Chapter 15
The light vanished back into the Doctor and the regeneration ended. The Doctor collapsed back onto the couch. Everyone else in the room was unconscious and K-9 was powered down.
The Doctor looked around and said to himself, "That was different."
His eyes grew wide and he checked his features, "Same voice, same nose, same ears, same hand, same everything." The Doctor took his glasses off and said, "Same bad vision. You'd think the regeneration would cure that."
"Yeah, you would think," the voice replied.
The Doctor turned around and the Valeyard standing over the family.
"Is this in my mind too?" asked the Doctor.
"No, this place is real. The family and tin dog are real, but I am just a figment of your imagination. Then again I am you. Well, part of you," said the Valeyard, "That was pretty clever of you to lead the Vampire straight into my world so we could fight, but there is one thing you didn't count on, Doctor."
"What was that?" asked the Doctor.
"I am you. No matter how hard you try to hide it from yourself, I will always be with you. There is nothing you can say or do to get rid of me. Whenever, wherever you go, I will always be there with you no matter what because you can't hide from yourself."
"But I destroyed you," said the Doctor, "With the Vampire."
"You severely weakened me and when you regenerated I regenerated with you," said the Valeyard.
"Wait a minute!" realized the Doctor. He pointed at the Valeyard and said, "You hijacked my regeneration. You're the reason I became a lightening storm, aren't you!"
"I did hijack your regeneration to fully heal myself within your mind," said the Valeyard, "At that's also why you didn't change. Actually you did grow a beard."
"Oh really?" the Doctor asked and rubbed his face. He smiled broadly, "I do have one. That's nice."
"Doctor, stop rubbing your face," snapped the Valeyard.
The Doctor stopped and moved toward the Valeyard. "How are you even here? You left me ages ago."
"No, I didn't, but yes, I did," replied the Valeyard, "I am just a remnant of the Valeyard's corporeal from, but I am part of the mind and you can't kill that part of me or should I say you."
"You may be in my mind but you are not me!" snarled the Doctor.
"Oh, but I am and the regeneration you just had gave the energy I needed to manifest myself and speak to you," said the Valeyard.
"Well, if that's true, your energy's wearing off," said the Doctor, "Soon you will have to retreat and you will be returned to that prison cell in my mind."
"That may be true, but remember what I said," warned the Valeyard, "I am always with you and I can never leave you, Doctor, because I am part of you and I will always be with you." The Valeyard lost his solidity and slowly became transparent. He walked past the Doctor and stood behind the couch in the room.
The family started to wake from and K-9 started coming back to life. The Russos woke up and saw the Doctor staring down an identical person standing off the with the Doctor. No one knew what was going and they didn't make any move.
"Valeyard, you are losing power and soon you will be put back in your prison cell," said the Doctor.
"Doctor, remember I will always be with you, even to your dying days or lack thereof," said the Valeyard. The Valeyard kept getting more transparent until he was gone, but his voice rang out once more, "You cannot escape me."
"Oh, but I can destroy you and will find a way. Somewhere, somehow, I will destroy you, Valeyard!" boomed the Doctor. The Doctor turned around and muttered to himself, "Hijacking my regeneration could have killed you and me both."
Alex stood up and saw the Doctor, commenting on his new beard, "Some complete physical change."
"Oh, do you like it?" asked the Doctor.
"You hair is brown, but your beard is reddish brown," said Alex.
"What?" asked the Doctor, "I can get a red beard, but not a red head. I've never been redheaded, I want red hair."
"Doctor, who was that?" asked Harper, referring to the Valeyard.
"Just someone who should never be allowed out in the open or anywhere," said the Doctor, "But he gone and not coming back."
"He's the monster you mention a few months ago?" asked Alex, "The monster inside you."
"No, that wasn't him, but that was a remnant of him. His name is the Valeyard," said the Doctor, "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go take a shower."
"Doctor, you said you'd change your appearance and personality. Why didn't you?" asked Jerry.
"The Valeyard remnant hijacked my regeneration and used it so he could speak to me," replied the Doctor. The Doctor left the room and walked down to his TARDIS, Alex and the rest followed him downstairs. When he reached the doors of the TARDIS, the Doctor bent over coughing.
"Doctor, are you okay?" asked Alex.
"I'm fine," said the Doctor. He coughed some more and golden dust and gas came out of his mouth, "It's post-regenerative shock, perfectly normal."
The Doctor walked into the TARDIS and went downstairs to the TARDIS showers.
After an hour, the Doctor came out of the TARDIS in a new outfit, but the same new beard. He walked over to the counter and sat down. He looked at Alex, who was working again, "No more V-Strain," said the Doctor, "How does that sound?"
"Sounds good," said Alex. Alex put down her notepad and pen on the counter, "Doctor, there is something I need to talk to you about."
"What is it?" asked the Doctor.
Alex didn't say anything and then replied, "Can we talk about it later in private." She glanced over towards the TARDIS.
"Why can't we go now and talk about it," said the Doctor, "I've got time."
"You just got better and there's that whole Vampire thing going on, and I just really think that they should be taken care of first," said Alex.
"In the end, it's all up to you whenever you want to talk about it. We'll talk when you are ready and I'll be ready," said the Doctor, putting his hand on her's.
"Thank you," said Alex.
A ring came from the Doctor's pocket and he rummaged through them and found the phone that was ringing. He answered the phone and his eyes grew wide. "Where?" the Doctor asked urgently. A few seconds later he said, "On top the Montana Tower? How long's he been there?...Okay, I'll be there as soon as possibly."
The Doctor hung up and put the phone back into his pocket.
"Doctor, what was that about?" asked Alex.
"Tesla Howard," answered the Doctor, "They found him. He was under their noses the whole time. He somehow made all the way back to the Montana Tower and has been standing on the roof for the last day and a half. I am going to there and going to confront Dr. Howard on what he has been doing and about the altered V-Strain he injected into us."
"I'm coming too," said Alex.
"No!" said the Doctor, "Not this time. Tesla will be too dangerous for you to deal with. He is a True Vampire and that is not good. They are practically invincible. The only thing that I think I can use against him is my blood."
"But he's a Vampire, he needs blood to survive," said Alex.
"That's the whole irony of it. He needs blood to survive, but Gallifrean blood is the only one that can kill him. The thing he needs to survive is also the thing that can kill him," explained the Doctor.
"So how are you going to get your blood inside of him?" asked Alex.
"A syringe filled with my blood," answered the Doctor. He pulled out a case from his pocket and opened it. There were three syringes of the Doctor's blood in the case.
"When did you do that?" asked Alex.
"When I was in the TARDIS," said the Doctor, "I did this after I cleaned up."
The Doctor closed the case and put it back into his pocket. The Doctor stood up and told Alex, "I'm leaving now and don't follow me."
"Why not?" asked Alex.
"I could die," said the Doctor, "And with me gone, your chances of survival dwindle down to almost zero."
"But I thought you could regenerate," stated Alex.
"Yes, but if I'm killed before the regeneration process begins, I'm dead and I don't change," said the Doctor. He took out his teleport watch and said to Alex, "Goodbye Alex, I will see you again. I promise you."
The Doctor pressed the button and vanished into the blue light.
"Doctor!" screamed Alex.