The Doctor pressed his ear to the metal door, listening as the alien-enhanced children screeched.
"Okay…" The Doctor breathed. "Where is it?" He pressed the button on the sonic screwdriver five times, before pushing out, sonicing the lights above.
The lights exploded and went dark, the children below being blinded, before the Doctor ran outside, past the stunned children.
The Doctor ran out onto the street, looking around frantically.
"Help!" A man called from down the way, one of the children about to rip the door off his vehicle, a VW bus.
"Oh, you couldn't live near the shops, could you!?" The Doctor ran down the street towards the car, pulling the child away and shoving them to the ground as gently as he could. "Don't worry, it's just me!" The Doctor smiled, climbing into the passenger seat, as the man floored it. The Time Lord snapped his fingers, pointing at the man's floppy hair that was not unlike the Doctor's. "Nice hair, what's your name?"
"Steve." He answered, breathing heavily.
"Steve," The Doctor patted him on the back, "Don't worry, I can get us out of this, but there are going to be others that'll need help."
"Right, what do you want me to do?" Steve asked in response.
"Do you know where Will Byers lives?" The Doctor asked, earning a confirmation. "Good, get us started in that direction." He ordered, climbing into the back, opening the door.
"What are you doing!?" Steve asked.
"Helping!" The Doctor replied. "In, in!" He waved, ushering two women into the van as well. They climbed in, and the vehicle proceeded further down the street. "Come on, quickly!" The Doctor waved a family to jump aboard, making way for the two children and adults. "Right, next stop, outer Hawkins!"
El sat, shivering on the floor, the entire console room having frosted over, what little moisture in the air being frozen by the sheer proximity to the cold star.
"Poor El…" The Dream Lord regretfully remarked, materializing next to her. "First, she was taken from a mother she never knew. Then, she was subject to torturous experiments for her entire life. And now, just when things are starting to look up for her… A moronic alien is going to get her killed."
"He won't." El stated, shaking angrily now. Even if the Dream Lord was a tangible being, the cold was making it impossible for her to channel her powers.
"He will." The Dream Lord retorted, looking to her. "Tell me, El, he told you about his granddaughter, Susan… Didn't he tell you about any of the others?"
"Others?" El repeated.
The Dream Lord chuckled, but there wasn't any mirth behind it. Only a strange sort of… regret. "You weren't the first, neither was Sarah Jane. No… you're just the latest in a long line of people's he's taken with him… and you're certainly not going to be the last. And, oh, El… if you realized just what all of them had been through…" The Dream Lord flickered, disappearing, before a different man appeared, standing before El.
El's shaking intensified, as she tried to get away. "Papa…"
"He'll make me…" The Dream Lord as Brenner gestured down at himself. "Look like a saint."
The Dream Lord flickered again, going back to normal.
"No." El stated determinedly. "Dad wouldn't do that."
"Not intentionally." The Dream Lord replied. "But, well, it's only a matter of time before something happens. Let's do a running tally, shall we? Martha Jones, young med-student with her entire life and career ahead of her, had her entire family imprisoned and tortured just for associating with the Doctor. Rose Tyler, unremarkable shop girl, not well off, but not miserable, trapped in a parallel universe for the rest of her life with a cheap knock-off half-breed that probably died five minutes after the Doctor left. And then there's Donna… Poor, sweet, terrible Donna… forced to forget all that she could be because if she ever remembered, her mind would burn, and she would die." The Dream Lord sighed, shaking his head. "And those are just the ones who survived."
"…what do you want?" El demanded.
"I want you to choose." The Dream Lord answered, materializing next to her. "Think about it… You could leave the TARDIS now. Never have to worry about dying on a world lightyears from your own, and settle down into that nice, normal life any child should have. Or, you could stay with him," He gestured to the Doctor. "And one of these things will happen; You'll get fed up and leave, he'll abandon you without a second thought… or you'll die. Believe me, child, that day will come eventually, and when it does… the Doctor's already set himself up for the heartbreak."
El's eyes narrowed, as she tried to probe the Dream Lord. The cold was so strong, it was making it impossible for her to establish a connection. "Who are you? Dad knows, but he won't say… you're different."
"Oh?" The Dream Lord tilted his head. "Is that who you think you are? The Doctor's daughter?"
"Yes." El confirmed.
"Well," The Dream Lord flickered. "Parents don't always tell their children everything…"
"He does." El stated.
"Oh really?" The Dream Lord tilted his head. "Then what's the Doctor's name?" He flickered, popping into existence over the Doctor and Sarah Jane. "I mean, look at her." He gestured down to the woman. "He took a promising young journalist and turned her into an alien hunter so paranoid that she was afraid to let anyone in for some thirty years since he'd last seen her. She was his best friend… and he abandoned her on a street corner. What makes you think he won't do the same to you?"
"Quiet." El ordered.
"Don't you see?" The Dream Lord stood up. "This entire exercise has been all about you. The girl who's never had control her entire life. Well… now you do." The Dream Lord pointed. "The control to make a choice. A normal life… or this." He gestured around to the TARDIS. "It's your choice."
The Dream Lord flickered out of existence, leaving El alone.
El, shivering, took a few shaky steps over to the Doctor, and laid down on the floor next to him, cuddling up to the Time Lord.
If she was going to freeze to death… it was going to be with her dad.
"Everybody out!" The Doctor ordered, ushering them out of the vehicle. "That's right, into the church! Don't answer the door for anyone!" Once everybody was out, including Steve, the Doctor hopped back into the driver's seat, flooring it down the road towards Will and Jane's house.
"It's make-your-mind up time." The Dream Lord declared, appearing in the back seat. "In both worlds."
"Bye." The Doctor replied. "I need to find my friends."
"'Friends?'" The Dream Lord repeated. "Is that the right word for the people you acquire? Friends are people you stay in touch with. Your friends never see you again once they've grown up. The old man prefers the company of the young, does he not?"
The Doctor glared in the rearview mirror, the Dream Lord vanishing as he pulled up to the house.
The Doctor sat there, watching for a moment, as the children tried to break their way inside. He looked around, spotting a way up into the second floor by climbing onto the garage roof.
"Okay…" The Doctor flung the door open, sprinting out.
Will held Jane in his arms as her eyes slowly opened, the woman looking around. She gasped, sitting up.
"How did I get up here?" Jane asked.
"I carried you." Will answered. "…you might be just a little bruised." He flinched.
Jane looked around frantically. "Where's dad?"
"No idea." Will replied. "Listen, I… I want to do something for you…" He gulped, grabbing his ponytail, quickly snipping it off.
Jane gasped, covering her mouth. "I was… Starting to like it."
Something squeaked, and the two whipped around, looking as the Doctor pulled up the window, climbing in.
"Sorry!" The Doctor apologized, landing on the floor. "Had to make a stop-off at the butchers! And met Steve Harrington! His hair's great, we should trade tips!"
"What are we going to do?" Will frantically asked, the Doctor breathing heavily.
"I don't know." The Doctor replied. "I thought the freezing TARDIS was real, but now… now I'm not so sure."
"Oh." Jane gasped, flinching in pain. "I think the baby's starting…"
"Now!?" Will asked. "Seriously!?"
"Would I make it up at a time like this!?" She screeched in response, as the Doctor shot to his feet.
"Well, you do have a history of-" Jane glared at Will. "Being very lovely."
Jane gasped, as glass shattered outside.
"Why are they so desperate to kill us!?" Will demanded, holding onto Jane.
"They're scared." The Doctor answered, "Fear generates savagery."
A heavy stone statue was thrown through the window, landing on the carpeted floor. The Doctor ran over, screwdriver at the ready…
And staggered back, hissing in pain as Holly Wheeler breathed the disintegrating green mist onto him.
"Dad!" Jane shouted, as the Doctor stumbled back into the wall.
Will, going straight into defense mode, grabbed the nearby lamp and shoved it into the girl, sending her sliding down. "Oh my God… Holly…" Will breathed in horror, realizing just what he'd done, and who he'd done it do.
"Dad!" Jane shouted, moving to the Doctor's side.
The Doctor took a scratchy breath, gulping in pain. He could already start to feel the membrane holding his cells together breaking apart.
"Don't… don't go…" Jane begged, grabbing onto the Doctor's hand. "You've changed your face! You said this was face number Eleven, do it again!" She sobbed.
"Not…" The Doctor tried to speak. "Not this time, kiddo…" The Doctor's hand began to fall away. "El… Jane… Talk to the TARDIS, keep her company, yeah?" Was his last request, before he finally decomposed into nothing but a pile of dust.
The Last of the Time Lords… dead.
"No…" Jane sobbed, sitting over the pile. "Daddy…"
"Jane…" Will took a step forward.
"Save him…" Jane muttered. "We have to find a way to save him." She stood to her feet, disregarding the labor pains she was experiencing entirely. "This is the dream." She said.
Will looked to her, inquisitive. "How do you know?"
"Because if this is reality… I don't want to be a part of it."
"…okay." Will gently took her hand.
Letting Jane lead the way, the two walked out of the front of the house.
"Why aren't they attacking!?" Jane roared, as she marched up to the VW bus.
"Because this is the dream…" Will considered with a gulp. "Or they know what we're about to do."
She took the driver's seat, Will filing in next to her.
"Jane…" Will told her. "In case this is the last time I get to see you… I love you."
"I love you too." She responded, kissing him quickly on the lips. "…but I need my dad."
The engine turned over, and Jane floored it, speeding through the fence.
She aimed for the center arch of the doorway and braced.
And she knew no more.
The Doctor's eyes snapped open first, the Time Lord looking around curiously, before feeling the tiny form pressed up to him, trying to keep warm.
El's eyes slowly creaked open, and she looked at the Doctor. She would've cried, had it not been as cold as it was. "Dad…"
"So," The Dream Lord appeared. "You chose this world… well done." He complimented. "You got it right. And with only seconds left. Fair's fair. Let's warm you up." He said, the cold star outside shrinking, as the TARDIS returned to life. "I hope you enjoyed your little fictions. It all came from your imagination, so I'll leave you to ponder on that." He took a step over. "I've been defeated… I shall withdraw. Farewell." He offered, before vanishing.
The Doctor got to his feet first, moving over to the console. Ice cracked as he threw forward one of the levers.
"We're alive…" Sarah Jane let out a sigh of relief, even as her skin was covered in ice. "We're alive."
The engines engaged, and the Time Rotor began moving up and down, moving effortlessly through the ice surrounding it.
"Dad…" El shivered. "What are you doing?"
"Me?" The Doctor grunted, twisting a valve. "I'm blowing up the TARDIS."
"What!?" Sarah Jane jumped.
"Notice how helpful the Dream Lord was?" The Doctor asked. "Yes, there were lies, misdirection, and I could've done without the limerick-but he was very keen on making us choose between dream and reality."
Something banged as the engines warbled, the time rotor beginning to glow red.
"Dad!" El shouted.
"The Dream Lord conceded!" Sarah Jane reminded. "We won! This isn't a dream!"
"Yes it is!" The Doctor replied.
"Dad, stop!" El requested.
"Star burning cold?" The Doctor scoffed. "Do me a favor! The Dream Lord has no power over the real world! He was making us choose between two dreams!"
"How do you know?" El demanded.
The Doctor grinned. "Because I know who he is."
The Doctor slammed his hand down on a button, and the console room was bathed in light, as the TARDIS exploded.
El turned the corner into the console room, walking down the steps.
The Doctor stood, back against the console, examining something in his hand. "Any questions?" He asked, as the girl and Sarah Jane approached.
The older woman frowned, looking at the substance in the Doctor's hand. "What is that?"
"A speck of psychic pollen." The Doctor answered. "From the Candle Meadows of Karass Don Slava." He ran a finger over the little orb. "Must've been hanging around in here for ages, fell in the Time Rotor," He pointed to the moving blown glass pillar, "Induced a dream state in all of us."
The Doctor hurriedly walked down the steps, opening the TARDIS door, before blowing the substance out into the vacuum of space, slamming the doors shut.
"So that," Sarah Jane pointed, "Was the Dream Lord."
"No, no." The Doctor turned around. "Sorry, wasn't it obvious?" The Doctor looked between them. "The Dream Lord was me."
El recoiled slightly.
"Psychic pollen, it's a mental parasite." The Doctor explained. "Takes everything you hate about yourself, gives it a voice, turns it against you. …I'm 907. It had a lot to go on."
El scowled, smacking the Doctor in the chest. "Not going to get me killed!"
The Doctor looked down at her. "That won't stop me from worrying."
"But how come it didn't take anything from us?" Sarah Jane inquired.
"Well, I know it took a little bit from El. But the rest of the darkness in you lot?" The Doctor retorted. "It would've starved to death in a nanosecond! I choose my friends with great care." He pointed to the two of them. "Otherwise, I'm stuck with me own company, and you know how that works out."
"Dad, those things he said." El poked the Doctor. "Wrong. Wrong, wrong!"
"Hm." The Doctor smiled. "Thanks." He moved to the console, before abruptly turning around. "Hang on, El, how did you figure out it was the dream? I was dead, so it's not like I could've helped."
"Me and Will…" El coughed. "We found the van. Crashed it."
The Doctor's eyes widened. "Crashed!? How'd you know it was a dream before you did that!?"
"I…" El played with her hands. "I didn't."
"El…" The Doctor looked at her. "That was stupid, and reckless!"
"Don't care." She told him plainly. "Not living without my dad."
A silence fell over the console room for a few moments.
"Right, well!" The Doctor clapped his hands. "Where to now?"
El shrugged. "Anywhere."
"Anywhere's good, I can do anywhere." The Doctor replied, setting the controls.
Before he engaged the engines, however, the Doctor looked down at the reflective surface of the console and caught sight of the reflection looking back at him.
The Dream Lord smiled.
