Series 1: Episode 8: Father's Day P2:
"Now Rose, you're not going to bring about the end of the world, are you?" He asked the baby he was currently nursing on the choir's platform. "Are you?" He asked again as the older Rose came up beside him. Older Rose was still a baby, he thought bitterly as he remembered that she was the one who had brought them to that situation. "Jackie gave her to me to look after. How times change." The Doctor remarked with a hostile undertone.
"I'd better be careful. I think I just imprinted myself on Mickey like a mother chicken." She laughed through the tears, looking at her baby self.
"No! Don't touch the baby!" The Doctor shouted, stopping her as she moved to touch her. "You're both the same person and that's a paradox. Now we don't want a paradox happening, not with these things outside. Anything new, any disturbance in time makes them stronger. A paradox might let them in." He told her, looking back at the baby.
"I can't do anything right can I?" Rose asked, a bit dejected as she simply looked at her younger self.
"Since you asked, no. So… Don't Touch The Baby." He stressed, using a condescending tone to mock her.
"I'm Not Stupid." Rose replied in the same tone, glaring at him.
"You could've fooled me!" The Doctor replied, no hesitation at all.
There was a moment of silence before Rose asked, "Doctor, where's Valarie?"
"Stuck." The Doctor replied, anger in his voice again as he remembered. "In the TARDIS. In some trans-dimensional void. I can't get to her." He told her, his grip on the cot tightening as he thought about it.
"It's my fault isn't it?" Rose asked, ready to burst into tears again. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She told him, raising her hand to her face, wiping away tears with her sleeve.
"Well you should be." The Doctor spat, his sympathy seemingly drained. "Alright, I'm sorry." He apologised, seeing how hurt Rose was already and how his comments weren't helping. "I wasn't really going to leave you on your own." He admitted.
"I know." Rose told him. She'd always known. She'd shouted it at him as he'd left.
"Valarie had known as well." He smiled, letting out small laugh at the memory. "Between you and me, I haven't got a plan." He admitted, worry in his voice. "No idea. No way out." He stressed, guilt eating away at both of them.
"You'll think of something." Rose told him, nodding her faith in him.
"The entire Earth's been sterilised. This, and other places like it are all that's left of the human race." The Doctor told her, looking around at the old church. "We might hold out for a while but nothing can stop those creatures. They'll get through in the end, the walls aren't that old. And there's nothing I can do to stop them. There used to be laws stopping this kind of thing from happening. My people would've stopped this. But they're all gone. And now I'm going the same way." The Doctor spoke grumpily, the realisation of what was going to happen to them dawning on him.
"If I'd realised…" Rose began, hoping to make things right with an apology.
"Just, tell me you're sorry." The Doctor finished, looking at the young girl.
"I am." Rose nodded. "I'm sorry." She told him with all the sincerity she could muster. They smiled and hugged each other.
"FINALLY!" A voice boomed through the church, alerting a few screams from some people. The two pulled away quickly and ran over to Stuart who had dropped his phone, the voice coming from it. "I have been working forever! I have listened to so many songs, blasted them on full to get my mind off this stupid paradox thing!" Valarie moaned, her relief at hearing something other than the horrifying screeches of the monsters evident. "I have screamed more than ever and I will forever have nightmares about that stupid screeching noise those bloody monsters keep making!" She shouted again, her anger practically melting the phone.
"Valarie?" The Doctor asked, picking it up as people in the church nodded along to what she was saying about the stupid monsters and getting excited at the prospect of a saviour.
"Doctor? You there?" She asked, the anger dropping off.
"Yes Valarie how did you get through?" The Doctor asked, hope shining through.
"The TARDIS was working on it from the beginning. She just tried to hide it from me. I was discovering that the 'void' outside are actually portals to different places in the world in 1987. I've seen Japan, Portugal and Spain." Valarie told him as she lowered her voice. "They're all practically empty from what I can see. I can't get properly through without potentially falling into the void." She told him, fear and terror laced in her voice the same way it had been in Sarah's. Only this was different, this was not a sailor. This was a Captain.
"They keep trying to get in. I can never tell if it's only through the portal or if they are outside. I stopped looking after a while. Then I found this, I helped a bit, confirming my identity and stuff. I ended up drawing and blasting music, dancing or baking. Anything to block out the noise. It's so loud. It won't go away." Valarie told him, her head aching from all of the time she'd spent alone. From all of the time she'd been sitting there, waiting for someone to save her before she tried to do something herself. Time went differently in the void. She couldn't tell if it had been a minute or a month. Sometimes it felt like the same thing.
"Just hang on. We'll get you out of there, don't worry." Rose spoke with a calming voice like she always did.
"No, wait I found something." Valarie told them, hoping they wouldn't leave again. "I scanned your bodies to make sure you were alright and found you extremely close." She told them, making them blush. "Either a kiss or a hug." She added with a smirk, lowering her voice completely so it was exclusive to only those two. "But there was an intense amount of heat surging from the Doctor's right inside breast pocket. Some sort of time energy. It's not body heat." Valarie told them as Rose quickly put her hand inside his jacket to pull something hot out.
"Yeah, I felt that." She agreed, pulling it out to throw it as it burnt her hand. "OW!" She yelled, waving her hand as the Doctor looked at what it could be.
"It's the TARDIS key!" He spoke in disbelief as he quickly took off his jacket to use to hold it. "It's telling me it's still connected to the TARDIS!" He told Rose who was right there next to him as they bent down to look at it.
"So does that mean you can get me out of here?" Valarie asked through the phone, hope surging through her.
"Hopefully." Rose grinned as Valarie let out a breath of relief.
"The inside of my ship was thrown out of the wound, but we can use this to bring it back." The Doctor told everyone, holding up the key as he stood on the podium. "And once I've got my ship back, I can mend everything. I just need a bit of power. Has anybody got a battery?" He asked, looking around.
"Well, there is a big battery in Dad's old phone but your friend is in it." Stuart told them, picking up the phone and bringing it to them.
"We can't get the battery out without cutting the connection." The Doctor murmured, looking at the battery as he opened the back of the phone. It would be perfect.
"What if you transfer the connection to my phone?" Rose asked, pulling out her phone. "You know, sonic it or something and then we can talk to her on my phone!" Rose smiled, giving a suggestion.
"It's risky. We could lose the connection." The Doctor told both of the girls, considering the pros and cons to it.
"Do it. I have been in silence for hours, if we lose the connection, that's fine with me. If it gets you and the other people safe then do it." Valarie told them, shocking everyone in the church. They all began to shout their thanks, their gratitude unmeasurable. Valarie was overcome by a bunch of thank you, echoing around the TARDIS and she was overwhelmed. "Oh, um. You're welcome." She replied and they all settled down.
"You sure about this Valarie?" The Doctor asked, his sonic screwdriver ready.
"Yeah, do it Doctor." Valarie agreed, holding onto the railing in case something went wrong. She could tell the noise would dissipate and the creature's screeching would come back into play.
"Ok." The Doctor replied, pointing it at Stuart's phone before moving it to Rose's as quickly as he could. "Valarie? Are you still there?" He asked, hoping to hear her voice but nothing came through the line.
"Valarie?" Rose joined in, both of them calling for their friend. "Valarie!"
"I'm here. I'm here." Replied a weak voice, obviously winded.
"Are you ok?" Rose asked immediately, putting the phone as close as possible to her mouth to make sure her words got through.
"Yeah, just got thrown about a bit." She replied, lying under the TARDIS console, having been thrown through the railing. She looked up and tried to move before looking at her leg trapped under the piece of railing that had been thrown on top of her after she fell. "I'm fine. Get to work." She told them as Rose put the phone to the side, giving Valarie to the guests to let them converse as she worked, not letting her go back into the silence she so very feared. Valarie gritted her teeth, feeling her back and how wet it was. She knew the wound had opened again and it was bleeding out. She couldn't help but mentally curse herself, wondering why this was happening yet again.
"Fantastic!" The Doctor smiled, taking out the battery with Stuart's help.
"Good old Dad. There you go." Stuart smiled, going back to his soon to be wife to celebrate.
"Just need to do a bit of charging up, and then we can bring everyone back." He told them, sonicing the battery and key in the same leather covered palm. He began to work on it while everyone waited. The TARDIS began to materialise in the church and Valarie was being thrown about again. The TARDIS hung up the phone to fully concentrate on materialising. Luckily, Valarie had time to explain to the guests she'd been talking to while she worked on fixing the railing and changing into better clothes.
She took a shower and dried her hair, all while the TARDIS kept shaking but she couldn't let them see the damage done. "Right, no one touches that key! Have you got that! Don't touch it." He ordered, back up on the podium. "Anyone touches that key and it'll be well… zap! Just leave it be and everything will be fine. We'll get out of here. All of us. Stuart! Sarah! You're going to get married, just like I said." The Doctor told them, filled with a new life and ecstasy.
"When time gets sorted out…" Rose started.
"Everybody here forgets what happened." The Doctor finished. "And don't worry, the thing that you changed will… stay changed." He assured.
"You mean I'll still be alive." Pete spoke from behind them. "Though I'm meant to be dead." He finished as the Doctor gave him a look. It wasn't angry or amused, it was indifferent. He knew that Pete would probably figure it out when Rose had revealed who she was. It couldn't have been that hard. The fact that he knew he was meant to be dead was what made it harder. "That's why I haven't done anything with me life. Why it didn't mean anything." He carried on, lost in his own self-deprecation.
"Doesn't work like that." The Doctor tried to tell him, not wanting him to be like that if he was going to live.
"Rubbish." Pete stated. "I was so useless, I couldn't even die properly." He told them with a small humourless laugh. "Now it's my fault all this has happened."
"This is my fault." Rose told him, not wanting him to spiral.
"No love, I'm your dad. It's my job for it to be my fault." He told her, reassuring her.
"Her dad?" Jackie asked, coming into the conversation as she held baby Rose. "How are you her dad?" She whispered, the disbelief obvious. "How old were you, 12? Oh that's disgusting." She spoke with disregard as she looked down at the man she married. The Doctor shook his head and walked away, deeming it to be a 'family' conversation.
"Jacks listen." Pete began, getting up. "This is Rose." He introduced.
"Rose? How sick is that? Did you give my daughter a second-hand name? How many are there? Did you call them all Rose?" She asked, tears brimming in her eyes.
"Oh for God's sake, look! It's the same Rose." He told her, taking the baby Rose from Jackie and handing it to older Rose.
"Rose! No!" The Doctor shouted, looking behind him to see it happen as he raced over. But they touched before he could stop it, making another paradox and a creature materialise inside the church. Everybody screamed, getting out of their seats. "Everyone, behind me!" The Doctor shouted, hoping to keep everybody safe.
"Doctor!" Valarie shouted, rushing out of the TARDIS as she managed to slip through the doors.
"Valarie move!" He shouted, trying to get her out of the Reaper's view. "I'm the oldest thing in here." He announced, separating himself from the group as he offered himself up.
"Doctor!" Rose shouted, pushing to get to him but Pete held her back as Valarie moved around the edges, running down the side to get to the guests. The monster ate the Doctor and then flew around the room, looking for another meal before flying into the half materialised TARDIS and getting full with the time it found there, making the TARDIS disappear and the key fall to the floor. Rose ran forwards to pick up the key and felt it.
"Cold. He's cold." She stated, knowing the link was lost. "Oh my God, he's dead." She spoke, horrified as she shrugged off the arms that Pete tried to put around her to pull her back as he looked around for any more monsters. "It's all my fault. Both of you. All of you!" Rose realised, the horror dawning. "The whole world." She remembered as Pete engulfed her in a hug, comforting his daughter.
"Excuse me!" A lady from the back shouted, parting the two as Rose turned to look at what else would go wrong next. "I think she needs medical attention." She pointed to Valarie who was swaying on the spot.
"Are you alright?" Another lady asked and she nodded, swallowing nothing.
"Fine, I'm fine. Absolutely fine." She told them, before promptly fainting. The ladies caught her and put her on the conjoined seats where Rose ran to her, taking her temperature and realising how bad it was. Another guest looked outside at the screeching and stated what was on everyone's minds.
"This is it. There's nothing we can do. It's the end." She spoke in fear as the dark circles outside the window increased and the church was plunged into darkness for a moment that stretched into a year. Pete left his daughter with Valarie and went over to the window, looking outside to see what the Doctor had. The car, driving out of nowhere and back into nowhere for moments around the bend on a loop. Time had been wounded and the car was going through all the holes.
He walked back in, to where Valarie had woken up and was being tended to by the other guests while Rose sat alone and contemplative over what had happened. "The Doctor really cared about you. He didn't want you to go through it again, not if there was another way. Now there isn't." Pete spoke, pulling down his sleeves and buttoning them up again.
"What are you talking about?" Rose asked, getting up as she denied what she already knew.
"The car that should've killed me love. It's here." Pete explained, putting on his blazer and tying up his tie again as he looked around. "The Doctor worked it out way back but he, um… he tried to protect me." He paused, taking a breath. "Still, he's not in charge anymore. I am." He stood up straighter, taking responsibility.
Rose sniffed, tears coming to her eyes. Valarie placed a comforting hand on her shoulder which did little but she had no other way to comfort her. She couldn't take away the pain or deny, this was going to hurt. It was going to ache and make her cry, it would leave her hollow for a while but that was what was supposed to happen. She couldn't change it, she couldn't try. She could only comfort in whatever way she could. And right now, that meant a hand on her shoulder to show her she was there. "But you can't." She tried to battle, not knowing what to say through the tears.
"Who am I love?" He asked, placing a hand on her cheek.
"My daddy." Rose replied, the words cutting through her as she relished them, never having said them to her actual father. She sniffed more, the tears flooding. She tried to stop as Jackie walked up, watching the two as she held the baby Rose.
"Jackie, look at her." Pete coaxed as Jackie obeyed, scanning Rose's face as she battled internally with herself before looking to Pete. "She's ours." He confirmed and she looked back, her face a mixture of emotions. Rose smiled gently at her, trying to stop the tears as she looked at her mother. A few moments later, a gentle coaxing from Valarie prompted Jackie's realisation as Valarie smiled, nodding and moving Rose forwards slightly as she took the baby into her own arms, not wanting another one of those creatures to ruin the moment.
"Oh, god." She breathed, moving in to pull Rose into a hug which comforted them both. She pulled away and looked to Pete who was trying to be brave.
"I'm meant to be dead Jackie." He explained, looking down. "You're going to get rid of me at last." He joked with a sniff as he got emotional.
"Don't say that." Jackie lightly reprimanded, crying herself as she looked at her husband and daughter.
"For once in your life, trust me." He asked of her, moving forwards. "It's got to be done." He spoke matter of factly. Jackie's eyes welled up with tears as she held them back for her family. "You've got to survive 'cos you've got to bring up our daughter." He explained, nodding to Rose who watched with puffy red eyes. Pete pulled Jackie in for a kiss, full of the love they had lost in bickering and the struggle of life as they unearthed it together in the last moments they had. It was beautiful. Neither wanted to let go as they reluctantly parted, both blinking back tears and trying to be brave for the other. "I never read you those bedtime stories, I never took you on those picnics. I was never there for you." He stated, taking Rose's hand.
"You would've been." Rose spoke tearfully as she try to keep herself from breaking, looking down and thinking of all the possibilities of what could've happened if he hadn't died. People could get lost forever thinking about that, some may lose their sanity because of it. Valarie was becoming one of those people and she would not let Rose become one either.
"But I can do this for you. I can be a proper dad to you now." He finished, smiling at her.
"It's not fair." Rose tried one last time, reverting back to a little girl just wanting her daddy.
"I've had all these extra hours. No one else in the world has ever had that. And on top of that, I've got to see you, and you're beautiful. How lucky am I eh?" He asked, turning to his wife and daughter. "So, come on. Do as your dad says." He told them as Valarie picked up the vase to give to Rose who passed it on to her Dad, knowing it would be pointless if he died without the proper details and it was all for nothing. "You going to be there for me love?" Pete asked, looking at her as she sniffed, nodding, words eluding her.
"Thanks for saving me." He smiled as the family shared one last hug together. Valarie looked on, tears of her own forming as she blinked them back, knowing she had to be the strong one. She placed baby Rose back in Jackie's loving arms as she looked at the baby with a fond smile before looking to the grown up version with the same smile. Valarie looked to the window, seeing the creatures surrounding them.
"You're going to need cover. The creatures are everywhere, I'll go." Valarie offered herself up, returning back to the soldier, analysing the situation. She moved to Pete who nodded, looking to his family one last time before walking to the church doors with Valarie.
"You're a good friend you know." He smiled, playing with the vase nervously as Valarie looked towards him with a comforting smile. "I'm glad Rose found you and the Doctor. Tell him that yeah?" He asked, making his own will of sorts as he tried to come to terms with the fact his death was near.
"I will. And despite all this, you would be a good father to Rose. You are a good father to Rose." She emphasised, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, from one person who's faced death to another. They nodded in reassurance one last time before running out, Valarie going first and attracting all attention to herself, the creatures running for her as she nodded to Pete who ran to the car, holding out his arms as the car came closer and closer.
"Goodbye love." He spoke as both of them faded into nothingness. All sense of anything was lost to Valarie as the creature's claws devoured her. She didn't know if it was because everything was being put back into place or because it was somehow part of the creature's attack as she was never born. She forgot everything and floated for a moment in oblivion, the lack of anything scaring her before she was brought back to reality, lying on the floor of the road. She looked up to the sky and got up, groaning as she put a hand behind her head, massaging it. She was faintly aware of her back completely closed up like it was before. It still stung and irritated her of course, but it wasn't as bad.
A car came and she let out a strangled yell, scrambling to the side of the road and grazing her knees as she did. She sat on the side of the road, placing her head on the concrete as she breathed heavily, getting up shakily. She looked around, seeing the street as it was except with Rose kneeling by Pete's side as he died. She cried gently, putting his head in her lap as she sat with him. The Doctor ran across the road to Valarie as she looked around, him draping one of her arms around his shoulder and helping her regain her balance. "Thanks." She breathed, remembering what had happened.
"Should we get Rose yet?" The Doctor asked worriedly, looking over as he inadvertently more or less confirmed her thoughts about the two.
"Give her some time. She's still grieving, you don't ever get over this kind of thing and this just brought all the pain fresh and raw again." Valarie explained, using her own experiences to justify her answers. The Doctor nodded, still focused on Rose as he noted what she said in his mind for later. He'd been noticing things she said for a long time now, none of it seemed right.
Something was wrong and the Doctor didn't want his friends to be in pain at all, not if he could help it. He may be focused on Rose right now but he knew too much about dealing with loss in silence and how much it could kill you. He'd had enough of that himself coming out of the Time War, yet the universe had given him Rose Tyler and Valarie Waters and he didn't plan on letting them be sad any time soon. Not unless it was unavoidable, like Rose's pain in that moment. "Ok." He agreed, helping her cross the road as they went back inside the church, Valarie getting some rest through the crowd grieving and joining in for some food. The Doctor walked with Rose, both of them spending some time together and healing some of their wounds together.
Valarie noted the Doctor didn't seem as affected as the rest of them did. She saw all of the people, including the would-be-groom's father, seeming tired. She was part of them but people just put it down to the fact that he wasn't happy about the marriage in the first place. People barely noticed her although she didn't miss the slight comments about her dress and how out of place it was, not only at a wedding but in the era. She guessed they didn't have most of the materials or clothes she was styling at that time.
Maybe she should've kept the other formal dress she'd had on for Jackie and Pete's wedding for this as well. But oh well, she shrugged as she pulled down her sweater not entirely bothered by the looks. She was tired and this was comfortable, no one would work up the nerve to ask, especially in a situation like this.
It was dark by the time she decided to slip away, but not without leaving a gift for the newly widowed mother. "There you go. Enjoy it." Valarie whispered to the bracelet as she placed it gently on top of the pile of presents in the corner, bidding it goodbye. She thought it was time.
"Who are you?" She heard a voice say and turned to see the would-be-bride standing there, a curious look on her face as she sipped her wine, the happiest day of her life dampened by Pete's death. The church had been transformed, the wedding taking place on another date as she donned more comfortable clothes, the entire ceremony changing into a funeral. The couple had halved their gifts to give to Jackie and there were two piles stationed in stacks on the side. She'd placed her bracelet on Jackie's side knowing she could find it again in Rose's flat. Unless she'd sold it, Valarie smiled fondly.
"Um, I'm no-one. No-one important." Valarie smiled, looking around to see Jackie in floods of tears, being held by her friends who were weeping with her. The would-be-bride's face was stained with tears yet she still seemed curious about her, as if she'd had an experience she couldn't quite remember. Valarie doubted she ever would remember and she took a breath, swallowing back tears of her own she'd cried for Rose's father.
"Everyone's important." She told her, affirming it with a confusion. As if she didn't know why she believed it so much but couldn't or wouldn't shake the belief for anything. Valarie smiled at her, deciding to leave her with at least some good memories of her special day.
"Of course they are. And so are you Sarah. You're one of the most important people ever because you're doing the one thing some people will never be able to. Live a normal life." She told her, reminiscent of the Doctor's earlier words and she saw a flicker of recognition go across her face before it changed and she settled for a satisfied smile, leaving her alone. Valarie walked out, trying to enjoy the scenery as tears slipped down her face silently. She wiped them away with a breath as the sun set and she found the TARDIS. She knocked and the TARDIS opened it a little for her instead. "Thank you." She whispered, opening it gently as she entered to see the Doctor and Rose embracing, not having noticed her come in.
"Valarie!" Rose greeted, seeing her and unlatching herself from the Doctor. He quickly caught on and went to the controls, fiddling lovingly with his TARDIS as Valarie entered with a sly smile on her face.
"Hey Rose, when did you two get back here?" She asked, raising her eyebrows at her friend.
"Just a few minutes ago. Ready to go?" She asked, walking around with a smile before sitting down. She took in a little breath, holding her head for a moment as the Doctor placed a hand on her arm.
"Just relax, it's the effect of time travel. New memories are being implanted in your brain from your childhood. Because of what happened here. Just let it happen." He coached as she nodded before taking in a breath and the wave of pain eased up and she looked up with a smile.
"You alright?" Valarie asked and Rose nodded, shifting in her seat. Valarie joined her, ready to listen to the new story.
"You want to hear what happened?" She asked and Valarie nodded, trying not to be too eager as it must seem quite rude to be interested in someone's death. "The driver was just a kid. He stopped, he waited for the police. It wasn't his fault. For some reason, Pete just ran out. People say there was this girl, and she sat with Pete while he was dying. She held his hand. Then she was gone. Never found out who she was." She recounted quietly to Valarie who was listening intently. "Peter Alan Tyler, my dad. The most wonderful man in the world. Died 7th of November 1987." Rose spoke, her own words filling in. She took a breath and smiled, both of them getting up as they went to their rooms for some good rest.
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