I'm sorry QueenBoris! I've gone and posted a chapter without sending it to you first! Again! Sorry. You've done it too! Anyway, for the rest of the readers... The Doctor is alive! Yay! All cheer:D You'll be happy to know that this appears to be the first chapter that doesn't actually end on much of a cliff hanger! I'm evil with cliff hangers, aren't I?

Disclaimer: Rose and the Doctor are not together, and from that we can conclude that I don't own Doctor Who.

xxx

The Doctor managed to squeeze into the pod, which was clearly intended for two people. Rose ended up sitting half on his lap, half on the seat, while his legs were sprawled over Susan. Not that they were particularly worried about that, they were more worried about getting out alive.

The Doctor whirred the sonic screwdriver at the door, which promptly shut, then at the control panel. He didn't have time to figure out all the controls, and he couldn't reach it anyway. Suddenly the pod shot out of the holding bay, throwing its passengers against the door.

Then the walls, which were black, turned out to actually be made of glass (or some such see-through material), and they could see outside. They were still on Gallifrey, but this time it was very different. It was no longer the peaceful planet it had been before, but it had bright, golden energy flowing through it, attacking it. It was being destroyed.

Before they could stare out any longer, they were plummeting towards the ground. The Doctor pulled himself through Rose and Susan and managed to grab what looked like a steering device and pulled it up. Suddenly the pod lurched upwards, once again throwing its passengers against the back wall. The Doctor managed to pull himself free from the bundle that was Rose and Susan, and straightened out the flight path.

They flew steady enough for Rose and Susan to disentangle themselves, and properly in the seats, though they were still terribly cramped. Susan looked out of the windows, as the planet's surface started to crack beneath them.

"What's happening?" she asked, as the Doctor and Rose also looked out the window.

"The Bad Wolf's destroying the planet," the Doctor said, "it was never meant to exist so it's being destroyed. Wiped from history." He paused, then looked back into the pod, a mixture of horror, sadness, guilt and helplessness on his face. "It's happening again," he whispered, so sad.

Then the pod shook, as there was an explosion outside. They looked out, as balls of flame shot up from the ground. The Doctor grabbed the controls again and pushed them forward, sending the pod hurtling forward.

Managing to somehow dodge the balls of fire that were shooting up towards them, the Doctor pulled out the sonic screwdriver, and put it against the controls. "If I can get it to locate the TARDIS it can home in to it…" he pressed some more buttons, and the pod beeped. "Let's just hope its not to far away."

He grabbed the steering device again, swerving through the balls of fire.

xxx

The TARDIS wasn't too far away luckily, and pretty soon they were flying over the forest they'd been in before.

Then they got hit.

The pod suddenly went flying up into the sky, as fire engulfed it, covering the windows. Rose and Susan screamed, as the temperature rose so suddenly.

Then just as a sudden it stopped, and they were falling to the ground. The Doctor grabbed the controls again, and made the pod lean forward, but still plummeting at a speed they weren't all too comfortable with.

Then they saw it, in a clearing just after the forest. The TARDIS. The Doctor veered the pod down, and they were heading to the ground. "Hold on!" he shouted, as the ground got closer and closer. He pulled Rose and Susan towards him, and they held on for dear life.

Suddenly there was an almighty crash as they hit the ground, and they all managed to fall off the seats into a big heap on the floor. The Doctor stuck his head up, and tried to pulled Rose and Susan up. "Everyone ok?" he asked urgently.

"Yea, fine," said Rose quickly.

"Susan?"

"Yea, I'm ok… just about…" Susan pulled herself up, and the Doctor kicked the door open. Susan jumped out, followed by Rose and the Doctor.

The ground beneath them was shaking so violently they almost fell over.

"Run! Get to the TARDIS!" the Doctor yelled, and they started running, trying desperately to stay upright. They ran as fast as they could across the ground, which was crumbling away beneath them. Bits of ground would completely fall away, and they had to be careful not to be on top of one.

Finally, they stumbled up to the TARDIS, clinging onto it. The Doctor opened the door and Rose and Susan ran in, glad to be finally off the planet. But the Doctor stayed outside for just a second, looking out over the planet that was once his home, that was once so alive and peaceful, and that he'd had to see destroyed before. He looked at Gallifrey for one last time, before stepping back inside the TARDIS.

Susan and Rose were holding onto the railings as the ship shook around them, and the Doctor ran up to the consol. He started pressing buttons, and the TARDIS made a noise that clearly meant 'not again'.

"Sorry old girl," muttered the Doctor, pressing some more buttons. The TARDIS shook again, making more noises. "Fine!" the Doctor shouted suddenly, hitting a button, "just get us the hell out of here!" Then the TARDIS lurched to one side, knocking the Doctor over, as he landed flat on his back. The engines groaned and the ship shook, as sparks flew from the consol and the room creaked… all the normal stuff now, as far as Rose was concerned.

Rose and Susan fell to the ground, still clinging onto the rails, as the Doctor was thrown across the floor. Every time he tried to get up he just fell back down again, it was as if he was trying to walk on ice or something. Finally he managed to angle his fall towards the nearest railing and grabbed hold, sitting on the floor like Rose and Susan. The TARDIS creaked, groaned, shook and exploded around them as it made its way to wherever it felt like going.

Then suddenly it all stopped, and they sat in silence for a second. Rose was the first to speak.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Well, could be anywhere. I let the TARDIS decide, so we're probably…"

"Rose?" he was interrupted by a familiar voice from outside the TARDIS.

"Oh please no…" whispered the Doctor.

"Rose are you in there?" the owner of the voice was knocking at the door. Rose grinned and jumped up, and ran to the doors. She opened them and threw her arms around her mother, who was waiting outside. "Rose, you said you'd come back to the flat! I've been worried sick!" Rose just laughed. Susan got up and started walking towards the Doctor, who looked like he wanted to cry.

"Of all the places… of all of time and space… why is it always London!" Susan laughed and pulled the Doctor up. He'd told her all about his encounters with Jackie Tyler, and when she'd slapped him (which Susan couldn't seem to stop laughing at) and he now looked thoroughly depressed.

Jackie turned to look at the Doctor and Susan, grinning.

"And look at you!" she said happily, walking up to the Doctor, "Ooh it's good to see you again," she threw her arms around him, and the Doctor stood stock still, looking traumatized.

"One hell to another…" he muttered, and Jackie suddenly pulled away from him.

"Oi! I heard that!" she said angrily, and the Doctor waited for a slap, but it didn't come. Instead, Jackie was walking back over to Rose. "So? What happened?" she asked, "Where'd you go?"

"Oh, long story," said Rose, smiling and shaking her head, "Come on, I'll tell you in the flat."

xxx

After telling her mum the story, Rose had decided to take a walk outside. The Doctor had retreated to the TARDIS to find an ice pack to put on his cheek after receiving one hell of a slap from Jackie. She'd explained after that it was for a combination of letting Rose almost get killed numerous times and for dying himself, leaving him unable to protect her. Quite how Jackie could give him a slap for dying, the Doctor didn't know.

Susan said she'd gone to get some time alone, and a bit of peace and quiet. Rose had gone to get a bit of quiet herself, away from Jackie's complaining, mostly. And she wanted to talk to Susan.