A/N: I hope you enjoy! Thank you for the positive feedback! Comment responses in endnotes.

Edited: 8/5/2018

Edited : 12/31/2022

"Wait, when did you change clothes?" Rose questioned, looking Elm up and down.

"Oh, right," Elm glanced down at her pajamas. She had forgotten. "That's… sort of a long story."

"Yes, it is," the Doctor cut in before she could explain further. "A long story that we haven't the time for. You've still got to tell me where you want to go."

The young women shared a look.

"Forwards?" Rose suggested.

"Haven't gone forwards yet," Elm replied with a grin, beginning to bounce on her toes.

Rose's happy smile tilted down. "But you've gone backward?"

"Forwards," the Doctor interrupted once again. He placed a hand on a wheel-like instrument on the console. "How far?"

"One hundred years?" Rose said after a moment.

The Doctor grinned and rotated the wheel a bit before pressing down a lever. "There you go. One hundred years. Step outside and it's the twenty-second century."

"I didn't even feel us move," Elm murmured, looking at the console curiously. What happened to all the jerking and bouncing?

Rose, not having heard her friend speak, gasped. "You're kidding."

"No," the Doctor drew out the word. "But it is a bit boring."

"Well, yeah, it's only 100 years," Elm spoke up, her mind snapping back into the moment. "If we're going into the future, we should go into the far future. How about 10,000 years?"

"If you'd like," the Doctor replied with a shrug. He adjusted a dial before repeating his previous movements. After throwing down the lever from before, he turned toward his companions. "Ten thousand years into your future. Step outside and it's the year 12005, the New Roman Empire."

"God," Elm breathed, looking toward the door. "That's insane. Can we go out?"

"They do have a rather strict dress code in this era," the Doctor replied, a smug grin on his face. "But I'm sure I have something for that in my wardrobe-"

Rose laughed, cutting the Doctor off. "You think you're so impressive."

"I am so impressive!" the alien man objected before turning back to the console. "Fine, if 10,000 years won't do it, we'll have to go further. Luckily for you, I know just the place. Hold on!"

The Doctor began spinning the wheel, quicker than the last time. The TARDIS shook and the central tubing glowed. Multitasking, the Doctor also adjusted some knobs before pulling down the final lever. The shaking stopped, and Elm cautiously stepped away from the rail.

"Where are we now?" Rose blurted, excitement clear on her face. "What's out there?"

Not bothering to respond, the Doctor simply gestured toward the TARDIS doors. Elm wanted to dart through them and into the unknown but held herself back. It was Rose's first trip, after all. Instead, she opted to watch as her younger friend bounded through the door.

"I'm so glad she got to come along after all," Elm said once Rose was out of earshot. Turning toward the Doctor, she smiled. "Thank you for going back. You didn't have to."

"More the merrier," the Doctor replied with a flippant wave of his hand. "Are you going to sit this one out?"

"Are you kidding me?" Elm scoffed. "The future is outside! I just need, um," she scanned herself, searching for what she was missing. Her gaze landed on her sock covered feet. "Shoes." She looked up at the Doctor. "I don't have any shoes. Ms. Smit took them."

"Who?"

"Ms. Smit. From the ship," Elm replied before looking up at the Doctor curiously. "Wait, do I even need shoes this far into the future? I don't mind going without them."

As if in answer to her question, a pair of bright green tennis shoes dropped from above. Both Elm and the Doctor looked up in response but found nothing there.

"Well," the Doctor said as he picked up the shoes. After examining them for a moment, he handed them to Elm. "Guess you do."

"I love your ship," Elm said with a laugh. Once the tennies were pulled onto her feet, she raced down the walkway and out the door, into the future.

OoOoOoO

The future was very clean. And beige. Elm immediately made toward Rose, who was halfway down some stairs in the front of the room. The Doctor walked on past, using his sonic on a wall panel.

"Oh wow," Elm gasped as a viewing window began to open. Walking forward to stand right next to her friend, she forgot to breathe as she stared at her home. Earth. She took a step forward to get even closer to the glass and placed a hand on it. "Oh wow," she repeated, at a loss for words. Her heart swelled within her with pure emotion as she gazed at the blue and green jewel for the first time in person.

"You lot," the Doctor began, walking forward to fill the space Elm left beside Rose. "You spend all your time thinking about dying like you're going to get killed by eggs, or beef, or global warming, or asteroids," the man shook his head. "But you never take the time to imagine the impossible, that maybe you will survive. This is the year five point five slash Apple slash twenty-six. Five billion years into your future and this is the day," he glanced down at his watch. "This is the day the Sun expands. Welcome to the end of the world."

Tears rose to Elm's eyes as the Doctor's words filtered through her head. "Oh geez," she muttered to herself, wiping away the wetness. She opened her mouth to say something only for the speakers overhead to interrupt her.

"Shuttles five and six are now docking. Guests are reminded that Platform One forbids the use of weapons, teleportation, and religion. Earth Death scheduled for fifteen thirty-nine."

Rose seemed to recover first from the sight. "So, when it says guests, does it mean people?"

Collecting herself, Elm turned back toward her traveling companions and smiled. "Are we going to meet some proper aliens?"

"What, am I not a proper alien?" the Doctor questioned, holding a hand to his chest.

A laugh forced its way out of Elm. Stepping away from the viewing window, she smacked the Doctor's arm lightly. "I mean one that doesn't look and speak like he's from the North."

The Doctor grumbled. "You look like us. We came first. But yeah, there should be some, as you put it, proper aliens on board. Don't call them that though, it's a subjective term."

"But what're they doing on this spaceship? What's this whole place for?" Rose questioned. As the young woman spoke, the Doctor turned around to mess with the doors on the other side of the room. They opened with a hiss, and he led the way down a hall. Elm grabbed Rose's hand to walk beside her.

"It's not really a spaceship. It's an observation deck," the Doctor explained as they reached another door. He got out his sonic again and scanned it. "The great and good are gathering to watch the planet burn."

"What for?" Rose asked.

The Doctor grinned as the doors opened. "Fun."

On the other side was a large observation room, empty beside them. The trio approached the giant viewing window to get a better look at the Earth, and Elm squinted at the Sun.

"Are we going to be okay? I imagine there will be a lot of debris, so this place has got to have some sort of advanced shielding, right?" she queried.

The Doctor nodded. "We'll be fine. Nothing will even touch us."

"But wait, the Sun expanding is supposed to take hundreds of years!" Rose interjected. "I saw it on Newsround Extra."

Snapping her fingers, Elm agreed. "Now that I think of it, yeah. And wasn't this supposed to happen a long time ago? How is the Earth even still around?"

"Millions of years from your perspective, but remember the great and the good I mentioned earlier? By that, I meant the rich," the Doctor shrugged. "Earth is a property of the National Trust, and they've kept it preserved. See those satellites down there? Those hold back the Sun with gravity."

"Oh wow." Elm leaned closer to get a better look.

Rose leaned forward as well and squinted at what she saw. "The planet looks the same. I thought continents shifted."

"They did, and the Trust shifted them back. Classic Earth. The money's run out now though, and nature is taking over."

"I'd love to get my hands on a book explaining this stuff," Elm expressed, bouncing on her heels. "I mean, gravity satellites and shifting continents, it's amazing!"

"I'm sure I've got something in my library. I'll show you once we're done here," the Doctor replied.

"How long's it got?" Rose cut in, her eyes still trained on the Earth. "The planet, how much longer does it have?"

The Doctor glanced down at his watch. "About half an hour, then it gets roasted."

"Are you going to swoop in and save the Earth?" Rose asked with a smile. "Is that why we're here?"

"Time's up," the Doctor replied with a shake of his head. "I'm not doing anything."

"But," Rose stuttered. "But what about the people?!"

"It's empty," the Doctor said, shifting on his feet. "They're all gone. Spread across the stars."

Rose looked troubled. "Just us then."

Elm nudged her friend. "That's right, us. At least the Earth's not going to be alone." She looked down at her clothes. "Though, I guess I could be better dressed for the occasion."

"Who the hell are you?"

The pair of humans spun around to face a blue-skinned person with golden slit eyes striding toward them.

"Oh no, we're not trespassing, are we?" Elm whispered, getting a little closer to the Doctor and pulling Rose with her.

"Oh, that's nice, thanks," the Doctor said, ignoring Elm's question.

The blue person glared. "How'd you get in? This is a maximum hospitality zone. The guests have disembarked. They're on their way any second now."

The Doctor took out a little booklet and showed the man a piece of paper from it. "That's me. I'm a guest. See, invitation. The Doctor plus two. I'm the Doctor and they are Rose Tyler and Elm Smith. My plus two. Is that alright?"

As the Doctor put away the booklet, the man nodded. He looked a little sheepish. "Obviously. Apologies et cetera. If you're already here, we'd better start. Enjoy."

"Where'd you get an invitation?" Elm questioned.

He shook his head and showed her the paper he held up. "Nowhere, the paper's slightly psychic. It shows them whatever I want them to see. Saves time."

Elm squinted at the paper. The words on it were blurry, but with some focus, she could make out what it said. It looked official enough. Her eyes shot up to the Doctor. "Why didn't you use this last time?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Left it in my other pants."

"He's blue," Rose blurted, looking after the man.

Elm grinned and turned toward her friend. "I know, awesome, right?"

Before Rose had a chance to respond, the blue man stepped up to a podium and began to speak. "We have in attendance the Doctor, Rose Tyler, and Elm Smith. All staff to positions!" A group of smaller blue people appeared and lined the entrance. "Thank you. And now, might I introduce the next guest? Representing the Forest of Cheem, we have trees! Namely, Jabe, Lute, and Coffa." At his words, three tree people entered the room. "There will be an exchange of gifts representing peace, once everyone's announced. Next, from the solicitors Jolco and Jolco, we have the Moxx of Balhoon." Another blue alien, this one less humanoid and sitting in a mobile chair, rolled in. The steward kept announcing people and the aliens kept coming until the room was full. "Let the exchanging of gifts commence."

Jabe, one of the trees, was the first to approach them with a gift. "The Gift of Peace. I bring you a cutting of my Grandfather."

"Thank you," the Doctor replied, accepting the gift. It was a small pot with a rooted twig in it. He passed it to Rose before patting his pockets down. "Gifts, yes, er. I give you in return, air from my lungs," he breathed on her, moving his head as he did so.

Elm nearly laughed out loud at how pleased the tree woman looked. "How intimate."

"There's more where that came from," the Doctor replied with a wink.

Feeling left out, Elm patted herself down for something to give. Her pajamas came with pockets and, in her exploration of them, she found something odd. "A lolly?" she questioned aloud, drawing the attention of Jabe and the Doctor. "I mean, um," she held out the treat. "I gift a lolly. From Earth. It has been… preserved? Yeah. Thought it was fitting."

"Thank you," Jabe said with a smile, holding the treat delicately. "It's quite a treasure."

Elm colored, trying to withhold a nervous laugh. "Yeah, uh, no problem."

Once Jabe moved on, Rose and Elm broke out into quiet giggles. "How fancy," Rose said, earning a playful glare from Elm.

"Shh!"

The Doctor grinned but said nothing until the next alien approached. "The Moxx of Balhoon."

"My felicitations on this historical happenstance. I give you the gift of bodily saliva," the Moxx announced before promptly spitting on Rose. Elm was glad she wasn't the designated gift holder. The Doctor did the air thing again in response, and Elm presented the strange alien with a lolly. He accepted it with as much reverence as Jabe.

The next group to approach the time-traveling trio were cloaked. "Ah! The Adherents of the Repeated Meme!" the Doctor exclaimed. "I give you air from my lungs."

"And we gift you a lolly from Earth," Elm added, handing over the treat to one of the figures. The candy disappeared into their cloak as another one held out a metal ball.

"A gift of peace in all good faith."

The Doctor accepted the gift and handed it to Rose, who was staring at Elm curiously. "How many lollies have you got?" she questioned.

Elm shrugged. "No clue."

The steward cut off their conversation when he began speaking again. "At last, it is time to announce our very special guest. Ladies and gentlemen, and trees, consider the Earth below. In memory of this dying world, we call forth the last human. The Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen."

Rose and Elm watched in awed horror as a stretched-out piece of skin was wheeled into the room. In the center of it was a face, done up in makeup. Elm nearly gasped when it spoke. "Oh, now, don't stare. I know, shocking. I've had my chin completely taken away and look at the difference. Look at how thin I am. Dainty. I don't look a day over two thousand. Moisturize me. Moisturize me." The two men sprayed her with some sort of liquid. "I am the last Human. My father was a Texan, my mother was from the Arctic Desert. They were born on Earth and the last to be buried. I have come to honor them and say goodbye." Then the face started crying, the tears wiped away by her attendants. "Behold, though, I bring gifts," an attendant came out holding an egg, "This is the last remaining ostrich egg. Legend says it had a magnificent wingspan and blew fire." Elm choked on a laugh at the inaccurate statement. "Or was that my third husband? And here's another rarity." A 50s jukebox was rolled in and Elm smiled at the little piece of history. "According to the archives, this was called an iPod. It stores classical music from humanity's greatest. Play on."

Expecting Mozart or Beethoven, Elm couldn't hold in a snort when Tainted Love began.

The steward cleared his throat. "Refreshments will now be served. Earth death in thirty minutes."

"That was-" before Elm could finish her sentence, Rose ran away toward the exit. "Oh no," she said, taking a step forward. "Oh no, Rose-"

"You stay and mingle," the Doctor said, stopping her with a hand on her shoulder. "I'll go see what's wrong. Enjoy yourself!" And with that, the Doctor took off as well, following Rose out of the room. Left to her own devices, Elm looked around for a friendly face.

"Hello," she said upon approaching Cassandra. The face looked at her with curiosity and obvious vanity. "I never got to introduce myself, you, uh, kind of came in after the gift-giving. Here's a lolly from 21st-century Earth!" Elm held out the candy.

Cassandra smiled thinly. "How… quaint." One of her attendants grabbed the lolly from Elm and stuffed it into his pocket. "What are you then a… mixed breed?"

Running a hand through her black curls, Elm chuckled. "Aren't we all?"

"Most are, nowadays, but not me." Elm imagined Cassandra would be holding up her nose if she could. "The last pure human."

"You mentioned your father was a Texan, and your mother was from the…"

"Arctic Desert."

Elm coughed. "Yeah, there. That's a mix, isn't it? Of cultures at least," she shrugged. "Diversity and mixing make the world, uh, more colorful. That's my take, at least."

"I suppose," Cassandra replied with a hum. "But the mixing of species, it's-"

As the 'last human' spoke, Elm felt something nudging at her mind. It almost sounded like a… voice. Gently poking and knocking. Concentrating, she, mentally, opened the door.

'Hello.'

Looking up sharply from Cassandra, she made eye contact with a guest across the room. She didn't quite remember his name. "Excuse me," she interrupted Cassandra's rant. "I think I'm being summoned. Nice to meet you."

Without waiting for a response, Elm crossed the room. The suspended head, the Face of something, followed her with its eyes. "Hello?" she began hesitantly. "Was that you?"

'Yes. Thank you for speaking with me.'

"Not quite sure if this is speaking," she said with a nervous chuckle. "You're the Face of something, right? Sorry, I didn't catch your name. You sponsored the event?"

'The Face of Boe,' the mental voice corrected. Judging by it, he was male. 'And yes, I sponsored this event.'

Elm nodded and smiled. "Thank you then! I'm really excited to see it. If I may ask, though, why'd you decide to do it? Do you have some sort of connection to the planet?"

The mental presence hummed. 'It was my home, once. A long time ago.'

Elm squinted at the creature. "How old are you? If you don't mind me asking."

'I wouldn't mind, but it becomes hard to count after so long,' Boe responded before changing the subject. 'You came here with a man and a girl. Who were they?'

"Oh, I don't think you were there for our introductions. I'm Elm Smith," she bowed. "As for the other two, they're Rose Tyler and the Doctor. Rose is, well, she's my best friend. I've known her for a long time."

'And the man, the Doctor? Who is he to you?'

As the Face of Boe spoke, the platform shook and a voice came over the speaker. "Honored guests may be reassured that gravity pockets may cause slight turbulence. Thanking you."

Elm thought on the Face of Boe's question. "The Doctor is, he's a bit trickier. I haven't known him for very long but, well, I guess you could say I ran away with him," she let out a dry laugh. "That sounds terrible, but so far it's been, it's been the best decision of my life. Don't give too much weight to this, I haven't known him for very long, but," she paused and a little smile grew on her face. "I think I've lived more in the past few days than I have ever before. If you get my meaning?" Out of the corner of her eye, Elm caught a glimpse of Rose and the Doctor re-entering the gallery. "Speaking of, my party is back. Excuse me."

'Goodbye, Elm Smith. And good luck.'

Rose immediately approached Elm and hugged her. "Sorry for running off like that, I got a bit overwhelmed. Look! The Doctor rigged my phone so that I could call mum."

"That's amazing!" Elm gasped, looking at the device. "Literal universal roaming."

The Doctor, ignoring his companions, messed with a screen secured to the wall. "That wasn't a gravity pocket. They don't feel like that." Turning around, he nodded Elm's way before looking at the tree woman from before. "What do you think, Jabe? The engines have been pitched up thirty Hertz. That dodgy or what?"

Jabe gave the Doctor a lost look. "It is the sound of metal, foreign to me."

"Maybe we could go to the engine room?" Elm suggested, tapping her fingers on her leg. "I don't know much about mechanics, but if there's something wrong with the engine, it only makes sense."

"Took the words straight out of my mouth," the Doctor said with a wink. Turning his attention back to Jabe, he questioned, "Where's the engine room?"

"I don't know," the tree woman shrugged. "A maintenance duct is just behind our guest suite, however. I could show you and your… wives there."

The Doctor laughed. "We're not married."

"Partners?"

"Nope."

"Hired help?"

"No."

"Excuse me? We're right here you know," Rose interjected. Looking from Jabe to the Doctor, she scoffed. "How about I go catch up with the family while you two pollinate." Nudging Elm, she gestured to Jabe and the Doctor. "Keep an eye on them, would you?"

"Sure," Elm agreed. "Just have some fun, Rose. Talk to some proper aliens!"

Her friend laughed, but nodded, heading deeper into the room.

"And don't start any fights!" the Doctor called after her.

Elm laughed and linked her arm with Jabe's to lead her forward. "By the way, I don't think I ever introduced myself. Elm Smith, nice to meet you."

"How forward," Jabe observed, looking down at their linked arms. "In any case, I am Jabe from the forest of Cheem."

"Awesome!" Elm exclaimed. "Where's that?"

As the woman and tree chatted, the Doctor trailed behind, looking around curiously. Soon they reached the maintenance duct, which he opened with his sonic. The Doctor climbed in first, followed by Jabe and then Elm.

"Who's in charge of Platform One?" the Doctor questioned. "Is there a Captain?"

Jabe shook her head. "There's just the Steward and the staff. All the rest is controlled by the metal mind."

"But what if there's a problem?" Elm asked as she trailed her hand on one of the many pipes on the wall. It was cool to the touch. "There must be some sort of representative on board."

"Nothing can go wrong. The Corporation moves Platform One from one event to another, but this facility is fully automatic. It's the height of the Alpha class."

"Unsinkable?" The Doctor glanced back at Elm, brows furrowed.

With a shrug of her shoulders, Jabe's mouth moved into a slight smile. "If you'd like. I suppose the nautical metaphor is appropriate."

Elm shuddered. "That is not reassuring in the slightest."

"You're telling me," the Doctor agreed before pausing and turning fully to Jabe. "So you're telling me that if we get into trouble, there's no one to help us out?"

Jabe looked down before shaking her head. "I'm afraid not."

"Fantastic!" the Doctor exclaimed before continuing.

"In what way is that fantastic?" Jabe asked Elm as they continued after him.

"He just says stuff like that. I think he enjoys trouble," she replied. Reaching a hand into her pocket, she produced a lolly and, after unwrapping it, popped it into her mouth. "I haven't known him long, though."

Gasping, Jabe stared at the human girl. "That is a piece of history, and you are consuming it?"

"Uh," Elm pulled the candy out and twirled the stick between her fingers. "That's what it's made for, isn't it? What's the point if you don't eat it?" Sticking it back in her mouth, she spoke around the candy. "So, what's your reason for being on Platform One?"

"Respect for the Earth."

The Doctor laughed. "Oh come on. Everyone on this platform's worth zillions."

"Well, perhaps it's a case of having to be seen at the right occasions," Jabe admitted with a roll of the shoulders.

"In case your share prices drop?" the Doctor challenged. "I know you lot, massive forests everywhere. There's always money in the land."

Jabe nodded. "All the same, we respect the Earth as family. So many species evolved from that planet, Mankind is only one," she gestured to Elm. "I am another. I am a direct descendant of the tropical rainforest."

"Oh, that's cool," Elm said around her candy. "I've never been to the rainforest before, maybe someday Doc?"

"Maybe," the Doctor hummed as he took his sonic out to scan a paneled screen. "Excuse me."

While the Doctor worked on the screen, Jabe turned to Elm. "Where are you descended from, Elm Smith? I see you have taken your name from one of my species."

"I hope that's not offensive."

"It is not."

Lolly finished, Elm pulled the stick out of her mouth, wrapped the sticky end with the wrapper she saved, and put the trash in her pocket. "Uh, I don't know for sure. My great gran on my dad's side was African American but the rest of me is European, hence my skin color. My whole family is from America as far as we can trace back. I couldn't tell you much other than that."

"I see," Jabe turned to the Doctor. "And what of you, Doctor? Perhaps you could tell a story or two of a man who enjoys trouble. I scanned you earlier and had difficulty identifying your species. And even when my machine named you, I couldn't believe it. I know where you're from." The Doctor stared at the screen, avoiding eye contact. "Forgive me for intruding, but it's remarkable that you exist. I just wanted to say how sorry I am."

Elm stared at the exchange, lost. She'd asked the Doctor's species, but he never answered so she didn't push. Curious, she examined the Doctor's face for his reaction and froze. He was crying. It was subdued, only a few tears escaped before he wiped his eyes dry, but it was unmistakable. She wanted to comfort him, to do something, but the moment passed and soon the three of them were out of the tunnel.

They emerged in a large room on a suspended platform. Branching off from where they were was a narrow walkway, over which giant fans spun. Elm glanced over the side of the platform and immediately backed away from the large drop. "This place is one big safety hazard."

"A bit nippy, I suppose," the Doctor shrugged. "Fair do's, though, that's a great bit of air conditioning," the Doctor said, scanning a panel near them. "Nice and old-fashioned. Bet they call it retro."

"But it's so dumb," Elm interrupted, squinting at the walkway. "You've got to turn off the fans to get to the other side. Who missed that glaring design flaw?"

"Someone with money," the Doctor responded as the panel fell open. "Gotcha."

A small metal spider dropped out of the panel and scuttled across the floor and up the wall. Without a word the Doctor pointed his sonic at it, causing it to curl up and fall. Jabe, with cat-like reflexes, shot a vine out of her hand and caught the spider. She handed it to the Doctor.

"Good aim!" Elm exclaimed, approaching the two.

Jabe smiled. "Thank you, we are not supposed to show them in public."

"We won't tell anybody," the Doctor said, holding up the spider creature. "Now then, who's been bringing their pets on board?"

Elm poked the spider robot with a grimace. "Please tell me that's not the sort of pet you keep."

"Of course not," the Doctor scoffed. "This is for sabotage."

An announcement came on through the speakers "EARTH DEATH IN TEN MINUTES."

The Doctor glanced up. "And the temperature is about to rocket. Come on."

The trio rushed out of the engine room, down the long maintenance duct, and back into the main body of Platform One. Elm tried to head to the observation deck, but the Doctor pulled her down a different hall. She soon realized why, as a group of staff were trying to shield themselves from a bright, burning light. It seemed to be coming through a door window.

"Get away from there," Elm shouted, pulling those who were too close to the light away. It seemed to be burning into the wall. "Doctor!"

"Just a moment," the Doctor snapped, using his sonic on a nearby panel.

The ship's message system spoke again. "SUN FILTER RISING. SUN FILTER RISING."

Jabe turned to the Doctor, a look of horror on her face. "Is the Steward in there?"

"This is the Steward's office?" Elm questioned. As the light from the window dimmed, she was able to read 'STEWARD' in an odd font etched on the window. Scrunching up her nose, she muttered. "Don't tell me that smell is-"

The Doctor nodded and tucked his sonic away. "Yeah, that's him. No time to mourn, there's another Sun filter programmed to descend. Come on!"

While Jabe turned around to head back to the observation deck, Elm followed the Doctor. He stopped in front of a door with smoke filtering out of the cracks. The smell of burning wood and metal made Elm want to gag. As the Doctor worked on the panel, she called through the door.

"Is anyone there? We're working on getting you out!"

"Let me out!" shouted a familiar voice. "Open the door!"

Elm gasped. "Oh my God, Rose!"

"Well it would be you," the Doctor sighed as he continued to work on the panel. "Give us two ticks, alright?"

A moment later the ominous message from the computer changed and Elm sighed in relief. "Thank god."

The momentary victory was lost when the message changed once again.

"Stop mucking about!" Rose shouted from the other side. "It's going too far down the door!"

"Rose! Just hold on!" Elm said, before turning to the Doctor with wide eyes. "What's going on?"

"The computer's getting clever," the Doctor grunted as he stuck his sonic fully inside the panel. He sent Elm a wink as something struck. "Luckily. I'm better."

"SUN FILTER RISING, SUN FILTER RISING."

The Doctor made to open the door but found he couldn't. "It's jammed. Wait here Rose, alright?"

"Where else am I going to go?"

"We'll be back!" Elm called before following after the Doctor once more. Finally, they returned to the observation deck, where people were beginning to panic.

"Summon the Steward!" someone demanded.

Jabe, who was informing the group with the robot spider in hand, shook her head. "I'm afraid the Steward is dead."

"Who killed him?"

"This whole event was sponsored by the Face of Boe!" Cassandra exclaimed. "He invited us. Talk to the Face! Talk to the Face!"

Elm shook her head and grasped the Doctor's hand for support. He didn't comment, but he didn't pull away when he took the metal spider from Jabe. "I talked to the Face of Boe earlier," Elm murmured. "He didn't seem the type."

"There's no need for speculation," the Doctor said, holding up the spider bot. "Easy way of finding out with these little pets," he placed it on the ground. "Let's send him back to master."

The spider scuttled across the room to the three cloaked figures standing in the corner. They looked familiar, but Elm didn't remember what they were called.

Cassandra, however, did. "The Adherents of the Repeated Meme. J'accuse!"

"Was it those silver ball things?" Elm questioned, remembering the unique gift. "Were they shells or something?"

"Basically. It's all really kind of obvious," the Doctor said. Releasing Elm's hand, he approached the Adherents. Elm watched, ready to lunge forward, as one of them attempted to swing at the Doctor. The Doctor, however, grabbed the arm and pulled it off. "If you stop and think about it, what is a repeated meme? Elm? Would you like a go?"

"A meme is an idea passed from person to person," the young woman answered immediately.

The Doctor grinned. "Exactly." He pulled a wire from the arm he was holding, making all the cloaked figures drop to the ground. "That's all they were, an idea."

"Well, that's a clever bit of wordplay," Elm said. "Were they robots?"

"Remote-controlled droids, sort of like the spider bots," the Doctor replied, nudging said bot. "Nice cover for the real troublemaker. Go on, Jimbo, go home."

Once again the spider bot scuttled across the room, but this time it halted in front of Cassandra. The Doctor didn't look very surprised, and neither did Cassandra as she rolled her eyes. "I bet you were the school swot and never got kissed. At arms!"

Her attendants raised their spray guns, and Elm crossed the room to stand beside the Doctor. The man laughed at the attendants. "What are you going to do, moisturize me?"

"With acid," Cassandra corrected dully, causing Elm to flinch and take a step closer to her traveling companion. "Oh but you're too late anyway. My spiders have control of the mainframe. You all carried them as gifts, tax-free, past every code wall." She chuckled. "I'm not just a pretty face."

"But why would you do that?" Elm questioned. "I thought you were proud of your Earthen heritage. Why ruin a moment like this?"

"And you're still here," the Doctor added. "Who sabotages a ship while you're still inside?"

"I had hoped to manufacture a hostage situation," Cassandra admitted. "With myself as one of the victims, mind you. The compensation would have been enormous."

The Doctor scoffed. "Five billion years and it still comes down to money."

Cassandra glared at the Doctor. "Do you think it's cheap, looking like this? Flatness costs a fortune. I am the last human, Doctor. Me. Not that freaky little kid of yours or that mutt beside you."

Elm grasped the Doctor's hand but said nothing.

"Arrest her, the infidel," the small blue alien on the mobile chair demanded. Others murmured in agreement, but Cassandra's voice cut through theirs.

"Oh, shut it pixie. I've still got my final option."

"EARTH DEATH IN THREE MINUTES."

Cassandra grinned. "And here it comes. You're all just as useful dead. I have shares in your rival companies, and they'll triple in price as soon as you're gone. My spiders are primed and ready to destroy the safety systems. How did that old Earth song go? Burn, baby, burn."

"Then you'll burn with us!" Jabe exclaimed, stepping forward. A few shouted in agreement but Cassandra just hummed.

"Oh, I am so sorry. I know the use of teleportation is strictly forbidden, but I'm so naughty. Spiders activate!"

Platform One shook as a series of explosions destabilized the observation room. Red warning lights flashed as the passengers shouted in alarm. Elm yelped when her footing shifted but held her ground, clutching the Doctor's hand in her own.

"Force fields gone with the planet about to explode," Cassandra cackled. "At least it'll be quick. Just like my fifth husband." She giggled. "Shame on me. Well, bye bye darlings!" And, with a flash, Cassandra and her attendants were gone.

"HEAT LEVELS RISING. HEAT LEVELS RISING."

"Reset the computer!" someone exclaimed.

Jabe shook her head as the two other tree people she was with spoke to each other quietly. "Only the Steward would know how."

"No, we can do it by hand!" the Doctor exclaimed with a snap. Pulling Elm around, he headed toward the doors. "Jabe, you can come too. You lot, just chill!"

Jabe led them to her room where they all entered the maintenance duct once again. Rushing down, they got to the engine room and the Doctor groaned. "And guess where the switch is."

Beyond the gigantic fans, there was a red metal box. Elm scoffed. "Of course, it's over there."

"HEAT LEVELS RISING. EXTERNAL TEMPERATURE FIVE THOUSAND DEGREES."

The fans spun faster, trying to compensate for the massive heat wave hitting its systems. Approaching a metal box attached to the wall, the Doctor pulled down a lever to shut off the fans. It worked, for a moment, but the lever went back up as soon as he approached the walkway. Jabe approached the lever and pulled it down.

The Doctor shook his head. "You can't. The heat's going to vent through this place. You're made of wood."

"I'll do it then," Elm said, gently nudging Jabe away and replacing the tree woman's hands with her own. The metal was hot to the touch.

"It'll burn you," Jabe warned. "I felt the heat, and it is only going to increase."

Elm smiled at the tree woman. "A burn won't kill me."

Jabe looked between the Doctor and Elm and sighed. "I will move to a safer place then." She shot the Doctor a look. "Don't waste any time, Time Lord." And at that, she left.

"Go on then Doctor. You heard the lady," Elm joked, trying to ignore how her hands were already beginning to hurt.

The Doctor nodded and approached the first fan. After two tries he made it through and approached the second. The temperature increased, and Elm took a deep breath to distract herself from the pain. The Doctor made it through the second fan with no problem and was approaching the third when Elm's hands started to feel like they were on fire. Gritting her teeth, she watched the Doctor run through the last obstacle.

"HEAT LEVELS CRITICAL."

"Raise shields!" shouted the Doctor as he pulled down the reset switch.

Relief hit Elm like a sack of bricks, and she released the switch to fall backward, cradling her hands to her chest. Tears ran down her face as pain replaced adrenaline. The fans sped up for a moment but quickly decreased in speed as the temperature fell. The Doctor crossed the walkway with long strides.

"We did it," Elm let out a strained laugh and stood. "Do you think we missed the show?"

"Probably," the Doctor shrugged, pulling Elm's hands away from her to get a look at them. "I've got some burn cream in the TARDIS that should do the trick. But for now," he pulled a bottle from his pocket and got a pill out for Elm. "Pain pill, it should numb you until then. It'll dissolve under your tongue.

Opening her mouth, Elm let him toss it in. With a hum, she recognized the flavor. "Strawberry." The pain numbed almost instantly, and she let out a sigh of relief. "I love future medicine." Holding out a hand, Elm laughed in realization before crooking her arm instead. "Shall we?"

"We shall."

The observation deck was quiet, the only conversations whispered between associates. Elm winced when she saw the empty seat where the small blue alien was once sitting. Her heart ached when she realized she didn't even remember his name. Jabe, thankfully, was standing with her fellow trees, whole, and well. Rose was in there as well, and Elm immediately went for a hug. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," Rose murmured back before separating. Her eyes widened. "Oh my god, your hands."

"The Doctor gave me something for the pain," she said. Glancing over at the Doctor, she caught the deadly glare he was sending around the room. "Doc? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine," the Doctor responded shortly, pacing. Rose looped her arm through Elm's as they watched him. "I'm full of ideas, bristling with them. Idea number one, teleportation through five thousand degrees needs some kind of feed. Idea number two," he held up two fingers before crossing the room to the ostrich egg display. He smashed the egg, revealing a small device. "This feed needs to be hidden nearby. Idea number three, if you're as clever as me, then a teleport feed can be reversed." He twisted the device and Cassandra appeared in the center of the room.

"Oh you should have seen their little alien faces," the last human gloated as she slowly came into focus. Her eyes widened when she realized where she was. "Oh."

"The last human."

She laughed nervously. "So you passed my test. Bravo. That makes you eligible to join, er, the Human Club."

"People died!" Elm exclaimed, pointing at the empty seat. "This isn't a joke."

The Doctor glared at the skin woman. "You murdered them."

"It depends on your definition of people-" Cassandra tried to defend.

"Stop it, stop talking. You've lost your right," Elm interjected, her face going red. Stepping away from Rose, she pointed an accusing finger at Cassandra. "Listen, I tried to be nice, but people have died and you want to debate the definition of people?" She laughed with a dry and harsh sound. "You are the most disgusting individual I have ever met. Five billion years into the future and the last human is a bigoted, greedy brain in a bottle. What sort of message are you sending to the stars? That this is what humans are?"

The Doctor stared at Cassandra gravely. Reaching out a hand, he pulled Elm away from the piece of skin. "Listen. She's creaking."

"What?" Cassandra exclaimed. In vain, she tried to look around as the skin she was grafted on creaked and dried, turning a sickly gray color. "I'm drying out! Oh, sweet heavens. Moisturize me, moisturize me! Where are my surgeons? It's too hot!"

"You're the one who raised the temperature," the Doctor pointed out. Elm went pale and leaned against Rose, looking away from the sight.

"Have pity!" Cassandra cried. "Moisturize me! Oh, oh, Doctor. I'm sorry. I'll do anything."

"Help her," Rose murmured to the Doctor, her arm wrapped around Elm.

With a shake of his head, the Doctor stared Cassandra down. "Everything has its time."

"I'm too young!"

Cassandra exploded with a splat, scattering blood and skin everywhere.

Turning away, the Doctor headed for the exit. "Everything dies."

OoOoOoO

Hours later, with everyone gone, Rose and Elm stood in the now clean and empty observation room. The Sun, large and bright, was all that was left outside. The Earth was destroyed, leaving only its debris to float where it once was.

"The end of the Earth," Rose murmured. "It's gone. We were too busy saving ourselves to see it go." Her voice cracked. "All those years, all that history, and no one was even looking."

Elm wrapped her arm around Rose, careful with her freshly bandaged hands.

The Doctor's voice broke their mourning silence. "Come with me."

OoOoOoO

Rose and Elm stepped out of the TARDIS together, side by side, onto a busy London street. People walked around them, going about their daily lives, and tears rose to their eyes as they looked at their home.

"You think it'll last forever," the Doctor began, coming up between them. "People, cars, concrete. But it won't. One day it'll all be gone." He took a breath. "My planet's gone. Dead. It burned like the Earth. It's just rocks and dust before it's time."

"What happened?" Rose asked in a murmur.

"There was a war," the Doctor responded simply. "And we lost."

"And your people?" Elm questioned, tilting her head to look at him. "Jabe called you a… Time Lord."

The Doctor nodded. "I'm the last. They're all gone now. I'm left traveling on my own 'cos there's no one else left."

Rose reached out hesitantly and grabbed his hand. "There's me."

"And me," Elm looped her arm with his free one, her hand still too sensitive to hold.

"You've seen how dangerous it is," the Doctor said, looking down at them. "Do you want to go home?"

"I don't know. I want," Rose took a breath and sighed contently. "Oh, can you smell chips?"

Elm laughed. "You still owe me some, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah," Rose said with a laugh. Peeking up, she looked at the Doctor. "How 'bout you Doctor? You want some chips?"

"Rose is paying," Elm interjected with a toothy grin.

The Doctor looked from Rose to Elm and choked on a laugh. "Yeah, sure, chips."

Rose grinned and pulled his hand, which in turn pulled Elm, up the street toward the closest chippy. "Come on then, God, how long has it been since I ate?"

OoOoOoO

Hours later, long after Rose went to bed, Elm headed to the console room. She was clean and fresh from the shower and had one of her blankets wrapped around her shoulders.

"Doctor?" she called as she entered the large central room. "Are you here?"

The Doctor's head popped up from the other side of the console. "What is it?"

Shuffling from foot to foot, Elm cleared her throat. "Well, you say the TARDIS can go anywhere."

"It can, yeah."

"Do you think you could take us to just before the Earth was destroyed?" she questioned. "Not on Platform One, but just, in the TARDIS. If it's possible."

The Doctor stood from the ground and gave her a look. "Why would you want to do that?"

"I never got to see, and the Earth deserves a proper send-off, I think. I asked Rose if she'd like to watch too, but she didn't seem too interested."

With a scrutinizing eye, the Doctor looked Elm over. Coming to some sort of conclusion, he turned to the console and adjusted some controls. The TARDIS lit up briefly before going dark. Nodding to himself, the Doctor flicked one last switch before opening the doors wide. Elm gasped at the view.

They were drifting in space, the Sun and the Earth below them. It was so much more peaceful and raw than it was on Platform One, with no glass separating her and the sight.

"I adjusted the oxygen shields," the Doctor said as Elm sat with her legs hanging out. "You're fine for ten feet on all sides."

"Thank you." Leaning against the side of the TARDIS door, Elm watched the planet's slow movements. The bright blue and green stood out from the darkness of space, and the stars were all absent with how bright the sun was. Pure power radiated from the orb, and Elm felt humbled.

Time passed quietly, and the Doctor joined her with his feet hanging out as well. Elm reached between them to grasp his hand in hers.

"They don't hurt?" he asked, glancing down at her bandaged hand before looking back up at space.

Elm shook her head. "I'm fine." The Sun was just beginning to reach the Earth, causing the planet to break up. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Your loss," she cleared her throat and didn't dare look at him. "It hasn't been long, has it?"

It was quiet for a moment as the Doctor thought. "No. You-" he cleared his throat. "You were the first face this face saw. After the war. Just wanted to deal with the Nestene and ended up taking in two strays."

"Oh, rude," Elm laughed. "We already established that you'd be dead without Rose and me, Doc."

"Thanks," the Doctor replied. Looking down at her, he narrowed his eyes. "There's something I'm forgetting."

Startled at the sudden shift in conversation, Elm furrowed her brow. "What?"

The Doctor shook his head and stood. "Nothing. You can stay as long as you like, but once you're done, close the doors."

And then he was gone.

E/N: I hope that last bit wasn't too cheesy, Elm gets easily attached.

Comment Responses:

bored411: Thank you! I look forward to Elm and Jack's interactions as well, given how tactile she is, haha. I hope her interactions with Cassandra were up to par!

Miriam Who: I'm glad! Thank you for the comment.

ThatBigBlueBox: I'm assuming you mean Elm, haha. I'm glad you like her so far, and yes, you can look forward to plenty of original chapters. Thank you.

Dream of Cream: I'm glad Elm is likable. I know how difficult OCs can be sometimes. I hope she continues to integrate herself into the series seamlessly! If anything seems weird, let me know!

Thank you all for the fantastic comments!