Hello Everyone! Im SO SO SO sorry this took so long, but you know how finals are. Anyway, here is the next chapter, and I think this story should be completed within the next month or two. :) So, who is LOVING the new season? I won't spoil anything, but seriously, my jaw hit the floor on episode 1 and it hasn't returned to its normal position since then. He he. Anyway, enjoy, review, and as always, be brilliant. -KMC
The silence became unbearable, and Rose couldn't bear it any longer.
"Well," she said, wiping the tears from her eyes, "What are we going to do? They have Ellie, and probably my mum and Tony. We have to work quickly and find out where they are hiding them, and…"
Rose's words started blurring together as she began to ramble from stress. Ten rushed to her and grabbed her by her upper arms and shook her out of her panic. She looked up into his eyes and tears silently began to drip down her face. Ten pulled her into his arms, his face hard and determined, whispering "We'll get her back. Do you hear me? We'll get her back."
"Well, Doctor, what are we going to do?" Ten asked the still silent Doctor.
The Doctor remained with his back turned to everyone in the room, and had not moved his tensed shoulders and neck since the video message had ended. He slowly turned to face the rest of the group, and what they saw on his face gave them a painful feeling in the pit of their stomach.
His eyes swept the room, first landing on Ten's, and it looked as if he were willing him to understand something. Then he turned to Rose, and at once everyone knew what the infamous Time Lord was thinking. His face was pained and sorrowful, almost pleading, but determined.
Rose pushed her way out of Ten's arms. "No, Doctor. NO! We are not sacrificing my daughter! Do you hear me? Not her!" The tears returned to her eyes again, but the anger flashed in her eyes, and the Doctor could see traces of the Bad Wolf in them.
The Doctor looked at her sadly, and said softly, "Rose, I understand that it's your daughter, but think about it; this world and every other universe, every parallel world being taken over by the Daleks and Cybermen. What can I do…?"
Rose walked over, got right in the Doctor's face, and in a deadly whisper said, "Here's what you can do Doctor. You can save my daughter and the universe, no compromise, no sacrifices. I've seen you do that and more before. Unless you're less now. Maybe the regeneration made you less of a genius. Less of the Doctor. I'm glad I never had to meet you after you changed, because I would have been so disappointed with the outcome…"
With that she brushed by him angrily and stormed out of the door. The Doctor remained standing there, his face once again holding that look of ancient sadness caused by seeing too much pain and death, and being the cause of so much more. He looked up at his two companions, who couldn't offer him any kind looks of reassurance, only looks of blind trust and confusion.
The Doctor's eyes finally fell on Ten's, hoping to find a common mind, a friend in this difficult time, but one look at his face and the Doctor knew he had no ally there. Ten's eyes betrayed the battle raging within him. He understood the Doctor's choice, and why he couldn't save his daughter, but the more powerful emotions of concerned father were winning out in his conscious.
The Doctor saw this conflict, and smiled sadly. Rose had done a world of good for this half Time Lord. She had brought out the best in him, the human part, and made his human emotions much stronger than the full Time Lord Doctor could ever feel. This meant, though, that the human emotions could block his logical thinking, and cloud his judgment.
The Doctor saw Ten's human side win out, and acknowledged his choice with a sad nod of his head. Ten knew that the Doctor understood where his loyalties remained, and with a small hard nod, rushed out of the room after Rose, most likely to start formulating a plan.
Amy and Rory were left with the Doctor, unsure of what to say. Amy approached the Doctor slowly, and asked "Doctor, what are we going to do? I mean, how are we going to help them—"
The Doctor interrupted her, "We are not going to do anything. As soon as it's done charging, we are going to get in the TARDIS and head straight back to our own universe."
Amy replied in confusion, "We're not going to do anything? But their world is under attack, and that girl is being held hostage, we have to do something…"
The Doctor snapped out of his motionless stance and in three strides was standing right in front of Amy yelling "WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE ME DO? This world has already been seized by the Daleks and Cybermen. If I let myself be killed, then that means they will spread to every dimension, every universe, until they have infected all of time and space!" Amy cowered back into Rory, never having been more frightened of the Doctor's anger, and never having realized how alien he truly was.
The Doctor saw the frightened looks on his friends' faces, and he was at once saddened and ashamed. He covered his face with his hands and let out an ancient sigh. He looked at them again, and said sadly, "I can't save the girl. If I do, it means the end of this and every world. And I hate myself for it."
Amy and Rory looked at each other, both sharing a feeling of concern for their old friend. Rory took a step closer to the Doctor, and tentatively asked, "Can't we try? Can't we at least try something to save Ellie?"
The Doctor began to pace the office, and letting out a frustrated groan, said "There isn't anything. I've already gone over a million plans in my head and I can't see any way of defeating them. Separately, maybe, but together, there are too many. Their hatred of me seems to have made them re-think their own animosity. Besides, we have no element of surprise. They will detect any plans made by the Doctor and I long before they can be acted out. If only we had something new, something they've never encountered before…."
At that moment, the Doctor stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes landed on his two new companions, gazing at him with looks of bewilderment. An idea began to blossom in the Doctor's mind, as a small but very powerful feeling took root deep in the Doctor's chest. A feeling that can be crushed and burned and killed, but always finds a small patch of land and a little nourishment to grow, and eventually blooms into that emotion that once felt, cannot be contained—a feeling of hope…
Ten and Rose were in the abandoned portion of Torchwood Towers, where Rose and Jackie had crossed into this dimension during the battle of Canary Wharf. Rose paced back and forth, completely lost in thoughts of her young daughter. Ten was trying to re-establish the visual link to the Daleks and Cybermen, using the equipment in the room as an amplifier.
Finally, a hazy picture appeared on the wall, and Ten yelled to Rose, "I've got it! I just have to connect the sound, and….."
They could hear the cold metallic voice of the Cybermen, apparently arguing with the Daleks. Ten shouted "Hey Thickity Thick Heads!"
This immediately caught their attention, and a Dalek rolled into view. "Doc-tor? Do you want to turn yourself in to be exterminated yet?"
Ten characteristically pulled his earlobe and said, "Weeeeellll, I could do that, but before I do, I want to know; how do I get my daughter back unharmed?"
Rose stood directly behind her Doctor, her fierce glare laced with hatred at the monsters who took her only child. The Doctor waited for a response anxiously, afraid of the answer.
A Cyberman came into the view of the frame, and said coldly, "If you want the female child back, both of you must surrender yourself to us. No tricks, no plans. Once we have you both, the child will be released into the main government storage facility under the Thames, for someone to retrieve her there at a later time."
Ten shook his head in desperation, and asked, "What if it is only one of us—"
"IT MUST BE BOTH!" the Dalek shrieked. "It must be both of you, or the child will be EXTERMINATED!"
Ten pointed the sonic screwdriver at the screen and muted the volume. He turned to Rose and said, "What are we going to do? He won't surrender himself, not if it means that the Daleks and Cybermen will be allowed to travel to the other dimensions."
Rose groaned in frustration, "Damn that insufferable alien git…..Doctor!"
At that moment, the Doctor burst through the door, sonic screwdriver ablaze, his two companions following behind him in complete confusion.
The Doctor restored sound to the link, and said to the Dalek and Cyberman, "Hello. Miss me? Well, to get down to business, we have decided it was in the best interest of all involved to surrender. Am I right?" He turned to look at the flabbergasted Ten and Rose, throwing them a wink and a smile while his back was to the screen. "Alright, we all agree. Surrender. Now, where should we have this little get together?"
The Dalek and Cyberman faced each other, and then turned to the Doctor and said in unison, "Parliament building, in exactly one hour." The screen went blank, and left the room in darkness. The Doctor used the sonic to restore some lights to the room and muttered "Of course they would choose the bloody building furthest away from the storage facility…."
Rose approached the Doctor and asked, "Doctor, what the hell is going on?" The Doctor turned to Rose and looked at her as if he hadn't realized yet that she was there. "Oh, yes. Well, I've thought about what you said earlier—"
Rose interrupted him, feeling ashamed, "Doctor, I didn't mean it, I…"
The Doctor placed a hand on her shoulder, effectively silencing her, and said quietly, "I know. And you were right. I wasn't acting like the Doctor. But guess what?" The Doctor paused for a moment to stare at Rose, and a small coy smile spread to his lips. "I'm back."
The Doctor then began to search around the room, picking up bits of stuff here and there, throwing some aside, while placing others in a neat pile.
Rory stepped forward and said, "Wait, Doctor I still don't understand. What are we doing?"
The Doctor stopped and looked at everyone and slapped his forehead, "Oh yes! Right! Got a little carried away for a moment. Right, yes. The Daleks and Cybermen think they are so clever, and that they know everything about the Doctor, but really, they are so thick when it comes to us. They think that by containing the both of us, they will have free reign to conquer and destroy the whole of time and space, and that we will be helpless when we are imprisoned or dead. But they have completely missed the most important, the most crucial part of the Doctor's success." At that the Doctor stopped and looked at everyone again. The three humans were still puzzled, but comprehension was beginning to dawn on Ten's face.
The Doctor smiled slyly and asked, "What is the most important part of the Doctor?"
Rose immediately said "His mind," while Amy and Rory simultaneously said, "The TARDIS," and "The Sonic Screwdriver."
Ten pushed through Amy and Rose and came to stand next to the Doctor, a big smile on his face. "No. His companions. His friends; they are the most important part of the Doctor."
The two Time Lords stood and surveyed their companions, and while they still did not fully grasp their worth, the two Time Lords could see the amazing abilities of their friends.
Ten turned toward the Doctor and grabbed his hand, saying, "You, sir, are a genius."
The Doctor laughed, and vigorously returned the handshake, "Thank you, but I believe I got most of it from you."
Ten smiled and shrugged his shoulders, "Weeellll…."
Rose held up a hand to silence the two brilliant idiots, "I still don't see what we are doing."
The Doctor turned toward Rose, Amy, and Rory, with Ten at his side, and said "We are going to surrender to the enemy, save Ellie, become masters of disguise, start a civil war, defeat the Dalek and Cybermen, and save the universe, all in a little less than an hour. Have I impressed you yet, Rose Tyler?"