Boom Town

Cardiff
November 2006

A middle-aged man paced about Margaret's office in agitation, wringing his shaking, sweaty hands together. "I've checked the figures. I've checked them repeatedly, always with the same result. The design is not safe, it could result in the death of millions. I beg of you, stop the project right now before it's too late." He pleaded.

Margaret took a deep breath, giving him a shocked look. "Well…goodness me. Obviously Mr. Cleaver, you're the expert."

"Then…you'll stop it? You promise you'll stop it today?"

"It seems I have no choice. After all, nothing is more important than Human life." She says genuinely, holding back the dark glint in her eyes. "What do you take me for, some sort of maniac?"

"No, not at all." He shook his head, taking deep breaths, calming himself and wiping the sweat from his hands.

"Am I right in thinking that you've shown your results only to me?"

He nodded. "Just to you. No one else."

She smirked. "Wise move."

"I can't tell you Mrs. Blaine, this is such a weight off my mind." He said, taking off his glasses and pacing to the door, wiping the sweat from his brow. He misses Margaret's face becoming dark before she raises a hand to her forehead. "I've barely slept. I couldn't believe my own readings. The scale of it, destruction like the British Isles has never seen before." He squints into the adjoining room, where on a large table was a blueprint design of Cardiff City with a nuclear power plant. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that someone wanted this project to go wrong, like they intended that this city should be wiped off the map." He took another deep breath, running a hand over his face before placing his glasses back on, a look of glowing relief on his face. "Thank goodness we've got you, our esteemed leader." He turns back to look at her, but only sees a Slitheen instead. Before he could scream in terror or for help, she pounces on him, burrowing her claws deep into his chest, placing a large hand over his mouth.

"Hush now. It'll be over quickly." She growls as the life fades from his eyes.

Mickey disembarks the commuter train, moving through the crowds of people until he emerges into the outside Cardiff City. He takes a moment to admire the view around him, which was being bathed in the warm glow of the bright sun. He looks down before his eyebrows furrow in confusion, spotting the TARDIS in the open city. Moving quickly, he arrives at the TARDIS doors and knocks three times. The door opens, Jack on the other side. "Who the hell are you?" Jack asks.

Mickey blinks. "What do you mean, who the hell am I? Who the hell are you?"

"Captain Jack Harkness. Whatever your selling, we're not buying."

He groans. "Get out of my way." He pushes his way into the TARDIS, seeing Rose standing by the console while the Doctor and Clara were working up on the railing, Clara dressed back in her red dress and black leather jacket.

"Don't tell me, this must be Mickey." Jack says, closing the doors behind him.

"Here comes trouble. How're you doing, Rickey boy?" The Doctor calls, Clara sniggering at his nickname.

"It's Mickey." He snaps playfully.

"No, it's Rickey." Clara quips.

"Don't listen to them. They're winding you up." Rose said.

"You look fantastic." Mickey compliments.

Rose beams at him. "Come here." She says, pulling him into a hug.

"Aww, sweet. Look at these two. How come I never get any of that?" Jack groans.

"You could've bought me a drink, but I'm already taken." The Doctor says playfully.

"Who's to say I can't buy you a drink now?" Jack flirts. The Doctor rolls his eyes despite his smirk.

"Did you manage to find it?" Rose asks Mickey as they part.

Mickey pulls out her passport and hands it to her. "There you go."

"Thank you. I can go anywhere now."

"We have a time space ship, you don't need a passport." The Doctor points out.

"Yeah, and it's all very well going to Platform One or Justicia or the Glass Pyramid of San Kloon but what if we end up in Brazil? I might need it. You see, I'm prepared for anything." Rose says with her tongue in her teeth.

"Sounds like you're staying, then." Mickey says, his comment making an awkward silence fall into the TARDIS.

"Awkward." Clara mouths to the Doctor, who cocks an eyebrow at her.

"So, what're you doing in Cardiff and who the hell's Jumpin' Jack Flash?" Jack looks at his getup with a furrowed look. "I mean, I don't mind you hanging out with big ears and missus Hobbit up there."

"Oi!" They scolded.

"Look in the mirror, and you're short enough to be one." They roll their eyes at him. "But this guy…I don't know, he's kind of- "

"Handsome?" Jack finishes wolfishly.

Mickey groans inwardly. "More like cheesy."

"Early 21st Century slang. Is cheesy good or bad?"

"It's bad."

"But bad means good, isn't that right?"

"Are you saying I'm not handsome?" The Doctor asks as he and Clara descend the ladder.

"You're definitely handsome." Clara whispers into his ear, making him shudder. "But how can I be a Hobbit? I thought I'd be an Elf?"

"Elves are usually tall."

"Not the ones we met." Clara mumbles.

Rose waves her hand to make them stop. "We just stopped off, we needed to refuel. Thing is, Cardiff's got this rift running through the middle of the city. It's invisible but it's like an earthquake fault between different dimensions."

"The rift was healed back in 1869…" The Doctor starts.

"Thanks to a girl named Gwyneth, who helped save the world from these creatures called the Gelth, who were using the rift as a gateway." Clara continues.

"But, closing the rift always leaves a scar and that scar generates energy, which is harmless to the Human race…" Jack interjects.

"But perfect for the TARDIS. We just park the old girl here for a day or so, right on top of the scar…"

"Open up the engines, soak up the radiation…"

"Like filling her up with gas and off we go!" Clara finishes.

"Into time! And space!" They all cry, high fiving each other while Mickey stares at them with wide eyes.

"My god, have you guys seen yourselves? You think you're so clever, don't you?"

"Yep." The Doctor and Clara said in unison.

"Yep." Rose grinned.

"You bet ya, Mickey Mouse." Jack quipped, lightly slapping Mickey's cheek as they moved out of the TARDIS.

"Right then, it should take another 24 hours, so we've got time to kill." The Doctor said as they exited, locking the TARDIS behind them.

"That old lady's staring." Mickey pointed off.

"Probably wondering what five people could be doing inside a small wooden box, eh?" Jack grinned, making them snigger.

"What're you the Captain of? The innuendo squad?" Jack just gave him a 'Whatever' sign. "Hold on, we can't just leave the TARDIS. Won't she get noticed?"

Jack nodded absentmindedly. "I've always wondered, what's with the police box? Why does she look like that?"

"You can handle that one, Doctor." Clara whispered.

He nodded. "It's called a Chameleon Circuit. The TARDIS is meant to disguise herself wherever she lands. Like if this was Ancient Rome, she could be a statue on a plinth. But I landed in the 1960's, she disguised herself as a police box and the circuit got stuck."

"So, she copied a real thing? There actually were police boxes?" Mickey asked with genuine surprise.

"Yeah, on street corners. It was phone for help before they had radios and mobiles. If they arrested somebody, they'd shove them inside until help came, like a little prison cell."

"Why don't you just fix the circuit?" Jack asked.

"I like it, don't you?" He defended.

"I love it." Clara said, patting the TARDIS affectionately.

"But that's what I meant. There's no police boxes anymore, so won't it get noticed?" Mickey asks.

"Rickey, let me tell you something about the Human race: You put a mysterious blue box slap bang in the middle of town, what do they do?" Mickey blinks. "They walk past it. Now, stop your nagging and let's go explore." They walked off, Clara linking her arm in his.

"So, any ideas?" She asked.

"*Scoffs* No." She gives him a "Seriously?" look. "Come on, it's Cardiff, early 21st Century. Trust me, it's the safest place in the universe."

"Last time you said something like that, we could've been killed by an Ice Warrior." She mumbled.

"Come on, nothing bad could happen here." He grinned.

Margaret stood at a glass podium, in front of the nuclear station blueprint. Surrounding the table was a large group of reporters and representatives, while a banner saying "The Blaidd Drwg Project" hung over her head. "This nuclear power station right in the heart of Cardiff City will bring jobs for all!" She finishes, earning a round of applause. She moves out from the glass podium, taking a tall glass of champagne with her to the table. "As you can see, as Lord Mayor I've had to sanction some radical redevelopments." A reporter takes out a large camera and photographs her, making her flinch. "No photographs! What did I say?! *Clears Throat* Take pictures of the project but not of me, thank you. So, Cardiff Castle will be demolished allowing "The Blaidd Drwg Project" to rise, tall and proud. A monument to Welsh Industry and yes, some of you might shiver. The words "Nuclear power station" and "Major population centre" aren't exactly the happiest of bedfellows. But I give you my personal guarantee that while I walk upon this Earth, no harm will come to any of my citizens. Now, drink up. A toast: To the future."

"To the future!" Everyone calls in unison.

"And believe me…it will glow." She beams, hiding once again that dark gleam in her eyes. Everyone once again applauds before moving into murmuring conversations with each other. Margaret takes a sip of champagne before a young, brown haired female reporter comes up to greet her.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Blaine? My name's Cathy Salt, I represent the Cardiff Gazette."

"I'm sorry, I'm not doing interviews. I can't bear self-publicity."

"But are you aware of the curse?"

She blinked. "Whatever do you mean?" She thought for a moment before turning properly to Cathy. "Cathy wasn't it?"

She nodded. "Cathy Salt. That is what some of your engineers are saying, that "The Blaidd Drwg Project" is cursed."

"It sounds rather silly to me."

"That is what I thought, chasing a bit of local colour. But the funny thing is when you start piecing it all together, it does begin to look a bit odd."

"In what way?"

"The deaths. The number of deaths associated with this project. First, there was the entire team of the European safety inspectors."

"But they were French. It's not my fault if "Danger: Explosives" was only written in Welsh."

"And then there was that accident with the Cardiff Heritage Committee."

"The electrocution of that swimming pool was put down to natural wear and tear."

"And then the architect?"

Margaret adopted a soft look of sadness. "It was raining. Visibility was low. My car simply couldn't stop."

"And then just recently, Mr. Cleaver, the government's nuclear advisor."

"Slipped on an icy patch."

"He was stabbed then decapitated."

"It was a very icy patch. I'm afraid these stories are nothing more than typical small-town thinking."

"Except before he died, Mr. Cleaver posted some of his findings online."

Margaret felt a small hint of rage bubble inside her. "Did he now?"

"If you know where to look. He was concerned about the reactor, specifically that the design of the suppression pool would cause the hydrogen recombiners to fail, precipitating in the collapse of the containment isolation system and resulting in a meltdown."

"Who's been doing her homework?"

Cathy blushed sheepishly. "That's my job."

"I think…Cathy Salt, that you and I should have a word in private." She linked arms with a smiling yet confused Cathy and led her out of the side door towards the restrooms. Her stomach then rumbled violently, inwardly cursing at the gas exchange. "I'm so sorry, my stomach is complaining. I think we might have to make a detour to the ladies."

"I could wait here." Cathy offered.

She shook her head with a grin. "Oh, come on. All girls together." Moving through the door, she unlinked her arm from Cathy's and moved into the restroom, closing it behind her. "You were saying, these outlandish theories of yours?" She called through the door.

"Well, I don't know much about nuclear physics but from what I could make out, Cleaver was saying that the whole project could go up worse than Chernobyl. A thousand times worse, even. I mean, it sounds absurd, there must be so many safety regulations. But Cleaver seemed to be talking about a nuclear holocaust. He almost made it sound deliberate. I mean, we're hardly the Sunday Time, we're only the Cardiff Gazette but we still have a duty to report the facts."

"And you're going to print this information?"

"I have to."

Margaret clenched her jaw. "So be it." She raised a hand to her forehead, stroking the skin back to reveal the zip.

"*Scoffs* Mind you, my boyfriend thinks I'm mad." Margaret blinked at this, lowering her hand again. "We're getting married next month, and he says if I cause a fuss I could lose my job, just when we need the money."

"Boyfriend?" Margaret asks, her tone now softer.

"Jeffrey, civil servant. He's nothing exciting, but he's mine."

She didn't need to open the door to see Cathy's dreamy smile. "When's the wedding?"

"The 19th. It's really just to stop my mother from nagging, but the baby sort of clinched it, I suppose."

She sat down on the closed toilet, tears prickling her eyes. Mother? Baby? Family. She has a living family. "You're with…child?"

"Three months. It's not showing yet. Didn't plan it, was more of an accident. Nice accident, though."

"Congratulations."

"Thank you. How about you? Is there a Mr. Blaine?"

She closed her eyes, holding back a choke. "Not anymore. I'm all on my own." She smiled sadly. Jocrassa. Father. Mother. Why did you have to die and leave me alone? "I had quite a sizable family once upon a time. Wonderful brothers and sisters. Oh, they were bold. But all of them gone now. You're right. Maybe I'm cursed."

"No, no, I don't think so, not really."

"You're quite kind. *Sniffs* If you don't mind, I might be a while." She lets out a choke on her words. "You run along. Perhaps we could do this another day."

"Are you all right?"

"Fine."

"Okay, I'll tell you what, I'll leave my details with your office. Thank you for talking."

"Thank you." Margaret says softly. Cathy's heeled footsteps walk away followed by a closed door, letting silence fall. She buries her face in her hands, letting her sobs loose.

The group sat in a café, grinning yet shaking their heads at Jack's tale. "No, I swear! It was 6 feet tall and with tusks!"

"You're lying through your teeth!" Clara snorted.

"It turns out that the white things are tusks! And I mean tusks!"

"Have you gone bonkers?!" Rose giggled.

"And it's woken and it's not happy!"

"How could you not know it was there?!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"And we're standing there, 15 of us, naked!"

"Naked?!"

"And I'm going, 'No, no, no, this has nothing to do with me!' And then it roars, and we are running! Oh, dear god, we are running! And Brakovitch falls, so I turn to him and I say- "

"I knew we should've turned left!" Mickey finishes, making them burst out in laughter.

"That's my line!" Jack whines through his grin.

"I don't believe you. I don't believe a word you say, ever. That is so brilliant!" Rose giggled. "Did you ever get your clothes back?"

"No. I just picked him up and went right for the ship, full throttle, didn't stop until I hit the space lanes."

The Doctor let his grin slide as he spotted a newspaper with Margaret's face on it. The group's chatter turns into indescribable murmuring as he stands up to grab the newspaper, already feeling Clara's worried gaze on him. He frowns at the paper, before realizing that the group had fallen silent and were now staring at him, so he held up the paper. "And I was having such a lovely day." He said solemnly.

The group walked up to City Hall, moving through the front door and up the first flight of stair, pausing at the next door. The Doctor stood in the front with Jack and Clara at his sides while Rose and Mickey stood behind them. "According to intelligence, the target is the last surviving member of the Slitheen family, a criminal sect from the planet Raxacoricofallapatorius, masquerading as a Human being zipped inside a skin suit. Okay, plan of attack." The Doctor stared at Jack with a burning "Are you kidding me?" gaze. "We assume a basic 57/56 strategy, covering all available exits on the ground floor. Doctor and Clara, you two go face-to-face, that'll name exit 1. I'll cover exit 2. Rose, you take exit 3. Mickey Smith, you take exit 4, have we got that?"

"Excuse me?" Jack looked at the Doctor. "Who's in charge?" He scolded.

"Sorry. Awaiting orders, sir." Jack rolled his eyes.

"Right, here's the plan- "

"No." Clara interrupted, grinning.

"What?" She raised her eyebrows at him, making him gulp sheepishly. "Okay, like he said, nice plan. Anything else?" Everyone sniggered at him.

"When we go in there, I'll be good cop, you'll be bad cop." Clara said.

"Okay then-wait, hang on, can't I be the good cop?"

"No."

"But I want to be the good cop!" He whined.

"Do I have to keep these off you permanently?" She said, taking out his key, sonic and psychic paper.

He sighed in defeat. "Alright, fine." Clara handed them back to him.

"Present arms." Jack said, pulling out a phone.

"Ready." All except the Doctor said in turn, pulling out theirs.

"Speed dial?"

"Check."

"See you in hell." Jack winked at them before they moved off, Mickey, the last one to move, blinked awkwardly before shuffling away. The Doctor and Clara walked through the building, arriving at a door leading into Margaret's office, where a secretary sat at the desk by the door.

"Hello. We've come to see the Lord Mayor." Clara said, her and the Doctor grinning.

"Have you got an appointment?" The secretary asks.

"Nah, just old friends passing by. Bit of a surprise."

"Can't wait to see her face." The Doctor sniggered.

"Well, she's just having a cup of tea."

"Just go in there and tell her that Clara and the Doctor would like to see her." Clara said.

"Doctor who?"

"Just the Doctor." She shrugged.

He sighed. "Hang on a tick." He got out from the desk and moving through the door. Silence fell for a second before a tea cup smashed onto the floor, followed by the secretary moving back through the door to them with wide eyes. "The Lord Mayor says…thank you for popping by. She'd love to have a chat but, umm…she's up to her eyes in paperwork. Perhaps if you could make an appointment for next week?"

"She's climbing out of the window, isn't she?" Clara raised her eyebrows slightly.

"Yes, she is." They rolled their eyes wearily before they shoved past him and through the door, hurrying past Margaret's desk and out the balcony door, seeing her rush towards the end where a construction scaffold was in place.

"Slitheen heading North." Clara said into her phone.

"On my way." Rose said.

"Over and out."

"Oh my god." Micky mumbled.

"Leave the Mayor alone!" The secretary protested, coming out of the door, and trying to restrain the Doctor, who just wrenched himself away to run to the scaffold with Clara.

"Margaret!" The Doctor taunted. They climbed down the scaffold to pursue Margaret, the rest of the group catching up.

"Who was on exit 4?" Jack asked.

"That was Mickey." Rose said.

"Here I am." Mickey panted.

"Mickey the idiot." The Doctor quipped.

"Oh, be fair. She's not exactly going to outrun us, is she?" Rose grumbled.

"Rose!" They all scolded in unison.

She blinked. "I was just saying."

Margaret, running ahead of them disappeared in a flash of blue light, making Jack groan.

"She's got a teleport! That's cheating! Now we're never going to get her!" He whined.

"Don't worry. As Clara would say, I've got it all under control." The Doctor quipped with a grin, pulling out the sonic.

"Don't you dare." She warned.

"Don't I dare what?" He asked innocently before pressing the sonic. Margaret appeared again, running towards them with a smug smile which faded at their sight. She turned around and flashed, which the Doctor reversed again, his grin growing wider. She tried again, and he reversed it, Margaret coming to a stop in front of them, panting as she did. "I could do this all day." He beamed.

"This is persecution. Why can't you leave me alone? What did I ever do to you?"

"You tried to kill me and destroy this entire planet." He said simply.

She rolled her eyes. "Apart from that."

The group, now with Margaret, walked back into her office to the nuclear power station blueprint. "So, you're a Slitheen, trapped on Earth. Your entire family killed, but you teleport out just in time. You have no means of escape, so you build a nuclear power station. But what for?" The Doctor asked.

"A philanthropic gesture." Margaret said, making him roll his eyes. "I've learnt the error of my ways."

"And it just so happens to be right on top of the rift." He inputted.

"What rift would that be?" She tried innocently.

"A rift in space and time." Jack said, him also rolling his eyes. "If this power station went into meltdown, the entire planet would go- "He makes a large swallowing sound, mimicking an explosion.

"This station is designed to explode the minute it reaches capacity." The Doctor said, squinting at the blueprint.

"Didn't anyone notice?" Rose asked. "Isn't there someone in London checking this sort of stuff?"

"We're in Cardiff. London doesn't care. The South Wales Coast could fall into the sea and they wouldn't notice… "Margaret cut her rambling off with a look of shock. "Oh. I sound like a Welshman. God help me, I've gone native."

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

"'She's' got a name, you know." Margaret growled.

"She's not even a 'she'. She's a thing."

"Oh, but she's clever." The Doctor then tossed aside parts of the blueprint and pulled out of the table a large, grey board. He flipped it over, revealing the underside which had a large array of inbuilt wires, Jack's eyes widening at the sight. "Fantastic."

"Is that a tribophysical waveform macro-kinetic extrapolator?" Jack asked in glee.

"Couldn't have put it better myself." The Doctor.

Jack snatched it out of his arms, earning a childish glare from the Doctor. "Oh, genius! You didn't build this." He said to Margaret, missing the Doctor moving to look at the 'Blaidd Drwg' banner.

"I have my hobbies. A little tinkering." Margaret muttered.

"No, I mean you really didn't build this. Way beyond you."

"I bet she stole it." Mickey accused.

"It fell into my hands." She said evasively.

"Is it a weapon?" Rose asked.

"It's transport." Jack said, placing the extrapolator on the floor. "You see, the reactor blows, the rift opens. Phenomenal cosmic disaster but this thing shrouds you in a force field, keeping you safe. Then you feed it co-ordinates, stand on top and ride the concussion all the way out of the solar system."

"It's a surfboard?" Clara asked in wonder.

"A pan-dimensional surfboard, yeah." Jack nodded.

"And it would've worked. I'd have surfed away from this dead-end dump and back to civilization." Margaret growled.

"You'd blow up a whole planet just to get a lift?" Mickey accused.

"Like stepping on an ant hill." She said proudly.

"How'd you think of the name?" The Doctor asked. They turned to him, Clara's eyes widening at the words on the banner.

"What, "Blaidd Drwg"? It's Welsh."

"I know, but how did you think of it?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Just chose it at random, it sounded good. Does it matter?"

He turned around to look at them with a furrowed look. "Blaidd Drwg."

"What does it mean?" Rose asked.

"Bad Wolf." Clara answers for him.

They all felt Rose shudder beside them. "But-but I've heard that before, Bad Wolf. I've heard that lots of times."

"And we haven't heard that." Clara said. "Not until…"

"Until we met Rose." The Doctor nodded. "Everywhere she goes, two words are following her: Bad Wolf."

"Me? How can they be following…me?" Rose asked in fear.

The Doctor and Clara exchanged a look, both nodding. "*Scoffs* Nah, it's just a coincidence." He said in reassurance, yet it didn't ease Rose's mind. "Like hearing a word on the radio then hearing it all day. Never mind, we've got things to do. First, Margaret, we're going to take you home."

"Hold on. Isn't that the easy choice, like letting her go?" Jack protested.

Rose giggled. "I don't believe it; we actually get to go to Rexy- "The Doctor rolled his eyes at her. "Give me a minute!" She scolded. "*Clears Throat* Raxacor…"

"Raxacoricofallapatorius." He finished.

"Raxacorico…"

"Fallapatorious."

"Raxacoricofallapatorius!" She squealed. "I did it!"

"Yeah, you did it, slow poke." The Doctor sassed.

"Behave." Clara warned. "Good job, Rose." She said.

"Thank you." Rose nodded, sending a small glare at the Doctor.

"They have the death penalty." Margaret interjected, causing the joy in the room to drain rapidly into a solemn silence. "The family Slitheen was tried in its absence many years ago and found guilty, with no chance of appeal. According to the statutes of government, the moment I return I'm arrested and executed. What do you make of that, Doctor?" He gave her silence. "Take me home and you take me to my death."

"Not my problem." He said simply. She clenched her jaw at his words but remained silent.

They all now stood inside the TARDIS with Margaret, tinkering with the console while Cardiff City outside was enjoying the embrace of night. "This ship is impossible!" Margaret awed. "*Gasps* It's superb. How'd you get the outside around the inside?"

"Like I'd give you the secret, yeah." The Doctor grumbled.

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

"*Scoffs* Don't worship me, I'd make an unbelievably bad god. Wouldn't get a day off, for starters. Jack, how're we doing, big fella?"

"This extrapolator's top of the range. Where did you get it?" He asked Margaret.

"I don't know. Some airlock sale?" She said, feigning innocence.

"Must've been a great big heist. It's stacked with power."

"But we can use it for power?" The Doctor asked.

"It's not compatible but it should knock off about 12 hours. We'll be ready to go by morning."

"Then we're stuck here overnight." Clara concluded.

"I'm in no hurry." Margaret shrugged.

"And we've got a prisoner." Rose pointed out. "The police box is really a police box."

"You're not just police, though." Margaret said with a smug smirk. "Since you're taking me to my death, you have become my executioners…each and every one of you."

"Well you deserve it." Mickey said.

Margaret gave him a blank face. "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?" No one answered her, making her smirk return. "Long night ahead." She moved to sit down on the console chair before looking up at everyone. "Let's see who can look me in the eye." She moved her gaze to Mickey, who held for a few seconds before glancing away. She moves to Jack, who holds for longer than Mickey but eventually looks away. Rose looks away at once while the Doctor doesn't even acknowledge her. Finally, she gazed at Clara, who held with a steely gaze of her own. "At least one of you has got guts." She said darkly. Everyone looked at Clara, who still gazed at Margaret.

"I already had someone get inside my head." Clara said simply.

Margaret leaned forward in interest. "And what happened to them?"

Clara clenched her jaw but said nothing, deciding to leave and stand outside the TARDIS, the Doctor moving after her. "You all right?" He asked.

"She was just trying to wind me up. I was…" She trailed off.

"I know. But you didn't have to do it on your own." He said, pulling her into a hug, his presence making her melt into him.

"Don't let me go. Please?" She implored.

"I won't." He said.

"I was meaning- "

"I know, and I won't." He repeated. "As long as you don't leave me." He said.

She smiled softly. "Never."

The TARDIS doors opened behind them, Mickey and Rose stepping out, Rose hugging her arms to herself and shivering. "Ooh, it's freezing out here." She said.

"You don't say." Clara quipped.

Rose smirked. "You two all right?"

"Yeah." The Doctor answered. "How about you two?"

"We're fine. I was just telling Mickey that I didn't really need my passport."

"Of course, you didn't. We've got a time machine- "

"Doctor." Clara interrupted. "She wasn't meaning that."

He blinked before realization sank in. "Oh. Well, what're you two standing around here for? Have a drink or a bite to eat. We're going to be waiting all night." Rose and Mickey smiled before linking hands and moving away to the brightly lit shops. "Let's get back inside, Clara. Can't leave the TARDIS to Jack all night."

"Do you still not trust Jack?" She asked.

"I trust Jack alright." He shrugged.

Clara sniggered. "Of course. Boys and their toys."

"Oi! She's my ship!" He whined.

"Technically, if we're together, she's my ship too." Clara smirked.

He rolled his eyes. "Alright then. She's our ship." They re-entered the TARDIS and resumed their tinkering at the console, letting a tension filled silence fall between them due to Margaret's presence.

"I gather it's not always like this, having to wait. I bet you're always the first to leave, Doctor. Never mind the consequences, off you go. You butchered my family and then ran for the stars, am I right?" Margaret accused. "But not this time. At last, you have consequences. How does it feel?"

The Doctor placed a hand on Clara's, shaking his head slightly at her. "I didn't butcher them."

"Don't answer back. That's what she wants." Jack warned.

He shrugged. "I didn't. What about you, Margaret? You had an emergency teleport and you didn't zap them to safety, did you?"

"It only carries one. I had to fly without co-ordinates. I ended up on a skip on the Isle of Dogs." The three started chuckling at that. "I wasn't funny." She snapped.

"Sorry. But it is a bit funny."

Margaret joined in their laughter for a moment before she blinked. "Do I get a last request?"

"Depends what it is."

"I grew quite fond of my little Human life. All those rituals, the brushing of the teeth and the complicated way they cook food. There's a little restaurant, just around the bay. It became quite a favourite of mine."

The Doctor blinked at her. "Is that what you want? A last meal?"

"Don't I have rights?"

"Oh, like she's not going to try and escape." Jack said sarcastically.

"Except I can never escape the Doctor, so where's the danger?" She snapped. "I wonder if you could do it. To sit with a creature, you're about to kill and take supper. How strong is your stomach?"

"Strong enough." He said grimly.

"I wonder. I've seen you fight your enemies. Now dine with them."

"You won't change my mind."

"Prove it."

He sighed. "There are people out there. If you slip away for just one second, they'll be in danger."

"Except…" Jack took two wristbands out of his pockets. "I've got these. You both wear one. If she moves more than 10 feet away…" He shuddered violently. "She gets zapped by ten thousand volts."

"Margaret, would you like to come out to dinner? My treat?"

Margaret cocked an eyebrow with a small smile. "Dinner in bondage. Works for me."

Jack handed the two wristbands to the Doctor, while Clara gave him a small kiss.

"Be careful, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am." He nodded before moving with Margaret to the door. "Look after the TARDIS, okay?" She and Jack gave a quick salute.

The Doctor and Margaret sat in a restaurant, looking at the menus in their hands with two glasses of red wine already poured. "Here we are, out on a date and you haven't even asked me my proper name." Margaret remarked.

The Doctor gave a disgusted face. "It's not a date. I'm already taken." He defended before sighing. "What's your name?"

"Blon. I am Blon Fel-Fotch Pasameer-Day Slitheen. That's what it'll say on my death certificate." She folded the menu and put it aside.

"Nice to meet you, Blon."

"I'm sure." She glanced out the windows to the tall apartment building nearby. "Look. That's where I was living as Margaret." The Doctor turned to look, so she moved her hand over his glass and took the top of her ring off, sending a small powder into the liquid. "Nice little flat. Over there, on the top. Next to the one with the light on. Two bedrooms, bay side view, I was content. Don't suppose I'll see it again."

The Doctor turned back before frowning at the glasses and switching them around, Margaret holding back a groan. "Suppose not."

"Thank you."

"Pleasure."

"Tell me then, Doctor, what do you know of my species?"

"Only what I've seen."

"Did you know for example: In extreme cases, when her life is in danger, a female Raxacoricofallapatorian can manufacture a poison dart within her own finger?" On this, she pointed at him, sending a dart straight towards the centre of his head, which he caught without looking.

"Yes, I did." He said simply, placing the dart aside.

"Just checking." She smiled sweetly. "And one more thing. Between you and me." She glanced around the restaurant, the Doctor taking the cue to lean in. "As a final resort, the excess poison can be exhaled through the lungs." She growled, sending out a green gas, which the Doctor then pulled out an air freshener and sprayed it into her mouth, making her flinch.

"That's better. Now then, what do you think? Mmm, steak sounds nice. Steak and chips." He grinned, while Margaret slouched and picked up her menu again.

Rose and Mickey were walking along the Cardiff waterfront, yet they weren't hand in hand anymore. "The Doctor and Clara took me to this planet a while back, it was much colder than this. They called it "Woman Wept". Cause, if you looked at it from above, there's this huge continent, all curved round. It looked like a woman, you know, lamenting. Oh my god and we went to this beach, right? No people, no buildings, just this beach like a thousand miles across. And something had happened…something to do with the sun, I don't know." She scoffed lightly. "But the sea had just frozen, like in a split second in the middle of a storm, right? Wave and foam, just frozen, all the way out to the horizon. Midnight, we walk underneath these waves, a hundred feet tall and made of ice. It was so gorgeous."

"I'm going out with Trisha Delaney." He said suddenly.

Rose's eyes widened. "Oh, right. That's nice." She nodded slightly before furrowing her eyebrows. "Trisha from the shop?"

"Yeah, Rob Delany's sister."

"Well…she's nice. She's a bit big."

"She lost weight." Mickey sighed. "I'm sorry, Rose, but you've been away."

"Well, good for you. She's nice."

"So, tell us more about this planet then." He said.

"Actually…that was it." She shrugged.

"So, what do you want to do now?"

"Don't mind."

"We could ask about hotels."

"What would Trisha Delaney say?"

Mickey ignored that. "There's a bar down there with a Spanish name or something- "

"Hold on a minute! You don't even like Trisha Delaney!" Rose interrupted.

"Oh, is that right? What the hell do you know?"

"I know you and I know her, so I know that's never going to happen so who do you think you're kidding?!"

"At least I know where she is!"

Rose nodded. "There we are, then. It's got nothing to do with Trisha, it's all about me, isn't it?"

"You left me!" He exclaimed, his words silencing Rose. "We were nice. We were happy and then what? You give me a kiss, run off with them and you make me feel like nothing, Rose. I was nothing. I can't even go out with a stupid girl from a shop because you pick up the phone, and I come running. Is that what I am, Rose? A standby? Am I just supposed to sit here for the rest of my life waiting for you? Because I can't. I can't wait all my life for you, Rose." He sniffs, wiping a tear from his eye while Rose looks at him with guilt.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not asking you to leave them, because that's not fair. They're good friends. But I can't do this anymore, just waiting."

"I know." She mumbled.

"And whatever we had, Rose…" He trailed off.

She held out a hand. "Friends?"

He smiled sadly but took her hand. "Friends." They sighed, looking down at the ground. "You should get back to them, though. Just…please tell them that my name's Mickey?"

She sniggered. "Sure thing."

"Public execution is a slow death." Margaret said, deep in her explanation of what would happen when they leave her on her home planet. "They prepare a thin acetic acid, lower me into the cauldron and boil me. The acidity brewed precisely to strip away the skin, lets the internal organs fall out into the liquid while I become soup…and still alive…still screaming."

"I don't make the law." He mumbled.

"But you deliver it." She argued. "Will you stay to watch?"

He sighed. "What else can I do?"

"The Slitheen family's huge. There's a lot more of us, all scattered off-world. Take me to them. Take me somewhere safe."

"But then you'll just start again."

"I promise I won't." She pleaded.

"You've been in that skin-suit for too long. You've forgotten that there used to be a real Margaret Blaine. You killed her, stripped her, and used the skin. You're pleading for mercy out of a dead woman's lips."

"It grew on me…a Human life, an ordinary life. That's all I'm asking. Give me a chance, Doctor. I can change."

"I don't believe you."

"I promise you; I've changed since we last met, Doctor. There was this girl, just today. Young thing, something of a danger, she was getting too close. I felt the blood lust rising, just as the family taught me, I was going to kill her without a thought. My whole family had one adage: When you kill, it must be without conscience, without second thought, without mercy. But then…I stopped. She's alive somewhere, right now. She's walking around this city because I can change. I did change. I know I can't prove it- "

"I believe you." He stopped her.

"Then you know I'm capable of better."

"It doesn't mean anything."

"I spared her life." She defended.

"You let one of them go, but that's nothing new. Every now and then, a little victim's spared: Because she smiled, because he's got freckles, because they begged. And that's how you live with yourself. That's how you slaughter millions, because occasionally on a whim if the wind's in the right direction, you happen to be kind."

"Only a killer would know that." She argued. "Is that right? From what I've seen, your funny little happy-go-lucky life leaves devastation in its wake. Always moving on because you dare not look back. Playing with so many people's lives you might as well be a god." He clenched his jaw at her words. "And you're right, Doctor. Sometimes, you let one go. Let me go." She pleaded. He gazed at her with uncertainty, still processing her words. Yet, before they could carry on, they heard a distant rumbling, like an earthquake growing closer by the second.

"Can you hear that?" He asked. She blinked at him but didn't need to answer. Instead, the wine glasses started rattling slightly on the table, the ground beneath them beginning to vibrate, then for a brief second, it stopped. They gazed at each other with concern before the same thought crossed their minds.

The rift.

Then, the rumbling came back vigorously, shattering the windows and sending everyone stumbling to the floor, shrieking in terror. "Come on!" He orders, grabbing Margaret's hand and pulling her to her feet.

"The handcuffs!"

He rolled his eyes but still took hers off, then grasped her hand. "Don't think you're running away."

"Oh, I'm sticking with you." He led her out of the restaurant and through the crackling streets of Cardiff, towards the TARDIS. "Some date this turned out to be!" They saw the TARDIS enter sight yet paused. Shooting out of the light bulb at the top of the box was a large beam of electricity, crackling in the sky above their heads.

"It's the rift. The rift's opening." He said, their eyes widening as they raced towards the TARDIS and burst through its doors. The TARDIS was wheezing and groaning in protest, the lights flickering at random as Jack and Clara worked to reverse it.

"Where the hell have you been?!" Clara demanded.

"What's happening?"

"It just went crazy!" Jack yelled as the console sparked, making them flinch. "The extrapolator's feeding off the engine."

"It's opening the rift, ripping apart time and space. The whole city's going to disappear. Disconnect the extrapolator!" He raced around the console, trying to flick levers and disengage the extrapolator.

"It's still using the TARDIS!" Jack protested.

"Never mind Cardiff, it's going to rip open the planet!"

Rose burst through the doors to stand beside Margaret. "What is it?! What's happening?!"

"Oh, just little me!" Margaret growled, ripping off the skin suit from her right arm.

"Rose, get back!" Clara yelled, but too late. Margaret already reached and grasped Rose's neck in a tight hold, pulling her close.

"One wrong move and she snaps like a promise!" She warns.

"I might've known."

"Why do you reckon I wanted the Doctor by himself?" Margaret asked rhetorically. "I could have him bleating all night, the poor baby, now shut up! Put the extrapolator at my feet!" She orders. They do nothing, making her hold on Rose tighten.

"Do it." The Doctor says, making Jack take the board and place it beneath her.

"Thank you." She says in mocking sweetness. "Just as I planned."

"I thought you needed to blow up the nuclear power station." Rose gasped for breath.

"Plan B, Rose. There's always a Plan B." Clara pointed out.

"Exactly. You can't be too dim witted when you're a killer on the run. So, if the power station failed and I arrested, then anyone capable of tracking me down would have considerable technology of their own. Therefore, the extrapolator would captivate them. Especially a magpie mind like yours, Doctor. So, the extrapolator was to lock on to the nearest alien power source and open the rift. And what a power source it found." She said, giving marvellous praise to the groaning TARDIS. "I'm now back on schedule, thanks to you."

"The rift's going to convulse. You'll destroy the whole planet." Jack protested.

"And you with it!" She growled, stepping onto the extrapolator. "While I ride this board over the crest of the inferno and all the way to freedom." She gave a dark, smug grin at them. "Stand back, boys and girls. Surf's up."

On that sudden note, parts of the TARDIS console opened. One of them that Margaret faced starting glaring a bright, white light out towards her. Rose flinched away while Margaret stared in confusion.

"Of course, opening the rift means you'll pull this ship apart." The Doctor informed.

"So, sue me."

"She's not just any old power source, she's the TARDIS. Mine and Clara's TARDIS. The best ship in the universe." He said proudly, Clara smirking at him.

"It'll make wonderful scrap." Margaret says grimly.

"What's that light?" Rose gasps.

"The heart of the TARDIS. This ship's alive. You've opened her soul."

Margaret stared back into the light, her grim expression slowly melting into one of wonder. "It's…so bright."

"Look at it, Margaret." He implored.

"Beautiful."

"Look inside, Blon Fel-Fotch. Look at the light."

Margaret's hold on Rose relaxed, making her stumble over to Jack, who held her up as she panted. Margaret slowly lifted her gaze towards the group, letting a bright, beaming smile of honest appreciation cross her face. "Thank you." She said, before the light brightened, making them cover their eyes before it reduced again, Margaret's skin suit falling back on the floor.

"Don't look! Close your eyes!" The Doctor ordered, closing the panels back down again, the light disappearing from the room. "Now, Clara, Jack, shut it all down! Rose, that panel beside you, turn all the switches to the right!" Rose did as he ordered, while he, Clara and Jack raced around the console. Eventually, the rumbling died down and the electricity beam outside disappeared, letting them all sigh in relief as they returned the TARDIS to her normal state again, apart from small pockets of steam floating out of the floor. "Nicely done. Thank you."

"What happened to Margaret?" Clara asked, all of them moving to look at her empty skin suit.

"Must've got burned up, carried out her own death sentence." Jack suggested.

"No. I don't think she's dead."

"Then…where did she go?" Rose asked.

"She looked into the heart of the TARDIS, even I don't know how strong that is. And the ship's telepathic. Maybe the raw energy translated her own thoughts." He knelt beside the suit, reaching inside, and grasped a dark green egg. He pulled it out with a grin, making them all look at it in bewilderment. "Here she is!"

"She's an egg again?" Clara asked.

He nodded. "Regressed back to her childhood."

"She's an egg?" Jack clarified.

"She can start again, live her whole life from scratch. If we take her home, give her to a different family, tell them to raise her up properly, she might be all right."

"Or she might be worse." Jack informed.

"That's her choice." Clara said.

"She's…an egg?" Rose mumbled.

"Yes." They all said in unison.

"Oh my god, Mickey!" Rose shot up, racing through the doors. The ground outside had cracked and split in the earthquake, while the joint sounds of police and ambulance sirens wailed through the night. She glanced around, her gaze landing on a perfectly fine Mickey. He gave her a wave and smile, making her relax and return the farewell, before entering the TARDIS again. The trio before her stared at her with concern.

"We're all powered up. We can leave now." The Doctor offered. "Opening the rift, filled her up with energy."

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Everything alright with Mickey?" Clara asked.

"He needs to find someone better." She said simply.

Clara came up to her and rubbed her arm. "It wasn't your fault."

"Nor was it his." She nodded, giving Clara a sad smile. "Don't worry. I'll be fine." Clara returned the smile, taking her hand and leading her back up to the console.

"Off we go, then. Always moving on." The Doctor said, him and Jack starting up the TARDIS.

"Next stop: Raxacoricofallapatorius. Now, you don't often get to say that." Jack quipped.

"We'll just stop by and pop her in the hatchery. Margaret the Slitheen can live her life again, a second chance."

"That'd be nice." Rose mumbled. They all fell into a comfortable silence as the TARDIS disappeared from Cardiff, to their new destination.

AN: As always, thank you for reading and leave a review if you wish. :)