Thank you all again for all the support. You all are truly amazing.
Enjoy the new chapter!
Chapter 14
Sitting in the dark corner of the church, she decided to do some people watching. Something she hadn't had a chance to do for a while. Something she hadn't done in ages, actually. She stopped people watching after . . . after her parents had gone. But now, with nothing more to do than wait out the storm, she decided to observe everyone then. She watched as Rose and her father seemed to have a small heart-to-heart. It appeared as though Rose confessed to who she truly was as she saw the two of them hugging tightly and Rose crying. Then they went off into the back of the church, obviously wanting a chance to talk in quiet where no one would bother them. She was happy for Rose. Happy that the girl was able to build an actual father-daughter relationship with Pete before he . . .
Wincing and scolding herself, Madison changed the course in her mind, distracting herself from the grim thought as she looked at the others. There was Jackie and a few other wedding guests talking. The mother was holding baby Rose close to her. It was plain as day that Jackie was terrified of what was happening. From the way she clung to her daughter, Madison knew the mother's sole thought was to keep her daughter safe through it all. Just as any mother would. The other people seemed to be dwelling on their own turmoiled thoughts as well. All frightened by what was happening and whom to turn to in a situation like this. Some even appeared to give up on any sort of rescue to occur as she could see the way their demeanour was forlorn and broken. It was sad seeing some of them so gloomy, already giving up before they had even gotten started.
Madison shifted her eyes over to where the Doctor was. He had been keeping himself busy in all of this, doing things that she knew were not really accomplishing anything. Not yet, anyway. She knew he was just trying to distract himself from the screeching of the Reapers and think of a plan of some sort. Just as he always did, always keeping his mind working and keeping himself moving. It was like he never allowed himself time to sit back and reflect. He only wanted to keep marching through it, no matter how hard everything tried to drag him backwards. She felt guilty about him having to think he needed to solve everything. She wished there was something she could do for him. If there was something, she would give anything to take that burden off of him so he didn't have the weight of the world, the universe, on his shoulders. But she just . . . didn't know even where to begin to help him. She felt so useless in this situation.
The bride and groom walked over to the Doctor then, appearing to be asking him a question. The three seemed to be having a nice conversation as she watched the Doctor smiling kindly at the two after a moment. There was something in his eye then, as the bride rubbed at her stomach. Something like fondness in finding the spark of something new. Madison smiled, finding it sweet how the bride and groom were starting a family so earlier in their life together. It was always a delight to see the beginning of things. Like a beautiful beginning to a good book to curl up and read. The Doctor met her eyes then, looking at her briefly before saying something to the bride and groom. Then he was coming over to her, going to sit beside her on the long bench.
"What were you three talking about?" she asked him curiously, wanting to distract him from the Reapers outside and instead keep their conversation lighthearted.
"About how they met," the Doctor said, smiling lightly again. "They met two in the morning on a street corner. She'd lost her purse and he took her home." Madison glanced towards the soon to be husband and wife, seeing how both were now sitting on a bench together and holding one another close. Both of them were content in each other's presence. She smiled lightly, finding the sight touching.
"I'm happy for them," she said softly, gazing back at the Doctor with a bright smile. "It's always nice getting to know how people meet. There's always an interesting story to tell."
"Love to know how you and David met," the Doctor wondered aloud, grinning lightly at her. "I think there's an interesting story of what you did to prove you were Abigale." He chuckled lightly, but then his grin fell a bit. "Sorry, just realised that's probably a painful thought for you."
"No, not at all," she replied, smiling at him in reassurance. "I was out one night and saw some robbers going into a home so I went to stop them. Walked in on David and a few of his friends going through the place. He turned his gun on me, and, well . . . told him to buy me a drink first." She blushed as she remembered her reaction to him. She had been stunned, then cheekily told him that response to him holding a gun on her. It had been the first time she flirted with someone. He had been her first with a lot of things.
"You said something similar to me. You ask every guy you meet to buy you a drink?" The Doctor raised a brow at her lightly, staring at her curiously now.
"Only the pretty ones," she teased him, bumping him lightly in the side with her shoulder. She laughed when seeing the cheeky grin he had, appearing pleasantly pleased with this answer. "Honestly . . . I don't normally flirt."
"Really? I would have never guessed with how you talk sometimes." He grinned lightly to tease her, but his grin fell somewhat when seeing her uncomfortable demeanour. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I'm just . . . starting to realize something," she murmured, gazing steadily into the Doctor's blue eyes. Eyes that she loved to gaze at. She felt her heart beating steadily, fluttering as she took in every detail of his face. The words of David telling her to move on echoed in her mind. It still felt too soon, moving on from David. Especially after just seeing him recently. But . . . she knew there was a shift in what she was feeling for the Doctor. She had known for a moment now . . . Though it did not really matter if she felt this way for him or not. She knew she should be more concerned about whether or not he felt that way. There were mentions from other people of what they've noticed from the Time Lord, but again she felt unsure about that. She didn't want to push it if he didn't feel the same way. What if she made him feel uncomfortable with their friendship if she brought it up? She would hate to ruin their friendship just because she was feeling a certain way about him.
"I've never had a life like that," the Doctor said then, pulling her out of her thoughts. She blinked, staring at him as he gazed off towards a painted window. His old eyes grew soft, sad almost.
"What do you mean?" she questioned quietly.
"Meeting people by chance . . . finding a life together with them afterwards," he explained, voice soft and forlorn. He leaned forward, resting his arms on the bench in front of them. "I never will have a life like that."
Unsure of what to say, she reached over and touched his arm. Her heart clenched as it slowly sank at his words. It appeared as though her thoughts had been correct. He truly did see her as nothing more than a friend. Which wasn't a terrible thing, of course. She would be happy for friendship. And as a friend, she felt bothered by him thinking he could never find someone to be happy with. If anyone deserved to be happy, it was him.
"You'll find them. Someday, that one person you bump into by chance, you'll find them and you'll find yourself happier than ever before," she said softly, giving him a gentle smile. She felt her heart skip a beat and her stomach jolt slightly as he looked at her, giving her such a warm smile. He touched her hand then, threading their fingers together. He looked like he wanted to say something but held himself back, his eyes searching hers carefully now. He then looked away, staring off into the church and frowned as he gazed around at the others.
"Where's Rose?" he wondered aloud.
"She's talking with her dad. I think she told him who she really is," Madison told him. Seeing his disapproving frown, she shook her head. "Don't be too hard on her. She deserves to be able to talk to her dad properly."
"Oh, I need to use the loo. Can anyone watch Rose for me?" they heard Jackie saying behind them. They looked over, seeing the mom looking around for someone while she danced edgily on her feet, obviously really needing to go.
"I can," Madison offered, walking over and smiling kindly at the woman. She held out her arms for the baby carrier, ready to watch over little Rose. Jackie seemed hesitant at first, but when seeing everyone else was busy elsewhere, she sighed and handed the child over.
"Thanks. Be back in a minute," the mom said before rushing off towards the back of the church. Madison brought the baby carrier back over to where she and the Doctor had been sitting, holding the carrier in her lap as she smiled down at the baby. Little Rose blinked at her sleepily, appearing ready for a nap soon.
"Ooh, aren't you cute," Madison said softly. "Hello, little Rose." The baby blinked at her before starting to smile slightly. Reaching over, Madison tickled the babe on the cheek, making little Rose gurgle quietly.
"Now Rose, you're not going to bring about the end of the world, are you?" the Doctor said to the babe, reaching over to tickle the baby as well. "Are you?" Little Rose blinked and stared at him blankly.
"Again, you have such a way with kids," Madison teased him, smirking slightly as he pouted at her. Both of them glanced over their shoulders as they heard someone coming over to them. It was Rose slowly walking up towards them. The girl's expression worried Madison as she saw the troubled look Rose had. Something was greatly bothering the girl, and it most likely wasn't because of the Reapers. Madison wondered if it had something to do with what the blonde and her father might have talked about. Did their talk go wrong?
"Jackie handed her to us," the Doctor said when seeing the puzzled glance the girl gave the small baby. "Funny to think that in years to come she'll slap me for even suggesting you being around me." The Doctor grinned as Rose laughed lightly.
"I'd better be careful. I think I just imprinted myself on Mickey like a mother chicken," she told them then, nodding her head over her shoulder towards a small little boy who was being held by one of the women in the room. The poor boy looked frightened by everything, especially whenever one of the Reapers outside screeched and flew past the window.
"Oh, my gosh, I didn't even realize. That's Mickey!" Madison said, shocked to see the young lad during this age. She then smiled lightly. "First baby Rose, now little boy Mickey. Guess I should cross those two off the time travel bingo list." She smiled brighter as the Doctor snorted loudly. Their smiles vanished as Rose moved to pick up the small baby in Madison's lap.
"No," the Doctor ordered the girl, swiftly pushing her away and giving her a strict look. "Don't touch the baby. You're both the same person, that's a paradox. 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."
"I can't do anything right, can I?" Rose mumbled, shoulders slumped as she stared dejectedly at her younger self.
"Since you asked, no. So, don't touch the baby," the Doctor replied in a scolding voice.
"I'm not stupid," Rose bit back in annoyance, throwing the Time Lord a narrow-eyed gaze.
"You could have fooled me," the Doctor retorted with a scoff. Madison hit the Doctor on the arm, shaking her head in disproval as he glanced at her. It was at this point she felt he was taking it too far. She could understand if he still felt frustrated with the girl, but there was no reason to be so unreasonably rude. He seemed to think the same thing as he let out a sigh and looked back at Rose again. This time with a softer gaze. "All right . . . I'm sorry. Bit frustrated at the moment. Between us three, I haven't got a plan. No idea. No way out."
Madison felt uncomfortable then with the Doctor's lie. She glanced towards Rose anxiously, knowing of the way out of this mess as the Doctor explained earlier. But that would require breaking Rose's heart. Madison was just glad that the Doctor agreed, in the end, to try to find another solution. Though if he was saying there was truly no way out . . . Madison let out a breath, knowing what would be the right thing to do, but knew that it would require hurting a dear friend. Could they do that? Risk their friend's happiness at the cost of the whole world? No, they probably could do that, but . . . it would be painful to do so.
"You'll think of something," Rose said in encouragement to the Doctor, giving a small smile and nod.
"The entire Earth's been sterilised. This, and other places like it, are all that's left of the human race," the Doctor explained bluntly. He glanced up, watching a passing shadowy outline of a Reaper flying by a window. "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." He glanced at Madison gratefully as she took his hand then, giving it a comforting squeeze. He smiled thinly, shaking his head before looking at the two beside him. "There used to be laws stopping this kind of thing from happening. My people would have stopped this. But they're all gone." He was sad again, staring away with a distant look. "And now I'm going the same way."
Madison squeezed his hand harder then as her heart went out to him. She wished she could give him words of comfort, but no words felt good enough. Nothing that could accurately convey how she wished to help him. So she brushed her mind against his softly, wanting him to know that, no matter what was to happen, she would be there for him. She watched as he stiffened for a moment before slowly relaxing. She felt his mind briefly connect with hers, allowing her to feel the light feather touch of his thoughts. It was different than before. Then it had been a tidal wave of anger and anguish. Now it was simply a gloomy rain that seemed to be steadily falling around him. She stepped into the rain with him, holding him close and letting him feel the gentle rock of her mind. Like sleeping on a boat out in the sea during an autumn night. She felt him relax even more and saw the gentle blue of his eyes gaze at her again.
"If I'd realized . . . ," said Rose, interrupting their thoughts and making them look to the girl again. They could see just how torn up the blonde appeared to be now about their situation. The gravity of everything and what she had caused finally settled in for the girl. Rose bit her lip, gazing at them as though pleading for them to forgive her.
"Just . . . tell me you're sorry," the Doctor said, levelling his eyes and looking stern again.
"I am. I'm sorry," Rose said, her hazel-brown eyes appearing big like that of a guilty child.
"Really sorry?" the Doctor responded, raising a brow sceptically.
"Really, really sorry," Rose mumbled, nodding as she kept staring at him guiltily.
The Doctor kept staring at her sternly before finally his act seemed to break and he was grinning. "Apology accepted." He then waved a finger at her. "Just don't do it again. Leave the time breaking to the Time Lord."
"Deal," Rose laughed, reaching over and giving the Doctor a large hug. Madison sighed then, smiling as she was glad they were making up. She hated it when people fought. She hated it when people refused to talk and work out their feelings. It was nice when people actually took the time to sit down and discuss things together.
"Glad you two kids decided to play nice again," she teased them after they pulled away from each other. She grinned cheekily as they both pouted at her.
"Something's hot in your pocket," Rose said then, pointing at the Doctor's leather jacket.
"What?" the Doctor replied, frowning and blinking in confusion.
"In your pocket. Don't you feel it? It's burning up," Rose told him. Both Madison and her watched as the Doctor, with a frown still on his face, reached into his inner pocket of the coat and began searching for what the girl was talking about. He then hissed in pain and yanked his hand away. Out flew a bright yellow key from his hand, landing on the floor. It shone brightly like a torch in the night. Madison reached down to grab it but stopped when feeling the great heat coming from the little key.
"Is that the TARDIS key?" she wondered aloud. She heard the Doctor give an excited laugh before crouching down beside her. Taking off his coat, he used it to pick up the key carefully and hold it up like it were a beacon of hope.
"It sure is. And it's telling me it's still connected to the TARDIS," he explained rapidly. He made a move to kiss it, but Madison quickly held him back.
"Best not," she said.
"Right," he agreed, face going slightly red from embarrassment in almost hurting himself in his excitement. He stood up then, gazing around the others in the room. "Think everyone will believe that I've got a spaceship stuck in the time-disruption atrophy of void space and the Time Vortex?" Madison laughed lightly while Rose shook her head in disbelief.
"Maybe break it to them slowly," Madison offered in support, patting the Doctor's arm a bit.
XxXxXxXxXx
She listened to the Doctor, sitting beside Rose at the back of the church while their friend stood at the front and addressed everyone in the room. Surprising, as the Doctor explained everything to everyone, most of the people there just seemed to accept it as it was and didn't question it too much. So there were spaceships and time travel. Not the worst thing compared to what lay in wait for them outside the church. Though the look on Jackie's face as the Doctor talked about the details of the TARDIS and time was too priceless. Madison couldn't help but giggle after seeing the woman's expression. Even during the moment of watching the Doctor gather a large mobile phone battery from the groom and using it to work on his key. Madison did not know how this was supposed to help them bring back the TARDIS, but she didn't wish to question it. If it worked, it worked. Simple as that.
"You, erm, you never said why you came here in the first place," came the voice of Pete beside her and Rose. Madison and Rose both glanced over, seeing the man had come over and sat beside them. The man stared at Rose steadily, having a bit of a nervous gaze in his eyes. Feeling uncertain, Madison wondered if she should even be there. Afraid to interrupt anything between Rose and Pete, she started to move to get up and leave, but then Rose's hand grabbed Madison's and held her fast in place. Seeing the expression on the blonde's face, it was made clear that Rose wanted a friend nearby for comfort, so Madison remained where she sat. Though she kept herself very quiet and still, not wanting to bother them still.
"If I had a time machine, I wouldn't have thought 1987 was anything special," Pete continued to say, eyeing Rose carefully as he spoke. "Not 'round here, anyway."
"We just ended up here," Rose said lightly, trying to bypass any suspicion she might cause in coming up with an excuse.
"Lucky for me, eh?" Pete replied, grinning a bit then. "If you hadn't been there to save me-"
"That was just a coincidence. That was just really good luck," Rose said quickly then, interrupting Pete's train of thought. She looked to Madison for help. "Right?"
"Y-yeah. Just an accident," Madison mumbled, uncomfortable with lying out blatantly. It felt wrong to lie to the man's face like this. But she knew it was wrong to tell him the truth as well. It would be a terrible burden on him, knowing that he was supposed to die this day and the world was falling to pieces because of it. That kind of knowledge would tear anyone up. Thinking of this, she watched as Pete stared at his daughter as though searching for something.
"So, in the future, are me and her indoors still together?" he asked his daughter nervously.
"Yeah," Rose answered him, smiling wistfully.
Pete smiled, though this seemed a bit uneasy. As though he did not necessarily believe Rose on that. "You still living with us?"
"Yep."
Pete glanced between Madison and Rose now, staring at them curiously. "Are you two girlfriends?"
"What?" Rose replied in shock, mouth falling open while Madison blinked in surprise. Well . . . it wasn't the first time she was mistaken for a woman's lover.
"Hey, I'm not judging," Pete replied easily, holding up hand to gesture he did not care.
"No! It's not like that." Rose's face grew bright red as she glanced over towards Madison in embarrassment, letting go of her hand as well.
"We're just friends," Madison told the man, smiling in amusement at the growing situation.
Pete nodded, looking embarrassed now that he had made that assumption out loud. Staring down at his clasped hands, he gazed back at Rose curiously. Though, again, the nervous demeanour came back. "Am I a good dad?" he asked after hesitating to talk again.
"You . . .," Rose tried replying but stopped as she gazed at her father carefully. Her eyes wavered as she did not know what to say at first. Madison could see it. Endless possibilities to tell the father, but all of which would be lies. Kind lies, yes. But still, lies all the same. Rose swallowed heavily, putting on a smile as she decided on what to say. "You told me a bedtime story every night when I was small. You were always there, you never missed one. And, erm . . . you took us for picnics in the country every Saturday. You never let us down. You were there for us all the time. Someone I could really rely on."
A troubled look crossed Pete's face as he gazed at his daughter. Something that she said appeared to make him realize something dreadful. He glanced at Madison and she quickly averted her gaze, not wanting her expression to give anything away. Then, she heard him say sadly, "That's not me."
Before anything more could be said, they heard a sound coming from the front of the church. Madison's ears perked up as she heard the thumping sound of the TARDIS landing. She watched, along with the others, in a state of awe as the key the Doctor held began glowing even brighter. He then let go of it and it remained hovering in midair. Around it, there appeared a fuzzy outline of something before slowly the outline grew into a glowing haze of a police box. It was a beautiful golden colour as the outline of the TARDIS appeared to dim and then glow brighter. The lamp of the box shone, flashing as the TARDIS appeared to be trying to come into focus. The Doctor rushed around to the podium then, beaming away as he faced everyone.
"Right, no one touches that key, have you got that? Don't touch it," he told them. "Anyone touches that key, it'll be, well, zap! Just leave it be and everything will be fine. We'll get out. All of us. Stuart, Sarah, you're gonna get married, just like I said." He grinned at the bride and groom with the two looking a bit shocked to be addressed. But then bride and groom were beaming away at each other, merrily giving each other a kiss in joy. Others began muttering away, their spirits lifted as there was hope now. Hope for them all. Madison smiled as she watched the Doctor bounce away from the front of the church and headed back to where she, Rose, and Pete sat.
"Told you I'd figure it out. Didn't I say I would? Because I'm brilliant. I always think of a way out," the Doctor said, holding a large grin on his face and crossing his arms proudly as he sat down beside Madison. "That's me, always clever. I can work around any situation. Just you watch me."
"We just got very lucky, didn't we?" she questioned, raising a brow at him.
". . . Yeah, but I was still clever about it," the Doctor admitted, smiling a bit sheepishly now.
"Oh, yes, you're always Mister Clever," she teased him, bumping him playfully in the arm.
"I am!" The Doctor tugged on his coat, puffing up his chest boastfully. "I'll have you know that if you look at the Humbaba VII dictionary, behind the word 'clever' you'll find a picture of me."
"Followed by the words: cheeky and bad driver." She sniggered as he scoffed at her.
"You'll never let go of me getting you back a year late will you?"
"Never." She laughed as he pushed her lightly with his elbow, matching his grin with her own.
"You two done yet?" Rose asked suddenly, earning the other two's attention. Madison blinked as the blonde shook her head at them both. "I swear, it's never-ending flirting with you both."
"We weren't flirting," the Doctor grumbled, crossing his arms tightly in defiance. Madison felt herself blushing as she looked away in embarrassment.
"Anyway . . . I wanted to ask, when time gets sorted out . . .," Rose began questioning.
"Everybody here forgets what happened," the Doctor explained, nodding as he knew what the girl was wondering. "And don't worry, the thing that you changed will stay changed."
"You mean I'll still be alive. Though I'm meant to be dead," said Pete, speaking up finally. Madison had almost forgotten that the man was still there as he had become very quiet. Glancing at him, she could see the forlorn gaze of his as he stared off into the church. His lips were pressed into a thin line, clearly troubled after realizing the truth. She stared at him sadly, feeling terrible that he had found out what had happened. Again, she didn't want him to feel conflicted about being alive.
"That's why I haven't done anything with my life," Pete continued on, grimacing as he chortled humourlessly at himself. "Why it didn't mean anything."
"Don't work like that," the Doctor said, shaking his head at the man.
"Rubbish," argued Pete, glancing at the other man briefly. "I was so useless I couldn't even die properly. Now it's my fault all this has happened."
Rose reacted suddenly, reaching over and grabbing her father's hand tightly before she said, "This is my fault."
"No, love," replied Pete as he gave his daughter a kind smile. "I'm your dad. It's my job for it to be my fault."
"Her dad?" came a voice suddenly beside them.
Madison stiffened, eyes going wide as she looked and saw Jackie standing there in the aisle next to where they sat. The woman gazed at her husband in utter horror and disbelief. Her mouth opened wide as she looked as though she wanted to gag. Her grip around the baby in her arms tightened ever so slightly as she held her child close to her chest. Madison could see almost every thought that was running through Jackie's mind, none of which were pretty.
"How are you her dad?" Jackie questioned, her breath coming in shakily as she spoke. Then, her expression shifted from disbelief to that of anger. "How old were you? Twelve? Oh, that's disgusting."
"Jacks, listen," Pete said quickly, already trying to ease the woman from being hysterically angry. He stood up, already trying to break it to Jackie on the news about who Rose really was. The one sitting beside Madison, that is. He pointed at the older Rose as he spoke, "This is Rose."
"Rose? How sick is that? Did you give my daughter a secondhand name? How many are there? Do you call them all Rose?" Jackie replied, both on the verge of tears and screaming at the same time.
"Oh, for god's sake, look. It's the same Rose," Pete countered in frustration. The man acted so quick then that Madison didn't register what he was doing until it was too late. He took baby Rose from Jackie's arm and moved towards the future Rose. Madison gasped and shouted for him to stop just as he pushed the babe into Rose's arms. The Doctor shouted as well, rushing around her and towards Rose, yanking the baby away from the blonde girl.
It was too late, however, as at that moment, a Reaper suddenly appeared within the church out of thin air. It unfurled its leathery wings, screeching at them all so loudly that it reverberated off the walls of the church. The people in the church began to scream and panic, getting up from the benches they were sitting at and rushing to get away from the monster.
"Everyone, behind me! I'm the oldest thing in here," the Doctor shouted, stepping forward to make certain that everyone rushing would be behind him. He held out his arms wide, staring down the creature that hovered in the air before them. The Reaper made a strange sound that reminded Madison of a dolphin, though more guttural and twisted. It stared at the Doctor as he stepped closer to it. It was then that the creature finally acted, screeching and swooping down towards the Doctor.
"NO!" Madison screamed as she ran forward.
Just as the Reaper descended, she slammed herself into the Doctor, trying to push him out of the way. They both fell to the floor together before feeling something sharp grab around her at all sides. There was immense pain followed by utter darkness and . . . nothingness. Then, the next moment, she was blinking as sunlight from a painted window hit her face. She squinted, blocking the sunlight from her face as she hurriedly glanced around to see where she was. She appeared to be standing in an aisle of a church, but . . . wait, was this the same church as before? It couldn't be. Had she not been eaten alive by a Reaper? And there appeared to be no one there with her so . . . was she in the afterlife? No, that was silly. Being dead would not feel like this. Then again, how would she know what being dead was like?
She jumped slightly when feeling someone touch her shoulder. Looking around she felt relief when seeing the Doctor standing there. He gave her a relieved smile, reaching out to pull her into a hug. She hugged him in return, gripping him tightly as she was so glad she could still hug him. She didn't know how she was alive, but she was incredibly grateful for it. Unless they were both dead together. That was always a possibility. So it was not all terrible then because . . . he was still there with her.
"How?" she asked him as her face was buried into his shoulder.
"Pete. He saved us all," the Doctor said, sighing sadly now. Pulling away from the hug, he nodded towards the open church doors. "Come on. Let's be there for Rose."
Nodding, she followed him out, holding his hand tightly as she felt her heart sigh in defeat. She had wanted so hard for Pete to stay alive. For Rose to find her happiness. The Doctor tried so hard to find a way around the coming death. But it looks as though the universe had other plans all along. No matter what Pete was always meant to die. As they stepped out into the daylight, they could see Rose standing there by the doorway, eyes closed tightly as though not wishing to see anything around her. Not wishing to be there or have to experience what may follow if she dare open her eyes. Madison walked over to the girl immediately after letting go of the Doctor's hand, touching the girl gently on the shoulder. Rose opened her eyes, staring at her and the Doctor in shock briefly before looking relieved to see them both again.
"Go to him. Quick," the Doctor said, nodding towards the end of the street from the church. Around the corner of the way where a tan car was now stopped and a young man was standing there looking down at the ground in horror. Rose bit her lip before nodding, seeming to gather her resolve as she took off and ran down the street.
Madison felt the Doctor grabbing her hand again before pulling her along. He made them both cross the street, going towards a sidewalk where she could see the TARDIS was now parked. She let herself feel brief elation as the ship's presence entered her mind once again before she tore her gaze away to look towards the street. There she could see Rose, kneeling beside her father, holding up his head and gripping onto his hand. He lay dying beside her, giving his daughter one last tentative smile before his eyes slipped close and his chest slowly fell one last time. Rose bowed her head as she laid the man's head back down onto the ground and let go of his hand. The tears were evident on her face as she softly cried.
Madison felt her eyes grow hot as tears came forward and fell down her face. She tried holding it in but . . . watching the scene unfold, images of her father gradually sighing his last breath and his hand letting go of hers sliced through her. She remembered the feeling of his grip loosening all too well. How cold his hand became while she still tried to hold onto him. The memory of him dying . . . still plagued her. But . . . at least her father still had someone by his side as he passed. Someone whom he loved. And now Pete may have that as well. Have the daughter who he would never get to watch grow up be there for him. One could never ask for a better gift. Even though she never wished for Rose to experience something so dreadful . . . at least the girl was able to be there for her father when he needed it most. That was something that could never be forgotten.
Glancing over her shoulder, Rose looked to the church then, seeing the wedding guests who had reappeared now that time was whole once more. The bride, groom, guests, and Jackie all came out of the church to look on in confusion towards where Rose sat next to Pete. Rose turned, giving her father a hurried kiss on the forehead as a last farewell before standing up from the ground. She looked towards the Doctor and Madison, her eyes wavering but holding herself steady as she walked over to them. She grabbed onto Madison's hand and leaned against her as they all walked towards the TARDIS, leaving the scene before anyone could stop them. Madison's only regret then, as they walked into the ship and she gave one last glance towards where Pete lay, was that they never got to tell Jackie how her husband was a hero. For his death was not in vain. Pete Tyler died to save the world. No . . . better than that. He died to save his world. He died to save Jackie and Rose. Those most important to him out of all time and space. A true husband and a true father to the very end.
XxXxXxXxXx
"I really am sorry," Rose said again for the hundredth time that night. Madison could not help but chuckle in amusement, shaking her head at the girl.
Currently, they were all seated at a dining table, eating something that the Doctor had made for them all. They sort of discussed what had happened that day while the Doctor had been cooking. Mostly asking questions to understand the exact details of the situation at hand. Which led the Doctor to give them a 'lesson' about flux and fixed points of time, the Reapers, time anomalies, time distortion, wounds in time, and more details about the Time Vortex in general. To be perfectly honest, almost everything the Doctor said went over her head, and possibly Rose's as well as she had seen the girl give a blank look as their friend spoke. However, it was still rather enjoyable to listen to the Doctor describe everything to them with such enthusiasm. It seemed as though he really found delight in being able to share his vast amount of knowledge with others. Even if it was a very complex topic that could not be easily understood.
"Rose, stop. I've already told you, it's fine," the Doctor grumbled as he picked at his food.
"We're back now. No harm done," Madison said to reassure the girl.
"But you both still died because of me. It's my fault," Rose replied, slumping down in her seat.
"Yeah it is, but beating yourself up about it isn't gonna undo what's been done," the Doctor said, being rather stern as he spoke. "So stop it." Madison shook her head at him when seeing Rose's dejected expression, mouthing 'rude' at him. He merely shrugged as he went back to eating his food.
"I understand your guilt. Believe me, I do. However, all you can focus on is the here and now. Keeping yourself on past mistakes never does one good in the end. Instead, think of what you have learned," she offered to the girl, smiling as she saw Rose giving a tentative smile. "I think, at the end of the day, you've grown tremendously. I'm very proud of you."
"Thanks, Maddie," Rose said, looking grateful for the encouraging words. Standing up then from her chair, Rose stretched before she grabbed her empty plate. "And thanks for the meal, Doctor. It was really good." She placed the dish into the kitchen basin, turning around to face them. "I'd like to talk more . . . but right now I'd rather be alone for a while. If that's okay?"
"More than okay," Madison assured the girl. Watching Rose wave to them goodnight, Madison waited until she heard the blonde walking down the corridor before looking at the Doctor again. Since being back in the TARDIS, she had a feeling he wanted to have a discussion with her in private. Something with how he kept glancing at her. She could see it in his eyes. The simmering emotions. A mixture of relief and frustration. It made her anxious. "I sense that you're displeased with me."
"You could say that," the Doctor muttered, standing up with his plate in hand. He grabbed hers as well, going over to the basin and placing them in. He stood there for a moment with his back turned to her before he finally turned around and walked back over. She sat very still, nervous to move as she was not certain what he wanted to say. Finally, he sat down in a chair beside her. He surprised her by grabbing her hand and holding it tightly. "That was stupid of you, throwing yourself at the Reaper."
"You threw yourself at the Reaper as well," she countered evenly.
He hummed, frowning heavily now. "I was protecting everyone."
"And I was protecting you."
Staring at her, he shook his head. "I don't need you to protect me. I don't need you throwing yourself into danger like that. I . . . I need you safe." He squeezed her hand rather hard.
"I need you safe as well." She placed her other hand on top of his, rubbing his skin gently. "Doctor, you . . . you mean a lot to me. I want to help you in any way I can."
His eyes seemed to be searching hers, staring intently into her green irises. Finally, he shook his head, moving his hand away from hers. "You can help me, but not if it means getting yourself killed. I won't have you running around being brash. I need you to have faith that I know what I'm doing and that my plans will work."
"I do have faith in you. But I'm not having you throw yourself to die just because you think that's best. Because it isn't. Life without you . . ." She stopped, catching herself as she realized her words were very close to confessing something she did not want to reveal at the moment. Sighing, she held herself straight as she looked at him. "You're my friend, Doctor. Whether you like it or not, I'm going to try to protect you. I do that for all my friends. So I'm afraid you'll just have to deal with it."
Again, he stared at her for a moment, his frown more thoughtful now. "I won't have your death on my hands."
"It won't be. It'll be in my own hands. I choose what to do with my life. No one else."
He sighed, shaking his head. "There's no changing your mind on this, is there?"
She gave a small smile. "Not really, no." Reaching forward, she grabbed his hand again. "If it's any consolation, I really was trying to get us both out of the way of the Reaper, but I . . . tripped somewhat when I ran into you."
He let out a laugh, smirking now. "You tripped?"
She pouted, crossing her arms. "Look, Mers are not graceful when it comes to walking. We're made for water, not land." Her pout deepened as he laughed even more. But soon she was giggling as she stood up. "Well, I'm happy to have given you a good laugh. We should probably talk more, but I really need to get to a bath soon. My skin is becoming very dry."
The Doctor nodded, standing up with her. "All right, go ahead and get some rest. Tomorrow we should talk more. Maybe go somewhere nice, too. I think the 70th century might be calling my name." He grinned lightly, appearing pleased as Madison smiled brightly. Then, as she turned to walk away, the Doctor spoke softly, "Just so you know . . . you mean a lot to me, too."
Madison's eyes went a bit wide as he turned his back to her. She watched him walk over to the basin, beginning to wash the dishes from the night's meal. Her heart picked up in beat, drumming away merrily at his confession. Though she tried convincing herself his words were only meant as a gesture of kindness, there was still a part of her that felt there was more to it. There was something there, something he was not telling her. But . . . she was fearful to pry into it any further, so she turned and walked away. Only giving him one last fleeting glance before she walked around the corner of the corridor and disappeared into the ship.
As always, I'd love to see what you guys think of the story. Please feel free to leave a review of any ideas or episodes you would like to see in the story.
I can't wait to see you all again! Please be safe out there until then.