A/N: Exams, coursework, homework, school projects...I can give you a million and one reasons why it's taken me so long and I proooomise I'll get everything done when I can.

This is supposed to be emotional. But meh.

Chapter 36 – Renegermation

When the rescue party arrived back at the Tyler flat, they came upon an eerie sight.

Jackie, Rose and Rory lay on the floor unmoving, total silence in the flat. The Doctor ran to check on Rose, his eyes surveying every part of her anatomy for damage. She was just unconscious. Howard ran to check Jackie, who was likewise. Sarah-Jane and Gwen made to check on Rory, the singe mark apparent where the bolt She had sent had entered into his abdomen.

"Doctor! He's still breathing!" Sarah-Jane announced to the waiting crowd, who all sighed with relief at the fact that there was still a chance they wouldn't have to find out whether he could regenerate or not.

The Doctor nodded, sprinting to the other room where Lottie and Zoë dwelled. His hearts skipped a beat as he saw them both still, not making a sound. He checked they were still alive, only breathing once he found them both still going strong. Evidently they were just sleeping.

Moving back to the sitting room he pointed at Gwen and Jill, ordering them to fetch Lottie and Zoë, and Howard to take Jackie as he moved to Rose. They obliged, Sarah-Jane picking up Rory and following the Doctor out the door.

He led the group out of Bucknall House and across the street to his own TARDIS. He dropped Rose off in the Infirmary before taking little Rory from Sarah-Jane's arms, sprinting with the boy to the Zero Room. The TARDIS rearranged the corridors adequately, placing the door to the Zero Room right infront of him. He burst through it, instantly feeling a sense of peace and harmony cascade over his entire body.

His speed instantly decelerated, almost tip-toeing inside the room. The Zero Room was strangely peaceful, its walls grey with slices of an easy pink. He remembered the last time he'd had to use this room…after the War. The Zero Room had been the only place the memories hadn't clouded his mind, paining him like they did outside the room. He had met Rose only shortly after he had decided to venture out, and she had been a better remedy than any Zero Room could give.

He placed Rory on the floor, touching the side of his head. Sarah-Jane ran in just in time to see the action lift Rory off of the floor, balancing on seemingly nothing. The Doctor withdrew his hand and Rory remained floating, eyes closed.

"Is he going to die?" Sarah-Jane asked, watching as the Doctor turned to face her, for once looking exhausted.

"I don't know."

"But he'll regenerate, won't he?" she questioned, almost pleading.

The Doctor maintained his gaze. "I don't know."

Jack came around first.

He was in one of the cells in what seemed to be an underground dungeon of some kind, damp, dark and just generally unpleasant. The blood smeared on the floor of the aisle down the middle pas the metal bars didn't help that impression, but at least – he realised as he looked around the cell – he was with the Doctor and Rose. Granted, both were unconscious but at least they were all together now. None of them were chained up either, which could only be a good sign, surely?

"Rosie?" he asked, moving towards her and shaking her shoulder slightly to try and bring her around. "Rose? Wake up."

"Jack?" she murmured, disoriented. "Where are we?"

"You really don't wanna know," Jack said truthfully, moving next to the Doctor and quickly checking his legs before also shaking him by the shoulder. Rose came next to Jack and rested the Doctor's head in her palm, kissing his cheek supportively. As he began to resurface to consciousness his mouth became the grit of teeth, fighting the burning pain in his legs.

"It's okay," she whispered, cupping his hand in her own palm whilst the other continued to support his head. "We're all here."

"Owie," he moaned childishly, peering down at his legs. "That's not a nice wake up call," he grunted, Rose smiling. "Jack can you do something about that please?"

"Just sortin' 'em Doc," Jack assured the Doctor with a smile, tentively reaching down towards his already half torn trouser legs and slipping them up to see the breaks clean in the bones. "Doesn't look too bad. If you kinda look past the blood and bones stickin' out, that is."

Rose had been trying not to look. "Oh thanks,"she said in a heavily sarcastic voice, "'cause I reallywanted to know that!"

Jack tried his hardest not to jolt the broken bones but it proved impossible as the Doctor winced every few seconds, swearing at Jack in five billion different languages. As Jack surveyed them more and more he realised with a flicker of dread that he was going to have to put them back into place.

He finally looked up at Rose and the Doctor, eyes full of regret. They already knew what he was going to do without him even uttering a single word.

"Do it," the Doctor said without a hint of hesitation in his voice. "Trust me, I've had worse. Ever had a papercut? Ooo, nasty stuff." He gathered up a sleeve and bunched it in his mouth, preparing for the pain. Rose tightened her grip on his hand again, pressing a quick kiss to his forehead.

"Ready?" Jack asked, and the Doctor nodded. Without a moment more of hesitation Jack took the Time Lord's right ankle in both hands, adjusted the position and wrenched it roughly towards him with a resounding 'crack'. The Doctor cried out in utter agony, almost crushing Rose's hand in his own. He hardly had time to prepare before Jack wrenched out the other one, the bone snapping back into place. He just breathed for a few moments before flashing them both a grin.

"Exhilarating," he breathed, and both his companions couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, that's the word," Jack said as he tore up the bottom of his shirt for bandages, but couldn't find anything that remotely resembled a support – making him unable to create any splints for the Doctor's legs.

"That's the best I can do," he said as he tightened the torn cloth and tied it off, reaching up to the Time Lord's arms and lifting him up, gesturing with his head for Rose to carefully take his legs. She did so, and together they moved towards the wall. They leant him against it as Rose lowered his beaten legs to the ground, before reaching up and hugging him tightly. "Well, I guess this is it," Jack said cheerfully after a few moments, "the end of an era."

"We'll get through it, we always do," Rose said as she brushed back the Doctor's hair from his eyes. "Team TARDIS, that's us."

"A bit like the Powerpuff Girls, just not midgets," Jack put into perspective, holding out his hand in the centre of the three. Rose put her hand on top of his, as the Doctor put his on hers. "Whatever happens, we'll all come through this with our lives and dignity in tact, alright?"

Rose and the Doctor nodded as the three lifted their hands from the pact, before the Doctor spoke, "Jack, Rose…" He looked at them each in turn, taking in a breath as pain from his legs hit him. "It's been fun. I just want you to know that whatever happens now, I love you both."

"Same," Rose said, nodding as she drew them both into a hug. "These have been the best years of my life and I wouldn't have missed it for the Universe."

"Me neither," Jack said, taking his coat off and draping it over the Doctor, pushing the Time Lord's head to rest on Rose's shoulder. "I don't think she's comin' back tonight. We should get some rest." Rose nodded in agreement, fiddling with the Doctor's hair.

"Night," she muttered, bringing her arms up around the Doctor as her head dropped on his, still rested on her shoulder.

"Night," Jack said, resting his head on the Doctor's other shoulder.

"Nighty night," the Doctor murmured, closing his eyes.

The Ninth Doctor was sat next to Rose's bed in the infirmary, resting his hand on her forehead. Despite the fact he knew she was just sleeping he kept checking her for vital signs, just to be sure. He wondered what had happened to the other Rose, his Tenth self and Jack…what She was doing right now. Was She going to kill them? Surely not. She would have killed them all on the spot otherwise.

"Ow my head…" Rose suddenly moaned from the bed infront of him, and within a second the Doctor was on his feet.

"Do you remember what happened?"

Rose suddenly shot straight up, eyes wide. "Rory?! He…we…"

The Doctor cut straight over the top of her, "breathe deep, don't think about that. Now tell me what happened."

She did so, fully trusting the Doctor that he had taken care of the boy. "I dunno what happened really, She just appeared out of nowhere, She looked angry. There was a bright flash and I heard him cry out, I tried to reach him but…" She shook her head, trying to stop the tears from falling down her cheeks. "I must've passed out."

He nodded to Sarah and she approached, a cup of tea in each hand. She handed one to Rose, crossing the room towards Jackie in the other bed who was starting to rouse.

"Rory?" was her first word, making to get up.

"It's okay Jackie," the Doctor instantly began, getting to his feet. "He's in the Zero Room, he'll be fine."

"The Zero Room?" Rose piped up, holding her head as she pushed herself to her feet. "What's the Zero Room?"

"It's exactly what it says," the Doctor informed them, arms folded. "A room of nothing. Null interference. Isolated from the rest of the Universe, cut off from everything. Unfortunately the power this room uses is hard to sustain so it can only be used in emergencies."

"But what does it do?"

"Mainly increases the Artron energy levels, which is the background radiation you suck up when you travel with me. It increases the amount of energy you have. Since both Gallifreyans and TARDISes use this energy it can help to heal Time Lord injuries and help the process of…" He paused for a moment, as if unwilling to speak the second option. "…Regeneration."

"Is my little Rory gonna do this renegermation?" Jackie instantly demanded, sitting straight up.

The Doctor sighed. "I don't know, Jackie."

"What d'you mean you don't know?!" she almost shrieked. "You're the Doctor! You're supposed to know!"

"I don't know!" the Doctor suddenly boomed out loud, face morphed into anger. "I've done everything I can to save my son, but believe it or not Jackie Tyler, I am not a God!"

The silence was only broken by a voice at the door, Jill popping her head around.

"Lottie and Zoë are awake," she informed them, "and Rory's…he's…"

She didn't need to finish her sentence as the Doctor was off in an instant, Sarah, Jackie and Rose close at his heels. They arrived at the Zero Room to find little Rory awake, but shaking erratically.

"I want my daddy…I want my mummy…" he was saying over and over, "granny…"

Jackie instantly bounded forward, standing over him and pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"I'm right here love," she said gently, brushing back his hair. He looked up at her with terrified brown eyes, filled with pain.

"Am I gonna die?" he asked smally, and Jackie instantly shook her head.

"Of course you're not sweetheart," she said, trying desperately to believe her own words. "As strong as your daddy, you are."

The Doctor was checking the boy over, but his results erratically differed from Jackie's reassurances. Rory barely had minutes left.

"Has your daddy ever told you about regeneration, Rory?" the Doctor asked, moving forward. Rory nodded. "Did he tell you how it works?" He nodded again.

"Said there was a light, a gold light," Rory muttered, closing his eyes. "Along a big path. Said I should go along it and just think of him, ignore everything else. He said to go through it, and everything would be all right. Said I'd change a little, but I'd still be me. He said it don't hurt and I shouldn't be scared." Rory took in a deep breath, unaware of the crowd now all in tears around him. "…Said he'd be here to help me."

Jackie held him close to her, silently weeping for her grandson. His breathing was laboured now, rasping through his throat as Death crept closer.

"Said we'd always be connected, 'cause we're Time Lords. Said he'd never leave mummy or me." He took another breath as the Doctor moved closer, taking the hand Jackie presently wasn't crushing. "Said we'd always be together, for as long as we wanted. Said we were invincible. Said he loved mummy and me with all his hearts."

"I do," the Doctor whispered, resting his hand on Rory's chest where the one heart beat weakly in his ribs. "And I always will."

Then the beating stopped.

And all they could do was wait.