Gwen arrived a half hour later and after Jack explained the situation to her she agreed to watch Violet for them. The Doc disappeared into the TARDIS before Gwen got there so after pocketing a few side arms that he thought might come in handy Jack made his way to the TARDIS and stepped inside.

He marveled at the changes. The coral was gone, replaced by shiny metal. The console looked more organized and there were control panels along the rail. As he looked around he realized the Doc was nowhere to be found.

"Doc?" he called.

"Down here, Jack," the Doc replied from under the floor.

Jack made his way across the control room and down the stairs.

"I'm ready to go whenever you are."

"Just, tightening this up," he said as he tightened some screws on what looked to Jack a bit like a generator.

"What is that?"

"I suppose the best word for it is converter."

"A converter for what?"

"The TARDIS runs off the energy in the universe. This universe. The energy in any other universe is, well, like diesel in a petrol engine. The first time I wound up on Pete's world the TARDIS was pretty much dead in the water."

"And that's going to convert the energy in the parallel universe into something the TARDIS can run off of?"

"Exactly. It won't be perfect and she'll probably be a bit jittery at first, but at least we'll be able to travel." Jack watched him tighten the last screw.

"So, have you worked out how we're going to get there?"

"Yep."

The Doc gave the converter a final check without explaining.

"And…are you going to clue me in?"

The Doc set his tools down and then crossed over to the stairs. Jack followed.

"Going to tear a hole in the universe, that's how."

Jack started laughing and then realized the Doc wasn't joining in.

"You're not serious are you?"

The Doc walked up to the console.

"It's the only way."

He was going to tear a whole in the universe? Jack remembered the Doc explaining, back in his tenth regeneration, why he couldn't see Rose again when she was trapped in that parallel universe after Canary Wharf. Had he forgotten or completely lost his mind?

"But…but that'll collapse both universes."

The Doc gave him a sideways glance and Jack noticed that his mouth was set in the grim line of a man who was about to do something he knew he shouldn't, but didn't feel like he had a choice.

"Possibly, well, probably, but there's always a possibility that it won't."

The Doc grabbed a lever, but Jack grabbed his hand before he could pull it.

"You can't do that!"

He had to make the Doc see reason. He wanted to rescue Rosie just as much as the Time Lord, but there had to be another way. One that didn't have the possibility of killing everyone.

"There isn't another option."

"What about those cracks? I got through one and I'm sure with the TARDIS you could find another one."

"The cracks are gone Jack. I sealed them up, years ago, but I suppose to you it hasn't been that long. They're gone. They aren't an option."

He noticed that the crack in Leadworth that Tosh found last week had sealed and there weren't any new ones, but he hadn't thought that they were all gone.

"There has to be another way, Doc. If the universes collapse then she dies and what about Violet? She'll die too."

"Don't you think I know that, Jack! But there-"

The time rotor began to move and a moment later the TARDIS launched into the Time Vortex throwing both of them to the floor. Did the Doc pull the lever? He thought he was still restraining the Doc's hand, but maybe he slipped, maybe he let go and didn't realize it.

"What did you do?" Jack shouted.

No! No, no, no, no, no! The Doctor crawled to the console and pulled himself up. The TARDIS had launched herself into the Time Vortex. She probably knew what he was going to do and decided to stop him.

"What are you doing?" he shouted at her.

Didn't she realize how much trouble Rose was in? It was the only reason he'd even consider punching a whole in the universe. She was being held by the government, which could only mean that they were either experimenting on her or trying to figure out how to use her as a weapon.

He started filling levers and pushing buttons, but nothing worked. The TARDIS wasn't letting him pilot her. He slammed his fist into the console, which only managed to get him a nasty shock.

"Stop this! Stop this right now!" he yelled, but it was useless. She wasn't listening.

"What's going on?" Jack asked, pulling himself up next to the Doctor.

"She doesn't want me to punch a hole in the universe, so she's decided to take matters into her own hands."

"What does that mean?"

"That means she's locked me out of the controls."

"Where's she taking us?"

"I don't know, probably…" He checked the monitor. "Wait! What's that?" There was something in the Time Vortex and it was giving off a strange reading. It was… "Oh, you beauty!"

"What? What is it?"

"It's a-"

Before the Doc could tell Jack what it was they were thrown violently to the floor again as the TARDIS pitched, shuddered, and then fell. The lights began to flicker. He thought he knew what was going on, but he hoped he was wrong.

"What's happening?" Jack yelled over the sound of an alarm.

"We're crashing," the Doc said and then laughed.

That's what he thought, but he couldn't understand why the Doc was laughing. Maybe he had lost his mind.

"Crashing where?"

"Pete's world!"

Rose sat in the jump seat glaring at the Master's back. She decided if she ever got out of this she'd drop him straight into a volcano, a planet sized one.

"So, how long do you plan on keeping me handcuffed to the railing?" she snapped, shaking her hand to rattle the cuff for emphasis.

"Until I decide you've learned your lesson," he said without looking at her.

"I thought that's why you killed me."

"I killed you to teach the TARDIS a lesson. You, my dear, have a nasty stubborn streak, but don't worry. I'll soon break you of that."

If he thought a little time handcuffed to the railing was going to make her want to listen to him he'd better think again. It would take a lot more than that to make her do anything he said.

"Good luck that," she scoffed.

"I won't need luck. I'll just need time and we have plenty of that what with the time machine and all."

He continued to type keys, glancing at the monitor every few minutes. She decided to find out what was so important.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Me? Oh, I'm just trying to find someone."

Find someone? The last thing she wanted was to meet anyone he might consider a friend. She doubted he actually had any.

"Who?"

"No one in particular. Just someone we can use."

That didn't sit well with her.

"For what?"

"For your first lesson. You have to learn to use your abilities."

Great, he was back to the torture. Well, she wasn't going to do it.

"I'm not going to torture anyone."

"I wasn't going to ask you to torture anyone."

Wait. What? Now, he didn't want her to torture people? He said he wanted her to use her ability to kill the Doctor. Had he changed his mind?

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"You're going to kill them."

What? That was definitely not going to happen.

"I am not going to kill anyone."

He turned around and eyed her.

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not. I don't care how many times you kill me, you won't make me hurt anyone."

He crossed the room, making her shrink back, not because she was afraid of him, but because she didn't want him to touch her. Unfortunately, being handcuffed to the rail kept her from getting away. He knelt down in front of her, but when he tried to touch her cheek she slapped his hand away, making him grab her wrist tightly.

"I'm not going to kill you. You're much too precious to me."

"I'm sure."

"But you will do as I say because for every person you don't kill I'll destroy one city." Her eyes widened and he smiled. He gripped her wrist tighter, making her gasp. "You did this to yourself, Rosie. I was more than willing to let them live, but you had to go and defy me by taking the telepathic barrier off and trying to turn my TARDIS against me." He reached out toward her cheek, but when she moved to slap him, she cried out as the pain in her wrist magnified. She wouldn't have been surprised if one of her bones snapped. He ignored her cries and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. She felt her skin crawl where his fingers brushed against it. He smiled. "There's a good girl."

Her eyes narrowed after he released her wrist and stood up, but she bit back the list of profanities that filled her mind. One chance, that's all she needed, just one and she'd send him straight into the Void.

Standard Disclaimer.

Thank you to all my readers! You guys are brilliant! If anyone has time reviews are always welcome. :)