The group stopped in front of the Tardis and the Doctor stood in front, facing the remaining Sycorax with Alex taking up her place beside him, their hands still clasped together, and Rose stood on his other side, farther back.

"By the ancient rites of combat, I forbid you to scavenge here for the rest of time. And when you go back to the stars and tell others of this planet. When you tell them of its riches, its people, its potential. When you talk of the Earth, make sure you tell them this. It is defended"

With that being said, the group were teleported out of the ship along with the Tardis. They looked around a moment as they found themselves on an empty street on Earth.

"Where are we?" Rose asked, looking around for any sign to answer her question.

"We're just off Bloxom Road" Mickey told them joyously. "We're just 'round the corner, we did it!" The Doctor held his hand up, stopping him as he looked upwards.

"Wait a minute… Wait a minute…"

The ship above them started off, flying away and he grinned.

"Go on my son! Oh yeah!" Mickey cheered. Rose jumped up on his back, cheering with him.

"Yeah! Don't come back!"

"It is defended!"

They laughed happily and Rose jumped down back onto her feet to hug Mickey. Alex looked up at the Doctor as he pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her. She returned the hug, smiling happily to herself before her smile faded suddenly. The Doctor didn't notice as they parted and looked over at Harriet, smiling.

"My Doctor" She grinned, raising her arms to him.

"Prime Minister" He returned, accepting the hug. Neither noticed how Alex took a step away and watched the older woman tensely.

"Absolutely the same man" She told him as they pulled away. She looked upwards at the ship as it was still leaving. "Are there many more out there?"

"Oh, not just Sycorax" He told her, following her gaze. "Hundred of species, thousands of them. And the human race is drawing attention to itself. Every day you're sending out probes and messages and signals. This planet's so noisy. You're getting noticed, more and more" He looked at her then. "You'd better get used to it"

"Rose!"

They all looked over to see a rather flustered looking Jackie Tyler running over to her daughter.

"Mum!" Rose cried, meeting her with a hug.

"Oh! Talking of trouble!" The Doctor joked.

"Oh my god! You did it Rose! Oh!" She cried happily. Mickey joined the girls and the Doctor smiled fondly at his friends. Alex stood nearby, glancing over at the young man with Harriet.

"You did it too!" Rose told her mother. "It was the tea! Fixed his head!"

"That was all I needed, cup of tea" The man in question told them.

"I said so!" Jackie reminded them.

"Look at him!" Rose beamed, doing just that.

"Is it him though? Is it really the Doctor?" Jackie asked before her attention was taken by something else. "Oh my god, it's the bleeding Prime Minister!"

"Come here you" The Doctor laughed, holding his arms out to her, who didn't hesitate to hug him. Rose grabbed Alex and the two of them and Mickey joined the group hug. The Doctor noticed Alex and shifted so one of his arms was encircling only her. Alex smiled softly, letting her eyes fall closed. Who knows when the next time she could get this would be, considering what she was about to let happen. When they separated and started chatting happily Alex didn't join in, looking over her shoulder at Harriet, who was watching them with an unreadable expression. The Doctor followed her gaze and gave the older woman a brief smile, which she returned. But it fell as soon as he looked away. The women locked eyes, neither speaking, but both understanding. They both knew what she was about to do.

Harriet said something to the young man beside her and Alex looked away. She felt guilt wash over her. The Doctor still had his arm around her waist. Suddenly, a beam of green light shot out of the ground. Alex pulled the Doctor's arm away. Another shot up, meeting it in the sky. She took a step away, refusing to look up. Another shot into the sky. Alex felt a tear run down her cheek. Another. She finally got the courage to look up, and wished she hadn't. The last beam of light shot out of the ground, meeting the four that were already there and they all joined to hit the moving ship above them.

Alex ran.

She didn't think about what she was doing, or where she was going, or even about the gazes she felt on her back as she went. She just ran. She let this happen. She let what might well be an entire race be destroyed at the hands of Torchwood. She had a reason for it of course, she had thought things like this over a long time ago. A time when she'd sat on her platform in the console room with a leather coated Doctor playing with wires and talking about everything and nothing. She had decided this needed to happen. If it didn't, the whole universe could be at stake.

Alex wasn't sure how long she had run for, or where she had gone. She knew only what she didn't know, and that was where she was. Her breathing was coming in short sharp bursts by now and her face was wet with tears. She stumbled to a stop, looking around at the unfamiliar buildings. She was now surrounded by people, but they payed her no attention. Why would they? A spaceship in the sky just got blown up. She turned on the spot, wondering if her blurring vision was from the tears or lack of oxygen.

"Alex!"

Alex looked around with a gasp, her gaze falling on a worried looking Eleventh Doctor. It didn't matter which one he was, it didn't matter that it'd been hundreds of years for him, she didn't want to face him. Not now. So she turned, and she ran. Another call had her looking to see a much younger Doctor, still in his pyjamas and dressing gown, making his way over to her. Had she had enough clarity, she might've noticed that his expression held no trace of anger, but instead with concern and confusion. As it was, she kept running. She turned onto a clearer street, finding the closest building to run inside. She found the stairs, staring up immediately, hoping he wouldn't think to look somewhere inside.

Alex found herself on the roof, running over to the edge to look down. Her breathing was still uneven and likely depriving her of oxygen along with the running. Her eyes darted around, hoping she'd lost him when she found that she couldn't see any sign of him on the street. But when she turned, there he was. Alex gasped in surprise, pressing her back against the concrete barrier behind her. The Doctor was standing in the middle of the roof, approaching her slowly with his hands held up in a surrender motion.

"Alex, calm down" He pleaded. She moved to one side, attempting to make a clear path back to the stairs but he followed her. "Alex, I don't blame you, I swear" He continued. Alex let out a breathy humourless laugh.

"How can you not?" She scoffed. "I let them die!"

"You didn't do it"

"I let it happen!"

"I am certain you had a very good reason for it" The Doctor spoke calmly. Alex stared as he continued forward, now possibly only several feet away. She darted forward suddenly, hoping to get around him and escape, but he stepped to the side and grabbed her before she managed it. He quickly wrapped his arms tightly around her, pinning her own against her sides even as she tried to fight her way out.

"Alex, I promise you, I do not blame you for what happened" He told her sincerely, calm as ever. Alex stopped moving, trying desperately to get her breathing under control. Seeing she wasn't going to try running again, the Doctor pulled away slowly, attempting to give her space if that was what she wanted. She stared up at him a moment before her legs gave out and he managed to catch her as she fell. He sat on the ground with her held tightly against him as she brought her breathing back under control, neither saying a word. Alex had her arms around his neck by this point, the same as she'd done with his last regeneration. She suddenly felt a pang of loss for the man in the leather jacket she'd burned. She'd never get to tell him she loved him. The Doctor had one arm wrapped around her waist and the other around her shoulder blades to stroke her hair softly, same as he'd always done, reminding her that the man she was grieving for was right there.

"You're not mad?" She whispered eventually.

"Why did you let it happen?" He returned. His tone was as quiet as hers but the question made her stiffen.

"Sometime in the future, the whole universe might be at stake. And part of what happened today is the reason that it lives on" She explained, trying her best to get her point across vaguely.

"Then how could I be mad?"

Alex relaxed at the answer, even if she didn't understand it herself. How could he forgive her? The Doctor shifted slightly and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. His hand found the back of her head where it had hit the railing what felt like a long time ago.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked quietly, seeming sad. Alex looked up at him.

"I'm fine" She told him simply, smiling as she thought of something. "I've got a Doctor to look after me" He smiled in return and the two remained silent for a while, staring at each other unashamedly.

"You opened it, didn't you?" The Doctor asked eventually. She nodded. "And?"

"I remember everything" She told him. He looked away. Alex frowned at him slightly, placing a hand to the side of his face to make him look down at her. She gave him a sad smile and he returned it. "It's over?"

"It's over" He nodded. "So, would you like me to call you-"

"Alex is fine" She interrupted. "I don't deserve that name any more" The Doctor wrapped his arms around her again, pulling her closer, and she knew he understood completely how she felt. He had done the same, refusing to let anyone or even himself call him the Doctor during the war. They sat there quietly for a bit longer, looking over the edge of the roof and watching the people running about until the streets cleared.

"We should go" Alex told the Doctor, standing. She brushed off the pyjamas she was still wearing and grinned down at the Doctor, who was still wearing his. "They might start to worry" He nodded, getting to his feet and taking her hands in his.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly. Alex smiled.

"Yeah, better now"

"Good"

The Doctor was looking at her again, that look that he didn't use on anyone else. It was the same expression she'd seen his last face use at her, the way he'd been looking at her since they were kids, in the academy together. It was strange, and Alex wasn't entirely sure how to feel about it. He gave her a smile and led her off the roof, back down the stairs and all the way through the streets back to the Tardis. He told her she could go ahead into the wardrobe and start looking for whatever she wanted to wear and he'd call the Tyler flat and tell them they'd be over later. Alex did as he said, simply browsing around the racks of clothes while she waited for him to show up.

Now she had a whole other set of memories, she knew the story behind almost everything in there. There were some that he must have gotten in the time she was gone, and some she knew he had before she set off to travel with him the first time, and quite a lot of the pieces of clothing were hers. By the time the Doctor showed up she had wrapped a very familiar long colourful scarf around her neck, had a nice black beret on her head and was trying on a long brown coat with blue lining that was dragging on the floor and pooling around her feet.

"Having fun?" Came the amused voice. Alex turned, grinning.

"Yes" She giggled. The Doctor laughed, joining her to look over the clothes.

"What do you think for this one?" he asked, browsing as he spoke.

"I think brown will do nicely" She told him, leaning on the end of the rack. He nodded, moving off to another part of the wardrobe as Alex followed behind him. She got distracted however by a line of clothes obviously set up for her by the Tardis. Alex shook her head with a smile, mentally thanking the ship as she moved through the line of different colored jeans, flannel shirts, tank tops and T-shirts. She ended up with a pair of dark blue jeans and a black and white flannel. Just as she had grabbed the shirt off the rack she felt the brown coat she was still wearing being pulled off her. She turned with a bemused smile to find the Doctor rushing off excitedly with the coat in his arms along with something she couldn't quite see.

After changing she wandered out to where the Doctor was looking over his new face in a mirror. She finished buttoning her shirt and started her attempts with a very special something she had found lying around.

"Hey Doctor? Do you know how to tie a bow tie?" She asked, her eyes fixed on the material as she walked up behind him. He turned, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Really?" He asked. But he didn't seem to put off by it, more like surprised.

"Yeah, bow ties are cool" She told him, looking up helplessly. "Do you mind?" He laughed, stepping forward to undo the knotted mess she had created before re-tying it carefully. Alex watched his face as he worked. She was quite amused to notice he was using his serious/concentrated face. It was then that she realized exactly how close they were standing. He glanced up as he finished, giving her a smile and she hoped to god he didn't notice her blush. He took a step back, looking over all of what she was wearing with an almost fond smile.

"It actually works" he told her, laughing. She laughed in return, looking down at herself.

"I like it" She agreed, fixing her bow tie the way she'd seen Eleven do countless times. "Just one more thing" She turned and ran off down the steps to another floor of the wardrobe, snatching up the navy blue coat she'd found earlier, perfectly matching the color of her bow tie. It had a rather modest collar and reached down to her knees. The Doctor followed her at a slower pace, joining her as she was spinning, making the coat fly out slightly. She grinned at him.

"Always liked longer coats" She told him, giving another twirl. "You look great by the way"

"So do you" He smiled. "Oh" He said suddenly, searching his pockets as if he'd forgotten something. "I found…" He pulled something out of his pockets, handing her something that was now so very familiar to her. Alex's mouth fell open in shock as she stared. He waved them a bit, prompting her to take them. "Merry Christmas" He said simply, still smiling, proud of himself. Alex looked down at them a moment longer before meeting his eyes.

"You kept them" She pointed out, sounding close to tears.

"How could I not?" He shrugged slightly, like it was no big deal. Alex jumped on him suddenly in a hug, almost toppling him over. He grunted in surprise before smiling into her shoulder and returning the hug. "I take it you like the gift?"

"Are you kidding? I love it!" She assured him. She didn't let go for another moment but when she did her gaze was right back on the objects in her hands. She held an old worn leather journal and a battered dark blue pen. She tucked the journal under her arm to inspect the pen a moment. "But it broke. The Council wasn't very nice with my things when…" The Doctor took the pen gently, twisting it until a blue light tip pushed out the top. He pressed a button on the side, pointing it at the ceiling as a buzzing sound filled the air and the light above them went out, leaving them in a dark spot. Alex's eyes widened. "You…?"

"I found it. And I fixed it" He agreed, handing it back. Alex looked over the familiar object with a smile.

"Who looks at a pen and thinks 'ooh, this could be a little more sonic'?" She muttered to herself. The Doctor let out a laugh, happy to see her laughing in return. She looked over her journal once more with a soft frown before opening it cautiously. She looked over the blank pages before twisting her pen back until the sonic tip disappeared and the pen tip poked out the end. There was another moment of hesitation before she scrawled out a quick 'hello'. There was a moment where nothing happened. Then all of a sudden the ink soaked into the paper and below it in beautifully neat handwriting came another 'hello'. Alex gasped lightly looking down at the paper as the writing stayed a moment before disappearing again.

"It still works" She pointed out excitedly, looking up at her friend. Without warning she hugged him tightly again. "Thank you Theta" She whispered. He smiled, incredibly glad to hear that name again. She'd been the only one to use it since he became the Doctor, but they never told anyone else if they could help it. Their academy names were just between them now.

"You're very welcome, Lonnie" He grinned. She laughed.

"Come on then" She was the first to pull away, looking him over again before nodding. "They'll be waiting"

He held out a hand and she took it as they headed back out to the console room. The Tardis gave the two an appreciative hum at the new clothes as they left and the Doctor smiled at Alex's excited response to her. It wasn't much longer until they were walking into the Tyler flat side-by-side. Rose was the first to look up and smile at the two, grinning at the sight. Christmas dinner was something Alex hadn't much done in her human life, something that surprised them all when she told them. In her house they spent Christmas day opening presents and then using whatever toys or technology they'd gotten or watching movies together. They never did the Christmas turkey, they had waffles for breakfast. And of course, Alex sat down to watch the Doctor Who Christmas special. Alone.

Jackie seemed to make it her mission that Alex enjoyed herself since she found out, but she didn't really have to in the end. The Doctor sat at one end of the dining table with Alex and Rose on either side of him, Jackie on Alex's other side and Mickey on Rose's. They chatted and ate happily and Alex and the Doctor both had the same childish excitement when Jackie brought out the Christmas crackers. They did one together that ended in the Doctor winning a red paper crown from his end. Rose won a pink one from him and he picked up a third just after, insisting that Alex should get one. She very nearly fell out of her chair when the cracker burst open, and was laughing when the Doctor handed her his side, from which she pulled out a blue paper crown.

"Doctor! It matches!" She exclaimed happily, holding the colored paper against her coat before placing it over her head.

"Well that was rather lucky wasn't it?" He laughed. She simply stuck her tongue out at him in response.

"Look, it's Harriet Jones" Rose pointed out suddenly, shifting everyone's attention to the TV. The Doctor stood, pulling out his glasses as he stepped closer. Alex pulled out her own matching glasses, placing them on as she turned in her seat, resting her head on her arms crossed over the back of the chair.

"Is it true you're unfit for office?" Someone was asking Harriet.

"Look, there is nothing wrong with my health. I don't know where these stories are coming from" She responded, sounding like she'd already said it a hundred times. "And a vote of no confidence… is completely unjustified"

"Don't you think she looks tired?" Alex asked innocently. The Doctor started laughing and Alex followed soon after, leaving Rose and Mickey to send the two weird looks as Jackie went off to answer the phone that had started ringing.

"It's Beth. She says go and look outside" Jackie told them a moment later.

"Why?" Rose asked, frowning at her. The Doctor turned back to the others, taking his glasses off. He noticed Alex's a moment later and laughed, making her grin.

"I dunno, just go outside and look. Come on, shift!" Jackie prompted them. They all got up and wandered over to the door. Alex felt the Doctor take her hand as she was walking out the door and shot him a smile as she tucked her glasses back in her pocket. They all made their way down into the courtyard in front of the building, looking around in awe with everyone else already outside. It appeared to be snowing, with what looked like a meteor shower going on overhead.

"Oh, that's beautiful. What are they, meteors?" Rose asked. Alex shook her head, none of her usual wonder for the stars or snow present.

"It's the spaceship breaking up in the atmosphere" The Doctor answered in her silence. "This isn't snow, it's ash" Alex turned her gaze to her converse, studying the slightly dirtied white tops over the deep blue.

"Okay, not so beautiful" Rose corrected.

"This is a brand new planet Earth. No denying the existence of aliens now, everyone saw it. Everything's new" The Doctor explained. Alex felt his hand squeeze hers and looked up at him. He gave her a reassuring smile and she responded by dropping her head on his shoulder, tilted in a way so she could still see the sky and what looked like shooting stars.

"And what about you, what are you gonna do next?" Rose asked tentatively.

"Well… Back to the Tardis… Same old life" The Doctor responded evenly. Alex got the impression he might've shrugged if it wouldn't disturb her.

"On… On your own?" Rose continued.

"Why, don't you wanna come?" The Doctor asked, seeming surprised.

"Well, yeah"

"Do you though?" He pressed. Alex smiled lightly. He didn't want to take her along unless he knew she really wanted to. It was adorable.

"Yeah" Rose said again, stronger this time.

"I just thought… 'cos I changed" He mumbled slightly. Alex made a face, lifting her head and smacking him lightly on the shoulder

"We don't like you for your face, idiot" She scolded jokingly.

"Yeah I- I thought 'cos you changed you might not want me anymore" Rose told them, glancing between the two.

"Oh, I'd love you to come!" The Doctor told her sincerely.

"Always, Rosie" Alex grinned at the girl.

"Okay!" She beamed at the two.

"You're never gonna stay are you?" Mickey asked from behind them. The three turned to him. He was looking at the ground but met their eyes after a moment.

"There's just so much out there. So much to see… I've got to" Rose explained, trying to make him understand. Mickey gave her a smile, understanding although it was obviously forced.

"Yeah"

"Well I think you're mad" Jackie spoke up. "The lot of you, it's like you go looking for trouble"

"Well that's half the fun, ain't it?" Alex asked with a grin.

"Trouble's just the bits in between" The Doctor corrected, letting go of Alex's hand to walk around behind the other woman. He put an arm around her, looking back up at the sky. "It's all waiting out there, Jackie. It's all brand new to me. All those planets, creatures, horizons. I haven't seen them yet! Not with these eyes" He moved to stand between his companions, smiling at each of them. "And it is gonna be… Fantastic" The girls smiled back at him and he held out a hand to each of them. Alex took it without hesitation while Rose smiled almost uncomfortable down at the one offered to her.

"That hand of yours, still gives me the creeps" She told him. He simply smiled and wiggled his fingers persistently until she took his hand. Alex shivered slightly at the cold and took a step closer to the Doctor as they all looked up.

"So, where're we gonna go first?" Rose asked, seeming excited to go. Alex didn't blame her of course, she was too.

"Um… that way" The Doctor told her, pointing at something in the sky. "No, hold on… that way" He shifted his point slightly.

"T-that way?" Alex asked, almost nervous to speak up on a moment she knew was a big thing between him and Rose in the show.

"You think?" He asked, looking down at her. Alex found herself looking at him instead of the sky.

"Yeah, that way sounds good" She told him, nodding. They smiled at each other before looking back upwards. Rose smiled fondly at the two, following their gaze to the sky.

Maybe soon… She thought.

so Rose totally ships them and that's okay because I do too. Had to put a dose of angst in there, sorry not sorry. :)