Chapter 4
"Doctor!" I let out a squeal that was soon followed by a burst of laughter as I was picked up and thrown into the TARDIS' swimming pool. I swam toward the surface and turned my glare onto the Doctor, who was casually standing at the edge of the pool, slowly drifting toward him without him noticing. He just smiled at me as he fixed his bowtie and threw me a wink. I quickly reached forward and dragged him into the pool without a second thought. I let out a laugh that was soon interrupted as I was dragged under the water.
I slowly opened my eyes under the water and was greeted by a grinning doctor. I let out a grin to match his, grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the surface. Once there, I hung my arms around his neck and leaned my head against his shoulder when his arms wrapped around my waist.
My sleep was interrupted by a soft knock on my door.
"Go away." I mumbled, digging my face into the pillow I was currently using. My dream had been surprisingly, very peaceful. I don't remember what my dream was about but I do remember that I was really happy. Happier than I had ever been before.
I let out an annoyed huff of air when I heard the door open.
"Go away." I mumbled a little louder this time. A deep chuckle was heard before the side of the bed dipped a little. "Tell you what, you wake up right now and I let you choose where we go." The Doctor nudged my side. Right, like he seriously expected me to get up. Wait. The Doctor. I sat up as quickly as I could and without opening my eyes, I lunched forward into the Doctor and took a deep breath. Being greeted by the smell of vanilla and leather, I let a smile finally appear on my face. Arms reluctantly hugged me back after a few seconds.
"You ok Alex?" I looked up and was met with a pair of blue eyes. A small laugh escaped my lips. "Yeah, just checking that you're real and not my imagination." I responded, hugging him harder.
"Come on then. Rose is waiting in the console room. I just came to get you since I had a feeling that if I didn't wake you, you'd go mad on me." He said, barely containing a grin. "You would have any other way, admit it." I snickered.
"No, I wouldn't." He beamed at me while pulling me up and pushing me toward the bathroom. "Come on. Get ready. Rose gets to choose this time since you took too long so you'll have to find us after we land. Okay?" He bobbed my nose with his index finger. I let out a pout placing my chin in between my thumb and index finger like if I was thinking about it. "Mmmm... 'kay but if I get lost, remember that I'm going to blame it on you no matter what." I stuck my tongue out and headed inside the bathroom but came out a minute later. I skipped up to the Doctor, who hadn't even moved, and placed a kiss on his cheek then headed back toward the door.
"Thanks by the way." I said over my shoulder before I shut the door behind me. Before showering I took a peek at the full length mirror hanging on the wall and examined my features again. I still wasn't used to looking like this. In a way, I guess I missed my brown hair or at least the familiarity of it. It was one of the things we had in common, Alex and me.
I shook my head. Remember, you said you wanted this life, that you would do anything to be here. That even though I would miss people, this was where I truly belonged. A single tear leaked out of the corner of my eye that was only visible for a little while before I wiped it away quickly. Nope. You got this. I reassured myself one more time before showering.
Quickly heading out of the bathroom and into the walk-in closet, wrapped in a towel, I let out a squealed as I saw all the different clothes. Since we were most likely on 'The End Of the World' episode, I would have to choose something in which I wouldn't be so hot when the heat levels went up. I searched for a few seconds before the hangers started moving until a outfit was hanging in front of me. There were washed out blue shorts that reached to half my thigh and a TARDIS blue muscle tee, followed by a black sports bra. I put them on in record time and searched the back of the closet until I found a pair of black converse. I couldn't take my TARDIS bag in worry that it might it get ruined so I got out my sonic screwdriver and my physic paper and placed them in my pockets. I let out smile as I hurriedly put them on before racing out of the room and only pausing once I got to the console room.
I let out a giggle as I ran around the console with my arms out. Ah, I needed to let the weird out already. I was acting practically normal with the Doctor right now but only because I didn't want to scare him off too soon. Once he got used to me though, all hell would break loose and the fun would really begin. "Hey sexy, I'll be right back. I would say that I've got to make sure the Doctor doesn't get into too much trouble but knowing him, there is no way that's going to happen!" I patted the console lovingly before I skipped out the door and toward where I guessed the observation gallery would be.
"We have in attendance the Doctor and Rose Tyler. Thank you! All staff to their positions." I heard the steward say before catching my gaze and walking toward me with purpose. "And who might you be?" He asked me.
I let out a charming smile before flashing him my physic paper. "Alex Kale at your service." I explained with a gracious bow. He slowly nodded, seeming to accept it and walk away but not before throwing a last look toward me. Once he was fully turned around, I stuck my tongue out at the steward's turned back and skipped toward the Doctor, jumping on his back, latching my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck.
"Surprise!" I yelled into his ear, a bit too excited.
"Ooof!" The noise suddenly left the Doctor's lips as he stumbled a bit with the extra weight before he steadied us, holding onto my legs, making sure I didn't fall.
I made sure that we wouldn't fall, then slowly unraveled my arms and legs from around him. Dropping to the ground I fixed the lapels of the his leather jacket, giving him a grin. I let out a pout when the Doctor gave me a playful glare.
"Careful, you could get hurt Alex."
"Yeah, yeah." I waved off his concern and looked away, avoiding the glare that Rose was sending me. I really had to strike a deal with her. We couldn't go on like this if we were both going to travel with the Doctor.
"And now, might I introduce the next honored guest, representing the forest of Cheem, we have Trees. Namely, Jabe, Lute and Coffa." The steward said as they entered. "There will be an exchange of gifts representing gifts. If you can keep the room circulating, thank you. Next, from the solicitors Jolco and Jolco, the Moxx of Bahoon. And next, from Financial Family Seven, we have the Adherents of the Repeated Meme." He continued as the Doctor and I shared a look of excitement then a chuckle when we saw Rose's look of bewilderment at the sight of the aliens.
I looked on with curiosity as all the new aliens entered until someone's hand blocked my view.
"Oi!" I complained as I pushed the Doctor's hand out of my way and threw him a look before Jabe approached us.
"The Gift of Peace. I bring you a cutting of my Grandfather." Jabe kindly gave the Doctor the plant but he quickly passed it onto Rose. "Thank you! Yes, gifts...um..." He trailed off trying to think of something.
"Air." I whispered at him before I pulled us close to Jabe. "We give you in return, air form our lungs," I said before I blew gently on her face and waiting for the Doctor to catch on, which he quickly did. Jabe closed her eyes briefly as we breathed on her face.
"How...intimate." Jabe gave us quite a suggestive look.
"There's more where that came from." The Doctor and I simultaneously say. In the show, the Doctor said that with a flirty tone but right now he said it like me. Like we were just stating a fact. Weird, it looked like not everything was the same as it was in the show. Small little things changed but it made me worry about how it could also change something major like Bad Wolf and that was just in this regeneration.
"I bet there is..." She trailed off.
"Sponsor of the main event, please welcome the Face of Bo." The steward announced as he was rolled into the observation gallery. I let out a squeal as I jumped up and down, clapping my hands, avoiding the Doctor's questioning look. As soon as he turned toward the Moxx of Balhoon, I skipped away from the Doctor and toward the Face of Bo, trying to contain my excitement and not doing a very good job at it.
"Hey Captain." I said once I reached him, placing a hand on the glass that was separating us.
Alex. Oh, how I've missed your voice.
I let out a small smile. "Well let's hope you missed me too, not just my amazing voice , Jack." I teased.
It's your fist time meeting me.
I let out a small frown. He didn't ask, he more like stated it. "Is it that obvious?"
You don't seem as outgoing as you were when you first met me.
God. If I wasn't as outgoing as I was supposed to be, that was bad news. I had already considered that I was crazy enough but now I knew that I was going to get worse. "Spoilers." I allowed a smile to escape that was followed by a small laugh when I thought about something else."I'm going to search for past you. You won't be able to get rid of me." I promised.
I know I won't. It has already happened for me. You wouldn't stop visiting me and I really appreciate that, you helped me get through some tough times. Alex and Jack . The unstoppable duo.
"Sounds like fun. I really look forward to that. Catch you later Jack. Even though the Doctor wouldn't care if I got left behind, I wouldn't like for that to happen." I reluctantly waved then headed back toward the Doctor but not before I heard the last few words Jack directed toward me.
He never would forget you.
Yeah right, I wish.
"And last but not least, our very special guest. Ladies and gentlemen, and trees and multiforms, consider the Earth below. In memory of this dying world, we call forth the last Human. The Lady Cassandra O'Brein Dot Delta Seventeen." The steward said as soon as I walked up and stopped next to the Doctor, watching as Cassandra was pushed into the observation gallery.
"Oh, now, don't stare. I know, I know it's shocking, isn't it? I've had my chin completely taken away and look at the difference. Look how thin I am. Thin and dainty. I don't look a day over two thousand. Moisturize me. Moisturize me." I narrowed my eyes at her. It was her fault so many people would die today, Even tough I knew I couldn't stop her before the Doctor found out it was her, I could do something and save all of them or at least most of them.
"Truly, I am the last Human. My father was a Texan, my mother was form the Artic Desert. They were born on the Earth and were the last to be buried in it's soil.I have come to honor them and say goodbye. Oh, no tears, no tears. I'm sorry. But behold, I bring gifts. From Earth itself, the last remaining ostrich egg. Legend says it had a wingspan of fifty feet and blew fire from it's nostrils. Or was that my third husband? Oh, no. Oh, don't laugh. I'll get laughter lines. And here, another rarity. According to the archives, this was called an IPod. It stores classical music form humanity's greatest composers. Play on!" She chanted after a 50's juke box was reeled in and started playing 'Tainted Love'.
Wow. She needed to update her archives then. No, screw that. That would mean something was right but she was so off, it wasn't even funny.
"Refreshments will now be served. Earth death in thirty minutes." The steward says as Rose runs out, overwhelmed by the sight of so many aliens.
I let out a small whine when the Doctor grabbed my hand and started pulling me toward the direction she had run off to. "Oh hush, you." The Doctor said trying to quiet me. "But I don't want to!" I kept whining, trying to see if he would get annoyed. He surprised me though when he simply smiled fondly at me. I let out a small frown. This regeneration was supposed to get annoyed easily, but I guess as I had thought before, he was different in real life.
"Doctor? Alex?" A flash of light momentarily blinded us as Jabe took a scan from the device she was holding. "Woah! Watch it there Jabe, don't want to go blind this early in life!" I complained.
"My apologies. Thank you." She nodded her head at me before the Doctor dragged me away. "Stop pulling! I can walk perfectly you know?! No need to drag me around the whole forsaken place!" I threw my hands in the air, waving them frantically around when we had reached the corridor. The Doctor simply let out a chuckle as I lightly shoved him with my shoulder but all was forgotten when we saw the TARDIS being wheeled away.
"Oi, now, careful with that. Park it properly. No scratches." He yelled after them but I on the other hand was going crazy. "No, they can't take her away! I won't let them! Don't worry old girl, I've got you!" I exclaimed as I latched onto one of the TARDIS' sides, refusing to budge, even as the little assistants tried to pull me off. Finally, the Doctor managed to pry me off the TARDIS but only after reassuring me that she was going to be okay and that he would buy me chips later. I had to try British chips. I now had a new mission in life.
"Fine. Onwards my time lord friend! Let's find this Rose girl." I marched forward pulling the Doctor with the chips still in mind.
"Rose? Are you in there?" The Doctor calls out as we reach the doorway to the room Rose was in.
"Aye, aye. What do you think then?" He inquired.
"Great. Yeah, fine. Once you get past the slightly psychic paper. They're just so alien. The aliens are so alien. You look at them and they're alien." I rolled my eyes. Brilliant, Rose. God, she wasn't very smart in the beginning of her adventures, was she?
"Good thing I didn't take you to the Deep South." The tried to joke around.
"Where are you from?" She questioned him, slightly looking my way. She was curious as to where I was from too. Maybe we could get along.
"All over the place." He answered. Rose seemed to let it go but turned to me and looked at me with questioning eyes. "I'm from a place where everyday felt like I was repeating the last day, over and over again. My life seemed to dodge all the exciting moments. Wake up, eat, go to school, do homework, eat yet again and go to sleep. The constant things made me go mad. I lived for diversity yet I couldn't live without it. These things made me go crazy...but now, I'm here. It's all that matters right now." I stopped realizing I was blabbing too much. She didn't need to know about my life yet. I don't think anyone did. I preferred if it was kept quiet.
Rose nodded. "They all speak English." I was grateful she didn't ask anymore.
"No, you just hear English. It's a gift of the TARDIS. The telepathic field, gets inside your head and translates." The Doctor tried to explain.
"It's inside my brain?"
"Well in a good way."
"Your machine gets inside my head. It gets inside and it changes my mind, and you didn't even ask?" Rose seemed mad but I knew she just wanted to let the stress out.
"Rose, it's like having an instant translator in your head. It doesn't change your mind, the old girl would never do that." I tried to explain.
"I didn't think about it like that."
"No, you were to busy thinking up cheap shots about the Deep South. Who are you then Doctor? I at least know Alex's name but what are you called? What sort of alien are you?" Rose said after ignoring what I had first said.
"I'm just the Doctor."
"From what planet?"
"Well, it's not as if you know where it is!"
"Where are you from?" Rose kept insisting for him to answer her question.
"What does it matter?"
"Tell me who you are!" I could see he was getting annoyed. Maybe he did get annoyed easily but didn't with me. I'd have to ask him why at a later date.
"This is who I am, right here, right now, all right? All that counts is here and now, and this is me."
"Yeah, and I'm here too because you brought me here, so just tell me." Rose pleaded. I slipped my hand into the Doctor's hand. He seemed ready to explode, hopefully it would help with skin contact. Miraculously, it did help. He almost instantly calmed down. I don't know what's wrong with Rose. She chose to come here, so why was she pinning the blame on the Doctor?
The computer's voice suddenly rang out. "Earth death in twenty minutes. Earth death in twenty minutes." It reminded us.
"All right. As my mate Shareen says, don't argue with the designated driver." Rose seems to drop the subject as she takes out her mobile phone. "Can't exactly call for a taxi. There's no signal. We're out of range. Just a bit." She continues.
"Tell you what." He takes her phone apart as I try to look over his shoulder to see how he'd doing it. "With a little bit of jiggery pokery."
"Is that a technical term, jiggery pokery?" I tease him.
"Yeah, I came first in jiggery pokery. What about you?" He teased back.
"Nah! To simple for this great brain, I need a challenge." I stuck my tongue out at him as Rose looked at both of us amused.
"Oh, there you go." He handed her back her mobile phone. Rose immediately calls her mum as soon as she's got good grip on the mobile.
I turn to stare out of the windows, into space, past the Earth. I let a small smile onto my face. Alex and Kale would have loved this.
"Think that's amazing, you want to see the bill."
"That was five billion years ago. So, she's dead now. Five billion years later, my mum's dead."
"Bundle of laughs, you are" I muttered under my breath. The whole space station starts shaking all of the sudden. Crap. I had forgotten about the dangerous stuff.
"That's not supposed to happen."
"You think!?" I softly smacked the Doctor on the back of the head just for that comment. I kindly received a glare in return. Uh, time lords.
Walking through the corridors I started thinking about the steward. Sadly I couldn't do anything to help him but I promised myself I wouldn't let anybody else die. They didn't deserve to die and hopefully when I saved them, I wouldn't do anything to make the universe collapse. The troubles of knowing the future. Is this kind of what the Doctor normally felt when he knew he couldn't save someone, that they had to die so everybody else lived? It was overwhelming.
Entering the observation gallery we approached Jabe. "That wasn't a gravity pocket. I know what gravity pockets and they don't feel like that. What do you think Alex? Jabe? Listen to the engines. They pitched up about thirty."
"It's the sound of metal. It doesn't make any sense to me." Jabe said. The Doctor turned toward me and raised his eyebrow. "Spoilers love." I put my index finger over my lips and threw him a wink.
"Where's the engine room?" He looked anywhere but me, trying to hide the pale pink hue that had appeared on his cheeks. I had gotten the Doctor to blush, there's that life accomplishment crossed off the list.
"I don't know but the maintenance duct is just behind our guest suite. I could show you, your wife and your friend." Friend? Oh right, Rose is with us. I had forgotten about her for a second. I feel so awful.
"She's not my wife!" The Doctor exclaimed clearly flustered. Oh right, she had called me his wife too.
"No of course not. I'm his girlfriend obviously." I shushed the Doctor when he started to say something. "It's easier this way. She would have gone on and on about me being a concubine or prostitute. This way, we keep our dignity, both of us." I whispered to him as Jabe nodded at my earlier explanation.
"And me 'the friend' as she said, must be invisible. Do you mind? Tell you what, you two go create mini little aliens and follow Jabe. I'm going to go catch up with family. Quick word with Michael Jackson." Rose says before she heads off toward Cassandra, leaving two very flustered time lords behind. She had told the Doctor and me to get together, wow, she's got some guts. The Doctor cleared his throat, trying not to make eye contact.
"Come on." He said before pulling me of toward Jabe. "Don't start a fight!" I yelled back toward Rose, my cheeks still pink. The Doctor, Jabe, and me link arms as Rose calls back. "And I want you both home by midnight!" Looks like Rose and me were getting along better. No fights for a while now, it was great.
"Who's in charge of Platform One? Is there a Captain or what?" The Doctor questioned us both as we reached the maintenance duct.
"There's just the steward and the staff. All the rest is controlled by the metal mind." Jabe answered as ran my fingers against some of the cables that were hanging from the ceiling.
"You mean the computer? But who controls that?"
"The Corporation." I answered him. He spared a look my way before turning back to Jabe as she added on to what I had said. "They move Platform One from one artistic event to another."
"But there's no one form the Corporation on board."
"They're not needed. The facility is purely automatic. It's the height of the Alpha class. Nothing can go wrong." Jabe argued. Oh, she shouldn't have said that. Now everything is going to get worse. Bad move Jabe.
"Unsinkable?"
"If you like. The nautical metaphor is appropriate."
"You're telling me. I was on board another ship once. They said that was unsinkable. I ended up clinging to an iceberg. It wasn't half cold. So, what you're saying is, if we get in trouble, there's no one to help us out?" The Doctor said.
"I'm afraid not." Jabe commented.
The Doctor and I shared a look and simultaneously spoke. "Fantastic."
"I don't understand. In what way is that fantastic?" Jabe asked confused. I let out loud laugh. "In many ways!" I flashed her a smile, skipping ahead to the door panel not being able to make out what Jabe and the Doctor were talking about in the background. I herd my name once so turned toward them with a questioning look but the Doctor simply waved his hand in my direction. I let out a frown. They better be saying good things about me.
"Excuse me." The Doctor says once they are standing next to me. I lean against the door panel blocking his access to it. After a few seconds he got me to move by tickling me, so currently I was leaning against the wall next to the door panel, moping.
"And what about your ancestry Doctor? Alex? Perhaps both of you can tell a story or two. Perhaps a man and girl only enjoy trouble when there's nothing left. I scanned you both earlier. The metal machine had trouble identifying your species. It refused to admit your existence, much less Alex's. And even when it named you both, I couldn't believe it. But it was right. I know were you're from. Forgive me for intruding, but it's remarkable you exist, much less both of you. I just wanted to say how sorry I am." Jabe tries to touch the Doctor's arm but he moves out of the way slightly so she pulls her arm back. In the show, he let her, he's not the same. Too many variables are getting in the way. I needed to calm him down, he looked mad and ready to explode.
Quickly grabbing his hand, I gave it a firm squeeze. "Shh...it's ok" I reassured him as I ran my free hand up and down the arm that had my other hand. He visibly shook as a lone tear leaked out of the corner of his eye. I had never seem him look so broken. It looked like the Time War effected him much more in real life than it had in the show. Jabe watched us with a curious expression on her face as the Doctor had finally calmed enough to open the door.
We were greeted by a warm blast of air when we entered the engine room.
"Is it me or is it a bit nippy?" The Doctor asks.
"Not just you. It's boiling!" I let my hand out of the Doctor's as we looked around the room. There was a walkway than ran through a series of huge fans. One of Cassandra's metal spiders ran up the wall when the Doctor soniced the panel. I quickly jumped onto the Doctor's back, practically choking him in the process of trying not to touch the ground, waving my sonic screwdriver at the metal spider.
"What the hell's that?" The Doctor said while trying to untangle me from him but I wasn't giving up so easily. There is no way I was getting anywhere close to a place the spider could potentially be.
"Is it part of the retro?" Jabe questioned sending us amused looks.
"I don't think so. Hold on." He once again tries to pull me of so he can reach his sonic but since I know what he's doing, I don't let him. Jabe, seeing that he's not going to able to do anything with me on his back, lassoes it.
"Nice liana!" I yell enthusiastically at her, as soon as she had the disabled metal spider securely in her hands.
"Thank you. We're not supposed to show them in public."
"Don't worry, we won't tell. Now then who's bringing their pets on board."
"What does it do?" Jabe asked.
"Sabotage." I sang.
"Earth death in ten minutes." The computer's monotone voice rang out.
"And the temperature's about to rocket. Alex?"
"Yeah?" I rested my chin on the top of his head. "Get off. Why are you on my back anyways?" He questioned.
"It was a spider"
"It was metal." He added.
"Yeah...it was." I said after a moments pause.
"Alex, get off!"
The Doctor had finally gotten me off his back with the help of Jabe. To say the least, it was very tiring for me and we were currently in one of the corridors.
"Hold on. Get back." He said, lightly pushing me behind him as he tried to sonic the panel on the wall beside a door. I knew the steward was behind it and there was nothing I could have done.
"Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising." The computer spoke. No, I could have done something to save him.
"Is the steward in there?" I herd Jabe say as I kept thinking.
"You can smell him. Hold on there's another sun filter programmed to descend." He said before racing off. Jabe and I shared a look and headed off toward the observation gallery.
"The metal machine confirms it. The spider devices have infiltrated the whole of Platform One." Jabe starts.
"How's that possible? Our private rooms are protected by a code wall. Moisturize me. Moisturize me." I narrowed my eyes at Cassandra's acting. It was her fault and I would make her pay.
"Summon the steward." Moxx said
"He's dead." Sorrow laced my words.
"Who killed him?"
"This whole event was sponsored by the Face of Boe. He invited us. Talk to the face. Talk to the face." Cassandra accused.
"Shut up! Don't you go blaming him!" I yelled at her. I was about ready to explode at her innocent act. I felt a hand land on my shoulder, I looked up and was met with the Doctor's concerned look.
"Easy way of finding out. Someone brought their little pet on board. Let's send him back to his master." He says but as soon as he puts the metal spider on the ground, I jump onto his back and point my sonic at the metal spider. The Doctor lets out a noise from the back of his throat when I jumped on him as I looked toward the spider. It scanned Cassandra before heading toward the black gowned group.
"The Adherents of the Repeated Meme. J'accuse!" Cassandra exclaimed.
"That's all very well, and really kind of obvious, but if you stop and think about it..." The Doctor trailed off and made sure my legs were securely around his waist before walking up to the leader of the black gowned group. When it tried to hit him, I hurriedly grabbed it's arm and ripped it off, then reached over and pulled at a wire that was hanging where his arm used to be, and all the Adherents collapsed in an instant.
"Remote controlled Droids. Nice little cover for the real troublemaker. Go on, Jimbo. Go home." The Doctor said holding onto my legs, giving me a piggy back ride back to where the spider was. He lightly nudged it with his foot before it walked of toward Cassandra.
"I bet you were the school swot and never got kissed!" She exclaimed. I quickly hopped of the Doctor's back and stood in front of him, grabbing his face and pressing my lips against his for a few seconds. I felt him go a bit rigid before he relaxed and I pulled back. It wasn't really a kiss, more like just pressing lips. Okay, it was a kiss and I was a little proud for being able to do it before backing down. I turned back toward Cassandra and stuck my tongue out.
"There." I smirked at Cassandra's shocked look.
"At arms!" Well someone was mad that the last bit had blown up in their face, Her assistants pointed their spray guns at us.
"What are you going to do, moisturize us?" The Doctor said after he got over the initial shock of the kiss.
"With acid. Oh, you're too late anyway. My spiders have control of the mainframe. Oh, you all carried them as gifts, tax free, past every code wall. I'm not just a pretty face." I so wanted to wipe off that look of arrogance off Cassandra's face.
"Sabotaging a ship while your still inside it? How stupid's that?" The Doctor asked mystified.
I'd hope to manufacture a hostage situation with myself as one of the victims. The compensation would have been enormous." Cassandra's eyes were shinning with greed.
"Five billion years and it still comes down to money." I scowled at her.
"Do you think it's cheap, looking like this? Flatness costs a fortune. I am the last human Doctor, Alex. Me. Not that freaky little kid of yours." Wow. It was so easy to hate her.
"Arrest her, the infidel." Moxx stated.
"Oh, shut it, pixie. I've still got my final option."
"Earth death in three minutes." The computer reminded of our short time.
"And here it comes. You're just as useful dead, all of you. I have shares in your rival companies and they will triple in price as soon as your dead. My spiders are primed and ready to destroy the safety systems. How did that old Earth song go? Burn, baby, burn." Cassandra said.
"Then you'll burn with us." Jabe was one tough cookie for sure.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I know the use of teleportation is strictly forbidden, but I'm such a naughty thing. Spiders, activate." There were a series of explosions throughout the Platform.
"Force fields gone with the planet about to explode. At least it'll be quick. Just like my fifth husband. Oh, shame on me." God. Now she was trying to be funny. Let me at her.
"Safety systems failing." The computer warned.
"Bye, bye, darlings. Bye, bye, my darlings." Cassandra said as her and her attendants beamed away.
"Heat levels rising." The computer said. Real helpful.
"Reset the computer." Moxx said trying to get out of this alive.
"Only the steward would know how to." Jabe pointed out.
"No. We can do it by hand. There must be a system restore switch. Jabe, Alex, come on. You lot, just chill." The Doctor said as he tried pulling us away.
"No!" I dug my feet into the ground and refused to move. The Doctor and everyone looked at me. "Jabe, you stay here and help everyone into the corridors, any place without windows. You have to get away from the windows. They're going to get damaged."
"No, Jabe's coming with us and they'll stay here." The Doctor argued. I looked at him. "No."
"Alex." He was now starting to look annoyed.
"No. If Jabe goes down there, she's going to burn. If everyone else stays here, they'll also die! Have you forgotten that I know what will happen? Who will die? I need to save them. I couldn't save the steward, let me save the rest!" I flung my arms around me. "I could have saved him. Yet I was too scared that I was changing something important. Now I know it was stupid of me to think like that. I won't make the same mistake again." I looked him in the eyes as he slowly nodded.
"Well? What are you waiting for? Did everyone hear her? GO!" Everyone scrambled away as he grabbed my hand and pulled me away.
"Heat levels critical." God, that computer was so annoying.
"Oh. And guess where the switch is." The Doctor asked as we looked at the other side of where the huge fans were whirling at full force.
"Heat levels rising. Heat levels rising."
The Doctor pulls the breaker lever and the fans slow a little but go back to their normal speed as soon as he lets go.
"External temperature five thousand degrees."
I pull the lever and hold it down in place. "You can't. The heat's going to vent through this place." He tried to persuade me out of it. "I know! Don't you just love the thrill it gives?" I threw him a grin. "Your skin will burn off." He kept on talking.
"Then get on with it my impossible traveling man." I gave him a wink. He quickly ran to the first fan.
"Heat levels hazardous. Heat levels critical. Heat levels critical."
The Doctor looked back at me then ran through the second fan this time. I was slightly more worried about the burning flesh on my hands. Sweat was dripping down my face and my skin felt like it was being melted off.
"Heat levels rising. Heat levels rising." I start to shake form the pain and the corners of my vision start to go black. It's ok, just really painful burns. Jabe would have burned already, you saved her. I tried to reassure myself. I look toward the Doctor staring at me with a look of horror etched on his face and that's the last thing I see before blacking out.
I woke up in someone's arms with the feeling of being carried.
"Ugh.." I squirmed a little in the person's arms.
"Shh..it's just me Alex." The Doctor's voice instantly calms me. A worried hum sounded in the room.
"Are we in the TARDIS, no, better yet, did you save them?" I quietly asked.
"Yeah. Thanks to you, everybody lives. Everybody lives, Alex." He says before planting a kiss on my forehead. We head into my room after the Doctor grabs some stuff on the way, him still carrying me.
Once in my room, he gently sets me on the bed and grabs a tube with some green funky looking paste in it. Squirting some in his hands, he slowly rubs them together and applies the paste on my hands looking me straight in the eye. His eyes, they look so old. They're full of pain and remorse. Of wanting and longing. He rubs his thumb on the back of my head and opens his mouth.
"I shouldn't have let you do that. I'm sorry." He looks so sad.
"It wasn't your fault. I wanted to help. Cheer up Theta." The name slipped my mouth before I could do anything. I looked at him prepared for him to be mad but instead, I was met with a mournful look.
"You know." He stated. I slowly nodded. "Yeah. As I said, I was obsessed with your life." I slowly laid down on my bed already feeling the medicine on my hands working. I patted the space beside me when the Doctor didn't move. He slowly laid down with me, our shoulders barley touching.
"You know, I always dreamed of traveling with you. Of being with you. My friends sand family constantly made fun of me when I told them that I was going to find a way to get to you. In the end I didn't have to. The TARDIS appeared right when I needed her. My best friend had been ignoring me and I felt truly alone." I turned my head toward him, only to find him already staring at me. "You made my life easier and you didn't even know I existed. Now I'm here with you, and you actually seem to not think I'm annoying to have around. It's all I could even wish for. You and the old girl." A happy hum sounded in my room. I let out a few giggles.
"And the TARDIS doesn't hate me. There is no way life could get better." I closed my eyes. The pain in my hands was gone and in its place was an uncomfortable feeling. I felt pressure on my forehead once again and I slowly opened my eyes. The Doctor was millimeters away from my face. I let out a shaky breath. That stupid charm he had, I was starting to hate it. He look conflicted, darting his eyes from my lips to my eyes. Finally after what seemed like hours he leaned in and kissed my cheek. Softly pressing his lips against my skin.
I let out a soft smile. "Where's Rose?" I asked quietly, not wanting to break the moment.
"In the console room. We should go get her. I promised to show her current Earth." His breath hit my face as he spoke, not have moved away from me. He slowly sat up and helped me up too.
"Little help?" I asked him waving my hands in the air. The paste had dried and had formed something like a second skin. He carefully peeled of the paste and threw it in the wastebasket beside my bed as I stared at my hands. They looked normal. No burns or scars.
"That's awesome." I told him sending him a grin as he helped me stand up.
"Race you!" I yelled as soon as I was standing and took off running, hearing a chuckle from behind me.
"You think It'll last forever, people and cars and concrete, but it won't. One day it's all gone. Even the sky. My planet's gone. Our planet, it's dead. It burned like the Earth. It's just rocks and dust before it's time." I squeezed the hands that was in mine. We had taken Rose back to Earth and were currently looking at everyone that was passing. Amazingly, Rose had been worried about me and had bombarded me with questions when I saw her again.
"What happened?" Rose asked.
"There was a war and we lost."
"A war with who? What about your people?"
"I'm a Time Lord. I'm one of the last of the Time Lords. They're all gone. I'm the only survivor. I'm left traveling on my own 'cos there's no one else, except Alex."
"There's me." Rose added almost shyly.
"You've seen how dangerous it is. Do you want to go home?" He asked her.
"I don't know. I want. Oh, can you smell chips?"
"Yeah. Yeah." The Doctor huffed.
"I want chips! You promised me chips Doctor!" I tugged don his sleeve and gave him my best puppy eyes.
"I want some too." He smiled at me.
"Right then, before we go back into the TARDIS, chips it is, and you can pay!" I exclaimed happy.
"No money." My face instantly formed a frown as he said that.
"You promised!" I said jumping.
"What sort of a date are you? You promised her chips yet you can't pay. Come on then, tightwad, Alex, chips are on me. We've only got five billion years till the shops close." Rose interjected.
"You're a life saver!" I giggled as I hugged her enthusiastically before linking one of my arms with her and the other with the Doctor pulling them forward. Rose didn't seem so bad now, maybe she just didn't like me when I first showed up. I looked like she had changed her opinion of me for now and I was the happiest I had been in ages.
A/N- The chapters are taking to long to write and especially with all the things I have to do. This chapter took me a week to write, and I'm really sorry but as it seems I'm only going to be posting like once a week if they are long chapters like this one. Otherwise I'll have to cut the episodes into different chapters. Please send me reviews on how you like it to be. I'll post the next chapter when i have at least ten reviews so i can take a vote on it. A long chapter that will probably take me a week to write or chapters that continue on the same episode. I will probably make two or three for each episode depending and will probably posts two or three times a week. It all depends and I'm sorry for this long note but i need to know what you guys prefer.