The Doctor stood in the console room, regeneration energy pouring out of him. He didn't want to change! He wanted to marry Alyssa. Him! Not some other man. But regeneration couldn't be stopped once it started there was no way to…
His eyes widened when he realised that he still had his spare hand. There was a chance that it wouldn't work…but he had to try. With a lot of effort, he turned around and points both hands at his spare hand making it glow and bubble wildly. The regeneration energy faded away and the Time Lord leans against a support, gasping but looking very much the same.
He straightened up "Now then. Where were we?" the Doctor asked.
"You're still you", Alyssa stated staring at him in disbelief. She wasn't the only one, Steve, Jack, Donna and Rose were too. "H-how is that possible?"
"I just used the regeneration to heal myself and then siphoned off the rest into my spare hand", the Doctor explained nodding to the jar. He turned to Alyssa "I didn't want to change Ali" he took her hands "I'm the one who fell in love with you…proposed to you. I want to be the one who says 'I do' and I want to be the one who helps you raise our child not some other guy…" he looked away "I know that sounds stupid".
Alyssa tugged one of her hands free so she could turn his face back to her "Oh, Doctor. It's not stupid at all. In fact I think it's rather sweet" she leant in and kissed him. Rose looked away, feeling anger and jealousy towards Alyssa. It should've been her not some silly red head!
The Doctor pulled away and touched her face with a loving smile. He then turned his attention to Rose, the smile no longer present. "You've got some nerve showing up here after what you've done to Ali!"
"What do you mean? I didn't do anything to her", Rose said feigning innocence "this is the first time I've met her".
"No its not, you met her in the parallel world", Donna spoke up.
"Where you shot me, twice", Alyssa added.
"That's a lie! The only person I met that is present right now is Donna", Rose nodded to the ginger.
"Rose, do you know what an empath is?" Alyssa asked "Its someone who has the ability to feel what others feel. It's also a rather handy inbuilt lie detector too. So I know you're lying big time".
"So what if I am lying?" Rose asked defensively "what are you going to do about it?"
The Doctor stepped forward, glaring at her with full Oncoming Storm "Be very careful Rose", he warned "for there is nothing I wouldn't do to you for 'killing' my future wife".
Rose swallowed, eyeing him uneasily. "Y-you wouldn't hurt me", she said, attempting to sound confident but the tremor in her voice gave away the fact that she was a little afraid "I was your companion".
"Exactly. You were my companion", the Doctor spat "now you're nothing to me except a threat to my family".
"But I did it to be with you!" Rose argued "because I love you".
"Love me?" the Doctor scoffed "I could never love someone like you. You should've just stayed in the parallel world where you belong!" Suddenly the power went out in the TARDIS.
"What's happening?" Alyssa asked.
"They've got us", the Doctor replied "some kind of chronon loop…" The TARDIS tilted violently causing all the passengers to stumble. The Time Lord was quick to grab the red head, holding her close.
"There's a massive Dalek ship at the centre of the planets", Jack said grabbing hold of the rail to keep himself stable "They're calling it the Crucible. Guess that's our destination".
"You said these planets were like an engine", Donna said to the Doctor as she held onto the console "But what for?"
The Time Lord turned to Rose after making sure that Alyssa was steady. "What was the future in your world", he demanded..
Rose hesitated for a moment before she answered "darkness".
"The stars were going out", Donna added.
"One by one. We looked up at the sky and they were just dying", Rose continued "Basically, we've been building this…" she looked away "this travel machine, this…" Rose's voice dropped to a quieter tone "Dimension Cannon…so I could…come back".
"A Dimension Cannon. You built a Dimension Cannon", the Doctor repeated, everything suddenly falling into place. It was just like when Yvonne had used her machine at Torchwood which allowed the Cybermen entrance from the Parallel world. Only this time it was a whole Dalek army, not from a parallel world but from the Time War itself.
Rose nodded "Suddenly, it started to work and the dimensions started to collapse. Not just in our world, not just in yours, but the whole of reality. Even the Void was dead. Something is destroying everything", she explained.
"You really are a stupid ape", the Doctor spat "this is all your fault. The Daleks are here because your device weakened the walls of the universe enough for them to come through!"
"I didn't know that was going to happen!" Rose cried "I swear, I just wanted to come back to you!"
"Why couldn't you have stayed where you were!?" the Doctor exclaimed "For the first time in a while, I was content and then you had to go build a bloody cannon and threaten the whole of reality; the love of my lives and OUR child!" Alyssa gingerly touched his arm feeling his anger reach his boiling point. He glanced at her "sorry love", he said realising that she felt his emotions.
"It's ok", Alyssa said.
Donna glanced at Rose "In that parallel world, you said something about me", she said.
"The Dimension Cannon…" Rose winced at the glare the Doctor threw at her "could measure timelines, and it's, it's weird, Donna, but they all seemed to converge on you".
"But why me?" Donna asked confused "I mean, what have I ever done? I'm a temp from Chiswick".
"Not just a temp. A super temp", Alyssa corrected. Donna smiled at that. It had been Alyssa who first called her a super temp at Adipose Industries.
The scanner beeps getting everyone's attention. "The Dalek Crucible", the Doctor remarked "All aboard".
"The TARDIS is secured", they heard a Dalek say outside the doors.
"Doctor, you will step forth or die"
"We'll have to go out", the Doctor told them all "Because if we don't, they'll get in".
"You told me nothing could get through those doors", Rose spoke up.
"You've got extrapolator shielding", Jack reminded the Doctor.
"Last time we fought the Daleks, they were scavengers and hybrids, and mad", the Doctor said "But this is a fully-fledged Dalek Empire, at the height of its power. Experts at fighting Tardises, they can do anything. Right now, that wooden door is…just wood".
Alyssa noticed that Donna had moved away from the others, seemingly in her own world. "You alright?" she asked touching the woman on the arm, making her jump.
"Yeah…I'm fine", Donna replied.
"Surrender, Doctor, and face your Dalek masters", a Dalek ordered.
"Crucible on maximum alert", another Dalek said.
"Daleks", Rose said with a nervous laugh.
"Oh, God!" Jack laughed too. Steve eyed them wondering why they were laughing. It was a weird reaction to their situation, he wasn't finding it at all funny.
"It's been good, though, hasn't it?" the Doctor asked looking at them all "All of us. All of it. Everything we did", he glanced at Donna "You were brilliant" he turned to Jack "And you were brilliant" Jack grinned at him "you're brilliant as well Steve".
"Thanks Doctor", Steve said. The Doctor then turned to Alyssa.
"You…you're…I'm so glad that I met you", he said "I don't regret that for a second".
Alyssa smiled "I don't regret it either", she said.
The Doctor looked at the doors and took a breath. "Here we go", he said. He walked down the ramp followed by Jack, Rose and Steve. Alyssa hung back when she saw that Donna was distracted again.
"Donna you sure you're ok?" Alyssa asked.
"I don't know", Donna replied "I keep hearing this heartbeat. But I-I don't know where its coming from".
Before Alyssa could say anything, the Doctor called out "You two are no safer in there".
"We better join them", Alyssa said and Donna nodded. They headed towards the door and was thoroughly startled when it suddenly slammed shut.
"What the hell?" Donna asked as she and Alyssa ran over to the doors. Alyssa yanked on the handles but it wouldn't budge.
"It's stuck", she reported.
"Doctor! What have you done?" Donna shouted through the door.
"It wasn't me. I didn't do anything!" The Doctor shouted back.
"Well we're not staying behind!" Donna exclaimed "open the door!"
The Doctor turned to the Supreme Dalek "What did you do?!" he demanded, his hearts hammering away.
"This is not of Dalek origin", the Supreme Dalek stated.
"Doctor!" the Time Lord heard the two women shout from the TARDIS.
"Stop it! That is my friend and fiancée in there. Now open the door and let them out", the Doctor ordered.
"This is Time Lord treachery", the Supreme Dalek said.
"Me? The door just closed on its own!" the Doctor argued.
"Nevertheless, the TARDIS is a weapon and it will be destroyed", the Supreme Dalek said. The Doctor watched horrified as a trapdoor opened beneath the blue box and it falls.
"What are you doing?" the Doctor cried "Bring it back!"
~TARDIS~
Alyssa and Donna clung onto the railings as the TARDIS plummeted down the endless tunnel. "Doctor!" they screamed.
~Crucible~
"What have you done?! Where's it going?" the Doctor demanded.
"The Crucible has a heart of Z-neutrino energy. The TARDIS will be deposited into the core", the Supreme Dalek explained.
"You can't. You've taken the defences down. It'll be torn apart!" the Doctor shouted, his hearts gripped with fear for his fiancée, unborn child and companion.
~TARDIS~
Several small fires erupted around the console room and many of the lights in the walls explode. Alyssa struggled to climb to the console and grabbed hold of it with one hand. She held out the other to Donna, who was having a bit more trouble getting to the console. The ginger reached up at grasped Alyssa's hand. With a grunt, the red head pulled Donna over to the console.
"Thanks", Donna said "Now what do we do?" she asked desperately.
"I don't know", Alyssa reluctantly answered.
~Crucible~
"But Donna's still in there!" Rose exclaimed.
"Let her go!" Jack ordered.
"And Ali too", Steve spoke up.
"The females and the TARDIS will perish together. Observe!" the Supreme Dalek activates a holographic screen showing the TARDIS bobbing in the energy field "The last child of Gallifrey is powerless".
"Please. I'm begging you. I'll do anything!" the Doctor pleaded "Put me in their place. You can do anything to me, I don't care, just get Donna and Ali out of there!"
~TARDIS~
Alyssa and Donna were now on their hands and knees, coughing due to the smoke that was curling around the console room. The ginger's head suddenly snapped up, staring at the hand in the jar. She reached out to it…
"Donna! No!" Alyssa exclaimed grabbing her hand about to pull her away when there was an explosion from the jar throwing them both backwards. Donna landed on her back on the grilled floor while Alyssa collided hard with the curved wall.
Donna groaned sitting up, her gaze immediately going over to Alyssa. The red head was slumped by the wall, unmoving. Donna got up and stumbled over to her friend. "Ali?" she gently shook her "Ali wake up!"
Alyssa didn't respond.
Desperately Donna felt for a pulse and she shoulders slumped when she couldn't find one. "Ali…no…" she breathed, her voice wobbly with tears "no!"
Unbeknownst to Donna, metacrisis Doctor, created from the Doctor's old hand, was watching the crying ginger sadly.
"Donna, I'm so sorry", he said quietly.
Donna looked up at him "it's you", she said, her voice thick with tears, her surprised masked by her sorrow for her best friend. The ginger turned her gaze back to Alyssa, brushing back her red hair from her face, letting out another sob. The metacrisis Doctor went to the console and pushed some buttons, making the TARDIS vanish from the heart of the Crucible and appear safely in space. He then went off to search from some clothes, leaving Donna alone to mourn.
It didn't take the metacrisis Doctor long to find something to wear in the vast wardrobe. He headed for the entrance pausing when he caught something out of the corner of his eye. It was a red fez. He went over, picked it up and a sad smile appeared on his face. Alyssa loved the red fez…
~Flashback~
"Oh I'm liking this", she said looking at herself in the mirror.
"Whats up with the fez?" the Doctor asked.
"What's wrong with wearing a fez?" Alyssa asked turning to him. "Fezzes are cool. I think I might start wearing one more often", she said inspecting her image in the mirror. "Oi!" she exclaimed when the Doctor snatched the fez off her head.
"Now you can't wear it", he said tossing it away making her pout.
"Aw I liked that Fez", she mumbled.
~end~
The metacrisis Doctor set it down. Having got the Doctor's memories, he knew that despite the Time Lord voicing his dislike of them, he'd secretly thought that the red head looked good wearing it.
She'd looked good in everything that she wore. The green medieval gown…the little blue number she wore before they met Donna for the first time. She looked amazing in the blue toga during the Pompeii trip. The Doctor was right in comparing her to a goddess…
~Flashback~
"You look beautiful", he said taking in her appearance once again. She'd decided to dress for the times, which was a nice surprise for the Doctor. Her outfit consisted of a light blue toga with a silver cord wrapped around her waist showing off her figure; a pair of sandals and her charm bracelet. Her hair was pulled back a low bun with a few wavy tendrils framing her face.
"You've said that already", Alyssa said with a smile "three times to be exact".
"I can't help it", the Doctor said "you really are beautiful, like a goddess".
Alyssa blushed "I'm not a goddess", she said.
"Yes you are" the Doctor placed a hand on her cheek "you're my brilliant red haired goddess".
~end~
He sighed, sinking down into a nearby chair. He had all these memories…all of the Doctor's memories of Alyssa. The first time they met…their trip to Iceland to see the Northern Lights…all their adventures together.
He also had the more personal, more intimate memories too. The moment the Doctor had realised that he was in love with Alyssa. When the Time Lord confessed his feelings and discovered that the woman felt the same way. Their first kiss. The first time that they…a faint blush crept onto his cheeks when he thought about that particular moment. He shook his head to get rid of those thoughts.
Alyssa was the Doctor's fiancée. Not his. It was just hard not to think of her in way when he had the Time Lord's memories…he feelings towards the red head. He felt a pang in his heart knowing how much the Doctor wanted to marry Alyssa but now he'll never get the chance.
Tears pricked in his own eyes as he thought about the red head, lying on the floor of the console room, dead. What he wouldn't give for her to be alive right now…
White. That was all Alyssa could see. White.
"Hello!" she called, her voice echoing in the vast space "hello!"
No response.
"Is anyone there?" Alyssa asked loudly "where am I?" nothing "where's Donna? Is she ok?"
Still nothing.
Alyssa wrapped her arms around herself and started walk, glancing around at her surroundings, or lack thereof…warily. As she walked, she hummed aloud trying to distract herself from the deafening silence that sounded her. Just like when she spoke, the hums echoed around her which made her stop humming.
And then she heard something that made her stop walking. A very familiar melody. Alyssa slowly turned around "Sexy", she breathed thoroughly relieved to see her standing there.
"Hello sweetie", the TARDIS said giving her a fond smile.
"Is this happening in my head again?" Alyssa asked walking towards the woman.
The smile fell from the TARDIS' face. "No, it's not. Alyssa I'm sorry…"
"Sorry?" Alyssa asked "what are you sorry for?"
"Sweetie…you're dead", the TARDIS said, tears in her eyes.
"No, I can't be…I just hit my head hard. I'm unconscious that's all", Alyssa said adamantly, not wanting to believe her.
"I'm so sorry Alyssa…but you are dead", the TARDIS said.
Alyssa turned away, hand on her stomach, sinking down to the floor. "I died", she repeated, tearing up. The TARDIS went over and sat down beside her. "Donna. Please tell me she…"
"She's fine", the TARDIS gently cut in "She's alive and perfectly safe".
"Good. That's good", Alyssa said. She looked at the TARDIS "So what now? Is there a bright light I have to walk through", she asked "or am I at my final destination?"
"No, this is not your final destination and there is no light for you to walk through", the TARDIS said "you're not done yet".
Alyssa frowned in confusion "what does that mean?"
"It means your story is not yet over sweetie", the TARDIS elaborated "did you think that I would spend all that time slowly changing you into a Time Lady if you going to die?"
"I still don't understand", Alyssa said.
The TARDIS reached out and placed a hand on her cheek "I was changing you because you and the Doctor were meant to be. How do you think he ended up as your lodger? It was me. I've always known right from the start, right from when he stole me…that you and he were going to be together. My thief and my daughter".
"You knew all this time?" Alyssa asked, the information slowly sinking in. She was still trying to get her head around the fact that she was dead.
The TARDIS nodded "Now, we have to get you back. The Doctor is still in grave danger as are the others", she said.
"How do I get back?" Alyssa asked.
"Do you trust me sweetie?" the TARDIS questioned.
"Always", Alyssa replied "so how do I get back?"
"We must become one", the TARDIS said "but there is something you must know first…" she leant forward and whispered in Alyssa's ear. The red head nodded.
"I understand", she said as the TARDIS moved back. The woman held out her hands which were now glowing with a faint golden light. Alyssa took them and the gold light raced up her arms, enveloping her body…
~TARDIS~
Alyssa slowly sat up and looked towards the doors which were open. She got to her fee and took a breath, feeling the TARDIS stir under her skin. "Here we go", she said and walked towards the doorway.
"9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…"
"No", she called from the doorway getting everyone's attention. The Doctor stared at her in disbelief. Donna and the metacrisis Doctor told them all that she was dead! And yet…there she was. Alyssa glanced at the panel Donna had been thrown against and a switch flicked off.
"Systems in shutdown!" a Dalek reported.
"Detonation negative!" another exclaimed.
"Explain! Explain! Explain!" the Supreme Dalek ordered.
"You'll suffer for this", Davros glared at the woman. He raised his arm and fired at her. Alyssa stood there, not even flinching when the bolt stopped inches away from her before zipping back into Davros' weapon. "Argh!" he shrieked.
"You should never play with weapons", Alyssa mock scolded "you'll only get hurt".
"Exterminate her!" Davros ordered.
"No!" the Doctor shouted, his hearts gripped with fear as the Daleks turned their weapons on his fiancé.
"Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!" the Daleks shouted firing their weapons at Alyssa. Instead of striking her, the bolts stopped in mid-air. Alyssa smirked at the Daleks.
"My turn", she said and the bolts shot back towards the respective Daleks that had fired them. Everyone watched as each of the Dalek's were destroyed by their own weapons no less.
Alyssa glanced at Donna "Why don't you let them out?" she suggested. The ginger nodded and pushed as few buttons.
"Holding cells deactivated", Donna reported and the lights holding everyone where the stood, faded "and seal the vault".
"How did you do that?" the Doctor asked Donna, looking at the ginger in amazement.
"She's part Time Lord", the metacrisis Doctor answered.
"Part human!" Donna grinned "Oh, yes! That was a two-way biological metacrisis. Half Doctor, half Donna".
"Actually Donna…it's a three-way biological metacrisis", Alyssa corrected "you've got a bit of me as well. It's actually the reason why the Time Lord part isn't so overwhelming for you".
"But the Ood only said 'the noble Doctor-Donna'" the Doctor said "they never mentioned your name".
Alyssa smiled "My name has a few meanings depending on country. One of which happens to be noble", she informed then.
"That's pretty sneaky", Steve remarked.
"What I don't understand is, how are you alive?" the metacrisis Doctor asked "you couldn't find a pulse, could you Donna?"
"No, I couldn't", Donna said.
"The TARDIS brought me back", Alyssa answered "now if haven't got any other questions there's about 27 planets that need to be sent back".
"She's right", Donna agreed "you skinny boys in suits better get to work". The metacrisis Doctor immediately went over to join her at the controls while the Doctor hung back.
He cupped her face and kissed her long and hard. "When this is over, I'm marrying you", he stated. An angry look flittered across the face of Rose. She had been overjoyed when Donna had told them Alyssa was dead, though of course she didn't show it. Why couldn't the bloody woman stay dead? She thought angrily.
"Stop them! Get them away from the controls!" Davros ordered raising his weapon. The Supreme Dalek pointed his gun at the trio as well.
Alyssa stepped in front of the two Doctor's and Donna, easily deflecting the two bolts away. "Give up Davros, its over", she said folding her arms.
"Activate magnetron", Donna ordered.
"Stop this at once!" Davros shouted and tried to fire at the trio behind Alyssa but she easily deflected it.
"I told you to give up", Alyssa said, her eyes flashing gold. With a swipe of her hand, she sent him careening into a wall. Jack wasted no time rushing over to him, pointing his large gun which he grabbed from the TARDIS, at Davros.
"You should've listened to the lady", Jack said sternly.
"Ready?" Donna looked at the two Doctors "And reverse!" she and the two Doctors pull out two pairs of rods, and the planets disappear one by one.
"Off you go, Clom!" the Doctor smiled.
"Back home, Adipose Three!" the metacrisis Doctor nodded.
"Shallacatop, Pyrovillia and the Lost Moon of Poosh…" Donna continued.
"Those can't be names of planets", Steve remarked quietly to Alyssa "they sound made up".
"They do, don't they?" Alyssa agreed.
"Is anyone going to tell us what's going on?" Rose asked still not quite understanding.
"He" Donna gestured to the original Doctor "poured all his regeneration energy into his spare hand. Ali and I touched the hand, and he…" Donna gestured to the metacrisis Doctor" grew out of that but some of that fed back into me. But, it just stayed dormant in my head till the synapses got that little extra spark, kicking them into life. Thank you, Davros! Part human…part Time Lord. And I got the best bit of the Doctor. I got his mind!"
"So there's three of you?" Sarah Jane asked glancing between the three of them.
"Three Doctors?" Rose repeated.
"I can't tell you what I'm thinking right now", Jack remarked.
"Good because we really don't want to know", Alyssa said to him.
"You're so unique Donna that the timelines were converging on you", the Doctor explained "Human being with a Time Lord brain".
Davros turned to Dalek Caan "But you promised me, Dalek Caan!" he cried "Why did you not foresee this?"
The insane Dalek just giggled. "Oh, I think he did. Something's been manipulating the timelines for ages, getting Donna Noble to the right place at the right time", the Doctor said.
"This would always have happened. It was meant to be...just like you and the empath…TARDIS' daughter", Caan said. The Doctor glanced at Alyssa surprised.
"Sexy knew we were meant to be. She's always known, right from the moment you stole the her", Alyssa said.
"You betrayed the Daleks!" Davros accused, glaring at Caan.
"I SAW the Daleks. What we have done, throughout time and space, I saw the truth of us, Creator, and I decreed, 'no more'"
Davros fired a bolt at Caan only to find that it was deflected away, striking the magnetron instead. "Oh, we've lost the magnetron", the Doctor groaned "And there's only one planet left…." He shook his head. He should've known Earth would be the last planet left "But we can use the TARDIS".
He turned and hurried into the blue box.
"Holding Earth stability. Maintaining atmospheric shell", the metacrisis Doctor reported as he flicked the switches on the control panel.
"The prophecy must complete", Caan spoke up.
"Don't listen to him", Davros said quickly.
"I have seen the end of everything Dalek, and you must make it happen, Doctor"
Those words made the metacrisis Doctor pause "He's right. Cos with or without a Reality Bomb, this Dalek Empire's big enough to slaughter the cosmos…they've got to be stopped!"
"Doctor…don't do it", Alyssa said feeling the shift in his emotions and she knew that he was about to do something very, very bad. The metacrisis Doctor glanced at her "please", she added quietly.
"I'm sorry Ali. I have to do this", he worked quickly at the controls "Maximising Dalekanium power feeds. Blasting them back!"
One by one, Daleks start exploding, the sheer number shaking the entire Crucible and the TARDIS. The Doctor dashes out of the blue box. "What have you done?" he demanded, horrified.
"Fulfilling the prophecy", the metacrisis Doctor stated.
All the Dalek ships around the Crucible explode too.
"Do you know what you've done?!" the Doctor shouted, furious.
"Everyone into the TARDIS, now!" Alyssa ordered, making a break for the blue box. She stood by the doorway, ushering everyone into the ship.
"Never forget, Doctor, YOU did this! I name you…forever, you are the Destroyer of the Worlds!" they heard Davros shout just before the Doctor slammed the TARDIS doors shut.
Alyssa ran over to the console which was surrounded by the Doctor's friends. Some she knew, and a few she did not. "And off we go!" she declared, pulling a lever. The TARDIS shakes violently as they take off.
"But what about the Earth?" Sarah Jane asked "It's stuck in the wrong part of space!"
"Not for long", Alyssa said placing her hands on the console "hold on everyone! We're taking Earth home!"
The people closest to her, Donna and Martha, scooched away when the red head started to glow with a golden light. "What's happening!" Donna exclaimed.
"The TARDIS and I are one", Alyssa answered though there was a second voice echoing with hers "hold on!"
Everyone clung onto the console or the railings that ran around the console room as Alyssa and the TARDIS worked in perfect tandem to tow the Earth back to its rightful place in the universe. The console room exploded with cheers as the planet was safely dropped off near to the moon.
"Brilliant Ali!" Donna cried hugging the red head "absolutely brilliant!"
"I'll say", Martha agreed patting Alyssa on the shoulder, a big grin on her face. The Doctor made his way to his fiancée and gave her a big kiss earning them all whoops and cheers.
"I knew you were the most brilliant woman in the universe", he stated.
"Well I have to be don't I? In order to keep up with the smartest, cleverest and most handsome man in the universe", Alyssa smoothly countered. The Doctor laughed and enveloped her in a big hug. Alyssa winced slightly a brief flash of pain went through her body. She didn't say anything about it though, she didn't want to ruin the celebrations. So instead, she hugged the Doctor back with a smile fixed upon her face.
Little later…
Alyssa sat up with a gasp. She was burning all over. The woman fell out of bed and stumbled to the door. It was too soon! The Doctor wasn't back from dropping Donna and the metacrisis off yet! Using the wall as a support, she made her way to the console room. Alyssa leaned heavily against one of the coral supports, panting, eyes fixed on the doors. "Come on Doctor", she groaned.
Seconds turned into minutes and he still hadn't shown up. Alyssa's knuckles were turning white from gripping the support tightly. And then the TARDIS door opened.
The Doctor stepped inside the ship and immediately saw Alyssa in very bad shape. He rushed over to her. "About time you got here", she groaned "I didn't think I could hold it off for much longer".
"Hold off what?" the Doctor asked looking at her with a mixture of worry and confusion. She looked like she was dying. But she couldn't be! The TARDIS wouldn't bring her back to him only for her to be taken away again. That wouldn't be fair! "Please tell me you're not dying", he pleaded.
"Not as such", Alyssa panted "but I am going to change…I think" the Doctor's eyes widened when he saw her hands start to faintly glow a very familiar colour.
"You're regenerating", he breathed. He then carefully pried her away from the support, gently grasping her upper arms to keep her steady.
"Yep", Alyssa said popping the p "and like I said, I was trying to hold it off until you got back. I didn't want to go without you being here". She winced. The Doctor looked at her sadly, trying to ignore how his hearts were aching, seeing her in that much pain. He should've been overjoyed that she was regenerating, it meant that she was a full Time Lady… but it also meant that this was the last time he was going to see this Alyssa.
"Doctor…I don't regret a single moment since I met you" a tear ran down Alyssa's cheek "And I love you so, so much".
"I love you too", the Doctor said. He moved his hands from her arms and cupped her face. He kissed her, making sure she could feel how much he actually loved her. And he did love her so much…more than words could possibly express. Then an idea struck him. It was downright stupid considering that he only had one left… but he didn't care. He didn't want her to go through it alone.
The Doctor stepped back and moved over to the console to set the TARDIS in motion. Alyssa's eyes widened when she saw that he was starting to glow too.
"What did you do?" she breathed, cringing from another flash of intense pain.
"I took some of your regeneration energy to trigger the process in me", the Doctor said calmly.
"Why?" Alyssa asked wondering why he would do something like that considering that he'd already gone through a regeneration…well a partial one thanks to his handy spare hand. And he only put the energy into his hand so he could stay the same! and now he wanted to change?
"So, we could change together. A new start for the both of us", the Doctor answered "Well, the three of us", he corrected.
Alyssa couldn't help but smile at him through her pain. It was a sweet gesture on the Time Lord's part but she had no idea how many regenerations he had left. "How…many changes to you have?" she gasped out.
"I have enough", the Doctor lied "now don't fight it anymore, just let go. Everything will be fine", he assured her. Alyssa nodded. She closed her eyes, took a breath and accepted the change. Orange-gold energy streamed from her body as she underwent her very first regeneration.
The same energy flowed out of the Doctor moments later as his own regeneration took hold. Due to the force of two regenerations going at once and the fact that the TARDIS wasn't fully back to her former glory…fires started to erupt once again around the console room. Support beams shook and collapsed.
The orange gold light faded from the pair, Alyssa falling back against the console feeling rather drained from the process. The Doctor on the other hand, was inspecting himself. "Legs. I've still got legs, good", he kissed his knee "Arms. Hands. Ooo, fingers" he fiddled with his fingers "Lots of fingers" the Doctor touched his ears "Ears, yes. Eyes, two" he touched his nose "Nose, I've had worse. Chin, blimey. Hair…" the Doctor ran a hand through his hair "I'm a girl!" he frantically felt for the Adam's apple which he thankfully had "No! No…I'm not a girl", he pulled his hair in front of his eyes "And still not ginger!" he said crossly. The Doctor's gaze sought out his fiancé and found her leaning against the console still catching her breath "Oh that's not fair!" he whined making her look up at him.
"What?" Alyssa asked "Oh, I still sound like myself. That's good", she added pleased about that "Now, what's not fair?"
"You! You're a still red head!" the Doctor exclaimed. Alyssa grabbed several strands of hair and pulled it out for inspection.
"So I am", Alyssa said, noting that it still looked the same shade of red as she had before though there were strands of blonde…or was it gold…running through the clump of hair she'd picked up. She also noticed that it appeared to be a little longer as well but she couldn't be sure until she had a look at herself in the mirror. "Oh, wipe that pout off your face dear. It's not…" Alyssa trailed off and frowned "hold on… isn't there something we're forgetting?" she asked.
Suddenly part of the console near to where Alyssa was, exploded. The Doctor quickly pulled her out of the way. "We're crashing love! That's what we'd forgotten, we're crashing! Ha!" he cheered grabbing hold of the console with one hand and winding his other arm around Alyssa's waist. "Geronimo!" the Doctor whooped with excitement.
"Missing them already?" Wilf spoke up from behind Donna who was standing by his telescope, looking up at the night sky.
"I started missing them both the second the Doctor left", the ginger admitted.
"I still think you should've stayed with 'em", Wilf stated.
"You know why I couldn't gramps", Donna said turning to him "this new…gift I have…it's got to settle first". The Doctor had explained that while the part of Alyssa she'd taken was enabling her to cope with the Time Lord part she'd obtained from himself, there was still slight chance that it could overwhelm her…burn out her mind if she continued to travel with them at that current moment. Though the Time Lord had added that there was a possibility she could re-join them once some time had passed and her body was used to this sudden change.
While she was excited at the thought of being able to travel again, once it was safe enough for her to do so, she was also aware that it could be weeks, months or even years until that happened. Donna didn't mind that at all. She would wait because she knew from experience that the Doctor and Alyssa were well worth waiting years for. Though secretly she hoped that they wouldn't go off and get married in the meantime. The ginger shook her head. No, of course they wouldn't. She was supposed to be one of Alyssa's bridesmaids after all.
Donna turned her gaze back to the stars. "See you two later", she murmured, a smile appearing on her face as she spoke Alyssa's usual farewell. She then looked at her grandfather "come on then, let's go home. Don't know about you but I could do with a nice cuppa", she said "and maybe a banana", she added as an afterthought.
"Sounds like a great idea", the metacrisis doctor agreed from where he stood next to her.
"Let's do it…uh…we need to give you a name", Donna stated "can't really call you Doctor".
The human time lord wrinkled his nose up "no, definitely not", he said "how about James Sven?"
Donna nodded "it'll take some getting used to but yeah, James Sven it is".
The newly named, James smiled "great. Now, banana's and tea await", he said. He and Wilf turned and headed down the hill. Donna started to follow but stopped to glance up at the star studded sky once more.
"See you soon Spaceman, Space woman"
