Chapter 12
reminder:

Xox time skip

Italics are thoughts/ timetot telepathic speaking.

~ flash backs

This episode will make references to the comic The Green-Eyed Monster.

"You're thinking about her again aren't you" Nova said as she skipped through the control room to the Doctors back tapping him on the shoulder. He spins on his heels and looks at her with a clap of his hands, "Hah of course not, just… deciding where to go. Yes"

Nova raised her eyebrows at him, and just hummed almost in time with the Tardis who made a noise of her own. He fiddled with his control panel awkwardly tugging his left hear, scratching his neck again before turning to look at her once more.

"it's complicated"

"Everything is complicated, that's life" Nova quipped back mirroring the Doctor with a cheeky grin. He ruffled her red hair.

Nova of course, was referring to one of their past adventures they had this week. Where Rose and Mickey wanted to go on an adventure and ended up on a ship that had time windows of 18th century France. And the Doctor got attached to a human there, one he couldn't steal away on an adventure.

"I… It's just one of those things yanno. I still don't know specifically why they needed just HER brain at that time. I don't always know the answers and it irritates me."

"Isn't not knowing, better than knowing everything. You'd get bored."

"Fair point"

"Can you go check on Rose please Nova, she doesn't usually sleep THIS long" He said looking at a clock on his control panel. Nova just nodded in response and hummed as she trailed down the endless corridors of the Tardis until she found Rose's 'bedroom'

Rose had recently been captured by the Lagnon, on the planet Lagnos. She was captured for three days, until the Doctor, Mickey and some Amazastian mercenaries he recruited helped save her.

~~ 12 hours earlier ~~
"Or… another room, a room far, far away. Down that corridor. That'll be free as well.." The Doctor points, getting a glare from a furious Rose. Meanwhile Mickey is looking around meekly at the glaring pair.
"Rose…"

Meanwhile the Amazastian women were packing up to leave the Tardis after helping the Doctor rescue rose. They were glad in assorted golden armour that fits snugly to their svelte figures with long cascading hair that was tied into ponytails.
Over 6 foot tall and impressively strong.

"Thank you, Doctor, I have appreciated our intensive sessions of biological exploration," One of the beautiful tall warriors said to the Doctor in an over-exaggerated voice giving him a peck on the cheeky.

"err yes, thanks for your help ladies"

meanwhile, Nova was struggling to stifle her laugh as she looked at the pair, and then looked at the awkward Mickey surrounded by the Amastians.

"Sarah Jane Smith, Madame De Pompadour and now Xene, sluttier princess…. Busy week eh?"

"Wot!?" The Doctor said rolling his eyes, flushed slightly at her tone of voice.

"Mickey, Nova. Why don't you show the Amazastians the rest of the Tardis before they leave." The Doctor said, his eyes not leaving the glare of Rose as he pointed to Mickey and the group of girls.

"But, I wanna-" Mickey protested

"Cheers, there's a good lad.." The Doctor interjected.

Nova dragged Mickey by the hand as they led the women around some of the elongated corridors of the Tardis.

"Now, where were we? Oh. Yeah…" The Doctor started, as he bonked Rose on the head.
"You're jealous!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are! Little miss jealous, being all jealous! A big massive jealous… thing… of massive.. big jealousness!" The Doctor playfully said in a sing-song voice making Rose's eye twitch in irritation.

"Seriously Doctor I'm sure you had your reasons to involve them, I'm fine with it. Really" Rose said unconvincingly.

"Great," The Doctor said looking away from Rose looking fed up.

Rose let out a large huff and crossed her arms.

"no-no-no-no-NO! Look. I'm not having you being unhappy in this ship! In the future it'll be just you and me, no one else getting in the way" The Doctor said holding onto rose's chin with his hand gazing into her eyes.

"oh… right… if you think" Rose said, her eyes a little glazed over.

The Doctor pulled his screwdriver out once more and scanned her eyes.

"Yes I do think. We'll go back to earth dump mickey and carry on like before. Just the two of us together. Jackie can look after Nova for a bit." He said scanning in her ear next distracting her.

"ooookay" She coughs "Okay I'll go with that…" she said her vision blurring as she started to fall asleep slumping into the Doctors arms.

He carried her out into the corridor to her room and rolled her onto the bed.

~~~ 12 hours later~~

Nova had finally reached Rose's room.
She knocked on, paused for a moment. No response. Nova cocked her head before pressing her ear against the door and she could hear faint snoring. She pushed the door open gently to see Rose, still asleep with all the blankets pushed on the floor, there was a large wet patch on the bed, and she seemed to be shivering slightly. Tentatively Nova reached out and felt Rose's feverish head.

Nova ran back to the control panel "I think Rose is getting worse" She gasped to the Doctor whose brows furrowed in concern. He followed Nova back to Rose's allocated room. And he felt Rose's head and gave her a quick scan with the sonic screwdriver.

"Step back" He told Nova seriously in a hushed voice as he crept them both out the room slowly closing the door not to wake Rose up.

"Oi what you doing" Mickey said coming down the corridor, which prompted both of the Gallifreyans to hush him violently. Mickey raised both his hands in protest, and the Doctor put a hand over Mickeys muffled mouth. "Not another word. Both of you. With me, now. We need to start the rest of the plan" He whispered as they tiptoes back to the control room.

oxo

Rose yawned as she stretched and swung her legs out of her soft bed. She felt a little icky and damp, she sniffed her armpit and gagged a little before patting down her unkempt bed head. She hopped in the shower that was in an ensuite to her room and slipped on a blue tank top and some green low rise skinny jeans and a bright red jacket.

Leaving her room, she felt a little alone. The Tardis felt quiet, empty almost. Looking around the control room, and even under it, she found no one. Leaving her a little frustrated.

Rose decided to leave the Tardis to see if the Doctor had parked anywhere or if they had gone somewhere, as even Nova or Mickey weren't here.

But to her surprise, bright blaring lights burned her eyes and claps welcomed her, as the Tardis door slammed shut behind her. Locking her out.

A giant green alien with four arms and grasshopper-like legs greeted her. It had a yellow wig hastily placed over its green scalp with two antennas sticking out, and large buck teeth with smudged lipstick on.

"Now make yourself comfortable rose. Relax" The alien said, thrusting Rose down into a giant purple chair on a stage and putting a microphone in Rose's face. Rose was overwhelmed and bewildered and she still felt a little icky and sweaty.

"What is going on! What am I doing here?"

"Don't worry, shock is the usual first stage experienced by our guests" The Alien said, it was wearing a blue two piece suit with a pencil skirt, like it had mix and matched human clothing onto itself.

"followed by denial, anger and the movement of furniture at high speeds" She said laughing at the audience full of aliens who were all cheering and making assorted noises and chittering.

"I don't understand…."

"We understand rose, don't worry, this show allows beings to air their problems in a completely non-prejudicial way…" The green alien said, blinking with her third eyelid, two of her arms holding a microphone and flashcards whilst the other two were waving about as she spoke.

"Now… when did you decide to become a feckless chav bumming around the universe with a man 900 years your senior?" The Alien said with a vicious tone in her voice.

"Right, that's me done. I'm leaving now!" Rose said getting up trying to pry open the Tardis' door.

"Oh don't be like that sweetie! Twelve GaZiLlion viewers want you to stay and tell your story…" The alien shouted, standing in front of a giant glowing sign that says the 'vanexxa show'

"What story, what's that, what does it say on the screen!" Rose said looking down at the big tv that was reflecting what was being filmed on the stage and it said 'I haven't told her I'm in love… with an alien!"

"That's right! You go, girl! Let it out!" The alien jeered, as the crowd laughed.

"Let wot out!?"

"Still being coy are we? So… let us bring on someone else orbiting this little family drama!"

"Say hello everyone to Mickey Smith!" The crowd erupted in clapping and whooping.

Mickey strolled onto the stage after appearing through some purple velvety curtains, wearing a green shirt with a tv on it.

"Mickey, I think you've got something to say to Rose haven't you?" egged on the alien.

"Yeah" 'AHEM' "Rose I've put up with a lot these past few years…"

"Mickey, what are you doing! Can't you see we are being manipulated by some aliens in some kind of. Some kind… of ALIEN SCHEME?"

"Must have touched a nerve there mister, don't let yourself get shouted down" The alien said, akin to a pantomime using her hand to feign whispering into Mickey's ear.

"Don't come the innocent with me! The Doctor told me what you agreed to do on the planet Iagnos!" Mickey shouted

"Iagnos?... oh iagnos…" Rose said sweating.

She huffed and stood up out of her purple cushioned seat.

"Look this is sooooooo stupid! Can everyone just LISTEN. Please! The Doctor and I, what we've got it's complicated. You cant describe it in a caption, can we just please please stop this now?" She shouted at the booing audience.

"Oh shut up Rose! It's all about you-you-you! Isn't it? Why cant one of your little adventures be about me for a change!" Jackie said entering the stage in a full bright pink tracksuit, the crowd goes wild cheering.

"Raised you on my hip I did, two buses there and back to the clinic, and you wailing like a foghorn all the way! You couldn't wait til' I got there could you? The looks I got when I had to pop one out on the top deck…"

"Mum you're embarrassing me in front of the…" She paused and took a look at the crowd "Things…"

"Well. FYI DARLING. This show isn't about you, it's about me! It's me that's in love with an alien. So there!" Jackie said as the curtains revealed the Doctor dressed in a white Adidas hoodie and matching tracksuit bottoms, sunglasses on his tussled hair.

"No you you cant the Doctor?"

"It just all happened that's all.. you'd fallen into a time coma and I was at a loose end on earth and we seemed to find a lot in common" The Doctor said nonchalantly.

"YOU AND HER?"

The screen flickered behind them to show the Doctor and Jackie sat on a sofa watching 'you've been framed a comedy show'

"It was the little things the way she was able to laugh in the face of danger" The Doctor said as the clip was shown, before flicking onto the next video of Jackie dancing in a bar.

"It was the way she was able to feel at home just about anywhere" He continued as it flicked onto another clip, of Jackie punching a woman in a sale section at Debenhams.

"It's not your colour darlin' Try and find something in beetroot" Jackie shouted on the video as the pair of women fought over a cream-coloured shirt.

"The way she was prepared to fight for what she thought was right" The Doctor finished as the clip ended.

"No! it's impossible, I don't believe it!" Rose said biting her nails.

"Oh don't be like that rose, we just want you to be happy for us, don't we eh Doctor love. Oh and your new little sister too!" Jackie said as Nova entered the stage.

And then Jackie and the Doctor kissed, and this was it for Rose, She blew red with rage and all of a sudden a green tentacled slimy worm squirted out of her ear and plopped onto the floor in front of the Doctor.

"now mickey!" The Doctor shouted getting onto his feet pointing to the little wormy alien on the floor.

"oh grollix" The worm swore.

"There that should keep it quiet, they're easy to trap once you get them out" The Doctor said as mickey pulled out a gun that emitted a white light that encased the worm and kept it frozen in place.

"What is that thing?" Rose asked.

"That is your green-eyed monster Rose: The Iagnon. It's acolytes put it in your ear when you were captured and asleep, it could devour your essence." He said prodding the creature.

"Luckily it loves to eat jealous emotions, I knew if we make you jealous enough it would eventually overfeed and expel itself!"

The worm screeched and wiggled before it exploded and died in front of them.

"Oh right. So… It was all fake then yeah?" Rose said chewing on her lip looking at them all who all looked at each other before bursting into a laughing fit.

"Of course it is luv" Jackie said laughing "You really think I'd like that beanpole over there"

"oi"

Xox

"That was way more elaborate than it needed to be" Nova jested

"Saves going back to that hospital with the cats.." The Doctor said shuddering.

"The what?"

"Oh never you mind" The Doctor said as he finished making her a sandwich and gave it her before making himself a cup of tea.

"You're so grumpy sometimes"

"Well I am an old man." The Doctor said pouring a little bit of milk into his tea.

"You don't look old" Nova said prodding the Doctors face.

"Of course I don't"

"Why not?" Nova asked curiously

"Because I don't want to." He finished rather shortly.

"Where do regenerated faces come from?" Nova asked before feeling her own face.

"Well it's a bit different to what I assume is your birth face" He said tickling her cheeks.

"But I'm not sure really where the faces come from, rather it be subconsciously, or if we make them up as we go along… I never really got that far in the academy if I'm honest" He half joked.

"Oh right" She said twirling her hair.

"Though ginger, I've always wanted to be ginger" He said tussling her hair.

"I wonder what I'll look like next" Nova said scrunching up her nose.

"You don't need to worry about that yet, that won't be for a very very long time."

"In one regeneration you can live up to 200 or even 1000, before old age starts to kick in of course… you shouldn't ideally need to regenerate until old age.. okay?"

"wait so how old are you, didn't the alien say you're 900. What regeneration are you on?"

"This is my… eleventh regeneration I think so I'm about 900 ish give or take but to be honest I don't keep track very well"

"Why are you so young then if this is your 11th regeneration?" Nova said starting to panic.

The Doctor crinkled his face slightly, "It's complicated, but don't worry… I'll use my years more wisely now." He said patting her on the cheek softly.

"You better do. You've only just found me"

He smiled a sad smile at her, one with gentle love but also pity. Pity that she wouldn't dance along with other time tots or be able to spend more than 1 or two regenerations with him, he wished he hadn't been so reckless in recent years.

"Why you so serious now old man" She joked to him giving him a pure smile.

"nah just thinking of how messy your room is right now" He ribbed back.

"Oi, we've been busy!" Nova sulked.

xox

"What do you mean she's dead?"

"The Tardis she'd perished, theres nothing to fix, the last Tardis in the universe. Extinct" The Doctor said coldly but Nova could tell he was panicking.

"We can get help though yeah?" Rose tried to suggest

"Where from" The Doctor said rather stoically.

"Well we have landed, we have got to be somewhere right?" She said as the Doctor began to pace frantically.

"We fell out of the vortex, through the void, into nothingness. We're in some sort of no place. The silent realm. The lost dimension." The Doctor said as he then began to feel Nova in their time tot bond began to panic and he snapped himself out of his nihilistic thinking.

"Otherwise known as London" Mickey quipped as he whipped open the Tardis door.