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The Doctor opened the doors of the T.A.R.D.I.S., mind racing and hearts beating out of sync. He was residually aware of Lana Hendricks sitting down morosely at a chair, eyes never leaving the half dead twins.

With no time to waste, the Doctor laid Lucy down on the floor and Jack did the same with Juliet. Captain Jack stood aside and looked down at the distraught Time Lord. An understanding passed between them and Jack crossed the room to stand beside Lana. He put his arm around her shoulders and she did not shrug him off; she only watched, barely daring to breathe.

The Doctor's own breath was ragged and unsteady. His hands shook as he pulled the Chameleon Arch fob watch from his pocket. In mere seconds, his mind was able to think of all the possibilities. He would no longer be alone. But he'd be condemning Lucy and Juliet to the harried and often sorrowful lives of a Time Lord. They would share in his pain and carry the same responsibilities on their shoulders. They would be looked to for guidance and cast out as scapegoats. But he knew that that was better than living in a world where Lucy didn't exist.

The clasp snapped open with a soft click and gold and orange and white light streamed out of the watch. It hung about in the air for a moment as though sentient, as though deciding what to do and where to go. It finally gravitated towards the ashen faced twins, bathing them in its light.

The Doctor watched, his face pulled into a mask of breathless agitation. His hearts were beating so fast that at any minute they would overheat and expire. With one tear falling from his eye, he saw the golden light pass into Lucy, breathed in by her.

Across the room Jack's hand twitched on Lana's shoulder and he made a sudden movement, as if to run to them. But he remained where he was, mouth agape. Lana herself was in a profound state of shock. Her chest did not rise or fall with breath and Jack Harkness would have thought she'd gone catatonic were it not for the pulse he could feel against his arm.

And for the Doctor, he could see nothing except the woman below him. She was breathing steadily now and her entire body glowed with the life-giving force. But he was bracing himself for what would happen next, because this process was not over. Being transformed by the Chameleon Arch hurt. He'd had to use it when he was being pursued by the Family of Blood with Martha. The Chameleon Arch rewrote every cell in one's body. Generally speaking, people were supposed to stay within their original genetic mapping; that was just how the universe worked. So were someone to come around and change said genetic mapping, the transformation would come at a cost. And sure enough, Lucy's blue eyes flew open and turned white as she screamed. Her spine arched in crippling, paralysing pain. This was torture for the Doctor to watch. How could he have done this to her? At long last, Lucy's screams ceased and she fell back to the floor. Her breath came in jagged gasps and she rolled onto her side, eyes wide but blue once more. The Doctor was amazed to see that she still looked like herself. But perhaps since this was not a true regeneration, only a biology rewrite, she was allowed to hold on to her old form.

Her left hand reached out and the Doctor caught it. He felt a spasm when their hands touched. The feeling was like stumbling across a photo of a dead friend or family member; painful and beautiful all at once. He pulled Lucy to a sitting position, so that she was level with him and he watched her focus turn inward. She had withdrawn her hand from his and put it now to her chest. She moved to the right and her eyes widened once more. He almost smiled at her discovery of her second heart. It really had worked. Lucy was a Time Lord.

Lucy Tanith Blake had ceased to be when the bomb went off back at the military base inhabited by Daleks. She vaguely remembered a jolting and brisk run and being placed on a cold metal surface, but these were the memories of one half dead, of a person not real. And in these dark and confusing half realizations, she had felt something becoming part of her. It was warm and it was welcome, but then things changed so quickly and Lucy didn't have the breath to catch up.

There was a fire in her brain and it was spreading down her spinal cord; she could feel it lifting off the floor. Her heart had turned to ice and was being compressed and shoved aside and something was growing rapidly next to it. Someone was kicking apart her rib cage and she heard the most piercing scream in her now hyper sensitive ears. Was that her voice? When her blood had stopped boiling and her pulse returned to an acceptable rate, she opened her eyes. Well, she still felt like Lucy Blake. For the most part anyway.

When her hand had clasped the Doctor's, she knew instantly what had happened. Her new mind was able to piece it together so much more quickly. And that was when she reached over and sought out her two heartbeats. The wish had played at the back of her dreams, but this was no dream, this was reality. The Doctor had actually made her a Time Lord.

Her thoughts turned to something more pressing however and she whipped around and looked down at her other side where her twin sister was still lying, unmoving on the floor. Something was wrong. Something was horribly, terrifyingly wrong.

"Doctor, you were supposed to change her too! Didn't you-" she snapped around to face him and their eyes met. He nodded his head and held up the Chameleon Arch for her to see. She seized the watch and opened it over Juliet's face. Nothing happened. No life giving dust popped out and passed into her, saving her, however painfully. Lucy had no way of knowing that the dust which had previously been hovering over her had only disappeared into the air around them. That had been the reason for Jack's anguished movements; he'd seen that only one of the twins would be granted this second chance.

Lucy shook her head and stared down at her sister. She looked peaceful, yes, like she was sleeping, but this was so wrong. She remembered when her own mother died, when they'd said goodbye to her at the hospital. Lucy had been devastated of course, but there was also a sense of closure present. She didn't get that this time. This was like looking down at her own dead self, identical twin aside. It would be an understatement to say that something inside Lucy died as well. This was like the extra heart she'd grown was being sucked right back out of her. Lucy extended a trembling hand and touched Juliet's face. Cold. Absolute stone. Lucy's blood thickened and slowed to a snail's pace in her veins. Her body felt weightless, like it was about to float away from the ground at any moment, no longer subject to gravity's rule. It must have been her head that kept her anchored to the ground, because it was so heavy and it was caught in a vice grip. This couldn't be happening. She refused to let it happen. If she was a Time Lord now then she would find a way to stop it. But she knew that it was no use. The dead could not come back, simple as that. But the stabbing ache she felt in her heart was too much to bear.

"No. No, no, no, no, no." her voice was hollow and it hung poignantly in the air, covering everything and everyone in choking, suppressing silence. Lucy put her hand to her sister's heart and could not feel a thing. No thready pulse was there to give her last minute hope. No flutter of breath graced her lips and Lucy knew she was too late.

She stood, sobs wracking her body and causing her to stumble. The Doctor stood as well and held her by her upper arms. She threw him off though and continued to back away. "No, don't." she choked to him, barely intelligible through her grief. He moved to her again and tried to encircle her once more, but she whirled away from him.

"NO! AAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She screamed louder than ever before, slamming her fists once against the walls of the T.A.R.D.I.S. As her strangled cry dwindled away, she sank once again to the floor; arms loose at her sides, hands on her folded legs, head hanging down as she sobbed into her chest. Never before had she broken down like this in front of anyone, but damned be dignity and damned be grace. Her sister was dead and there was nothing anyone could do to bring her back.

The Doctor ran over to Lucy who was screaming her anguish to the floor. He waved at Jack to take Lana into another room so he could be alone with the new Time Lord. When the two humans were gone, the Doctor gingerly snaked his arms around Lucy, pulling her close to him. She made no attempt to cast him aside this time and instead sank against him, the better to cry endlessly.

Juliet was gone. She was really gone. The girl she had shared everything with from birth was gone. Together they had struggled through ballet classes and braved their father's fists. They had helped their mother when she was too frightened, they had explained away their past to classmates who wouldn't understand. They had worked hard for everything they had and ventured bravely into the real world, Lucy to become a designer and Juliet to…to conquer the world.

"She was going to do everything, Doctor. She was going to see every single country and then come back here and teach people about them. She was going to settle down and pass her knowledge to her kids. Doctor, she would have made a great mum, the best there ever was. Just bring her back, bring her back and give her that chance."

"I'm so sorry, Lucy, I'm so sorry." He said, rocking back and forth with her and stroking her hair. He wished that if he held her tight enough, he could just make all the pain go away.

"Don't be sorry, just bring her back! She can't be gone, Doctor, she just can't! 'Cause I don't know what I'll do without her, she's everything, and, and…and she can't be… she just can't!"

"I wish I could, Lucy, I'd bring her back in a second. But you know I can't."

"Then what good are you?" she shouted, breaking away from him and staggering to her feet. The Doctor rose as well, slowly, as though sudden movements would provoke her. "No, really, I mean, you can stop wars and genocides and change people's mind and think of all these clever things, but what good are you really, if you can't even bring one more human back to life? You changed me; find a way to change her! I…I'm sorry." Lucy's head tilted back to look up at the ceiling, her hands relaxed and her body released itself from its tensed posture. "I know that nobody can bring her back and, and that anger isn't going to get me anywhere, but-"

"But she's your sister, your twin sister and that counts for a lot. You've been through so much together, sacrificed for each other and that's no small thing. I've been through this though, Lucy. I've lost everyone, and I'm not trying to put you in perspective or anything, I'm just saying I get it."

Lucy looked back over at the Doctor and leveled him with a stare. He'd never seen so much pain in those eyes at once. She looked older than she'd ever done. "And will it hurt like this all the time?" she asked baldly. The tears still coursed down her face, but she was coherent and she was calm.

The Doctor looked at her, unblinking, and said, "Yes. In a way. It won't always be this intense, but that hurt never goes away, no. And to top it all off, you're feeling everything the way a Time Lord feels now. But I promise you, it does get better."

Lucy shuddered and more tears fell from her eyes. "I don't think I can be the same person anymore, Doctor. I mean, I know I'm not, I know I've changed, but, but what do I do without her?" Lucy couldn't go on speaking any longer. There were no words. Words wouldn't fill this shell of a person she'd become. Words wouldn't sew up the wounds that had opened when she'd screamed her brains out. Words would not bring her sister back to life or change anything that had happened. Words just left her feeling more broken and confused than the ringing silence that followed them. But so many things were racing through her head and she could not let them alone.

"This is what everyone meant, wasn't it, Doctor? When they all said I could survive, that I was built for it, that I was destined to overcome everything, this was what they meant. And they were all so sure that Juliet couldn't do the same. How did they know? And why is that allowed to happen? We're identical, right? So why can I survive and she can't? What kind of sick rule is that?"

"I don't know, Lucy and I'm so sorry. I wish I had more answers for you."

"Did you know? Did you have even the faintest idea that something like this would happen?" she gestured around herself, looking lost and desperate.

The Doctor found this hard to say. He couldn't lie to her, but the truth would sound like a betrayal.

"Yes. I knew. It started when we were in the Black Forest, do you remember? You told me about a dream you had because of the Somnium Parasites, about when we went to the future with Coryn lu Reaux, and you saw the choice I had to make with you two. Well when you told me about the glowing light and how I looked at you like I'd done something wrong, it, it just popped into my head. And then, everything that happened after that, it just sort of…solidified it, made it clearer. And I'm sorry if I ever lied to you and told you I didn't know. I didn't want to be wrong and worry you. And…"

"And?" Lucy prompted, lost as ever.

"And I didn't exactly want to be right." He admitted.

Lucy nodded slowly, looking down at the floor. "Right. You, you didn't want me to be a Time Lord with you."

"No, Lucy, no, that's not it at all. All I've ever wanted for so long was someone else like me, was one more Time Lord. I didn't want you to have to live with the burden of being a Time Lord, and now that's what I've gone and done. And don't get me wrong again, I so prefer this, but…"

"But what? Now you have another Time Lord and I'm alive. I'm not so far gone in grief as to not be able to appreciate that." The Doctor looked up at Lucy and smiled. Perhaps it wasn't the best time, but he couldn't help smiling around her. This was his Lucy, only now she'd last a little longer.

He held out his arms and she walked into them. She could feel another piece of her break off when she hugged him, but that was just the reaction to contact in her state. She could have stayed there forever in his embrace, but she knew there was plenty to do. She squeezed him tightly once and kissed him quickly on the cheek. He gave her a queer look, complete with eyebrow raised and she smiled sadly.

"Doctor, there's so much more that needs saying, but for now we have to get rid of the Daleks for good, take Lana back home and, and bury Juliet. Next to mum. That's what she'd want." Lucy choked up again on the last word and the Doctor rushed to her to dry her tears with the pads of his thumbs. Again that heartbreaking smile and then the Doctor nodded slowly and left to get Captain Jack and Lana Hendricks from whatever room they'd stashed themselves in.

In a grey church yard on top of a windy hill in Devonshire, England, Lucy and Juliet's mother had been laid to rest. Lucy had called the funeral home ahead of time and told them the news and they'd prepared the tombstone and gravesite that the family had bought years before. Lucy had thought it was morbid at the time, but now she was grateful that everything had been prearranged. Juliet would lay right next to their mother and there would be no hassle.

It was on this windy church yard that the Doctor, Captain Jack Harkness, Lana Hendricks and Juliet's twin sister now stood. The former three stood back so that Lucy could be alone. At the bottom of the hill, a lone bagpiper played a haunting dirge. Lucy and Juliet had been friends with the boy in primary school and he wept freely as he played his song. Lucy herself had forgone tears and was stoic in front of her sister's grave. It was simple and made of polished black marble like their mother's. Lucy stared at the words on the stone, and while nice, did not think them sufficient to summarize her sister's life.

Juliet Patricia Blake

Beloved daughter and sister

Born 5th June, 1987

Died 3rd June, 2010

"Vita brevis, ars longa"

Lucy smiled softly at the Latin phrase at the very bottom. Put simply, it meant, "Life is short, art is forever." That helped to explain her sister more than anything else could. It was this phrase that would keep Lucy from spiraling into depression again. It wasn't until she'd seen the headstone either, that Lucy was able to put the last few months into perspective. She'd started traveling with the Doctor a few days before Christmas. It was now only two days before her twenty-third birthday. She'd never before celebrated a birthday alone. She didn't believe she could.

"Well, Juliet, I've never been one for talking to people who can't hear you, but…but I can't help myself this time. I just…just want to thank you. For everything. My whole life, you've been there for me and I hope you know that I loved you more than anything else in the world. Still do. And, and thank you for coming along with me and the Doctor. I thought for a moment that if you hadn't that you'd still be alive, but, but I know that…that this is…maybe not the way it's supposed to happen, but it's...anyway I know you're okay. Because I know you loved me and…and I'm really gonna miss you, twin!" And now Lucy did cry again, did let her sorrow escape and fall upon the ground, the tears dissolving as fast as they'd appeared.

"I just, I still can't believe that you won't ever phone me again, or that you'll never leave the front door unlocked again. And you'll never…you'll never do so many things. And I'm so sorry. But, but I know you'd want me to be happy and keep traveling with the Doctor. I love you so much, Juliet. I love you." And Lucy kissed her hand and blew it toward the fresh grave. She turned around to the rest of the group and they ran to her and held each other while the bagpiper finished his song. When they left the graveyard, the Doctor clasped Lucy's hand and did not let it go.

Back inside her home, the T.A.R.D.I.S., Lucy shoved aside her pain and brought her mind around the next task at hand. The Daleks were still contained in some new form inside the Matter Transmographer Unit.

It couldn't be stored somewhere, somehow that would go wrong. So Lucy thought for a moment and said. "We'll scatter them, like ashes. Then they'll be separated but in a way, they'll get what they wanted. They'll go everywhere and be a part of everything. Since they don't have a true form now, we can just let them go. We don't have to actually kill them, but this way-"

"We can be rid of them for good and simultaneously give them a civilized send off." Finished the Doctor. So they flew the T.A.R.D.I.S., the Doctor and Lucy, with Jack and Lana watching. And then the Doctor opened the doors and they saw that they were coasting along time and space. The Doctor handed the MTU to Lucy and she crossed to the threshold of the peculiar ship. She looked out at the universe around her and smiled. Stars were blinking at her and galaxies swirled and it was wonderful. She pressed a button on the MTU and a cylinder slid out into her hand. She set the rest of the MTU down and opened the catch on the container.

Out poured every Dalek in existence in the form of black and grey sparkling dust. Lucy couldn't help but realise that dust seemed to follow her wherever she went, along with the prophecies and veiled hints. The Life Matter, the Heart of the T.A.R.D.I.S., the Chameleon Arch, the Daleks and so many other things had come to her in the form of dust. Somewhere in the back of her mind echoed, "We are all dust and to dust we shall return." She smiled once more and when she was sure that there was nothing left in the container she looked back at the space behind her, dust traveling as far as the eye could see. She stepped back and closed the doors, sliding the cylinder home into the MTU.

"Alright, mates, next order of business. We have to take Miss Hendricks home." Lana looked angry for a moment, but knew that she would need to pull her family from the shelter, and felt guilty for leaving them there for so long. Jack cuffed her affectionately on the back and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him as the two Time Lords flew the bizarre ship to her home in London.

Back on the street of what was once her home, Lucy felt more out of place than she ever had in her life. People were walking about, talking to each other, helping each other out of collapsed houses, strewn rubble and makeshift shelters. Lucy was no longer a part of these people. She had made herself so scarce over the last few months that no one recognised her and almost no one would notice her continued absence. More likely than not, people she'd once known would think that she had died like her sister and would eventually stop thinking about her. Maybe she'd one day become legend like the Doctor. The planet was sure to need saving every now and again and she would never leave his side. It was not recognition she craved however, it was connection. After so many traumas and so much life lived in so short a time, Lucy needed someone else to latch onto. And she had a pretty good idea who that someone would end up being.

Lana Hendricks was leading the way once again around the hectic streets. She cut through alleys and gardens and ignored everyone except for the three people behind her. And she was barely aware of them, since panicked thoughts of her family had overtaken her brain. They'd be worried and they'd be furious, but most importantly, they'd be safe. At last, they came to the bomb shelter not far from her home where she had locked them the day before. She pulled off every obstruction and heaved open the heavy doors with the help of the American Captain. Her family emerged, looking shaken and confused. Jack's face ended up being the first they saw and they all started stammering at once, asking him a million questions. Lana quietly stood behind them and then tapped her younger sister on the shoulder. Victoria turned around sharply and squealed with joy, throwing her arms around her sister's neck.

Lucy could not help but feel twin stabs of pain in her hearts. She wanted that back more than she cared to think about right now, because she could not risk breaking down again. She had to keep it together. Thankfully, she had the Doctor's strong hand held fast in her own and she would not let go.

Lana introduced the travelers to her family and in turn the Hendricks' invited the three of them back to dinner. Lucy and the Doctor looked at each other. He raised his eyebrows but she ever so discreetly shook her head. She couldn't handle that right now. Whatever fragile grip she had on her psyche was waning as the day was and she longed to get back to the T.A.R.D.I.S. Jack declined as well, and Lucy knew that he would need to get back to his team at Torchwood. Lana stepped forward from her family and embraced each member of the group. When she came to Lucy, the Time Lord whispered in the girl's ear, "Never hesitate to call us. If you need anything, just use this." And when she pulled away she slipped Juliet's mobile into Lana's open palm. Lana knew exactly what it was and her eyes brimmed as she looked back up at Lucy. Lucy only nodded and swallowed her own tears. They watched as Lana and her family headed back in the direction of their house. When they could no longer see them, the Doctor turned to Jack.

"Well then, Captain, I think it's about time we got you back to Torchwood."

"I reckon you're right, Doctor. Thanks again for everything." The American shook the Doctor's hand and afterwards offered him a salute, which he knew irked him.

Lucy smiled when Jack turned to her and took her hand so that he could kiss it. But her smile faltered when he said, "I'm…unbelievably sorry, Lucy, for your loss. I, I think you know how much I cared about Juliet." Jack was starting to get choked up and when he made as if to speak again, Lucy put a finger to his lips.

"It's okay, Jack. I know. And so did she." This seemed to satisfy him and he set off down the street after refusing a ride in the T.A.R.D.I.S. Lucy thought he might want the chance to be alone with his thoughts.

"Well, Lucy, it's all done now. We've taken care of everything haven't we?"

"For now, I suppose. I'm sure something will come along in the next five minutes."

The Doctor grinned at her and took her hand. Together they walked back to the ship in silence.

"So tell me, Lucy. How does it feel to be a new Time Lord?"

Lucy looked up at the Doctor and drank in his stare for a moment. She could drown in it, but he was expecting an answer.

"You know, it's strange. I feel so odd in this, not this body, because it's the same body, or nearly. But I feel different. I haven't really changed all that much, but still it's like I know something's gone. Or is it that something's been added? 'Cause now that I'm a Time Lord, I feel like that's all I've ever been, only I still feel like I only started existing a couple hours ago. I never really felt human, you know? So, once I get used to this, I guess it will just feel…right."

The Doctor smiled knowingly and said, "Well that's brilliant. And so are you, Lucy. You've been so brilliant, and now you're going to be so much more brilliant, there'll be no living with you." Lucy laughed and shoved him playfully into the control panel. The laugh still sounded strange to her, whether because of her sister's passing, or because if her new species, she didn't know. It wasn't altogether unpleasant. It was in fact, quite healing. She laughed again at the thought and the Doctor laughed with her.

"Thank you, Doctor. Thanks for….for everything. I don't know what I'd have done without you. I mean, you've changed my life in so many ways, I, I can't even explain it."

The Doctor looked at her quite soberly now and though there was mirth in the way the corners of his mouth slid slightly up, his gaze was intense.

"Lucy, I can't even begin to explain…I…you've made me, well, better. I was so angry and so lost after Rose left, and Martha and Donna, I feel like…well, like they prepared me to meet you. I know you don't care much for destiny-"

"And neither do you, Doctor." She added pointedly.

"And neither do I. But, there's something I should say, because I haven't said it in a long time and I learned the hard way that you only get so many chances to say it. Lucy Blake, I love you. I love you more than the sun and space and time. I love you." He stood, quite still, looking as dashing as he'd ever done in the suit she'd made him. His eyes, so brown, stared into hers and were so assured. He was not begging, not demanding, not apologetic, he was just there. And he loved her.

Lucy took a step closer to him and she saw him take in an unsteady breath. "Doctor, you are without doubt the best thing that has ever happened to me. And I love you for it. And I'll always love you for it. I'll always love you no matter what."

He grinned and laughed at the same time and Lucy in turn clenched her jaw shut. But when he stepped toward her, closing the gap between them, she relaxed. His left hand found the small of her back and his right caressed her jawbone. As a shiver went down her spine, Lucy's hands rose and one rested on the back of his neck, the other ran through his hair. When he pulled her in to kiss her, Lucy felt that the world could stop turning for all she cared. They'd kissed once before, but this was so different. While that had been nervous and rushed, this was slow, patient and so passionate. Lucy felt dizzy as his tongue caressed hers and she couldn't help but bite his lip a little. Their kiss was long and deep and brought such relief to both of them. Lucy had come such a long way from the tired designer who couldn't trust anyone she'd been. The Doctor himself had grown from the angry and bitter loner who tried to convince himself he didn't need anyone, and preferred being alone. What fools they'd been. And now, they were so enlightened.

Two lonely creatures had found each other when they most needed someone to hold on to. They'd forged a friendship and partnership through danger and compassion. They'd protected one another, healed one another and let the other cry on their shoulder. They'd traveled a long way and had gained many scars and still healed others. Through trial and doubt, they'd believed in the other and had grown stronger because of it. Through joy and loss, they'd realised their feelings.

And now, in the depths of time and space, they had each other and that was all they ever needed. Two creatures, content to exist and to help and to learn. And they could survive anything, because right now, each held the other in their kiss, and each knew that they would never again be alone.