A/N: new chappie! enjoy!

Chapter 38: The Ones That Didn't Change

Olivia sat leaning sideways on the wall, her knees pulled to her chest as she sniffled, dry tears over her cheeks. She'd been there for hours, unable to eat or sleep as she waited for the Doctor's call, or a sign that everything was back to normal. She wondered what the Doctor was doing at that very moment and how he would fix the situation. Then she wondered what Jack might have been doing then, if he hadn't changed into the Master like everyone else seemed too.

She couldn't help but smile with a small giggle at the image of the scrawny Master in strapping Jack's clothes. Her giggling continued until she remembered she had to be quiet and placed her hand over mouth to giggle softly. She jumped and her eyes widened as her phone vibrated but she hesitated to answer it, not hearing the ringtone since she'd put it on silent. If it was someone that had turned into the Master calling her, she risked being found.

Swallowing hard, she pulled her phone from her pocket…instantly grinning when she recognized the number and quickly answered it, pressing it to her ear.

"Doctor?" she whispered, tears springing to her eyes as she smiled.

"Liv, are you alright?" he replied on the other side of the phone. "Where are you?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she shuddered with a nod. "I'm in the cellar next to the house. Theta…my mom…and Aaron…"

"I know," he murmured. "I'm sorry. I'm getting it sorted."

"What's happened though?" she questioned. "Why did everyone else change but not me? Why did everyone change into the Master, of all people?"

"The Master used this…gate to change every human into him and now…something else is gonna happen that I have to stop," the Doctor explained.

"But how is the Master even alive?" Olivia wondered. "Jack told me about the Year That Never Was. He said his wife shot him and he refused to regenerate. How is he back?"

"He resurrected himself," he replied. "He had it planned just in case, but it went wrong. He's losing energy now. You need to stay hidden."

"Will do, but…Theta," she breathed before asking, "Why haven't I changed? I was human last time I checked."

"Yeah, that's…from…traveling with me and…other…activities we were involved in," he replied hesitantly, making her frown in thought before her face dropped to a blank stare.

"So…me having sex with you changed my DNA?" she questioned.

"No…" he replied in a low voice. "But…shagging in the TARDIS might've…tweaked you a bit."

"Oh, that's comforting," she blurted, adding, "One of these days you're gonna explain exactly how that works."

"Well…I've got a bit of time," he reported. "I can explain it now, if ya like?"

"What are you doing, anyway? Where are you?"

"I'm in a spaceship in orbit over Earth. Not my spaceship. A salvage ship, actually. I had to blow out the power, and now I'm fixin' it."

"Then…shouldn't you be concentrating? Why'd you call me?"

"You know I do all my best work when I multitask," he replied, making her smile at hearing the smirk in his tone before she heard the hum of the Sonic in the background. "And I phoned because I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"That's sweet, but you took a big risk doing that, Theta," she murmured. "I could've changed, or the Master might trace the signal back to you if he knew I was here."

"Except he doesn't, and I knew you wouldn't," she heard him smirk on the other end of the line and she couldn't help but smile.

"So," she chirped. "Plan on telling me how I didn't change with everyone else?"

"Ah…right," he replied, hesitantly. "Well, when we were in the TARDIS, most likely heading through the Time Vortex, or just in orbit, in flight, with all those hormones raging while we were…in bed, it's likely you absorbed a bit more of the huon radiation than usual. It protected you."

"I'd thank you, but I'm still a bit upset with you," she muttered.

"Oh, blimey! What'd I do now, eh?"

"Oh, I dunno," she retorted in a harsh, hushed tone. "Maybe because you dumped me in Cardiff? Almost literally!"

"Olivia, I told you, I had to leave you the way I did," he replied. "And I also told you that you would see me again, and you will, I promise."

She gave a sniffle before sighing and nodding, then realized she was on the phone and rolled her eyes at herself before sighing, "Yeah."

"Don't cry, Liv, please?" he murmured, hearing her tone. "I honestly feel terrible about it, my love."

"I know," she whispered, holding the phone away quickly to sniffle again before wiping the tears that escaped down her cheeks then pressed the phone to her ear again. "Are you alone?"

"Yes. Well…not really," he replied and she couldn't help but smile at his tone. "The owners of the ship are here. Couple of cactus lookin' things, and there's Wilf."

"Wilf?" she frowned in wonder. "Who's Wilf?"

"He's Donna's granddad," he explained. "He's helpin' me out."

"Good," Olivia smiled with a nod. "I'm glad you're not alone." She swallowed before adding, "Of all times, I wish I could be with you."

"I know, Liv," he murmured and paused before adding, "I should go. I'm almost done with repairs."

"Alright," she sniffled, feeling her tears returning. "Tell Wilf I'm glad he's there. I've never met him, but he must be brilliant if he's with you now."

"I will," he replied. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Theta," she whispered. "I'll see you soon, right?"

"Of course, my love," she heard him smirk into the phone. "I'll see you soon, sweet Liv."

She couldn't help but giggle before she nodded, "Bye, Theta."

The Sonic sounded before she heard the click and silence on the other end and pulled her phone from her ear to bow her head against her knees and unleash the sobs she'd been holding back.

Meanwhile, in Orbit Over Earth...

The Doctor sighed through his nose as he stared at the mobile for a moment through his glasses before tucking it away in his jacket pocket and turning to the cluster of wires in his hand, connected to a piece of machinery in his lap. He looked up to the door when he heard footsteps heading toward him to see Wilf stepping over the threshold before he looked back at the wiring.

"Aye, aye," he smiled, stepping toward the Doctor to sit next to him. "Got this old tub mended?"

"Just trying to fix the heating," the Doctor replied, glancing up at the old man as he sat.

"I've always dreamt of a view like that," Wilf smiled, pointing to the hexagon shaped window with a view of the Earth. He drummed on his knees grinning, "Yeehee! I'm an astronaut!"

The Doctor glanced up at him from his work with a smile before looking back at his task as Wilf continued, "It's dawn over England. Look. A new day. My wife's buried down there. I might never visit her again now."

He looked to the Doctor who examined the thing in his lap before looking up at the old man as he asked, "Do you think he changed them…in their graves?"

"I'm sorry," was all the Doctor could say. If he was being completely honest he didn't know for sure, but it was a good bet that the answer was yes.

"Oh, it's not your fault," Wilf assured him, looking back to the view.

"Isn't it?" the Doctor muttered, looking back to his work.

He couldn't help but think of Olivia stuck in her cellar and unable to get out because she might be killed, or worse yet, captured and used to get to him. The Master knew nothing of their relationship, but as clever as he was, it wouldn't take him but a second to put two and two together. He couldn't help thinking…wasn't that his fault, too?

"You know, Doctor," Wilf began, making the Time Lord glance up but he focused back on his work, listening. "I couldn't help but overhear you talking on that mobile to someone. Who was it? Someone who can help?"

"No," the Doctor replied in a low voice, using the Sonic again on the piece of machinery in front of him. "She's a friend. She's trapped on Earth right now. I was checking up on her…making sure she was alright."

"She's not human?"

"She is. She didn't change like the others because she traveled with me. Her DNA got a bit jumbled, but it's saved her."

"She must be something special if you called to check up on her," Wilf nodded.

"She is," the Doctor couldn't help but smirk. "She's brilliant. Well…everyone can be brilliant in their own way, but she's…I dunno. She understands much more than anyone, I think."

"Ooh, someone's in love, eh?" Wilf smirked, nodding at him as the Time Lord glanced at the old man with a knowing smirk before going back to his task. "She should be here with you."

"She wanted to be," the Doctor murmured, his smirk falling as he remembered the night he left her. "But I didn't want her to see what's coming. It's dangerous being with me. Oh…she told me to tell you she's glad you're with me. She doesn't really like me bein' alone."

"She still would've seen this through if she were here," Wilf guessed, drawing the Doctor's gaze to him. "All the way to the end."

The Doctor swallowed hard on the lump in his throat before nodding, "Yeah. She would have."

He couldn't help but chuckle then laugh as he added, "She would've beaten the Master to a pulp herself if she could. Given him what for. You'd have liked her, Wilf. She's a firecracker. A lot like Donna."

"I'll have to meet her soon when this over then," Wilf nodded, optimistically. "You could introduce us. What's her name, then? This firecracker of yours?"

The Doctor couldn't help but smile, warmly at the thought of her as he pulled his phone back from his jacket pocket and opened it to reveal the wallpaper he chose, handing it to Wilf. The old man frowned and took it to look at the picture Olivia had taken at Torchwood of her and the Doctor when he'd come back four years after leaving her in California.

"That's her," the Doctor explained. "Her name is Olivia Felton."

Meanwhile, in Olivia's Cellar...

Olivia growled, softly in agitation as she looked through the items on the shelves around her. She was getting hungry, and she couldn't believe there was nothing edible in case someone was locked up for who knew how long. She sighed and leaned forward on the cabinet, tiredly.

She was more worried about the Doctor than anything else right now. She should've been with him. She should've found a way to stay on the TARDIS, fought the way she usually did until she got her way. She regretted telling him she wouldn't fight, and if she was being honest, she didn't care a lick about the situation with River, either. As long as she was with the Doctor, she didn't care what happened.

A loud slam on the cellar door made her jump, her hand flying to her mouth to smother her gasp. She stared wide eyes at the door as more slamming came from the other side and she backed up slowly until she was against the wall, her hand still over her mouth as she held her breath. She screamed and ducked when the door suddenly blasted into pieces and she quickly grabbed the Stun Gun from the shelf to aim it ahead.

"Oh, so brave with your weapon that can't even make a decent injury!" the Master's voice taunted as she felt herself trembling but tried with all her might to keep the Stun Gun steady as two Masters descended down the stairs. One was in Aaron's clothes, the other in her mother's. "Tell me, Olivia Felton, how do you plan to escape now?"

She shuddered in panic, aiming the gun between the two as they slowly stepped toward her and she shouted, "Stay back! I don't wanna hurt those bodies, now just…stay back!"

"You hurt me already," the Master in Aaron's clothes smirked. "Why not just hurt me again? You're protecting yourself after all. Just do it!"

"Stay back!" she screamed, tears coming to her eyes as she felt herself panicking.

"I am so hungry," he growled.

"Stay back!"

"How hungry are ya, big boy?!"

The Masters whirled around as Olivia stared wide, jade eyes in disbelief at the entry to the cellar to see a surprisingly familiar face marching down the stairs.

"Feast on me then!"

"Jack! No!" she screamed as the Masters marched toward him and laid a hand each on his shoulders. He screamed in agony and dropped to his knees as he seized, the Masters draining the energy from him. "Jack!"

"Stun gun!" Jack strained.

Olivia instantly marched toward the three, shoving the Stun Gun into the back of the Master in her mother's clothes and he seized before falling to the floor. Jack found enough strength to use his now free arm and gave the other Master a left hook, sending him to the floor unconscious as well. Jack fell forward on his hands, panting for breath and Olivia knelt next to him.

"Jack? Are you alright?" she hoped as he groaned and sat on his knees with a nod. "What're you doing here?"

"I was half way to the airport when my cab driver crashed into a telephone pole and changed," he explained. "I got away while he was wiggin' out. I had to come back for you. The Doctor would've killed me if I didn't."

"Why haven't you changed?" she frowned in wonder. "He changed every single human into him."

"51st century man," he smirked before standing with Olivia's help. "I'm out of my time."

"Thank goodness for that then," she smiled up at him. "I'd have been dead if you hadn't shown up."

"You'd have managed," he smirked, but his attention was directed to the floor again and he grabbed Olivia's arm to shove her toward the back wall. "Get behind me!"

Both Masters stood as he shoved her against the wall, his back to her and his arms on either side of her.

"I'm so hungry!" the Masters growled, stalking towards them.

"Jack! We're trapped!" Olivia screamed. "What do we do?!"

"Just stay behind me!" Jack ordered. "They can use me all they want! I won't die!"

"Ha!" one of the Masters barked before the other replied, "Is that a challenge, Captain Harkness?"

"Jack! You can't do this!" Olivia cried, tugging on his arm to let her pass but he held her back effortlessly as he watched the two Masters reach for him. "Don't be stupid! You're Immortal but he's a Time Lord! He could kill you for good!"

"Well, I guess we'll find out, won't we?" Jack replied, staring the Masters down but just as they were about to touch him, they stopped, making him frown in confusion. "What the hell's goin' on now?"

Olivia shoved his arm away while he was distracted and stepped up next to him to watch as their heads went whipping from side to side so fast that it blurred their faces.

"They're changing back," she breathed with a smile of realization, gripping Jack's arm excitedly and jumping up and down next to him, grinning, "They're changing back!"

Jack watched in awe as a moment passed before their heads stopped, and Aaron and Joyce fell to the floor in exhaustion.

"Mom!" Olivia cried, kneeling next to her and pulling her into her arms to hug her tightly, tears coming to her eyes as she shuddered, "I'm so glad you're alright now! The Doctor fixed it! Everything's ok!"

"What happened?" Aaron groaned as Joyce only hugged her daughter and Jack knelt toward him to explain what happened before he massaged his jaw, muttering, "Who hit me in the face with an anvil?"

"Uh, that would be me," Jack replied, sheepishly as Olivia helped her mom to stand and the red-head stared at the other man in wide-eyed shock. "You were draining the life outta me. I had to do something. But I know how to make it all better. Here…"

Jack gently pulled Aaron's injured cheek toward him and pressed a kiss to his jaw, making the younger man blush five shades of red as Jack pulled away with a smirk and Olivia rolled her eyes at the scene.

"Better?" Jack smirked to Aaron who could only nod as he stared back at him.

"Jeez, Jack, get a room, would ya?" Olivia snapped, drawing their attention to her and Joyce but as Jack opened his mouth to reply with a sarcastic remark, the Earth shook, nearly knocking Joyce and Olivia over as Jack and Aaron struggled to stand.

"Now what?!" Joyce called over the rumbling and things falling in the cellar around them.

"I dunno, but we better get outta here before something big falls on us!" Jack called back.

"Jack! Get mom!" Olivia ordered as Joyce struggled to keep her balance, and her daughter had no doubt she was still suffering from that Stun Gun hit she'd given her to the back.

Jack lifted Joyce in his arms without a word as Olivia grabbed Aaron's hand and pulled him toward the stairs after Jack. They got out just as the shelves on either side of the cellar collapsed and as Olivia looked down into the opening she was sure that if they'd been a few seconds later, they'd have all been crushed.

"What…the hell…is that?" Aaron muttered.

Olivia looked to him with a frown but he only stared up at the sky, and she shot her gaze up at what everyone was looking at now. Her eyes widened in disbelief as her heart raced in overwhelming panic.

"Oh…my God," she breathed, none of them looking away from the sky.

"That's a planet," Joyce voiced as Jack still held her, all too in shock to move.

"The question is…which planet?" Jack replied.

"Gallifrey," Olivia answered, making the three of them shoot wide-eyed stares at her but she only stared up at the planet in the sky. "It's Gallifrey. The Doctor showed it to me once." Realization suddenly dawned on her as she remembered her last conversation with him and she murmured, "This was it. This was what he had to stop. The other thing he said was gonna happen."

"Olivia," Aaron called. "What's gonna happen if it gets too close?"

Olivia finally looked to the three with her and swallowed before replying, "We'll be…knocked out of orbit. We'll lose our center of gravity and either be pulled toward the sun…or sent out into space."

Joyce began shuddering and Jack set her on her feet to wrap his arms around her as she gave panicked sobs. Jack met Olivia's gaze as she swallowed and Aaron stepped toward Olivia to hug her shoulders from behind.

"What do we do?" Jack couldn't help but ask.

"There's nothing we can do," Olivia replied, looking back at up at the sky. "The Doctor's taking care of this. All we can do is…wait."

"We need to get into the house," Joyce finally spoke up, pulling away from Jack and drying her tears before marching toward the front lawn. "There might be looters, taking advantage of the chaos. We need to protect our home."

Joyce led the way as Aaron turned to follow her and Jack went to follow him but stopped and turned to Olivia as she still stood staring at the sky.

"Olivia?"

"He'll stop this, Jack," she replied. "I have to be here when he does. I have to see it."

He nodded mutely before turning to head into the house, and just as he disappeared around to the front of the house, Gallifrey in the sky began to fade in and out. Her eyes widened as a grin spread over her lips.

"Yes!" she screamed as Gallifrey disappeared completely and she punched the air, jumping around in circles in her spot until she grinned up at the sky. "I knew you'd do it, Theta! Oh, I knew it."

Later...

Olivia sat on the steps in front of her house, staring at her phone, willing it to ring. She wanted him to call. To let her know he was alright. To tell her she didn't need to worry anymore. Even a text would've sufficed. Anything to let her know he was still in the universe and not gone for good.

"You know, a watched phone never rings," Jack smirked behind her, making her jump and turn her head to look at him over her shoulder as he looked down at her before stepping to her side and sitting next to her. She turned back to her phone and stared at the picture on it, making Jack lean over and frown before asking, "Can I see?"

She said nothing as she handed the phone to him and he looked at the picture of the Doctor and Olivia she'd taken at Torchwood, smiling, "You both look happy. Happier than I've ever seen either of you."

"Yeah," she sighed as he handed the phone back to her and she stared at it again. "We were."

They were silent for a moment before she took in a breath and shoved her phone back into pocket to ask him, "So, what will you do now? You said something about Spain, right?"

"Yeah, maybe not," he shrugged. "Maybe I'll go north…way north."

"Oh, that north," Olivia smirked with a nod of understanding. "I just really hope you don't run into that Captain John Hart of yours, any time soon."

"Don't give me nightmares," he pleaded, making her laugh, softly before he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pressing a kiss to her temple. "You be good, got it, Nova? Or I'll be back here to put you across my knee."

"Promises, promises," she shrugged, making him laugh before he stood and was halfway down the walkway when he stopped and turned back to her, his hands in his pockets as she frowned at him, unmoving.

"Do you regret not taking my offer?" he smirked, making her frown disappear as she smirked back, knowingly. "You know it stills stands. One night. No strings attached. And we won't tell the Doctor. It'll be our little secret."

"Secrets like that can never be kept," she retorted. "It gets out eventually. And to answer your question, no, I don't regret it. Do you regret asking?"

"A little," he shrugged then added, "Only because you shot me down."

She couldn't help but laugh as he smirked before giving her a casual salute.

"I'll see you around, Supernova," he smiled, turning to head toward the street.

"See you soon…Captain Eye Candy," she called back with a smirk and he laughed heartily but didn't stop as he headed down the street.

"Where's Jack going?" she heard Aaron ask behind her, but she didn't look away from Jack sauntering down the street.

"North," she smirked as the red-head sat next to her and she couldn't help but ask, "He said he was gonna say good-bye to you before he left the first time."

"Uh…yeah, he did," Aaron replied hesitantly and Olivia couldn't help but smirk at the deep blush over her friend's cheeks.

"Well?" she prompted as he set his elbows on his knees to twiddle his thumbs. "What'd he say?"

"N-Not much," he sputtered, not looking at her.

She shoved her tongue into her cheek with a knowing smirk before leaning toward him to murmur, "He's a really good kisser, isn't he?"

"Shut up," Aaron muttered before standing and heading back into the house, his face as red as his hair and Olivia couldn't help but laugh loudly and heartily at the look on his face, but he stopped and marched back toward her to glare down at her, snapping, "How the hell do you know he's a good kisser?!"

Olivia smirked as she stood, smoothly, unfazed as she lifted a hand to tousle his hair before she smiled, "I may not have slept with the man, but to know Captain Jack Harkness and not kiss him is blasphemy."

"Are you kidding me?!" Aaron snapped, staring at her in disbelief as she only giggle and strutted through the door. "Olivia?! Get back here and explain yourself! Olivia?! Olivia!"

A/N: i couldn't resist. i had to bring Jack back, and it makes sense to me that he wouldn't change into the Master because, as he said in the chapter, he's out of his time. reviews?