Notes: So this is it, the final chapter.

The Doctor deals with the bad guys and realises that Rose has worked her magic on him and made him a better person.

Rose helps Alistair to reconcile his work life with his social life.

And our reluctant celebrities finally do an interview.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. If you have, please let me know.

Chapter 16

"I WARNED YOU!" John called out to the screen. "Quick Captain, get everyone into my ship. Everyone in the TARDIS. NOW!"

There was chaos as bodies rolled and gambolled through the open door and sprawled onto the TARDIS decking, arms, legs and bodies all tangled together like an intergalactic version of Twister. John saw a brilliant white light around the edge of the door as he kicked it shut.

The Jathaa were sitting on the floor eyes wide and mouths open.

"Your eyes aren't deceiving you," John said with a smile. "It is bigger on the inside."

He ran up to the console and put the TARDIS into the vortex. "There, that should make it look as though we were destroyed along with the Sunglider. All I have to do now is lock on to their engine room."

Rose saw he had that worrying look on his face. "John, what are you goin' to do?" she asked in concern.

He looked at her and saw the worry on her face. His expression softened as he reassured her.

"Don't worry Love; I'm not going to destroy them if that's what you're thinking. You've taught me to be better than that. I'm actually going to give them a second chance. I'm going to give them a choice."

He worked the controls and the time rotor stopped pumping. He headed for the doors and took out his stun gun.

"Jack, Jake. I need you to cover me from the doors while I run across to the stellar resonator drive. It'll only take a second."

"You've got it," Jake said as they joined him at the doors.

John darted out the doors, while Jack and Jake took covering positions. They heard a 'ZAP-ZAP' from across the engine room and the faint warbling whistle of a sonic screwdriver. In less than a minute, John was back inside and closing the door.

"I had to stun an engineer to do it, but I got it." He held up a complex looking piece of machinery which looked a bit like an espresso machine.

"Is that a reflexive plasma conduit toroid?" Jack asked.

John gave him a manic grin. "The very same."

"Oh that's brilliant!" Jack said with an enormous smile.

"Why? What's goin' on?" Rose asked.

"I'll show you," John said as he opened up a communications channel to the bridge.

"Celonian Battle Cruiser Captain. It's me again. I did warn you that you should go home, didn't I? But no, you had to be all big and bad, and giving us your 'mightier than thou' attitude.

"How is it that you are still alive? I destroyed the ship."

"Welll. It's sort of a ship within a ship, which became a ship within your ship," John started to explain. "Within the engine room of your ship to be specific."

He held up the part he had removed from the engine room. "Recognise one of these?"

"What are you doing with that?!" the Captain asked.

"I'm giving you a choice is what I'm doing with this. Without a reflexive plasma conduit toroid, your engines will start to destabilise, so I think you can guess what your choices are." He looked at Rose, his face serious but not dangerous or out of control.

"You can make your way to this uninhabited planet, which you can reach before your engines explode." He sent the coordinates from the TARDIS star charts. "Or you can sit here and try and fix it, in which case you will certainly die. Now I don't really care, because either way, you are put out of action."

He moved around the console and started the time rotor. "We're going now Captain. Have a good life, however long that may be."

Rose sidled up to him and put her arm around his waist. He looked down and put his arm around her shoulder.

"Was that alright?" he asked. He realised that at times like this, he needed her as his moral compass.

She smiled at him. "That was perfect. It's their choice, their decision, their destiny."


John and Rose had a quiet afternoon at Torchwood, typing up their reports on the whole zombie bug affair. The Jathaa had come back with them to Torchwood and were guests on the 32nd floor, which was a suite of apartments for visiting alien dignitaries, refugees, sightseers and travellers whose ships had developed a fault, or those who had simply gotten lost.

When John and Rose had their next three days off shift they would take them home and have a holiday at the same time.

A large envelope arrived for them from the BBC with a final list of proposed questions and topics for discussion on the show for their approval. They had ticked most of them, crossed out a couple, and added the topic of their roles at Torchwood.

"Well that's it then," Rose said. "Are we doin' it then?

"If it means that they'll leave us alone, then yeah, why not? Let's do it," he said with a grin.

Pete and Jackie had organized a 'Parkinson' party to view the interview that had been recorded a few weeks earlier. Their cook had put on a spread for their friends to enjoy. Jack was there with his Torchwood partner Gwen, along with Jake and Sarah. Alice, and a few other non-Torchwood friends were there as well.

Rose noticed that Alice was on her own, and so went to find Alistair, who was in the kitchen polishing the cutlery.

"Alistair?" she called to him.

He turned in surprise and smiled. "Mrs. Smith, what are you doing in the kitchen? You'll miss the show."

"It's Rose," she told him. "We're alone, and I'm looking for the boyfriend of my best friend. She invited him to a viewing party."

"Ah, I don't think that would be appropriate."

Rose approached and stood in front of him. "And why is that," she asked with a smile, she knew what he was going to say.

"Well, I'm an employee of Mr and Mrs. Tyler."

Rose reached up and undid his tie.

"What are you doing?" he asked, slightly panicked.

"I'm takin' off your tie. Now turn around." She twirled her index finger to demonstrate how to turn around. Alistair let out a worried sigh and did as he was told.

Rose reached up and pulled his tailored jacket off his shoulders, carefully folding it and putting it over her arm. She knew how particular he was about his suits. He turned back to face her.

"There ya go, now you're off duty. You're no longer Alistair the House Manager; you're Alistair the House Guest. And more importantly, you're Alistair the boyfriend of my best friend, and by association that makes you my best friend as well." She reached up and tenderly kissed him on the cheek.

"Now get a move on mister or we'll miss my debut as a media celebrity."

Extra sofas had been brought into the living room and people were filtering in from the dining room with plates of nibbles and their drinks.

"Alistair," Jackie said in delight. "So glad you decided to come and join us."

Alice looked over at the door in surprise, and saw him being brought in on Rose's arm. She went over and pulled him into a kiss, before turning to Rose.

"How did you get him to come? He refused when I asked him."

Rose gave her a tongue through the teeth smile. "Boss's daughter privilege. I pulled rank." She gave Alistair a wink and he cracked a smile.

Everyone found a seat in front of the wide screen plasma television on the wall. Tony sat on John's lap on the comfy leather sofa next to Rose who was cradling EJ. A cheer went up as the music started. Parky did his usual bit to camera at the start of the show.

"My first guests tonight are a husband and wife team that have achieved celebrity status over the last few years, yet they shun publicity. He is a Nobel Prize winning scientist and inventor. She is heiress to the Vitex fortune, and together they have been awarded the George Cross for bravery. Ladies and gentlemen please give a warm welcome to John and Rose Smith."

The band started to play the theme, the audience applauded and there were a few whistles as John and Rose descended the stairs hand-in-hand. John was wearing a casual jacket over a pale blue shirt and light trousers. Rose wore a figure hugging little black dress that complemented her fit body, and black high heeled shoes. Parky shook John's hand and kissed Rose's cheek before they sat down. They held hands, trying to give each other reassurance and confidence. John would rather face an army of Daleks.

"Oh, Rose. Those makeup people have done your hair nice," Jackie said, it was in loose ringlets and hung naturally, framing her face beautifully. There was a chorus of 'shhh's' from the room.

"That was quite a reception," Parkinson said, looking at the audience in appreciation. "Yeah, that's quite a crowd you've got in tonight," John joked, trying to calm his nerves.

"It's great that people have been so nice to us, but we don't get it! We're just two people doin' our job. It's not like we're Mulder and Scully or anything." Rose said. That got a laugh from the audience.

"Well, since your sudden appearance on the scene, what was it, six years ago for you Rose and two for John, you've made quite an impact in the media. Shall we have a look and see why the public love you?" Parky turned in his seat to look at the media screen at the back of the set. It started to show the footage of the film premier and John's interaction with Angelina. When it finished, John was red with embarrassment and the crowd were cheering and whooping with laughter.

"I didn't realise the cameras were rolling. That is SO embarrassing," John said covering his face with his hand. The audience gently laughed, they were warming to this unassuming couple.

"So let me get this right," Parky said as he referred to his notes. "You are Torchwood Special Operations Field Agents, and you were tracking down a dangerous alien that was hiding in the cinema."

"Well, he was the fugitive responsible for the zombie incident, and had some dangerous weaponry," Rose told him. "We had the tech that could capture him without puttin' the public in danger."

"And is that a normal day at the office for you two?" Parky asked light-heartedly.

"We don't have normal days," John said and the audience tittered. "We chase aliens one minute; look for missing people the next. We investigate reports of unusual phenomena, or assist the police using our high tech equipment. "

"And a bit of fire rescue in your spare time. Ladies and gentlemen, have a look at this."

The media screen showed video footage from a couple of years previously, when Blue Watch had attended a fire when returning from a field mission. John had rushed into the building and rescued a four year old by dropping her out of the window to Jake who was standing on the roof of their van.

There was an explosion and fireball that blew out the window. The studio audience gasped. Later footage showed a fireman climbing the ladder and John sticking his head out of the charred window. He climbed down the ladder and embraced Rose in a spectacular snog. The audience whistled and hooted their appreciation.

"That was just before we were married," Rose said.

"Where did you find that from?" John asked with a grin.

"Our researchers came up with it. You're quite the hero John," Parky said and then focussed on Rose. "If I can turn to you Rose, your sudden appearance six years ago took the tabloid press completely by surprise. Your parents did an amazing job of hiding you from the media."

Rose gave him her winning smile. "Yeah, they didn't want me growin' up as an 'it' girl, y'know with all the problems associated with my Dad bein' rich. So before Dad became a high profile entrepreneur, they enrolled me in the Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland."

"And how did that go for you?" Parky asked light heartedly.

Rose looked slightly embarrassed. "Not good really. I'm not very academic and I feel a bit guilty about wastin' Dad's money." The audience laughed and 'ahh'd'.

"But you did meet your future husband there," Parky suggested.

"Not at the college, no. It was in a nightclub of all things." She looked at John and grinned, he then took up the story.

"There were a bunch of lads there who were drunk and started getting a bit aggressive with the doormen at the club. Rose came out of the ladies right into the middle of the altercation. I grabbed her hand and told her to run." He was smiling at her and the camera picked up the look of love in their eyes.

"It was love at first sight for me," she said. The audience 'ahh'd' again.

Parky took over the direction of the interview, steering it towards John.

"And you were working for the Unified Intelligence Taskforce at the time John, is that right?"

"Yes, I had been at CERN in Meyrin, inspecting the safety features of the new accelerator and had some time off. I went with some colleagues up to Rolle, where apparently students know how to have a good time."

"And was it love at first sight for you?" Parky asked him.

"Well, to be honest, I was a bit wrapped up with my work, and I didn't think a beautiful girl like her would be interested in a science geek like me. But we did arrange to meet up again. I mean, look at her, I'd have been daft not to go on a date with her." There were whistles from the men in the audience.

"We went out again, and again, and again, and before I knew it I was head over heels." They leaned towards each other and kissed.

"Oh you guys are just so damned cute," Jack said in the lounge, as he had a swig of his beer.

"I think it's so romantic," Alice said as she hugged Alistair's arm. "Especially after what they went through to find each other again. This story is brilliant."

Parky took up the commentary again. "And yet you and your mother came back from Switzerland without him."

"Yeah, that was agony for me," Rose said. "John had an undercover mission for UNIT and it was too dangerous for him to contact me. I didn't know if I'd ever see him again."

"John, perhaps you could take us through this part," Parky suggested.

"A lot of it is still classified, but basically, a terrorist cell was trying to recruit scientists to create weapons of mass destruction. I managed to get myself hired and set out to gather as much intelligence as I could."

"Good cover story," Jack said. "Those guys at Torchwood have great imaginations."

Back on the TV, John was continuing with his cover story. "If I had contacted Rose and the terrorists had found out, it could have put us both in danger. I couldn't take that chance, so for three years I worked to foil their plans on my own."

Parkinson was obviously impressed. "A real life secret agent then. And did this have anything to do with the stars going out?"

"Ah, no," John said. "We can't really talk about that, it's classified as well. But I can tell you that a brilliant team of scientist, Torchwood agents and friends of ours pulled together to thwart an extraterrestrial plot to destroy our universe."

"And you were reunited with Rose, and awarded the George Cross for your bravery."

John and Rose looked at each other with embarrassed expressions on their faces.

"Yeah," Rose said. "We don't feel that we deserve them really. We were part of a large team; we accepted the award on their behalf."

"In fact, the awards are on a dedication plaque at Torchwood with the names of all the team that were involved," John said.

"So moving on, let's talk about your wedding. A celebrity wedding without the paparazzi, how did you manage that?" The pictures that they had released to the press were on the media screen.

"We wanted a private wedding, but Mum and Dad have lots of high profile friends and colleagues," Rose started.

"Wasn't President Jones on the guest list?" Parky asked.

"Yeah, so Dad hired this castle in Somerset that was easy to keep the media out of. We bussed everyone in and they had a great time, includin' the President."

"Although we're not allowed to tell you that," John said with a grin. Parky and the audience laughed again.

"And then last year you had a new arrival." A picture of EJ was on the media screen. John and Rose had proud smiles on their faces. The audience 'ahhh'd' once again.

"Eyulf's an unusual name, how did you decide on that?"

"It's Norwegian for 'Lucky Wolf'," Rose said. "The word 'Wolf' has played a big part in our lives since John and I met and we wanted his name to reflect that."

Parky smiled at them. "There are plenty of Smiths in the world, but there can't be many Eyulf's."

"That's what we thought," John said. "It makes an ordinary name extraordinary, and we think he's extraordinary." The audience applauded again.

Parky started to wind up the interview. "Well thank you for sharing all that with us, and long may you continue to protect us from aliens and unexplained phenomena." He looked at the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, John and Rose Smith." As the audience cheered and applauded, Parky leaned forward to talk to them.

"Nice interview, well done."


It was 16:00 and the start of six days of evening shifts for Blue Watch. They were gathered around the media screens in the operations Room, waiting for the briefing.

"Right people, listen up," Andy said as he called the briefing to order.

"Before we start, I think we should say a big well done to Doc and The Wife for their interview on Parkinson on Saturday night." The room filled with applause and cheers. John and Rose looked suitably embarrassed.

"This has been a tremendous PR success and raised our profile with the public. We've had a number of calls, emails and letters of congratulations from a lot of famous and important people."

Andy clicked the remote and started the briefing.

"Last night, there were reports of strange lights in the skies over Derbyshire. Black Watch went up there today and talked to eye witnesses, took photos and scanned the area for unusual radiation signatures."

The media screen showed the data on the screen.

"Irish, Welsh, Bart and John Boy, I want you to go over the data and take the airship up to Derbyshire to see if there is anything to worry about. Is it sinister, or are Teasers just scaring the locals." Teasers were alien chavs that liked to buzz unsuspecting communities with their 'hot rod' ships for fun. They were usually responsible for the people who claimed to have been abducted and probed by aliens. They think it's hilarious.

Andy clicked the remote for the second item.

"Peg, Van, Giant and Ace. There has been a report from a farmer in the Cotswolds of mutilations of some of his flock of sheep. Take a zoologist from Animal Management and see if you can find out what's going on."

He clicked the remote for the third item.

"The last item you may have seen on the news today and is an excellent opportunity for our new celebrities." Andy had a big grin on his face.

"There's an Orca swimming up the Thames and they don't seem to be able to turn it around. Doc, can you take your team down to Lambeth Pier and have a chat with this creature, see what he wants. If he's lost, see if you can give him directions."

'Oh wow,' Rose thought. Lambeth Pier was the place where they first arrived in this universe in 2007. She looked over at John and realised that he was thinking the same thing.

"He's Dr. Smith, not Dr. Dolittle," Jack said jokingly. John screwed up a piece of paper and threw it at him while laughing with the rest of the Watch.

"I'll need my scuba gear so I can get close and link minds," John said.

"Good. There'll be a police launch waiting to take you out. Alright people, why can I still see your faces?" Andy said with a grin. "There's work to be done. Let's shake those tails and get a move on."

The members of Blue Watch stood up and started to congregate in front of John and Rose. Something was up, they could sense a conspiracy. They were all grinning and looking decidedly mischievous.

"Okay, what's going on?" John asked.

Jack took an MP3 player out of his uniform pocket and pressed play. The theme from 'Ghostbusters' started playing.

"When there's somethin' strange, in your neighbourhood," they started singing. "Who yer gonna call? DOC AND WIFE!"

"When there's somethin' weird an' it don't look good, who yer gonna call? DOC AND WIFE!"

"Just when we thought being a celebrity couldn't get any worse," John laughed. "Our own team turns on us."

Rose was laughing and applauding the joke. "Out of the frying pan and into the fire."

Everyone laughed and started to move out of the room. It was the start of just another shift in a day of the Torchwood Special Operations Unit.

The End