A/N: new chappie! ...you're all gonna hate me. not too much i hope, please. enjoy
Chapter 5: Five Minutes
Olivia bit her lower lip as she stared up at the chain holding her above the death drop of the Anguis ship. She knew the Doctor would come for her, but she had to meet him halfway. The metal wrapped around her wrists pinched as she tried maneuvering her hands to grab the chain she was hanging from. As soon as she was able to wrap her fingers around the chain, a shock ran through it making her shriek in pain and let go of it, the metal around her wrists pinching even tighter around her skin. She didn't dare to look down as she let herself catch her breath before attempting it again. She only needed to tolerate the shocks long enough to get to the top. She took in a few deep breaths before looking up at the chain again and she was about to grab on again, when she felt a presence in her mind, familiar and soothing.
"Liv? Can you hear me? You there?"
"Theta! Theta, don't come for me! He's after you! He's gonna kill you!"
"Well, I have to come get you. I can't just leave you to a maniacal alien, can I?"
"Don't be an idiot!"
"Olivia, I'm coming for you and there's no arguing that. Have they hurt you?"
"Not yet. I'm just…sort of…hanging out."
"I'll be there in two shakes, Liv. Hold tight."
And with that, his presence was gone, making her sigh in defeat as her head hung forward. She jumped when a rasping sound caught her attention and she looked up to see the Anguis holding her captive appear in front of her.
"I hope you don't think you'll escape this," he hissed.
"And I hope you don't think the Doctor will fall for any sort of trap you've set for him," she shot back. "He can disable your ship and get me out of here in less than five minutes without a scratch on either of us."
"And what if you're dead before he even comes for you?"
"You wouldn't do that," Olivia scoffed. "You need me alive as bait."
"I also need that lovely huon radiation running through your veins," the Anguis hissed, making her eyes widened at him. "My scans show you've absorbed a good amount of it. I can only imagine how much is in the Doctor and that sweet little babe of yours. Enough to power my ship perhaps?"
Olivia set her jaw as her glare returned then kicked out at him but he pulled back to dodge her easily as she screamed, "Leave my family alone!"
"Only after I've sucked every bit of radiation from your bodies," he hissed. "And it will be excruciating for you."
With that, he disappeared, and Olivia felt her heart thumping in panic as she heard a whirring of machines starting up, and the crackling of electricity. She began trying to struggle, but she knew it would do no good. A moment later she was taking deep breaths to prepare for the pain she was sure she was about to endure. She let out a blood curdling scream as pain shot through her body, sending every nerve on fire from the top of her head to the tips of her fingers and toes. She could feel her DNA being rearranged again as the huon radiation was sucked from her body.
"Doctor!"
Meanwhile...
The Doctor worked on the console of the TARDIS as Joyce watched him, cradling Amelia in her arms. Since they had stepped into the ship, the Doctor had said nothing other than to assure Joyce that he would get Olivia back and that she would be alright. Joyce had no idea what he was doing, but she knew they hadn't lifted off yet.
"Is there anything I can do, Doctor?" Joyce asked, cautiously as he stared at the screen on the console. He glanced up at her before turning back to the screen but said nothing. "Please…give me something to do. I feel so useless."
"You're doing it, Joyce," he finally replied, not looking away from the screen and making adjustments on the console. "You're looking after Amelia. That's all I need you to do for now. Olivia would want her safe, first and foremost, and the safest place is with you at the moment."
"I feel terrible," she murmured, making him stop and look up at her in wonder as she looked to Amelia, rocking her. "Olivia warned me…and I didn't listen to her."
"This isn't your fault, Joyce," the Doctor instantly replied, stepping toward her to set a hand on Amelia's head, the other on Joyce's shoulder as she kept her gaze on the baby. "I know what you were feeling. You wanted the man you loved back so badly that you wanted desperately to believe it was really him. I think a part of you knew it was too good to be true, but you refused to listen. Your grief was taken advantage of. This wasn't your fault."
Joyce sniffled as a tear rolled down her cheek while she nodded that she'd heard him, Amelia making a few baby noises that made the Doctor smile.
"Amelia thinks you're the best Gran ever," he translated her noises.
A beeping sound came from the console, drawing their attentions to it, and the Doctor hurried toward the screen to examine it.
"Gotcha," he smiled in triumph before looking to a wide-eyed Joyce. "You'll need to sit in the jump seat, strap in and hold on tight."
Joyce only nodded and hurried toward the seat to strap herself in, holding tightly to Amelia as the Doctor ran around the console to start the engines.
"I'm coming, Liv," he whispered, stroking his Psychic Band and hoping she heard him when he couldn't quite grasp their telepathic bond. He grabbed the lever to launch and before he slammed it down he murmured, "Geronimo."
Meanwhile...
Olivia's head hung forward as her head spun, her entire body sore, the metal around her wrists rubbing her skin raw as she hung limply by them. Every movement she even thought of making caused her pain, making her groan, pathetically, and even that hurt. Blood ran from her nostrils and ears, matting in her hair and dripping into her mouth, even breathing sent pain streaming through her limbs. She floated in and out of consciousness, not knowing how long these draining sessions lasted or how much time passed between each one.
A now familiar pain surged through her body again, making her seize and grit her teeth, her throat raw from screaming, making her unable to any longer. She was about to pass out once more but a new sound filled her ears just as the pain ceased, making her frown in confusion, but she remained unmoving, trying to catch her breath.
She painfully opened her eyes to try to see what was going on, but her surroundings were empty, only shifting in and out of red light. She tried lifting her head, but it only flopped back between her arms, and if she'd had enough energy, she would have jumped at feeling a hand run over her arm.
"Olivia?"
Her head flopped forward again, meeting the Doctor's eyes as he examined her in concern.
"Liv, can you hear me?" he hoped.
She could only groan in what she hoped was the affirmative before she heard the whirring of the Sonic above her head, feeling his arm around her waist.
"No," she groaned, recalling the death drop below as she started struggling. "No…Theta, we're gonna fall! No don't—!"
Before she could finish, her hands were released and they draped over the Doctor's shoulders as her feet…landed on a hard surface. She frowned and looked down, seeing that she was on the floor she'd been dangling thousands of feet over a moment ago.
"Perception filter," the Doctor explained, then held her close just as her knees gave out under her and he lifted her in his arms as she gave a whimper of pain and exhaustion. "Hang on, Liv. I've got you."
He launched into a full run toward the TARDIS to his right, ducking automated lasers aimed at him. Once he ran through the door, it slammed shut behind him and he rushed Olivia toward the jump seat to sit her down, Joyce standing at the console and staring at her in terror before hurrying toward her.
"Joyce, strap her in and hold on," he ordered, racing toward the console as Joyce obeyed. "Things are about to get bumpy! Amelia all strapped in?"
"Yes," Joyce simply replied as she finished strapping Olivia in, tears in her eyes as she tried lifting her daughter's gaze to hers, the blood from her nose and ears running over her fingers. "Oh, my poor baby, what have they done to you?"
The TARDIS thrashed to one side, causing Joyce grab onto the back of the seat, her arms around Olivia's shoulders to keep them both from falling. Olivia groaned as she lifted her head to look at Joyce with a pained expression.
"Mom," she groaned, as the TARDIS shook, and Joyce looked to her daughter. "Is the baby ok?"
"Yes, sweetie," Joyce shuddered, tears running down her cheeks as the TARDIS landed and finally stopped shaking. "She's just fine. You'll get to see her in a minute."
The Doctor was next to Joyce in a flash, trying to catch Olivia's eye as he began unstrapping her from the seat, asking, "Olivia, what did they do to you? Tell me."
She groaned as she leaned, limply against the back of the chair before muttering, "Huon…radiation. He wanted…it to power his ship."
"What?" Joyce frowned and looked to the Doctor who was staring at Olivia in horror. "What does that mean? Doctor?"
"Joyce, go check on Amelia," he ordered, wrapping his arms around Olivia to lift her again and race deeper into the TARDIS. "We're in the back yard. Take the baby inside, but do not go into Olivia's room!"
Olivia groaned, loudly in pain, cringing and wriggling in the Doctor's arms as he rushed her through a pair of doors that led to the medical bay, setting her on the bed with the monitor attached to it. She began thrashing in agony as soon as he set her down then ran toward one of drawers for a syringe and a vial.
"God, Theta, it hurts!" she screamed, rolling from side to side on the bed, trying to ease the pain coursing through her body as he filled the syringe.
"I know, Liv, I know," he called back before rushing back to her, grabbing the wrist of her right arm and stretching it toward him, making her scream in pain. "Hold still, Olivia!"
She tried breathing steadily, every movement filled with pain and she growled, but concentrating on staying still as he stuck her with the needle, pushing something into her veins that immediately started working on her. Her breathing slowed to a normal pace as her body began to relax and she fell limp on the bed, breathing deeply and now asleep as he removed the syringe and put pressure on the pin-prick he'd made with his thumb. The Doctor watched her as she slept for a moment, making sure she didn't stop breathing, before he leaned toward her and kissed her lips softly.
"The TARDIS will do the rest," he whispered, reassuring himself more than explaining it to her. "Sleep as long as you need, darling."
One Day Later...
Olivia took in a deep breath as she awoke, her eyes shooting open and she couldn't help but frown at the familiar ceiling of the room she shared with the Doctor before sitting up and looking around the room. She felt fine and rested, she was just confused. The sound of a baby's soft calls caught her attention and she looked to her left to see Amelia lying in her cot, her tiny arms and legs flailing about as she sensed her mother in the room.
"Oh, thank god," Olivia breathed, standing from the bed to reach into the cot and lift the baby into her arms, hugging her as tightly as Amelia's delicacy allowed. "Thank god you're safe."
"You're finally awake."
Olivia turned to see the Doctor stepping into the room to head toward them before looking back to Amelia with a smile to kiss her all over her face, making her give cute, baby laughs.
"How long was I asleep?" Olivia wondered, bouncing Amelia happily in her arms who giggled, wildly.
"A whole day," the Doctor replied with a smile as he rubbed a hand over Amelia's back. "Joyce was starting to worry. You should go talk to her. She's feeling guilty."
"Why?" Olivia frowned in genuine wonder.
"Because she didn't believe you," he replied.
"Well, we'll just have to set grandma Joyce's mind at ease, won't we, Little Amelia?" she kissy-faced at the baby before pressing a kiss into her soft black hair. "And on the way to where grandma Joyce is, daddy can explain why mummy was in so much flipping pain."
"She's in the house," he chuckled as Amelia gave a squeak.
"Amelia wants daddy," Olivia announced, and the baby was handed from mother to father before he took her arm with his free hand to pull her closer, making her frown in wonder, "What's the matter?"
The Doctor said nothing for a moment before he looked to Amelia and murmured, "Sorry, but it's gonna get mushy, Little Amelia. Close your eyes."
He looked back to Olivia and planted his lips to hers, making her give a squeak of surprise before melting into the kiss, letting him pull her closer with an arm wrapped around her waist.
"I was so worried about you, Liv," he whispered when they pulled back for air and he set his forehead against hers, his eyes still closed. "I was afraid I'd lost you."
"Oh, don't be so dramatic," she smiled, sweetly as they pulled back to look into each other's eyes. "It takes a lot more than draining my body of huon radiation to get rid of me. The universe ceased to exist, then happened all at once and you still couldn't get rid of me. I'm the Girl That Never Let You Go, remember?"
The Doctor gave a huge grin before planting a kiss to her cheek and slung an arm around her shoulder to lead her down the hall to head for the house.
"So tell me what happened," she urged. "I know he sucked out the huon radiation I absorbed in our travels, but why was I in pain?"
"Well, the process of your DNA being tweaked happened over time," the Doctor explained, shifting Amelia then lowering his arm from Olivia's shoulders to hold her more securely. "When the Anguis drained the huon radiation, it was all done at once and your body couldn't cope. So, when you came into the TARDIS, I had to put you to sleep so that you wouldn't feel the pain and she could sort it all out."
Olivia nodded in understanding, looping an arm around his as he still held onto Amelia and asked, "So how did you get me out of there? I was a bit dazed and confused when you rescued me."
"Oh! Well, I tracked them, boarded them with the TARDIS, found you then found the control room and set the self destruct, then rescued you and tossed you into the TARDIS and the rest is history. Easy as pie. Mm…pie."
"I was right, wasn't I?" she wondered. "He was here for you."
"Yes, he was, but he didn't get me, Liv."
"Obviously. Was there only one, then?"
"Just one," he nodded as they reached the control room and made their way to the door. "The ship was underground. Easy to track. Not to mention when I used our telepathic bond it gave me a rough estimate of where you were."
"Tracking system in my wedding ring," she smiled as she opened the door and they stepped out into the back yard. "How very…you."
He laughed as they made their way into the house and directly into the kitchen.
"Mom?" she called, glancing around and seeing Joyce at the sink, cleaning out a pot. Her emerald green eyes were wide with surprise, happiness and shame.
"Olivia," she breathed, quickly drying her hands as she rushed toward her and threw her arms around her daughter, making Olivia hug her in return. "You're alright! I mean, I knew you would be, but it's been a whole day and I was so worried!"
"I'm ok, mom," Olivia smiled, feeling tears come to her eyes at the emotion, and Joyce had tears flowing down her cheeks as well as they pulled back. "The Doctor told me you feel guilty, but you have nothing to feel guilty for. You couldn't have known he was an alien."
"But you did, and I didn't listen to you," Joyce sobbed, trying to dry her face. "You were suspicious from the start and I just—!"
"It's ok, mom," Olivia tried to sooth. "I would've done the same thing if it was the man I love. Don't be so hard on yourself. It's alright. Everything's fine now."
Joyce nodded, mutely as she tried not to sob and Olivia hugged her close again, whispering, "If you have to hear it, I forgive you, ok?"
Joyce nodded again into Olivia's shoulder before finally looking up at her, wiping her face before asking, "Is…is everything taken care of?"
"Well, I don't think that Anguis got out of that explosion in time," the Doctor explained. "As for…the other matter in Olivia's room…I'm still working on it."
"Well, I'll take the baby and let you work on that, then," Joyce smiled, plucking Amelia from the Doctor's arms as she made her baby noises.
"She wants her Bun-Bun," Olivia and the Doctor said together before looking to each other in surprise and she giggled as he only smiled down at her.
"You two are far too adorable," Joyce grinned, kissing Amelia's head and turning to head toward the bedrooms to get the stuffed bunny her granddaughter wanted.
"Well, Liv," the Doctor whispered into her ear, making her turn to him in wide-eyed wonder and he just grinned back. "One last thing to sort out and we'll stay here…as long as you like."
"Really?" she breathed through a grin and he nodded before she threw her arms around him to hug him close. "You shouldn't have told me that. If it were up to me, we'd stay here for years."
"I don't think I'd mind that so much," he murmured, hugging her close. "As long as I have you and Amelia, and you're both happy, then I'm happy."
"Well, let's get this fixed then," Olivia grinned, pulling away to grab his hand and run toward the TARDIS. She ran through the door and let the console stop her before spinning around to grin at the Doctor as he leaned on the door frame. "What's first?"
He opened his mouth to reply but stopped as his expression went blank, his face going white, making Olivia frown as she stood tall. She was about to approach when the Doctor fell to his knees…revealing the Anguis behind him, his blood covering one of the hands, shaped like a dagger.
"No!"
Olivia ran toward the Doctor who was lying face down on the floor and tried to pull him further inside to shut the door on the Anguis, but something that felt like a hammer smacked into her face, throwing her back and causing her to hit the floor, painfully.
"Sonic…" a whisper in a familiar voice cut clearly through the dizziness making her head spin.
"Idris?" she whispered with a frown.
She heard the rustling of the sand the Anguis was controlling for his shape and reached into her jacket pocket for her Sonic. She aimed and wished the thing would disintegrate as she pressed the button. The hum of the Sonic sounded, along with a scream from the Anguis and the sand creating his form dispersed, leaving nothing behind but air and Olivia tried shaking the remainder of her dizziness away to look to the Doctor.
"Theta!" she sobbed, instantly as she scrambled toward him and gave a loud cry when she saw the huge bloodstain soaking his coat then chanted, "No, no, no. Theta, stay with me!"
She carefully rolled him onto his back, her heart thumping in her ears as he looked up at her, somehow still alive, but he coughed as she pushed his hair back from his face, tears blurring her vision.
"Liv—" he choked as she only shook her head. "Liv, the…Anguis—"
"It's dead," she shuddered. "We have to get you to the medical bay."
"I'm dying, Liv," he rasped, then coughed.
"No!" she snapped, shaking her head, vigorously. "You can't!"
"No more…regenerations," he coughed.
"Shut up, you idiot! I am not letting you leave our daughter!" she cried, tears pouring from her eyes before she pressed a kiss to his lips and whispered, "For luck."
Without a second thought she shot to her feet and raced back toward the house as fast as her legs would carry her, even past her mother, who panicked, having heard Olivia scream. She ignored Joyce as she ran straight for the door to her bedroom and shoved it open to stare at the Crack in her wall. She panted from running, clenching her jaw in determination to keep herself from sobbing any more.
"Save him," she shuddered, marching toward the Crack to kneel in front of it. "I know you can hear me. Save him, I'm begging you! Only you can. You need him. You love him, I know you do. I love him. Would you leave his daughter fatherless? Please…" She broke down and dropped her face into her hands and whispered through her sobs, "Please…save him. We love him…and so many others love him, too. He's done so much for this universe."
Olivia lifted her head again and stared at the Crack, taking in a deep breath to add, firmly, "Let him do more."
The Crack slammed shut.
Olivia gasped and jumped back at the sudden action, staring at her wall with a frown for a moment before something else made her jump with a start.
"Olivia!"
She scrambled to her feet to stumble out of the room toward the stairs and into the kitchen where she could see Joyce standing in the back yard, staring at the grass. She ran toward her mother and skidded to a stop with a gasp when she stared at the Crack splitting the lawn. A small cloud of golden particles floated up then into the open door of the TARDIS. Realization dawned on her as the TARDIS door slammed shut…along with the Crack.
"Mom, get inside with the baby," she ordered, making Joyce look to her with a wide-eyed frown.
"What's happening?" Joyce questioned and Olivia met her mother's eyes, swallowing hard.
"He's…regenerating," she shuddered. "Just stay with the baby. I have to go to him. I'll explain everything when I get back, just keep the baby safe, ok?"
"But…what if—?"
"I'll be back at the right time," Olivia cut in, knowing what Joyce was going to say. "Just look after Amelia."
Joyce nodded and Olivia turned to head toward the TARDIS door, grasping the handle to open the door…but afraid of what she would find on the other side.
Part of her was happy he would live, but another part of her – the part that hated when he regenerated – didn't want to go inside.
She pushed the door open and peeked inside before stepping in, cautiously. Her eyes landed on the clothes strewn across the floor before they scanned the room, looking for the Doctor and unable to help wondering what his new face looked like.
"Theta?" she called, finding the control room empty as she shut the door behind her and stepped toward the console.
The sound of footsteps on the stairs leading up toward the console made her freeze, and she shut her eyes, not sure if she wanted to see the new him just yet. The footsteps came closer and soon she sensed him behind her, but still didn't turn to him, or open her eyes. She took in a deep breath when his hands slid to her waist and she noticed…they hadn't changed. She finally frowned and turned to him with wide eyes, a smile forming over her lips when she was met with a familiar face.
"You're still…" she trailed off, not knowing what to say, making him smile, sadly.
"Well…I don't have long," he murmured. "It's a reset. Sorry…I left a mess."
"It's alright," she shook her head with a small smile, sniffling as fresh tears came to her eyes. "How long?"
"Five minutes…give or take," he shrugged before lifting a hand and cupping her cheek to stroke it, softly. "Promise me something, Liv."
"Of course," she nodded, lifting her hands to stroke his cheeks and look him in the eye. "Anything. What is it?"
He swallowed, but before he could say a word, he doubled over in pain, giving a soft groan and she bent with him as support.
"Tell me, Theta," she urged. "Be quick. What is it?"
He forced himself to stand tall with a deep breath as he grasped her arms and their gazes locked, letting her see the pain and sorrow in his eyes.
"Promise…" he whispered. "Promise…you'll still love me after I change?"
Olivia frowned in absolute confusion before she sighed sharply, shaking her head with a smirk.
"You idiot," she whispered, making him frown before she threw her arms around his neck to hug him tightly. "Of course I'll love you. I'll never let you go."
"Liv," he blurted, making her pull back and watch as he pulled off his wedding band with a bit of difficulty, having never taken it off, and slipped it into her hand. "You'll need to resize this. Use the Sonic like I did to yours so it fits. Scan my finger, then the ring and the Sonic will do the rest, alright?"
"Ok," she nodded, slipping the ring into her jeans pocket, taking note of his haste, then frowned when he lifted his left hand to pull off his gold watch, fumbling with her hand to push it onto her wrist. "Theta, what—?"
"Keep this," he cut in, clasping it onto her wrist. "I want you to have this to remind you of this version of me. I know how sentimental you are."
"It's on backwards," she noticed.
"Blast it!" he ground out.
"I'll fix it later," she assured him as he groaned again and he leaned on the console, Olivia keeping her hands clasped to the lapels of his coat.
"Tell Joyce not to hit me if she sees my new face," he added, making Olivia smile through her tears.
"I will," she nodded as he straightened again.
She frowned as he gently took her arms and pushed her back, slightly.
"You won't want to stand too close to me," he warned. "You remember last time."
"I do," she nodded, seeing the tears ready to spill in his eyes as she stepped forward again to stroke his cheeks. "And I don't care."
The Doctor nodded, smirking, "My stubborn girl."
"You wouldn't have me any other way," she smiled, sweetly, determined not to let him see her cry as she stepped onto her tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips. "I love you, my Highwayman. One last Geronimo?"
He couldn't help but burst into a wide grin before whispering, "Geronimo."
The Doctor jerked backward and Olivia gasped at the flash of golden energy that emitted from him before he was suddenly standing tall in front of her. Clear blue eyes shined under a head of curly black hair, and she couldn't believe the angle of his cheekbones, or the fullness of his lips with a perfectly shaped cupid's bow shaped over the top one.
"Liv!" he chirped in a baritone she hadn't really expected…and he hadn't expected it either. He frowned and glanced away in thought, his brow furrowing. "Ooh…new voice. That's interesting. It's so low. I don't think I've ever been a baritone before. That's new."
He grabbed Olivia by the waist and pulled her close as she stared wide eyes up at him and he smirked, "Bet you'll love that, won't you, Liv?"
A sound came from the screen on the console, drawing their attentions to it and as much as Olivia hated to – having felt his new body when he pulled her close – she pushed herself from his grasp and made her way toward the screen to examine it.
"There's a signal coming in," she reported, not seeing the Doctor examine his clothes then lift his hands in front of his face with a frown of wonder as he wriggled the long digits in the air. "It looks like it's coming from under Los Angeles. Translating."
"I'm so tall!" he cheered, looking down at himself as Olivia worked on the console. "Taller than I've ever been!" His hands went to his hair next, making him frown before his eyes lit up and he tousled it, grinning, "Ooh! And curly, soft, soft hair!" His hands came down and slapped his thighs as he pouted, "But still not ginger."
"What…the…hell?" Olivia murmured with a frown at the screen then read aloud, "'Gladiatorial games for all to enjoy. The age old battle of Man vs Beast.' With coordinates? What the hell is this?! Oh, hell no! Not on my planet. Doctor—!"
"Oi! What's that?" he asked, suddenly next to her and staring at the screen as well, then frowned, "Games? Man vs Beast? Oh, no, we can't have that."
He grabbed a lever and pulled on it, making the TARDIS thrash, and Olivia shrieked as she stumbled backward before grabbing the edge of the console.
"Wait! Doctor—!"
"Oh, Liv, I have a question: You know how to fly this, right?"
A/N: introducing Benedict Cumberbatch as the Doctor! *braces self for reaction; squeaks* reviews?
PS I know what you're thinking, he's not gonna be a Sherlock Doctor. I'm just using Ben's look, not Sherlock's personality.