Author's Notes - Since this went AU after Journey's End, I couldn't help but bring the Time Lords back in some way. This was written well before the End of Time, and while it was an exciting episode, I wish they had allowed for the Time Lords' return. They're a good foil for the Doctor.

Thanks to MaryMatthesen, TheOnyxRose and dwatlaskrhtcm for their reviews. Hope you enjoy the twists and turns!


Sitting in the small medical bay watching Melissa breathe, the Doctor tried to keep his fears in check. It had been eight hours since she had collapsed, and he was beginning to become concerned at her continued lack of consciousness. He didn't know what the Bad Wolf had done to bring their people out of the Void, but he knew she had suffered for it.

He sensed Jack's presence before he saw him. Straightening in his chair, he turned to peer intently at his friend as he walked through the door to the trauma center. Jack's face was stained with tears; he was making no attempt to hide his emotions. His memory had returned with a vengeance.

"Jack?" His friend only glanced in his direction before sitting beside Melissa.

"I'm sorry," he whispered over and over as he gently smoothed her hair. Tears were once again falling unchecked down his face. Assuming that he would be in the way, the Doctor stood to leave the small room.

"Don't go."

"I thought you might like to be alone with her".

Wiping his eyes, Jack turned towards the Doctor. "She's not waking up, and I don't think I can watch her be so very still. Stay, please."

It was a request he could not ignore. Pulling up a chair for his friend, he tried to reassure the Captain. "She's going to recover, Jack. She'll be as good as new."

Slouching in the chair, the Captain closed his eyes. "I don't think she can be as good as new ever again. I think she must be broken." He paused, choking back more tears before adding quietly, "And so am I."

Immediately, the Doctor put his hand on Jack's arm in sympathy. Startled, the Captain looked blankly at his friend. It was so easy to see the devastation on his face, and the Doctor quickly embraced him in a strong hug. He held him tightly as Jack shook, crying silently against his shoulder.

"She's going to wake up, Captain. I promise. As for the rest, I'm so very, very sorry. I said a long time ago that she hasn't had the easiest life, but then neither of you have, have you?"

Too emotional to speak, Jack acknowledged the Time Lord's words with a small shake of his head.

"I wish I could have done something for you both."

"Yeah, but that was the whole point of the alternate. You weren't there. We did the best we could, but it wasn't ever good enough." Jack was slowly starting to recover his perspective, but the devastation of Melissa's death in that timeline and the grief of their daughter's passing were still at the forefront of his thoughts.

"It looked to me like you were both better than good enough, Jack. Life's not fair; sometimes you just have some really rotten luck. At least you had each other. It's obvious she loves you just as much as you love her."

"She loves you, too," he said loyally, but the Doctor cut him off.

"I left her, Jack, just like I left you. No matter what her feelings for me, we certainly don't have the same relationship that you and she share at the moment, and that's understandable. For us, it's just going to take some time."

Silently, they both watched her still form, each wondering when she'd wake.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Melissa woke up physically stronger than she had been in weeks. Glancing around, however, she took one look at Jack and broke down, flinging herself into his arms and sobbing uncontrollably against his chest. The Doctor edged out the door, unnoticed.

Gripping her tightly, he did his best to reassure her. "I remember everything, Sweetheart. That day when the Titanic crashed I felt like I wanted to die, but I wouldn't have changed a thing. Joy was beautiful, and ours and we'll always remember her, and I told Matthew I loved him and Susan was devastated when you died, and Owen and Tosh had a chance at a life together, all because of you. I love you, Melissa Morgan Harkness, Time Lord or human, and I always will. I'm sorry it took me so long to remember."

Suddenly, he was kissing her fiercely even as she entered his mind. She found him standing in the middle of a bleak, cold desert, wearing his usual clothing, his overcoat flapping in the wind. As soon as he saw her, his entire countenance became joyful, and he took her in his arms, spinning her around. When he put her down, they were standing underneath a familiar stained glass pavilion, the waterfall roaring in the background. She was wearing the long, green dress that perfectly matched her eyes, her face lit by a sunny smile.

Exuberant, he wrapped her in a tight hug. "I've missed this so much, and I didn't even know what I was missing!"

Sobering abruptly, he blinked back tears. "I don't know how you managed as well as you did, losing Joy and Susan and Matthew in such a short amount of time. I should have been there for you. I promised I would remember, and you had to mourn our children alone."

"I was never alone, and you remember now. That's all that matters."

They clung to each other, sharing their grief until he imaged a field of lush, soft red grass. Laying her gently down in the undulating field, he knelt beside her, tenderly anointing her body with his lips. With each kiss, he poured the depth of his love for her into her very soul. Soaking up his devotion, she filled slowly, and then burst like a damn on a river, sending her own emotions careening into him.

Existing completely within the other, he knew every vanity, every fear, every doubt he had ever known was laid bare to her, and he didn't care. She understood who he had been, who he was, and incredibly, who he could be. And her acceptance of him was unconditional, just as his was for her. They surged together, both experiencing the climax of their union through their own perspective as well as their partner's. For a precious moment, Jack truly did not know where he began and she ended, their perceptions completely entangled.

His point of view slowly returned to a singular one. He was completely worn out, and with a lingering farewell, he slipped out of her mind to find her lying comfortably in his arms. Their mental union had been so overwhelming that he could only vaguely recall their physical joining. He couldn't help it; he chuckled at the thought.

"What?"

"I never thought I'd ever say that something was better than sex."

"I think it's better with sex, myself."

"I'm sure you're right, but honestly, I hardly noticed."

That got a chuckle out of her. "If you were anyone but Jack Harkness saying that, I might feel insulted. I think I'll take it as a compliment instead."

Content, he trailed his fingers across her stomach, enjoying the occasional twitch of her muscles. They were still nude, pressed closely together on the infirmary's narrow bed when the Doctor walked in.

"Not to spoil the reunion, but I've stalled for as long as I can." Briskly, he picked up Jack's pants and threw them in the Captain's general direction.

"Everyone's anxious to greet, you, Emma. I get the distinct impression that they don't think I've been taking very good care of you."

As Jack swiftly pulled on his pants, Melissa sat up reluctantly, wondering what he was talking about. Before she could ask for an explanation, the Doctor took an exaggerated sniff and started babbling.

"Blimey, there are a lot of pheromones in here. Maybe you two should have a shower. Yep, definitely a shower. But separately, not together, because if you showered together, you'd never finish, and I was completely serious when I said that everyone's getting anxious. You don't mind taking the time to clean up, do you, Em? I mean, things are complicated enough without complicating them further. Certain people might be somewhat judgmental, and perhaps it's for the best if we keep your part of the bond quiet, Captain, at least until the dust settles.

Looking like he had finally lost his sanity, she demanded, "What the hell are you talking about, Doc?"

The Doctor's smile faded instantly. "You don't sense them?"

"Sense what?"

Automatically, Jack moved beside her while the Doctor asked, "Do you know where you are?"

"Hospital?"

She hadn't really cared enough to think about it. Knowing that Jack had remembered their life together had been enough to distract her from asking how she had suddenly recovered from her head injury. Taking a look around, she felt dizzy, and it was a good thing that she was already on the bed.

"I, where, I mean, how? I can feel-there's thousands of them!"

Taking deep, cleansing breaths, she allowed them to explain to her how she had channeled the power of the Bad Wolf to bring the TARDISes through the Void. Then, the Doctor quietly explained to both of them how she had saved the children of Arcadia and the children of Gallifrey in the final moments of the Time War.

Swallowing a lump in her throat, she hugged them both in pure relief. "I wasn't a coward like that bastard after all, thank Rassilon!"

Eager, she showered and dressed swiftly, letting Jack do the same. She couldn't wait to meet those she had saved.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Dressed, her wet hair braided down her back, Melissa gripped the Doctor's hand tightly for support as she walked down the long hallways towards the console room of the Battle TARDIS. Jack was standing just a step behind her, and she took comfort in his presence as well. After her initial euphoria, she had become somewhat apprehensive. The Doctor hadn't told her who she would be meeting, just that she would recognize all of them.

He had made it quite clear that she and Jack were to keep the nature of their relationship a secret, especially the existence of the bond. At that point, he had admitted that one of the Time Lords would consider any bond with a human to be a perverse aberration, not to mention the fact that she was doubly bonded to the Doctor. A shiver had gone down her spine at his announcement. There hadn't been many taboos left unbroken by the end of the Time War, but bonding with a member of the lesser species had definitely been one of them.

Seeing her look of apprehension, the Doctor jauntily attempted to reassure her, although his words sounded brittle to her ears. "Don't worry, Em. It seems that I've been elected High Lord President in absentia. I won't allow anyone bother you or Jack, for any reason."

The Captain tensed, abruptly realizing that everyone he was about to meet would consider him wrong. He hoped no one would actually run away; that might be too much of a blow to his suddenly fragile ego.

Guessing exactly what was going through his friend's mind, the Doctor dropped Melissa's hand for a moment to clap him heartily on the back. "Really, Captain, you didn't think you could marry her without meeting the family, did you?"

For some reason, that didn't reassure him at all, but he didn't have time to protest. They were suddenly standing at the door to the console room.

"Right," the Doctor muttered, suddenly showing his own nervousness. Putting a smile on his face, he opened the door.

Seeing the tall, blond man standing in the center of the group, Melissa flew to him. "Brax!"

He gave her a crushing bear hug before apologizing for sending her to Earth so hastily. "I wish I could have restored you before sending you through, but you were being watched, Emma. I couldn't chance it."

Still reeling from seeing him alive, she nodded distractedly as her eyes swept the room. "Flavia! Teska! I can't believe it! You were at that school. Why didn't you tell me who you were?"

The two women smiled hesitantly, not sure how much the Doctor had already told her or how upset she would be when she finally understood. Just as Melissa realized that every Time Lord in the console room had been one of the teachers at the school, her eyes rested on the one person who was standing well away from the group.

Marching angrily to him, she poked him harshly in the chest as she vented thirty years of pent up rage. "You! What the hell are you doing here? You made my human childhood a nightmare! There wasn't a day you didn't make me feel like I was stupid and unworthy! And you made me feel guilty for something that didn't even happen! My parents were killed when the Daleks attacked Bandija Prime! And you're supposed to be dead!"

Borusa stood calmly, letting her rant until she was out of breath. Then, he disdainfully flicked an imaginary spot of dust off his red robes. "You were human, Emissary. By definition, that means you were stupid. And you are just as responsible for Gallifrey's fall as your bond mate. If you hadn't wasted precious time ferrying the Arcadians to Verona, you would have arrived well before the fifth TARDIS was stolen. It's your fault the Greater Plan did not succeed. It's your fault Gallifrey burned. You are nothing but incompetent and weak, and I do not understand why Lord Rassilon put so much faith in you."

Melissa had no memory of any of the events to which he was alluding. However, each sentence that came out of his mouth was like a physical blow. When the Doctor had explained how she had saved the children of both planets, he had made it sound like she had performed some sort of miracle. But Borusa had just informed her that the children's survival was no more than a small consolation for a disastrous mistake.

Horrified at what she had heard, she searched the faces of her friends and peers. Many of them refused to meet her eyes, and the ones that did looked all too sympathetic. Is that why they had allowed Borusa to torment her as a human child? Were they all so disappointed in her that on a subconscious level, they had wished to punish her?

"That's enough, Borusa."

The Doctor's warning came out as a harsh growl, and Jack was forcibly reminded of his friend's reputation as the Oncoming Storm. There was a fierce anger churning on the surface that he hadn't witnessed in this regeneration. Standing silently by the Time Lord's side, the Captain was very grateful that that anger wasn't directed towards him.

Borusa did not appear to be intimidated, responding almost immediately to the challenge. "I think not, Doctor. It's apparent that your wits have been addled by the years spent completely alone in your mind, or you would not allow such a freak like the Fact to be standing next to you. Why have you not yet unmade him? Surely, even a TARDIS as primitive as yours is capable of absorbing his past and future timelines. Considering that the Eye of Harmony is no longer available to recharge your ship, I'm sure he would make a good fuel."

Jack reeled. So the Doctor did have the ability to kill him after all. Although, the term "unmade" had a rather sinister ring to it. He had a sneaking suspicion that the other Time Lord was referring to something more profound than mere death.

He didn't have time for contemplation as Melissa lunged at the robed Time Lord, no doubt intending to strangle him. Considering their height difference, it might have been funny, except she coldly kicked his legs out from under him. It took the Captain and the Doctor to pry her off the frail looking man, who wisely didn't try to stand.

As Jack tightened his grip on Melissa's waist, the Doctor regarded his fellow Time Lords thoughtfully. Not one of them had made a move to interfere, and all stood before him, eyes downcast, varying degrees of guilt on their faces. Finally, Brax looked up, and without a word, helped Borusa to stand.

When he finally spoke, the Doctor's voice was clipped, cold and barely under control. "Does anyone else believe like Lord Borusa that Gallifrey's destruction was in any way Emma's fault?"

No one spoke, and he turned his gaze upon each and every one of them, demanding a response. When their turn came, they all responded with a no, although some, like Brax and Flavia, were more resolute than others.

"Good, glad we have that matter settled. Now, as to Captain Harkness. Yes, he looks wrong to you. Yes, he is a Fact. He is also my companion, and I will not tolerate anyone calling him a freak. He has saved my life on more than one occasion, and he suffered a year of agonizing deaths at the hands of the Master so I could defeat my old enemy. Captain Harkness will not be unmade. He cannot be unmade without severely damaging the Web of Time. You will treat him with respect, or you will answer to me."

As one, they mumbled their agreement, and the Doctor brightened visibly, his manner becoming friendly and animated.

"Right. Where were we? Oh yes, you were all waiting to see Emma. Em? Why don't you take everyone to my TARDIS and show them the wardrobe room. I'm sure they can find something more colorful to wear than those drab, black uniforms. Jack and I will catch up with all of you in an hour or so. We can all go out for a late dinner. We need to discuss some things before we address the students tomorrow. Besides, I'm sure everyone's tired of protein cubes by now."

The Doctor had given her plenty of time to compose herself, but it was difficult to control her anxiety. She wanted nothing more than to stay with him, but she took a deep breath and made the effort to smile. Only three of the fifteen didn't smile back, so she counted that as a victory. With all the nonchalance she could muster, she led the group outside.

Left alone with Jack and Borusa, the Doctor focused on his breathing while he tried to calm down. He hadn't expected the confrontation to come so quickly, but he was relieved that it was over. Being the last of the Time Lords for a few centuries, he had let his memory become selective, forgetting how vicious Gallifreyan politics could be.

"You're showing your age, Doctor. Surely such a trivial disagreement shouldn't affect you so much. I'm sure your brother would be happy to take the burden of leadership away from you."

"That didn't work when we were children, and it's not going to work now, Borusa," the Doctor answered tiredly. "If Brax wants to lead them, I'm not going to stop him. Actually, I would thank him."

"Ah, you're the same Doctor I remember then, shunning responsibility in favor of selfish gratification."

Jack had been trying to keep silent, but that description of the Doctor's character drove him to speak. "It's obvious you don't know the Doctor at all."

Borusa stared at the Captain for several seconds, revulsion plainly written on his face. "I've known the Doctor since he was eight years old. I taught him. I challenged him. I tried to mold him, but I failed miserably. All that potential wasted, merely because he refused to see that the end justified the means."

Deliberately, the Doctor stepped up to his former teacher, lightly laying his hands on the old man's face. The stood unmoving for several minutes until the Doctor just as deliberately removed his hands. Hastily, Borusa took a few steps backward in obvious retreat.

"I see the Time War forged you in ways I hadn't dared dream. What a leader you could become, you with your army of eager, young Time Lords. You could remake the cosmos into one of peace and stability, and at its center a new Gallifrey. You could be as revered as the great Lord Rassilon himself."

"That isn't going to work either, Borusa. I showed you what I had done so you could understand why I refuse to take up arms again, no matter what the cause. Gallifrey is gone; the Daleks are destroyed; and there are five thousand, seven hundred sixty-seven Time Lords left alive to guard the Web of Time. I have no interest in rebuilding an empire."

"Perhaps you're right, Doctor," he finally said with a sigh. "Perhaps it is time to let the dream of Gallifrey die. A shame though."

He deliberately paused a moment before continuing in a patronizing tone. "After your spectacular defeat at Arcadia, and your inability to maintain the transduction barrier around our planet, I can understand why you would be too afraid to face such failure again. I couldn't help but think, however, that restoring the Time Lords to their rightful position might take away some of the sting of murdering all the people you held dear to fix a mistake you made in your fourth life."

"That's enough, Borusa. You can't possibly add to my guilt, so don't even try."

Intentionally, Borusa stared again at Jack, except this time, his expression was carefully bemused. "He has told you what he did, hasn't he? Or perhaps, I should say, what he didn't do?"

Jack listened in spite of himself.

"He had the ability, no, the responsibility, to kill the Daleks when they were first created, but he couldn't do it. Couldn't stomach the thought of genocide. Ironic, don't you think? The Doctor entombed Davros and his creations instead of destroying them, pushing back their development by a thousand years, all as a salve for his precious conscience. But in the end, he committed genocide against two races and caused countless others species to perish."

Irritated that he had let the man get to him, Jack snidely replied, "Your standing here proves that he wasn't successful, doesn't it? The Doctor's not a cold-blooded killer. Never has been, never will be. He did what he had to do to end a war that was tearing apart the very fabric of time and space. I was a Time Agent, and even we could feel the ripples of the Time War with our crude devices and limited understanding."

"Don't bother arguing with him, Captain," the Doctor advised tiredly. "He'll only twist your words. If you don't mind, I'd like to offer him the hospitality of one of your cells."

"Sure. I wonder if he'd like Janet?"

"Jack."

Hearing the admonishment in his friend's tone, the Captain turned businesslike. He assisted the Doctor in piloting the Battle TARDIS into the Hub, and then silently led Borusa to the cells. Placing the Time Lord well away from any Weevils, Jack provided him with water and a stale sandwich before engaging the door.

"He's a coward, you know."

Glaring at Borusa, the Captain bit his tongue, heeding the Doctor's warning. However, as he walked away, the old man called out. "And she's nothing but a pawn."

He couldn't help himself; he spun around. "What the hell do you mean by that?"

Extremely satisfied, Borusa allowed himself a smile. "So you do care for her. Your emotions will be your undoing, Fact. She's nothing more than a means to an end, and like all good pawns, she'll meet a pawn's fate."

His hands bunched into fists, Jack stared at Borusa, hoping to see some telltale sign that the man was simply goading him. However, the Time Lord looked far too smug for Jack to catch any hint of weakness. His emotions getting the better of him, the Captain retorted angrily.

"Not on my watch."

When his prisoner didn't reply, he stalked out of the cells as quickly as possible, his mind troubled by the Time Lord's taunts.

"That's what I'm counting on," Borusa remarked to himself as he watched Jack disappear from view.