Chapter Sixteen: Winner Takes It All

The Doctor lay in the med bay; impatiently tapping his fingers on the bed. Martha had refused point blank to let him leave the med bay for at least 24 hours. Leading the Doctor to call her all the names he could think of, his favourite being 'power monger'. Unfortunately for him, Martha laughed of his names.

"Will you stop doing that?!" Jack asked, the Doctor held Jack's gaze as he did it again, Martha laughed.

"What's he doing?" Rose asked as she entered. The Doctor brightened up as soon as he saw his daughter. Rose passed Tala to him before moving to clean up the bed next to him. He placed Tala on his knees and started to bounce her up and down she squealed in delight, he turned to face Rose.

"What are you up to?" He asked watching her fold the bed sheets.

"I'm tidying up. I'm not sleeping in here again tonight."

"Why were you sleeping in here in the first place?" Jack asked, he never understood that point. He knew he'd hit the jackpot when is friend blushed and started a conversation with Tala.

"He was in so much 'agony' and 'pain' he needed someone to stay with him." Rose looked at Theta whose face had fallen slightly. "And I didn't mind." He smiled again at her. Rose smiled then caught him saying something under his breath. "What was that?" She frowned.

"Nothing!" He told her, looking much too innocent for her liking. He said it again and this time she heard it clearly.

"I heard that! No influencing our daughter." Jack and Martha looked at each other, completely confused.

"Did we miss something?" Martha asked, Rose and Theta shared a look debating whether to tell them or not.

"We have a bet…" The Doctor began scratching his ear nervously. "£10 to the winner over what Tala's first word will be." Jack looked at the pair standing sheepishly.

"We'll side with…" Martha elbowed Jack. "I think we'll be neutral." He told them after a moments thought. Martha left them to read the results of the Doctor's latest blood test.

"Right, everything seems to be okay, so I guess you're…" Martha looked up to find the Doctor gone from his bed with Tala, "Free to go." Rose cast her an apologetic look, Martha sighed before turning back to her work.

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Martha sat next to Jack as they waited for the Doctor and Rose.

"What are they doing?" She muttered to Jack.

"Probably trying to work out the best way to get Tala to win their bet." Martha snorted. "They are very competitive." He explained.

"What were they like before they were married?" She asked out of curiosity, Jack thought about it.

"In one word – stubborn." Jack laughed slightly. "They wouldn't admit they were in love." Martha smiled.

"Sounds like them."

Jack looked at her for a minute, he put his finger to his lips before yelling, "ARE WE THERE YET?!" Martha cracked up as frustrated words that would make a Dalek blush came in their direction.

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Jack and Martha strolled behind the Doctor and Rose on the planets surface. The orange trees swayed in the wind, the grass was soft under their feet, and the brilliant blue sky was filled with creatures that resembled penguins.

"I decided no space ships, no hot planets and no cold planets." Martha smiled, agreeing with his sentiments. Rose turned to face them.

"I managed to convince him after much kicking and screaming, that it'd be nice to go somewhere quiet for a change." Jack waited for a retort but none came. "It was either that or visit my mother."

"This!" Jack and Theta said at once.

"You're scared of her as well?" Martha asked.

"Not scared, just…wary." Rose laughed. "Look she'll go after anyone in close range if she can't get to him." The Doctor shared a glance with Jack that clearly said 'women!'. Rose grabbed her husband's hand again. He moved forward pushing Tala along further.

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As they reached the village they found a large restaurant, Rose and Martha ran in immediately. Jack and the Doctor looked at each other.

"Sometimes you'd never think she was anything more than a 20 year old Doc." Jack whispered in his ear.

"I know Jack, I know." The Doctor walked in, trying to act completely normal, ignoring the two women changing tables to find the best seat. From the glint in their eye they knew the pair were doing it on purpose. Jack strode over to a table and sat down, the Doctor followed. Martha and Rose joined them.

"Are you two going to behave?" Jack asked. Rose turned to her daughter's pushchair and lifted her out of it. The Doctor walked off towards the row of high chairs and brought one to them. Rose sat Tala in the chair comfortably, giving Tala her toy.

"What are we going to eat?" Martha asked.

"Anything you wanted." The Doctor told her. "This restaurant serves anything in the universe."

"So I could have green beans with cheese and banana?" Jack gave her a disgusted look.

"Yes but I don't know why you'd want to." Theta pulled a face at Rose.

"How do we order? There are no waiters." The Doctor pointed to an orb in the centre of the table.

"That acts as a communication device as well as a transmat beam." Martha stared at it. Rose leaned forward.

"You get used to unusual things with him, he is weird."

"I heard that!" He moaned loudly. Rose ruffled his hair.

"So what do I have?" Jack asked loudly.

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The group chatted as they ate. Rose had ordered cottage pie and chips as did Martha, the Doctor had ordered steak pie and chips, Jack had ordered scampi and salad choosing to be the healthy one among them sparking jokes of 'traitor'; Tala had her usual potatoes and vegetables.

When it came to desert the Doctor had ordered banana chunks for Tala, Rose had glared at him but only received his usual 'Bananas are good for you'. Jack decided to have toffee lumpy bumpy, and the others had fruit salad.

When the time came for them to pay, Rose handed over a small crystal bar from which the attendant that had come out to see them took the bill.

As they left they split up for the day, Rose and the Doctor decided to stroll around the valley. They travelled round doing exactly what the Doctor classed as 'domestic'.

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As they neared the TARDIS a gurgling made them look at Tala. Tala grinned and reached for the TARDIS. Rose pulled her out of the pram and let Tala touch the outside of the box, the TARDIS flared it's light briefly at the touch from another Time Lord. Rose smiled as she opened the door.

The Doctor pulled the pram up the ramp and stuffed it in the corner. Rose rolled her eyes as he tried to collapse it but gave up quickly. Tala reached to touch the controls; Rose pulled her back just in time.

"No touching the controls love," The Doctor whispered, coming to stand next to Rose resting a hand on Tala's head.

"Mind you," Rose glimpsed at the Doctor out of the corner of her eye. "She can't be worse than you piloting."

"That was rude Rose Sigma." The poked her tongue through her teeth. He leaned down slightly to press a gentle kiss to his wife's forehead, but something made him pull back suddenly. "She didn't…" He met her gaze not daring to look down.

"She couldn't have…"

"Rose please tell me she didn't…"

"We didn't hear properly…I hope." The both turned their gaze to Tala at the same time. Tala didn't say anything or make any noise at all. "See we just…" Rose trailed off as the noise came again this time it was no mistake where it came from. The Doctor stared at Tala; Rose shook her head to clear it. "This isn't fair…" Rose muttered.

"It's her first word…" He whispered.

"There's no way we could've misheard her that time."

"TAR…DIS!" Tala spoke clapping slightly, both of her parents groaned as the TARDIS hummed in appreciation.

"I think we forgot about one thing that could influence her," He told her pointing to the ship.

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The door slammed opened as Jack ad Martha ran in, immediately Jack started setting the flight controls on the TARDIS to take them into the vortex. As they began to dematerialise the consol began to spark and shake, they ere under attack.

"Who did you offend this time?" The Doctor asked.

"No one." Rose didn't like the solemn look on Jack's face.

"TAR…DIS!" Tala cut in, the only one happy at the moment. Martha looked at Tala.

"Her first word?" Rose shrugged; despite what she and Jack had to share a small smile crossed her face.

"They've stolen a vortex manipulator, not mine but someone else's."

"Who has?" The Doctor asked completely confused.

"They sniffed the air as if they were looking for something." Martha muttered. Immediately the Doctor grabbed Martha's shoulders.

"Did they see you?"

"No, they didn't." Jack met his eyes, worry evident on them.

"What is it Theta who are they?"

"I thought they'd died out," Jack cut in.

"They must have survived living in one host to another…" He turned to face Rose. "The Family, they must have known the Time Lords still exist. How though?" He ran his hands through his hair lifting it up.

"What do they want with us?"

"They want our essence, the very thing that makes us Time Lord." Rose looked worried. "They'll remove our consciousness and take over us."

"Why?"

"They want to live forever." He ruffled his hands through his hair more frantically. "We'll have to use it." Jack looked at the scream.

"They're following us!" He yelled.

"Both of you, you trust us don't you?" Jack and Martha came to stand in front of him.

"Doc…"

"Please Jack." Jack nodded his trust. Martha nodded as well. "'Cause it all depends on you." Rose seemed to cotton onto what he meant.

"Please Theta, please don't make us do this…" She pleaded; he took her face in his hands.

"We have to." He reached over and pressed a button in the consol, two fob watches came into view, he handed one to Jack and one to Martha, "Martha, this watch is me. Jack this is Rose. Tala's too young to be detected."

"...Right, okay, gotcha...No, hold on! Completely lost!" Martha told him.

"Those creatures are hunters, they can sniff out anyone- and us being a Time Lords; well, we're unique. They can track me down across the whole of time and space. They can smell us, they haven't seen us. And their life's bound to be running out- so, we hide, wait for them to die."

"But they can track us down."

"That's why we've got to do it. We have to stop being Time Lords. We're gonna become human." Rose watched as he lowered the device he'd told her about so long ago. The one he'd told her he'd use if it didn't mean losing himself – way before she'd become a Time Lady.

"Is that…" Jack couldn't get the words out.

"Chameleon Arch. Re-write my biology. Literally changes every single cell in my body. I've set it to human." He pointed to Jack, "This is what you do, you put the watch in here like this, and then well you turn it on."

"Now, the TARDIS will take care of everything. Invent a life story for us, find us a setting and integrate us. Can't do the same for you...you'll just have to improvise. We should have just enough residual awareness to let you in."

"But...hold on, if you're going to rewrite every single cell- isn't it going to hurt?" Martha asked, he didn't break eye contact with his wife.

"Oh yeah. It hurts." He took Rose's hand. "I don't want to do this to you Rose…" She silenced him with a kiss. She pulled pack and pressed a hand to his cheek.

"I guess I'll have to become someone else for a while." He reached down to her hand and gently removed her engagement and wedding ring, passing them to Jack; she removed his and passed it to Jack as well.

"Look after them for us Jack." Rose nodded; he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "Martha any problems ask Jack, he should know what to do being a former Time Agent."

"Martha, Jack look after Tala for us, please."

"I promise I will." Martha told her, before hugging her tightly. Jack hugged Rose before moving onto hugging the Doctor. Martha was a bit nervous about hugging the Doctor but he pulled her into a bear hug.

"Thank you for everything." The Doctor told them. He pressed a gentle kiss to Tala's forehead, "Be safe, Daddy loves you Tala."

"Be good for your Uncle Jack and Aunt Martha Tala, I love you." Rose kissed Tala's cheek. The Doctor walked over to the headset, but not before giving Rose a desperate kiss.

"Here goes…" He gave her a small smile, slowly placing the headset on his head.

TBC