The next morning Jackie sat on Mickey's couch, still covered in alien goo. She'd been too worried to really think about showering and Mickey was much the same, having only grabbed a towel to wipe his face with before picking up his house phone and settling into a recliner. Jackie wasn't sure how this had happened. First her daughter vanished for a year, coming back with some strange man and somehow the roles had been changed. Now Jackie was stuck being helpless while Rose had to find her own way out of the situation she'd found herself in. Jackie should've been there, keeping her safe and secure. Instead, she was useless.
And on top of that, all the waiting around had given her the time to truly reflect on everything that had happened since the morning previous. When she'd seen Rose and Phoenix again after an entire year, she'd been relieved and then angry and then hurt. And she did what she did best when she was worried about her daughter, she lashed out and looked for someone to blame. It had been Mickey while the girls were missing and then it had been the Doctor and Phoenix. Especially Phoenix since the girl had acted as though nothing was truly wrong with what had happened.
Rose had made it obvious that the brunette was lying, their stories not matching up correctly. And Jackie had immediately become suspicious as she'd been doing for the last year whenever she thought she might be closer to finding her daughter. She'd lashed out and struck where she'd known it would hurt. Of course she didn't actually believe that Phoenix would be capable of killing her own mother, but she'd wanted someone to be as angry and hurt as she had been and the brunette had been the easiest target for her anger. She'd just been throwing daggers and not thinking about what she was saying.
Now, she probably wouldn't see her daughter or Phoenix again and she would never be able to apologize to the girl who'd been her best friend's daughter. A tear leaked out at the thought and Jackie quickly wiped it away, turning to look out the window but not really seeing anything.
"They'll be alright," Mickey murmured, watching the older woman closely. "I don't like him, but the Doctor seems to be good with these kind of things. He'll get them out."
"Will he, though?" Jackie wondered, turning to look at him, her eyes red and her cheeks blotchy. "Cause he never even answered me. He can't keep them safe, not with a life like that." She paused to choke back a sob, Mickey slumping at the defeat in her voice. "I'm never gonna see my little girl again, am I? And Phoenix...she'll die thinking that I blame her for Miranda."
Mickey sighed as the older woman broke into sobs, her face falling into her hands. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he moved over to the couch, wrapping his arms about her. "Don't talk like that, Jackie, alright? Don't give up. They're smart and resourceful and they're gonna get out."
Jackie hoped that he was right, but she couldn't quite convince herself after the events of the last 24 hours. And she'd been the one to make that phone call, the reason that Rose had been taken to Downing Street. It was her fault that her daughter was in that situation.
Both of them tensed, looking down the hallway as the doorbell rang, all thoughts of the previous conversation forgotten as fear and worry took their place. Mickey motioned for Jackie to stay on the couch as he grabbed the bat that he'd left leaning against the couch.
"Mickey, don't!" Jackie protested quietly, grabbing his arm, eyes wide. "What if it's the Slickeen?"
"Just stay here and be quiet." He answered, gently pulling away and creeping down the hall, bat raised. Holding his breath, he leaned forward to peer through his peephole, his shoulders almost straining against the tension. When he saw who it was, he sighed and relaxed, swinging the door open. "What are you doing here? Thought you went home."
"I did, but then I saw the news. Is Jackie still here? She wasn't in her flat." Howard Smith asked, standing outside the door.
"Get in here," Mickey almost snapped, grabbing the man's arm and pulling him into his apartment, poking his head out to look left and right down the hall before shutting the door and rounding on Phoenix's father. "You shouldn't have come here. Did anyone follow you? Did you see anyone suspicious?"
Howard frowned, eyebrows raising. "No, Mickey. Can't say that I have. Are you alright? I know there's a lot going on, but as long as we stick together and keep calm, the UN will take care of it. Now, is Jackie here?"
"Howard?!" Jackie called, hurrying up to throw her arms about him in a tight hug. "Oh, I was so worried! There's aliens, Howard! Aliens!"
"Jackie, hush." Mickey tried to caution the woman. While he was pretty sure they could trust Howard, he didn't think it was a good idea to have that many people knowing what was going on so specifically. The more he knew and the longer he stayed, the more danger he'd be in. They should just send him home.
"There was one in the kitchen! It tried to kill me!" Jackie continued, ignoring Mickey.
Howard pulled away, holding the blonde at arms length and taking in her appearance, frowning at the goo. "Hey, hey, calm down, Jackie. What is that on you and what do you mean you were almost killed?"
Jackie forced herself to slow down, taking a deep breath before facing Howard. "The aliens...they were right here in the kitchen. And at my flat. They can look just like us! They have these...skin suit things."
Howard glanced at Mickey, his eyes questioning at Mickey's reluctant nod, he turned back to Jackie, his lips pressed into a thin line and his eyes concerned. "Alright, we're going to my flat. If there was one here, then they'll be able to find you again." He grabbed Jackie's hand and turned towards the door.
Mickey had to admit that was a fairly good point. And if they did show up again, then it probably wouldn't turn out so well. After all, he only had so much vinegar on hand. But he didn't exactly think Howard's was the best place to go either. "Hold up. We can't go to your place."
"Why not, Mickey?" Jackie demanded, turning to him. "He's right. They'll come back."
"Right, I agree. But we can't go to his. It's too close to yours." Mickey continued, nodding to himself as he thought. Then he realized the perfect place for them to go. "I know somewhere else we can go."
~9~
Harriet watched as Rose eyed the two on the couch, the Doctor lost in thought as he ran his fingers through Phoenix's hair, the girl having fallen asleep a good time ago. The blonde kept turning away to focus elsewhere, probably trying to distract herself, but her gaze kept returning to the pair. The girl was probably worried beyond belief, Harriet could relate.
There was nothing she could do, but wait and have faith that this Doctor would be able to save them all. And all the while, she knew she wasn't just entrusting her life to the alien, but her mother's and the entire world.
That had been her entire reason for being there that day. She was just trying to help her mother and everyone else at Cottage Hospitals. They'd had plans to have dinner together, after her appointment at Downing Street and then the aliens had happened. And now there she was, trapped in Downing Street with an alien and two teenagers, one of which probably needed medical attention. Harriet could tell that the Doctor seemed to be lumping all the responsibility onto his own shoulders, but she knew that the responsibility truly rested with her. After all, she was the only representative in the room, but she also knew that she wasn't prepared or informed well enough to deal with the crisis on her own and instead had to trust the Doctor.
Shaking those thoughts from her head, she watched as Rose shot another look towards the Doctor and Phoenix, the jealousy clear in her eyes. Deciding that she might be able to help distract the woman, she walked over, sitting beside the girl. "So, how long have you been traveling with him? The two of you? Not exactly an everyday opportunity."
"Just a few days, is all." Rose answered, glancing back over at the two. "I was working one night and he saved my life-our lives. Phoenix was there too. After that, well, things just went a bit fast. He offered to let us travel and so here we are."
"I take it, things like this are normal then?"
"Yeah," Rose answered, grinning a bit. "Like I said, being friends with him, you get used to this kind of stuff."
"Doesn't it scare you?" Harriet wondered, noticing the girl's nonchalance about the danger. "Living your life like that? One day, you might find yourself in a situation that you can't get out of. Like today, for example. Chances are, we probably won't get out of here."
"Sometimes, yeah. Especially at first." Rose conceded nodding and biting her lip. "But you've only just met him. He'll get us out. You can trust him."
"And you know that after just a few days?" Harriet wondered and Rose smiled.
"Yeah. I do. I trust him." She answered, glancing back over at the alien. "If I told you what he's already done for me, you wouldn't believe it."
Pondering on that, Harriet turned to watch the Doctor, frowning a little at Rose's words. The girl was young and Harriet knew that she was likely to be disappointed, but she wasn't one to break it to her. If it got her through the situation, then so be it. Perhaps she was right in her beliefs and Harriet was just getting old and buried underneath politics and hard lessons. But in her experience, life was never that kind or easy. It built you up, just so that it could knock you down.
She'd figured out how to make her mother's life easier and then life had thrown an alien spaceship into the Thames to mess everything up. And when everything was over and if she survived, she'd be left to start over.
~9~
Rose returned to watching the Doctor run his fingers through Phoenix's hair as Harriet drifted away to begin looking through the defense codes again. Jealousy swam through her again as she watched and anger soon mixed itself in. She knew that she wasn't justified in feeling that way, she didn't have a claim to the Doctor, but he'd given her a key. Not Phoenix. Didn't that mean something? She'd meant what she said to Mickey earlier, the Doctor was so much more than her boyfriend. Even though they'd only known each other for a few days, she knew that she could trust him with everything. And yet, he was spending so much of his attention on Phoenix.
The girl in question let out a soft whimper as she shifted in her sleep and Rose felt guilt flood to erase the other emotions away and she dropped her gaze to the table. No, she was being silly. He was only doing what he was because Phoenix was hurt. He was the only one with any qualifications or experience to help the brunette. And on top of it, he had to save the world. Of course he wasn't taking the time to dote on her.
But even her mother, who should have been paying attention to Rose, had mentioned Phoenix. They hadn't even seen the girl for years before the shop exploded. So why was her mother so focused on the brunette?
Probably, because of Howard, the blonde thought, her anger rising again. She probably thought that she should expend the effort because she was dating Phoenix's father. Soon, they might even make it all official and Phoenix truly would be her sister. Then what would Rose have?
Everyone liked Phoenix. Her mother, Mickey, the Doctor. If Phoenix became her sister-in-law, then she'd have nothing. She'd lose it all. Her dad would be replaced, her mother would've gotten a new daughter, and then Mickey would soon be turned against her.
She glanced back over to the brunette, determined not to let any of those things happen. She'd just have to work harder and hold on tighter to the things that mattered to her. And keep them further away from the brunette. Guilt broke her out of her thoughts again and she turned away from the girl. But there was still the whole thing with Miranda to think about. Then again, it had been six months ago.
Phoenix certainly seemed to be fine, laughing with the Doctor, cosying up to him. Rose turned a thoughtful gaze on the girl who'd been sleeping in the Doctor's lap for a few hours now. She knew how to play her cards right, she was a very talented liar, that's why Rose had always trusted her to talk them out of trouble when they were younger. Because she knew how people responded, she understood them and so she understood what to say and do to get what she wanted from them. What if that's what she was doing now?
Her mother had died, she was using it to her advantage, making everyone sympathetic to her. She'd almost had Rose doing it as well. But what if it was just a ploy to steal everything that mattered to her? Her father would take care of getting her a new mother, she had Mickey on a leash, a long one, but a leash nonetheless, and now she was trying for the Doctor because she knew that Rose was attracted to him.
That had to be it. Rose couldn't have been that oblivious and wrong for all those years, right? She just wasn't sure anymore. Could she risk dropping her guard if she were right? Could she risk closing the girl out of her life if she were wrong?
The ringing of her phone sounded through the room, breaking her from her thoughts and getting her out of her seat in a flash. She hurried over to take the call, even as she took note that the ringing had woken Phoenix. Good, now the Doctor wouldn't have to stay so focused on her now that things were starting up again.
"Is everything alright?" She demanded as soon as the call was open.
"We're fine." Jackie answered, surprising Rose as she'd expected Mickey. "Howard showed up and we went somewhere that the Slickeen don't know about."
"Right, yeah, Phoenix we went to your flat. Hope you don't mind." Mickey's voice cut in, sounding fainter as it came from off the speaker.
"It's fine." Phoenix answered from beside Rose. The Doctor had his arm around her and was helping her into a chair, his brow pinched in worry. The brunette tried to ignore that, already knowing that she was in bad shape and not really wanting to think about the consequences. She'd figure it out after they saved the world. Along with why her flat was still there after her being gone a whole year.
"Just stay safe and don't break my computers," Phoenix continued, tired as she pulled the Doctor's jacket tighter around her. "Mickey, there should be some help numbers on that website, try calling them." She paused, thinking about the fact that her dad was with them. "Does my dad know about what's going on?"
"Well, I couldn't not tell him, could I?" Jackie wondered, her tone impatient. On the way to Phoenix's flat, he'd made her explain everything to him. The Doctor, Rose's disappearance, Phoenix's leaving, everything. So she had. The past year, he'd been the only one she'd felt she could trust and she wasn't going to leave him in the dark.
Phoenix sighed, frowning. She'd meant to explain things to him, but she hadn't wanted it to be in the middle of an alien invasion. He had enough things to deal with lately, but apparently that was out of her hands now. Nothing she could do but deal with it. She leaned back into the chair the Doctor had settled her in, wincing as the motion pulled on her wound.
"You should continue to rest," the Doctor tried, watching his companion with worry. The patch wasn't doing much in the way of helping her anymore and he knew that it was only a matter of time now. Her fever hadn't dropped and if he couldn't get her to the TARDIS the poison would soon take over and that would be that.
"I can't," Phoenix responded, not even looking over as she focused on the phone. She knew he had a right to be worried. If she'd thought she was exhausted earlier then she was dead on her feet now. Her side was no longer a dull ache, but a burning flame that was slowly charcoaling her insides, moving took more energy than she cared to admit and her body was aching and protesting at every action. "There's more important things right now and not enough time to deal with it all. Something has to give somewhere."
"That doesn't mean you're any less important." The Doctor continued, hoping to get her to rest before she went critical. "We still need to make sure you're stable."
"But I am," Phoenix responded, raising an eyebrow at him. "I'm not more important than everyone on this planet. If I can help save them, then I'm going to, no matter the cost to me. And if we don't fix this, then I'm dead anyway, so..."
And with that, the brunette turned away from him to focus on the conversation with Mickey. She'd tried to be nonchalant about it, though just the thought of dying was terrifying. Not to mention, she was in pain and exhausted, but if the Slitheen succeeded then it wouldn't matter. It was what she was left with and she'd work with it.
The Doctor sighed, wanting to tell her that she was wrong, but instead moving away to lean against one of the metal shutters, his arms crossed. He knew that she had a point, but he also knew that she was in far worse shape then she'd been before she'd gone to sleep. If she died, it would be his fault. And that would be another life on his conscious. It would be her life. Just the thought had his hearts constricting. He couldn't kill anyone else, not again.
"Alright, Doctor. I'm not saying I trust you, but there must be something you can do." Jackie said, pulling the Doctor's attention to the phone and out of the dark direction his thoughts had gone.
"If we could ferment the port, we could make acetic acid." Harriet suggested, tapping the bottle of alcohol.
"Mickey, any luck?" Rose inquired, hoping that this whole mess would be concluded soon. Then she could focus on figuring out if Phoenix was sincere or just manipulating everyone.
"There's loads of emergency numbers, all on voicemail," Mickey responded, frustrated. Phoenix sighed, thinking about Torchwood. If only her timeline wasn't so messed up, she could just call Owen and see what they'd figured out on his end. Maybe even get his help. Then again, she'd have to tell him why she sounded so unwell and then he'd freak and just focus on her. Somehow, he always knew when she was trying to hide an injury from him.
"Voicemail dooms us all," Harriet muttered with a sigh.
"If we could just get out of here!" Rose exclaimed, the frustration and tension getting to her. She was just stuck here while her mother was out in the world being hunted and she couldn't do anything! Not to mention, she didn't know if she could trust Phoenix or if it was herself that she couldn't trust.
Phoenix glanced over at the blonde, wishing she could help with the stress. It wasn't a good feeling, being trapped, but they'd have to make do. So far, there was no way out that they could see, at least not without being ripped apart by the Slitheen that were most likely guarding every door. And she could testify that it wouldn't be a fun time for any of them.
"There's a way out," the Doctor murmured, causing everyone in the room to turn to him.
"What?" Rose asked, not sure if she'd heard him right.
He looked up, grim as he met the blonde's eyes and then Phoenix's. "There's always been a way out."
The Doctor had been thinking about it for a while now, the realization coming to him as he'd been soothing Phoenix to sleep. He hadn't said anything, because he'd hoped to figure something else out, but Phoenix was right. They were almost out of time and it was up to them to fix it.
Phoenix frowned, looking at him with question, her eyes narrowing in thought. Why hadn't he told them? What was the catch? What was so bad about his plan that he'd kept it from them?
Harriet looked on with wide eyes. They could've gotten out this entire time and he hadn't said anything? Why? What were his motives in all of this?
"Then why don't we use it?" Rose demanded, the stress causing her to snap.
The Doctor pushed away from the wall and moved to brace himself on the backs of two chairs, speaking to Jackie. "Because I can't guarantee your daughter will be safe. Her or Phoenix."
"If you do anything to so much as harm a hair on her head, then you had better hope you don't survive it," Howard growled out.
"Don't you dare!" Jackie immediately snapped back, her protective instincts rising up. "Whatever it is, don't you dare!"
"That's the thing. If I don't dare, everyone dies," the Doctor explained, his hearts aching at the thought of the choice he had to make. Still, at least he would be there with them. Till the end.
Rose moved forward to stand across from him, seeing his eyes on Phoenix. "Do it."
He turned to look at her, his eyes surprised. "You don't even know what it is. You'd just let me?"
"Yeah," Rose answered, happy that she'd drawn his attention to her. She knew he'd never actually do it, but if she was going to trust anyone to get her out of a tricky situation under pressure, then it was him.
Phoenix watched her friend carefully, not liking how calm Rose was being. Didn't she understand what was going on? He was talking about them all dying and Rose was being cool and cooperative? She'd have expected the blonde to be raging and terrified.
The Doctor stared at Rose, trying to gauge if she were being serious or if she truly realized what she was telling him to do. How could he possibly do this? How could he decide to kill them? His gaze darted to Phoenix who slowly turned to face him, her brows pinched in pain and worry. How could he kill her? The first person to show him true understanding after the war.
"What are you going to do?" Phoenix asked, trying to figure out what plan he may have come up with.
"Please, Doctor. Please." Jackie pleaded, not giving the Doctor a chance to answer. "She's my daughter. She's just a kid!"
"Do you think I don't know that?" The Doctor demanded softly, looking back to the phone. He'd dragged those two girls into his life, knowing exactly what he was bringing them into. He'd been running from it, ever since the war and denying it, but he knew the truth and now they needed to know as well. "Because this is my life, Jackie. It's not fun, it's not smart, it's just standing up and making a decision. Because nobody else will."
"Then what are you waiting for?" Rose demanded, wanting to see if he truly felt the same as her. Would he sacrifice everything for her? Or stay and die with her?
Phoenix watched the Doctor sadly for a moment before she glanced down at the table. She'd only known him a few days, but already she cared if he was in pain or blaming himself or just sad. And now, he felt like the weight of the entire world rested with him because no one else truly knew how to deal with things the way he did. And she was probably making it harder by not trusting him. She'd known that he couldn't promise safety to them when she'd first stepped into the TARDIS, she'd known that she wouldn't be able to turn back. She'd chosen to trust him then, now she had to do it again. If anything, she couldn't let him make the decision alone.
"Listen here, Doctor," Howard cut in, angry. "My daughter is also there and she's in YOUR care. I don't care if she's an adult now, you invited her to travel with you. YOU took that responsibility and I'll be damned if you don't own up to it. You are going to bring both those girls back home, safe and sound. Do you hear me? I won't lose my daughter!"
"Dad," Phoenix cut in gently, tears welling in her eyes as she heard the desperation in his voice. She'd promised just the night before that she wouldn't do this to him and here she was, causing him to worry about never seeing her again. "I'm sorry, I didn't want you to learn about all of this in this manner, but it is what it is. It was my choice to go with him. I knew what might happen and I did it anyway. It's not his fault and it's not his responsibility to take care of me. It's mine. I put myself here."
"I already lost your mother, Phoenix," Howard continued, his voice hard. "I won't lose you too. You can't ask that of me."
"I'm not," she told him, blinking back her tears. "I'm not asking. I've made my decision and I've made my choices. I took on the responsibility to help stop this and I am going to do everything in my power to do so." She closed her eyes, hating to put him in this position. "If we don't do this, whatever THIS is, everyone is dead. Including me. At least this way I know that you, Mickey, and Jackie are safe. That's what matters to me. Protecting everyone that I can, even if I can't protect myself." She turned to the Doctor, speaking softly, but firmly. "Do it."
"I could save the world, but lose the both of you," he murmured, glancing between the two girls. This was the same choice that he'd had to make with Gallifrey, the planet or the universe. A few people or the entire planet. And Phoenix was the first one to try to help or understand him after an entire month on his own and now he was going to kill her. And Rose was just as curious and reckless as he was, not to mention she had the compassion that he often lacked.
Rose shot a glare at Phoenix at the Doctor's admission, jealousy, hurt and guilt warring inside her. It should be her that he was saying that to, it should be her that he felt for. This was the one that truly mattered to her, figures it would be the one that Phoenix didn't let her have.
"Except it's not your decision, Doctor," Harriet cut in, knowing that it was time for her to do her job. She was the only representative of the planet there to make such a decision. "It's mine."
"And who the hell are you?!" Jackie demanded, angry and scared. She'd just gotten her daughter back and hadn't even had the chance to apologize to Phoenix yet. This couldn't happen.
"Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North," Harriet answered, standing straight even though she suddenly felt like a giant weight were pressing down on her. She was about to condemn herself, an alien, and two teenagers to die. "The only elected representative in this room, chosen by the people for the people. And on behalf of the people, I command you." She leveled her stare at the Doctor. "Do it."
Phoenix sent the woman a grateful nod, knowing that she could've just sat back and let the Doctor make the decision and take the guilt for it, but she'd stood fast and made the decision instead. Brave woman. The Doctor turned to Rose and Phoenix before grinning at them. Well, if it was the last thing they were ever going to do, at least they'd do it together. Pushing herself up, Phoenix leaned against the table as the Doctor reached over to grab the defense codes.
"How do we get out?" Rose wondered, climbing up onto the table.
"We don't." The Doctor responded, flipping the briefcase around and opening it. "We stay here."
Phoenix watched as the Doctor yanked out a folder, flipping through the pages. What he was looking for, she wasn't entirely sure. They'd already been through the codes.
"Use the buffalo password," the Doctor instructed Mickey, leaning over the comm device he'd hooked up. "It overrides everything."
"What are you doing?" They heard Jackie ask, exasperated and almost betrayed.
"Hacking into the Royal Navy," Mickey answered, the sound of keys being tapped in the background. "We're in. Here it is, uh, H.M.S. Taurean trafalga class submarine, ten miles off the coast of Pimoth."
"Right, we need to select a missile." The Doctor told him and Phoenix looked over at him, his plan making sense. They were going to bomb Downing Street, killing the Slitheen and themselves, locked in that room.
"We can't go nuclear," Mickey reminded, intent on his work. "We don't have the defense codes."
"We don't need it. All we need is an ordinary missile." The Doctor told him, trying not to think too much on what he was doing. "What's the first caption say?"
"Sub-harpoon UGM-84A," Mickey read off.
"That's the one!" The Doctor exclaimed, proud of Mickey's quick work, not that he'd ever admit it. "Select." The Doctor shot a look over at Phoenix, who was shivering and had gone pale. It wouldn't matter much longer, he thought, turning back to the phone as he suppressed his guilt. "Ready for this?"
"Yeah." Mickey answered tightly.
The Doctor pushed away from the table. "Mickey the idiot...the world is in your hands. Fire."
For a moment, Mickey just stared at the screen, fully understanding what the Doctor was asking of him. He was the one with the trigger, the one who was going to have to remember this for the rest of his life. He was about to kill Rose, the woman he'd cared about for his entire life, and Phoenix who'd helped him gain the confidence he needed to even ask Rose out or pursue his interests, and the Doctor, who even he had to admit had saved his life before. And some person, he'd never even met, but who was willing to give her life so that he'd have the chance to live.
Closing his eyes, he tensed to press the button, startling when someone's hand came down on his own, pressing the mouse button and firing the missile. He turned, seeing Howard standing there, his jaw set and his eyes pained as he stared at the screen.
"She wouldn't want you to have to deal with the guilt," Howard murmured softly in explanation as Jackie and Mickey stared. "Now you won't have to." He turned to Jackie. "I'm sorry, Jacks."
"Oh my god," Jackie whimpered, staring at him with wide eyes before turning away, a hand flying up to cover her mouth.
The Doctor stared down at the phone, having heard the entire conversation, though he didn't think the humans around him could've picked it up. He knew that this was the only way to save the Earth and that there was nothing else to be done, but he couldn't help but hate himself a little more. Something he hadn't thought possible after Gallifrey.
Rose watched the Doctor, waiting for him to jump up with his back up plan, telling them something about not sharing it because he hadn't thought of it yet, but he just stayed silent, his expression grim. He was going to save them, wasn't he? He had to have some plan.
"How solid are these?" Harriet asked, going over to one of the metal shutters. The Doctor glanced over and away, knowing that their natural instincts were beginning to kick in.
"Not solid enough." He answered, not meeting any of their gazes. "Built for short range attacks, nothing this big."
Getting scared by the Doctor's continued silence, Rose looked around the room, relief flooding her when she saw the cupboard. "Alright, now I'm making the decision. I'm not gonna die, we're gonna ride this one out."
Phoenix leaned forward as Rose hurried over to the cupboard, the sudden adrenaline racing through her veins helping dull the pain from her wound again. "Rose, that's...brilliant."
"It's like what they say about earthquakes," Rose explained as the Doctor and Harriet just stared in confusion. Phoenix shook her head at the two and painfully made her way over to the blonde to help her out. "You can survive them by standing under a doorframe. Now, this cupboards small so it's strong." She turned to look over at Harriet and the Doctor, shooting Phoenix a sincere smile as the girl started moving forward to help clear out the cupboard. "Come help me! Come on!"
Harriet hurried over as the Doctor stood by the table, shocked. Why hadn't he thought of that? He arguably had the largest brain in the room and yet Rose's small human brain had just come up with a brilliant plan that hadn't even occured to him.
Phoenix paused in her actions, leaning against the wall and holding her side as she gasped for air. Just carrying a small box had her spent. But she had to do something, if they didn't get the cupboard cleared in time, they would die. But she also got the feeling that she would just be in the way if she continued to try and assist Rose and Harriet, so frowning, she just continued to lean against the wall, out of their way.
"It's on radar." Mickey said, causing Phoenix to startle. She hadn't even realized that the line was still open. "Counter defense 556."
The Doctor hurried around the table, glancing at Phoenix as Rose and Harriet had her lean against the wall while they cleared the cupboard. "Stop them intercepting it."
"I'm doing it now," Mickey assured, his voice strained.
"Good boy."
"556 nuetralized." Mickey informed them, just as Rose and Harriet got the last of the stuff out of the cupboard.
The Doctor quickly disconnected Rose's phone from the speaker, hanging up on Mickey and moving over to Phoenix as Rose grabbed her jacket. She looked about ready to collapse as she pushed away from the wall. "You okay for a bit longer?"
"No choice, is there?" She questioned, turning to move into the cupboard, stumbling as a wave of nausea and dizziness enveloped her. If the Doctor hadn't been there to scoop her up, she would've fallen. "You're making a habit of this."
He just grinned as he carried her into the cupboard, setting her down gently before sliding in to sit under a low shelf, pulling the brunette back to sit beside him. Rose climbed in after, sitting beside Phoenix who was curled up in the corner as the Doctor handed her phone back to her. Harriet was next, sitting on the Doctor's otherside.
"Nice knowing you all," the woman said, grinning a bit sadly at them as the Doctor offered his hands up.
Terrified, Rose clasped Phoenix's hand in her own, still not sure of the girl's true intentions, but not caring at the moment either. Even if Phoenix was going to try to steal the Doctor away, she did still care. And they were likely about to die so in the end it wouldn't really matter. She'd rather die with the girl as a friend, then an unknown.
Phoenix turned her head into the Doctor's shoulder as she gripped his hand tightly. This could be it. She probably wasn't going to survive this. But at least she was surrounded by friends. Though, she'd broken her promise to Owen, she realized. She hadn't called him as she'd said she would.
There was a moment of silence before they were all being shook around, the explosion loud in their ears. Phoenix couldn't help letting out a scream as they were turned about, suddenly falling towards the ceiling. They were airborne for a second before they hit hard, all of them crashing around painfully.
Phoenix exhaled shakily as everything came to an abrupt halt, everyone's legs and arms tangled together and the world completely still. Or at least, Phoenix thought it was. Everything but her brain had stopped spinning.
"We're alive, right?" Phoenix asked, relaxing against the soft cushion she'd smashed into.
"Everyone alright?" the Doctor asked, his voice close to her ear and she turned to see that she'd landed on him. By design or accident she wasn't sure. What she was sure of was that she was going to have even more bruises and soreness later.
"Fine." Rose answered, grinning as she managed to stand up. "We did it!"
"No, we didn't." Phoenix countered, using the shelf that was now on the side to pull herself to a standing position. She beamed at Rose and pulled the blonde into a hug. "You did it! That was brilliant!"
Rose was so ecstatic that she didn't even pull away from the embrace as the Doctor and Harriet stood, the Doctor moving over to begin pushing on the door. As the metal fell over, light shining into their little hole, Phoenix pulled away from Rose, the two of them moving over to the opening with the others.
"Made in Britain." Harriet announced proudly, stepping out into the heaps of parts.
A guard quickly made his way over, his eyes wide in shock. "Oh my god. Are you alright?"
"Harriet Jones, MP, Flydale North." Harriet introduced herself as the Doctor, Phoenix and Rose made their way out. "I want you to contact the UN immediately, tell the ambassadors the crisis is over, they can step down." The Doctor grinned as the man just continued to stare at them as though they were ghosts. Harriet waved him away. "Go on! Tell the news!"
"Yes, ma'am." And with that, he was rushing away.
"Someone's got a hell of a job sorting this lot out," Harriet commented, turning to face the three travelers. Phoenix nodded, gasping a little as her side twinged. "Oh, lord! We haven't even got a Prime Minister."
"Maybe you should give it a go," the Doctor suggested, beaming. Nothing could bring his mood down right now. They'd just saved the world and were still breathing. He hadn't killed them all!
Phoenix tuned the others out as she slowly made her way the few feet to the clear road, holding a hand to her side as she leaned against one of the nearby cars. Her adrenaline was spent and she was ready to sleep for a decade, not to mention her side now felt like there were a thousand hot needles embedded in it, the pain spreading through her in pulses. Pulling her hand away, her good mood vanished when she realized that her fingers were covered in fresh blood. Her wound was trickling again, reopened from the crashing around.
"Doctor," she called, swallowing as nausea threatened to overwhelm her.
He was there in an instant, his good mood fading as worry took it's place. Right, he thought. Time to get her taken care of. He had his sonic out in a flash, scanning her and trying to hide his frown at the results. Her fever was far too high.
"Come on, then," He said, trying to figure out the fastest route to the TARDIS which was all the way at the Powell Estate. "Time to get you taken care of."
"I don't feel so good," Phoenix murmured, shivering and leaning against the Doctor. She was pretty sure that she would fall over otherwise as the world continued to spin and breathing became harder. She barely noticed as her legs collapsed and the Doctor gathered her in his arms, racing towards a car, Rose on his heels.
It was all she could do to continue pulling air into her lungs and keep her eyes open as the Doctor slid into the front seat of the car, not even taking her out of his lap as he started it up.
"D'you know how to drive this?" Rose wondered, slipping into the passenger seat and trying to distract herself from her worry over Phoenix. The girl was pale as a sheet, her eyes unfocused as she sat curled up in the Doctor's lap, her skin clammy with sweat.
The Doctor didn't respond as he jerked the car into motion, speeding towards the Powell Estate and not bothering with the man running after his car, shouting. He had to hurry. He could feel the heat coming from Pheonix's skin, even through his leather jacket. How could he have let this happen?! He'd known that this would be dangerous, he should've just done what would've been best for the girl. This was the third time she'd been hurt in his care. The first being when she'd nearly been smothered by the autons, the second being on Platform 1 with the lever and Cassandra, and then the Slitheen.
He shouldn't have let it get this bad, he thought. He should've taken the time to figure out where the TARDIS had whisked her away too. Instead, he'd just ignored it and trusted his ship, maybe he should have a talk with her. Turning the car, he couldn't help but feel the hope swell in his hearts when he saw the magnificent blue ship, shining brightly in the sun. The car came to a screeching halt and he was out in a flash, rushing the brunette into his ship and to the medbay, leaving a stunned and worried Rose Tyler in the passenger seat of the stolen car.