A/N: Back to me again, it's Cheri, your friend! :)

Chapter Twenty Nine

While everyone helped Adam clean up and get his clothes back on, the Doctor stood up at the console staring off into space. The plan was set in motion and everyone knew what they had to do but the Doctor was still nervous. He hated that Alan was the one standing in for him. He hated the thought of anything happening to him, especially since he knew how brutal Callum could be. The last thing he wanted was for Alan to end up trapped in the metal box while he baked to death or be tied to a bed while Rath had his way with him.

"Brother?"

He turned to see Alan coming towards him, a huge grin on his face.

"Just checked out Adam in the med bay and the bugger is one hundred percent cured. No ill effects, no brain damage, no nothing. At the moment he's back there apologizing profusely for worrying everyone and I'm sure Marion will have a few things to say to him when we get back but at least he's woken up."

He noticed the sadness in his brother's eyes.

"What's wrong?" Alan asked.

The Doctor took ahold of his left arm.

"I hate that you're going into Callum's lair pretending to be me. I don't want you getting hurt."

"Doctor, we discussed this. You have three babies to think about..."

"And you have three daughters," the Doctor countered. "Just because they're grown doesn't make them less important."

"I can handle it, Brother, honestly," Alan said. "You know more about that place than I do, therefore it makes more sense for you to be free so you can go where you need to go and find the watch. If I have to suffer a bit for Rain then I will."

He chuckled when the Doctor gave him a skeptical look.

"Yeah, yeah, I know...suffer for Snotbag. Well, she is my sister, has been since before you met us and I'll be damned if she spends the rest of her life not remembering all the good times we had together. I will see her restored if it's the last thing I do."

The Doctor let out a mirthless laugh.

"What?" Alan said.

The Doctor let go and put his hand on his shoulder.

"I'm just thinking about how much of a git I was trying to throw all this away and go back to being alone," he said to him. "Going back to my old habit of running away when things got bad when I have so many people who love and care about me and a family who depends on me to be there for them."

"We all have that problem, Brother," Alan said. "You, me, John, Adam and I'm sure Theta would have scarpered too if given half the chance. Old habits die hard."

"Seems so. Even after two centuries," the Doctor said, sitting down.

Alan sat down beside him as he looked down at the floor.

"I'm so sorry if I hurt you, Alan," he said, looking at him. "I went out of my mind for awhile there because I was grieving over the loss of my wife."

"I understand, mate. I think everyone does. We're just happy to have you back with us."

"Yes, but of all the people I hurt I think you're the one I feel the most guilty about because ever since we made this pact and became brothers you've looked up to me and been there for me and never once doubted that I'd be there for you in return. I mean, Rassilon's Robe, Brother, kicking you out the door the first time was the stupidest mistake I ever made and I turned right around and did it again. I nearly ended up rejecting the love of so many people because I was angry and because I was afraid to be around all that love and happiness without Rain there."

Alan put his hand on his back while he stared at the floor for a moment. He shook his head and chuckled.

"What?" Alan said.

The Doctor looked at him.

"I finally did it. I let someone into my hearts so completely that now I can't just turn away and leave if she's gone," he said.

"You learned to love, Brother. Fully love someone without walls around your hearts," Alan said gently. "I have the same thing with Rose. This is what Imiko wanted for you when she first freed you from the Valeyard. To learn to give of yourself completely without any barriers. That's why Rain first befriended you that night because Imiko knew she would be the one to ultimately transform you into the person you are today. The one who can love people unconditionally and be there for them. You're still the wanderer but you've also become a family man and you helped bring up a lot of beautiful children and helped bring up the other children in our group as well. You wanna know how I know that? Because you're actually looking forward to Rain having these children instead of running the other way screaming in terror."

The Doctor smiled at that and nodded.

"Old habits do die hard but be fair, this is the first time in two and a quarter centuries that you've had some kind of meltdown like this and now here you are, willing to go back to all that," Alan added.

"I know. Because even though I said I wanted to be alone, I can't do it anymore. I never would have gotten far, Brother. I would have missed everyone far too much and came back."

"Well, I think Rose would have eventually found you herself since I wasn't much fun to be around, being depressed and all that."

"Brother, don't be that way, please! I don't want you to be depressed if I leave."

"I can't help it. I care for you," Alan said.

"Yes, but this is what I meant about you being in my shadow and..."

"No! Stop right there! Despite what you think, I'm not in your shadow and I haven't been for the longest time. I'm not behind you, Brother. I'm beside you and I always have been. That's what I was on about earlier. We're a team, you and I. We're pals, compadres, partners in crime and there's no one I'd want beside me in a fight than you."

The Doctor grinned at that and hugged him tightly as he poured love into his mind. Alan chuckled and did the same.

"You're stuck with me, you know," Alan said softly as he hugged him. "Your little kid brother clone who will never leave you or betray you and will always try to make your life sunny by being bloody, sodding funny."

The Doctor chuckled at that and kept on hugging him as Sarah Jane stood by the back door and watched with a huge smile on her face.

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Adam shook his head as Sarah Jane helped him into his bed in his spare room.

"I should go with them. I should fight at their sides. They're gonna need me."

Sarah shook her head.

"No, you just recovered from a coma. You're in no shape to do anything," she insisted. "Just rest and let your brothers and my son and his friends do the job."

"Are you worried about them? Luke and Rani and Clyde, I mean."

Sarah smiled.

"I worry about them from the moment I wake up till the moment I go to bed," she said. "Just as you worry about your brothers and your family."

Adam stared at her for a moment.

"I never asked my Sarah if she wanted the change," he mused. "She's dead now by this time but you...you gave up your mortality to be with your Doctor."

"Well...my son and his friends talked me into that," she said, sitting down beside him. "I wasn't going to do it but then I thought on it and I realized that I really didn't want to grow old while Luke and Clyde and Rani remained young. We offered the same to Maria and her father and neither was interested. Although...her father, Alan and I, have a relationship which is why I keep going between New Gallifrey and my house in Ealing in the twenty first century. He moved back to Ealing to be with me but Maria met a man in Washington D.C. and stayed behind. So, I don't see her as often as I'd like. Still, at least they're there and Clyde and Rani go back to see their families too since they also declined the crystals."

"It's a strange life, isn't it?" Adam said.

Sarah chuckled.

"Yeah but I wouldn't have it any other way. I was not only blessed to know the Doctor but now I know Alan and Theta and John and you. I have five very handsome Doctors in my life now so I consider myself a very lucky girl."

Adam grinned at that and accepted a hug from her.

"If anyone deserved to be a Time Lady, Sarah, it was you," he said. "And I consider myself lucky for having you in my life as well."

They glanced up when the TARDIS shook slightly upon landing.

"Well, here they go," Sarah said to him.

Adam swallowed hard and nodded. Sarah smiled, gave him another hug and held his hand while they waited.

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Callum looked up from his paperwork when Rath entered his office.

"Permission to speak, Sir."

"Granted."

Rath grinned.

"He's back, Callum, the little bitch has returned to us."

"Where is he?"

"In the same spot he was before, by the swamp."

"Go up to him and take a little welcoming party with you. I wish to see my slave in person. But...be gentle, rough him up if you must but I want him alive and conscious because I want to know where his pretty ex-wife is. Then once I'm done interrogating him, you can have him before he's put to death. Now go."

"With pleasure."

Callum stood up as Rath left the room. He took a tiny silver key out of his pocket, unlocked the top drawer of his desk and opened it, looking inside at the fob watch lying at the front. Chuckling, he closed the drawer and locked it again before he put the key back in his pocket and went out to wait for the Doctor's arrival.

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After taking a nap, Theta rose and came downstairs with Frankie. The atmosphere in the house had changed considerably since the news of Rain's pregnancy and he noticed that the mood, both in the house and in his mind, was happy and light, the way it usually was. He smiled, thinking that perhaps they were finally over the bump in the road and everything from here on out would be smooth sailing. He gave Frankie a kiss on the cheek as they walked over to the sofa where Marion and Rose were discussing a baby shower with the other women.

"Well, well, look who finally decided to join us," Juliet said as they looked up.

"Hello, girls," Theta said.

He moved into the center of them and looked around at their faces.

"I own all these women, you know," he said to Frankie as he pointed to them. "I pimp them out when you're not looking."

"Right, Theta," Rose said as they laughed. "God, you're getting to be as bad as Alan is. I'm sure you have a pimpmobile as well."

"Damn straight, Flygirl. I like to cruise in it and slap my bitches up."

"Yup, he's definately been around Bro too long," Awinita said, shaking her head.

"Theta!" Mickey said, walking over to him.

"Yes, Mickey-boy?" he replied.

"Councilor Xashon is out front, wants to speak with you or Alan."

"Well, seeing as how Alan isn't here, I s'pose I get to be the lucky bloke," Theta said. "Excuse me, Frankie."

She nodded and accepted a kiss from him before he let go of her hand and walked to the front door.

"Councilor Xashon," he said, bowing.

"You don't have to do that now. I'm done with the council for the day," she said, holding up her hand. "However...Doctor?"

"Theta, the Doctor is indisposed at the moment so I'm filling in for him."

"Very well, the Architect is upset with the Doctor because she was under the impression you would see to the trouble on Murka and no one has gone. she's wondering why you haven't gone and what you intend to do about it."

Theta sighed.

"Can you send her my apologies, Xashon? All hell broke loose in my family and we're finally beginning to sort things out. We've had no time for Murka. I'm sorry but my loyalties lie with my family not with the Architect."

"Nevertheless, she is in orbit around the planet..."

"I told her not to do that!" Theta said angrily.

"Yes, Theta, and you and your family apparently told her that you would do this for her."

"No, I said no such thing. We turned to leave and she got in front of my TARDIS and slipped a disc in my pocket, while at the same time having a little feel up of my crotch, I might add. I didn't agree to do anything."

"Let me go, Brother."

Theta and Xashon turned to see John coming outside.

"I'll go talk to her and sort things out. There's no need for you to go up there."

Theta smiled at him.

"No, it's alright. I'll go. I have a few choice words to say to her anyway."

He smiled at Tara when she came outside.

"And you, Starbright? I s'pose you wanna come with me."

"I'm not sure. I was coming out of the bathroom and heard arguing and came out to see what was going on. So what is going on?"

Theta quickly explained the situation to her.

"I didn't agree to this because of all the trouble we were having at the time," Theta told her when he finished his explanation. You and your mum and dad were missing and we were all worried about ya and frankly we didn't want to get involved. But if you want to come along with me while I tell the Architect to bugger off, you can."

"I'd like to do that just to have something to do to take my mind off Mommy and Daddy," she said.

John smiled sadly at her and kissed her forehead.

"They'll be alright Ya'mer'la, don't worry."

"I know, A'ner'ra, but I still can't help but worry about Daddy since he's walking into a trap. I just need something to do to take my mind off it."

Theta took her hand.

"Then come with me. We can both tell the Architect to go to hell," he said with a wink. "John?"

"No, I'll stay behind and keep an eye out for our brothers and make sure everything is alright here," he said.

Theta nodded.

"Very well, Tara and I will go and speak to her in order to get her out of our orbit but I won't guarantee anything."

"Just as long as you go, Theta. You know as well as I do that Judoon this close to our planet isn't a good thing."

"Precisely why I'm ordering her to leave."

Xashon smiled and nodded.

"Keep me updated on what's going on here," she said.

"Well, actually, there is a bit of good news concerning Rain if you wanna step inside and have a drink," John said.

"Thank you, I think I will. I need a drink after all this," she said to John. "Lead the way."

John patted Theta's shoulder and kissed Tara's cheek before he led Xashon inside the house.

"Come on, Tara, let's get this mess sorted out once and for all," he said to her.