Ok, so before you yell at me, let me just say that I am so so sorry this hasn't been updated in so long. Everything has been hectic and it takes a very long time to rewrite an entire episode, add in the beginning and the ending and all the twistiness within. I promise that the next one will be published within the next month. Hey, the first of September is this story's one year anniversary so thank you all for sticking around that long, especially the ones who have been chugging along from the beginning. I love you all!
Also, is anyone going to Sydney Oz Comic con this year? I'm going with a few friends and I was just curious if anyone else is. If you are, look out for a female Sherlock walking around with little red riding hood, a zombie apocalypse survivor, Castiel and Crowley.
Anyway, sorry for rambling as usual. I know this chapter isn't that great but I needed to get it done quickly after I realized how long it had been since I'd updated.
Warning: There may be feels since this is actually the episode when Jack dies.
Martha walked around the console room slowly. After exploring a few of the thousands of rooms the TARDIS had to offer, she was more than impressed with the ship. A bedroom had been made especially for her and she took that as a good sign. The ship was obviously not against the idea of her staying for a little while.
The Doctor and Rose soon entered the room and greeted her cheerfully. Rose waved a hand, gesturing to the toast in her hand and indicating that that was why she couldn't speak.
"So, Miss Jones," the Doctor began. "It was brought to my attention that you were only promised one trip. But after some consideration Rose and I have decided that the definition of one trip must be stretched to include a trip to the future and a trip to the past".
"Therefore," Rose continued, finishing off her piece of toast, "we are taking you to the future".
"A different planet maybe?" the Doctor asked.
"Can we go to yours?" Martha asked excitedly.
Both Rose and the Doctor temporarily froze. It felt like for a moment there was a big elephant in the room that no one wanted to notice.
"Nah," the Doctor shook it off, but Rose could hear the slight quaver in his voice. "There are plenty of other places".
"Oh come on!" Martha objected. "The planet of the Timelords, it's got to be worth a look! What's it like?"
"It's beautiful, yeah," the Doctor replied dismissively and Martha couldn't help but notice the almost pained look on Rose's face.
"With great big space cities and spires and stuff," Martha went on expressively, letting her imagination run wild.
"I suppose," the Doctor shrugged.
"Great big temples and cathedrals," Martha continued.
"Yeah," The Doctor nodded.
"Are there lots of planets in the sky?" she asked.
The Doctor paused. "The skies are burnt orange, with the citadel enclosed in a mighty glass dome, shining under the twin suns. Beyond that the mountains go on forever, slopes of deep red grass, capped with snow". He looked over at Rose to see her wiping a tear from her eye.
"Could we go there?" Martha asked.
The Doctor looked as if he were about to get emotional, but in his usual fashion he put up a wall and maintained his calm appearance.
"Nah, I don't want go home!" he frowned. "There's no fun for me if we go home!"
"What about you, Rose? Do you want to visit his planet?" Martha asked. "I mean, I'm sure you've been there loads of times, but don't you want to go again. It just sounds so amazing".
Rose looked up and made eye contact with the Doctor who swallowed. She smiled at Martha and shook her head. "It is beautiful, but as the Doctor said, it's his home and homes get boring. Besides, I always say that it's best not to argue with the designated driver".
The Doctor sent her an appreciative look and a rush of warm feelings through their bond. He could tell immediately when Rose received them and she gave him another small smile.
"Let's see where we can take you," the Doctor frowned thoughtfully.
"Why not New Earth?" Rose asked. "It was lovely before the trouble started".
"Brilliant!" the Doctor raced around the console.
Once they landed he ushered Martha out the door with his usual babble and pulled Rose in for a kiss and a "Thank you," before following her outside.
"The weather's a bit rubbish," Martha grumbled. "Certainly doesn't seem any different to home".
"Come on," the Doctor rushed down the street, pulling Rose with him.
"Over there," Rose pointed to a blank screen and the Doctor pulled out his sonic. A traffic report playing on the screen and Rose frowned.
"There's where we were last time!" the Doctor exclaimed, pointing to the picture of the beautiful, clean city they'd visited last time.
"So you've brought me to the slums?" Martha asked.
"Much more interesting down here!" the Doctor exclaimed. "It's all cocktails and glitter up there".
Rose shrugged. "And apple grass".
The Doctor nodded. "Yes and apple grass. This is the real city!"
"You'd enjoy anything?" Martha shook her head.
"That's us," the Doctor winked. "The rain's stopping, even better!"
"So when you say last time...you two have been here before?"
"Oh yeah," Rose grinned, "just the once. I must say that being possessed by a talking flap of skin did take the fun out of it a little, but this looks interesting," she glanced around the alley.
Suddenly all of the windows opened and several different vendors starting yelling to them all at once, desperate to have someone there to even consider buying their products.
"Drugs?" Martha asked.
"More like moods," Rose frowned.
"What's the difference?"
Rose shrugged. "Not much these days".
A young woman entered the street and walked up to one of the vendors. "What would you like?" the lady asked.
"Forget," the young woman replied.
"What strength?" the lady asked.
"My mother and father went on the motorway," the woman spoke gravely.
"Oh no, I'm sorry," the woman replied somewhat insincerely. "Here, trying this. Strength forty three for two credits".
The young woman paid and turned to leave before the Doctor stopped her. "Sorry, what happened to your parents?"
"They drove off," she replied.
"But they might drive back," Rose nodded to the patch in the woman's hand. "Do you really need that?"
"Everyone goes to the motorway in the end," she shook her head. "I've lost them".
"They can't be that far away though. I'm sure they'd be easy to find," the Doctor frowned.
The woman seemed not to have heard him and stuck the patch onto the skin of her neck. "No, don't!" Rose yelled and tried to stop her, but it was too late.
"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" the young woman asked politely.
"Your parents. Your mother and father, they're on the motorway," the Doctor replied.
"Are they?" the woman asked. "That's nice. I'm sorry, I won't keep you," she walked off into the fog, leaving them to stare after her.
Martha walked up beside the Doctor. "So this is the human race five billion years in the future? With their heads on chemicals".
A shriek sounded out from behind them and they both whipped around to see Rose being dragged off by two people with a gun. "We're sorry," they apologized. "We just need three!"
"That's my wife!" the Doctor glowered at them. "Don't you dare take her!"
"I'll be okay, Doctor," Rose nodded in the man's grip. She looked into his eyes as a flash of gold appeared in hers. The two people shut the door behind them and dragged her down the corridor and to their vehicle.
She tugged herself out of the man's grip and they frantically fumbled to re-capture her. Once back in the man's grip they put on of the patches on her neck.
"It's just sleep!" the woman shrieked. "It's alright, just don't fight it".
An idea came over Rose and she went limp in the man's arms. Of course the 'sleep' didn't actually work on her. It would have taken fifty of them for there to be any effect on her at all.
They laid her inside and she waited as they got into their seats and started the engine. In the distance she could hear the Doctor's scream as the vehicle flew away.
'I'm alright'. She channelled her feelings back to him.
'What did they do to you?!'
'I'm fine. They put this sleep patch on me'.
'Does it affect you?'
'Not in the slightest'. Rose grinned to herself as she felt the Doctor's relief wash over her.
'Can you get out?'
'Not at the moment. There's something go on here that isn't right, Doctor. These people think we're rich because we have clean clothes. Whatever happened to the apple grass and dazzling city?'
'I think you're right. We're going to find out what's happening here. But first, I'm going to get you back!'
Rose smiled and sent him some waves of warmth. She looked around the car to the two people in the front. She kind of felt bad for them. The way they were speaking about the surface, where the air smelt of apple grass and the houses were made of wood.
"Excuse me," she sat up. "Would you mind taking me back please?"
The two people whipped around to face her. "I'm so sorry," the woman shook her head.
"I know that's not a real gun, don't worry," Rose gestured to the gun. "Not even the right materials to be a gun".
The woman looked at her awkwardly. "I know. So, what's your name?"
"Rose, Rose Tyler," she nodded. "Or Rose Smith depending on whom you ask".
"I'm Cheen and this is Milo," the woman introduced them. "We are really sorry. We needed three people to enter the fast lane. I swear we'll drop you off when we get to where we're going and you can go back to your friends".
Rose nodded. "I hope for your own sake that you're telling the truth".
Cheen glanced at Milo and nodded. "Of course. I have an honesty patch," she drew back her hair to show her".
"So this is the motorway?" Rose asked.
"Yeah," Milo replied.
"So how long does it take to get to where you want to go?"
"Well once we get past a certain point there's no fast lane, just regular roads. Should only take about six years," Milo nodded.
"Oh," Rose frowned. "Six years?! Why does it take so long?!"
The Doctor and Martha made their way down another corridor. He hadn't spoken since the pharmacy town and she was beginning to think he wouldn't speak until he found Rose again. It was like he was unable to let go of her, like they were physically joined by a bond. For all she knew that was probably the case. She wondered if something had happened in the past to make them so inseparable or if it was simply because they loved each other so much.
"Where do you think they've taken her?" Martha asked as he soniced the last door.
"You might want to hold your breath," the Doctor warned as they stepped out onto the motorway. They both immediately began coughing and spluttering.
"What are you daft?" a man yelled from the doorway of one of the cars. "Either get out or get in, come on!"
They dashed towards the car and immediately gasped in the fresh air.
"You were just standing there," the man shook his head. "Just breathing it all in!"
Martha caught sight of the man's face and she nearly fell backwards. The Doctor held onto her arm and shot her a look that told her not to question why the man looked like a cat.
"We're moving," the man's wife tapped him frantically on the arm.
They jolted forwards several metres and came to a halt once more. "Twenty yards," the man stated. "We're having a good day. So what are your names then?"
"Sorry," the Doctor took off his oxygen mask. "I'm the Doctor and this is Martha Jones".
"A medical man!" the cat-man exclaimed in delight. "My name is Thomas Kincade Brannigan, and this is the bane of my life, the lovely Valerie".
"Nice to meet you both," Valerie gave a small wave.
"And that's the rest of the family behind you," Thomas continued.
The Doctor pulled back the curtain and smiled at the kittens. "Ah, that's nice, hello," he picked one up. "How old are they?"
"Just two months," Valerie smiled fondly at her child.
"Poor little souls. Never known the ground beneath their paws," Thomas added. "Children of the motorway".
"They were born in here?" Martha asked.
"We couldn't stop," Valerie shrugged. "We heard there were jobs going out in the laundries on Fire Island. We thought we'd take a chance".
"So you've been driving for two months?" the Doctor exclaimed in disbelief.
Thomas chuckled. "Do I look like a teenager? No, we've been driving for twelve years now".
"I'm sorry?" the Doctor frowned.
"Yeah! We started out as newlyweds. It feels like only yesterday we began our journey".
"It feels like twelve years to me," Valerie sighed.
"Oh sweetheart, but you're still lovely!" Thomas giggled and tickled her.
"How far have you come in that time?" Martha asked.
"From Battery park, five miles back," Thomas stated proudly.
"You've travelled five miles in twelve years?!"
"I think they're a bit slow," Thomas nodded to the Doctor.
"Where are you from?" Valerie asked.
"Never mind that," the Doctor shook his head. "We've got to leave. My wife is in one of these cars. We have to get back to the TARDIS".
"You're too late; we've passed the layby!" Thomas called before he could open the door. "You're a passenger now, sonny-Jim".
"When's the next layby?" Martha asked impatiently.
"Oooo," Thomas tilted his head thoughtfully. "Six months?"
The Doctor just shook his head. "I can't wait six months".
"How many cars are out there?" Rose asked.
"No one knows," Cheen offered her a small package with biscuits it in. "You hungry?"
"Thanks," Rose took a biscuit and nibbled it.
"So how far down to we have to go to reach the fast lane?" Rose enquired.
"Right at the bottom beneath the traffic jam," Milo responded. "Not many people can afford three passengers so it's empty down there. You can reach speeds of up to thirty miles per hour, so they say".
"Thirty wow. I guess that's pretty fast," Rose nodded. "So how do you go for room in here? You don't get cramped?"
"Oh, we stocked up," Cheen replied. "We've got self-replicating fuel, muscle stimulants for exercise and there's a chemical toilet at the back. All waste products are recycled as food".
Rose looked down at the biscuit in her hand and swallowed loudly. "Well it's not so bad," she shrugged and took another bite.
"Oh look another opening!" Milo exclaimed excitedly. "Car four six five diamond six, descending. Thank you very much!"
"I tell to talk to the police, please" the Doctor spoke into the radio.
A computerised voice answered. "Thank you for your call; you have been placed on hold".
"Is there anyone else?" the Doctor clambered back into the front. "I once met the Duke of Manhattan, is there any way of getting through to him?"
"Oh, now aint you lordly," Thomas replied snippily.
"Well as a matter of fact"-
"Doctor!" Martha stopped him.
"Please. I need to find her. She's the most precious thing I have in the universe, she's all I've got left," he begged.
"You can't make outside calls. The motorway's completely enclosed. I'm sorry," Valerie gave him a sympathetic smile.
"What about the other cars? Can you contact them?"
"Yes, well with some of them anyway. They have to be on your friends list though," Thomas replied. "Now let's see. Ah, the Cassini sisters".
"Who?" Martha asked and Valerie shushed her.
"Still your hearts my handsome girls. It's Brannigan here".
"Get off the line Brannigan, you're a pest and a menace," a woman's voice replied and Martha grinned.
She turned around and tuned out to the rest of the conversation. Rose would be fine, she was sure of it. Yes, the Doctor was frantic to find her, but with her power Rose could fight off anyone who threatened her. Actually, that made Martha wonder why Rose didn't fight back harder before. Did she just not like using her power? Or did she know that her kidnapping might lead to the discovery of something much bigger?
"Another ten layers to go and then we're in the fast lane," Milo pointed to their position on the screen.
"But what's that noise?" Rose asked as a distant growling sound seemed to get louder.
"The sound of the air vents," Milo replied dismissively.
"Or it's the sound of the creature that lives down there," Cheen grinned excitedly. "Apparently cars go missing down there, never to be seen again. They say that something lives down there and it's hungry".
"Air vents," Milo nodded.
"But look," Rose pointed out the front window. "It doesn't look like there're any air vents working, does it?"
"No," Cheen shook her head, the smile vanishing from her face.
Milo staying silent for a few moments. "Nah, kid's stuff," he shook his head and picked up his radio once more.
"We've got to go to the fast lane," the Doctor nodded defiantly.
"Not in a million years," Brannigan shook his head.
"We've got more than enough passengers," the Doctor gestured between them.
"I'm still not going," Brannigan refused.
"Please," the Doctor implored him, "that's my wife down there. If our positions were swapped, wouldn't you want me to go down? To help you find Valerie?"
"But do you have children?" Valerie spoke up. "We can't take you down. I will not risk my children for anything".
That seemed to hit something deep inside the Doctor and his face changed. It was a calm façade Martha was fast getting used to, and if she thought about it, he had had the same expression on his face when she'd been begging to go to his planet.
She lifted her head as silence fell and the sound of thousands of voices began to sing. They sang an old hymn and the harmony was absolutely beautiful. These people that were trapped on a possibly never-ending road still had hope. Tears fell from her eyes as the hymn ended.
She looked at the Doctor to see the same stony mask still in place. Was it really not affecting him at all? Why did he harden himself like that? Was it because he didn't want to feel anything or because he had seen too much in his life for something like that to affect him? What in the universe could make someone so cold? She didn't know, but she was going to find out, even if she had to bombard Rose with questions later.
*Fast lane access, granted*
"We did it," Milo shook his head in disbelief. "The fast lane".
Rose smiled at the couple as the car descended further. No matter how long it took to get back to the Doctor, she knew that she had helped these people. If they hadn't have taken her then they'd be stuck above like everybody else.
"If you won't take me down then I'll have to find my own way," the Doctor turned to Martha. "Martha, you stay here and mind this," he shrugged off his coat and thrust it at her. "It's too dangerous for you to come with me so you'll just have to trust that I'll come back, alright?"
Martha nodded. "Just find her, don't worry about me".
"What are you doing?" Brannigan asked as the Doctor squatted down to unlock the hatch on the floor.
"I'm finding my own way down. I usually do," he tucked away his sonic and braced himself on the edge of the hole. "Here we go".
"You can't jump!" Valerie exclaimed.
"I'll be fine," the Doctor shook his head.
"This woman must mean an awful lot to you," said Brannigan.
The Doctor looked up and he had a different look in his eyes. A passion was present there that had been absent previously. "More than anything. She means everything to me and I left her alone. We've only been married a few days and I've already lost her," he shook his head and the other two gasped. "Bye then".
He lowered himself through the hole and jumped down onto the roof below. "I'll come back for you, Martha," he yelled back up towards them.
"He's completely insane!" Valerie exclaimed.
"That and a bit magnificent!" Brannigan laughed.
Martha laughed and pulled the hatch shut. It wouldn't take long for the Doctor to find Rose. They'd be gone from the planet by the next day.
The Doctor jumped down into the next car and coughed the gas from his lungs.
"Who the hell are you?" the man driving asked. This room was entirely white, his clothes were white and even he was pale white.
"Sorry, motorway foot patrol. Just here to do a quick survey. How do you like the motorway?"
He barely listened to the man's reply as he soniced the bottom hatch. "Thank you, your comment has been noted. Have a nice day!"
The next several cars down contained equally interesting characters, including a couple of nudists.
"All the tunnels are closed!" Cheen exclaimed. "Now what do we do?!"
"We do the whole loop again. By the time we come back round, they'll be open," Milo nodded calmly.
The noise they had heard earlier intensified and the banging became even more random. "Air vents?" Rose asked sarcastically.
"What else would it be?" Milo shook his head.
The noises changed and turned from random banging to the sound of a monster shrieking. The car shook slightly and Cheen began to panic.
"Shhhh," Rose clamped a hand over her mouth. "Listen".
As the sound grew louder the radio crackled into life and Milo answered it. The woman on the other end sounded like she and her passengers were in big trouble. Something was definitely 'living' down in the fast lane, and when screams replaced the woman's voice, Rose knew just what sort of creature they were dealing with. The bad kind.
The Doctor coughed and spluttered as the last hatch shut behind him.
"Who are you?" a man in a nice hat asked.
The Doctor waved a hand at him. "Motor foot patrol. Have you got any water?"
"Of course," the man poured him a small cone of water. "Never let it be said that I've lost my manners".
"Thank you," the Doctor sculled the drink down. "Is this the last layer before the fast lane?"
"Yes".
"Can we drive down?"
"I'm sorry. I'd love to, I really would, but you need three people and the wheel would seize up if I tried," the man replied gravely.
"Then excuse me," the Doctor rushed over to the hatch on opened it.
"You can't jump. It's a thousand feet fall, you'd never survive".
"I'm just looking," he frowned and tried to peer through the smoke. "What's that noise?"
"I try to ignore it," the man nodded to himself.
"I just need to see," the Doctor raced over to the control panel. "Maybe if I can access the ventilation systems...There we go".
The man followed him back over to the hatch in the floor and they both watched down below as the air cleared.
"What are those shapes?" the man asked. "They look...alive".
The Doctor stared down into the sea of creatures below and spat out their name in disgust. "Macra".
Something crashed into the side of the car and both Cheen and Milo panicked. "Go faster!" Cheen yelled.
"I'm trying!" Milo yelled back.
Rose didn't say a word as she hung onto the backs of their chairs. She was trying to work out what sort of creatures could possibly live down there and whether or not she had seen them before. If she had seen them before then she might be able to figure out a way to stop them without killing them. The fog was very thick where they were so there was no possible way that those creatures could see them. An idea struck her and she used her power to kill the engines.
Both Cheen's and Milo's faces froze in terror. "Listen," Rose held up a hand before either could speak or cry out, "they've stopped".
Cheen turned to Rose. "What did you do? I know it wasn't Milo so what did you do?"
"What did I do?" Rose asked incredulously. "I saved your lives. It's what you did that was stupid".
"And what was that?" Milo asked after several moments of silence.
Rose smirked. "You didn't check if your third passenger was even human".
"What?!" Cheen exclaimed.
"Hey," Milo covered her mouth with his hand. "Keep your voice down".
"Didn't you hear what she just said?"
"So? Lots of people aren't human these days. What of it?"
"But how many of them do you know that can do things like that?" Cheen hissed at him.
"Come on," Rose frowned. "All I did was turn of the engines. I can do a lot more than that".
"Could you give us more oxygen?" Milo asked. "If we leave the engine turned off we'll only have about eight minutes maximum before we have to turn it on again".
"I don't think I can make oxygen," Rose shook her head, "but I can slow my own breathing to buy you time while I figure out what to do next".
"Who are you?" Cheen stared at her.
"The Macra used to be the scourge of the galaxy," the Doctor explained. "They fed off gas, the filthier the better".
"I think they sound like they want a lot more than gas," the man commented.
The Doctor nodded. "It would appear that way, and my wife's down there with them".
A bang on the roof caught both of their attentions and they stood up and watched as the hoof hatch opened.
"Oh, I've invented sport!" the Doctor grinned delightedly.
"Doctor, you're a hard man to find," the cat lady spoke. "You've got to come with me".
"Do I know you?
"You haven't aged at all," she shook her head. "Time has been less kind to me".
"Novice Hame!" he pulled her into a hug only to push her away again. "Hang on, get off! Last time we met you were breeding humans for experimentation".
"I sought forgiveness for so many years. Under his guidance, and if you come with me, I might finally be able to redeem myself".
"I'm not coming with you. I can't. You've got Macra living under this city and Rose is stuck down there. Do you remember Rose?" Novice Hame nodded. "Well she's my wife now and I've got to get her back!"
"You must come with me!"
"No, no, no, you're coming with me. We've got three passengers now," the Doctor rebutted.
"I'm sorry," she gripped hold of his arm and held on tightly.
"Don't you dare!" he yelled. But it was too late and they'd already been teleported.
"How much air's left?" Cheen asked quietly.
"About three minutes," Milo replied.
"There's always the Doctor," Rose smiled sadly. "He'll find a way".
"Rose, no one's coming," Milo shook his head. "I'm sorry".
"I'll see him again," she declared defiantly.
"I mean, we're sorry for taking you away from him to die," Milo continued.
Cheen looked up at Rose to see her fiddling with her rings. "You're married?" she asked.
"Yeah," Rose nodded. "For about three days now".
Cheen's eyes filled with tears. "I'm so sorry. This Doctor, he's your husband?"
Rose nodded.
Cheen gave her a small smile. "He looked alright".
Rose grinned. "Yeah he does".
"I never even asked," Cheen shook her head. "Where's home for you?"
Rose chuckled. "Earth, the original Earth".
They both gaped at her and she smiled back. "We're time travellers. I'm from the twenty first century, original Earth time. Since we may die down here, there's no point in denying the truth".
"What about the Doctor?" Milo asked.
"Have you ever heard of the timelords?"
Milo frowned and Cheen shook her head. "No, sorry".
"They were an ancient race that ruled the galaxy. Well, they watched over it anyway. A timelord can live for thousands of years. Every time they come close to death they regenerate every cell in their body to stay alive. They were incredible...then the time war came and they died, all except for one".
Cheen gaped at her. "So you're married to the last timelord?"
"Yeah," Rose nodded. "It sounds really impressive when you say it like that..."
"But he's still just a man," Cheen finished for her. "But for now, he's our only hope".
"He can help. Right now he'd be doing everything he can to help us. And not just us three, but everyone stuck on the motorway". No sooner were the words out of her mouth when she felt a disturbance through her bond with the Doctor.
'Rose?'
'Still here,' she grinned.
'Thank goodness. Anyway, the car you're in, is it car four, six, five, diamond, six?'
'Yeah, I think so'.
'Good. I'm tracking you right now. Sit tight'.
'As always,' she held on tight as they wove their way in between the giant claws of the creatures around them. 'Love you'.
'I love you too'.
Almost immediately after the Doctor faded from her mind Rose felt another presence and closed her eyes tightly.
'Jack?'
'Hello Rosie,' his voice sounded different and he spoke like he was short of breath. 'It's a shame you had to be around for this. You are both so young at this time and his face...I remember it well'.
'What are you talking about? Why are you here?'
'As you might recall, I am the Face of Boe. The Doctor does not know who I am but he will soon learn that this is where I die. You will soon be with him and you must stand by him for what is to come'.
'Oh Jack, you're gonna die? What about Eva? Of course I'll stand by him, I always do, don't I?'
'Of course. Eva and I had lived together for many centuries, millennia even. But many people would pay a fortune for someone like us to experiment on. She was taken from me and I never saw her again. Rumour has it they used her to power an entire planet. But she died many years ago'.
'Are you alright?' It sounded incredibly stupid, but what else could she say? And how was she ever going to face Eva again. But he'd said millennia, right? That meant that they would have a long and happy life together.
'Loss of love is merely a burden that one in every two will have to bear. Luckily for you, yourself and the Doctor are the only known exceptions to the rule. There is always going to be the Doctor and his Rose to save the day'.
Rose smiled to herself and gripped the seat tightly as the creatures outside became even more agitated. Suddenly, one of them captured the car between its claws and squeezed in the sides of the vessel. Cheen shrieked and Milo panicked. Rose however, just held on tightly and waited for the creature to loosen its hold, with a little friendly encouragement of course.
The screen crackled into life and Rose grinned widely at the man on the screen. "Sorry no Sally Calypso, she was just a hologram. My name's the Doctor, and this is an order; drive up. Up through the roof of the motorway, come on".
Cheen turned to Rose in astonishment and Rose chuckled, her eyes glued to the screen.
"But how?" Milo asked.
"Car four, six, five, diamond, six. Rose, drive up!"
"We can't," Milo shook his head. "We'll hit the line of traffic".
"No we won't," Rose shook her head.
"She's right of course," the Doctor added. "Do you really think I'd let the love of my life get stuck underneath the city with a whole lot of hungry monsters?"
"Well you did," Rose teased.
"But I helped save you," he rolled his eyes. "Right, I have to have a quick word with the other car where Martha and my coat are waiting. I've sent you a flight path to follow. Rose, I'll see you in a bit".
When Cheen and Milo dropped Rose off at the senate and said their goodbyes, Rose was left to wander the corridors in search of the Doctor. Footsteps to her right made her stop dead and she grinned as Martha emerged, carrying the Doctor's coat.
"Martha!" Rose ran to embrace her.
"Rose," Martha laughed. "I can't believe we found you again after all that".
"Like any other day," Rose shrugged. "Thrilling, isn't it?"
"Yeah, just a bit," Martha grinned.
"Doctor?" Rose called into the quiet.
"Over here," came his soft voice.
The two women rounded the corner to see the Face of Boe lying in the remnants of his shattered tank.
"Boe," Rose rushed forward to the Doctor's side and he quickly drew her in and pressed his lips to her forehead.
"What's that?" Martha asked hesitantly.
"It's the Face of Boe. Come and say hello, it's alright," the Doctor beckoned her forwards and Martha glanced at Rose to see her crying. "He's the one that saved the city, not me".
"Who is he?" Martha approached cautiously, still glancing at Rose curiously.
"I don't know," the Doctor frowned and Rose squeezed her eyes tight. It almost seemed to Martha that Rose was keeping something from them all, or maybe even having a quiet conversation with the face.
"You're not ready to die," Rose shook her head and sniffed. "You've got plenty of life in you".
"Everything has it's time. You should know that better than anyone, Doctor".
"The legend says that the Face of Boe will speak his final secret to a traveller, to the man without a home".
"But not yet," the Doctor shook his head. "Who needs secrets, aye?"
"I have seen so much, perhaps too much. I am the last of my kind as you are the last of yours, Doctor". The Face spoke and Rose shook once again with silent sobs. Only two people in the room knew why she was crying. Jack wasn't supposed to have an ending. He wasn't supposed to die. And Eva were supposed to live together and be happy forever, not have their time cut short and her stolen from him, making him the last of his kind.
'But we had a life'. The Face replied to her thoughts. 'Thanks to you we had a good one, fantastic even. You will come to realise that when things end, it is simply because they must. The ending is when you finally appreciate everything you had, and allow yourself to let it go. To bask too long in the memories is only more painful'.
'So you just forgot about her?'
'No. I just found peace knowing that she was no longer in pain'.
'I'm sorry, Jack'.
'Don't be. I love you very much, Rosie'.
'I love you too'.
"That's why we have to survive," the Doctor argued defiantly, "both of us".
"Doctor, I cannot hold on any longer. But know this; you are not alone".
The Doctor frowned. The face breathed his last breath and Rose broke into audible sobs. The Doctor pulled her to him and soothed her quietly. Whether he knew or not about why she was so upset, Martha observed that he didn't ask questions. They had time for questions later, and she had questions of her own.
When they returned to pharmacy town and were walking back to the TARDIS. Martha seized her opportunity and grabbed a chair to sit down on. They both turned at the sound of the scraping and frowned at her.
"What, are you staying?" the Doctor asked.
"Until you talk to me, yes," she folded her arms across her chest. "He said you were the last of your kind, Doctor. What does that mean?"
"It really doesn't matter," the Doctor tried to blow it off.
"Why won't either of you talk to me at all? You say words but there's nothing really coming out. Yes, you may talk to each other through your 'bond thing' or whatever, but what about me? I'm traveling with two people who won't even talk like normal people".
"We're not normal people," Rose shook her head.
The air filled with singing and they all feel silent for a moment.
With a nod to Rose the Doctor picked up a chair and placed it near Martha's. Rose did the same and held tightly to the Doctor's hand as he began to speak.
"We lied to you," the Doctor nodded, "because just for a moment I could pretend they were still alive, underneath that burnt orange sky. I'm not just a timelord; I'm the last of the timelords. If the Face of Boe thought there were more, then he was wrong".
"What happened?" Martha asked.
"There was a war, the time war. The last great time war. My people fought a race called the Daleks for the sake of all creation and they lost, everyone lost. They're all gone now, my family, my friends, even that sky. Oh you should have seen it that old planet. The second sun would rise in the south and the mountains would shine. The leaves on the trees were silver, and when they caught the sun every morning it would look like the forest was on fire. When the autumn came, the wind would blow through the branches look a song".
Both Rose and Martha both had tears running down their faces. "You see, Martha," Rose spoke shakily; "I've never been to his planet. I've only seen it at night in a dream connection. If we could go there then we would more than likely be there right now".
"I'm so sorry," Martha shook her head and addressed the Doctor. "Now I understand why it was so important that you found her".
"I promised to fill the emptiness in his head that they left," Rose stroked his long fingers.
"Martha you must understand that 'this'; traveling with us, it isn't always easy...and I'm not always so easy to live with. Without Rose beside me I wouldn't have been able to make it through the past two years, either time. If something happens to Rose then I am done for".
"I understand," Marta nodded. "So, when do you want to get rid of me?"
"Aren't you enjoying it?" Rose asked. "It's not always like this, I promise".
Martha grinned. "I was hoping you'd promise the opposite".
Alright so there we go. Before you get all feelsy we will see both Jack and Eva again. Unfortunately for them the ending wasn't particularly happy, but in the end unless a couple dies together there will always be unhappiness and grief from one side. Jack and Eva represent the more realistic side that even if people lived for millennium there would always be an ending.
Anyway, I'll try to make next chapter a little more happy, it was just that this episode was a feels one anyway. I hope you liked it! Please review and let me know how much you're mad at me :P