Peter Allen Tyler, my dad. The most wonderful man in the world. Born 15th September, 1954.
Come here Rose. Who's that? That's your daddy. You weren't old enough to remember when he died. 1987, 7th November. Do you remember what I told you? The day Stuart Hoskins and Sarah Clarke got married. He was always having adventures. He would have loved to see you now.
"That's what mum always says. So I was thinking, could we?"
The Doctor sat in the chair, listening to her intently, a curious expression on his face.
"Could we go and see my dad when he was still alive?"
"Where's this come from all of a sudden?" He asked.
Rose looked down feeling slightly betrayed. They had a time machine, they could go anywhere, anytime but the way he was talking made it sound like he couldn't. "Alright then, if we can't, if it's against the laws of time or something then never mind, just leave it."
"No. I can do anything. I'm just more worried about you."
"I wanna see him." She insisted quietly.
"Your wish...is my command. But be careful what you wish for." He smiled and stood up, pressing buttons here and there.
Just then, Piper walked in. The Doctor looked up and smiled at her.
She smiled back. "Where are we going?"
"Backwards in time. I'm taking Rose to see her dad when he was still alive." He watched as her smiled slowly faded and her expression turned nuteural. She nodded almost stiffly and he frowned at her. What was wrong with her? Was it something he said? He'd have to ask her about it later.
"I, Peter Allen Tyler, take you, Jacqueline Andrea Suzette Prentice..." The man before them said.
" I, Peter Allen Tyler, take you, Jacqueline Suzanne Suzette Anita," he cringed at his mistake as Jackie huffed.
"Oh, just carry on. It's good enough for Lady Di," she told the man who nodded. The Doctor, Rose and Piper were sitting at the back, watching the ceremony. The Doctor grinned at the mistake. Rose just stared. Piper watched, her expression unreadable. "I thought he'd be taller," Rose whispered, leaning in.
"To be my lawful wedded wife, to love and behold till death us do part."
"He died so close to home. I wasn't there. Nobody was. It was a hit and run driver. Never found out who. He was dead when the ambulance got there. I only wish there'd been someone there for him."
"I want to be that someone, so he doesn't die alone."
"November 7th?"
"1987," she confirmed. Moments later, the Tardis materialized and parked on a street. They walked out of the Tardis and looked around. "It's so weird. The day my father died. I thought it'd be all sort of grim and stormy. It's just an ordinary day."
"The past is another country. 1987's just the Isle of Wight. Are you sure about this?" He asked in concern.
Rose nodded. "Yeah."
They walked to the end of the street. The sign said Jordan Road in big black letters. "This is Jordan Road. He was late. Out to get a wedding present, a vase. Mum always said, that stupid vase." They stop as a green car comes around the corner and parks nearby. They watch as the man grabs a vase and gets out. "He got out of his car and crossed the road. "Oh God, this is it," Rose breathed. As Pete Tyler gets out of the car, another car comes around the corner. Pete's eyes widen is surprise and fear as the car headed straight for him. The driver in the car raises his arms as a shield as he crashed into Pete. The driver doesn't stop, leaving Pete lying in the road with a now broken vase, unable to move.
The Doctor nudged Rose. "Go to him, quick," he urged but she couldn't. She couldn't move she was frozen. By the time she could move, it was too late, Pete was already dead and the sound of sirens could be heard in the distance. They stopped behind a corner.
"It's too late now. By the time the ambulance got there, he was already dead. He can't die on his own." She turned to him. "Can I try again?"
The Doctor stared at her, his expression unreadable. He had a bad feeling about this. He had a feeling he knew where this was going. Should he really let her try again? This could be dangerous. Not just because of a weak point in time with both sets of them being there but because he knew what humans were like when they had lost someone and had a time machine. Knew from experience that they would most likely try to change history to save the person. He wanted to say no but the desperate, pleading look on her face stopped him. How could he say no to that? Then an idea came to him. He didn't have to. If he could just manipulate the situation a bit, maybe they wouldn't have to try again. He just needed Piper to agree with him. Rose would listen to her, he knew. She trusted Piper with everything she had. If Piper said no then she would - hopefully listen. Problem solved. He turned to the young brunette in question. She looked deep in thought and he wondered what she was thinking. His mind went back to the conversation they had in the Tardis. He hadn't expected her to act the way she had and he wanted to know why. Whatever it was, it must be important because he was almost certain it was the same thing she was thinking of now. He nudged her gently to get her attention. She looked up. "Rose wants to go back and try again. What do you think?"
Piper looked away and shrugged. "Up to you two really. But I'm warning you now, if you do this, there's a chance she won't just observe and then go to him. She'll more than likely try to save him."
The Doctor frowned. What was wrong with her? He felt conflicted. While he wanted to help Rose, he wasn't entirely sure she could be trusted here. He also wanted to deal with whatever problem Piper had. He sighed to himself. Sometimes it sucked to have this kind of responsibility. "Let's go."
Moments later, they looked around the corner to see themselves standing by the road. "Right, that's the first us. This is a very bad idea. There's two sets of us now at the same time which makes this a weak point. Just be careful they don't see us. As soon as she runs off, then go to your dad," he told her.
She nodded. Pete's car pulled up by the curb and he got out. The earlier version of Rose could be heard. "Oh God, this is it," she said.
"I can't do this," Rose said.
"You don't have to but this is the last time we can be here," he said, misunderstanding what she meant. Piper's expression hardened, realizing exactly what Rose meant. It wasn't that hard to work out really. The car headed towards Pete but this time Rose ran towards them. "Rose, no!" He yelled. Rose ignored him and ran past the earlier versions of them who stared in confusion. She ran into the road and pushed Pete out of the cars path, knocking him to the ground. She didn't notice the dark look on the Doctor's face as he watched them. The vase rolls on the ground, unbroken and the earlier versions of them disappeared.
"I did it, I saved your life," Rose gasped.
"Blimey, did you see the speed of that? Did you get his number?" Pete asked.
"I really did it, oh my God, look at you. You're alive! That car was gonna kill ya!" She exclaimed.
"Give me some credit, I did see it coming. I wasn't gonna walk right under it, was I?"
Rose stared at him. "I'm...Rose," she said.
"That's a coincidence. That's my daughters name," he smiled.
Rose grinned. "That's a great name. Good choice, well done."
"Right, well I'd better shift. I've got a wedding to go to."
"Sarah Clarke's wedding?"
"Yeah, you going?"
"Yeah."
"You, your sister and your boyfriend need a lift?" He asked pointing at Piper and the Doctor. Rose looked over and caught the dark look he sent her.
Walking into the Tyler's flat, Pete dumped his car keys on the table. Rose looked around in awe. "Sorry about the mess, if you want a cup of tea, the kitchen's just down there. The milk's in the fridge." He paused. "Well it would be, wouldn't it? Where else would the milk be? Mind you, there's always the window sill outside. I always thought if someone invented a window sill with special compartments, you know, one for milk, one for yogurt, make a lot of money out of that. Sell it to students and things. I should write that down. Anyway, never mind that, excuse me for a minute. Got to go and change."
The Doctor leant against the wall as Rose walked around the room, pointing at things and picking things up. "All the stuff mum kept. His stuff. She kept it all packed away in boxes in the cupboard. She used to show me when she'd had a bit to drink. Here it is, on display. Where it should be. Third prize at the bowling. First two got to go to Didcot. Health drinks. Tonics, mum used to call them. He made his money selling this Vitex stuff. He had all sorts of jobs. He was so clever. Solar power. Mum said he was going to do this. Now he can." She explained happily. Her happiness faded at the glare he sent her. "Okay, look I'll tell him you're not my boyfriend." She said trying to diffuse the tension.
"When we met, I said travel with me in space. You said no. Then I said time machine."
"It wasn't some big plan. I just saw it happening and I thought, I can stop it."
"I did it again. I picked another stupid ape. I should've known. It's not about showing you the universe. It never is. It's about the universe doing something for you." He snapped.
"So it's okay when you go to other times, and you save people's lives, but not when it's me saving my dad." She snapped back in anger.
He stepped towards her. "I know what I'm doing, you don't. Two sets of us being there made that a vulnerable point."
"But he's alive!" She pointed out.
"My entire planet died. My whole family! Do you think it never occurred to me to go back and save them?"
Rose looked away. "But it's not like I've changed history. Not much. I mean he's never going to be a world leader. He's not going to start World War Three or anything."
"Rose, there's a man alive in the world who wasn't alive before. An ordinary man. That's the most important thing in creation. The whole world's different because he's alive." He said trying to make her understand what she had done.
"What, would you rather him dead?" She asked, hurt clear in her voice.
"No! I'm not saying that."
"No, I get it! For once, you're not the most important man in my life."
"Enough!" Piper growled bitterly. They stopped to look at her in surprise, stunned at the bitterness in her voice.
"Let's see how you get on without me, then. Give me the key. The Tardis key. If I'm so insignificant, give it me back." He held out his hand for the key.
Rose's hand slipped into her pocket and pulled the key out. "All right then, I will." She slammed the key into his hand.
"You've got what you wanted, so that's goodbye, then." He grabbed Piper's hand and pulled her to the door. Rose followed behind them. She stopped in front of them, blocking their path.
"You don't scare me. I know how sad you are. You'll be back in a minute, or you'll hang around outside the Tardis waiting for me." He pushed past her and walked out of the door. "And I'll make you wait a long time!" She yelled, slamming the door behind her.
The door to Pete's bedroom opened slowly and his head popped out. "Boyfriend trouble?"
Somewhere outside, a man screamed and disappeared followed by a woman hanging out washing and a homeless man.
At the Tyler flat, Rose was busy picking up peanuts and putting them into a bowl. Pete walked out of the bedroom, now dressed in his wedding suite. "Excuse me, do you mind? What're you tidying up for?" He asked, stopping Rose.
"Sorry. Force of habit."
He nodded sympathetically. "Listen, don't worry about him. Couples have rows all the time."
Rose dropped onto the sofa. "We're not a couple. Why does everyone think we're a couple? I think he left me."
"What, a pretty girl like you? If I was going out with you-"
"Stop right there."
"I was just saying."
"I know what you're saying, and we're not going there. At no point are we going anywhere near there. You aren't even aware that there exists. I don't even want to think about there, and believe me, neither do you. There for you is like, like the Bermuda Triangle."
"Blimey, you know how to flatter a bloke."
"Right, are we off?" She asked quickly. She offered him her arm.
"So, that wouldn't be a mixed signal at all?"
"Absolutely not."
"I'll take you back to the loony bin where you belong. Except I'm sure I've met you somewhere before."
Walking down the street, the Doctor looked at Piper. "Gonna tell me what's been bothering you, then?" He asked casually.
She shook her head. "No." She replied instantly.
He stopped and frowned. "Why not? I can help." He was stunned to see a single tear slip down her cheek. She closed her eyes and took a shaky breath. "Because it doesn't matter! It's over and there's nothing I can do to stop it." She quickly wiped the tear away. Wanting a distraction, she continued walking down the road.
The Doctor hesitated, knowing it was a sensitive topic but he needed to know. "What did you mean by that? Stop what?"
She didn't answer, too lost in her thoughts. Hardly anyone knew the story except a few trusted. She felt like a failure for not being able to save her, for losing her the way they had. It hurt everyday to think about her and the life she could have had if she had been able to grow up. She had been family and Piper did the only thing she could do. She locked away her pain and grief so she wouldn't have to deal with it. But Rose's actions today, caused all the painful memories to rise to the surface again and she had no idea how to contain them. Taking the hint, they walked in silence. Pulling out his key, he unlocked the Tardis but froze in horror as he opened the doors. There was noting there. It was just a dark wooden box. The Doctor's expression turned fearful as he looked at her. "Rose!" He cried as he ran back the way they came, Piper following closely behind.
"I met this bloke at the horse's, and he's cutting me in on copyright. " Pete was telling Rose as they drove.
"But I thought you were a proper businessman and that."
"I wish! Oh, I do a bit of this, a bit of that. I scrape by."
"Right. So I must've heard wrong. So, really you're a bit of a Del Boy?" Rose asked cheekily.
Pete stared at her. "Oh, shoot me down in flames. You're not related to my wife by any chance, are you?"
Rose's eyes widened and she grimaced. How could she forget? "Oh, my God. She's going to be at the wedding."
"What, Jackie? Do you know her?"
"Sort of."
"What's she told you about me, then?"
"She said she'd picked the most fantastic man in the world."
"Must be a different Jackie, then. She'd never say that."
Rose frowned deeply as rap music began playing on the radio. How was that possible when it wasn't even supposed to be out yet? "That's not out yet."
"It's a good job and all."
"I'm just going to check my messages." She said, going through her phone. Pete did a double take when he caught sight of her phone.
"How do you mean, messages? Is that a phone?"
"Yeah." She put the phone to her ear and listened in confusion and slight worry as a voice kept repeating itself. "Watson, come here. I need you. Watson, come here. I need you. Watson, come here. I need you."
Unnoticed by them, the car that should have killed Pete was behind them. When Pete turned a corner, the car went straight ahead. The driver instinctively putting his arms up as if to protect himself before the car vanished with a ripple.
As they continued to drive, the car suddenly appeared out of nowhere and drove towards them. "Dad!" Rose screamed out of instinct as Pete swearved to avoid the car. Once again, the car disappeared, leaving Pete stared at Rose, stunned. "It's that car. Same one as before. It was right in front of us. Where's he gone? You called me Dad. What'd you say that for?"
"Oh, wonderful. Here he is, the accident waiting to happen. You'd be late for your own funeral and it nearly was!"
Rose stared open-mouthed at Jackie. In all they years she had known her, Rose had never seen her mum look like that.
"No damage done."
"And who's this? What're you looking at with your mouth open?"
"Your hair," Rose said before she could stop herself.
" What?!"
"I've never seen it like. I mean, it's lovely. Your hair's lovely. And that baby you're holding. That would be your baby."
"Another one of yours, is she?" Jackie sneered at Pete.
"She saved my life!" Pete protested.
"Oh, that's a new one. What was it last time?"
"I didn't even know her. She was a cloakroom attendant. I was helping her look for my ticket. There were three duffel coats all the same. Somehow the rack collapsed. We were under all this stuff."
Rose couldn't believe this! "Were you playing around?"
"What's it got to do with you what he gets up to?" Jackie demanded.
"What does he get up to?"
"You'd know!"
"Oh, 'cos I'm that stupid. I play around and I bring her to meet the missus. You silly cow." Pete snapped.
"But you are that stupid."
"Can we keep this stuff back home just for now?"
Rose looked down. She felt like crying. Her mum had always told her their relationship had been good. It never occured to her that her mum may not have told the entire truth. Looking at them now, she just wanted to scream at them and demand that they stop fighting but she couldn't. They didn't know her so she was forced to watch in silence.
"What, with the rest of the rubbish? You bring home cut-price detergents, tonic water, Betamax tapes and none of it works. I'm drowning in your rubbish." She turned to Rose. "What did he tell you? Did he say he's this big businessman, 'cos he's not. He's a failure. Born failure, that one. Rose needs a proper father, not one who's flannelling about like some big kid."
"Jackie, I'm making a living, it keeps us fed, don't it?"
"Stop it! You're not like this. You love each other." Rose said tearfully.
"Oh, Pete. You never used to like them mental. Or I don't know, maybe you did." Jackie turned to walk away.
"Jackie, wait, just listen." Pete called.
"If you're not careful, there'll be a wedding and a divorce on the same day." Jackie yelled as she walked into the church.
"Wait here. Give us a couple of minutes with the missus. Tell you what, straighten the car up. Stick it round the corner or something. Don't cause anymore trouble." He gave her the car keys and ran off to find Jackie.
"I'm not listening. It's just the duffel coats all over again."
"Jackie, sometimes a duffel coat is just a duffel coat. Things will get better soon, I promise."
"I've had enough of all your daft schemes. I never know where the next meal's coming from."
"I'll get it right, love. One day soon, I promise you, I'll get it right. Come on."
Suddenly a dark skinned boy ran around the corner, shouting. "Monsters! Going to eat us!"
"What sort of monsters, sweetheart? Is it aliens?" They laughed.
"Rose!" The Doctor shouted.
Rose smirked and turned around to see them running towards her. She grinned. "Rose! Get in the church!" Her grin faded when he turned to look at something. A large creature with wings appeared in the sky and she screamed. He knocked her onto the ground before it could touch her. "Get in the church!" He cried. More creatures appeared and people began screaming.
"Oh, my God. What are they? What are they?"
"Inside!" He pushed Piper and Rose into the church.
"Sarah!"
"Stay in there!" One of them men tried to run away but one of the creatures pounced on him. "In!" He slammed the doors closed. The creatures flew around the church, screeching. "They can't get in. Old windows and doors. Okay. The older something is, the stronger it is. What else? Go and check the other doors! Move!"
"What's happening? What are they? What are they?" Jackie demanded.
"There's been an accident in time. A wound in time. They're like bacteria, taking advantage." He explained as quickly as he could.
"What do you mean, time? What're you jabbering on about, time?" Jackie snapped impatiently.
The Doctor stopped what he was doing and turned around. He rolled his eyes at her in annoyance. "Oh, I might've known you'd argue. Jackie, I'm sick of you complaining."
"How do you know my name?"
"I haven't got time for this."
"I've never met you in my life!"
"No, and you never will unless I sort this out. Now, if you don't mind, I've waited a long time to say this. Jackie Tyler, do as I say. Go and check the doors."
"Yes, sir."
"I should have done that ages ago." He grinned.
"My dad was out there."
The Doctor's grin faded. "You can mourn him later. Right now we've got to concentrate on keeping ourselves alive."
"My dad had-"
"There's nothing I can do for him."
"No, but he had this phone thing. I can't get it to work. I keep getting this voice." He handed the phone to the Doctor who took it and listened.
"Watson, come here. I need you. Watson, come here. I need you."
"That's the very first phone call. Alexander Graham Bell. I don't think the telephone's going to be much use."
"But someone must have called the police."
"Police can't help you now. No one can. Nothing in this Universe can harm those things. Time's been damaged and they've come to sterilise the wound. By consuming everything in sight."
"Is this because...?" The Doctor looked at Rose. "Is this my fault?"
He stared at her for a few moments, not answering her question, making it obvious that yes, it was her fault. He just didn't want to say it. He walked past her without a word.
Piper was sat on a bench, deep in though when Jackie came up to her. "You look sane and reliable, don't suppose you could look after Rose for me a while?" She asked hesitantly.
Piper smiled and stood up. "Sure." She held out her hands to take her carrycot. Jackie smiled gratefully. "Thanks," she said.
"You're welcome," Piper replied as Jackie walked off. Piper sat down and stared at baby Rose. The baby was beautiful and she couldn't believe this was her best friend. "Hey, Rose. Guess who I am? That's right, I'm your best friend." She cooed. She didn't notice the Doctor standing behind her, watching the scene quietly. He smiled. She was so good with children. He moved to sit beside them.
"Now, Rose you're not going to bring about the end of the world, are you? Are you?"
Rose walked up to them. "I'd better be careful. I think I just imprinted myself on Mickey like a mother chicken." She laughed. She moved to take the baby but the Doctor stopped her.
"No. Don't touch the baby. You're both the same person. That's a paradox, and we don't want a paradox happening, not with these things outside. Anything new, any disturbance in time makes them stronger. The paradox might let them in." He said, looking at the walls.
Rose looked down. "Can't do anything right, can I?" She muttered sadly.
"Since you ask, no. So, don't. Touch. The baby."
"I'm not stupid."
"You could have fooled me." Rose didn't know how to respond to that so she said nothing. "All right, I'm sorry. I wasn't really going to leave you on your own." He admitted reluctantly.
"I know."
"But between you and me, I haven't got a plan. No idea. No way out."
"You'll think of something."
"The entire Earth's been sterilised. This and other place like it, are all that's left of the human race. 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 have stopped this. But they're all gone. And now I'm going the same way."
"If I'd realised..."
"Just...tell me you're sorry."
"I am. I'm sorry."
The Doctor grinned and pulled her into a hug. "Have you got something hot?" Rose asked, pulling back. She reached into his pocket and pulled out the Tardis key. She dropped it when it burned her skin.
"It's the Tardis key! It's telling me it's still connected to the Tardis. Okay, listen up people! The inside of my ship was thrown out of the wound but we can use this to bring it back. And once I've got my ship back, then I can mend everything. Now, I just need a bit of power. Has anybody got a battery?"
"This one big enough?" Stuart asked, holding up his phone.
"Fantastic!"
"Good old dad. There you go."
"Just need to do a bit of charging up and then we can bring everyone back."
Piper watched him as he used his sonic. Her gaze turned to Rose who was talking to Pete. She grinned in relief and happiness as the Tardis began to materialize around the key. "Right, no one touches that key. Have you got that? Don't touch it. Anyone touches that key, 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."
Rose and pete walked over to them. "When time gets sorted out...?"
"Everybody here forgets what happened. And don't worry, the thing that you changed will stay changed." The Doctor reassured her.
"You mean I'll still be alive, though I'm meant to be dead. That's why I haven't done anything with my life, why I didn't mean anything."
"Doesn't work like that."
"Rubbish. I'm so useless I couldn't even die properly. Now it's my fault all of this has happened."
"This is my fault." Rose said quickly, taking his hand.
"No, love. I'm your dad. It's my job for it to be my fault."
"Her dad? How are you her dad? How old were you, twelve? Oh, that's disgusting."
Both Piper and the Doctor rolled their eyes at her stupidity. Piper leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Look out. She's rude, crude and full of attitude."
The Doctor let out a chuckle at this.
"Jacks, listen. This is Rose." Pete was eagerly.
"Rose? How sick is that? You give my daughter a second hand name? How many are there? Do you call them all Rose?"
"Oh, for God's sake, look. It's the same Rose!" He picked up the baby and handed her to Rose.
"Rose! No!"
But it was too late. Everyone screamed in fear as one of the creatures appeared inside the church. "Everyone, behind me! I'm the oldest thing in here." He said, stepping forward.
"Doctor!" Piper and Rose screamed as the creature pounced on him. The reaper flew around the room but disappeared when it flew straight through the Tardis. Trouble was, the Tardis disappeared too. The key dropped on the floor, cold. Rose ran and bent down to pick it up. "It's cold. The key's cold. Oh, my God, he's dead. This is all my fault. Both of you. All of you. The whole world."
Piper's face hardened as she turned on Rose. "This is all your fault!" She yelled. "If you hadn't done what you did, none of this would have happened!"
"I just wanted to save him!" Rose shouted back almost tearfully.
If anything, Piper's expression turned even harder. "My sister was murdered when we were kids! Did it never occure to you that maybe, just maybe I wanted to do the same thing you did but didn't cause I thought of what could happen? The Doctor's planet and his people are dead. Did you ever think that maybe he wanted to save them too but didn't cause he knew what would happen? My God, you just don't think do you? You don't think, you act and others have to pay for it! You never think of the consequences of your actions, only what it can do for you. Well, look at what your actions have caused. We're trapped in here with no way out and, oh look, the only person that could have gotten us out is now gone. Don't you understand? We're not just trapped in here, we're trapped in the past!" She ranted. She looked around, noticing everyone was watching them. "Congratulations," she sneered at the blonde. "I hope you're happy." She shook her head and stormed past Rose without another word.
Tears fell from Rose's face as she turned to watch her friend's retreating back. "I'm sorry," she whispered after her despite knowing Piper couldn't hear her.
"Are you okay," Pete asked quietly.
"Yeah," Rose replied shakily, moving to sit down on a bench. Pete walked into the other room and looked out the window. The car that should have killed him was there. He watched carefully as the car drove around the corner and disappeared again and again. He turned and walked out of the room. He grabbed his coat and walked over to Rose, who was sitting on her own. "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." He commented.
She glanced at him, not understanding and stood up. "What are you talking about? "
"The car that should have killed me, love. It's here. The Doctor worked it out way back, but he, er, he tried to protect me. Still, he's not in charge anymore. I am."
"But you can't." Rose whispered tearfully.
"Who am I, love?"
"My daddy."
"Jackie, look at her. She's ours."
"Oh my God," Jackie gasped, pulling Rose into a hug.
"I'm meant to be dead, Jackie. You're going to get rid of me at last."
"Don't say that." Jackie pleaded.
"For once in your life, trust me. It's got be done. You've got to survive, because you've got to bring up our daughter. I never read you those bedtime stories. I never took you on those picnics. I was never there for you."
"You would have been." Rose sobbed.
"But I can do this for you. I can be a proper dad to you now."
"But it's not fair."
"I've had all these extra hours. No one else in the world has ever had that. And on top of that, I got to see you. And you're beautiful. How lucky am I, eh? So, come on, do as your dad says. You going to be there for me, love? Thanks for saving me."
She picked up the vase and handed it to him. He took it, nodded and ran out of the church. He waited for the car to reappear and when the driver threw his arms up to protect himself, he stepped out into the road and took a deep breath. "Goodbye, love."
There was a thump and the vase dropped on the ground, breaking. The creatures disappeared and Rose stood just outside the church, her eyes closed. They snapped open when the Doctor touched her. "Go to him. Quick." He urged.
This time, Rose did as she was told and ran out of the church. She stopped and knelt down next to her dying father and looked at her one last time before taking his last breath. The driver that hit him stopped this time. Rose laid her dad's head gently on the ground. The people in the church came rushing out. Rose stood up to see the Doctor and Piper standing opposite her, waiting for her. "What's that?" A woman commented.
"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."
"Peter Alan Tyler, my dad. The most wonderful man in the world. Died the 7th of November, 1987."