A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting, but I've just gone back to school and as it's my last year I've been getting so much work, it's unbelievable. This is the first chance I've had to sit down and write, so please don't blame me if it's a bit rushed.

Chapter Fourteen.

Jack raced back outside with Rose and the Doctor following right behind him and skidded to a halt, staring up at the sky. The others followed his gaze and Rose gasped, clutching at the Doctor's hands. Something was twinkling in the sky, but far too big to be a star. Every now and then it gave a blue flicker, before dimming again. The natives of the planet had all come out of their huts and were staring up at it, some in wonder and some in fear. Several of them began to cry and ran back inside, terrified.

"Doctor, what is it?" Jack asked and Rose turned to glance at him. What she saw made her shiver. The Doctor was standing stock still, all the blood drained from his face in shock.

"That's impossible," he whispered and both Rose and Jack stared at him, awaiting an explanation. When none came Rose poked him sharply in the side.

"Doctor, tell us what it is!"

"Like I said," the Doctor said sharply, spinning around and marching back inside. "It's impossible."

"But what is it?!" Jack demanded, anger working its way into his voice.

The Doctor marched straight into Rose's room, gazing down at the sleeping child. Theta. His name, Rose's baby. It shouldn't be like this, he thought sourly. He span around to face his two companions, the Oncoming Storm written across his face.

"That," he said, gesturing upwards, "is planet Earth."

"What?" Rose and Jack chorused, shock evident in their voices. "How?"

"There must still be a miniscule hole somewhere and the planet is working itself out of the Void and back through the rift."

"So everyone can come back?" Jack asked hopefully. "They might not have all died?"

"Oh, they're all dead," the Doctor said darkly. "They couldn't have survived that."

"How do you know?" Rose asked hopefully. "Isn't it even a slight possibility?"

"No."

"And why is it so bad that the planet's coming back?" Jack demanded. "Isn't it more like a miracle?"

"That won't be planet Earth as we know it," the Doctor explained warningly. "The planet was mostly ripped apart, so that'll just be a crust. Like a shell. It'll be burnt, covered in great cracks and cavities, basically just a crumbling ball of dust. And it won't last long."

"So…" Rose said, fishing around for the right words but finding none. The Doctor seemed to understand and softened, taking her hand in his own.

"Basically what's left of the planet knows that it's not meant to be in the Void, so it's tracked down a hole and is working its way out. What's left of it will stay up there for several hours, but it's going to be badly deteriorated. It'll start crumbling almost immediately, sending down showers of debris."

A look of realisation passed over Jack's face as he glanced out of the window. "Doctor," he started. "The planet… It's directly above us."

"No it's not," Rose said in confusion. "The light, its miles away from here."

"Optical illusion," the Doctor explained.

"What's so bad about that?" Rose still wasn't sure what it all meant.

"When the planet fully works itself out of the Void," Jack said, taking over the explanation, "it'll start to crumble, as the Doctor said. And its right above us, which means the debris will fall onto us."

"I doubt that," she scoffed. "You see people in space on telly, and they sort of float. Something about gravity. It'll just float around, won't it?"

"Rose!" the Doctor said in exasperation. "You saw how close that little dot appeared? That's only the start. Once it's come through all the way, it's gonna be massive. It's in the sky, Rose. It's not just in our solar system, like the moon and stuff. It's actually in the sky, like a bird. And birds don't float."

"Oh."

"So Doctor," Jack said. "What're we gonna do?"

"You two are going to stay here," the Doctor said, a strange expression on his face. "I'm going to use the TARDIS to get out there and have a look. I'm pretty sure that the only option I have is to force the planet back into the Void and seal it."

"How will you get the planet back inside the Void?" Rose asked.

"Oh, I'll harness the TARDIS's quantum DIS conductor to deflect the energy. No worries."

Rose didn't notice the lightness of the Doctor's tone, or the strange expression that remained on his features. Jack however gave him a suspicious glare, but he shrugged it off, guiding Rose over to Theta's cot.

"Take good care of him," he murmured, eyes lingering on the sleeping baby. Then he stepped over to Jack, speaking quietly to the captain. "Jack, there's a huge chance that it won't work so I want you to get everyone on the planet organised, and run them through earthquake procedures. Make sure they all know how to remain as safe as possible."

"Doct-," Jack started but was cut off.

"If I can't do it then like I said, there'll be debris flying everywhere. You were in the Blitz, and you survived so you know better than anyone what to do. Make sure everyone is safe, especially Rose and Theta."

"Doctor," he tried again but was ignored.

"Most importantly Jack," he said seriously. "Don't forget this: be there. Just promise me, that you'll always be there. Promise me you'll always be there to hold Rose when she cries. Promise you'll always make her smile. Promise you'll be there when Theta takes his first steps, and says his first words. Promise me Jack. Just promise you'll always be there."

The captain opened his mouth to argue, but decided against it. "I promise."

"Right then!" the Doctor said brightly, willing the tears not to fall. "That's that then. I'll be off now."

"Doctor," Rose said quickly, glancing up from Theta's tiny sleeping form. "You'll be alright, won't you?"

"Of course!" he said, voice slightly higher than normal. "I'm always alright Rose. I'll see you when I get back, and everything's fixed, yeah?"

"Okay," she nodded, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. The Doctor felt the tears pricking his eyes but refused to give in to the urge to cry. At last he reluctantly pulled away from Rose, gazing down at her beautiful face. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before stepping over to the cot.

"Be good, little one," he whispered to the sleeping baby. "I'm sorry I broke my promise. I was going to be here for you, give you a real chance. And just so you know… Even though you're not mine, I'll always love you."

And with that, the Doctor raced out of the door towards the TARDIS. Rose let the tears run silently down her face, Jack watched sadly, and Theta continued to sleep, blissfully unaware of what had just occurred. As he turned away from the door Jack whispered, "I promise."

TBC…

PLEASE review!!!