Rose stood next to the Doctor as the new Daleks rolled out of the Progenitor cabinet. They were a bit larger, newly styled, and, if it was possible, more frightening than the previous versions. Pure Daleks.

"ALL HAIL THE NEW DALEKS. ALL HAIL THE NEW DALEKS," one of the Ironsides exclaimed.

The White Dalek swung its eyestalk, training it on the Ironside.

"YES, YOU ARE INFERIOR," the white Dalek said. Its voice was deeper, devoid of emotion.

"YES."

"THEN PREPARE."

"WE ARE READY."

The blue Dalek swung around, pointing its laser at the old Daleks.

"CLEANSE THE UNCLEAN. TOTAL OBLITERATION. DISINTEGRATE."

The blue one fired on the first Ironside, disintegrating it. The Doctor' s hand shot out in front of her, protectively as he took a step back. She stepped back as well. The gold Dalek was next, disintegrating from another blast. The blue Dalek swung around to the last Ironside. Disintegrating that one as well.

The new Daleks killed the old ones because they weren't Dalek enough. These new ones were worse than any Daleks she'd ever faced. She caught the Doctor's shocked look and was pretty sure her face mirrored his.

"Blimey. What do you do to the ones who mess up?" the Doctor asked and she could hear the concern in his voice.

The white Dalek trained its eyestalk on him. It rolled forward.

"YOU ARE THE DOCTOR. YOU MUST BE EXTERMINATED."

The Doctor pulled out the Jammy Dodger, brandishing it like a weapon.

"Don't mess with me, sweetheart," he said, making her smile because it was something only the Doctor would say in this situation. He eyed the White Dalek. "So, just me then? Because those other three seemed pretty adamant about exterminating her."

Bring that back up. She glanced at him.

"WE ARE DALEKS. DALEKS DO NOT BELIEVE IN PROPHESIES. WE ARE THE PARADIGM OF A NEW DALEK RACE. SCIENTIST, STRATEGIST, DRONE, ETERNAL, AND THE SUPREME."

"Which would be you, I'm guessing. Well, you know, nice paint job. I'd be feeling pretty swishy if I looked like you. Pretty supreme. The Question is, what do we do now? Either you turn off your clever machine or I'll blow you and your new paradigm into eternity."

"AND YOURSELF AS WELL AS YOUR COMPANION."

"Occupational Hazard."

"SCAN REVEALS NOTHING. TARDIS SELF DESTRUCT DEVICE NON-EXISTENT."

Oh, this was bad. They knew he didn't have a weapon and now there was nothing to stop the Daleks from killing them. The Doctor took a bite of the Jammy Dodger and, even facing death, she couldn't help smiling.

"All right, it's a Jammy Dodger, but I was promised tea," the Doctor said.

An alarm sounded throughout the ship. Rose looked around, trying to locate the problem.

"ALERT. UNIDENTIFIED PROJECTILE APPROACHING," the blue Dalek said. The Doctor turned around, racing over to a monitor. Rose joined him. "CORRECTION, MULTIPLE PROJECTILES."

The Screen showed a red dot getting closer.

"WHAT HAVE THE HUMANS DONE?" the white Dalek demanded.

"I don't know," the Doctor said, surprised, but the good sort of surprised.

"EXPLAIN. EXPLAIN. EXPLAIN," the white Dalek said as it swung around to face them.

"Danny Boy to the Doctor. Danny Boy to the Doctor," a voice said inside the ship. Rose looked up and turned around with the Doctor. "Are you receiving me? Over."

Who was that? It sounded like…but it couldn't be. They didn't have the technology…and then she remembered Bracewell and all his ideas.

"Yes!" she shouted, giving the Doctor a smile he returned.

"Oh, ho! Winston, you beauty!" the Doctor exclaimed.

Reinforcements and just in time.

"Danny Boy to the Doctor. Com in. Over."

"Loud and clean, Danny Boy. Big dish, side of the ship. Blow it up. Over."

The white Dalek swung around, training its laser on him. The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand and they were running for the TARDIS.

"EXTERMINATE THE DOCTOR."

A laser struck near them, but they kept going. Down the short hall and into the TARDIS. The Doctor closed the door and they both leaned back for a moment. She looked at him, he was smiling, gazing back at her. She grinned. Just like old times.

Then he jumped up and raced over to the control panel. A moment later she could hear the soldiers, working at trying to blow up that dish only the Daleks' shields were keeping them from hitting the dish. One of the fighters went down, struck by the Daleks' weapons. Then another.

She glanced at the Doctor. His face had fallen and she knew he was taking the burden for their deaths, that's what he did. She took his hand. He gave her a sideways glance and his expression didn't change, but she felt him grip her hand a bit tighter.

"Danny boy to the Doctor. Only me left now. Anything you can do, sir? Over," one of the fighter's asked.

The Doctor picked up a communicator in the console.

"The Doctor to Danny Boy. The Doctor to Danny Boy. I can disrupt the Dalek shields, but not for long. Over."

"Good show, Doctor. Go to it. Over."

"Flip that lever over there," he said, as he began flipping levers and pushing buttons.

Rose raced over and flipped the lever he indicated. He began winding some sort of crank.

"I'm going in, wish me luck," Danny Boy said through the speakers.

She crossed her fingers, watching the monitor with the Doctor. The red dot drew closer and the merged with the larger one, which she knew was Danny Boy going in to destroy the dish under the ship.

"Yes!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Direct hit!"

And in the next moment he picked her up, spun her around, and set her back down. She laughed.

"You're mad," she said, smiling as she gazed into his eyes.

"Yep, mad man in a box, that's me," he replied, smiling as he held her gaze.

"Danny boy to the Doctor. I'm going in for another attack," Danny boy said.

The Doctor released her and picked up the communicator.

"The Doctor to Danny Boy. The Doctor to Danny Boy. Destroy this ship. Over."

"What about you two, Doctor?"

He glanced at Rose, giving her a smile.

"We'll be okay," he replied.

The white Dalek appeared on another the monitor.

"DOCTOR, CALL OFF YOUR ATTACK," the Dalek demanded.

"Ah ha. What?" the Doctor asked, crossing the room to stand in front of the monitor. "And let you scuttle off back to the future? No fear. This is the end for you. The final end."

"CALL OFF THE ATTACK, OR WE WILL DESTROY THE EARTH."

"I'm not stupid, mate. You've just played your last card."

"BRACEWELL IS A BOMB."

What? She crossed the room to stand next to the Doctor. A bomb? How could he be a bomb?

"You're bluffing. Deception's second nature to you. There isn't a sincere bone in your body. There isn't a bone in your body," the Doctor said, but she could tell he wasn't as sure as he was trying to sound.

"HIS POWER IS DERIVED FROM AN OBLIVION CONTINUUM. CALL OFF YOUR ATTACK, OR WE WILL DETONATE THE ANDRIOD."

His expression became a combination of fear and disbelief. Daleks didn't bluff, at least none of the ones she'd met. If they were telling the truth…Amy! She was back there with them, with Bracewell, with the bomb.

"Ah, no," he said, turning around and walking back to the console. "This is my best chance ever. The last of the Daleks." She crossed the room toward him. Was he really considering killing the Daleks over saving the Earth and everyone on it? Over saving Amy? "I can rid the Universe of you, once and for all."

"Doctor, you can't," she said, he glanced at her and then back to the small monitor on the console where the image of the white Dalek stared back at them.

"THEN DO IT. BUT WE WILL SHATTER THE PLANET BELOW. THE EARTH WILL DIE SCREAMING."

"Yeah, and if I let you go, you'll be stronger than ever. A new race of Daleks."

There were unshed tears in his eyes and she knew he was torn, but this shouldn't even be a choice. It'd never been a choice before. She put her hand on his shoulder.

"Doctor," she tried again.

"THEN CHOOSE, DOCTOR. DESTROY THE DALEKS OR SAVE THE EARTH. BEGIN COUNTDOWN OF THE OBLIVION CONTINUUM. CHOOSE, DOCTOR. CHOOSE. CHOOSE."

"Doctor, Amy's down there. Everyone's down there," she continued.

"And what about the Daleks? I can't just let them go! I can end them, right here, right now!" he snapped, rounding on her.

"Doctor, saving people has to come first. Not killing. Not revenge. That's not who you are," she insisted, catching his eye.

He stared into her eyes, searchingly for a few moments, then he sighed, and reached for the communicator.

"The Doctor to Danny Boy. The Doctor to Danny Boy. Withdraw."

"Say again, sir. Over."

"Withdraw. Return to Earth. Over and out."

"But sir."

"There's no time. You have to return to Earth now. Over."

He started up the Time Rotor and began racing around, flipping levers. She watched him. How long had he traveled on his own before he found her? Long enough to start changing. Well, she'd put an end to that.

The TARDIS materialized and the Doctor raced across the control room and out the door. She followed, closely, wondering what he was planning. He ran into the Map Room and punched Bracewell in the jaw, knocking the scientist down. Well, not entirely what she expected. Actually, not at all what she expected.

"Doctor!" Amy exclaimed.

"Oh, ow!" the Doctor yelled, shaking his hand. "Sorry, Professor, you're a bomb. An inconceivably massive Dalek bomb."

"What?" Bracewell asked in concern.

"There's an Oblivion Continuum inside you. A captured wormhole that provides perpetual power. Detonate that, and the Earth will bleed through," he reaching into his pocket and pulled out his sonic, "into another dimension. Now keep down."

The Doctor bent down, pulled the scientist's shirt open, popping some of the buttons off in the process, and then used his sonic on Bracewell's chest. The scientist's chest slid apart to reveal the metal android beneath. There was a circular device in his chest with five segments emanating a blue light. The first segment changed from blue to yellow, which told Rose that the Daleks had activated him.

"Well?" Amy asked.

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know," the Doctor said, lifting his sonic and looking at the readings. "Never seen one up close before."

"So what, they've wired him up to detonate?"

"Oh no, not wired him up. He is a bomb. Walking, talking, pow," he gestured with his hands miming and explosion, "exploding, the moment that flashes red."

There had to be some way to stop it. Something they could do. The Doctor was worried and that wasn't good. If he was worried then that meant he wasn't sure how to stop it.

"There's a blue wire or something you have to cut, isn't there?" Amy asked as the Doctor stood up. "There's always a blue wire. Or a red one."

He eyed her.

"You're not helping."

"Can't you use your sonic to deactivate it?" Rose asked.

She knew it was a long shot and something he'd probably already thought about, but she had no idea what else they could try.

"Possibly, only…" the Doctor trailed off with a look that told her whatever came after the only was why he hadn't tried it.

"Only what?"

"Only that might speed things up. He explodes and…well…you know the rest."

The Doctor tossed the sonic from one hand to the other, repeatedly, as he tried to work out how to stop Bracewell from exploding. He was more than worried.

"Okay, then, there has to be something we can do. Some way to stop it, deactivate it," Rose said.

"It's incredible. He talked to us about his memories. The Great War," Churchill said in disbelief.

"Someone else's stolen thoughts, implanted in a positronic brain. Tell me about it. Bracewell. Tell me about your life," the Doctor said, bending down next to the scientist.

"Doctor, I really don't think this is the time."

"Tell me, and prove you're human. Tell me everything."

Rose crouched down next to the Doctor, giving Bracewell a smile as she set her hand on his shoulder, hoping to make him feel more at ease about sharing his life with them.

"My family ran the Post Office. It's a little place just near the abbey," the yellow segment had turned red and another blue segment changed to yellow. "just by the ash trees. There used to be eight trees, but there was a storm."

The Doctor motioned for him to hurry things along.

"And your parents? Come on, tell me."

"Good people. Kind people. They died. Scarlet fever."

"What was that like? How did it feel? How did it make you feel, Edwin? Tell me. Tell me now."

"It hurt. It hurt, Doctor, it hurt so badly," she gripped his shoulder a bit tighter. He might be an android, but to him those memories were real. "It was like a wound. I thought it was worse than a wound." The second yellow segment changed to red and another blue turned yellow. There wasn't much time left, but still, making him remember all that was awful. "Like I'd been emptied out. There was nothing left."

"Good. Remember it now, Edwin. The ash trees by the Post Office and your mum and dad, and losing them, and men in the trenches you saw die. Remember it. Feel it. You feel it because you're human. You're not like them. You're not like the Daleks."

The third yellow segment changed to red.

"It hurts. It hurts, Doctor. It hurts so much."

Rose's eyes filled with tears. She knew the Doctor thought this would diffuse the bomb, but still, it wasn't right.

"Good. Good, good, brilliant. Embrace it." The fourth blue segment turned yellow. Only one left. "That means you're alive. They cannot explode that bomb because you're a human being. You are flesh and blood. They cannot explode that bomb. Believe it. You are Professor Edwin Bracewell, and you, my friend, are a human being."

The forth segment turned red. It wasn't working. The Doctor was drawing emotions out, but they weren't strong enough. The last segment changed to yellow. She glanced at the Doctor. He caught her gaze.

"It's not working. I can't stop it," he said.

Amy bent down on the other side of Bracewell.

"Hey, Paisley," Amy said, taking his hand. "Ever fancied someone you know you shouldn't?"

"What?" Bracewell asked, as if he had no idea what she was talking about.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" The last segment had been darkening, turning red, but it changed back to yellow. The girl was onto something. This might actually work. Amy glanced at the Doctor and Rose caught the look in her eyes. "But kind of a good hurt."

Normally, Rose wouldn't be too happy about that sort of look directed at the Doctor. Her Doctor, but Amy had known him since she was a little girl, much like Madame Du Pompadour and she couldn't help smiling.

"I really shouldn't talk about her," Bracewell said.

"Oh. There's a her," Amy replied, as if he was sharing a secret with her.

The yellow segment changed back to blue.

"What was her name?" Rose asked.

"Dorabella," Bracewell said, looking at Rose, but she could tell he was seeing someone else, remembering the woman he loved.

"Dorabella?" the Doctor laughed. Rose slapped his arm. "It's a lovely name. It's a beautiful name."

"What was she like, Edwin?" Amy asked.

"Oh, such a smile and her eyes," Bracewell described, turning back to Amy as another segment changed back to blue. "Her eyes were so blue. Almost violet, like the last touch of sunset on the edge of the world. Dorabella."

The rest of the segments changed one after the other, all of them becoming blue.

"Welcome to the human race," the Doctor said. Then he sat up, snapping his fingers and pointing at Churchill. "You're brilliant." He pointed at Bracewell. "You're brilliant." Then Rose. "You're-"

"Brilliant, yeah? Been told," she teased, giving him a smile.

He smiled in return, then turned to Amy. "And you, I…" He kissed Amy's forehead. "Now," he took Rose's hand and pulled her up with him. "Come on. Got to stop them. Stop the Daleks."

He raced to the door, pulling her with him.

"Wait, Doctor," Bracewell said, sitting up. "Wait, wait." The Doctor stopped, turning around. "It's too late. Gone." The Doctor walked back into the room, dropping her hand. "They've gone."

"No. No!" He yelled, pacing in a circle. "They can't! They can't have got away from me again."

"No, I can feel it," Bracewell said, straightening his glasses. "My mind is clear. The Daleks have gone."

She looked at the Doctor. Anger, fear, despair. They were all present. She knew how he felt, what he felt. The Daleks had taken everything from him, his oldest enemies, and now they were gone. They'd gotten away again.

"Doctor, it's all right," Rose said, taking his arm, but he turned on her.

"They survived. They always survive," he said and there was such despair in his voice that it tore at her heart.

"But you did it. You stopped the bomb," Amy said, but he didn't answer. "Doctor?"

Rose held his arm a bit tighter, worried over him.

"I had a choice," he said, still with the despair in his voice.

He turned to her and she could see it in his eyes.

"And you made the right one," Rose replied, trying to get him to see that he'd done the right thing.

"They knew I'd choose the Earth. The Daleks have won. They beat me. They've won."

They didn't beat him. They got away, but that was different.

"But, you saved the Earth," Amy said. "That's not too shabby, is it?"

He glanced at her and then Rose. Then his gaze fell on everyone else in the room and he straightened up, smiling.

"No," he agreed. "It's not too shabby."

"It's a brilliant achievement, my dear friend," Churchill said, pulling a cigar from his inside pocket. "Here, have a cigar."

The Doctor waved it off.

"No."

He glanced at Rose and then took her hand, giving her a smile. She grinned, most likely, like an idiot and in front of everyone, but she didn't care. He was the Doctor, she was Rose, they were together and nothing else mattered.

Standard Disclaimer.

Thank you to all my brilliant readers!

If you have time reviews are always welcome. :)