Chapter Twenty Six

Journal of Alan Timelord…

I know I haven't written in this in a long time. I haven't felt the need until tonight to use it again but I want to get my thoughts down about what I saw because it terrified me and I don't want anyone seeing this. So I'm in a secluded room of the TARDIS that I ordered her to seal off so Rose or anyone else can't come in here.

My precious sister, Rain, is alright now. She's resting comfortably but for a few terrifying hours everyone thought she was going to die and not just die but die permanently and my Brother nearly lost his sanity. I know that both of them have become close to one another but I had no idea how much Rain meant to the Doctor until he faced the possibility of her dying centuries before him. Not even losing Rose caused him to become as unhinged as he became tonight. The fact that she is safe now and out of danger has calmed him down. He's in the med bay with her sleeping next to her on the little bed with his arms holding her protectively and all of us wisely left him alone for the moment. I think he scared everyone with how distraught he was and I know he scared me.

My brother once abandoned me in Pete's World because he thought I was in danger of spinning out of control and hurting someone. But I always knew that he was just as dangerous as I was. He has worked through a lot of his demons since we've been together and I'm glad of that but ever since the Time War and the devastation of Gallifrey, he's had a very unhealthy tendency to rely too much on other people and make them his whole universe. He did it with Rose and now he's doing it with Rain. Don't get me wrong, I love Rose dearly and I couldn't imagine my life without her in it but I know that eventually we must separate, whether it be a few years or centuries from now. I know that she and I probably won't die together so one of us will be left alone for awhile. That will happen to the Doctor as well but I'm not so sure my brother would survive if Rain did go first. I know it's callous to think this, but I'm praying my brother goes first so he doesn't have to suffer not having Rain around.

I don't know everything that happened with them when Brother was disguised as Morana and they were alone together in their room. But I know that Te'lesu confided in him about her life, things that she's never told anyone else and it's caused my brother to become fiercely protective of her. We know there's been abuse in Rain's past and the loss of her mother but I've always suspected that she was abused far more than what she's told me or her daughter and sisters. But I think my brother knows exactly what went on and that's why he shows her love and affection every chance he gets. I love that he does that, that he's made her feel like she's a goddess and the most special woman in the entire universe and she deserved someone like him but there are times when this blind adoration has its consequences and we saw one of the consequences tonight.

But, getting back to the event that triggered all this. I was with Brother when we were exploring this planet called Lek 9. There was an amusement park there and we were walking around enjoying the rides, eating, drinking and laughing just like we usually do. My brother and sister went off by themselves at one point to get something to drink after riding one of the rides and…

"Should be something over here," the Doctor said as he walked hand in hand with Rain.

"I hope so; I'm thirsty after all that screaming. The rollercoasters here are more intense than they are on Earth."

"Well, that's why I brought you here. After that Expedition Everest one I figured we could try something a bit more challenging," the Doctor said.

They found a small booth and they read the menu that was written on a small board nailed to the side of it. Rain scratched her chin while she looked at the items listed.

"I don't know what any of these things are," she said. "I don't even know what's a drink and what's not."

"Well, the Tamara Squeeze is very good," the Doctor said. "It tastes a little like a Satsuma."

"That sounds good."

"Two of those then?"

"Yup."

He smiled and gave her hand a squeeze while they got in the queue. While they waited, Rain looked back at a carousel where the rest of the family was waiting. She noticed a man leaning against another booth nearby eyeing her with interest but she quickly ignored him and caught sight of Alan who was chasing Rose around in front of the carousel. Alan caught sight of her and made a big show of tapping his foot and jabbing his finger at his wristwatch while the rest of the women laughed. Rain laughed and looked up at her husband.

"You better hurry, Thete, your brother's impatient now."

"When is he ever not impatient?" the Doctor said to her.

He looked over at his brother who was still tapping his foot and pointing to his watch.

Oh for heaven's sake, Brother, go ahead and get on the Merry-go-round, the Doctor thought to him. Rain and I are gonna be sipping our Tamara Squeeze anyway. Quit badgering us!

Tamara Squeeze? You're getting a Tamara Squeeze now when there are so many brilliant rides left! He thought back. Omega's orifice, you two are wimps.

Rain laughed when the Doctor flipped him off and turned his attention back to the booth. Rain sighed and leaned against him, smiling when the Doctor sent love into her mind.

My hearts, he thought to her.

Rain smiled and closed her eyes when the Doctor briefly nuzzled her head and kissed it.

Oh God, Alan thought to them. Are you gonna start snogging now?

Rain laughed when the Doctor gave his brother a dirty look. She glanced up at him when he gave her an exasperated look and shook his head.

"You know, we should start snogging just to prove him right," the Doctor said as they moved up in the queue. "After all, he's expecting it right?"

"You wanna give the rest of these people a show then?" Rain said.

"Sod the rest of these people. I can do what I like when I like and as long as it doesn't break any decency laws, I will snog my wife in public, I will."

"Go ahead then, I dare ya."

The Doctor grinned.

"Dare me, eh? Hmm, I may have to take you up on that little challenge then," the Doctor said, waggling his eyebrows.

He gave his brother a pointed look and kissed her cheek.

I knew it, snogging time is comin', Alan thought to them. What's next, throwing her on the counter of that booth and shagging her senseless?

Maybe, if I feel the need for it, the Doctor thought back.

He grinned when the other women laughed at his shocked look.

You wouldn't, Alan thought back.

The grin widened and the Doctor waggled his eyebrows.

Well, if you get arrested, we don't know you, Alan thought back.

The Doctor shrugged and pulled Rain closer.

"Boy, all of a sudden getting a Tamara Squeeze has become quite interesting," Rain said while he chuckled.

Finally the people in front of them moved and the Doctor pulled his credit stick out while he ordered their Tamara Squeezes. Rain stood with him but suddenly she got a funny feeling and she looked back over her shoulder. She saw the man who had been leaning against the booth. He was staring at her with lust in his eyes. Raising her eyebrow, she let go of her husband's hand and flashed her wedding ring at him. The Doctor saw the gesture, looked where she was looking and glared at the man. He gave him a pointed look and flashed his wedding ring and the man snorted at them.

"Here are your drinks, sir," the vendor said.

Both of them turned back around. The Doctor gave one of the plastic cups to his wife and took the other. Ignoring the man, they walked away sipping their drinks.

That was a mistake on both their parts. The man fancied Te'lesu very much and he didn't care that Brother was married to her. He wanted her for his own. My poor brother, so confident in his own ability to protect the woman he loved had no clue that this man was about to cause them so much grief. We had been relatively fortunate since he joined our family. We'd only had the run-in with the Rani and even then it had been Brother and Jack who had borne the brunt of the abuse, not Rain. Not even the Valeyard had been much of a threat since Rain had merged with Imiko and was being protected by her. We had all kept ourselves safe on our travels so far and that had given the Doctor a false sense of security and led him to think that he was just some man who fancied his wife but nothing more would come of it. How very wrong he was. He also made a mistake thinking that the crowds at the amusement park would offer them protection because in a heartsbeat this man was behind them, seizing Rain and trying to pull her away from my brother. My brother was enraged, trying to fight him off and there were others nearby who were trying to come to Rain's aid but then the bastard pulled a blaster out of his coat and held it against Te'lesu's head. The anger instantly dissipated and the Doctor calmly tried to diffuse the situation lest he fire and she regenerated in front of everyone. While this was happening, I was slowly going around the crowd to get in back of the man so I could knock him out from behind. My sisters and niece were going the other way trying to prevent him from running off and getting Rain away from the maniac. I could see my brother's eyes darting from his wife to the man who seemed to be getting a sadistic pleasure out of his fear.

Then I saw it, he had a vortex manipulator on his wrist and he was about to kidnap my sister and take her away from her husband and family. I knew Brother had seen it too from the ashen look on his face and I knew I had to act swiftly to prevent them from leaving. Thus, in one hearts stopping moment, both Brother and I moved against him. He coming from the front and I coming from the back with the man and Rain in the middle. Somehow in the confusion he managed to activate the manipulator and all four of us disappeared in blinding flash of light.

After the manipulator delivered us to the location the man had preprogrammed, all of us were dazed and dizzy but the man quickly recovered as did the Doctor and I and my brother quickly grabbed his wife before he could and held her to him while they knelt on their knees. As quick as lightning, several bodyguards surrounded us, pointing blasters at our heads while we knelt there, completely at the man's mercy.

"Who are you, what do you want?" the Doctor said, holding Rain protectively.

"Who am I isn't important, what I want is her," he said, pointing to Rain.

Alan shifted towards his sister, glaring at the man along with the Doctor.

"I'm warning you, don't you dare harm her," Alan growled at him.

The man laughed.

"You really think you two little weaklings will be able to stop me. I want her and I'll have her even if I have to kill you both to get her."

It was then that I first saw real fear in my brother's eyes. I'm not sure what was the exact cause of the fear, after all, this wasn't the first time Te'lesu had been in danger and my brother knew full well what being married to him would entail as did she. Both of them had accepted the danger as a price to pay for being together, the same price I accepted to be with my Rose. I'm not sure since Brother hasn't told me his thoughts about what went on but I think the fear stemmed from the abuse Rain had suffered and my brother's tortured images of what this maniac might do to her, either in front of us or worse, alone in the privacy of a locked room. My poor sister must have had the same imaginings as him because she drew further into his arms. It was at that point that I felt my brother enact a privacy block and I don't know what he thought to her but I imagine he was comforting her, telling her he loved her and would die before he let this man do whatever his sick mind was thinking. I could see her relax a little so I guess whatever he said had comforted her but my brother's eyes didn't see that. His steely gaze was riveted on the man and his bodyguards and I could see that familiar look of daring them to do something to someone he loved. I glanced up at the man and the smug look on his face and I thought to myself how much of an insane blind idiot he had to be not to see how much danger he was in and how quickly my brother would go bonkers if he so much as touched his wife the wrong way.

It was then that I felt a hand on my leg and I saw my sister staring at me, calmly but her eyes held fear. I'm not sure if it was fear for herself or for us, but I drew closer to her and put my hand on her side while I smiled at her, that goofy smile that had always cheered her up before and my hearts warmed when a slight smile did spread over her face. I didn't feel anything except calm in her mind so I think she was comforted by our presence and figured that it would be enough to protect her from these men. I hoped for the same, but I held no illusions that my brother and I would be able to protect her every time. That there would be some times when she and my other sisters and niece would be in danger and we might not be there to shield them like we're trying to do now. My brother sat beside me, holding his wife against him, offering himself to this maniac just like he has done for his other companions over the centuries. I could sense my sister's pain in my mind at hearing that but she said nothing. As for my brother, I felt the simmering rage in his mind, a dormant volcano of anger that was threatening to explode any moment and turn him from the happy-go-lucky, smiling, laughing Doctor into the angry, dark, vengeful Oncoming Storm who would show no mercy to those who dared to harm the people who had become his whole life and reason for being. His family that he now was fully prepared to die for in order to ensure their safety, first among them his beloved wife who had become a part of him just as he had become a part of her. And I knew full well at that time that if that part was taken from him there would be complete devastation to his psyche. A loss that not even the loss of Rose could compare with. Brother knew it full well too which was why he was determined to keep his wife near him, no matter what the cost.

Then without warning, the bodyguards, apparently thinking that we had been awake and resisted for long enough, suddenly ran up and smacked the butts of their blasters down on mine and Brother's head. The last thing I remembered before the blackness took me was my sister's horrified scream.