The group entered the exhibit room, The Doctor refusing to let go of Alex's hand the whole time. She wasn't sure if it was because of her almost attacking the secretary or if he thought she needed some form of comfort, because she still blamed herself for everything that she didn't stop with the Slitheen.

"So you're a Slitheen, you're on Earth, you're trapped. Your family gets killed but you teleport out, just in the nick of time. You have no means of escape, what do you do? Build a nuclear power station" The Doctor recited, finishing with a gesture to the scale model in the middle of the room, which Jack and Rose were examining closely. Alex gave the Doctor's hand a tug, requesting he let go. He did, albeit hesitantly, and Alex wandered over to crouch beside Jack, bringing the model to eye level so she could get a closer look.

"But what for?" The Doctor asked, watching Margret closely.

"A philanthropic gesture. I've learned the error of my ways" She responded evenly.

"She lied" Alex added. Margret glared at the back of her head as she was still examining the model.

"And it just so happens to be right on top of the rift" The Doctor pointed out, stepping up behind Alex to block her from view. Alex glanced at him from the corner of her eye, then went back to looking over the model. Despite being there to essentially destroy the planet, as far as she remembered, the model of it was quite nice. There were even stray tiny people about.

"What rift you that be?" Margret asked, despite already knowing.

"She asked, feigning innocence" Alex muttered, standing to make her way to the other side of the model. Rose tried to hide her smirk, looking down.

"A rift in space and time" Jack clarified. "If this power station went into meltdown, the entire planet would go;" He made a strange sound, moving his arms to demonstrate and Alex copied him perfectly in synch. He raised an eyebrow at her and she laughed.

"Sorry, always loved that bit" She muttered, almost shyly. She glanced around at everyone looking at her and moved over to Rose, standing partially behind her as she locked her eyes on the floor.

"Didn't anyone notice?" Rose asked as her hand sought Alex's for comfort. Alex agreed wordlessly but eagerly. "Isn't there someone in London checking this sort of stuff?"

"We're in Cardiff, London doesn't care" Margret scoffed. "The South Wales Coast could fall into the sea and they wouldn't notice… oh… I sound like a Welshman, god help me, I've gone native"

"But why would she do that?" Mickey asked, confused. "A big explosion, she'd only end up killing herself"

"She's got a name you know" Margret protested.

"She's not even a she" Mickey shot back. "She's a… thing"

"You're really racist, you know that?" Alex commented, looking over at him. He glanced at her and then the floor suddenly seemed very interesting.

"Oh but she's clever" The Doctor mused, watching Margret. He moved forward and quickly popped the middle of the model off, flipping it over to reveal the circuitry beneath. Alex grinned at the sight of it, shaking Rose's hand off to step forward for a better look. "Fantastic" The Doctor grinned.

"Is that a tribophysical waveform marco-kenetic extrapolator?" Jack asked excitedly, standing beside the Doctor to get a better look. The Doctor looked down at him.

"Couldn't have put it better myself" He agreed.

"That's cos he doesn't know what it's called" Alex added. He looked up to protest but stopped when he saw what had caught her attention. Passing the device to Jack, he walked up behind her, looking closely at the foreign words on the banner at the back of the room. Alex stared, wide eyed, as the words translated for her and she was left staring at two words she never thought would terrify her so much

She had completely ignored Jack's explanation of the technology, sifting through her memories. It was getting closer, but how close? How long did they have? There wasn't long with Jack, which meant it was near the end of the season. Sure, there was time between the episodes, but not nearly enough. How many episodes did Jack have? Two in world war 2 with Jamie, this one in Cardiff, the game station and the end, and the ones with Martha. But there had to be more. Something else, it can't happen yet!

"Alex?" Her head snapped to the voice, finding the Doctor standing beside her with a look of concern. "Are you okay?" She realised she had been crying, reaching up to wipe the tears away roughly.

"I'm fine" She muttered, angry at herself.

"Alex…" He repeated, his tone almost warning. She looked up, searching his eyes.

"Bad Wolf" She whispered. He nodded.

"Everywhere we go, two words, following us. Bad Wolf" He spoke softly, glancing at Rose.

"How can they be following us?" Rose asked, sounding scared as she glanced between the two. She was shocked to notice Alex almost looked like she was going to start crying and the Doctor actually looked afraid for a moment. Suddenly, they both seemed to change.

"Nah" The Doctor shook his head, smiling again as Alex gave a shrug. "Just a coincidence. Like hearing a word on the radio and then hearing it all day. Nevermind, things to do!" He clapped his hands together, moving to stand beside the door and grinning as Alex skipped along behind him. "Margret, we're gonna take you home"

"Hold on, isn't that the easy option?" Mickey protested. "Like letting her go?"

"Not on her planet" Alex told him, not clarifying as Rose jumped excitedly.

"I can't believe it! We actually get to go to Raxa…" She trailed off, looking towards Alex and the Doctor for help. The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Wait a minute" She protested. Alex shoved an elbow in his side, making him jump and frown at her, mouthing the word 'ow' as he rubbed his sore side. She simply glared at him a moment. "Raxacor…"

"Raxacoricofallapatorious" Alex told her.

"Raxicorico…" She started, walking slowly towards them.

"Fallapatorious" Alex and the Doctor finished together.

"Raxacoricofallapatorious" She finished.

"That's it!" The Doctor agreed happily.

"You've got it!" Alex grinned, jumping excitedly as Rose and the Doctor hugged. She suddenly moved to hug her and the two laughed happily as they did.

"I did it!" She squeaked happily, throwing her arm in the air as she turned to face the rest of the room.

"They have the death penalty" Margret stated, making everyone's smiles fall. "The family Slitheen was tried many years ago in its absence and found guilty. With no chance of appeal. According to the statures of government, the moment I return, I am to be excecuted. What do you make of that, Doctor? Take me home and you take me to my death"

"Not my problem" He told her indifferently.

Alex huffed as she walked into the Tardis, not happy about the fact that they were bringing Margret into their home. She leaned against one of the coral pillars as she watched the others walk in. Needless to say, Margret was impressed by the Tardis.

"How do you get the outside around the inside?" She asked curiously.

"Like I'd give you the secret, yeah" The Doctor scoffed. Alex grinned smugly. He had explained the exact mechanics of the pocket universe of the Tardis to her least week. She had been rather proud of herself for understanding half of it.

"I almost feel better about being defeated. We never stood a chance" Margret continued. "This is the technology of the gods"

"Don't worship me, I'd make a very bad god" The Doctor shook his head, making Alex frown slightly. "You wouldn't get a day off for starters… Jack, how we doing big fella?" He asked then, looking over at where he was messing with the extrapolator.

"This extrapolator's top of the range" He told them, looking over at Margret. "Where'd you get it?"

"Oh, I don't know… some airlock sale?"

"Must have been a great big heist, it's stacked with power" Jack continued, ignoring her answer.

"But we can use it for fuel?" The Doctor asked, peering over his shoulder.

"It's not compatible" Jack disagreed. "But it should knock off about twelve hours. We'll be ready to go by morning"

"Then we're stuck here, overnight" The Doctor summarized.

"I'm in no hurry" Margret said coldly.

"We've got a prisoner!" Rose pointed out almost excitedly. "This police box is actually… a police box" Alex smiled at her enthusiasm.

"You're not just police though" Margret continued, smiling unpleasantly at all of them. "Since you're taking me to my death, that makes you my executioners. Each and every one of you"

"Well, you deserve it" Mickey shot back coldly.

"You're very quick to say so. You're very quick to soak your hands in my blood. Which makes you better than me, how exactly…?" She asked slowly. Mickey didn't answer.

"Because you are one person" Alex pointed out in a sharp tone. "And you tried to kill six billion for a profit. And for all we know you've killed people before. That's how" There was a moment of silence.

"All the same" Margret continued, trying to act like Alex hadn't fazed her. "Long night ahead…" She walked around the console to sit on one of the seats and Alex bristled slightly. "Let's see who can look me in the eye" She looked to Mickey and he held her gaze for a moment before looking at the floor guiltily. She turned to Rose, who looked to the Doctor. He looked up a moment but then back at his work. Alex however, held her gaze with just as much, if not more, coldness in her eyes. Margret was almost noticeably scared when the girl's eyes flashed gold.

The Doctor stepped in front of her, speaking softly and she blinked up at him. He said something else and she gave a small nod, climbing up the side ladder to sit up on her ledge, picking up her sketchbook the Tardis had received from her room and starting to draw in it, ignoring everyone else in the room. The Doctor gave her one last glance and went back to work.

Mickey left not too long later and Rose followed him out after a bit. Alex ignored Margret talking, even when she practically asked the Doctor do go to dinner with her. She made a harsher grey lead line than she meant to, making her scowl at the paper and pick up her eraser. The Doctor glanced up at her as he considered the option, but she didn't notice. When he agreed and the two left the Tardis, Alex threw down her eraser, causing it to bounce away onto the main floor. She blinked at it as Jack watched her, before going back to drawing, forcing herself calm so she didn't mess anything up.

"You okay?" Jack asked, making sure his eyes were fixed on the extrapolator. He had known the girl long enough to know that, while she was a great friend and lovely when she was happy, she was the worst person to get on the bad side of.

"I'm fine" She snapped. "Why the hell wouldn't I be?"

"Well…" He said slowly. "You just added a couple extra words there that weren't…" He paused at her glare. "Nothing" He changed to, going back to work. He thought over the situation in his head before standing and moving so he was beneath her platform.

"You don't seem fine" He pointed out gently. Alex paused, stopping in her drawing. She place her book down slowly with her pencil neatly on top. When that was set aside, she moved to climb down the ladder, giving Jack a glance.

"I'm gonna go out" She mumbled, heading towards the door. She had stepped out and closed it behind her before he had a chance to stop her.

Alex stood just outside, watching the water tower a long moment, longer than she'd planned, before she headed off. She walked slowly, wandering aimlessly as she made her way through the plaza and found herself up on the boardwalk. She wasn't thinking much about whether she was allowed or if she'd get in trouble when she noticed a fire escape ladder on the side of one of the buildings. Without a second thought, she made her way to the roof moving to stand on the edge so she could look over at the people walking past. Rose and Mickey caught her eye a way away and she smiled sadly at their obvious lack of interest for what the other was talking about.

She had always felt bad for Mickey. Even knowing, in Rose's position, she'd do the same, she felt bad for him having to live without someone he'd known to be there for so long. She knew what that felt like, and she didn't want anyone to feel the same. She sat on the edge of the roof, trying to block out all thoughts about where the Doctor could be now. She hummed to herself, 'Safe And Sound', like always. But there had to be something she was missing. There must be… Was that thunder?

Alex looked around with a frown. No, it couldn't be thunder. But there was some kind of deep rumbling coming from somewhere. Then she looked around at the ground as she felt the building beneath her start to shake ever-so-slightly.

"What the-"

She cut herself off with a scream when all the glass in the buildings below shattered. She pulled back, sitting in the middle of the roof, looking around in fear. There was something, something causing this, this was no kind of coincidence, it was something to do with-

The extrapolator.

She caught sight of the Doctor and Margret running past. Rose was gone and Mickey was yelling after her. I need to get to the Tardis. She made quick work of the ladder she used to get up, and once she was down, she didn't hesitate to run. She might reflect later that she'd never run so fast in her life, even with the Doctor. Or maybe that she should have stopped Jack from plugging in the extrapolator. But her mind was blank for all except get to the Tardis.

She couldn't help but pause at the sight of the beautiful ship she was looking for. There was lightning shooting out of the top, hitting the sky and now surrounded by storm clouds. The ground beneath her feet cracked and she looked down at it fearfully before fixing her eyes back on the Tardis. She wasn't about to be stopped. She had made a promise, and Rose was just getting there herself.

Alex took off running once again, managing to get inside just after Rose, just as she was trying to ask what was happening. Alex glanced around, taking in the sight of the Tardis herself panicking around everyone inside with wide eyes.

"Oh, just little old me" Margret smiled coldly. Alex lunged forward, pushing Rose away so she was caught by Jack. But Alex herself was caught in a large clawed hand. The Doctor lunged forward.

"One wrong move and she snaps like a promise" Margret threatened, glaring as the Doctor stopped, staring helplessly at Alex. Strange, she had never really considered what nearly being choked felt like. It was not comfortable, for one thing.

"Oh, god, that's the analogy you pick? Get some creativity" Alex muttered. She squeaked in surprise when the hand around her neck tightened. Well, she never was one for listening to so called rules, more like if she agreed with them she would.

"I might've known" The Doctor stated darkly. Alex's gaze flicked to him and although she was the one being held hostage, she was almost scared of him. She could see the Oncoming Storm beneath the surface, and it was more terrifying than she'd been expecting.

"I've had you bleating all night, poor baby, now shut it" Margret snapped, turning to Jack. "You, fly boy, put the extrapolator at my feet"

Alex almost felt proud when Jack hesitated. She would never expect him to let her die, and she knew even telling him to would be useless, but he knew what was at stake. She bit her lip to remain silent as the hand tightened again. Jack looked to the Doctor helplessly, and with a nod from him, left Rose by the console to do as he had been told.

"Teacher pet" Alex joked in a whisper.

"Thank you" Margret smiled coldly. "Just as I planned"

"I thought you needed to blow up the nuclear power station" Rose spoke up shakily.

"Failing that, if I were to be… arrested… then anyone capable of tracking me down would have considerable technology of their own. Therefore, they would be captivated by the extrapolator. Especially a magpie mind like yours, Doctor"

Alex growled, trying to pull away, wanting nothing more than to get rid of Margret herself now. She grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled roughly, and Alex slowed slightly, but continued trying to glare at her from the corner of her eye.

"So the extrapolator was programmed to go to plan B. To lock on to the nearest alien power source and open the rift. And what a power source it found… I'm back on schedule… thanks to you"

"The rift's gonna convulse, she'll destroy the whole planet" Jack stated darkly, holding Rose close.

"And you with it!" Margret reminded them. She pushed Alex aside but with a hand still around her neck, so she was holding her to the side as she stepped up on the extrapolator. "While I ride this board over the crest of the inferno all the way to freedom. Stand back boys, surfs up"

A panel of the console suddenly flew open, revealing an almost blinding white light underneath, but right in the middle, it was gold. Margret looked at it in surprise before looking to the Doctor for an explanation.

"Of course, opening the rift means you'll tear this ship apart" The Doctor stated calmly.

"So sue me"

"It's not just any old power source. It's the Tardis. My Tardis. The best ship in the universe" The Doctor continued, calm as ever.

"It'll make wonderful scrap" Margret shot back. Alex had to mentally force herself from doing anything stupid. They were so close now.

"What's that light?" Rose asked, trying to look around the console to see from where she stood.

"The heart of the Tardis" The Doctor answered. "This ship's alive, you've opened its soul" Alex wasn't thinking as she glanced down at the light, freezing as it caught her eye. She felt as if she couldn't look anywhere else. Even when Margret's grip loosened and she fell to the floor, she was still watching the light. Alex didn't notice anything else, not even when Margret was engulfed in the light and the body suit fell, empty.

The Doctor stepped in front of her, picking her up off the ground and trying to talk to her urgently. He placed her back down on the flight seat, speaking a bit more before he went back to the console, closing the panel that was still bleeding light. Jack and Rose were called over to help the Doctor shut everything down and Alex just stared straight ahead, not really seeing anything.

The Doctor hurried over to her as soon as they'd put the rift back in place, stopping in front of her and starting at her a moment. He had no idea what to do, and in his mind, that was terrifying.

"Alex?" He called shakily. "Alex? Come on, no. Don't do this. You should've known!" He took hold of both her shoulders, trying to get her snap out of it, to notice him. "Alex, look at me, please!"

Jack stood by the console, holding Rose tightly as they both looked on in horror.

"Will she…" Rose whispered, not wanting to finish her sentence.

"I don't know" Jack whispered back honestly.

"She'll be fine! I'll fix this!" The Doctor insisted, turning to them. "I'll fix this! I will!" They all looked back to Alex as she began mumbling under her breath. She was still staring blankly but she was now speaking softly in some language Jack and Rose knew they had never heard before. The Doctor looked back at her with wide eyes, an 'oh' coming out slowly, as if he'd just realised what was going on.

"Doctor what is it? What's she saying? What language is that?" Jack asked, looking between him and the girl. The Doctor kneeled down in front of her, saying something back in the other language. She stopped talking abruptly, looking down at him. She said something softly back and he replied just as quietly. She stared at him a little longer and he spoke again, sounding like he was reassuring her. She gave a small nod and passed out a second later. The Doctor stood as he caught her, even as Jack and Rose rushed forward.

"What happened? Is she okay?" Rose asked hastily, scared for her friend.

"She'll be fine" The Doctor assured the two, picking her up properly. "I'll take her to her room, let her sleep it off. She won't remember any of it when she wakes up" With that, he left the two alone.

"Is it just me, or did he purposely leave out what happened?" Jack asked, glancing down at Rose. There was a moment before she realised something.

"Oh, my god, Mickey!" She remembered, turning to run out the Tardis doors, intent on finding the boy. Jack looked down at the console and between the doors and the hall way, sighing. It had been a long day.

Alex's eyes fluttered open slowly, squinting at the stars above her. She took a moment to realise she was in her bed, and that the stars were the Tardis projection. What had happened? Last thing she remembered there was Margret, the rift was being torn open, the heart of the Tardis was open and- oh god. Alex had looked into the heart of the Tardis. What if what happened to Rose happened to her? What if the Doctor regenerated early? Even despite the whole storyline being ripped apart and her not knowing what would happen anymore, she dreaded to think that the Doctor had to die because she did something stupid.

The door to her room opened slowly and Alex sat up with a start, staring wide eyed at the man who walked into the room. The Doctor rushed over when he saw she was awake, trying to hold her steady.

"Whoa, slow down Alex" He told her gently. "It's okay, you're safe, we're all okay. Just breathe" It was then that she noticed she was practically hyperventilating and she let him turn her attention to breathing properly. When she was calm she looked up at him, taking in the sight of him, alive.

"You're alive" She whispered, her vision blurring with tears.

"'Course I'm alive" He frowned. "Why wouldn't I be?" Alex didn't answer but looked down as a tear fell. He quickly pulled her in for a hug, shushing her gently.

"What happened?" She asked quietly. He hesitated.

"Remember what I said about that watch, that when you put it down, you wouldn't be any different?" He asked hesitantly. Alex froze, pushing him away slowly to look in his eyes. He hesitated again at the panicked look in her own eyes.

"What's happening to me?" She asked, stronger this time. The Doctor made sure he still had one arm around her as he reached over, picking up the watch that was still on her bedside table. Alex sucked in a sharp breath, pulling away from him and moving so she was on the opposite side of the bed. She immediately felt guilty at his hurt expression, but she didn't want to be anywhere near the thing she perceived to be the reason of everything happening to her.

"I do know who this is" The Doctor told her carefully, holding up the gold watch. "Thing is, she's not a Time Lord" Alex frowned at that, eyeing the watch once more.

"Then… what…?"

"She's from a much older race, from before even the Time Lords. She grew up on Gallifrey, though, with me. Thing about her is, she can change her entire physical appearance, including species"

"So… I'm… her?" Alex asked slowly, having to work to concentrate on what she was being told.

"Yes" The Doctor nodded. "But do you know what this means?" She shook her head. "She's not Time Lord. She may have been at the time she used this, but it wouldn't work properly. What's been happening to you, is some of her memories, still stored inside. You are the same person" Alex frowned at this.

"So… I'll still be me, with new memories?" She asked hesitantly.

"Exactly" The Doctor agreed. He moved slightly closer, watching her carefully. She didn't protest or pull away so he moved slowly to place the watch in her hand. She looked down at the object, turning it over almost curiously, although she still didn't relax.

"If she- I, could change species… why did…I, use the watch?" She asked slowly, dreading the answer. The Doctor looked away, seeming guilty.

"Because you wanted to forget" He told her quietly.

"Forget what?" Alex pressed. He met her eyes but didn't speak for another moment.

"What she did"

Alex froze, seeming to understand immediately.

"When…" She cleared her throat, continuing after a pause. "When did you last see her?" The answer she received was the very answer she was dreading.

"The last day of the Time War"