Rose was stunned by all she heard and now John or who she thought was John had gone off to fight goodness knew what those people had been, not human according to Martha.
"What do you even mean by that remark Martha? I thought we were friends?"
"Rose, we don't have time for this, we need to find the watch now look for it, both of you."
Martha began looking through all his things, Rose and Joan joining in but Martha threw up a pile of papers in despair.
"It's not here Martha," Joan remarked, seeing her frustration.
"Well if they'd already got their hands on it, trust me, we wouldn't still be here. Someone must have taken it while he was out. Are you sure he never gave it to you Rose?"
"He told you he was going to give the watch to me? When was that?"
"This morning before you went out, it doesn't matter now. Come on, we have to go find him, the watch has to be somewhere."
Joan grabbed the journal and followed them downstairs.
"I have to go prepare, in case anyone is injured, I still have my job to do."
"Take care matron," Martha shouted after her and Rose followed Martha to the courtyard just in time to see a lot of scarecrows scattered on the ground.
The headmaster stood in the courtyard. Baines and the others were waiting as he stepped forward.
"It's the Cartwright girl isn't it? What are you doing with them? Baines, what is the meaning of all this? You child, come with me."
"Mr Rocastle, Sir, she's with them," Martha insisted.
"I've seem many strange things this night but I will not see a child in the middle of all this."
"But Sir, she was with them, wasn't she Doctor Smith?" Rose added.
"Doctor Smith, kindly control the women who are with you. Now come here child, come with me."
"You're funny," Lucy laughed.
"Yes, indeed," Mr Rocastle laughed back, holding out his hand.
"So funny," Lucy repeated, firing her weapon and the headmaster disintegrating. "Anyone else?"
The rest of the family laughed.
John held up his hands. "All of you, put down your weapons and retreat back into the school."
"But Sir," Hutchinson insisted.
"I said retreat, now lead the way."
Baines fired his weapon into the air.
"Go on then, run. Soldiers, reanimate."
Rose grabbed hold of John's hand and pulled him along with her as the boys fled back into the school.
"No, get out of here," Martha shouted at them as they ran upstairs. "Run as far as you can and don't go to the village, there could be more of them."
"Martha, we have to leave here now," John insisted. I'll make sure they all leave. Go with them Rose, please."
"No, I'm not leaving here without you so tough."
John opened one of the doors to find a scarecrow at the other side and hastily closed it again. Meanwhile, Timothy had run back upstairs again, hoping to draw the least attention as the watch whispered to him 'Now is the time' so he opened it then held it up to the ceiling. The family all gave up questioning the boys again and ran upstairs as Timothy took the other staircase and ran out into the night, the watch remaining silent.
As Rose, Martha, Joan and John made their way outside, their attention was caught.
"Doctor, oh Doctor, we have your Tardis."
Martha glanced over to see the scarecrows must have found where it was being hidden and brought it to the steps of the school.
"Come out now, no need to hide, come and claim your prize," Jenny mocked.
"Yes, come out Doctor, come and face the family, you and your friends," Baines joined in.
"John, that's been in my dreams," Rose remarked, keeping a grip of his hand, never bothering about the other two now she was back with him and forgetting the bit about him not being human.
"You recognise it, don't you?" Martha asked him.
"I've only seen it in my dreams, how can it be here?" John asked, looking at Rose, the woman he knew he loved.
"We have to get away from here," Joan reminded them.
Martha got up and followed her and Rose looked at John.
"I've got a lot of questions to ask you but I don't think now is the time, come on, matron's right, we have to get out of here. John, what did you do with the watch you were going to give me? It wasn't in your room."
"I've no idea, you saw where I left it Rose. You don't believe all this do you? Please tell me you don't my love?"
"We'll talk later, we have to go, it's not safe here."
They got up from their hiding place and caught up with Martha and Joan, who had been trying to get along. John then took the lead but Joan insisted they turn down a lane and stopped outside a white painted cottage.
"We can stay here awhile, it belonged to the Cartwright's but I suspect no-one is at home."
They all went inside but John remained by the door, holding Rose back.
"How can you believe what happened back there Rose? I love you, why are you questioning me?"
"Martha told me some things John, we dreamt about them, you've been writing them all down in your journal."
"Why do they want me Rose? What have I ever done to them?"
"They don't want you, they want the watch, tell him Martha."
"It's true, you were called the Doctor and you became human to hide from them, they want your Timelord consciousness."
"What? Rose, you know I'm as human as you are."
"Martha explained it to me, you're a Timelord, from the future and she says I don't belong here."
"Yes you do, how can you not think that and that I'm this Timelord you are talking about? All those times we had Rose, were they not special?"
"Yes, they were John, you know they were but we have to think about this."
"Then give them the watch, wherever it is or I'll give myself up."
"You can't," Joan announced, using the light of a candle to read the journal. "If you give yourself up, they'll destroy everything, like Martha said but they will also go on to other places and do the same there, they will live forever and it all ends, everything we've ever known."
"Martha, say you don't believe this?" John asked.
"It's all true, you can't give them what they want."
"Then who are you Martha? Besides my maid."
"I'm your companion, I travel with you, just like Rose used to do."
"You mean my dreams weren't dreams?" Rose asked.
"No, I said you're somehow out of your time and I don't know how or why but I suspect the Tardis had something to do with it."
"You mean the blue box they had? We've dreamt about it John, you know we have. John, if I'm out of my time, then maybe so are you."
"No Rose, I just want to be with you, you know that."
There was a knock on the door. Timothy had seen the group head down the lane and had been getting up the courage to give the watch back to John, it was telling him to return it.
"I don't think scarecrows would knock on the door," Rose said as she went to answer it. "Timothy, what are you doing here?"
"I brought this." He brought the watch out of his pocket.
"You've had it all along?" Rose asked.
"Only since earlier."
"Then why didn't you bring it before?"
"It was waiting. It's time." He held out the watch to John. "It wants you to hold it, I've seen what it can do and what he can do, as the Doctor and he's like fire and ice and rage."
"Stop it, I'm not him, I'm not this Doctor. Tell them Rose, tell them you don't believe that." He fingered the watch. "Then I'll give it to them."
"You can't, I'm sorry John, everything you wrote down, it must have all been true, matron, you've got his journal, you've read to the end."
"Yes, she's right John, you wrote down they would live forever."
Suddenly there was a loud bang and the night sky lit up.
"What was that?" Martha asked.
"It must be them," Rose replied, putting her arms around John despite what she'd just heard about him, she still loved him but what had Martha meant about her not being from that time?
He took her hands. "All I ever wanted was to be with you Rose, I had so many plans."
"I know. Matron, Martha, Timothy, can you give us a few minutes?"
Martha led the others outside, sitting on a bench and Martha with her arm around the boy as the blasting of the village continued in the distance, the cottage itself on the other side of the village, thankfully but Martha knew it was only a matter of time before the family began firing in other directions.
"You know a lot more than you're letting on Martha," Joan commented.
"I can't tell you any more, honestly matron."
"Then who are you Martha? You're from the future, as are John and Rose."
"I was training to be a doctor, a real one, not an alien one."
"You expect me to believe that? One of your kind?"
Martha wondered how society had managed to change its attitude in less than a hundred years when people had their minds made up that not everyone was equal and thanked everything she knew nowadays they were slightly more tolerant.
"Matron, I could prove it but I think now is not the time. Timothy, why did you take the watch?"
"It told me to keep it safe. I wasn't going to just keep it, I think it wanted me to get it to Doctor Smith when he needed it."
"Yeah, it's ok, if it had been left in the school, they would have found it, if they'd known what they were looking for but never mind, they would have worked it out."
"I saw you, in the future Martha, you were running away from something."
Martha smiled. "Yeah, tell me about it, that's what you do when you travel with the Doctor, a lot of running."
"How can you live like that Martha?" Joan asked. "What Timothy said, about him being like fire and ice, what did he mean?"
Martha looked thoughtful. What indeed?
"It's difficult to explain."
"Then explain it to me Martha."
When the others had gone outside, John turned to Rose.
"They want me to change back, so they can do whatever they have planned to me, what choice do I have Rose? To remain as John Smith, the man who loves you, I went into town this afternoon with you and almost bought you a diamond ring, to ask you to marry me but I was waiting, for the right time, to see if after tonight, you would still want to be with me."
"I would have John, tonight would have been wonderful, you are a wonderful man, no-one has ever treated me the way you have."
"Then how do you feel now, about me?"
"I don't know John," she smiled. "I'd need to know everything but what we had, that was real, wasn't it?"
"Yes Rose, it was real. I don't remember anything about my life before I came here, just vague memories but this last few weeks, well I just want to remain here with you, get a cottage in the village and marry you."
"You know that can't be now John, the family will destroy the village to get you to surrender to them and you know it. When they've destroyed everything, they will come and seek you out, they'll be no escape and they'll kill everyone to do it."
John took hold of the watch on the table. "I wish I'd never seen this thing. We could have had a life together Rose."
"I know John, I still love you."
She took his hand and suddenly, the watch sprang to life and showed them images of a white wedding, smiling at each other, Rose giving birth to their first child then walking through the woods, two children running in front of them, a third swinging between their arms.
"Did you see that?" he asked.
"Yeah but you know it's not meant to be John, I remember more of my dreams, you could never have a life like that."
"Why not? Don't I deserve a life like that? Don't you after the life you've had?"
"Martha says I don't belong in this time, who knows what my life was like before I was brought here? Maybe your ship brought me here, so if you had to become human, you wouldn't do it on your own?"
"That implies you know me from the future Rose, you do know that?"
"Yes and whatever it is, I don't want to know. You have to change back and stop them somehow, without being caught."
"We could have been happy Rose and if you are still here, when I get back, I want you to come with me, maybe this is how you start travelling with me?"
"Maybe but I know that things could never be the same."
"Why not? You still love me don't you? All those times we made love, that was real Rose, it had to be real, how could I live a lie like that? When we first met, there was an instant attraction between us, you felt it. We had to already have known each other in the future Rose, we could go back to that. Wouldn't you like that?"
"Open the watch John, before it's too late, it doesn't matter what you or I want, John Smith will be gone and the Doctor will emerge, you may not even feel the same for me."
"Oh Rose, how could I not love you?"
He let go of her hand then kissed her. "I love you now Rose, remember that when I change my love, my rosebud. The times we had together could never be long enough for me. Please leave, I don't want you to see me change."
"Tough, you're not doing this on your own but answer me this, out all those things in your journal, why did you draw me more than anything else?"
He let go of her after kissing her one last time. Rose stood back as swirls of light began to emerge from the still closed watch, he had no choice now but to open it up. As the light faded, he became aware of his surroundings, of who and what he was and the noise in the distance reminded him of why he'd hidden himself in the first place but he was also aware Rose had been there and now – she was gone.
ooooooooo{silversurfer60}ooooooooo
The Doctor was sad as he left the cottage, Rose had been there or had she? Was it the ship's way of getting him through this, like he thought she'd just said or was the Tardis tormenting him by taking away the only human woman he had ever loved in his miserable existence on earth? He had to put that aside and deal with the family because now, not only was he mad with them for daring to seek him out but he was mad Rose was gone - again if in fact she had really been there but Martha would know, surely?
He nodded to Martha, who was still comforting both Timothy and matron as the light from the watch had filled the whole room and filtered through the window.
"He's changed, hasn't he Martha?" Joan asked sadly.
Martha could only nod, not knowing if Rose was actually still in there or not but suspected the latter. It had been the ship's doing, she knew that, to help him through this time and she was still immensely jealous she could have helped him through it but she also knew the ship was fiercely loyal to his past companion and had given him one last chance to put things right. Maybe now he'd be better but she doubted it.
As he walked towards the family's ship, he'd already devised a plan of action, to fool them enough to make them think he was still human to get him inside the ship and interfere with their systems but allow them to live forever, just like they had wanted. Martha led the others back inside the cottage, once the firing had stopped knowing he'd successfully gained entry to the ship and trusted he could handle them on his own. The cottage was empty, she should have known.
"Where's Rose?" Timothy asked as Joan picked up the journal, determined she was going to keep it.
"She's gone, like she was never here," Joan replied, flicking through the pages. "She was never meant to be here, was she Martha?"
The Doctor dealt with the family, one by one as daylight crept over the village and Martha went to find the Tardis, now parked on a nearby hillside, close to a lone scarecrow she had a feeling was Baines, or who they'd once known as Baines. She felt sorry for the boys in the school, they'd been confused and the police and the army had been sent for and once the telephone line was repaired, the parents were being asked to collect the boys.
Joan had gone back to the cottage to wait for John and now he stood in the doorway.
"Is it done?"
"Yes."
Joan turned around. "You look the same."
The Doctor gave her half a smile.
"What happened to Rose?"
"I don't know, when I changed, she disappeared. Hopefully, she'll have no memory of what happened."
"You really loved her? What was wrong with me?"
He hung his head. He could never love anyone the way he had loved Rose. He knew what the Tardis had done, plucked Rose or the image of Rose out of time and space to let him see her one more time, to put right what he'd never told her at Bad Wolf Bay. Wherever she had gone back to, it was not in the time they had travelled together, he would have known.
"I'm sorry matron, I never meant to hurt anyone. You could come with us, if you want? I'd like that, we can try anything."
"I can't, that's not fair, what must I look like to you when you chose Rose over me? Tell me John, or Doctor, if Rose had not been here, would you have chosen me?"
The look on his face told her the answer. "You should go."
Martha was waiting for him outside the Tardis, in the rain.
"Is she ok? I could talk to her, if you want?"
"Leave it Martha, it will just make things worse. You knew about Rose?"
"I didn't know how to stop you. Will she remember?"
He shook his head and pulled Martha into a hug. "Thank you, for looking after me."
They were about to leave when Timothy approached them. The Doctor took out the fobwatch and handed it to him.
"Take care of yourself," Martha told him.
"The biggest war ever is coming, isn't it?"
"You don't have to fight, you could get hurt."
"Yeah, so could you, if you continue to travel with him," Timothy laughed back. "I know what must be done now."
The Doctor shook his hand. "You might want to watch this."
Timothy smiled as the blue box in front of him faded from view.
ooooooooo{silversurfer60}ooooooooo
Rose woke up with a start at knocking on her room door.
"Rose, come on, you'll be late," her mother called, trying to stop her young son running in and jumping on Rose's bed as she opened the door slightly. "It's your big day today don't forget."
Rose shook her head and looked around her pink and blue room at the Tyler mansion. She'd just had such the weirdest dream ever, she was back in the other world, in 1913 but it was all fading, she vaguely remembered the details and today was the day the board would finally approve the new dimension cannon for full use by top agents after successful tests and she would be able to go find the Doctor.
She got dressed for work and joined her mother and Pete in the kitchen, Jackie trying to give Tony his breakfast of scrambled eggs but he wanted to play with his toy zeppelin, Pete was half watching over his open newspaper.
"Big day Rose, are you ready for this?" Pete asked her. Rose nodded. "Well we finally picked the head research assistant, his name's David Smith, he's highly recommended, has all the right qualifications and Jake's cleared him."
"Great, if Jake's cleared him I'm sure he'll be fine."
Pete hid back behind his newspaper – wait until she saw him.
Rose was a little excited at finally being able to follow readings and measure timelines to get to know what was going on back in her old world and just hoped he'd not regenerated. As she followed Pete into the room the dimension cannon was housed, Jake and Mickey were waiting amongst others, Jake talking to a tall brown haired man with his back to her and wearing a blue pinstriped suit that reminded Rose of the brown one the Doctor always wore, wherever they went.
Pete called their attention, the newcomer the last one as Jake indicated for him to turn around.
"Everyone, I'd like you all to meet the latest member of our team, Doctor David Smith."
Rose gasped as he stepped forward, enthusiastically and grabbed her hand and shaking it as there in front of her stood the exact double of the very man she was seeking.
"Hello, you can call me Doctor, you must be Rose, nice to meet you, very nice, more than nice, brilliant."
Pete smiled to himself and looked knowingly at Jake. Out of the possible candidates to head the project, it had been sheer luck the man now holding onto Rose's hand and talking her ear off had applied for the job at the last minute and it had taken Pete and Jake all of five minutes to offer it to him. His mission achieved, it was all now up to Rose.
Back in 2007, Timothy Latimer had lived a good life and had won many medals for his bravery in two world wars. Now, he as sitting in the front row, surrounded by his old comrades at a commemorative service, holding on to the fobwatch given to him back in 1913 by his old history teacher, who wasn't really a teacher and as he looked up for a moment, the female member of the clergy read the words "They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn."
Timothy smiled as he saw Martha pinning a poppy to Doctor Smith's lapel and as long as he lived, he would always remember them as the teacher and the housemaid.
The End!
Thanx to everyone for the reviews, I've never had so many and thanks to all those who followed this story. It's the longest one I've ever written though I hope you didn't find it too long! I hope everyone likes the ending and there are some unanswered question but most of that was covered in other episodes though in this story, we can assume Rose doesn't get involved with the events of 'Journey's End' and never came across the Doctor in series 4 but they are other stories waiting to be told.