Hey everyone here's the next chapter, not much to say. Read, review.
I don't own 'Doctor Who?'
Family of Blood Pt 2
Enjoy!
XXX
Recap
"I said, lead the way." Baines arrives,
"Go on, then, run!" He fires his gun into the air, Panic and screaming starts as the boys retreat, I look at Baines before looking at the girl. Martha grabs my hand
"Come on!" She shouts, I let her drag me, but not before I narrow my eyes at the girl's coat and set the corner on fire. She quickly takes the coat off and they glare at me.
XXX
"Let's go! Quick as you can!" John shouts as we evacuate the boys.
"Don't go to the village! It's not safe!" Martha warns,
"And you, ladies!" John orders, I ignore him and push the boys to go faster.
"Not until we get the boys out." Joan denies him,
'Lord of Time...' my head snaps up,
"Now, I insist. The three of you just go. If there are any more boys inside, I'll find them." he opens the door and see's the scarecrows, slams it and locks it quickly. "I think...retreat." he says quickly, we all run but I look over my shoulder knowing Tim is only just getting out. We reach the woods before we stop.
"Doctor! Doctor!" I hear Clarke's voice, we all look to where Clarke is... Standing in front of the TARDIS. I let a growl rip though my throat causing the other's to jump,
"They just don't know when to quit."
"Come back, Doctor. Come home. Come and claim your prize." Clarke continues to taunt,
"Out you come, Doctor! There's a good boy. Come to the Family." Baines joins,
"Time to end it now!" Jenny shouts,
"You recognize it, don't you?" Martha asks quietly,
"Martha!" I snap at her, he would wake up when he was ready.
"Come out, Doctor! Come to us!" Jenny shouts out again,
"I've never seen it in my life." John responded,
"Do you remember its name?" Martha pressed,
"I'm sorry, John, but you wrote about it. The blue box. You dreamt of a blue box. TARDIS." Joan tells him, he shakes his head, voice breaking as he speaks,
"I'm not-I'm John Smith. That's all I want to be. John Smith, with his life...and his job..." he looks at me "...and his family." I look away, "Why can't I be John Smith? Isn't he a good man?" he demanded pleading,
"Yeah he is." I whisper
"Why can't I stay?" He cried,
"But we need the Doctor." Martha insisted, I flinch, it was true we did need him but I couldn't bring myself to hurt him, the link was sending jolts up my back as it was.
"So what am I then, nothing? I'm just a story." He shouted, he ran off, I ran after him, I needed distance and I couldn't even do that.
XXX
We were running down the country roads and stop to gain our bearings,
"This way. I think I know somewhere we can hide." Joan suggests,
"We've got to keep going." John counters,
"John, for once just listen and follow her." I snap, Martha looks between us before following myself and Joan, John following after a moment.
XXX
We arrive at the Cartwrite house, Dark, deserted.
"Here we are. It should be empty. Oh, it's a long time since I've run that far." Joan pants,
"But who lives here?" Martha questioned,
"If I'm right, no one." Joan said grimly, we walk slowly to the front door and Joan enters first. It is a simple cottage kitchen with tea set on the table.
"Hello?" Joan calls, no one answers "No one home. We should be safe here."
"Whose house is it, though?" Martha asked,
"No one's anymore, Lucy Cartwrite killed her parent's." I state, only a hint of sadness, only feel sorry for those you know, you save more heartbreak that way.
"Stone cold." Joan says feeling the teapot "How easily I accept these ideas." she whispered, John sits in one of the chairs looking defeated,
"I must go to them before anyone else dies." He says dejectedly, I can't say anything as I look out the window at the village.
"You can't." Joan says "Martha, there must be something we can do." Joan insists, I sigh,
"Not without the watch." Martha informs,
"You're this Doctor's companion! Can't you help? What exactly do you do for him? Why does he need you?" John shouted,
"John, enough don't take it out on her!" I snap at him, he looks over startled,
"Because he's lonely." Martha interrupted,
"And that's what you want me to become." He demands, Before either of us can answer him there is a knock on the door,
"What if it's them?" Joan frets,
"Are you dead?" I ask, she looks confused,
"No?" she answer's
"Then it's not them." I state,
"I don't think scarecrows knock." Martha says,
"It would be nice if they did" I muse as I open the door to see Tim. "Good lad, come on time, in you get." I usher him in, he holds the watch out,
"I brought you this."
'Martha. Phoenix.' it sighs, Martha takes the watch into her hand and holds it to John.
"Hold it." She orders,
"I won't." he hissed, scared,
"Please, just hold it." Martha begs, I glare at her now, Link instinct kicking in,
"It told me to find you. To find Phoenix. It wants to be held." Tim tells him,
"You've had this watch all this time? Why didn't you return it?" Joan asks,
"Because it was waiting. Because Phoenix said to hold onto it until the right time. And because I was scared of the Doctor. But Phoenix showed me." he explained.
"Why?" Joan asks, referring to why he was scared,
"Because...I've seen him. He's...like fire and ice and rage. He's like the night and the storm in the heart of the sun." He describes and I feel warmth,
"Stop it." John orders,
"He's ancient and forever. He burns at the center of time and he can see the turn of the universe." He continues ignoring John's pleas,
"Stop! I said stop it." John shouted,
"And he's wonderful." Tim still continues, with a bright smile, Joan reaches into her coat pocket and pulls out the journal,
"I've still got this. The journal." Joan says quietly,
"Those are just stories." John defends weakly.
"They aren't John, we all know that I say softly." He turns on me as I say this,
"How do you know? What do you know? Are you like Martha?" I flinch back, I seem to be doing that a lot.
"I don't have a choice!" I snap, "You were never suppose to meet me, never suppose to know me. I couldn't tell you, you wouldn't have believed me! It was already what you knew..." He looks shocked and heart broken...
"Perhaps there's something in here." Joan says softly, there is an explosion outside and they all gasp. I stand there a blank face.
"What the hell?" Martha shouts, they all look out the window to see what could pass for meteorites falling to the ground.
"They're destroying the village." I inform dully,
"Watch." John says softly as he picks it up,
"John, don't." Joan begs quietly,
'Come closer.'
"Can you hear it?" Tim questioned,
'Closer. Closer.'
"I think he's asleep. Waiting to awaken." John guesses softly,
"Why did he speak to me?" Tim continues to ask,
"Oh, low-level telepathic field." John says, sounding as though her were the Doctor, my heart lept and my watch sent joy jolting through my system. "You were born with it. Just an extra synaptic engram causing-" He cuts off abruptly as he inhales deeply and the doctor is gone once more "Is that how he talks?" he demanded completely terrified,
"That's him! All you have to do is open it and he's back." Martha exclaims excited,
"Martha! He's terrified try not to sound happy." I roughly advised, she looks down,
"You knew this all along and yet you watched while Blaze and I-" He cut off,
"I'm not Blaze, I never was, John. I'm Phoenix. We couldn't do anything, you wouldn't have believed us." I say as gentle as I can,
"I didn't know what to do! He gave me a list of things to watch out for but Phoenix wasn't included." Martha explains desperately
"Having a wife? That didn't even occur to him?" he shouts, I lower my head,
"No. Because-" I interject before she can go on.
"Martha." She looks over I shake my head.
"Then what sort of man is that? And now you expect me to die?" his voice cracked, the explosions continue outside.
"It was always going to end, though! The Doctor said the Family's got a limited lifespan. That's why they need to consume a Time Lord. Otherwise, three months and they die. Like mayflies, he said." Martha tried to justify.
"So your job was to execute me." He accused,
"People are dying out there! They need him and I need him. Phoenix needs him. 'Cause you've got no idea of what he's like. I've only just met him . It wasn't even that long ago, but he is wonderful...he's just everything to me, a really great friend, but Phoenix can't live without him... she just can't." I lower my head, he was going to remember this... The house rocks with the explosions.
"It's getting closer." Tim whimpers,
"I should have thought of it before-I can give them this. Just the watch. Then they can leave and I can stay as I am!" He exclaims frantic to find any excuse.
"You can't do that!" Martha shouts,
"If they want the Doctor, they can have him." He spat,
"He'll never let you do it." Martha retorts,
"If they get what they want, then-then-" he tries to think of a solution.
"Then it all ends in destruction. I never read to the end but those creatures would live forever to breed and conquer. War across the stars...for every child." Joan tells softly, John is near tears,
"Joan, Martha, Tim, give us a moment won't you." They nod and leave the room. Once they're gone he breaks down and I rush to his side and pull him into a hug rocking him as he had me just this morning.
XXX
We were sitting side by side now his cries had calmed, he was holding the watch staring at it.
"I wish you didn't have to go... I could do this for you." he doesn't understand the meaning.
"He won't love you." He says as he turns to me, I give him a smile,
"I know. And he shouldn't, because he has a wife in the future, a wonderful woman, but then maybe I'm just trying to justify what I know."
"It was real. I wasn't...I really thought..." he rambles,
"It was real yes. But so are you. The watch takes everything alien, and stores it, leaving the things that are needed for the species he chooses to be, your the human part. Your just as real as he is." I reach over and place my hand on his, I let out a sob as images flash through my mind.
We see our wedding what it would have been if it had happened, The birth of Jenny, the birth of Alex, walking through a park hand in hand my stomach swollen with a third child, we looked happy. and then at the end of his life a peaceful death.
"They're all safe, aren't they? The children...the grandchildren...everyone's safe?" He croaks, I smile down at him holding my hand my hair grey, tears falling down my face,
"Everyone's safe. They all send their love, John." I say gently,
"It's done. Thank you." he closes his eyes never to open the again.
We come back to the current time, I let out another sob,
"Did you see?" He asked me,
"I saw but..."
"What?" he whispers,
"I can't have that, I'm not human John, and he's a Time Lord he cant have that either."
"And yet I could!" He looks at the watch in tears. I stand up,
"So be it." I whisper, he looks up startled, "If you don't want to open the watch, I'll make them stop myself." My eyes start to burn, before he can ask what I mean I walk out the door and stop next to Joan, "Tell him I'm sorry."
"Phoenix, What are you going to do?" Martha ask's fearfully, I turn to look at her with a grim smile,
"They won't stop, I warned them about taking lives in front of me Martha, I've given them their warning." I look at the watch around my neck, "And if I can't stop them then I give them what they want... A Time Lord." I turn and run off.
XXX
3rd Person
Martha storms into the cottage to find John sitting on a chair looking confused,
"They're going to stop." she spat, John looks up surprised,
"It's safe then... I can stay." he asks hopefully, she continued to glare at him.
"Phoenix is going to end it. She's going to destroy them so you can stay as you are, and if that doesn't work she's going to die." she snapped, John looks stricken at her words and glanced out the window, and then glanced down at the watch, taking a deep breath he opened it.
XXX
Phoenix's P.O.V
I was nearly there the anger fueling my feet when I felt it. My back started burning, I felt warmth spread. But I don't stop I carry on running. The watch sings but I pay no mind, I meant what I had said, they wouldn't take another life, and even though I'm glad the Doctor was back, that had still taken the life of John Smith. I left fire in my wake as I ran, my anger burning so hot I left prints on the ground.
Just as I was about to reach the ship I was pulled back, arms around my waist, I struggled but the arms held tight.
"Phoenix!" I froze, that voice, I hadn't heard in so long,
"Doctor." I whisper, the fire dimming down but the burn of his hands on me still ever present.
"Stop it Phoenix." he whispered into my hair hugging me. I broke down in sobs,
"How could you." I choke "How could you do that to me? I had to lie to him. I had to hurt him. It killed him." I gasp for breath through my tears. He stroked my hair as he turned me around and I beat at his chest.
"I'm so sorry." he whispered over and over again.
XXX
"We'll blast them into dust, fuse the dust into glass, then shatter them all over again!" Baines gleefully shouts. There is a slight metal twang and the family turns as one to see John enter the ship.
"Just-" He lurches to the side stumbling and knocks the side of the ship hitting buttons. "Just stop the bombardment. That's all I'm asking. I'll do anything you want, just stop." he begs
"Say please." Baines says with a smirk,
"Please." He echo's instantly, after a slight pause, Jenny turns a switch and there is a hiss as the ship responds.
"Wait a minute." Jenny pauses and inhales deeply "Still human." she scoffs,
"Now I can't-I can't pretend to understand, not for a second, but I want you to know that I'm innocent in all this. He made me John Smith. It's not like I had any control over it." he hits more buttons seemingly accidental,
"He didn't just make himself human, he made himself an idiot." Jenny says with disgust,
"Same thing, isn't it?" Baines asked amused,
"I don't care about this Doctor and your family, I just want you to go. So, I've made my choice. (holds out watch) You can have him. Just take it, please! Take him away." he pleads holding the watch out,
"At last." Baines takes the watch, as he gazes at it he grabs John by the lapels, "Don't think that saved your life." he said throwing him to the side, John hits more buttons as he tries to catch himself. "Family of Mine, now we shall have the lives of a Time Lord." He opens the watch and each member of the family breathes deeply.
"It's empty!" He shouts in outrage as he turns on John,
"Well, where's it gone?" John asks in shock,
"You tell me." Baines snaps, he throws the watch and the John catches it one-handed. Confidence he hadn't had before as the Doctor drops the act.
"Oh, I think the explanation might be you've been fooled by a simple olfactory misdirection-little bit like ventriloquism of the nose. It's an elementary trick in certain parts of the galaxy. But it has got to be said-" He put's on his glasses. "I don't like the looks of that hydroconometre. It seems to be indicating you've got energy feedback all the way through the retrostabilisers feeding back into the primary heat converter-ah" He hisses through his teeth, "'Cause if there's one thing you shouldn't have done, you shouldn't have let me press all those buttons. Phoenix gave you two warnings, and you should have listened. But, in fairness, I will give you another one-Run." And then he bolts off the ship.
"Get out! Get out!" Baines shouts. The Family runs out of the ship and across the field behind the Doctor and Phoenix as the ship explodes throwing them to the ground. The Doctor standing over them his arm around Phoenix's waist, the oncoming storm in his eyes as Phoenix's eyes held pity and loathing.
XXX
'He never raised his voice. That was the worst thing. The fury of the Time Lord as Phoenix had said. And then we discovered why. Why this Doctor, who had fought with gods and demons, why he'd run away from us and hidden-he was being kind just as Phoenix had said. We were fools not to listen to her. To heed her warning's.'
Clarke falls to his knees screaming wrapped in thick metal chains. The Doctor standing behind him unmoved as Phoenix stands next to him holding his hand.
'He wrapped my father in unbreakable chains, forged in the heart of a dwarf star.'
Jenny being pulled backwards out of the open doors of the TARDIS.
'He tricked my mother into the event horizon of a collapsing galaxy to be imprisoned there...forever.'
Still with his hand in Phoenix's he watches, no emotion present on his face.
'He and Phoenix still visit my little sister once a year every year.'
The Doctor stands in front of an ornate mirror with Phoenix still beside him, pity and sorrow in her eyes now as Lucy peer's out of a crack in the door.
'I wonder if one day he might forgive her, but there she is-can you see? He trapped her inside a mirror, every mirror. If ever you look at your reflection and see something move behind you, just for a second, that's her. That's always her.'
Baines is dressed as a scarecrow smirk still on his face,
'As for me for not heeding Phoenix's warnings, I was suspended in time. And the Doctor put me to work...'
The doctor puts the hood over his head, he looks like one of the scarecrow soldier's,
'...standing over the fields of England...as their protector.'
The Doctor took Phoenix's hand and pulls her to walk away.
'We wanted to live forever, so the Doctor made sure that we did. Phoenix was right once more, there are worse things than
death.'
XXX
Phoenix's P.O.V
I stood in the shadows of the Cartwrite home watching as the Doctor talked to Joan.
"Is it done?" She asks looking out the window,
"It's done." He affirms,
"Police and the arm are at the school. The parents have come to take the boys home. I should go. They'll have so many questions. I'm not sure what to say." She turns around, "Oh, you look the same. Goodness, you must forgive my rudeness. I...find it difficult to look at you. Doctor, must call you Doctor. Where is he? John Smith?" She questioned quietly.
"He's in here somewhere." he answer's,
"Like a story. Could you change back?" She wonders, I feel my heart constrict,
"Yes." He replied,
"Will you?" She continues to question,
"No."
"I see. Well then. He was braver that you, in the end. That ordinary man. You chose to change. He chose to die." a sad smile graces my feature's that was true. But then again, the one's who run...
"Come with me." He requests,
"I'm sorry?" she asked confused,
"Travel with me." he says more clearly,
"As what?" She demands he voice soft,
"My companion." was his reply, I shake my head, god he was so oblivious.
"But that's not fair. What must I look like to you, Doctor? I must seem so very small." She says,
"No. We could be friends again. I'd like that, you and me. We could try, at least. Because everything that John Smith is and was, I'm capable of that, too." He quickly sputters,
"I can't." She denies,
"Please come with me." He insists,
"I can't." She repeats,
"Why not?" He asked,
"John Smith is dead and you look like him. God know's how B- Phoenix is handling this." Joan explains, I sigh, it's going to be with a slap.
"But he's here." He walks closer "Inside. If you look in my eyes." He tried,
"Answer me this, just one question. That's all. If the Doctor had never visited us, if he'd never chosen this place on a whim...would anyone here have died?" he doesn't answer. "You can go." The Doctor leaves, once the door is closed I walk out of my hiding spot.
"That was a little harsh." I comment sadly,
"But it was true none the less." She counters as she walks to the table, I sigh, "It killed me to know that John had to go..." I whisper,
"What are you to the Doctor? Really? For him to see you as his wife as a human... you must be special to him." she theorizes, I sit in a chair,
"It's a side effect..."
"Of what?" she questions,
"What I say, he cannot know, Martha was so close to telling him before." I hold my watch up and turn the perception filter off. She gasps. "While I may be the Daughter of a star now, I was never human... He's not as alone as he thinks. The side effect is because of this thing called linking, it's like soul mates I guess, the only one who can truly make you happy, but the thing is I'm clutching at straws, I know in the future he has a wife, or at least I think he does because ever since I came into his life things have been changing, but I just can't let go of my life as it is now. John is so much stronger in that aspect..." I whisper, I pull something out of my coat.
"He showed me this yesterday morning, because of the life he thought he had I had to go along with it, I broke down I tears..." I hand her a piece of paper, she unfolds it and gasps, "Those were to be our children Alex and Jenny. You are a great friend Joan and I want to let you know that there are so many things that could have been." I pick up the journal and slip another piece of paper into it before handing it to her. "I want you to keep this. To remember us." she takes it and I hug her. "Goodbye Joan." I walk out of the door and towards the TARDIS.
XXX
Joan opened the journal and a piece of paper fell out, bending down she picked it up and unfolded it. There on the page was a picture of John, Blaze and Joan walking through the field the day of the dance, when they were happy, and underneath written in the grass was,
'We'll always remember you.'
Joan holds it to her, crying.
XXX
Martha and the Doctor were waiting in the field as they talked,
"How was she?" Martha asked softly,
"Time we moved on." he tells her,
"If you want, I could go and-" Martha offer's but the Doctor cuts her off.
"Time we moved on." His voice is harder, Martha doesn't push it. She walks into the TARDIS and I walk up behind him, he looks at me, I lift my hand and bring it to his face, he closes his eyes.
I stopped inches from his face, and let my hand drop to my side as I sigh...
"Please" My voice cracks "Never again." he looks at me and I see the pain in his eyes as he nods. Martha pops her head out about to say something when...
"Doctor, Martha. Phoenix!" Tim calls as he runs towards us,
"Tim-Timothy-Timber." The doctor greets, I sigh and shake my head,
"Hi Tim." he greet normally.
"I just wanted to say good-bye. And thank you, because I've seen the future and I now know what must be done. It's coming, isn't it? The biggest war ever." he asks,
"You don't have to fight." Martha says gently,
"I think we do." He smiles,
"But you could get hurt." Martha says, worried,
"Well, so could you two, travelling around with him, but it's not going to stop you." he counters, I smile 'smart boy'
"Tim, I'd be honored if you'd take this." The Doctor hands him the watch, he looks at it curiously,
"I can't hear anything." he said confused,
"No, it's just a watch now. But keep it with you. For good luck." the Doctor tells him with a smile and a wink, Martha hugs him,
"Look after yourself." she kisses him on the cheek and heads back into the TARDIS.
"You'll like this bit." The Doctor says with a grin as he also goes into the TARDIS. I pull him into a hug and kiss his cheek,
"Remember what the watch showed you. Don't forget it. Goodbye Tim." I pull back,
"Bye Phoenix." he smiles and i walk into the TARDIS shutting the doors behind me. The TARDIS dematerializes.
XXX
I hadn't gotten much sleep that night, Martha had went to bed right after we left and I had followed after her, getting a cup of tea and heading to my room. I got my laptop and wrote everything I could from adventure's passed and those to come. The Doctor had come in and told me we were taking a trip and I had saved everything and gone to the console room.
Stepping out of the TARDIS I saw Remembrance Sunday service, an old man sat in a wheelchair, other's behind him. A female vicar reading what i know to be 'For the Fallen' by Laurence Binyan
"...They mingle not with laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.
They went with songs to the battle,"
I see the watch in Tim's hand and smile in fondness leaning into the Doctor's side.
"...they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,"
Tim turns his head and see us, Martha attaching a poppy to the Doctor's lapel and the doctor had put a poppy in my hair. I looked at Tim and smile as he looks at us. I raise my hand in greeting.
"They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them."
XXX
We stayed until the end of the service and said hello to Tim, we left shortly after that and set out on our next adventure.
It would be a while before Blink and I was grateful for that...
XXX
Okay that's it let me know what you thought.
Shadow OUT!
XXX