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Chapter 54 – Debriefing

Rose woke up to Genie's laughter and music being played quietly. She rolled over on her back and looked out of the window in her room. The light from the two suns of Andromeda shown through the drapes. She stretched as she felt Sam's happiness. She heard him laugh in the sitting room. Legate's voice laughed back at him.

Then she heard Genie giggle. "Play it again, Legate. He likes it."

She heard the guitar start again as Legate played a song she had never heard before. Genie sang along with him, in a language she didn't recognize. She smiled at the fun they were having.

She rolled over and found a note on the bedside table. She sat up and opened it.

'Dearest Rose,

I'm sorry to leave without telling you goodbye, but I'm just in the castle. Summus insisted that I attend a debriefing this morning. Then I have a meeting with Oen and Ashena. I have no idea how long it will take, but I'll return to you as soon as I'm finished. Legate and Logan are watching the rotten children, so take your time getting a shower and getting ready.

I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed last night, but I think you might already know. It does need to be said though. I love every moment we spend together, but I especially love the moments when we make memories we will have our entire lives.

I'll never forget how brave you are right now, in this moment. I know this new life is frightening, but I'm here for you. Everything will be alright. 'Rose alright', not 'Doctor alright'.

I love you, Rose.'

She smiled as she folded back up the note.

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The Doctor walked into a small room with a large table surrounded by chairs. The walls seemed to be carved of white stone. Tall windows filled one entire wall with a beautiful view of the castle with snow capped balconies and eaves throughout. It reminded him of the room he had sat in at the White House with Howie and Pete when they were sorting out the violence against the Tyler family.

The room was full of people. The captains of the three ships that had aided in the search were there along with some of the Quauhtin of the Royal Guard, and the Prime Guard. Everyone turned around and shook the Doctor's hand as soon as they saw him.

Lance was speaking to two other men. He saw the Doctor and walked over to him.

"Morning. I'm so sorry we managed to wake up, Genie. Is she alright?" Lance asked.

"She's fine. She went back to sleep as soon as I got her in my arms. Woke up a very happy, little girl. She said she had a great time."

Lance nodded, "Wonderful. These are some friends of mine. Leontes and Oberon. Leontes is the man who hosted our card game last night."

The Doctor smiled as he shook both of their hands. "Oh! Genevieve's father, then. A pleasure to meet you!"

Leontes smiled, "The pleasure is mine. It's an honor to be in a Primus' presence."

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. Licis walked in with Tony. If Tony was nervous about the environment he had found himself in, he was the only one who knew it. He walked over to the Doctor and shook his hand. "Morning John. I'm grateful for that nap your son talked me into yesterday."

"Aren't we both? Tony, meet Leontes and Oberon."

Tony shook their hands, "Yeah, we met last night at the card game."

Lance spotted Summus walk in, "Excuse me. I need to talk to the boss."

Tony put his hands in his pockets and looked at Leontes and Oberon. "So. How bad was it after I left? Did he let up any?"

Leontes laughed, "Not a bit."

Oberon rolled his eyes. "I've demanded another game. We'd love for you to join us again, Tony. Primus?"

Tony looked back at the Doctor. "John? Thoughts?"

"What are you lot playing? Peducko?"

"What else?" Oberon said.

Tony threw his head back to the Doctor. "Maybe we should teach these guys poker. How are you at poker, John?"

He laughed, "I can't even remember the last time I played that."

Tony shook his head. "Hell, you're worthless."

Summus called the meeting to order. They all sat down at the table with Summus at the head. The Doctor, Tony, Licis, and Lance sat on one side of the table and Oberon and Leontes sat across from them with an official looking person who took notes. The captains of the three ships that had aided in the search were also present.

After Summus introduced himself, he pointed to the Doctor and introduced him, " For those of you who don't know him, this is the Primus Doctor Johnathon Smith of the Prime Guard of Terra, and leader of the delegation of the Tyler family who resides there. He is the captain of the Asclepius, and guardian to the Princess Ashena as appointed by the late King Clagl."

Tony leaned over and whispered to him. "I'm still just going to call you John."

He smiled back at Tony.

The lights dimmed and they went through everything that had happened in the past few days. King Clagl's last message was replayed for the room to witness. When the lights came back up, Summus crossed his arms. "Any questions?"

Oberon pointed at the screen. "I'm not clear on the explosion. How did that happen? There was a man in a suit?"

Tony smiled as the Doctor nodded his head. "Tony here was in the suit. He has developed a personal flight suit, is it fair to call it that?"

Tony nodded his head, "I sortof see it as a prosthetic."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Alright. A really high tech prosthetic."

"He can fly around in space with that?" Oberon asked.

Tony nodded his head. "Yes. Or while I'm on the surface of a planet. That's what it was originally developed for."

Leontes was impressed. "It's not a Cyberman."

"No. It has none of that in it. It's something completely of Tony's design." The Doctor reassured him.

Oberon looked at Leontes. "That is fascinating. Is it on your ship currently? I'd love to see it."

Tony shrugged his shoulders. "I could take you up there to see it. Sure. John, is that cool?"

The Doctor nodded his head. "Yeah."

Leontes smiled. "Thank you. That would be great!"

Summus nodded his head. "Any further questions?"

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The Doctor walked back down the hall with Lance after the debriefing.

"And where the hell was Poltious?" Lance complained.

"Funny you ask. He's up on the ship. And you need to go relieve him." The Doctor pointed at him.

"What? She's docked." Lance pointed out.

He turned around and faced him. "Lance. It's Christmas. I really hope I'm just being paranoid, but my family travels on that ship. I want to ensure no one is doing something they shouldn't."

Lance put his hands on his hips and looked seriously back at him. "You're right. I'm sorry. See, that's the reason you are the Primus. I'll get up there immediately and help him keep an eye on things."

"Cheers." The Doctor told him as he walked into his suite.

"John!" he heard his voice shout as he saw Tony Tyler run to meet him. He jumped in his arms and embraced him.

"My little brother! You finally made it." He said as he held him.

Jack Harkness sat on the sofa with Rose. "Hello there, good looking!"

Genie laughed as she ran to join her Daddy. He picked her up in his other arm and carried both children to the sofa and sat them down.

He smiled back at him, "Hey Jack. Pete send you?"

"Jackie sent me." He blew his tea, and imitated Jackie Tyler's high pitched voice. "If you think for one minute I'll let my son fly off to some foreign planet on his own, you're barking!"

Rose smiled, "That's pretty good."

Jack smiled, "Yeah? I've been practicing."

The Doctor leaned down and kissed Rose's lips. "Did you get your note?"

She smiled up at him. "Yes. Thank you."

He smiled like a loon at her. "No, thank you."

Jack got up from the sofa. "Gross."

Tony was standing looking out of the window at the canyon. "John. Is that the same castle we're in now?"

The Doctor walked over and knelt behind him. He pointed at it. "The entire castle is built into the canyon wall. I was in a room this morning where they carved the room into the canyon wall. It was stunning. Why do you think they would build the castle inside of the mountain?"

Genie put her hand on his shoulder. "To keep it safe."

He smiled, "Right. Think back to the stories I've told you both. Is there a castle on Earth like this?"

Tony shook his head. "Not this big. No way."

Genie was tapping her chin. "The castle in the cave! Right?"

He smiled proudly at her. "Yes."

Tony turned to him, "Oh, I remember that! The man who was king was killed by a cannon! Boom! Then the castle was destroyed because of an earthquake. The original owner was a thief. He used the secret passageways to bring in his stolen treasures-"

Genie added, "Then when the castle was under siege, they brought in food through those same passageways. Right, Daddy?"

He smiled proudly. "You two are so clever. That's right."

Tony shook his head. "But, John. That was just a story. That never really happened."

"Oh! But, it did! It is called Predjama Castle, and still stands today. After the earthquake, it was rebuilt. Hundreds of years ago. We'll go to see it. It's in….ummm…. Slovenia. They have great desserts there!"

Genie rolled her eyes. "You don't need that. You eat too much sugar." She walked away from them.

Tony turned around and looked at the Doctor's face. He asked quietly. "Jack said we're on another planet. Is that true?"

He smiled at him as he held his hands, "It's true."

"We aren't going to see any strange aliens are we?"

He laughed at him. "I can't promise that. There are a lot of people coming from all over the galaxy to be part of a party they are having tonight. But, I can promise you that you will be safe. Completely. Alright?"

Tony wrapped his arms around the Doctor's neck. The Doctor picked him back up and carried him to the sofa. Jack and Rose were laughing about something.

He looked back to Rose. "What? What have I missed?"

Rose laughed, "I was telling him about Logan hitting you yesterday. I didn't get to see it."

He rolled his eyes. "Do you see what I live with, Tony?"

Jack laughed, "Kid knocked you on your ass. I would have paid good money to have seen that."

Genie got Tony's attention and they ran off to the children's bedroom together. Rose sat down her tea, "Sam needs his mum. Excuse me." She walked to the bedroom just as Sam started to cry. Jack looked back at the Doctor and sipped his tea.

The Doctor nodded his head. "Well."

Jack smiled at him and said quietly. "Jake says you have increased security on Pete and Jackie, but they aren't to know it. What's going on?"

He ran his hand through his hair. "I had a warning."

"From who?"

He shook his head. "No one you know."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "Sure about that?"

The Doctor looked back over at the bedroom where Rose had disappeared. He called, "Rose. I need to go show Jack something real quick. Is that alright?"

"Sure." Her voice called out.

Jack joined him as they stepped out into the hallway. They walked to the large wall of windows and looked back at the canyon.

The Doctor put his hands in his pockets and looked back at Jack. "I need to talk to you about this. You're probably one of the few that would understand."

Jack sipped his tea. "Alright. Go."

"The Bad Wolf visits me when I sleep. Like a dream."

"You're sleeping? You've never slept."

"It's a new thing. She's done it to me so I'll lay down with Rose every night."

"Rose alone isn't doing that for you?"

He chuckled and ran his hand through his hair. "I have to stay with her so she will sleep. She doesn't sleep well without me there. The Bad Wolf has told me that she needs to rest."

"Rose always slept a lot. How much does she need?" Jack asked as he sipped his tea.

The Doctor shook his head. "I'm not sure. She's told me that she stopped sleeping much at all once she got here."

"Do you think that's from the Bad Wolf?"

"I think it could be from the stress of what she was going through. Her entire life changed once she arrived here."

"Well, that's true. Then dealing with the changes she is going through, too."

He nodded his head. "She is beginning to be more comfortable with it. The idea. But, only with me. She's playing with some of the abilities it is giving to her and it honestly is very frightening. She feels she can control it."

"Do you think she can?"

He shook his head. "Not now. I have no idea what this would even do to someone. I know it won't kill her, but….."

Jack nodded his head. "I hear you. We're on the same page, Doc'."

They stood there as Jack sipped his tea and they looked at the canyon.

Jack finally spoke. "I met a version of you. Or, excuse me, him. Centuries older than you are now."

He looked back at him. "Yeah?"

He nodded his head, "I asked him about Rose. I knew he would probably knock my head off about it, because he's an angry old fart."

The Doctor smiled, "What was said?"

"He told me that if I ever saw her again to tell her that he was sorry. He had always been alone and didn't want that for her."

He shook his head. "Jack. He left me here to die. He knew a Time Lord consciousness cannot exist in a human body. It was terrible. My senses started to die one by one. He sent me here to make a quick exit and avoid any complications with her. He only cared about himself. She went through hell to get back to him. When she got there, he was too wrapped up in himself to even listen."

Jack pointed at him. "Now, you're talking about yourself."

He sighed, "She says she forgives me. But, I don't know if I can forgive myself."

Jack nodded his head. "He told me to talk to you. He knew I would be here one day. He had met me at some point and we had talked about it. So, apparently I go back."

The Doctor nodded his head. "Yeah. I've met you when you are much older. You return. Although, I have no idea how."

Jack smiled, "Still good looking?"

"Oh, so much so that you take on an old title."

Jack nodded. "Well, alright. Something to look forward to."

"What else did he say?"

"He told me….." he bit his lip. "I really shouldn't tell you that. That will really wind you up. I'm not up to dealing with you like that today."

He groaned, "Alright. Don't tell me. But, in the future, your future, you will meet me. And I'll look like this. It will be me in this form. I need you to tell me something."

Jack looked back at him, "What's that?"

"It hurt so badly when Rose left. I honestly lost my will to live. Martha brought me back twice and Donna prevented me from drowning. I just didn't care. To hell with the stars, universes and my responsibilities."

Jack looked surprised, "I didn't know. Damn."

"I need you to tell me that I'm not alone. One day, you will be extremely old. I'll come to visit you in the hospital and you will need to tell me that. It's the only thing that kept me going through that time."

Jack nodded his head. "You are not alone. Alright. I'll do that. Should I mention who you are with?"

He smiled, "No. Let that be a surprise. I'll never believe you. And I don't want to give him the satisfaction of thinking he might be with her. She's my wife and the purpose of my life now is not the same as his."

"Really?"

He nodded his head. "Absolutely. But, I need to hear that. It will prevent me from doing something extremely stupid."

"Consider it done, then." Jack nodded.

They looked back out of the large window.

Jack sipped his tea. "So, she's visiting you in your dreams. Did she do that before you came here?"

He turned around and leaned his back on the window. He crossed his arms and thought, "Not that I remember. But, I didn't sleep that much."

"She kept writing Bad Wolf on everything. Do you remember that? It was everywhere. Maybe she was trying to get your attention?"

"That's a fair point. I'll have to ask her."

Jack nodded his head. "It would be interesting to see what she has to say."

"Does she ever visit you?"

Jack looked surprised, "Me? Hell no. Why would she?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Would you even recognize her? She looks just like Rose. She is Rose."

He sipped his tea. "I dream of Rose. Not often, but she's came to talk to me before. We chat."

The Doctor looked surprised, "That's her! What has she told you?"

Jack thought, "I remember, it was right before I came here, I dreamed of her. We were in a diner in London together. She asked if I was happy where I was. I had just gotten out of a relationship and was ready to give my Vortex Manipulator a go. I didn't really care where I ended up. She asked me to stay there for just one more day. That's when I got into that fight with those Daleks. During the fight, I was transported here."

"This conversation happened while you were sleeping."

Jack nodded his head. "Yes. Then once I got here, I had been here a few days. I dreamed of her again. I really can't tell you what we talked about that time. It was very, odd. Not a warning, but maybe as if she was just checking in on me? Does that make sense?"

He smiled, "Yes. Sometimes her messages aren't very clear."

"Why aren't you with her when she appears?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I asked her that just last night. She couldn't give me a straight answer."

"Huh. Interesting."

Talus walked down the hall. "Primus John, sir."

Jack chuckled as he teased him in repeating, "Sir."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Talus. Call me John."

Talus nodded his head. "Certainly. John. The remainder of your delegation has arrived from Terra."

He pointed at Jack. "Yeah, he's right here."

Jack laughed, "Bit behind the times there, Talus."

Talus shook his head. "Forgive me. It's been a long day. Your brother-"

"He's in with my wife. He's fine."

Talus nodded his head. "Right. Okay. Well, if you need anything for them, just ask a member of the staff."

"Right. Thank you."

Talus bowed and started to walk away. He stopped and remembering something, turned around. "I'm so sorry, John. I'm supposed to remind you to see the engineer on your ship. Then you have a meeting with Tuwo Wenck this afternoon."

Jack pat Talus on the back. "Thank you, Talus. I'll make sure 'Sir' gets to where he's supposed to go."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Ugh. Schedules."

Jack laughed as they walked back into the suite. Rose was feeding Sam. She smiled up at them. "Everything go alright?"

Jack smiled, "Sure. I've never seen the palace. Well, this version of it. It is lovely."

Genie ran up to them. "I'm going back to the playroom to play. Can Tony come?"

Tony leaned on the back on the sofa and looked at them.

The Doctor nodded his head. "Sure. If he wants to. I need to go up the ship and check on the repairs-"

"I'd rather do that!" Tony said enthusiastically.

Jack sat down next to Rose and tickled Sam's cheek with his finger. "I'm going to stay here and keep Rose company. I need to tell her embarrassing stories about this man she's married."

The Doctor groaned, "Don't believe anything he tells you, Rose."

She smiled, "I'll have questions later."

He groaned. "Come along children. Let us away."

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