A/N: Sorry for this extra-late chapter. It's a doozy.

Edited: 1/1/2023

WARNING: This chapter contains potentially triggering material. If you are at risk, please see endnotes.

Elm skidded to a stop in the console room and grinned at the Doctor. "Distress signal?"

The alien man smiled back. "Oh yes. Where's Rose?"

"Here!" Rose ran into the console room, breath short. "I'm here."

"Just in time," the Doctor said as he pulled a lever. "We've landed."

The three travelers exited the TARDIS one at a time. The room was dark, but the TARDIS illuminated enough so that they could see the area around them.

"Where are we?" Rose questioned.

"And when are we?" Elm added.

The Doctor peered around as if searching for something. "Earth. Utah, North America. About half a mile underground. As for the year, it's 2012."

"God, that's so close," Rose murmured. "I should be 26."

"I should be 31," Elm added and stuck out her tongue "Blegh."

The lights switched on overhead. The room they were in was massive and filled with display cases. Each contained an oddity, most of which Elm didn't recognize. She did know what one was, however. A stuffed Raxacoricofallapatorian hand was propped up in a display to her right. The sight of it made her queasy.

"Blimey," Rose gasped. "It's a great big museum."

The Doctor hummed. "An alien museum. Someone's got a hobby."

"This is a bit more than a hobby," Elm said as she took a step away from the hand. "Do you recognize any of it?"

"Most of it, actually. That's a meteorite," the Doctor pointed at a chunk of rock. "Moondust," he gestured to a small pile of rubble. "The milometer from the Roswell spaceship. This stuff's worth millions."

"That's a bit of Slitheen!" Rose exclaimed, pointing to the display Elm had already noticed. "That's a stuffed Slitheen arm."

Elm shuttered. "Don't remind me." She turned toward the Doctor. "Do you suppose someone found an old distress signal and just cased it away?"

"No, this signal was alive. I'm sure of it," the Doctor replied. Glancing left, he approached another display case. It contained the head of some sort of robot. "Oh, look at you."

"What is it?" Rose questioned.

"An old friend, well, enemy of mine," the Doctor said. He sighed. "The stuff of nightmares reduced to an exhibit. I'm getting old."

He reached out and gently placed a hand on the glass display. The touch must have triggered something, as an alarm immediately went off. Thundering footsteps belonging to armed guards approached, and Elm immediately raised her hands.

"If someone is collecting aliens," Rose began, shifting closer to her traveling companions. "Then that makes you exhibit A."

OoOoOoO

The trio was roughly escorted through the facility to a posh office. A large desk took up most of the room, behind which sat a man holding a metal object the size of his hand. He fiddled with it like a child who'd just gotten a new toy.

"I wouldn't hold it like that," the Doctor said.

Elm fidgeted in place and gave the alien man a side-eyed glance. "Doctor-"

"No, really," he insisted. "That's wrong."

A young man stood in the corner of the room, unnoticed previously. He cleared his throat. "Is it dangerous?"

The Doctor leaned forward and immediately had three guns pointed his way. He stopped moving but continued to stare at the object. "You look silly."

The man behind the desk gave the Doctor a long look before handing the object over. Unlike him, the Doctor held it carefully. With his unused hand, he softly ran his fingers over it. A gentle, high-pitched noise filled the room and the Doctor smiled. "You need to be delicate."

Elm looked at the object in wonder and reached a hand out to try. The Doctor held it still but allowed her to touch it. The sound produced wasn't as pleasing to the ear as when the Doctor did it, but still sweet. She laughed softly. "That's lovely."

"It's a musical instrument," the man behind the desk spoke up. Elm immediately withdrew her hand.

The Doctor straightened and offered it back to him. "And it's a long way from home."

Standing, the man snatched it back. "Let me try." He began rubbing the instrument, applying too much pressure. The previously pleasant sounds turned harsh under his hand.

"It's delicate," the Doctor hinted, "reacts to the smallest fingerprint." The man eased up and was able to draw a nice noise from the object. The Doctor smiled. "Very good. Quite the expert."

The man smirked and tossed the instrument aside. Elm flinched when it hit the floor.

"As are you," he said. "Who are you?"

The Doctor frowned. "I'm the Doctor, and who are you?"

"Like you don't know," the man replied in a mocking tone. "We're hidden away with the most valuable collection of alien artifacts in the world, and you just happen to stumble in?"

"Pretty much sums me up, yeah," the Doctor said with a shrug.

"How did you get in?" the man questioned. "Fifty-three floors down with your little cat burglar accomplices." He smirked and looked the girls up and down. "You're quite the collector yourself. I prefer the blonde as a personal preference, but curly can be fun too."

"This blonde's gonna smack you if you keep talking like that," Rose seethed.

"She's English too!" the man exclaimed. "Hey, little Lord Fauntleroy, got you a girlfriend."

The younger man smiled apologetically. "This is Mister Henry Van Statten."

Rose and Elm exchanged a glance. "I don't recognize the name," Elm murmured with a shrug.

"Who's he when he's at home?" Rose challenged.

"Mister Van Statten owns the internet."

Rose scoffed. "Don't be stupid. No one owns the internet."

Van Statten laughed. "And let's keep the world thinking that way."

"So," the Doctor cut in. "You're an expert in just about everything except the things in your museum. Anything you don't understand, you lock up."

"You claim greater knowledge?" Van Statten challenged.

The Doctor laughed. "I don't need to make claims. I know how good I am."

"And yet I captured you. Right next to the cage. What were you doing down there?"

"You tell me."

Van Statten leaned back in his chair. "The cage contains my one living specimen."

Elm felt her stomach turn at the thought of Van Statten owning some poor alien.

The Doctor seemed to share the sentiment as he glared at the man. "And what's that?"

"Like you don't know," Van Statten scoffed.

"Show me."

"You want to see it?"

"Blimey," Rose interrupted with a laugh. "You can smell the testosterone."

Elm shifted closer to the younger woman, watching the two men. The Doctor and Van Statten sized each other up, and she was half sure a punch was going to be thrown.

Van Statten had other ideas. "Goddard," he addressed the woman in the room who had previously stood silent. "Inform the cage we're heading down. English," he spoke to the young man without breaking eye contact with the Doctor. "Look after the girls. And you, Doctor with no name, come and see my pet."

OoOoOoO

English introduced himself as Adam and led Rose and Elm through the facility. The room they ended up in was filled with boxes upon boxes of alien junk. Elm immediately set upon one and lifted something out of it.

"Careful!" Adam exclaimed, crossing the room to take it away from her. "We don't know what half of these things do."

"Where does Van Statten get all this from?" she questioned, picking up another trinket from the box. It was made of a bronze-looking metal and was very circular.

Adam snatched it away from her as well. "Auctions and things. Now don't touch, alright? It's a little messy but everything's where it's supposed to be."

Elm relented. "Alright, sorry."

"So how'd you end up here?" Rose questioned, drawing Adam's attention away.

"Van Statten has agents all over the world looking for geniuses to recruit," Adam replied with a smug grin. "I was recruited as soon as I turned 18."

Rose smiled and bit her lip. "Oh, so you're a genius, then?"

He shrugged. "Sorry, but yeah. Can't help it," he leaned forward. "When I was eight, I logged onto the US Defense System. Nearly caused World War Three."

"What and that's funny?" Rose queried.

"You should have seen them running around, trying to figure it out!" he laughed. "Fantastic."

Elm tuned out the rest of their conversation in favor of looking around the room. Most of the boxes were just filled with odd pieces of scrap metal, but some were shaped and crafted. Adam had a particularly smooth piece of rock on his desk, and she couldn't help but run her fingers over it. Static electricity licked at her hand, and she giggled at the sensation.

"Elm?"

Rose's voice startled her so badly that she jumped back from the rock. "What?"

"Adam was just saying he can show us Van Statten's live specimen," Rose replied. "You want to see it too, right?"

"Oh!" Elm approached the computer the young adults were standing by. "Yeah! I do, actually."

Adam tapped a few keys on his computer, talking as he navigated through the security cameras. "It doesn't do much, the alien. It's kind of useless. It's just like this great big pepper pot."

He double-clicked on one particular screen, which expanded to show a secure room. Inside was a creature that did look a bit like a pepper pot. It also seemed to be armed with a whisk and a plunger, so Elm supposed it must have been some sort of weird maid robot.

A person in a large hazmat suit approached the robot creature and flicked a switch. The creature screamed.

Elm flinched back at the sound. "What? What's he doing?!"

"And where's the Doctor?" Rose demanded.

Adam looked between the women helplessly. "I don't know. Really, I don't."

"We've got to do something," Elm insisted. "We can't just stand here and watch!"

Rose nodded and gave Adam a hard look. "Take us there."

OoOoOoO

Adam relented without much resistance. It was back on the floor they originally landed on, and they passed the TARDIS on the way. The young man didn't give it a second glance.

Armed security officers and scientists worked around the cage, all intent on doing their jobs. One of the officers tried to stop Adam from passing, but he simply held up a card.

"Level three access," he said, glancing at Rose as he added. "Special clearance from Mister Van Statten."

The officer scowled but backed off, opening the door to the smaller containment room. The trio entered without incident.

The size of the creature surprised Elm. It was shorter than herself, though only by an inch or two. Its body was chained to the floor, hardly cared for as the metal rusted. The eye-stalk that extended from its body glowed a dim blue and stared at them as they approached.

"Hello," she said in a soft voice. "I'm Elm Smith and this is Rose Tyler. We saw what just happened to you. I am so, so sorry."

"We have a friend who can help," Rose added. "Are you in pain?"

"Yes." The creature's voice was electronic and distorted. It sounded strained. "They torture me, but they fear me. Do you fear me?"

"No," Rose replied.

Elm shifted closer to the robot. "We just want to help you."

Its eye-stalk lowered. "I am dying."

"Our friend, he's a sort of doctor," Rose explained.

"I welcome death," the creature responded. It sounded bitter. "I am alone. But I am glad that before I die, I met humans who were not afraid."

"Don't give up hope," Elm pleaded. Reaching a hand forward, she gently placed it on the dome head of the robot. "Just hang on a bit longer."

There was a beat of silence when suddenly Elm's hand began to burn. She jerked the limb away with a yelp. Her glowing red handprint was left as the being began shaking. The chains holding it in place snapped as its voice rose to a shout. "Genetic material extrapolated. Initiate cellular reconstruction!"

The door to the cage opened and closed swiftly. A man entered holding a drill of some sort and shoved past the young women. He stood before the free robot with confidence. It looked at him silently. "What are you going to do? Sucker me to death?"

Elm watched in horror as the robot did just that, crushing the man's head with its plunger. The door opened just enough to allow Elm, Rose, and Adam through before slamming shut. They were quickly ushered aside as the armed guards took a position in front of the door.

"It killed him!" Rose exclaimed, gripping Elm's hand in her own. She looked at her friend. "It tricked us!"

Elm looked around the room for some sort of solution. The red emergency lights made it hard to concentrate, but she was able to spot a familiar face on a nearby monitor. She pulled Rose over and nudged the man who was already speaking into it out of the way.

"It's all my fault, Doc," she said, staring hard at the image of her friend. "I touched it and it broke free."

"What do we do?" Rose asked. Every other second she glanced back at the cage.

The guard that was shoved aside didn't acknowledge the interruption. "I've sealed the compartment. It can't get out, that lock has got a billion combinations."

The Doctor stared hard at his companions before looking at the guard. "A Dalek can calculate a thousand billion combinations in one second flat."

The door to the cage burst open.

"Run!" the Doctor shouted over the sound of gunfire. "Rose, Elm, you've got to run!"

They didn't hesitate. Following one of the security officers and Adam, they raced down the hall. The screams of the dying echoed behind them.

When they reached the stairwell, Rose laughed. "Stairs! It hasn't got legs, so it'll be stuck!"

"There's no time for celebration," the armed guard insisted. "Up the stairs, now!"

The young people complied and got up one flight when the robot hit the base of the stairs. It stared up at them with its cold blue eye-light. Something in Elm's gut told her to run.

Adam grinned. "Great big alien death machine defeated by a flight of stairs."

"This can stop now," Elm began, her voice shaking minutely. "I understand you're angry over how they've treated you, but we can sort this out like civilized people."

"Let me handle this," the guard interrupted. She stepped forward and pointed her gun at the creature. "I demand you return to your cage. If you want to negotiate I can guarantee Mister van Statten will be willing to talk. I demand you surrender. I accept we imprisoned you, and maybe that was wrong. But people have died, and that stops now. I demand you surrender. Is that clear?"

There was a beat of silence before the Dalek spoke. "Elevate!" Its body lifted from the ground with a hum of energy and it began approaching them. It was slow but deliberate, ascending the staircase.

"Oh my god," Rose gasped.

The security officer wasn't deterred as she stared at the creature. "Adam," she began. "Get them out of here."

"No!" Elm exclaimed. "We aren't leaving you!"

Its body lifted from the ground with a hum of energy and it began approaching them.

The woman shook her head. "Someone's got to try. Now get out and don't look back. Just run." When they didn't, she turned toward them. "Now!"

Adam grabbed Rose and pulled her away, inadvertently pulling Elm as she clung to her friend. The guard's scream pierced the air as they reached the next floor. This area of the underground facility was large and filled with armed guards. They trained their guns on the three when they entered, and Elm lifted her hands.

"Civilians!" the leader shouted. The guns were lowered. "You three get the hell out of here!"

They didn't need to be told twice this time. The trio ran through the room to the next staircase. The cycle of hallway and staircase repeated over and over, tiring them out. They didn't have any choice but the stairs, however, as the elevator was stalled.

Elm's phone rang. She answered it but didn't stop running. "Hello?"

"Where are you?" It was the Doctor, and he sounded worried.

Elm looked around for some sort of indicator. "Level 49. Why?"

The Doctor made a frustrated noise. "The vault is being sealed off at level 46."

"Well, that's just four more floors," she responded loud enough so that her companions could hear. "Can you slow them down enough so that we can get through?"

"I can't. I can't help you," the Doctor said. "Now for god's sake, run."

Elm shoved her phone back into her pocket with invigorated speed.

On every floor, they'd pause for mere seconds to catch their breath before starting up again. Elm's legs and lungs burned, and from the sound of them, Rose and Adam weren't doing much better. With adrenaline and terror, they kept going and reached level 46.

Elm got out her phone as soon as she saw the painted numbers and dialed the Doctor. "We're nearly there." They turned a corner and there, at the end of the hall, were the closing security doors. "I can see them! Give us two seconds."

If the Doctor responded, she didn't hear. Adam was in the lead and the first through, ducking under the already half-closed door. Elm followed, sliding on her knees to get under. She turned around, expecting to see her friend, but was met with the slamming of steel.

Time seemed to freeze. Rose was right behind her, she was sure of it, but there was no sign of the younger girl. Which meant she didn't get through. Rose was sealed in. Alone.

"No," Elm whispered, dropping her phone in favor of pounding on the security door. "No, no no. Rose! Rose!"

Distantly, she noticed Adam pick up her phone and shove it into her hand. He grabbed her arm. "We've got to go."

"Like hell!" she screamed. "We're not leaving her behind. I'm not leaving her behind!"

"There's nothing we can do!" the young man shouted back. He grabbed her arm and started pulling her toward the now-working elevator. "I'm not going to get fired because I lost both of you. Let's go!"

Elm fought against him but was unable to get out of his grasp in time. The elevator doors closed, and they ascended. Wiping a hand over her cheek, Elm realized she was crying. She shoved her phone into her pocket.

The lift opened and the Doctor was instantly upon her.

"Are you alright?" he questioned, examining her before scanning the now empty lift. "Where's Rose?"

Elm broke. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks as she choked on her words.

Adam answered instead. "She didn't make it."

"She didn't make it?" the Doctor questioned, his voice disbelieving. "What, you mean she didn't make the lift?"

"She-she was right behind me," Elm stuttered out between sobs. "I-I didn't check to make sure. She's stuck down there. Oh, god, Rosie's stuck down there."

The Doctor stared at her, unblinking and unable to speak.

Van Statten spoke up from across the room. "I'm sorry."

"She was only here because of me," the Doctor began, his voice growing louder with every word. He turned toward Van Statten and pointed an accusing finger his way. "And you're sorry? I could've killed that Dalek before it got out, but you stopped me."

"It was the prize of my collection!" the man defended. "I only wanted to touch the stars."

The Doctor scoffed. "You wanted to drag the stars down, stick them underground, and label them. You're about as far from the stars as you can get. Rose was nineteen years old and you took her down with you."

"You should've listened to me and not touched anything," Adam said after a moment. He stared Elm down. "It's all gone to hell because of you."

"You don't start," the Doctor demanded, turning on the younger man.

"But he's right," Elm murmured. "This is all my fault. It tricked me and I fell for it. Now Rose is-"

A harsh voice interrupted her. "Open the bulkhead or Rose Tyler dies."

Everyone in the room spun around to look at the computer monitor. The Dalek held Rose at gunpoint in front of the metal doors. She was frightened but wasn't harmed.

"Rose!" Elm exclaimed, running toward the monitor. She wiped at her eyes to make sure she was seeing right. "You're alive!"

Rose smiled at her friend's voice. "Can't get rid of me so easily."

"We thought you were dead," the Doctor said.

The Dalek cut in. "Open the bulkhead!"

"No!" Rose exclaimed. "Don't do it!"

The Dalek's eye-light stared directly into the camera. "What is the use of emotions if you will not save those who you care for?"

Elm looked up at the Doctor. "Please, Doc. I can't lose her too."

The Doctor stared down at his companion before nodding. "I killed her once. I can't do it again." He pressed a key on the keyboard, and the monitor went blank.

"What do we do now, you bleeding heart?" Van Statten demanded. "You said that was the only way to stop it, so what the hell do we do now?"

"Kill it when it gets here," Adam replied like it was the obvious answer.

Goddard, who Elm hadn't noticed before, shook her head. "All the guns are useless, and the alien weapons are in the vault."

"Only the cataloged ones," Adam said. He shrunk under Van Statten's glare. "I might've kept a few in my workshop."

"Good, you can lead the way then. You two," he pointed at Van Statten and Goddard. "Stay. Elm, you're with me."

She shook her head. "I'm staying."

"Elm," he took a step forward and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Daleks aren't like anything you've faced. I've seen them in action. They fought against my people in the war, and they can't be reasoned with. If I can't save Rose-"

"Rose is alive, and she's staying that way. I'll make sure of it," Elm replied. She squared herself to stare the Doctor down. "I've got to be here when she comes through."

The Doctor stared at the young woman for a long moment before sighing. "I'll be five minutes. Don't provoke it. Get Rose and get out."

Elm managed a smile. "Sir, yes sir."

He scoffed and patted her head once before following Adam.

The lift dinged within a minute of them leaving.

The Dalek rolled into the room and immediately paused upon seeing Van Statten.

"Just be calm," Rose advised.

"Van Statten," the alien began. "You tortured me. Why?"

The man's eyes widened. "I wanted to help you!" he blurted. "I was just trying to help. I wanted you better," the Dalek continued to approach the man, who grew more panicked. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I just wanted you to talk!"

The Dalek stopped mere inches from his captor. "Then hear me talk now. Exterminate! Exterminate!"

"No!" Elm exclaimed. Her outburst drew the attention of the creature and its eye-stalk swung toward her.

"Elm Smith," it began, its voice strained. "You revived me. You contaminated me. What did you do?! What did you do?!"

"I-I don't know," she looked at Rose helplessly. "What does it mean?"

"It's questioning itself. It wanted to kill me but couldn't," Rose explained.

"But that's good!" Elm looked into the Dalek's big blue eye. "There doesn't need to be any more killing. There's more to life than that."

"Then what do I do?" the Dalek questioned. "You created me, you order me. Tell me. Tell me!"

Elm clenched her fists so hard that her nails dug into her hands. "What-What do you want to do?"

"I want," it paused as if trying to find the words. "I want freedom."

Without another word, it backed away from Van Statten and left the room. Once it was out of the way Elm hugged Rose tight. "I thought I lost you."

"Nah, you're stuck with me forever," Rose replied, hugging her friend back. They separated after a moment and Rose dragged Elm along after the Dalek. "We've got to follow it, in case it tries to attack someone."

As she was leaving the room, Elm nearly stepped on the alien instrument from earlier. She quickly picked it up and pocketed it.

The Dalek led them through one hall into another before coming to a stop. It then slowly lifted its gun toward the ceiling and shot. The concrete broke apart, allowing a beam of sunlight through.

Rose smiled. "Never thought I'd see the sun again."

"It's warm," Elm hummed.

"Is it?" the Dalek questioned. "I want… I want to feel it."

Elm and Rose stood transfixed as the Dalek's shell opened. Within the tank-like body of the robot was a tiny alien. It was sickly, with one yellow eye that was half-lidded. One of its tentacle-like appendages lifted, seemingly drawn to the light.

"Get out of the way!" The voice came out of nowhere, causing the girls to spin around. It was the Doctor. His voice was thunder during a rainstorm, cold and booming. He held a massive gun in his hands, aimed directly at the Dalek. "Get out of the way, now!"

Rose stood stubbornly in front of the creature. "I won't let you do this."

The Doctor glared at his companions. "That thing has killed hundreds of people! Now move."

"No," Elm said as well, taking a position next to Rose. "I can't let you murder it."

"It's dangerous!" he insisted.

Rose gave him a long look. "It's not the one pointing the gun right now."

"I've got to do this," the Doctor said. As he spoke, his voice cracked. "I've got to end it. The Daleks destroyed my home, my people. I've got nothing left."

"Doctor, just look at it!" Elm insisted, stepping away so the Doctor could see the creature. "Just look."

The Doctor lowered his weapon. "What's it doing?"

"It's the sunlight," Rose replied. "That's all it wants."

The Doctor looked lost as he stared at his mortal enemy. "But it can't."

"But it is," Rose began. "It couldn't kill me. It couldn't kill Elm. It's changing."

"If you shot it now, it would be in cold blood," Elm said, gesturing to the creature. "The killing has got to stop, Doc, on both sides. You told us your war was over. Let it stay that way."

"I couldn't," the Doctor dropped his weapon. The metal clattered to the floor as he stared at his companions with wide eyes. "I wasn't," his voice broke. "They're all dead."

It was then the Dalek spoke. Its breathing was labored as it stared at the Doctor with its real eye. "Why do we survive?"

The Doctor's voice was flat when he responded. "I don't know."

"I am the last of the Daleks."

"You're not even that," the Doctor replied. "Elm did more than regenerate you. You've absorbed her DNA. You're mutating."

"Into what?"

The Doctor looked upon his enemy with pity. "Something new. I'm sorry."

Rose looked between the Doctor and the creature. "Isn't that better?"

"Not for a Dalek."

"I can feel so many things," the Dalek began, its voice slow. "So much darkness. Elm Smith, give me orders. Order me to die."

Elm's eyes widened and her breath quickened. "I-I can't do that! You can't do that. That's not a solution!"

"This is not a life," the Dalek argued. "This is sickness. I shall not be like you. Order my destruction! Obey! Obey! Obey!"

"No, no, no, I can't, not that," she looked at Rose. Her hands and voice shook. "I can't. I'm sorry."

Rose put a hand on Elm's shoulder and stepped forward. "I can." She looked at the sick creature and swallowed thickly. "Do it."

"Are you frightened?"

"Yeah."

"So am I," it replied. "Exterminate!" The Dalek floated into the air as the orbs that covered its armor detached. They surrounded the creature and, in one flash of light, it was gone.

OoOoOoO

The time travelers exchanged no words on their walk back to the TARDIS. Elm had both the Doctor's and Rose's hands in an iron-like grip, unwilling to let go until they got back to the blue box.

The Doctor patted it fondly. "A little piece of home, better than nothing."

"But the Dalek survived. Maybe some of your people did too," Rose said, looking up at the alien man.

He shook his head. "I'd know. In here," he tapped his head. "Feels like there's no one."

"Well then," Rose grinned. "Good thing Elm and I aren't going anywhere."

The Doctor smiled at his companions. "Yeah."

"Yeah," Elm echoed and tried to smile. "Plus you've got all my things."

The Doctor laughed. "Like I care about your things."

Elm laughed as well, feeling a pressure lift from her chest. Stepping forward, she gave the Doctor a tight hug. She pulled away before he got to reciprocate. "So, can we go in now? I'm sort of hungry."

"Hey!" The time travelers turned in unison to see Adam. The young man was running up to them, a duffel bag was thrown over his shoulder. "We'd better get out. Van Statten's disappeared, and they're closing down the base."

Rose approached the younger man to talk with relative privacy, leaving the Doctor and Elm. The alien man looked down at her with a conflicted look on his face. "Did you know someone who committed-"

"Yeah," Elm replied before he could finish his sentence. She didn't want to think about it.

"Ah," he lifted his eyes to look anywhere but at Elm. "Well, if you need to talk-"

"Don't worry about it, Doc, it was years ago," Elm cut in once again. "I don't need to talk about it."

The Doctor nodded. "Good, because I was going to say not to talk about it with me," he shrugged. "I'm not that sort of doctor."

"I'm starting to doubt you're any sort of doctor," Elm mused. "I've got a developing theory that you call yourself that to sound smart."

"Oi!" the Doctor exclaimed. "I am smart! Smarter than an ape, at least."

"Sure Doc," she replied with a teasing smile. "Just keep telling yourself that."

Rose and Adam rejoined them by the TARDIS before the Doctor got a chance to respond.

"Doctor, Adam and I just had a talk. He's always wanted to see the stars," Rose began. She glanced over at the young man before redirecting her attention to the Doctor. "Plus he's all on his own, with no job."

"What a shame," the Doctor said flippantly.

"Doctor, he did help," Rose pointed out.

The Doctor was incredulous. "Are you seriously suggesting what I think you are? He's got an ego the size of the planet!"

"So do you!" Rose pointed out.

"At least I've got the intelligence to back it up."

"Oi!" Adam objected.

"I dunno," Elm cut in. "It could be fun to have him along. The more the merrier." Catching the Doctor's narrowed eyes, she raised her hands in surrender. "If the driver wants."

"What are you lot going on about?" Adam questioned. He gestured over his shoulder toward the exit. "We've got to leave."

The Doctor gave the young man a long look before sighing and glancing at Rose. "It helps that he's pretty, doesn't it?"

Rose bit her lip and shrugged. "I hadn't noticed."

"Oh your head," the Doctor relented. "But he steps one toe out of line, he's out, got it?"

Rose smiled brilliantly. "Yeah, yeah! I've got it!"

The alien man unlocked his time ship and headed inside, followed closely by Elm and Rose. Adam stepped in just after, stalling in the doorway.

"Welcome to the TARDIS," Rose said with a wave of her hands.

The young man breathed. "It's bigger on the inside."

"Yeah, got that," the Doctor said as he walked around the human to close the doors. "No loitering. Go occupy yourself somewhere else."

"I'm going to make an omelet," Elm announced as she headed further into the ship. "Anyone else want one?"

The Doctor poked his head around the console. "Yes, actually. No cheese-"

"Extra greens got it," Elm replied. "Rose?"

"No, ta," Rose said, giggling over Adam's shock and awe.

Elm looked over to the new time traveler. "Adam? Would you like an omelet?"

He made eye contact with her and murmured once more. "It's bigger on the inside."

E/N:

Chapter Warnings: Canonical suicide (the Dalek), implied suicide (it is implied that Elm knows someone who committed suicide).

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, please consider dropping a comment! Feedback is very encouraging.

QUESTION: Same as last week, who are you looking forward to Elm meeting?

Comment Responses:

That's Blanderdash: Haha, I guess you can! Thank you!

CrystalVixen93: Thank you so much! I hope this update was sufficient, sorry for the wait!

Georgie boi: Ah, thank you! I'm glad she's integrating well. As for her appearance, she's on the tanner side of caucasian. Sort of olive? Her hair has very big black curls and a lot of volume. So while, yes, her curls are natural, they aren't coily, if that makes sense? It gets less curly the longer it gets, but never quite loses the volume. Thanks for the question! (Oh and no, my profile icon isn't her.)

Miriam Who: Thank you!

meowmixkitkat: I'm glad! I feel bad, it was sort of a long wait, but I hope it was worth it! :)