Chapter 5:

The Past of Two/Dalek

By: Izzy

The Doctor had decided to stay in the vortex for a while, so he could make some repairs. Rhiannon was enjoying the off time. She spent her time teaching herself advanced mathematics. She loved math, ever since she was a small child. She also loved history but she figured that she would see enough of that just being with the Doctor. Since she knew that she was going to be in the vortex for awhile she took her morning walks again.

Rose and Rhiannon watched movies together, sometimes the Doctor joined them. Rose was surprised by Rhiannon's taste in movies. She liked science fiction, fantasy, and action. She didn't watch that many romances. Where Rose like romances and fantasy films. So more often than not, they watched a romance/fantasy. But on the odd occasion that Rose would let Rhiannon pick, they would watch a science fiction and that is when Rhiannon would invite the Doctor to watch with them. She liked when he would tell them what was true and what was fiction in the movie. Most of the movies they watched she had already seen so she would study and watch at the same time.

On the third day of being in the vortex, Rhiannon didn't take her morning walk or cook breakfast. Which slightly worried the Doctor because she was a creature of habit. He knocked on her door. "It's open!" she shouted.

The Doctor walked in and was blown away by her room. It was larger than his room, then the thought crossed his mind that the TARDIS liked Rhiannon better than him. He shook his head. "We haven't seen you all day," he said.

"Oh, yeah sorry," she said, not looking up from her work. "I have been having trouble understanding this chapter so I have been kind of absorbed."

"What are you reading?" he asked, wondering what could have this brilliant woman so stumped that she wouldn't come out of her room.

She looked up at him. "I am studying advanced mathematics," she said as she showed him the cover of the book. "I love math and I wanted to know more."

"That is advanced math from Gallifrey," he said surprised that she had that book and that it was in English. He walked up to her and held his hand out. "May I?" She handed him the book, he flipped to the page she had marked. "You're on chapter 10? And you understood chapters 1 through 9?"

"Yeah," she said. "If you'd like to see my notes I can show you."

"Yeah," he said. She sat up and flipped the spiral bound notebook to the beginning.

"Here," she said as she pat the cushion beside her. He nodded and sat beside her. She handed him the notebook. He put down the math book and took the notebook. She watched as he read the notebook, his eyes lit up as he read it.

"How did you do this?" he asked. "No human should be able to do this. I mean this is Gallifreyan mathematics."

"Well I did all the Earth math and the first book of Gallifreyan math was in my shelf." she said pointing to her book shelf. "The basic Gallifreyan math was easy really once I got the hang of it." She shrugged and his eyes when wide. "But I'm having a harder time with this." She pointed to the book.

"Fantastic!" he exclaimed. After he was done reading her notes and helping her correct the three problems she got wrong. Which impressed him. He helped her understand the chapter she was stuck on. Her want for knowledge, and understanding of it was inspiring to him and he knew where he was going to take her to make up her birthday to her. "Get ready! I'm going to take you somewhere special." He grinned as he moved all the math books and notes off him, then jumped up to the door.

She smiled as she moved to her bedroom and changed out of her pajamas into red halter top, a black jean mini skirt, red leggings, black knee high boots and her usual black elbow length gloves. She skipped off to the console room. She didn't know why she felt like skipping but she did, like the weight in her heart was not as bad. When she got to the console room Rose was there and the Doctor looked worried as he looked at the monitor. Just as Rhiannon was going to ask what was wrong, he ran out of the TARDIS doors.

"So what is it?" Rose said as she followed him.

"What's wrong?" Rhiannon said following Rose.

"Don't know." he said. "Some kind of signal drawing the TARDIS off course."

"Where are we?" Rose asked.

"Earth. Utah, North America." he said. Rhiannon froze because she knew. Oh, and she knew that this day was going to a tough day for them all. "About half a mile underground."

"And when are we?" Rose asked.

"Two thousand and twelve." he replied as he walked up to a display case.

"God, that's so close. So I should be twenty six." Rose said as the Doctor flipped a switch behind the case. "Blimey. It's a great big museum."

"An alien museum. Someone's got a hobby." he said as he turned to see Rhiannon white as a sheet. He had never seen her like that. "What's wrong Rhiannon?"

"Oh," she said surprised. "Just a bit mortified by the fact that someone would do this." She relaxed a little when he put a comforting hand on her left shoulder. And Rose grabbed Rhiannon's hand. "That and we're in America. So close to home." Those were not lies she had always been repulsed by Van Station's museum.

"They must have spent a fortune on this." he said as he moved to the case in front of Rhiannon. "Chunks of meteorite, moon dust." Then he moved to the next one. "That's the milometer from the Roswell spaceship."

"That's a bit of Slitheen!" Rose said as she walked up to the case across from the Doctor. "That's a Slitheen's arm. It's been stuffed."
Rhiannon walked just past the Doctor to a case with a Cyberman head in it. She looked on it with a sad look. He noticed what she was looking at. "Oh, look at you." he said as he came up from behind her.

"What is it?" Rose asked as she came up behind them both.

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

"You're not that old," Rhiannon whispered and nudged him. He gave her a small smile.

"Is that where the signal's coming from?" Rose asked. Which brought his attention back to the Cyberman head.

"No, it's stone dead." he said. "The signal's alive. Something 's reaching out, calling for help."

"No don't to-" Rhiannon started but it was too he touched the case which cause the guard to surround them.

"If someone's collecting aliens, that makes you Exhibit A." Rose said. The guards escorted them to the elevator where the woman, Rhiannon remembered her name was Goddard, was waiting for them. They traveled up in the elevator to the first floor. They entered in the office, Rhiannon ducked behind the Doctor so that way the man at the desk wouldn't see her. She knew that man Henry Van Staten, the owner of the museum. She was only hiding from him so she could 'try' and keep her cool. Van Staten was someone she would give a piece of her mind and probably get arrested and be of no help to the Doctor or Rose so yeah, keeping mouth shut was the best idea right now.

"What does it do?" Van Staten asked.

"Well, you see the tubes on the side?" said her other least favor person in the Doctor Who universe, Adam Michell. "It must be to channel something. I think maybe fuel."

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

"Shut it." Goddard said.

"Really, though, that's wrong." he continued with everyone looking at him with guns drawn. Van Staten raised his hand and the guard lowered their guns.

"Is it dangerous?" Adam asked.

"No, it just looks silly." the Doctor said as he reached for the artifact. The guard pulled their guns to the ready again. And for the first time in Rhiannon's life she was scared of guns. Her Dad owned guns so she herself had fired some, heck she knew how to dismantle many types of guns. But she couldn't dismantle all the guns in the room before they could shoot the Doctor. Though her brain was already in strategy mode trying to think of a way to get them out safely. Van Staten raised his hand and the guards lowered their guns. Rhiannon audibly sighed.

The Doctor heard her and figured he would ask her later what that was about, right now he wanted to show this man how to use this musical instrument. Van Staten handed the Doctor the musical instrument. "You just need to be," he said as he delicately stroked the musical instrument. "Delicate."

Rhiannon heard the tune, it sounded so beautiful to her. She wanted it but she knew that she couldn't get it. "It's a musical instrument." Van Staten said in wonder.

"And it's a long way from home." the Doctor said with a large smile.

"Here, let me." Van Staten said as the Doctor handed it back to Van Staten. He stroked it roughly. And the sound was terrible.

"I did say delicate." the Doctor said. "It reacts to the smallest fingerprint. It needs precision." Van Staten finally got the hang of it but she still didn't think the sound was as good as when the Doctor used it. "Very good. Quite the expert."

"As are you." Van Staten said as he tossed the artifact aside. Rhiannon didn't have to see the Doctor's face to know that he frowned at that action. "Who exactly are you?"

"I'm the Doctor." he said. "And who are you?"

"Like you don't know." Van Staten said. "We're hidden away with the most valuable collection of extra-terrestrial artifacts in the world, and you just stumbled in by mistake."

"Pretty much sums me up, yeah." the Doctor said lightheartedly.

"The question is, how did you get in?" Van Staten said. "Fifty three floors down, with your little cat burglar accomplice. You're quite a collector yourself, she's rather pretty."

"She's going to smack you if you keep calling her she." Rose said bitterly.

"She's English too!" he laughed. "Hey, little Lord Fauntleroy. Got you a girlfriend."

"This is Mister Henry Van Statten." Adam said.

"And who's he when he's at home?" Rose said.

"He owns the Internet." Rhiannon said bitterly as she came out from behind the Doctor knowing that she couldn't keep silent anymore.

"Oh and this one is beautiful too and from America." Van Staten said with a fair amount of glee, which made the Doctor frown.

"Don't be silly." Rose said as she looked at Rhiannon then back to Van Staten. "No one owns the Internet."

"And let's just keep the whole world thinking that way, right kids?" Van Staten said.

"So you're just about an expert in everything except the things in your museum." the Doctor said calmly but Rhiannon could feel the anger under his calm exterior. "Anything you don't understand, you lock up."

"And you claim greater knowledge?" Van Staten said.

"I don't need to make claims, I know how good I am." the Doctor said proudly.

"And yet, I captured you." Van Staten said. "Right next to the Cage. What were you doing down there?"

"You tell me." the Doctor said.

"The cage contains my one living specimen." Van Staten said.

"And what's that?" the Doctor said.

"Like you don't know." Van Staten said.

"Show me." the Doctor said.

"You want to see it?" Van Staten said.

"Blimey, you can smell the testosterone." Rose said.

"Oh, my!" Rhiannon said like George Takei. The Doctor gave her a strange look. "Couldn't resist, sorry."

"Goddard, inform the Cage we're heading down." Van Staten said ignoring Rhiannon. "You, English. Look after the girls. Go and ca-noodle or spoon or whatever it is you British do. And you, Doctor with no name, come and see my pet." Van Staten led the Doctor and his guards took another elevator to the Cage. While Adam led Rose and Rhiannon to his office.

"I'm Adam Michell," Adam said as he offered Rose a hand.

"My name is Rose Tyler," she said. She shook his hand then, then he turned to Rhiannon.

"And you are?" he asked.

"Not impressed." Rhiannon said.

"Her name is Rhiannon." Rose said. "Sorry she is rude sometimes. I think the Doctor is rubbing off on her." Rose walked in and acted like it was the first time seeing anything alien. Rhiannon rolled her eyes and sat on a stool that was as far away from where Adam stood as she could get.

"Sorry about the mess." Adam said as he sat in front of his computer. "Mister Van Statten sort of lets me do my own thing, so long as I deliver the goods." He hands Rose a flat triangular piece of metal. "What do you think that is?"

"Er, a lump of metal?" Rose asked stupidly.

"Yeah. Yeah, but I think, well, I'm almost certain, it's from the hull of a spacecraft." Adam said. "The thing is, it's all true. Everything the United Nations tries to keep quiet, spacecraft, aliens, visitors to Earth. They really exist."

"Baka!" Rhiannon said."Baka, baka, baka, baka." (baka means idiot or fool but she means idiot)

"That's amazing." Rose said ignoring Rhiannon cause the TARDIS wouldn't translate what she was saying.

"I know it sounds incredible, but I honestly believe the whole universe is just teeming with life." Adam said and Rhiannon rolled her eyes again.

"I'm gob smacked, yeah. And you do what, sit here and catalog it?" Rose said.

"Anata no ryōhō wa bakadesu," Rhiannon said. Rose wondered why every time Rhiannon said something in whatever language she was speaking the TARDIS wouldn't translate. (Rhiannon said: 'You both are idiots')

"Best job in the world." Adam said ignoring Rhiannon since he didn't know what she said. Though he was getting worried that Rhiannon was cussing them out.

"Imagine if you could get out there." Rose said. "Travel among the stars and see it for real."

"Yeah," he said. "I'd give anything. I don't think it's ever going to happen. Not in our lifetimes."

"Oh, you never know." Rose said. "What about all those people who say they've been inside of spaceships and things and talked to aliens?"

"I think they're nutters." he said.

"Yeah, me too. So, how 'd you end up here?" Rose said. Rhiannon sighed loudly.

"Van Statten has agents all over the world looking for geniuses to recruit." he said.

"Oh, right. You're a genius." Rose said.

"Yeah, right," Rhiannon whispered.

"Sorry, but yeah." he laughed. "I can't help it. I was born clever. When I was eight, I logged onto the US Defense System. Nearly caused World War Three."

"What, and that's funny, is it?" Rose asked.

"Well, you should 've been there just to see them running about." he laughed. "Fantastic!"

"You sound like the Doctor." Rose said.

"Yeah, right." Rhiannon said loudly and rolled her eyes.

"Are you and him?" he asked looking at Rose.

"No, we're just friends." Rose replied. "Rhiannon is the one who loves him."

"Good." Adam said.

"Why is it good?" Rose asked.

"It just is." he said.

"So, wouldn't you rather be downstairs?" Rose asked. "I mean, you've got these bits of metal and stuff, but Mister Van Staten's got a living creature down there."

"Yeah." he said. "Yeah, well, I did ask, but he keeps it to himself. Although, if you're a genius, it doesn't take long to patch through on the comm. system." Rhiannon made a fake puking sound.

Rose moved over to Rhiannon. "Will you stop it!" Rose said. "I'm just being friendly." Rhiannon rolled her eyes and shrugged so Rose moved back to Adam. "Let's have a look, then."

"It doesn't do much, the alien." he said. "It's weird. It's kind of useless. It's just like this great big pepper pot." Rhiannon moved so she could look at the monitor with them. He pulled up the camera from the Cage, with the Dalek in it. There was a man drilling in to the metal containing the Dalek. Rhiannon felt bad for it but at the same time she was taking some joy that it was dying.

"It's being tortured!" Rose exclaimed. "Where's the Doctor?"

"I don't know." he answered lamely.

"Take me down there now." Rose demanded. Adam led Rose and Rhiannon downstairs to the Cage. They got to the Cage and were stopped by a guard.

"Hold it right there." the guard said.

"Level three access." Adam said showing the guard his ID card. "Special clearance from Mister Van Statten." The guard opened the door for them. When Rhiannon saw the Dalek for the first time, she was disgusted. Both at the humans that tortured it and at the Dalek for being what it is. She didn't fear it out of unknowing or fear it out of fear of death, she feared what it could do to the others.

"Don't get too close." Adam said. After he was in the guard closed the door.

"Hello. Are you in pain?" Rose asked then paused giving it a chance to speak when it didn't she continued. "My name's Rose Tyler. I've got a friend, he can help. He's called the Doctor. What's your name?"

"Yes." the Dalek said.

"What?" Rose asked.

"I am in pain." the Dalek said. "They torture me, but still they fear me. Do you fear me?" Rhiannon moved closer, pushing her fear aside. She moved so she could stop Rose from touching the Dalek.

"No." Rose said.

"I am dying." the Dalek replied.

"No, we can help." Rose said.

"I welcome death." the Dalek said, "But I am glad that before I die I have met a human who was not afraid."

"Isn't there anything I can do?" Rose said.

"My race is dead, and I shall die alone." the Dalek said. She reached out to the Dalek.

"Don't Rose!" Rhiannon shouted as she hit Rose's hand away. Rhiannon lost her balance causing her to fall on the Dalek. She cried out in pain as she slid down, there was a gold spot on the Dalek that faded quickly.

"Genetic material extrapolated. Initiate cellular reconstruction!" the Dalek shouted as it broke it's chains.

"What the hell have you done?" Simmons shouted as he entered the room. Rhiannon clambered to her feet as fast as she could pulling Rose out of the room. Simmons grabbed his drill and went to attack the Dalek.

"It's killing him! Do something!" Rose shouted at the guard that entered the area they were in.

"Condition red! Condition red!" the commander shouted. Suddenly the monitor turned on and the Doctor was on the other end.

"You've got to keep it in that cell." he said to the guards.

"I've sealed the compartment. It can't get out, that lock's got a billion combinations." the guard said.

"A Dalek's a genius." the Doctor said. "It can calculate a thousand billion combinations in one second flat." Shortly after that was said the Dalek came in to the area they were in.

"Open fire!" the commander said.

"Don't shoot it!" Van Staten said over the monitor. Rhiannon sighed, she really didn't like that man. "I want it unharmed.

"Rhiannon, get out of there!" the Doctor shouted with fear lacing his voice.

"De Maggio, take the civilians and get them out alive. That is your job, got that?" the commander said.

"You, with me." a female guard said to Adam, Rhiannon and Rose. The three of them followed the woman. Rhiannon was sad that this happened but it did so there was nothing she could do now but protect Rose and the baka she was flirting with. "Civilians! Let them through!" They ran through the testing area where there was tons of armed men waiting. The woman, Adam, and Rose stopped to watch as the Dalek entered. Rhiannon didn't need to watch she knew but she also need to keep Rose safe.

"Rose we have to get higher," Rhiannon said as she grabbed Rose's arm. Rose nodded, Rhiannon let go and Rose grabbed Rhiannon's hand. They ran to the stair case.

"Stairs!" Rose said. "That's more like it. It hasn't got legs."

"You don't think it can you know fly?" Rhiannon said annoyed. But Rose and Rhiannon both stopped on the stair case. Both for different reasons, Rose to prove herself right and Rhiannon to save De Maggio. They didn't have to wait long, Adam followed by De Maggio came running to the stair case.

"It's coming! Get up!" she shouted to Adam. Shortly after Adam was on the stairs the Dalek entered the stair case.

"Great big alien death machine defeated by a flight of stairs." Adam teased and Rhiannon rolled her eyes.

"Now listen to me." De Maggio said pointing her hand gun at the Dalek. "I demand that you return to your cage. If you want to negotiate then I can guarantee that Mister van Statten will be willing to talk. I accept that we imprisoned you and maybe that was wrong, but people have died, and that stops right now. The killing stops. Have you got that? I demand that you surrender. Is that clear?"

"Elevate." the Dalek said and it began to do just that.

"Of course you were right," Rose said a bit put out at being wrong but scared more than anything.

"Adam, get them out of here." De Maggio said, shaking with fear.

"You can't stop this thing." Rhiannon said plainly as she walked up to De Maggio.

"Someone's got to try. Now get out! Don't look back. Just run." De Maggio said. Rhiannon in one quick movement took the gun and dismantled it with ease.

"Now come on," Rhiannon said pulling De Maggio as she ran behind Adam and Rose. They ran and when to stop at another huddle of soldiers. "No stopping, we push on!" They get to level forty nine and Rose's cell rings.

"This isn't the best time." Rose answered. "Level forty nine." Then something else was said. "Can't you stop them closing?" Rhiannon knew the answer. "We're nearly there. Give us two seconds." They reached level 46 and the bulk head was closing but there was enough time for all of them too get through. Rhiannon made sure that Rose was through, then Adam, and finally De Maggio. But since Rhiannon made sure everyone else got through there was not enough time for her to slide under.

"Rose!" Rhiannon shouted.

"Yeah?" Rose shouted back a bit more frantic than Rhiannon.

"You still on the phone with the Doctor?" Rhiannon asked.

"Yeah." Rose said.

"Tell him a couple things for me." Rhiannon said, "Tell him that this was not his fault, I choose this." Rhiannon took a deep breath as she could sense the hate that was coming from behind her. "And that he is hope to so many so never stop."

"Exterminate!" the Dalek proclaimed and it fired but missed.

"What's up lost your nerve?" Rhiannon said softly as she heard the others leave.

"I am armed. I will kill. It is my purpose." the Dalek said waving it's gun around firing randomly.

"So many dead," she said solemnly.

"We killed them," the Dalek said.

"I know," she said in the same tone.

"You are sad," the Dalek said.

"What 'd you expect?" she shouted at the Dalek.

"Daleks do not feel. Must not feel." the Dalek shouted upset. Well as upset as a Dalek can sound. "You gave me life. What else have you given me? I am contaminated." The monitor above the bulk head turned on revealing the Doctor and company. "Open the bulkhead or Rhiannon Riwitis dies."

"You're alive!" the Doctor said as his face lit up with pure joy. That made Rhiannon smile.

"Not kicking it yet." she said.

"I thought you were dead." he cried.

"Open the bulkhead!" the Dalek demanded.

"Don't Doctor," Rhiannon said.

"What use are emotions if you will not save the woman you love?" the Dalek said. She looked down at the Dalek with a mix of confusing and disbelieve.

"I killed her once." he said. "I can't do it again."

"Please don't kill them." she said. "You didn't kill me that means you don't have to kill." She knew her words would help the Dalek come to it decision.

"But why not?" it said. "Why are you alive? My function is to kill. What am I? What am I?" They arrived on the first floor and Rhiannon looked at Van Staten. She of course didn't see the Doctor, Rose, or Adam.

"Don't move." Rhiannon said. "Don't do anything. It's questioning itself."

"Van Staten." it addressed the man and Van Staten looked like he was going to pee his pants. That thought made Rhiannon smile. "You tortured me. Why?"

"I wanted to help you." he pleaded looking like the wimp he truly is. "I just, I don't know. I was trying to help. I thought if we could get through to you, if we could mend you. I wanted you better. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I swear, I just wanted you to talk!" The Dalek pinned him to the wall.

"Then hear me talk now." it shouted. "Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!" And as much as Rhiannon wanted to watch this man get his just dos, she knew she couldn't let him die here.

"Don't!" Rhiannon shouted. "Don't kill him! You don't have to do this anymore. There must be something else, not just killing. What do you want?"

"I want freedom." the Dalek said. Van Staten moved out of the way of the door and the two of them traveled down a long hall. The Dalek stopped and blasted a hole in the ceiling.

"You're free." she said. "You did it. Wow never thought I would miss the feeling of the sun." She liked darkness more than light but that was mostly because she has migraines that she thanked the Goddess that she hadn't had one since she had been traveling with the Doctor.

"How does it feel?" the Dalek asked, it's question pulled her out of her thoughts. The Dalek's metal case opened. She had seen on the show what the true face of the Dalek looked like but even then she was still not prepared for the smell and the true look of it. It smelled funny, there was no smell in her brain she could compare it to.

"Get out of the way." she heard the Doctor's voice come from behind her so she turned around. "Rhiannon, get out of the way now!" He stood there holding a large gun pointed dead at her.

"No." she said simply.

"That thing killed hundreds of people." he protested.

"The Dalek is not the one pointing a gun at me." she said calmly.

"I've got to do this." he said panic deep in his voice. "I've got to end it. The Daleks destroyed my home, my people. I've got nothing left."

"But look," she said as she moved and he lowed his gun.

"What's it doing?" he asked.

"It wanted the sun." she said.

"But it can't-" he started.

"It didn't kill Van Statten, it couldn't kill me." she said. "It's changing. What about you, Doctor? What the hell are you changing into?"

"I couldn't. I wasn't." he stumbled over his words looking like he could just unravel right there. "Oh, Rhiannon. They're all dead."

"Why do we survive?" the Dalek said.

"I don't know." he said.

"I am the last of the Daleks." it said.

"You're not even that." he said. "Rhiannon did more than regenerate you. You've absorbed her DNA. You're mutating."

"Into what?" it asked.

"Something new. I'm sorry." he said.

"Rhiannon," it said. "I can feel so many ideas. So much darkness. Rhiannon, give me orders. Order me to die."

"Are you sure?" she asked as she turned to look back at it.

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

"Very well, I order you to die." she said it quietly.

"Exterminate." it cried as it closed it's case again and rose to the air using it's own force-field to kill itself. She backed away and watched until it was completely gone. She moved closer to the Doctor and grabbed the gun. He released the gun to her she laid it on the floor. She hugged him, he hugged her back. She moved to look him in the eyes. She saw all the pain in them but she also saw the seeds of love that she had seen before growing. She was so lost in his eyes she didn't realize that he was leaning down, until his lips were on hers. She was surprised but she didn't pull away. In fact when he licked her bottom lip she opened her mouth letting him explore her mouth with his tongue and she then did the same to his mouth. This went on until she needed air. He pulled away and grabbed her hand pulling her back to the TARDIS.

On the way back her mind was buzzing. She made a choose then and pulled him back a little just enough to let him know she wanted to tell him something. "What?" he asked worried.

"Call me, Rhee. Not Rhiannon." she said with a sweet smile that melted his hearts.

"Rhee?" he tested how the nickname sounded on his lips. He liked it. It was no where as beautiful as her full name that suited her so well, but it was still good. "Alright Rhee." He smiled at her and they began to run again towards the TARDIS. They reached the TARDIS and he started to feel a bit homesick for a home he destroyed. "A little piece of home. Better than nothing." Rose and Adam walked up. Rhiannon groaned.

"Is that the end of it, the Time War?" Rose asked.

"I'm the only one left." the Doctor said sadly but not as sadly as she remembered his tone on the show. Was she healing him? She wondered. "I win. How about that?"

"The Dalek survived. Maybe some of your people did too." Rose said trying to comfort her friend.

"I'd know. In here." he said as he pointed to his head. "Feels like there's no one." He looked over at Rhiannon. "She is the only one I feel but it's still not the same."

"Good thing she's not going anywhere." Rose smiled at Rhiannon.

"Yeah." he said.

"No where to go," Rhiannon said. "But even if I had the choose to go home I would stay here." She flashed the Doctor a goofy grin. "It's more fun here." He couldn't help but grin back at her.

"We'd better get out. Van Staten's disappeared." Adam finally spoke up. "They're closing down the base. Goddard says they're going to fill it full of cement, like it never existed."

"About time." Rose said.

"Good riddance to bad rubbish." Rhiannon said.

"I'll have to go back home." Adam said.

"Better hurry up then." the Doctor said. "Next flight to Heathrow leaves at fifteen hundred hours."

"Not coming with us," Rhiannon said sternly at Rose.

"But he helped." Rose said. The Doctor tried to put in his opinion but the girls were talking so fast that even he couldn't get a word in so he just let them go.

"I don't like him," Rhiannon said.

"You barely know him." Rose protested.

"As do you," Rhiannon said. "And you have Mickey. Or am I going to have to call Mickey-sama no baka and tell him that you ran off with the first pretty face that came along." Rose slapped Rhiannon's arm lightly.

"It's not like I'm gonna shag him," Rose argued.

"Well that is what he wants," Rhiannon said. Rose ran out of counters.

"Sorry," she said to Adam. "Looks like you're catching that flight." After that the Doctor, Rhiannon, and Rose all got in the TARDIS and shut the door behind them. Rose was annoyed with Rhiannon so Rose stormed straight to her room. He ran around the console flipping levers and pressing buttons. He didn't have to tell Rhiannon that they were back in the Vortex.

"Um," she started.

"Yeah?" he asked not looking up from the monitors.

"I wanted to let you know, while I did enjoy the kiss," she said, his heart sank. "I'm not ready to take anything any farther right now."

"That's okay," he said with a sad smile as he looked at her. "I don't do domestic."

"Sorry," she whispered as she left to go to her room.