Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own anything.
A/N Thanks for the amazing response on the last chapter. Part 3 of the 50th anniversary.
A huge thanks to my lovely beta Vampiyaa.
Happy Reading!
Chapter Twenty Four
The TARDIS had been moved into Elizabeth's quarters, and it only took a very reluctant Tenth Doctor ordering the guards to let him and his friends into his future bride's quarters for them to get inside. He frowned dramatically once they had gotten past the guards and was trying to catch Rose's eye but she had moved towards the ornate desk in the corner and was biting her lip in concentration. The Eighth Doctor walked up to her and whispered something in her ear too low for anyone else to hear and she nodded quickly.
"What are they doing?" asked Clara, looking at the Eleventh Doctor in question.
"Writing a very important letter," said the Eleventh Doctor, having caught on better than his Ninth and Tenth selves. "Well then, let's go into your TARDIS, sandshoes," he added with a grin at his Tenth self who rolled his eyes.
"You better not have changed the inside," said the Ninth Doctor as the Tenth Doctor unlocked the TARDIS.
"I haven't," said the Tenth Doctor absently, still watching Rose and his Eighth self. "Rose liked it. I did too."
Rose had finished scribbling the words on the parchment and was now blowing on it to dry the ink before she could roll up the parchment. The Eighth Doctor was melting wax over a candle so they could duplicate Elizabeth's seal and have the 'love letter' written. Once they had the letter tightly sealed, Rose picked it up and handed it to the Tenth Doctor.
"You might want to get one of the guards to put this…" She looked at the Eleventh Doctor in question.
"In the Under Gallery," he said promptly.
The Tenth Doctor looked none too pleased about having to play up the role of Elizabeth's future husband, but he took the letter from Rose and went outside to speak to the guards. He returned moments later, scowling in irritation.
"Now that this is all done," he said, leading the way into his TARDIS. "I think we have a war to stop."
They filtered into the TARDIS with the coral background and Rose felt a wave of nostalgia pass over her before the warm welcoming hum of the TARDIS brightened in her mind. She grinned as she walked over to the console and placed her hands on the rotor, which moved gently as if acknowledging her touch.
"She's missed you," said the Tenth Doctor, watching Rose with longing.
Rose went pink but before she could respond coherently to it, she noticed the way both the Eighth and Ninth Doctors had stiffened. They were both looking at the console and Rose realised that the green glow of the coral that had always been so familiar to her was that way only because of the Eighth Doctor ripping out the wood panelling in his rage about Susan's death. It brought her crashing back to the reason why they were here in the first place and she felt the joy seep out of her. It was too easy, she decided as she moved quietly to stand between the Eighth and Ninth Doctors, to think of this as just another adventure in the TARDIS.
The Ninth Doctor sighed and held her hand tightly, entwining their fingers together. The Eighth Doctor was immobile, and Rose shifted lightly to rest her head on his shoulder, still holding onto the Ninth Doctor's hand. Clara seemed a little confused at the suddenly subdued air in the TARDIS and looked at her Doctor, who had taken one look at Rose and his younger selves and then gone back to examining the console. She had so many questions she wanted to ask him, but the TARDIS console room they were in shifted sharply to one with roundels and partial wood panelling before turning back into the one she was familiar with.
"What's happening?" asked Clara.
"It's the TARDIS trying to compensate for the paradox," said the Tenth Doctor in explanation as he examined the dim, blue lighting and the white rotor with the Gallifreyan writing on it. "You've redecorated."
"I don't like it," said the Ninth Doctor gruffly. "It's too…"
"Blue," finished the Eighth Doctor. "And flashy."
The Eleventh Doctor made a face, but didn't rebuke them. "Right then, 21st century, London, here we go," he said, throwing two levers down in synchronisation. The TARDIS started to dematerialise but then seemed to stall, groaning pitifully as if in pain. "Well, that's not supposed to happen," he frowned.
The Ninth Doctor left Rose's side and went over to the controls. "She can't seem to land for some reason," he said, examining the console.
The Eighth Doctor's brow furrowed in confusion. "Did you try—?"
"Yes," said the Eleventh Doctor.
"What about the—?" asked the Tenth Doctor.
"Yes," said the Eleventh Doctor irritably, glaring at his younger selves. "If you have thought of it, it means that I have thought of it too. And tried it. But it's not working."
"Maybe 'cos Kate told me that the Black Archives were TARDIS-proofed," interrupted Clara. The Doctors stopped glaring at each other and turned to Clara. "Okay, so you have heard of that."
"Space-Time telegraph," said the Ninth Doctor, looking at his other selves.
"Oh, does that mean the Brigadier is still…" The Eighth Doctor's enthusiasm died down when he saw the look on his Eleventh self's face. "Right," he nodded sadly.
"It's his daughter in charge," said the Ninth Doctor.
"Kate?" asked the Eighth Doctor. "Surely, she wouldn't…"
"Let's hope not," said the Tenth Doctor as the Eleventh Doctor activated the Space-Time telegraph.
"Too late," said the Eleventh Doctor. "She's already started the countdown. Five minutes and counting down."
"Kate, listen to me," said the Ninth Doctor. "We know about the Black Archives and the bloody security protocol. Turn it off before you do something unbelievably stupid."
"I'm sorry, Doctor," came Kate's voice. "I can't do that."
"Kate, please," said the Eleventh Doctor, pleadingly. "Just listen to me!"
While the Doctors tried to get Kate to see sense, the Eighth Doctor glanced at Rose. "Well?" he asked her.
Rose met his gaze and nodded shortly. "Might work," she said.
"Not very reassuring," he said.
"Best thing we've got now," she countered.
"Mind letting us know what you two are going on about?" asked the Ninth Doctor, regarding them with narrowed eyes.
"Right," said Rose, striding towards the console purposefully. "Cut the Space-Time telegraph and stand back."
"What are you—?" the Tenth Doctor asked but she paid him no mind.
"I said, get back," she ordered calmly, placing her hands on the console. The rotor whirred to a stop and the dim blue light in the console room went even dimmer before being engulfed in a burnt orange light. The Doctors glanced at Rose and found her focusing on the console, her eyes half-closed.
"What is she…?" Clara started to ask, only to be shushed by the Eighth Doctor who was hovering near Rose as if to make sure she was alright.
The time fissure opened slowly and sluggishly, and Rose could be seen trembling visibly with the effort of controlling it. They could hear the ominous beeping of the countdown coming from the other side and with gritted teeth, Rose opened her eyes and stabilised the portal.
"Through it, quick," said the Eighth Doctor, propelling everyone into action. "She will be alright, just move!" he added when his older selves seemed to hesitate.
The Eleventh Doctor took charge and jumped into the portal first, pulling Clara after him. At an insistent look from the Eighth Doctor, his Ninth and Tenth selves went through the portal. The Eighth Doctor could see Rose weakening and he grabbed her as the two of them jumped through the portal together.
"Go ahead, she'll be fine," said the Eighth Doctor, holding Rose to him as they arrived safely in the Black Archives.
The other three Doctors seemed reluctant to leave but the giant clock counting down left them with little choice and they went out to the table where Kate and a Zygon duplicate of Kate were sat. The Eighth Doctor supported Rose and led her to the small break room, which contained a solitary stuffed recliner and piles of packed boxes.
"Rose," he murmured, sitting down on the recliner and pulling her onto his lap so she could lie down. "Can you hear me?"
She nodded slowly and nuzzled her face into his chest. "Give me a minute," she slurred.
He stroked her back until she stopped trembling. "Feel better?" he asked.
"Yeah," she nodded. "It seems more difficult than I remember."
"It's because we are out of the Time Lock," he said. "Without Gallifrey, or rather the stability of a well-maintained Web of Time, channelling the vortex will be difficult. Not to mention, the actual power source is so far away from us, relatively speaking."
Rose nodded. "I'll need some more time before I will be strong enough to attempt a return," she said.
"I know," he said and stroked her hair. "Take as long as you need."
"Did you learn what you wanted to know?" she asked, closing her eyes under his gentle ministrations.
"Yes and no," he said.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
He smiled gently. "Doesn't matter," he said. "I know the important things."
"Such as?" asked Rose persistently.
"Such as I was right," he said. "I do still miss you very much."
Rose looked up at him. "What about the bow tied Doctor? He's been looking at me like I'm a box of riddles and not the fun kind either," she pointed out.
"You looked cosy with the pinstriped idiot, though," he grumbled. "Even Big Ears over there. Do I really become him?"
"That was the first you I met," said Rose fondly, looking at the Ninth Doctor who was apparently rolling his eyes at whatever one of the Kates was saying. "Believe it or not, you were worse when we first met. If I am guessing the timeline right, I am off with my mates for a drink and I invited you along to which you said you didn't want to come and watch a bunch of apes getting sloshed. Or something like that. It was a long time ago."
The Eighth Doctor looked even unhappier at that. "And the pretty boy?" he asked.
Rose raised her eyebrows at him. "You know, you really can't go calling other men pretty," she said pointedly.
"I am handsome," he pointed out primly. "He looks like he escaped from a mental asylum."
Rose chuckled and he grinned at seeing her smile. "What's the other thing you learned?" she asked.
"That whatever happens now, I still remain the Doctor," he said. "Annoying and not as good looking versions of me," he amended with a grin. "But still me."
Rose smiled but didn't say she could have told him as much because she knew he would have needed to see it for himself to understand. "Good," she said instead. "I'm glad."
He smiled back tenderly and kissed her forehead. Their rare moment of quiet was broken by a loud, angry comment from Kate.
"If this is the way things are going, then I am afraid we can't reach an acceptable agreement between Zygons and humans," she said furiously.
Rose sighed and started climbing off the Doctor. "Looks like my area of expertise, doesn't it?" she said, when he made a low noise of protest.
"Yes, of course," he agreed.
"Be right back," she said and then walked out of the tiny break room.
The Eighth Doctor watched Rose join the negotiations between the Zygons and the humans and bit back a sigh. She was made for this life, he thought, as she efficiently began calming both parties down and effectively got the negotiations back on track. He raised his eyebrows when his Eleventh self ambled over and sat down next to him.
"Something you needed?" asked the Eighth Doctor.
The Eleventh Doctor fiddled with his bow tie for a few moments and didn't answer. "How soon do you have to return?" he asked.
"As soon as Rose feels up to it, I suppose," he shrugged, watching his older self carefully. "But that's not what you wanted to ask me."
"No," said the Eleventh Doctor, but didn't elaborate.
The Eighth Doctor shook his head. "Just spit it out," he said, irritably. "The silence is driving me insane."
The Eleventh Doctor glared at him, and the Eighth Doctor finally saw the weight of his age in those really young eyes. "She is not going to be happy with what you are planning," he said finally.
The Eighth Doctor glared right back. "And you suggest that I not do it?" he demanded, keeping his voice low but furious all the same. "Have you lost your mind?" Then his brow furrowed. "Unless," he began tentatively. "You don't...I mean, about Rose…"
"Watch your tongue," snapped the Eleventh Doctor, his voice like ice. "You have no inkling of what she means to me."
The Eighth Doctor wasn't deterred. "How would I?" he asked. "Those two can barely take their eyes off her, but you look like you are seeing a puzzle. Nothing but a puzzle."
The Eleventh Doctor chuckled without humour. "A puzzle?" he asked. "See, the thing about me is that I love puzzles. You should know, you are me after all. But Rose is not a puzzle." His voice hardened. "She is not something to be solved or analysed. I have spent so long without her and there hasn't been a day when I haven't felt her absence like a shard in my hearts. So, don't you ever assume that I am looking at her like a puzzle or that I don't want her safe. You would be very, very wrong if you ever thought that." All of this was spoken in a quiet whisper but the Eighth Doctor felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise just the same.
"I thought I would never see her again," murmured the Eleventh Doctor, no longer in that harsh voice, but a soft, sad tone. "I was so tempted to cross my timeline, just to catch a glimpse of her smile. There were times I had the coordinates in...but I didn't. Because I knew I wouldn't stop at a glimpse. But do you know what the worst part is?" He looked at his Eighth self who was watching him intently. "The worst part is the person I became without her. The very thing you were afraid of becoming in the war when you didn't have her. I became selfish, so very selfish. I put my pain above everything. Above the safety of the universe, above the lives of my companions, above every promise we made to ourselves."
The Eighth Doctor looked pale. "Then how can you not want me doing what I am about to do?" he asked.
"I never said I didn't," said the Eleventh Doctor. "How long have you loved Rose? A century? I spent two of those without her. Do you know what that's like? Loving someone for so long and not having them by your side? I do. It hurts. It hurts more than you think it would. I longed for a regeneration that wouldn't feel her absence, I wished I was a man who would look back on her as nothing but a memory, but like the grumpy leather one said, we are not that fortunate. I missed her so much. But I had some consolation that at least she was happy and safe. Now I know even that isn't true. That what I did was so much worse. Imagine doing that to someone you loved as much as we love Rose."
The Eleventh Doctor was breathing heavily but his Eighth self was looking past him at the doorway. The Eleventh Doctor felt his hearts stutter and he turned around to see Rose standing there, tears rolling down her cheeks and a hand clapped to her mouth.
"Rose," he said, getting to his feet and trying to plaster a smile onto his face.
"Give us a minute?" She directed the question to his Eighth self who raised his eyebrows but got up and walked past her, touching her shoulder as he did.
The Eleventh Doctor looked like a deer caught in headlights as Rose walked up to him and placed a shaking hand between his hearts. He relaxed at her touch but his hearts were still pounding underneath her hand, belying his nervousness.
"I'm sorry," said Rose.
He looked taken aback. "No, no, I am sorry, Rose," he said, moving closer to her without thought. "You have nothing to apologise for."
"You don't have to apologise either," said Rose, realising that the distance between them was almost non-existent. "There have been too many apologies already."
"I agree," he said, resting his forehead on hers.
"Doctor," she murmured, inches away from his lips.
"Yes?" he asked, his eyes closing as he waited — no, hoped — for her to kiss him.
"I like the bow tie," she whispered and kissed his smile. She felt his fingers comb through her hair as he kissed her back, the feel of those new lips becoming familiar again when he brushed his lips over her cheeks, brows and nose before returning to her lips and kissing her exactly the way he knew she liked. "And," she said, pulling back slightly to look up at him. "I missed you too."
He beamed at her and bent his head to kiss her again but a nervous throat clearing from Clara interrupted them. "Sorry," she said, her eyes wide as she looked between them. "Rose, they need you back there again. Something about negotiating disguise protocols."
"Right," said Rose, leaving the Eleventh Doctor's embrace. "I'll just go and fix that." She smiled gently at the Doctor and went back to where the negotiations were happening.
Clara looked at her Doctor, at the sorrow and longing on his face, and felt her heart squeeze painfully. "You love her," she said.
"I always have," he admitted.
"But she is going to leave, isn't she?" asked Clara.
"Yes," he sighed.
"And you are fine with that?" she asked incredulously.
"No," he said and then smiled at her. "Of course, I am not fine with that, Clara Oswald. I have finally found her after so long. I don't plan on losing her again and it doesn't matter what I have to do to make it happen."
Clara nodded and gave him a gentle smile. "Did you find out what was in that box?" she asked.
His eyes softened. "I did," he said but wouldn't say anymore.
Clara didn't push. She left him in the break room with his thoughts and returned to the negotiations. Rose was standing with her arms crossed, shaking her head.
"We can't have Zygons wandering into human inhabited areas," Kate was saying. "There would be chaos."
"Zygons will not be confined to their dwellings like prisoners," insisted the Zygon Commander.
"The Zygons have excellent camouflage devices," interjected Rose. "It will not be too difficult to create a system where any Zygon who wishes to venture outside their dwellings has to register with a UNIT office in the area. Like a visa when you visit countries abroad."
"What if Zygons do not wish to be confined to their dwellings at all?" challenged the Zygon Commander while Kate pondered Rose's idea thoughtfully.
"Then they would have to wear their disguise, but I think UNIT should be able to provide them with the necessary papers to create new human identities," said Rose. "Like a reverse witness protection program."
Clara marvelled at how easily she said it, as if she had done this a hundred times. Both Kate and the Zygon Commander seemed to be considering her suggestions. What got Clara the most was the proud look on the faces of the Doctors as they looked at Rose. When her Doctor has first mentioned Rose, he had called her his friend. Now it was plain to see that she was much, much more than a friend. Clara blushed as she thought of the Tenth Doctor snogging Rose, and the passion that had been behind it, making her wonder how close they had really been.
"That could work," said Kate slowly.
"Yes," agreed the Zygon Commander.
"We have a lot of work to do before we have anything functional," amended Kate hastily.
"But we do have a place to start," said the Zygon Commander.
"Excellent," said Rose with a grin, leaving them to their negotiations once again.
Clara walked over to the Eighth Doctor who had found an armchair in the corner and had been watching Rose with a small smile. With her own Doctor still back in the break room and the Ninth and Tenth Doctors and Rose wandering to different parts of the Black Archives, she quickly made her way towards the Eighth Doctor and sat down on the rickety coffee table in front of him.
"Hello," she said. "I'm Clara. I think I brushed past you in a park once."
The Eighth Doctor regarded her with a small smile. "1968, wasn't it?" he asked. "I remember it was a particularly nasty Hoix that was giving Charley and I a proper chase."
Clara didn't know what a Hoix was or even who Charley was, but she smiled back just the same. "Could you-I mean, how did you…?"
The Eighth Doctor raised his eyebrows. "How did I what?" he asked.
"Get here?" asked Clara.
"The same way we got here from the TARDIS," he said. "A time fissure created using a power source known as the Moment."
"The Moment," repeated Clara. "What's it for?"
He looked down at his hands thoughtfully. "It's to end a war," he said.
"The Time War," she guessed, looking at him with wide eyes. "You haven't done it yet. It's still in your future."
"Yes," he said.
"And Rose?" she asked.
"Rose plans to be by my side, just as she has over the last century or so," he said with a sigh.
"But you're not planning to let that happen," guessed Clara shrewdly.
"You're very sure of yourself," he said, raising his eyebrows.
"You love her," she said. "Even my Doctor. I saw him when he looked at her. You couldn't let her die with you. Because that's what is going to happen, isn't it? It's going to kill you."
"Death, my dear Clara," he said with a sad smile. "Death is very easy. But I won't die. I will live on. Because that is my punishment and it will be my burden to bear in the days to come."
"But you can change it," she said earnestly. "You can keep Rose safe and you don't have to destroy your people. You've seen your future selves and the guilt they carry. Why not change it then?"
He chuckled a little. "Change it to what, exactly?" he asked, but it didn't sound like he was mocking her. "The future is so because of the decision I made. How many worlds have I saved since, do you think?" Clara didn't answer and the Eighth Doctor regarded her warmly. "Look over there. Humans and Zygons working together in peace." He sighed sadly and sat back. "Great men are forged in fire. It is the privilege of lesser men to light the flame, whatever the cost."
Clara's eyes filled with tears as she saw the utter sadness in his eyes. He smiled at her and tapped her nose lightly.
"Don't cry for me, Clara Oswald," he said. "After a long time, I finally have clarity about what I have to do."
"That scowl will become permanent if you keep doing that," said Rose dryly as she leaned against the desk next to the Ninth Doctor.
"Look at all these things," he said, waving his hand at all the artefacts. "They shouldn't have half of them."
"Yeah well, humans never did know better," shrugged Rose.
The Doctor looked at her and shook his head. "And this over here," he said, leading her to a corkboard that had pictures of various companions pinned to them. "Where do they get off keeping a record of this?"
Rose was staring at the picture of a teenaged Susan and didn't answer immediately. "They have to keep track," she said slowly. "Mankind will touch every star one day, you said. They can hardly do it in one day. People who have been out there and seen all those wonderful, terrible things and returned back to Earth with all that knowledge are invaluable."
"Not all of them return," said the Ninth Doctor darkly. Rose rested her head on his shoulder and didn't say anything. "What did I do to you, Rose Tyler?" he asked, after a long moment.
Rose closed her eyes briefly before looking up at him steadily. "You saw something special in a shop girl from London and more importantly, you helped me see it," she said. "I never regretted meeting you and if I had to do it again, I still would." He stared at her strangely and Rose's lips quirked up. "And you know I am a bad liar so you know I am telling the truth."
He cupped her face, just as he had in that church back in 1987 and allowed his manic grin to light up his face. Rose couldn't help but beam back at him and buried her face in his leather-clad chest as he wrapped his arms around her tightly.
"The negotiations are going well," said the Tenth Doctor as he walked up to them, making them break apart slowly. "You were amazing," he told Rose.
"Yeah, well, a century or so of dealing with the High Council has given me incredible patience. Valyes makes Zygons look like a walk in the park," she said and then could have smacked herself when she saw them both visibly flinch.
The awkward silence hung in the air, before it was the Ninth Doctor who spoke. "I remember nicking one of his ridiculous hats and replacing the fabric padding with metallic filling. He couldn't figure out why he had a backache the day after," he said.
The Tenth Doctor laughed shakily and even Rose managed to giggle at that. "Hope you didn't get caught," she said.
"Nah," said the Tenth Doctor, regaining some of his enthusiasm. "I think he blamed some of the upperclassmen for that."
"Borusa knew though," said the Eleventh Doctor, as he joined them. "Made us work in the archives for a full relative year."
"Yeah, remember that one painfully," said the Ninth Doctor with a groan.
"Why was it painful?" asked Rose, her eyes wide with confusion.
"Because it was the most boring punishment ever," said the Tenth Doctor. "I would have rather written a thesis about it, but Borusa was insistent."
"I think he was insistent because he knew how much we hated doing it," said the Eleventh Doctor. "All that order," he shuddered dramatically.
They all shared a small laugh over it, which wasn't completely joyful but wasn't as sad as it could have been either.
"Reminds me of Tony," said Rose, her voice shaking only a little as she spoke. "My little brother," she added for the sake of the Ninth Doctor. "Mum always made him do chores as punishment instead of timeouts." It had been years since she had spoken about Tony to anyone, even the Doctor, and she was surprised that she wasn't as swamped with sadness as she expected to be.
"Could imagine Jackie doing that," said the Ninth Doctor with a shudder. "Poor old Tony Tyler."
"Oh, he was a right cheeky monkey," said Rose with a grin. "Got along with the Doct—" she stopped abruptly and fidgeted with her wedding ring out of habit. "Got along with the Doctor like houses on fire every time we were in London," she finished, proud of herself for not stumbling again.
"You, uh, you didn't live in London?" asked the Eleventh Doctor hesitatingly.
Rose shook her head with a small smile. "Travelled all over the place. Only time we were in London was to check up on the TARDIS coral or holidays and things," she said. "Mum wasn't best pleased, especially since we eloped after only a month and didn't return for three whole months after that."
"Eloped?" squeaked the Tenth Doctor.
"Got married in international waters when we were investigating a Bermuda triangle sort of thing near Papua New Guinea," she said.
She would have said more but she didn't feel like rehashing the details of her life with her Doctor. Those moments felt more private than anything else, and she wasn't sure she wanted to discuss them now even though technically they were the same man. Maybe if they'd had more than these short, stolen moments, she would have felt better about opening up, but the task that awaited her and the Eighth Doctor on Gallifrey was still hanging over her like a heavy cloud. She looked for him and found him talking to Clara.
The other Doctors seemed to have noticed her attention drifting but they didn't say anything. Rose knew there would be guilt in their eyes if she looked, but if these were the last memories they would have of her, she didn't want to leave them feeling guilty. So, she buried her hurt and smiled brightly. "So, do you think UNIT has some tea around here? Haven't had tea in decades," she said.
"Decades?" asked the Tenth Doctor. "Oh, that is just shameful, that is. A good cuppa is what you need, Rose Tyler."
"Are we talking about tea?" asked the Eighth Doctor as he and Clara walked over to them. "If so, I could definitely use a cuppa."
"I think the break room back there has some," said Rose, nodding towards the tiny room.
"Ah, excellent, excellent," he said. "Coming then?"
"Fetching your tea now, am I?" asked Rose teasingly.
"I wouldn't mind if you were," he teased back with a smirk as he boldly took her arm.
Rose started slightly at the action and the Doctor's smirk softened when their eyes met. With a small nod, the two of them found themselves back on Gallifrey.
"Bet it was a shock for them," said Rose, looking around the shed and finding the box containing the power source sitting innocuously just where they had left it.
"They knew what we were doing," he said, smiling sadly. "Besides, I hate goodbyes."
"I know," said Rose.
"Yes, I suppose you do," he murmured and drew out his old sonic screwdriver that he hadn't used in years. "Let's see what's in box number one, shall we?"
Rose didn't smile at his attempt at humour. Her eyes were fixed on the box and the gears on top of it, which started shifting when the Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at it. A long stem of metal rose out of it bearing a gold encased globe on top of it. The Doctor lowered his sonic screwdriver and the globe started unfurling slowly, the metal falling open like petals to reveal the ruby red gem in its depth.
"Now it's just mocking me," said Rose, looking at the Moment, which looked less like a power source and more like a rose.
"At least there is a big red button," said the Doctor quietly. "Something to be said about classics."
Rose looked at him tearfully but he was looking behind her at the empty shed with a frown. "What's wrong?" asked Rose.
He didn't answer but his expression cleared a moment later when a low, wheezing noise echoed through the shed. Rose's eyes went wide and she turned to him in horror as the TARDIS started materialising inside the shed.
"Doctor," she said, aghast. "What have you done?"
A/N Thanks for reading. Let me know what you thought.
The next chapter will be the final one in the rewrite of the 50th anniversary. I anticipate there being 4-5 chapters after the next one and then the story will wrap up.
Until next Saturday!