Survivor's Hearts

By Michael Weyer

"Okay," Rani (Little R) was saying, pacing about. "We're stuck in here, the rest of the world moving on. So why would the Trickster have us here?"

"Oh, come on, Little R!" the Doctor said, moving from his place lying on the floor. "You're a smart girl, you figure it out!"

"We're Sarah Jane's friends," Rani shrugged. "Her…best friends." Her eyes widened in understanding. "Of course, he can use us as hostages!"

"Tried but true concept," the Rani stated. "Amazing how foolish bonds can be used so well."

Clyde was still baffled. "We've fought the Trickster before but we never actually found out who he is."

"He's one of the Pantheon of Discord," the Rani answered in the cool tones of an instructor. "He's from beyond our universe, attempting to break into our realm."

"He exists to wreck havoc," the Doctor said. He smiled. "But hey, we can fight him, the six of us, we can win!" A beeping sound came from his jacket and he whipped out his sonic screwdriver. "Ah, that's it! Time Trace, just a hint of Sarah Jane." He walked about holding up his screwdriver. "Oh, she's close."

He waved it about, holding it up as he stood on a chair. Rani suddenly shivered. "Whoa. I feel like someone just walked over my grave."

"I'm sure there are some willing to dance on it," the Rani muttered. The Doctor ignored her, moving to wave the screwdriver at Little R as its beeping grew louder. "Oh, here we are, she's right here. Sarah!"

"She doesn't like being called Sarah," Rani said.

The Doctor frowned. "She does by me." He waved the screwdriver again as the beeping grew. "Sarah!"

"Doctor!" a familiar voice called out. The Doctor threw open the doors at the white space beyond. "K-9!"

"Scanning, Master," the robotic dog said as it moved forward, its electronic "ears" wagging. "Temporal schism divided in two, Master.."

"Of course," the Rani said, checking her watch. "We're trapped in 23:23:23 and she's trapped in another second."

"Hold up," Clyde said. "You said you'd explain later. Well, it's later."

"We're in one moment of time, she's in another, simple enough or do we need a chalkboard? Oh, right, this era the human young only get their information from those bulky computer pads."

"Let's not begin this," the Doctor cut her off. Hearing a noise, he looked up the stairs. "Luke, K-9, stay with the TARDIS, the rest of you, with me!" He bounded up the stairs, two at a time as the others quickly followed. The Rani was frowning as they headed back to the wedding chapel. "Without the TARDIS, do you have any ideas on how we can get out of here?"

"And rescue Sarah Jane," Clyde put in.

The Rani literally waved it off. "More important things first."

"Sarah Jane is what's important!" Little R snapped but the Rani tuned out the ravings of the child. "This is mad," Rani sighed. "The Trickster is all-powerful, he causes chaos, he wants to wipe out Earth…yet he's trying to get Sarah Jane married? Why?"

"The ape raises a good point," the Rani admitted. "It's not like this being to help others out."

"He's tried stuff like this before," Clyde stated. "He tried altering history once so Sarah Jane died as a teenager and so wasn't around just as a big asteroid was about to hit Earth."

The Doctor nodded as he took that in. "So he's got some agenda, something he needs this man for…"

"Doctor!"

The group turned to see the Trickster standing at the end of the aisle, now clad in a black robe. "Ah, there we are," the Doctor said in as nonchalant a tone as possible. "You look better in black. Or is white the new black?'

The Trickster simply looked him over, that ghastly mouth smiling. "At last, Doctor. I can feel this moment reverberating through the ages. The Pantheon of Discord…and the Last of the Time Lords."

"Second to last if you wish to be technical," the Rani chimed in. The Trickster looked at her but then dismissed her with a simple glance to look at the Doctor who was calmly walking forward. "I've known the legends of the Pantheon since I was a little boy. Fought your shadows and your changelings but never thought I'd meet you."

"And I've heard stories of the Doctor. A man of ice and fire. How he walked amongst gods, once held the Key to Time in his hands. Now, he is surrounded by children!"

"They're my friends. Which reminds me, you look lonely for a Pantheon."

"I embody them all. What are you, a man who has lost everything to talk to me of loneliness? The Gate is waiting for you."

The Doctor frowned. "Gate? What Gate? What do you mean?"

"You shall see." The Trickster's grin widened.

"Why her?" The Doctor pressed. "Why Sarah Jane? You want me, fine, here I am."

"Oh, for heaven's sake, can we not do the martyr act this time?" the Rani groaned. "Honestly, if the man wanted you, he'd take you."

"She is right," The Trickster confirmed. "Sarah Jane Smith is my prize. Even you, Doctor, know how special she is."With a final cackle, the Trickster vanished into vapor, leaving a confused group behind.

"Yes, that's it!" The Doctor's change of moods never ceased to jar the Rani, going from quiet to loud joy in a blink. "Of course! Sarah Jane is all about the Earth, helping it, saving it, seeking the truth. But now, he's got the ring, the ring emits a signal to make her go along with him. She says yes, ring goes on, it becomes all about her new life."

"And forget her old one…" Clyde reasoned.

"Without Sarah and you lot to save the world…."

"No world."

"But she won't say yes," Luke scoffed.

"Oh, she will," the Doctor noted. "Because we're here." He was interrupted by a familiar groaning sound and turned to see a blue shape slowly appearing. "TARDIS! Beautiful, yes! It's homing in on me!"

The Rani raised an eyebrow. "You actually have it filled with Arntron energy? Impressive for such a relic."

"Here, don't be mocking her!" The Doctor laughed. Luke was rushing in as the Doctor pulled him into a semi-embrace with the other children. "Look! Pure arntron energy! TARDIS power! Anti-Trickster power! That's how we'll fight him!" He raced to the door, throwing it open. The Rani was following when the TARDIS shook, the Doctor reaching for her. "Come on!"

The Rani reached for his hand but a shock of energy shoved her back. Clyde moved to take the Doctor's hand, trying to hold onto him but blasts of blue energy rolled over him as he cried out. A last blast separated them, the door slamming shut as Clyde fell back on the ground. Luke and Rani helped him up as the Rani stared at the TARDIS slowly vanishing in a flash. "Oh, bugger," she hissed.

"Great," Rani sighed. "It's just us then."

"Please don't lump me in with you," the Rani snapped as she strode on her heel to the doorway.

"Hey, we're all in this together!" Clyde called out as they followed her.

"Familiarity breeds contempt," the Rani snapped. "Not to mention germs." They hurried down the stairs as the Rani looked at her watch, making some computations. "Damn, damn, damn," she muttered. "If she puts that ring on and succeeds, this place is going to wink out of flux forever. And I really don't relish spending the rest of my lives with you lot."

"Well, not like you're pleasant company either," Luke sniffed. "Come on, you never make mistakes?"

"I don't make mistakes." She paused and looked up. "Wait, there was that one time…no, never mind, my mistake."

"So what now?" Clyde demanded, throwing out his hands. As he did, sparks of blue came off them, throwing everyone. The Rani undid her hand mirror once more to take his hand, letting the scan run over Clyde's hands. "Amazing….It looks as if the Arntron energy has somehow bonded to your body. Residual effect which doesn't make sense in a human…" Her brow furrowed. "Unless you've already been exposed to time travel."

"We have at that," Little R confirmed. "So, Clyde is carrying this Arntron stuff?"

The Rani nodded. "Yes he is." Her brow raised. "And when Arntron energy meets a force from outside time and space, the effects can be most…damaging."

"You mean it can hurt him?" Rani gasped.

"Correct."

"We can fight him!"

"No," Clyde intoned. "I can fight him." He stalked toward the doorway, the two Ranis following him. He threw open the door to gaze into the white void. "Trickster!" he called out.

With a shimmer, the black-cloaked figure appeared. "What is it you wish of me?"

"I wish to serve you," Clyde called out. "I wish to join the Pantheon!"

Little R stared at the Rani in disbelief. "He can't think this will work."

"In my experience, self-delusion is one of the few truly never-ending resources in the universe."

Clyde stepped forward as the door shut closed behind him. Rani pounded on them to no avail. "What is happening out there?"

The Rani looked out a window to see Clyde attacking the Trickster, blue energy flowing around the hooded figure. The building shook and the Rani glanced at her watch to see it shimmer and shake before it finally clicked.

23:24:24.

"Stay with the boy," the Rani snapped before racing up the stairs and back to the ballroom. She felt the shivering of energy she recognized as time moving forward, just enough to let the two time periods click together. She saw Sarah Jane again with Peter, him holding her hands. "You'd best back away from her now."

Peter frowned. "Who are you?"

"The Rani." At Sarah Jane's opening mouth, she waved a finger. "No, I am not a future version of that brat below. What I am is someone who wants to get out of here quickly and you're the only way to fix that."

A familiar groaning went out as the TARDIS materialized, once again rougher than usual. The door burst open to show the Doctor clinging to it. "Sarah Jane!"

"Doctor," she whispered in joy.

The Doctor waved over to the Rani. "Get in here!" She didn't have to be told twice as she raced to jump back into the craft. The Doctor looked to Sarah Jane. "TARDIS can't stabilize, Clyde's keeping the Trickster busy and oh my, those children are just brilliant!"

"What do I do?" Sarah Jane asked. "I say no, we're trapped here forever. I say yes, I condemn the world to the Trickster. There's no way out."

"This is you, Sarah," the Doctor said solemnly. "Your greatest challenge. You fought the Trickster, you know how he operates, how to beat him."

A long silence went up as understanding flooded through both Sarah Jane and the Rani. Sarah Jane slowly looked to Pete, her face grave. "No. Oh, please, no."

The Doctor looked to Peter, his own face drawn. "Peter…I know you're a good man. I am so sorry."

"Sorry?" Peter frowned. "I don't understand."

"The Trickster can only appear….to people about to die," Sarah Jane choked out.

Peter blinked, taking that in and shook his head. "No…no, I…I'm not dead…"

"We saw your home," the Rani called out. "No one has been there for weeks. Can you remember when you were last there? Can you?" Peter's face went pale as he absorbed her words. "We saw where you died, where you fell, no one could survive a broken neck like that." For once the Doctor wasn't questioning her lack of tact as it was needed here. "You're living half a life."

Sarah Jane moved closer to a stunned Peter. "You're what's keeping the Trickster here. If you sever the agreement…he'll be gone." Her eyes were filled with tears. "And so will you."

A flashing light filled the room as Clyde and the Trickster appeared, locked in a struggle. Screaming, Clyde fell back as the Trickster collapsed on the altar steps. "Clyde!" Sarah Jane raced to his side.

The Rani was looking at the console as sparks came off it. "Doctor! We can't stay!"

"One more moment!"

"We don't have that!" The Rani threw a switch as the TARDIS motor began moving. Cursing, the Doctor pulled himself back in, shutting the door as the TARDIS dematerialized. He raced to it, adjusting the sensors and staring at a screen. "We're still locked in this phase of time," the Rani stated. "With the Trickster still around, we can't move."

"He won't be around much longer," the Doctor intoned.

The Rani frowned. "You really think this Peter will give up his life? That he can be that strong?"

"Sarah Jane chose him," the Doctor stated. "He'll have that strength. She'll give it to him."

"You still have faith, Doctor?"

"Faith can move mountains, Rani," he answered as he looked at the sensors. "I've used it to move planets. Come on…come on…" He grit his teeth together. "You can do it, Peter…you can…"

The static filling the screens cleared to show the normal readings for the time and space continuum. "Ahhaha, ha ha hah!" The Doctor laughed, jumping up and down and pointing at the screen. "I knew it! I knew that boy would do it!" He laughed again as he adjusted the controls. "Excellent!"

The Rani studied the sensors herself. "Amazing. He actually did it. He broke the Trickster's hold."

"I told you it'd work," the Doctor smiled as he added in new coordinates. "The Trickster is gone back to whatever dimension he's holding up in."

"And so the effects should be gone as well," the Rani stated. "The wedding guests returned with no memory of time ever having passed."

"And of course, poor Peter gone to his reward." The Doctor sighed as he pressed a final button. "Let's see….give us a few hours for things to settle…" The motor groaned before coming to a stop. The Doctor moved to open the door and leaned on it. The Rani came up behind him to see they were in what appeared to be an attic of some kind. The children were there, still in their wedding clothes, while Sarah Jane had changed to a simpler pair of pants and dark blouse, her eyes showing long crying but a smile as she saw the TARDIS appear.

"Just thought I'd go the quick way?" The Doctor stated with a smile.

"Wow, that's the TARDIS?" Rani said. "Can we look inside?"

"In the TARDIS?" The Doctor's face and voice were hard. "My TARDIS?" He let them hang for a moment before shrugging. "Course you can."

He moved aside as the trio entered, Sarah Jane behind them. The young ones stared in awe at the interior; it was one thing to hear stories of the ship, another to see it in person. The Rani followed behind, her eyes tight on them all. "Do not touch anything," she snapped in a tone that left no argument.

"Right, right," Clyde said, holding up his hands and backing up from the console. "So…you and the Doctor, what is it? Some sort of love/hate thing?"

"No, it's primarily hate."

Sarah Jane looked to the Doctor, who leaned on the railing at the far end of the room. "So…the Rani."

"I told you about her, right?" the Doctor asked.

"Once or twice. Not in the most glowing terms." She lowered her voice. "Doctor, from what you said, she's the Time Lord version of Dr. Mengele."

The Doctor gazed at her and Sarah Jane felt the weight of his centuries in his eyes. "She's the only other one, Sarah," he whispered. "It's just her and me. And…And I'm so tired of being alone."

She smiled softly and rubbed his arm. "I know. I know just how you feel."

"Hey, can we go on a trip?" Clyde called out.

"Oh, yes!" Rani laughed. "Come on, back to the dinosaurs? Ooooooh, maybe see the London Olympics early?"

"Absolutely not!" Sarah Jane stood up, her old fire back in her voice. "You are still grounded by the Joudoon, remember? And that includes time travel."

"Mum, come on, a simple trip…"

"Luke, there is nothing 'simple' about a trip in the TARDIS, trust me on that."

"And there is no way I am putting up with you infants another moment," the Rani snapped. She marched toward them, the children backing up. "Out, out, out!"

As they backed away, Sarah Jane looked back to the Doctor. "You came all this way? For me?"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "You're important. Not just to me. Trickster wanted to end your story but it goes on for a while." He smiled. "You have such events ahead of you, Sarah."

She knew better than to ask. Instead, she swallowed. "Will I…see you again?"

The Doctor was quiet for a moment. "I don't know." He forced a smile. "I hope so." The smile faded. "Don't forget me, Sarah Jane."

"Never," she choked out before turning to leave the TARDIS. The Rani was by the door as Sarah Jane paused, looking over her shoulder at the Doctor, then to the other Time Lord. "He needs a voice sometimes," she stated. "Someone to remind him what not to do."

The Rani sniffed. "And I'm to provide that? You obviously don't know me very well."

"No," Sarah Jane stated. "But I know that when he takes someone on….he sees something in them. Don't let him down." Her eyes narrowed. "You'll make a lot of people very cross if you do."

The Rani smirked. "Are you threatening me, human?"

Sarah Jane just stared back. "You measure a man by his friends and enemies." She nodded back at the Doctor. "His friends can be your worst enemies." She turned to walk out of the TARDIS as the door shut behind her.

The Rani moved back to the control console as the Doctor set the TARDIS off again. She gazed at him carefully. "She really does mean a lot to you."

"She does," the Doctor intoned. "She truly does."

"She'll die, Doctor. Sooner rather than later. You know that."

"I know," he agreed. "They all do. I know that. But it's not about her time. Or mine." He looked to her. "Nothing is forever, Rani. Not even us. It's what you do with the time that is given to you that matters."

She gazed back at him. "You did not just quote Tolkien."

"Oh, please, who do you think he ripped all his dialogue from?" the Doctor said as he added a location to the monitors. The Rani just looked at him, curious once more as to how this man could just leave himself open like this to pain he had to know was coming. Friendship. Talking about an impossible calculation.

The travels will continue soon, all comments welcomed.