"When are you taking me to see the Towers," River asked impatiently.
The Doctor laughed. "When the link is complete. The work isn't finished yet and I can't take you before it's finished."
She rolled her eyes. "You've promised me a hundred times by now, how much longer will it be?"
The truth was that the Towers were done, the link was nearly done, and that the entire several hundred year long endeavor to free Gallifrey was quite close to completion. He just didn't want to take River and he had forbidden their children from doing so, without offering an explanation for why. He knew that she would die after seeing the Towers sing, knew she would see him that one time only and then never again. He didn't want her to go, but he knew it was inevitable. There was no way to stop what was destined to happen but he could sure push it off for as long as possible.
He knew when he was going to take her; the day was so clearly before him that nothing could delay it anymore. Even if he tried either Olivia or Callum would take her. The Day of Reunion, when the Battle of Gallifrey was won.
The Battle for Gallifrey was a long and hard fought one. Every one of Haven's Timelords had a part to play. The first goal was to separate the planet from the dangers that were around it, without breaking the timelock on Gallifrey itself.
"Careful now," came Sophia's instructions to the rest. "We need to free Gallifrey of external dangers before I can send a signal through to the other half of the lock-key. And we don't want to shift Gallifrey into the Void."
"Beginning sequence number one in five seconds," one of the scientists called out.
"Gallifrey timelock located," said another
"Shifting the quantum frequency."
"Initiating space-folding."
"Some of that Dalek fleet is too close to the planet to separate the two."
Sophia again directed the workers. "We can handle that when the space fold is complete, we need to send the horrors into the Void and keep Gallifrey in an active pocket of time. We have the weaponry to take out a Dalek fleet."
"Space-folding at forty-five percent, timelock holding."
"Separation of planet sixty percent complete."
"Estimated Dalek ships that will remain with planet is 127."
"Start targeting through the field, we don't want to break the lock just to have our people surrounded by a fleet of Daleks," came Sophia's commanding voice.
"Space-fold at eighty percent, timelock stable."
"Start preparing phase two. As soon as the space-fold is complete blast each of the Dalek ships. They'll all explode as soon as we break the lock."
"Space-fold complete, timelock stable, twelve percent of the surrounding enemies remain."
"Enemy vessels targeted."
"We can't fire until the lock is broken."
"That'll put everyone on the planet in danger."
"It's a risk we have to take. We haven't spent the past several hundred years getting to this point just to give up now! Prepare to fire once the lock breaks. I'm going to send the signal." For the first time since the Doctor had given it to her Sophia brought the key to the lock out and truly looked at it. She tapped a code into the circuits of the stone and waited. Eventually there was a response sequence, agreeing that if it was safe then the final sequence to release the lock could be input. She looked at the Doctor, who had come for this occasion and passed the key to him. "It's your turn grandfather; we just need your code."
He held the key heavily in his hand and then brought it to his lips and whispered against the stone. "The Key to Time is complete."
A moment later a woman's voice whispered back to him. "But only we know where to find it."
Then the stone began to glow gold and red and then it rose from his hand and levitated in the air. The gathered Timelords looked at the stone, some in fright and others in awe.
"The timelock is fading; Gallifrey is nearly in a mobile time stream again."
"Fire on the Dalek fleet as soon as the timelock fades. Assault team, prepare to teleport directly into the council chamber." At her instructions a small group of men and women stood up and linked arms, preparing to be the first team sent through the towers onto Gallifrey. Among them, much to the Doctor's dismay were his son and daughter.
"Why are they going," he bellowed.
Sophia's eyes rested coldly on him. He was used to fighting with her first and second incarnations, but Sophia III was a much more ridged sort of person, and she would have none of his sentimentalism. "They volunteered."
"But they're your... your..."
"My what? Have you forgotten how Gallifreyian bloodlines work? Only parent to child lineage is blood, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins, none of those relations mean anything past our first lives. Yes they are your children and for love of you I asked them to remain but they are far too much like you and River that they could not be swayed."
The twins smiled at their father briefly before their group was sent into the War.
The Time Council was in chaos. When it was unlocked the battle between the Master and Rassilon was still under way and the rest of the council members were running. Then the explosions overhead started as the Timelords on Darillium launched their missiles at the Daleks. Almost simultaneously the council members began to run.
The goals of the team were simple, protect the council and make sure that Rassilon was neutralized. As the council members ran the control team split into two groups, one following the council and the other remaining to help bring an end to the Master and Rassilon.
Callum followed a group of the Councilors and when they had reached a smaller room a woman turned to face him. She was a small, elderly woman with graying brown hair, and she wasn't happy. "What's going on?"
"We've come to free Gallifrey."
"How?"
"There was a small group that escaped before the time lock bound the planet. We are some of the survivors and their descendants. With a lot of work we figured out how to separate the fleet in the skies from the planet and create a time bubble around Gallifrey that will allow access to and from the planet."
"To what end? The council is in conflict and there are two madmen trying to kill one another in the main chamber!"
"We have taken down the remaining Dalek forces in the sky and half of our team has been instructed to neutralize the threat of both Rassilon and the Master. The rest of us are in charge of protecting the council."
She shook her head and sighed. "I assume that my former spouse has some sort of involvement in all this. I wasn't even aware that others had escaped other than him."
"Who is that?"
She sighed. "My name is Mareksa, first wife to the Doctor."
Callum was speechless for a moment before replying uncomfortably. "He's my father."
To his surprise, Marek smiled. "Then maybe he has finally found something to find happiness in again. Come, we need to move the council to safety and establish order on Gallifrey."
In the Council Chamber, Olivia and her team were busy trying to stop two madmen from destroying everything. They arranged beacons around the room which were designed to control the power of the two men and then they had to neutralize the two crazed timelords. They had to avoid being hit by the energy the two men were releasing. Centurion was struck and killed while they were setting up the beacons, deflecting a blow meant for Olivia. Eventually they succeeded and the Master and Rassilon were contained. Then, according to Gallifreyian law, a proclamation of guilt was made against the men. They were accused of crimes against both the people of Gallifrey and the laws of time.
Team Alpha in the council room contacted the Beta Team with the councilors. The decision was made collectively, and the order carried out: the Master and Rassilon were executed; their regenerations ended.
They cleared room and the councilors and the Beta team returned. They assessed the damage and communication was established with the various parts of the planet, trying to ensure that the war would come to an end. They also tended to the wounded.
Callum hugged Olivia tightly when they met back up; he looked over her wounds to make sure that she was ok. After she assured him repeatedly that she was ok he looked around the room for Mareksa, to introduce the two women. She was kneeling by the Master's body in one of the far corners of the room.
"Come, there's someone I want you to meet," he said quietly to Olivia. "She's our father's first wife."
They approached her quietly and heard her whispering softly in a dialect of Gallifreyian they were unfamiliar with. Then without turning she talked to them. "He was my brother, and your father's rival since childhood. He was always devious, always plotting and planning, always trying to outdo everyone else. We always hoped that one of his regenerations would be good. At least he fought for a good cause at the very end." She sighed sadly and then turned to them. "Let your father and the rest of our people on your world know that the Time War is over and Gallifrey is free."
There was still a lot of work to finish but it wasn't long before the corridor between the two Timelord worlds was stable and the new council was established. Days later or years, depending upon ones perspective, was the day the Doctor had waited two lifetimes to face. It was a day of celebration for both of the worlds, the day when they would officially open up travel between Darillium and Gallifrey.
He went to her, just as beautiful as the day he had first met her. "River, I think it's time to take a trip."
"Oh, where to?"
"Back home to Haven, or Darillium as they've been calling it for the past hundred or so years. They're having a celebration tonight; we're opening the passage to active travel between us and Gallifrey."
She laughed and gave him a quick kiss. "That's wonderful! I'm so glad you can return home."
He smiled at her, wanting nothing more than to just keep her away from the world he loved so much. But he took her to Darillium and with their children and his extended family they watched the towers sing. They sang from the resonant energy of the time-space corridor in beautiful tones that no instrument could ever make. As they sang the first transport from Gallifrey reached Darillium.
Sophia pressed a button on the consol to answer the hail from the Gallifreyian vessel. "Welcome to Darillium Madam President."
On the screen the faces of Mareksa, President elect of Gallifrey, and Romanadvoratrelundar, her vice-president, were visible. "It is a bleasure to be reunited with our people in a new era of peace," Marek replied to her great-great-granddaughter and the accompanying representatives of Darillium.
When the envoy entered the hall there was much celebrating and reuniting between the refugee Timelords and their Gallifreyian counterparts. And the Doctor saw Marek and Romana again, greeting them both happily as dear friends and loved ones. The celebration lasted late into the night, and as things were winding down River and the Doctor stood on a balcony alone, looking at the towers and listening to them sing as a ship passed through the corridor.
He clenched his hands on the railing, hoping that she wouldn't notice his silent tears, but she laid a gentle hand on his arm and asked what was wrong. He lied of course, he always did. She knew, but accepted his answer, because after all the years they had shared, their lives were still secrets.
He talked and laughed on their trip back to her home. He gave her a sonic screwdriver and then she asked why. He said that it seemed like the right time. He kissed her goodbye as though he could make her stay forever. But this was the end and all he could do was say goodbye and promise to see her again soon.
TBC
This chapter took forever because between being sick and working I found Skyrim... that and I just hate this chapter. Still more to come. Reviews appreciated.