Disclaimer: The BBC called in a SWAT team. That's just cheating.

Ch. 26:

Luke was standing there, holding a gun on them.

"Don't tell anyone what I did!" he ordered. "It wasn't my fault, the Sontarans lied to me, they…"

The Doctor walked forward and grabbed the gun out of his hands.

"If I see one more gun…" he threatened, throwing the gun to the side.

"You know, that coat, sort of works." Donna told Martha as the girls walked out of the teleporter.

"I feel like a kid in my dad's clothes." Martha admitted.

"Oh, well if you're calling him dad, you're definitely getting over him." Donna replied, making Lily laugh out loud.

She wandered over to the window and her laughter died away.

"Doctor, it's getting worse." She called. "Whatever you're going to do, do it quick."

The Doctor ran out of the room. The girls glanced at each other before following him, Lily grabbing Luke by the collar and dragging him with them.

"What's he doing?" Martha asked.

Lily shrugged.

"He's not sharing with me." She told her. "Which usually means, whatever it is, it's incredibly dangerous."

"Like going after the Daleks by himself?" Martha asked.

"Yeah, that would be a good example." Lily replied. "If he tries to knock me out again, shoot him."

"Like that's a good idea." Donna said.

"I'm not saying, shoot him dead." Lily explained. "I'm saying shoot him the leg or the arm or some other non-vital part of him."

Donna opened her mouth, but Lily cut her off before she could say anything.

"Yes, that part is vital." Lily told her sternly. "To me. I'm sure it matters to him also, but that's less important."

Donna laughed while Martha tried to hide her amusement.

"I am standing right here, you know." The Doctor pointed out.

Lily glanced at him.

"And your point is?" she asked.

The Doctor shook his head.

"That's why the Sontarans had to stop the missiles, they were holding back." He said, choosing to pretend like the last few minutes conversation hadn't happened. "Because, caesofine gas is volatile, that's why they had to use you to stop the nuclear attack. Ground-to-air engagement could've sparked off the whole thing."

"What, like set fire to the atmosphere?" Martha asked.

"Please keeping hitting no." Lily requested.

"Yeah. They need all the gas intact to breed their clone army." The Doctor said. "And all the time we had Luke here in his dream factory."

"Planning a little trip, were we?" Lily asked, shaking him by the collar slightly.

"They promised me a new world." He said morosely.

"You were building equipment, ready to terraform El Mondo Luko so that humans could live there and breathe the air with this!" he said, revealing a large device. "An atmospheric converter."

The Doctor picked the device and ran out, the girls following behind and Lily still dragging Luke.

"That's London." Donna gasped, spotting the gas-bound city. "You can't even see it. My family's in there."

"If I can get this on the right setting…" the Doctor said, setting the converter down.

"Doctor, hold on, you said the atmosphere would ignite." Martha pointed out.

"Yeah, I did, didn't I?" he replied.

He pressed a button and a pulse shot out of the device and into the sky, setting it on fire. The Doctor took Lily's hand and held it tight.

I really hope you don't burn off the atmosphere. She told him.

Me too. He agreed.

"Please, please, please, please, please, please, please…." He whispered.

Suddenly, the fire cleared, revealing the normal blue sky.

Lily threw her arms around him and kissed him before hugging him tightly.

Congratulations. She told him. You didn't destroy the world.

Not yet. He replied.

"He's a genius!" Luke marveled.

"Just brilliant." Martha agreed.

"Now we're in trouble." The Doctor said, grabbing the converter and running back into the building. Everyone followed.

He ran straight to the teleport and set down the converter.

"Right, so…" he said, turning back to them. "Donna, thank you. For everything. Martha, you too. Oh…so many times. I want you two to look after Lily. Don't let her do anything stupid. Luke, do something clever with your life."

"You're saying goodbye." Donna said.

"Sontarans are never defeated." The Doctor told her. "They'll be getting ready for war. And, well, you know, I've recalibrated this for Sontaran air, so…"

"You're gonna ignite them." Martha said.

"You'll kill yourself." Donna told him.

"Just send that thing up, on its own." Martha added. "I don't know…put it on a delay."

"I can't." he told them.

"Why not?" Donna demanded.

"He has to give them a choice." Lily said, speaking up. "He wouldn't be the Doctor if he didn't."

She walked up to him.

"But you don't get to say goodbye." She told him.

"Lily…"

"No." she interrupted. "You'll come back. You always come back."

"Not this time." He replied.

She shook her head.

"You always come back." She told him. "You always come back to me."

He laid his hand on her cheek before kissing her swiftly, pressing the button and disappearing at the same moment.

When he was gone, she fell to her knees with a gasp and Donna and Martha came forward, wrapping her in a hug.

The Doctor appeared in the Sontaran ship.

"Oh, excellent!" Staal rejoiced when he spotted the Doctor.

"General Staal, you know what this is." The Doctor said, motioning to the converter. "But there's one more option. You can go. Just leave. Sontaran High Command need never know what happened here."

"Your stratagem would be wise if Sontarans feared death." Staal told him. "But we do not. At arms!"

"I'll do it, Staal." The Doctor yelled. "My mate is down there. If it saves her and that planet, I'll do it."

"A warrior doesn't talk, he acts!" Staal told him.

"I am giving you the chance to leave." The Doctor told him.

"And miss the glory of this moment?" Staal shot back.

"All weapons targeting Earth, sir." Came over the intercom. "Firing in 20."

"I'm warning you!" the Doctor shouted.

"And I salute you!" Staal replied. "Take aim!"

"Shoot me, I'm still gonna press this!" the Doctor told him. "You'll die, Staal."

"Knowing that you die, too." He told the Doctor.

"Firing in 15." A voice said over the loudspeaker.

"For the glory of Sontar!" Staal shouted. "Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha!"

"Sontar-ha!" the Sontarans began to chant. "Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha!"

"I'll do it!" the Doctor shouted.

Back on Earth, the three girls were sitting huddled together as Luke messed with the teleport bad.

"Can't you just jump to him?" Martha asked. "I've seen you do it."

"No." Donna answered, surprising Martha. "The Doctor wouldn't want you to risk causing more damage just to rescue him."

"What are you talking about?" Martha demanded.

"I'm dying, Martha." Lily told her, her voice monotone. "My body was damaged when I shot off the Master's device on the Valiant. I've been taking the serum the Doctor came up with everyday and pain killers to keep going as normally as possible."

"How long do you have?" Martha asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to worry." Lily told her. "I just wanted to live out my last few months."

"Months?" Martha asked, horrified.

Lily just leaned her head against her friend's shoulder.

"What are you doing?" she asked Luke.

"Something clever." Luke replied.

Before they could stop him, he pressed a button and disappeared.

On the ship, the Doctor disappeared and Luke appeared in his place.

"Sontar-ha!" the Sontarans were still chanting. "Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha!"

"10," came the voice over the loudspeaker, "9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3…"

The Sontarans stopped chanting as they spotted Luke.

"Sontar?" Luke asked sarcastically. "Ha!"

He slammed his hand down on the button of the converter.

"…1."

The ship exploded.

The Doctor appeared in the teleport pod, looking confused. He stepped forward and sat down on the edge. Martha ran to him and nestled into his side, hugging him tightly. Donna walked over and gave him a hard smack before sitting down next to him and hugging tightly also.

Lily walked over and stood in front of him. He gently disentangled himself from the two woman before standing in front of his mate.

"I told you you'd come back." She told him before throwing her arms around him.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, burying his face in her neck.

"I love you." He told her softly.

She pulled back and grasped his face between her hands.

"I love you too." She told him before kissing him.

He gladly returned the kiss.

Sylvia walked down the street with two big bags.

"Morning." She called.

"Morning." A neighbor called back.

"Walked all the way, won't catch me driving." Sylvia told her.

The neighbor got in her car and pulled the ATMOS sticker from her rear window.

Sylvia walked into the house and found Donna and Wilf sitting in the kitchen.

"The streets are half-empty." She told them. "People still aren't driving. There're kids on bikes all over the place, it's wonderful. Unpack that lot, I'm gonna see if Suzette's all right."

She put the bags on the counter and left.

"I won't tell her." Wilf told Donna after Sylvia was out of earshot. "Best not. Just keep it as our little secret, eh?"

"Yeah." Donna replied.

"And you go with them, that wonderful Doctor and his beautiful Lily." He told her.

"I think Lily would take issue with being labeled as his." Donna said with a laugh.

"Yeah." Wilf agreed, laughing. "But you go and see the stars. And then bring a bit of 'em back for your old Gramps."

She nodded before getting up and kissing his head.

"Love you." She told him.

She turned and walked out, fighting her tears.

The Doctor found Lily standing beneath the Valiant.

You okay? He asked.

She nodded without turning around.

He walked up and wrapped his arms around her and was heartened when she didn't pull away, but leaned into him.

I've lost so much. She told him. My family, the other Doctor, Koschei… But I realized something today.

What? He asked.

If I try to stop you from taking the risks you take just so I can keep you a little longer, I'm still losing you. Lily told him. Because those risks make you who you are. Make you who I love.

I wish I could tell you that I won't do it again…

But you will. Lily said with a smile.

He leaned down and rested his chin on her shoulder.

I do promise that if it is within my power, I'll always come back to you. He told her.

I know you will.

They stood there in silence, gazing up at the Valiant.

Donna walked into the TARDIS to find Martha and Lily sitting on the jump seat, watching the Doctor wander around the console.

"How were they?" Martha asked when she spotted Donna.

"Oh, same old stuff." Donna answered, wiping off a tear and trying to sound casual. "They're fine. So! You gonna come with us? We're not exactly short of space."

"You're room is still the same." Lily added.

"Oh, I have missed all this, but, you know. I'm good here." She replied, smiling. "Back at home. And I'm better for having been away. Besides," she showed her engagement ring, "someone needs me. Never mind the universe, I've got a great big world of my own now!"

She hugged Lily one last time before getting up and walking to the door.

Before she could reach it, it slammed shut and TARDIS shook wildly as it went into flight. They all clung to objects, trying to stay upright.

Under the console, the jar holding the Doctor's hand bubbled wildly.

"What?" the Doctor shouted. "What?"

"Doctor, don't you dare!" Martha shouted at him.

"It's not him!" Lily yelled. "He didn't touch anything! We're in fight and it's not us in control!"

"Where are we going?" Donna shouted.

"I don't know, it's out of control!" the Doctor shouted back.

"Doctor, just listen to me!" Martha ordered. "You take me home, take me home right now!"

A/N: Poison Sky is done. The Doctor's Daughter starts.

Okay, so you guys did much better. We are over 100 reviews and WickedSweet123 gets a special shout out for going back and reviewing on the chapter of failure. WickedSweet123, you get a cookie. Or you would if I could afford a cookie or send it to you. So, I'm giving you a cookie in my mind. There you go, enjoy.

Keep the reviews coming!

Abbey