeth. "One always survives…always…"
"I'm sorry Doctor…" said Martha quietly.
"That's alright. Are you OK Martha?" he asked wearily, giving her a friendly hug.
"Yep – I'm fine." Martha grinned, hoping to extend the hug as she clung onto the Doctor tightly, but he was already pulling away. He frowned at her for a moment, confused, before shaking his head and looking around for the one face he wanted to see at that moment.
"Wait…" the Doctor stopped dead. She wasn't there. "Rose – where's Rose?!" His face became panicked all of a sudden as he scanned the smoky room, looking for her. "ROSE!" He yelled, his hearts racing.
"Over here! Can't get rid of me that easily!" Rose appeared from the smoke near the door, smiling widely.
Relief flooded the Doctors features as he ran to her and swept her off her feet in a spinning hug. He closed his eyes and just held her there for a moment losing himself in the sensation of her body so close to his, the feeling of her soft hair brushing against his cheek and her arms around him, one hand across his back and the other around the back of his neck. "Where were you?" He asked, pulling back to look at Rose, planting his hands firmly on her waist.
"I was getting crushed in the exiting ranks of Torchwood security…thought it was best to just get out of their way. I'm fine…don't worry so much." She grinned, looking into the Doctors eyes, relief flooding his features. "So we won then…"
He smiled at her, his whole face lighting up. "We always win…" Then he hugged her again and held onto her, both of them grinning like idiots. Rose hid her face in the crook of the Doctors neck, breathing in deeply and relishing the feeling of him holding her so close, his hands clutching at her tightly and his cheek resting against her hair. She was home.
Martha looked on. She felt a growing ache inside on seeing them together, but she realised that it was pointless to let her jealousy run unchecked. She would not let her feelings get the better of her…she couldn't. Not when Rose made the Doctor look so happy.
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"Right then!" said the Doctor, a few minutes later. "That's it then chaps – back to the TARDIS for a well deserved cuppa tea!", he was still grinning and holding Rose's hand.
"What's next?" Martha asked.
"Oh…I dunno yet." Said the Doctor. "I never do really, do I?" He chuckled.
"Doctor…" Rose said quietly. "I do need to talk to you…it's something that's quite important, and, urr…private." She glanced at Martha.
The Doctor looked taken aback for a moment, searching Rose's eyes. "OK then…Martha, why don't you go and put the kettle on in the TARDIS. Rose and I…we'll be there in a minute." He smiled.
"OK." Martha looked unsure, but she left them to it.
Rose sat down, her back against the TARDIS and patted the floor next to her for the Doctor to join her.
"So…what's up?" He asked, looking at her, concern in his eyes.
"Don't worry…" she smiled, "There's nothing horribly wrong with me or anything…it's just I thought you should know…"
"Know what?"
"You remember….you remember the Bad Wolf? The Vortex?" Rose asked, 'stupid question…'
"Umm…yeah…." He said slowly, not seeing where this was going.
"Well – afterwards it hadn't had any immediate effect on me. You did all those tests."
The Doctor nodded, still looking puzzled.
"But…about a year ago at Torchwood, parallel Torchwood, they found something…something that had changed my cells…." Rose began the whole complicated explanation and the Doctor listened intently.
When she finished, he looked shocked.
"So that means.." he began, waiting to see Rose's reaction.
"That means that I'm never gonna leave you…it means I am gonna stay with you, if you'll have me. Hey, I might not outlive you, but I'm not going to pop it in sixty years time either – unless I get blown up, or exterminated or summat."
Then, unable to hold it in any longer she burst out laughing. The Doctor broke into a huge grin and laughed too, his face lighting up. Rose just watched him for a minute, studying his features. She loved everything about his face…the smattering of freckles, the way his lips twitched slightly when he was trying not to laugh, the laughter lines around his eyes…and those eyes. She found his eyes amazing, because even though they were a different colour, and were placed in a different face…they were still the same eyes that he had when she first knew him, the eyes she had fallen in love with – they still looked at her the same way the piercing blue eyes of his last incarnation had, and still made her feel…fantastic.
The Doctor stood up suddenly and pulled Rose to her feet. He watched as she brushed herself off, getting rid of the bits of white debris that had stuck to her jacket. He smiled. Of all the endings he had imagined, he never thought, even in his wildest dreams, that this one would be possible.
"So…I'm really stuck with you now…" He tried to keep a straight face, but failed miserably when Rose threw her arms around him and they both laughed again. "Rose…I'm sorry for bringing this on you. " He whispered in her ear after a moment, his tone serious once again.
"Hey – it's not your fault. Don't ever think it's your fault!" Rose scolded him lightly. "And don't worry…I'm alright" she said, squeezing him tightly.
"I still don't quite understand how it happened…" he furrowed his brow, trying to work it out.
"Maybe we're not supposed to know." She said, softly and then brightened her tone. "Honestly…the lengths I go to, to make sure you're not on your own…there goes your 'Lonely god' title right now." She smiled again, pulling back to look at her Doctor properly, holding onto his upper arms tightly, and when he saw the look in her eyes he knew that she was genuinely happy, so he was happy too.
He opened the TARDIS door holding it for Rose. Just before following her inside, he looked back around at Torchwood one last time, his mind filled with memories of all those he had lost. Then he heard a voice in the back of his head…it was the Face of Boe, saying: 'You are not alone…' and he wasn't. Not anymore.