The all too familiar sound of Cybermen marching at attention filled the streets of Planet Earth, as well as Zana Kline's ears. She glanced down from her spot at the window, her heart skipping a beat when an army of emotionless creatures flooded her vision. The Daleks, who the Doctor had yet to peel his eyes from, quickly turned their attention from the people of London to their other enemies. Soon, cries of deletion and extermination consumed the air as they opened fire at each other. Instantly, everyone stepped away from the glass, opting that it wasn't the safest of places. She took a deep breath and grabbed Rose's hand as the blonde watched her mother and her parallel father.
"I'm sorry, but you've had it," Pete Tyler said with a shake of his head. "This world's going to crash and burn. There's nothing we can do. We're going home." He reached his hand out to one of the soldiers he had brought with him from his world. The disciplined woman handed him a yellow medallion of sorts, who he, in turn, tossed to his lost love. "Jacks, take this. You're coming with us."
"But they're destroying the city," Jackie Tyler protested as she glanced down at the strange device.
"I'd forgotten you could argue," Pete smiled with endearment as he carefully slid the device around her neck before taking Jackie's head into his hands. "It's not just London, it's the whole world. But there's another world just waiting for you, Jacks. And it's safe as long as the Doctor closes the breach," he turned to the man in question, who was still staring out the window. "Doctor?"
"Oh, I'm ready! I've got the equipment right here. Thank you, Torchwood!" the Doctor turned around to reveal the same pair of 3D glasses over his eyes. That wasn't the weirdest thing he was donning, however. That had to go to his manic grin. His two faithful companions, along with Mickey, Jake, Cynthia, and Jackie and Pete Tyler, watched with bemusement as he dashed to one of the computer terminals and began to work. "Slam it down and close off both universes!"
"Reboot systems," an automated voice called out.
"But we can't just leave," Rose frowned as she stepped up to him. "What about the Daleks? And the Cybermen?"
"They're part of the problem, and that makes them part of the solution," he stepped away from the computer and rushed around the desk, the same grin still on his face. "Oh yes! Well? Isn't anyone going to ask what is it with the glasses?"
"What is it with the glasses?" Rose and Zana asked in unison, the two of them unconsciously growing wide smiles of their own. They couldn't help it. The Doctor did that to them, and they were completely fine with that.
"I can see, that's what!" He exclaimed excitedly as he began to wave his hands about. He spoke with them just as much as he spoke with words. "Because we've got two separate worlds, but in between the two separate worlds, we've got the Void. That's where the Daleks were hiding. And the Cybermen traveled through the Void to get here. And you lot, one world to another, via the Void! Oh, I like that! Via the Void. Look!" He took off his 3D spectacles and slid them over Rose's eyes. "I've been through it," he began moving side to side, making Zana beam. "Do you see?"
"Reboot in three minutes," the automated voice announced, but no one paid any mind. Zana was too busy watching her friend reached out above the Doctor's shoulder as if she was touching something.
"Let me see," she stepped up to the two of them giddily. Rose slid the glasses off and Zana held them up to her own glasses, gasping at the sight before her. "Oh my god. What is it, Doctor?"
"Void stuff!" He beamed widely at her.
"Like uh, background radiation!" Rose snapped her fingers and pointed at the Doctor, who nodded in affirmation.
"That's it. Zan, look at the others," he instructed as he turned her around to face the onlooking group. He wrapped his arm around the brunette's shoulders as he pointed at them. "And the only ones who haven't been through the Void, you and Rose's mums. First time Jackie's looked normal all in her life!"
"Oi," Jackie gave him an annoyed look, but he paid no mind as he turned and rushed towards the large, empty, white wall at the end of the room. Rose and Zana dashed after him.
"But the Daleks lived inside the Void. They're bristling with it! Cybermen, all of them," he looked up the height of the wall. "I just open the Void and reverse. The Void stuff gets sucked back inside!"
Rose laughed, "Pulling them all in!"
"Pulling them all in!" The Doctor and Zana repeated together with a laugh.
"Sorry," Mickey spoke up. "What's the Void?"
"The dead space," the Doctor's happy demeanor shifted slightly. "Some people call it Hell."
"So you're sending the Daleks and Cybermen to Hell," Mickey chuckled and slid a yellow device of his own around his neck before turning to Jake. "Man, I told you he was good."
"No..." Zana's voice came out too soft to be heard, but the way Rose's shoulders had slumped told her that she had worked it out as well. How was the Doctor expecting them to survive this?
"But it's like you said. We've all got Void stuff. Me and Zana too, because we went to that parallel world..." Zana looked down at her hand, and sure enough, the background radiation surrounded her like a swarm of insects. She even failed to notice the Doctor moving to stand in front of her and Rose. "We're all contaminated. We'll get pulled in."
"That's why you've got to go," the Doctor's voice had lost its excited tone. His eyes trailed over his loyal and loving companion as if he'd never see her again. In a way, Zana realized with wide eyes, he wasn't. He finally met Rose's gaze as she looked up at him, confused.
"Reboot in two minutes," Zana wanted to throw something at that damned computer, knowing now that it was counting down her last moments with Rose Tyler. She already felt her throat start to close up as her eyes began to burn with unshed tears. She can't lose her. Not Rose, she couldn't bear it. She fully believed that Rose was the glue holding her together, and she was not ready to fall apart yet.
"Back to Pete's world," he suddenly looked up at the group. "Hey, we should call it that! Pete's World!" His attention was soon back on Rose. "I'm opening the Void, but only on this side. You'll be safe on that side."
"And then you close it, for good?" Rose whispered.
"The breach itself is soaked in Void stuff. In the end, it'll close itself. And that's it. Kaput."
"But you stay on this side?"
"But we'll get pulled in," Zana finally tore her gaze from her hands and looked up to the Doctor. "You and I will...no."
"Zana...you have to go too," he informed in a hushed tone. "I can't risk losing you. I just...I can't. I'm so sorry." He gave her one last look before rushing past her and grabbing the large clamps from the desk. "That's why I got these. I'll just have to hold on tight. I've been doing it all my life."
"No," Zana repeated, her mind still buzzing with his words. "There's no way in hell I'm leaving. My mum and dad-"
"Are at no risk of being pulled in," he finished, his eyes conveying so many emotions it was hard for Zana to keep up. She reached out and gripped the fabric of his pinstriped suit between her fingers. The two of them shared a long look, so much being said without so much as a word being uttered. Couldn't he see how this would completely ruin her? Leaving this world...leaving him...was unimaginable.
"I'm supposed to go..." Rose spoke up, clearly just as shocked as her best friend. The Doctor was pulled back to reality by her words and stepped back from Zana's grasp. She didn't try to fight him as he went back to work on the computers.
"Yeah," the Doctor replied evenly as he avoided her gaze.
"To another world, and then it gets sealed off."
"Yeah."
"Forever," she let out a humorless laugh and shook her head, sharing a look with her mum. "That's not going to happen."
As if this Universe heard her words, the building around them shook violently. Zana was just regaining her footing when Pete and his soldiers began rushing forward.
"We haven't got time to argue. The plan works. We're going," he glanced down at Jackie. "You too. All of us."
"No, I'm not leaving here!" Rose started after him.
Jackie shook her head defiantly, "I'm not going without her."
"Oh, my God. We're going!" He shouted frustratedly.
"I've had twenty years without you, so button it!" She glared at him. "I'm not leaving her."
"You've got to..." Rose informed softly, a stark contrast to Jackie's harsh tone.
"Well, that's tough!"
"Mum..."
"Reboot in one minute."
"Shut up," Zana whispered angrily as she tightened her fists into balls.
"I've had a life with you for nineteen years, but then I met the Doctor, and all the things I've seen him do for me, for you, for all of us," Rose's emotions got the best of her as her voice broke. Zana couldn't imagine Rose without the Doctor, and she certainly couldn't imagine the Doctor without his Rose. "For the whole stupid planet and every planet out there. He does it alone, mum. But not anymore, because now he's got me..."
Before Zana even knew what was happening, the Doctor stepped around her and towards Rose, who was oblivious to his actions. The brunette's eyes widened as she watched him slide a medallion around Rose's neck, and seconds later, she was completely gone, along with her parents, Mickey, Jake, and their soldiers.
"Bring her back!" Zana shouted the demand harshly. Her pulse had quickened exponentially as she grabbed the Doctor's arm. "Doctor, bring her back! Do it now! Do you hear me? Now!"
"I can't," he replied, his tone that of someone who just lost something sacred to them. "Zana, the only reason you aren't with her is that your parents are here. You were right about that. She's with her family. She'll be happy. She's safe."
Zana had a thousand different arguments in her, and she was determined to use each and every one of them. She needed her Rose just as much as the Doctor did, and she needed him to see that. Why does he do this to himself? Why is he so selfless?
"Doctor, we need Rose with us. She's everything-"
"...I think this is the on switch," the woman in question's beautiful Cockney accent filled their ears, making them spin around to see the blonde fidgeting with the medallion around her neck.
"Rose..." Zana breathed as she moved towards her, but the Doctor shoved her aside and gripped his companion's shoulders.
"Once the breach collapses, that's it. You will never be able to see her again," his voice was overflowing with feeling as he gave her a gentle shake. "Your own mother!"
"I made my choice a long time ago, and I'm never going to leave you," she replied calmly. Relief washed over Zana as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back. "So what can I do to help?"
"Systems rebooted. Open access."
"Those coordinates over there, set them all at six," he pointed towards the computer terminal. "And hurry up!"
Rose instantly did as told, taking off her device in the process. Zana watched her with a soft smile as the Doctor moved to work at the other computer, obviously not too happy with Rose's stubbornness.
"I can't imagine the TARDIS without you," Zana murmured to Rose as she moved to help her. And she meant that with the entirety of her heart. "It would feel empty."
"I can't imagine life without the TARDIS," Rose smiled up at her. "Or you." The teenager beamed as the computer next to her started to beep. They turned their attention to it. "We've got Cybermen on the way up," the blonde informed the Doctor calmly as Zana gulped. Just what they needed.
"How many floors down?" The Doctor hurried over at them.
"Just one."
"Zana," Cynthia's voice made her jump. She quickly turned to see her mother cradling her mobile to her chest. "Your father's safe but they've lost a lot of men. He's not sure how much longer he can hold them."
"Don't worry, Mum," Zana stepped up to her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "The Doctor is stopping them any minute now, alright? Everything's going to be fine, I promise you."
She nodded, although Zana wasn't too sure if her mum believed her. The older Kline reached up and wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "I can't lose him, Zana. You and your father are everything to me, and I've almost lost the both of you in a span of ten minutes. My nerves can't take this."
"Try traveling with him," her daughter cracked the smallest of smiles as she nodded towards the Time Lord. "Definitely keeps me on my toes. But as you said...he's everything to me."
"Levers operational," the familiar automated voice filled the air, making the Doctor smile widely.
"That's more like it. Bit of a smile," Rose grinned as she walked over to him. He grabbed the two clamps off of Yvonne's desk and started out of her office. "The old team."
"Hope and Glory, Mutt and Jeff, Shiver and Shake," the Doctor rambled, much to the amusement of Zana. She loved watching them banter. It was almost like nothing was wrong.
Rose raised an eyebrow, "Which one's Shiver?"
"Oh, I'm Shake," the Doctor grinned before handing her one of the clamps. The two of them rushed to the opposite side of the room, securing their respective clamps onto the wall right in front of the ghost shift levers. "Press the red button," the Doctor instructed, and she did as told, locking it in place.
"What about me?" Zana pondered lightly. "And what about my mother? Where does she go?"
"You're with Rose, Zan," the Doctor informed quickly. "Mrs. Kline, I think it best that you try to stay behind something. The Daleks and the Cybermen will be flying through those windows with tremendous power, so you'll need to be out of their way. I'm sorry."
"What are you sorry for? You're saving the planet," Cynthia offered him the smallest of smiles before pressing a kiss to Zana's forehead. "Stay safe. I'll see you when this is over."
"Definitely," Zana nodded with a smile of her own. She watched as her mother hurried through a doorway and out into a corridor.
"Zan, when it starts, just hold on tight," the Doctor called to her. She nodded and quickly made her way to the clamp on the wall as he and Rose rushed towards the levers. "Shouldn't be too bad for us but the Daleks and the Cybermen are steeped in Void stuff. Are you two ready?"
"They definitely are," Zana nodded towards a group of Daleks just outside the window.
"Let's do it!" The Doctor exclaimed. He and Rose quickly pushed up on the levers before reaching for the clamps.
"Online."
Zana held out her hand to Rose, who took it without hesitation. A blinding light filled the room as the breach opened up, and instantly, Daleks broke through the windows and were pulled into the Void as they cried out "Emergency! Emergency!"
"The breach is open! Into the Void!" The Doctor looked over at Zana and Rose and beamed. "Ha!"
"It's working! It's actually working!" Zana laughed excitedly as Rose wrapped her arms around her. She chose to ignore the aching that was already consuming the muscles in her arms. "We did it!"
Sparks began to shoot from the lever directly in front of them, it seemed just to spite the hopeful companion. She and Rose watched in disbelief as the lever began to fall from its upright position. Without a second thought, Rose Tyler let go of the one thing keeping her safe and fell towards the lever in an attempt to fix it. Panic filled the Doctor and Zana instantly.
"Hold on!" The Doctor yelled loudly, watching her every single move. One slip...just one...and she'd disappear into the Void.
"I've got to get it upright!" Rose shouted over the monstrous winds. Zana and the Doctor watched with horror in their eyes as she struggled to push the lever up.
"Rose, be careful!" Zana called to her, stretching her arm out to her as far as she could, but it was still nowhere close enough. Moments later, Rose had somehow managed to get the lever upright once more, successfully restoring the breach to its entirety.
"Online and locked."
Zana groaned as the winds became almost unbearable. Her body was burning with the effort to reach Rose. "Rose! Grab my hand! Rose!"
Rose quickly reached for Zana's outstretched hand as the two of them locked eyes. The world around them seemed to slow to a halt as they saw the panic and fear in each other's eyes.
They were going to lose.
"Zana! Rose! Hold on!" The Doctor shouted, his voice straining as he looked on in terror. He couldn't tear his eyes away, no matter how much it would shatter him to see them slip. "Hold on!"
"No!" A loud scream filled the air as Zana's fingertips started to slip from the metal clamp. It took Zana a few seconds to register that it wasn't her who screamed: it was Rose. The teenager's heart jumped into her throat as her fear overtook her.
"I can't lose you!" Zana yelled back, her hand still waiting for Rose to grip it. "Rose, please!"
"I can't reach you!" Rose's voice cracked, and with tears in her eyes, her fingers completely slipped. "Zana!"
"Rose!" The Doctor and Zana let out a bloodcurdling scream as they watched her fall towards the endless Void. She looked at both of them with desperation in her eyes, as if she was waiting for them to save her, and god knows they wanted to. It took everything Zana had not to let go and reach out to her best friend. The best friend who had introduced her to this life wonder and adventure. Who had held her hand and calmed her down when her mind was getting the best of her. Who she loves dearly and deeply and for as long as she will live.
"They keep on trying to split us up, but they never ever will."
"We'll look after you, Zana. I promise."
"Hey, everything is going to be okay, I promise. I'm right here."
Rose Tyler, Defender of the Earth. You promised...
The Doctor and Zana looked on as she was engulfed by the one person they least expected: Pete Tyler. Instantly, Rose Tyler looked back and gave her friends one last silent plea for help before she and her father disappeared, back into Pete's World, and now, Rose's as well.
"Systems closed."
"No..." Zana's voice came out soft and broken as the breach sealed itself, separating the Doctor and her from Rose forevermore. She didn't even bother stopping herself from falling to the floor below her. Tears were already staining her cheeks as she refused to tear her eyes away from the empty wall at the other end of the room. "No, no...Rose..."
The Doctor wordlessly stepped towards the wall without so much as a glance her way, his face emotionless, but his eyes full of loss. Zana sobbed profusely and reached up to wipe her eyes as she looked on. She could only imagine what was going through his head. Sure, he'd lost people in the past, and it pained him to even think about those who still inhabited this Earth alive and well. But if losing Rose Tyler tore Zana apart...it must have killed a part of him. A part Zana knew was never going to be revived.
The TARDIS refused to brighten the lights in the console room as her two remaining inhabitants stepped through her wooden doors. Zana knew she understood. She just wished that she could fully understand it herself. Rose was gone. Forever. This ancient spaceship will never be the same...what was she supposed to do? How was she supposed to make the Doctor smile again when the woman he loves is trapped in a parallel world? How was she supposed to make the TARDIS whirr happily again? How was she supposed to go on like a piece of her hadn't just been ripped away?
"Zana..." the Doctor's broken voice made her look up at the Time Lord. He was staring at the time rotor as if it held all the answers to her questions. She absently stepped up to him and took his hand in hers, holding it as tight as she could. She was afraid he'd slip away as well.
"I'm here," she whispered, closing her eyes and leaning her head against his shoulder. Tears started to spill from her eyes once more. "I'm here, Doctor..."
It was like he had been waiting to hear those words to pass through her lips. His arms wrapped around her and he pulled her impossibly close as if he was clinging on for dear life. Maybe he too thought that she'd be pulled away any second. She squeezed her eyes shut and held him to her as he finally allowed his tears to flow down his cheeks.
"Why?" He sobbed into her neck repeatedly, and Zana soon realized he wasn't asking her. He was asking the Universe. Why did this have to happen to him? Why now? Why her? "Zana..."
"I'm here," she repeated softly as her own tears soaked into his shoulder. "I'm so sorry...I couldn't save her."
He shook his head, "You would have been pulled away too. I don't think I can deal with losing both of you at the same time..."
"I'm not going anywhere," she murmured softly, moving her arms so that they were wrapped around his neck. "This is my home now, Doctor."
"You're staying?" He breathed as he pulled back slightly so that he could meet her gaze. "Even after-" He had to stop himself. He couldn't say it.
She nodded, gently reaching up to wipe a few of his tears. She had never seen him cry before, and she definitely didn't like it. He deserved the entirety of the Universe. If she could be there, in Pete's World, and Rose be here by his side...if it made him smile...she'd be gone in a heartbeat.
"Thank you, Zana Kline," he whispered, closing his eyes as he pressed his forehead to hers. His shaky hands enveloped hers as her eyes drifted closed as well. "If I had lost you..."
"I know..." she smiled sadly at the thought. He didn't deserve to be alone. "Doctor...is there really no way we can get her back? Surely there-"
"No," his voice was quiet but stern. "Two universes would collapse in on themselves, Zan. I can't risk that."
She bit her lip as she gave his hands a comforting squeeze. "I know it's going to be a long time until either of us are okay again, Doctor. I know that you lost someone you care for deeply, and I did too. But promise me, Time Lord, that we will not mourn her because she's not dead. She's so alive. She sacrificed her life here, in this Universe, so that it could be safe and sound."
The faintest of smiles ghosted over his lips as he opened his eyes to look into hers, "Oh, Zan..."
"See?" A small smile of her own started to form. "She'd want you to smile and remember your times together! She'd want me to tease you about your daft grin and laugh at you when you'd get all flustered! She'd want us to carry on, but hold her close, as if she were still here."
"Are you sure?" He murmured, gulping slightly.
"I'm only ever been surer on one other thing in my life," she smiled warmly as his eyes began to return to their usual brightness and his smile began to overwhelm his features. It was one of the things she adored about him, after all. "Don't be sad because it's over. Smile because it happened."
"Was that a Dr. Suess quote?" He raised an eyebrow, neither of them noticing how the lights around them began to brighten, or how the TARDIS's whirrs were becoming less somber. "Are you really quoting Dr. Suess?"
"He is arguably the greatest writer to ever live," Zana couldn't help but laugh as she pulled out of their embrace. Right now, they needed a break from their bleak reality. "He's right up there with Shakespeare, I'd dare say he surpasses him by far!"
"Take that back," the Doctor pointed at her with mock sternness as she sauntered around the control panel. He walked around the other way, meeting her in the middle. "The is no greater writer than the bard himself!"
"I'm afraid I'd have to disagree with you, my dear Doctor," she beamed up at him cheekily. "The works of many a people outrank good ole' Will in my books. Edgar Allen Poe, Oscar Wilde, Dr. Suess-"
"I can't even bear to hear such nonsense!" He shook his head but finally broke out into a laugh.
"Would you like me to write it down, then?"
He smiled down at her, "What would I do without you, Zana Kline?"
"I try not to think about it," she smiled softly as she nudged him gently. "I think it best now that we try to get some rest, Doctor. Today was long and nerve-wracking. And I know you're going to argue and such, but I'm not going to hear it, Time Lord. We have a big day tomorrow."
"What's tomorrow?" He raised a curious eyebrow.
"I thought perhaps we could go and see a star that has never been discovered and name it after a very special person indeed," Zana informed lightly. It was a silly plan, she knew, but she was sentimental. She had to honor her Rose somehow. "How does that sound?"
"It sounds perfect," he whispered as he smiled tearfully.
She gave his hand a squeeze, "Then I suppose this is goodnight, Doctor. Try and get some sleep, yeah? You need it."
He nodded, and what had become a nightly ritual, he pressed his lips to her forehead. She closed her eyes at the sweet contact and smiled softly. "Goodnight, Zana Kline."
"Goodnight, Doctor."
With that, Zana reluctantly left his comforting embrace and made her way back to her dimly lit room. While her heart ached with an unrelenting pain at the loss of her beautiful Rose, a small, wonderful spark of hope filled her chest and made her feel warm inside. Seeing the Doctor smile and even laugh after such a day was enough for her to stay strong. He needed her, and the universe knew that she sure as hell needed him.
Her Doctor.
She would be strong for him.
A/N: PART THREE IS COMING! Ah! I decided to go ahead and post this, as I've had this written for quite some time, and I promise to post part three at a later date. Thank you so, so much to every single person who had read this story and who loves Zana as much as I do. I hope to get back in the pattern of updating more regularly, but with college, I'm always hellaaaaa busy. I hope you enjoy! :)