((Rule Number One: Part III))

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

The TARDIS landed smoothly under my hands, and I grinned when Dany simply nickered and sniffed curiously at a railing. I giggled. A horse in the TARDIS. Wonder if that's ever happened before. Clave had made himself at home in the Captain's Seat, looking relieved to be back in the police box. "I'll be right back, don't move," I told the TARDIS, reaching out to touch the central column. "Don't move," I pleaded.

"Never," the TARDIS replied firmly.

I grinned, gathering up Dany's reins as I passed him. "Clave," I called, "Stay here!" He responded with a hiss of annoyance but let his head flop down again. I clicked my tongue, opening the doors and leading him out. I inspected where we'd landed and beamed. Right by the pasture fence merely feet away from the house. I hurried to tie Dany to the fence, then darted for the house, stuffing my hands into my pockets.

The second I opened the door, there was a gun pointed at my face. "Just me, Jack," I said with wide eyes, throwing my hands up in surrender. He lowered it and I sighed in relief. "Look," I pointed out, jerking a thumb over my shoulder. "I've got Dany."

He peered around me, eyes widening. "You've got the TARDIS, too? Is the Doctor here?"

"I'll deck him for ya," Drevan offered weakly from where he'd joined them. He looked exhausted and half-starved, and I gasped.

"Drevan!" I whispered, eyes wide. "What happened to you?" I frowned, slapping my hand to my forehead. "Ignore that question, I know what happened...have you eaten already?" He nodded, leaning against the doorway. "Good. And no, the Doctor's not in there. I'm not really sure where he is. Got away from that Zygon, came across the TARDIS, and she instructed me on how to get us from there to here."

"The TARDIS speaks to you?" Jack demanded. I nodded. "Wow," he murmured, "That's amazing. Now, we get to figure out how to get rid of that Zygon...or find the Doctor and see if he can get rid of it."

"Not happening," I said sharply. "He'll take the TARDIS and leave." Even if the TARDIS made his life a living hell he'd still leave. "Come on, let me in. Let's see if we can figure out what to do with that guy. That Zygon will be coming back soon and we need to be ready for it."

"What's there to be ready for?" Drevan said bluntly, waving at the gun Jack held. "We've got that thing. He showed me how it worked, I think it should be sufficient for killing off an alien."

"There might be more," I pointed out.

Jack nodded his agreement. "She's got a point," he agreed. "I can call in a couple people I know from Torchwood, hear what they have to say about it. There might be a few people around who will be able to give us a hand." He pursed his lips unhappily. "I would prefer that we bring in the Doctor, though. It's always better for him to be with us in these kind of situations, Ali."

I bit my lip. He was right. The Doctor would figure out some kind of way to deal with this little problem we were having...but at the same time..."He'll show up, take care of the problem, and then leave me behind again," I mumured, "I don't want to be abandoned again, Jack." I glanced back at the TARDIS.

"So have Clave stay in the TARDIS. I think everyone's going to be a little bit afraid of getting past him," Drevan suggested. Jack nodded his agreement and I thought of the Clave that had killed the prince. Alright, they had another point.

"Fine," I mumbled, "Call the Doctor. But I'm going to take care of Dany. Here, use my phone. I have a different phone number now, so he's bound to answer." I pressed my phone into Jack's hand, shot Drevan a wary smile, then ducked outside again, heading over to my horse. He turned to nuzzle my palm in greeting and I smiled gently, kissing his cheek.

I untied his reins, hauling myself up onto his back. "Come on, boy," I murmured, "Let's jump you back in, hm?" Dany pranced and I giggled as I turned him around. Within no time, he was on the other side of the fence, rubbing his face against his leg after I'd removed the bridle and saddle. Heaving both onto the fence, I patted his neck, watching as he began to graze. Every now and then, my eyes flickered to the TARDIS.

Okay, so I'd been friends with the Doctor almost from the day we'd met. But not too much later, I'd learned of what was to happen. And maybe I'd felt just a little like I had to stay with him and travel around space and time for only that reason. Now I understood. I didn't want to leave him because I wanted to stay. Not for becoming the TARDIS (who the hell would want to stay for that reason) but because I wanted to.

Damn I'm an idiot.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I tilted my head back to look up at the sky...and promptly fell off of the fence I'd been sitting on. The breath left me in a whoosh and I grunted in surprise, trying to catch it again. Gasping, I lightly rubbed my chest and then my head, sitting up as Dany studied me curiously. "Ha ha," I said sarcastically, "Laugh all you want, Dany."

The Clydesdale whickered, then took a bite of the grass, ears pricked forward and short tail swishing.

I went to stand, then paused when I saw something I hadn't noticed before. In spray paint, written across the side of the house were two words. I frowned. I'd seen them before. I know I had, but where...

The last time we'd seen Jack, I remembered, there had been two words none of us had paid any attention to. But now that I thought back about them...

I stood quickly, hurrying around to inspect the lettering with a wince as I rubbed my chest. Finally having caught my breath, I let my fingers skim the letters. When I touched the paint, the TARDIS gaze a soft, warning hum in the back of my head. She didn't like the feeling of the paint, and I frowned when I realized she was sensing it through me. Not weird at all, right?

I stepped back, reading the words. "Huh," I muttered. Bad Wolf. Wonder what that means. I'd have to ask the TARDIS or Jack about it later. Must be important if it's appearing in more than one place. Stepping away, I turned and picked my way around the house, whistling softly for Tex, who was happily napping in the back yard. The Aussie darted over and shoved his nose against my palm. I ruffled his ears. "Come on, buddy, let's head inside and find out if the Doctor's shown his face yet."

"Any luck?" I called to Jack upon getting inside. I flopped down beside the dozing Drevan, letting Tex curl up beside me.

Jack, who was pacing, nodded. "He's coming." A smile crossed his face. "He's worried about you, you know. Asked if you were alright." A pause. "Then he asked if we'd seen the TARDIS. I told him you shows up with it."

I rolled my eyes, then closed them. "He's the one who left me behind in this mess. It's his own fault that we're dealing with something like this." I opened my eyes and peeked at Jack. "What do you think we're going to do about the Zygon? Kill it?"

"Depends on what the TARDIS sensors pull up. Killing it should be easy enough if there's only one, though I doubt the Doctor will be too happy about it. But if there's more, we could have some serious problems," Jack replied. He ran a hand through his hair, then glanced up when the doorbell rang. "Looks like the Doctor's here."

"Make sure you don't see a horse that isn't Dany," I told him as he went to answer it. "If there's a second horse, kill it. It's the Zygon."

"I know, I know," Jack said, waving off my concerns. He ducked around a corner. A second later, I heard the door open. When there wasn't the sound of his strange blaster going off, I grimaced nervously and tilted my head back, closing my eyes. Alright, so it began. The Doctor had actually showed up. Their quiet voices steadily grew louder as they approached, and finally, I was looking at the Doctor again.

It was kind of hard to tell if he'd run off and done something, but...you never knew with the Doctor. I gave a tight smile. "Hi," I greeted uncertainly, tensed.

His brown eyes locked with my own gray eyes. "I leave you for a day," he scolded, "A single day in this same area as the last time, and you get other life forms after you."

"Your fault," I pointed out, glaring at him. Was he seriously trying to joke with me after the last time I'd seen him? He wasn't getting out of this without at least one slap. "I warned you and you didn't listen."

He ignored that, instead turning to face Jack. "You said it was a Zygon?" Jack nodded. "Has it shown up again?"

"No," I answered for Jack, frowning. The Doctor simply nodded slowly, thoughtful. I narrowed my eyes when he turned back to Jack. "Honestly," I snapped, "If you're going to abandon people, you should at least pay attention them when you come back, you jerk!"

Seeming irritated, he replied sharply, "I have my reasons and you know them very well, Ali. Now is not the time to discuss them."

I huffed. For a normally smiley and cheerful guy, he could be a complete and total-

My thoughts were cut off when he whipped around and suddenly said firmly, "I need to run some scans, see if there's any Zygon ships around the Earth or even disguised on it."

"And you're telling me this because...?" I had to fight back a grin. The TARDIS wouldn't let him in without me there! Good old girl! I silently praised, then added an additional praising comment for Clave, who was also helping keep the Doctor from running off. The Doctor just stared at me and I let a grin light my face knowingly. "Alright, alright. I'll tell her to let you in. She's not very happy with you."

"What are you talking about?" Jack demanded, crossing his arms with a confused look.

"Ali speaks to the TARDIS," Drevan uttered tiredly, peeking at Jack appreciatively "She told us this, remember?" My gaze softened. It was good to have my flirty Drevan back and not that Zygon replacement that had been as distant as Mars.

Jack's jaw dropped. "You're kidding!" he cried.

I threw my hands in the air. "How do you think I can drive it?! You know this guy, he doesn't let anyone drive the TARDIS!" Amused with Jack, I turned away and stood, waving for the Doctor to follow me. "Come on. Let's get this over with." So I can figure out just how to get back on the TARDIS to go with you again...

I strode through the house fairly quickly, the Doctor only a few steps behind me. He was silent, his hands tucked into the pockets of his suit, and I silently wondered where he'd left his trench coat this time. He had a knack for accidentally losing it... I sighed softly. I hadn't realized I'd memorized so many things...why was I realizing all of this stuff now? We reached the TARDIS in no time and I rested my fingers against the police box.

"My Girl," the TARDIS purred in greeting. "Welcome back." The doors swung open without hesitation and I ducked in, waiting for the Doctor to join me before closing the doors. Clave was on my shoulders in a flash, nuzzling my cheek in greeting.

"You'd think she was your spaceship and not mine," the Doctor said softly before setting to work on running scans, twisting knobs and flipping switches.

I bit back my sarcastic comment of "she'll be me in the future", instead leaning against the control panel and watching intently as he worked. "It's a complicated bond," I said with a shrug. "When she's mad, she likes to send me nightmares. And nasty ones, too." The TARDIS hummed and I scowled at the laughter in my head. "Yeah, yeah, you think it's so funny," I huffed under my breath.

The Doctor chuckled quietly and I bit my lip at the awkwardness. Clearing my throat, I hesitated before murmuring, "I'm sorry about that phone call. There was no point to it, really." Guilt flashed through me. Yeah, he'd broken his promise, and yeah, he'd done it because he was worried about me, but...I felt bad. It was my own fault for breaking the unstated rule.

He paused, hand stopping over a lever. "No, no, don't apologize," he muttered back, pulling the lever. "I thought it would be best to leave you here. You wouldn't have to die. I can see that no matter what I do, though, you'll be in danger."

"I can't stay here, Doctor," I said softly, shoving a hand through my thick hair. Clave whined softly, anxious. "I have to go with you. Unless we want everything dying, we have no choice. If it makes you feel any better, I don't want to do it. I'd like to not have to." I gave a faint smile as the TARDIS gave a quiet moan. "She regrets her choice, too." I paused briefly, then added, "And I don't want to stay. I want to travel around with you. It's no fun sitting at home."

"We're going to look and see if there's a way to fix the TARDIS without needing you in the mix," the Doctor said suddenly, tone almost fierce. I blinked in surprise, then let a smile cross my face.

"So I'm going with you again?" I said hopefully. I mean, even if he said no, I was still going with him. The TARDIS would make sure of that, but it'd be much nicer if the Doctor was willing to let me stay, too.

He flashed me a grin, reaching out momentarily to ruffle my hair. "I doubt I'd be able to leave you behind even if I wanted to." I shot him a playful look as I fixed my hair, and Clave purred happily at the fact that I had no reason to be upset now. With a grin and a cry of "Ha!" he suddenly whirled around, running for the doors. "Only one of them! Allons-y, Ali!"

I'd never been so happy to hear those words.

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

Grimacing down at my once again bloody appearance, I proceeded to shoot a dark scowl at Jack. "You could have warned us that blaster of yours would blow it up into bits and chunks all over me and the living room!"

"You didn't have to shoot it, Jack," the Doctor added irritably. A frown of disapproval had appeared on his face.

"It was running at me," Jack protested. "What was I supposed to do? Let it kill me? And I didn't realize it was on that setting. That's for the big guys that don't want to be nice and are hard to kill." I felt Clave bury his face in my dirty hair at the nonchalance of his voice and sighed quietly, exchanging an unhappy look with the Doctor.

"Now I have to take another bath," I complained. At least this time I'd be on the TARDIS again, though.

"Another suit, ruined," the Doctor sighed, giving a saddened look as he studied his own appearance.

"Yet your hair is still perfect," I complained, reaching out to pointedly ruffle said hair. It continued to look amazing, seemingly unaffected by the mess around us, and it frustrated me to no end when he simply ran his fingers through it with a shrug. There had to be some kind of secret he kept hidden from me!

Drevan, who'd managed to get up to help us, simply dropped down onto the couch with an exhausted look. "At least the thing's not bothering us anymore. It's not fun being locked up in a pantry, let me tell you." Worried, I hurried over to check his head for a fever. He shot me a smile. "I'll be fine. Just need some sleep and food."

I grimaced, wanting to gag. "How can you think of food when we're covered in Zygon guts?" I muttered, shaking my head. Only Drevan. I patted his head, then glanced anxiously at the Doctor. "So what do we do now? The Zygon's gone, there's nothing else here...can we leave?"

Drevan huffed. "Are you seriously that eager to leave already? Didn't the guy just leave you here?"

I shrugged, gaze locked with the Doctor's. "We have important things to do, Drevan. I love you to death, but you wouldn't understand. And quite frankly, I don't think I want you to know." I kissed his forehead after wiping a bit of flesh off, wanting to vomit when I touched it, then pulled back.

The Doctor didn't say anything, just gave a grave look followed by a curt nod. Jack frowned. "Come on, Ali, what about that date you promised me?" he teased.

I fought back a smirk. "I'm sure Drevan would be more than willing to take you out, Jack." Drevan's eyes gleamed at the thought and Jack glanced at him, then shrugged and grinned. I shook my head at the two. They were psychotic weirdos. "You two clean up the living room first, though," I said warningly, "I don't want Mandy's nice walls stained with blood."

"They're my walls now," Drevan chided, "I'll clean them when I want to clean them!" I game him a look and he grimaced, throwing his hands up. "Uh, I mean we'll clean them right now!"

"Much better," I replied, turning to the Doctor. "Let's go then, Clave is still in the TARDIS and I need to get out of these clothes. Good thing I wasn't wearing my jacket again...too hot here for it anyway..." We headed out after I bid Drevan and Jack a final farewell and I had grabbed my bag. I realized, half way out the door with Tex hot on our heels, that this might be the last time I saw this place and these people and animals. That had me stopping, turning to look at the house.

"Ali?" the Doctor questioned with concern. I bit my lip, studying the building. Dany whickered at me from where he was in the pasture, a greeting...or possibly a goodbye? I wasn't sure.

"It's nothing," I murmured, forcing a smile onto my face. I blew a kiss to Dany, then turned back to him. I grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently to reassure him and get rid of the worry on his face. Hm...he truly felt bad and guilty. Good. At the same time, it was my own fault, so...he didn't need to feel that way. "Come on, let's go. I need to shower and then you can take me somewhere fun to make up for leaving me behind."

It was in the shower that I remembered that I had wanted to ask him about the two words I'd seen. Scrambling to get out, I cursed under my breath and nearly slipped when Clave appeared and startled me. He simply purred, a bundle gently carried in his mouth, and I took it after wrapping a towel around myself. It was my jacket. "Thanks, Clave," I said affectinately, patting the plating on his back. He purred and led the way out into my room, where I dressed quickly.

I hurried to get out into the control room and found the Doctor relaxed on the captain's seat, looking thoughtful, the usually neat tie he wore casually untied and hanging from around his neck. His head was thown back, resting back against the back of the seat, and I grinned at his sprawled position. Moving so that he knew I was there, especially when Clave suddenly hopped into his lap with a purr, I mused, "You look tired. Don't you ever sleep?"

The Doctor glanced up, smiling. "And waste my time?" He watched me as I dropped into the seat beside him. "Sometimes. Time Lords don't need as much sleep as you humans." This was said affectionately, but I rolled my eyes nonetheless and crossed my arms. Guilt practically radiated from him, and a quick flash of fury flashed through me. He'd left me behind!

"He was worried that you would die," the TARDIS murmured to me. I sighed, agreeing with her. "He does not fully comprehend what it means for you to become the TARDIS."

I contemplated that for a second, then said quietly, "Doctor-"

"Here," he interrupted, pushing something into my hands, sitting up and leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. I blinked, examining what it was.

It was a notebook. And not just any notebook, one with beautiful golden and TARDIS blue swirls weaving intricate Gallifreyan symbols together. It wasn't big, about half the size of a common college-ruled notebook. My eyes widened and I gently opened it, my fingers gently brushing against the pages. Each page was a lighter blue, each with an illustration of a Gallifreyan symbol or some other alien thing, including sonic screwdrivers I'd never seen before, the TARDIS, and a few different alien species. My jaw dropped. "Wow," I breathed, gently closing it. "This is...thanks."

He gave a hesitant smile. "Found it while you were cleaning up." Remind me later to ask him how the hell he got so clean so fast... "It's...an apology gift of some sorts." He reached out to lightly tap it. "Write whatever you want in it."

I let a broad smile cross my face and I reached out to touch his arm with a gentle look. "Thank you," I said honestly, "This means a lot." Determined to hurry up and get the serious portion of the conversation on so we could get out and do some more fun stuff, I questioned, "Have you ever heard of the words "Bad Wolf", Doctor?"

He went stock still, eyes snapping wide with absolute shock, and I frowned when he shot out of the seat, demanding, "Where did you hear those words, Ali? Did the TARDIS tell you them?"

"I've heard them in a few dreams before we met, now that I think about it," I admitted, "But no. I've seen them a couple times. When we helped out the Carfioliax the first time, and then before you showed up, someone'd spray painted them all over the side of the house."

The Doctor was silent, staring ahead of him with a contemplating look on his face. "Bad Wolf," he said slowly, "Is not a term to be taken lightly, Ali. When Rose traveled with me, in my previous appearance, she took all of space and time into her mind..."

My mind drifted back to my dream, where the TARDIS had explained everything.

"I once chose another girl. But the Doctor managed to change it."

"Rose Tyler," I realized.

"Yes, but she has moved on and I had to choose another. You were the one that suited the job best."

"That," the Doctor murmured, "That power that she held disintigrated the Daleks that nearly killed us. Brought Jack back so that he could never die. But it was burning her mind and so I took it before it could kill her, gave it back to the TARDIS. And then I regenerated. That is Bad Wolf."

I gave a nervous smile. "Rose was the original Successor," I said softly, "The TARDIS chose her before me. But you managed to save Rose and she had to pick out another Successor. You can't not have a TARDIS, so...she changed everything so that the universe and all others would collapse in on themselves and there'd be no life anywhere."

The Doctor looked surprised at this news. Then he narrowed his eyes, looking fairly unhappy. "You cannot be Bad Wolf though," he mused, "Bad Wolf means Rose...and bad news. The last time the words showed up, Rose came back and helped get rid of Daleks again. It was when I was forced to leave Donna."

I narrowed my eyes, silently questioning the TARDIS, Do you know anything?

"Everything. I am connected to Bad Wolf, though I don't control her. I cannot tell you what, but I can tell you win. Within the month, my Girl. Within the month, I will be gone and you will have taken my place."

My blood ran cold and my face paled. The Doctor questioned me curiously, concerned, but I shook him off, simply standing with the journal in my hands and Clave scrambling onto my shoulders. "That's not good at all," I murmured, then added quietly, "I'm going to go take a nap, that thing tuckered me out. Mind waking me up when you decide where we're going?"

He didn't look convinced. "Of course."

"Thanks," I told him, smiling.

And then I fled to my room, aware of the look he was giving me.

One month.

I had one month to live as I'd been living and as much as I wanted to help the Doctor and the universe, one month just didn't seem like enough. Then again, when you were running out of time, nothing ever was enough.

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

A/N: So the usual craziness ended and began at the same time. |D That notebook is something I'd like to own myself. . Hope you enjoyed and thanks for the reviews!

tooker86: Ah, well. May have made you wait a little longer than necessary. |D

Lorelei Tatsuye Marivaine: I'll agree with that line of thought. A lot of people would feel alone, though. :) So Ali isn't alone.

Maren the fangirl: lol XD The Doctor did end up getting sorta tricked into coming back. That's good, right?

BrainStormer: I'm glad you enjoy this fanfiction so much, it makes me seriously happy. XD

MaybeALittleBroken: Muhahaha! I'm just that awesome. XD Kermit will make his great appearance in chapter after next. :D

bored411: Martha's awesome (though I must say not a favorite of mine). Poor Milo indeed. XD She knew something was wrong but couldn't figure it out!