Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I get paid for it.

A/N Thanks for the amazing response on the last chapter. Amy and Rory's goodbye was well-received and I could not be more pleased.

Here is story #6 The Dalek Factor. I know I promised the return of a familiar face, but it might just be more than one.

The song mentioned in this chapter is from the TV movie soundtrack. It's the song being played on the record player at the beginning and the end of Eight's movie. It's on youtube if you wanna listen to it. I would highly recommend it.

Link to Rose's dress is on my profile.

Happy Reading!

The Dalek Factor: Back to Earth

"Rose!" called the Doctor and received no response. He hadn't seen her after the end of the night cycle and he was starting to get a little worried. "Rose?"

He passed the library and finally saw her lying back on a bed of cushions underneath the massive skylight. He made his way over to her quietly, thinking she had fallen asleep but was surprised to see her eyes open and full of tears when he reached her.

"Rose?" he whispered and she looked up at him.

"Hello," she said softly. "Join me?"

The Doctor looked slightly worried as he lay down next to her on the plush cushions. He gazed up at the skylight which was currently displaying the horsehead nebula in all its glory. His eyes wandered back to Rose who was staring at the nebula and had silent tears running down her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

"This morning I woke up and rushed over to Rory's room without thinking," she answered softly.

The Doctor took her hand and squeezed it comfortingly. "It's alright. It happens," he said.

Rose turned on her side to look at him. "Is it always like this?" she asked him. "Do people just stop travelling with you one day?"

The Doctor's shoulders drooped as he nodded. "Yes. I have long since learned that farewells were a part of my life," he answered honestly.

"Do you get used to it?" she asked.

He chuckled sadly. "No," he answered. "No matter how many people leave me, or even ones I leave behind, I never get used to them being gone."

"I'm sorry," said Rose and put her arms around his neck in a loose hug.

The Doctor stroked her arm gratefully. "Amy and Rory found something better for themselves. Rory will make an exceptional medic and Amy is a natural born leader. As much as we will both miss them, it was better for them to leave."

"I know," said Rose hastily. "It's just…I miss them, you know."

"And you always will," he said with a smile. He looked at her face, inches from his, and his smile turned impossibly sad. "Even when you are no longer travelling with me."

"That's not gonna happen," she said, without hesitating. "Unless you are thinking of leaving me behind?" she asked, trying to keep her tone as playful as she could.

The Doctor kissed her forehead. "Wouldn't dream of it," he said and smiled tenderly at her. Her returning smile made him happier, so he stood up and pulled her up with him.

"What?" asked Rose as he led her away from the bed of cushions and towards an empty bit of space under the skylight.

"I have an idea," he said. "Stay here. I won't be a minute."

Rose tried to see what he was doing but he disappeared down one of the book aisles. Sighing at his enthusiasm for surprising her, she looked around and waved at Jasper and Stewart who were hanging out in the eaves. She heard the Doctor come back and was surprised to see him wheeling a table with a record player on top of it.

"What are you doing?" she asked, already feeling a wide smile threatening to overtake her face.

He winked at her and lowered the needle onto the record. An unfamiliar song, but being sung in English, drifted around them and the Doctor walked up to Rose and offered his hand. Surprised yet pleased, she took her hand and let him pull her into a waltz.

"What song is this?" she asked, listening to the lyrics and feeling like they might just have been written about her life with the Doctor in mind.

"It's called 'In a Dream'," answered the Doctor as he dipped her expertly and brought her back up. "The artiste, well she was rather enamoured by my TARDIS interior and wrote the song."

"You serious?" asked Rose, her eyes wide.

"As I can be," he agreed and twirled her around. "She met my seventh self, to be precise. It was a fairly unknown singer from the 1990s."

"I've never heard it," said Rose, surprised that it had been around her time.

"I could take you to meet her," he said. "One of the last good jazz singers, I'm afraid."

"What about the final segment?" asked Rose.

"It can wait," he said, swaying them slowly now.

"But it's the last one and we have been on a good streak," said Rose logically. "We can get back to visiting jazz singers after we have the final segment."

The Doctor mock-glared at her. "Fine, if you insist," he said. "You'll like the next destination, I promise."

"Where is it?" asked Rose.

The Doctor grinned. "Earth," he said. "Specifically, the UNIT Christmas Ball in Geneva."

Rose's eyes lit up. "Yes! A chance to wear a dress!" she said, sounding excited.

The Doctor looked a bit confused. "Be a bit conspicuous, wouldn't it?" he asked.

Rose rolled her eyes. "I meant for me," she said. Then it occurred to her that he had said UNIT. "Will Liz and the Brigadier be there?"

"The Brigadier, yes, but Liz might be on the moonbase already," he said. "It's in 2005 which means we saw them only a few months ago at Halloween."

"But it's been…how long has it been?" asked Rose.

"Let's see," said the Doctor, twirling her away from him and bringing her back. "Almost three years since we met."

Rose's eyes widened. "Seriously?" she asked.

He nodded. "To be more precise, it's been two years, ten months, fifteen…"

"Alright, I believe you," laughed Rose. "Just…it hasn't felt like long. Have I missed my 22nd birthday yet?"

"No, that's in two weeks. I was planning on taking you to New Vegas," he said, smiling at her.

"Can't see how you're gonna top my 21st," she grinned cheekily.

"I admit watching Rory gamble his way through three casino bosses was amusing," said the Doctor reminiscently.

"Still can't believe we didn't end up executed in the Mojave," she giggled. "Anyway, the UNIT Ball sounds like fun. Shame about not getting to see Liz, though. What about Harry?"

"I've no idea, to be honest," said the Doctor. "He is not officially UNIT anymore."

The song came to an end and they both slowed down as well. "Thanks for this," said Rose, nodding towards the record player. "It did cheer me up a bit."

"Splendid," he said. "Now, you go and get dressed up and I shall land us both in Geneva."

Rose saluted him cheekily. "Sir, yes sir," she said and left before the Doctor could come back with a witty retort.

The Doctor shook his head at her antics and started to close the record player, before changing his mind and asking the TARDIS to move it back to the console room. Perhaps he wouldn't mind this becoming a regular activity from now on.

The ballroom was immaculate, the guests were all here and yet, the woman was fighting off a feeling of dread. Her finely honed instincts were all on red alert and she couldn't help but feel a bit anxious. She plucked at the loose sequins on her formal gown and wished for days of bomber jackets and novelty tights.

"Worried about something?"

She turned and smiled at the Brigadier. "No," she said, her answer sounding hollow to her own ears.

The Brigadier registered it too but didn't say anything as he plucked a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and gave it to her. "You could use it, Ms McShane."

She grinned at him gratefully and took the glass. "Don't mind if I do, Brig," she said and raised it to him before taking a sip.

"It couldn't have anything to do with our keynote speaker, would it?" he asked, after a few moments of companionable silence.

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Right in one," she said. "Henry van Statten. Even his name just radiates smugness."

The Brigadier hid his chuckle in his glass of brandy. "You haven't met the chap, I presume?" he asked.

"No," she answered. "But I had a very reliable source inform me of his activities. Let's just say, if the governments and UNIT weren't afraid of the technology he has scavenged over the years, he would disappear without a trace."

"It's quite true," confirmed the Brigadier, as they watched the man strut around with his faithful entourage of assistants following him. "But you are neither UNIT nor any government, Ms McShane. Surely, you could deal with him."

"I run a charity, Brigadier," she said, downing her flute of champagne. "My days of going rogue are over."

"I suppose it's for the best," he said. "I would worry incessantly about you if I knew you were going after Henry van Statten."

"Maybe we can sic the Doctor on him," she said, humourlessly.

"Is he going to show this year, do you think?" asked the Brigadier.

"He hasn't ever before," she shrugged. "But considering that I have been on edge all week, he might just turn up."

"I saw him a few months ago during the business with the zombies," said the Brigadier. "Changed his form, had a new assistant."

"That sounds like him," she said. "What was the girl like?"

"Reminded me of you, as a matter of fact," he said. "Only a few years older than you when we first met. Rose Tyler, her name."

She pursed her lips and nodded. "I just hope she is okay," she murmured. "He's changed you said?"

"Yes, younger again," he said. "Very different than the one you knew."

"I'll believe it when I see it," she said, her eyes far away. There was a smattering of applause and the two of them looked up to see Henry van Statten taking the dais for the keynote address. The two of them took a seat at one of the tables and prepared themselves for what was expected to be a dull, self-indulgent speech.

"Ladies and gentlemen," started Henry van Statten. "I know you are all expecting a speech but I have always said that actions speak a lot louder than words. So, without further ado, I present to you: my greatest achievement."

The curtain behind him fell down and a very familiar alien was visible. The eye stalk appraised the deathly silent ballroom before the Dalek looked submissively towards Van Statten.

"I AWAIT ORDERS, MASTER."

"One day, I am going to make you change into something more appropriate for the 21st century," said Rose as she came out into the console room, dressed to the nines in a blush-coloured dress with her hair and makeup done.

The Doctor winked at her. "Distrust any enterprise that requires new clothes," he quoted cheekily.

"Who said that?" she asked.

"Henry David Thoreau," he answered, finishing the post-flight procedures. "Good chap that one. A tad insane, but then all the best people are."

Rose laughed and shook her head. "Trust you to find someone to quote just to avoid changing your clothes," she teased.

"I have no idea what you mean, Miss Tyler," he sniffed and walked over to the doors. "Come along now."

Rose followed him quickly, having opted for flats under her dress as she was sure that some form of running would be involved. They had expected to land in the vicinity of the venue where the Ball was taking place but they were surprised when they found themselves inside a larder.

"Great landing," Rose giggled and the Doctor rolled his eyes at her as he opened the doors, just to come face to face with the kitchen staff.

"Ah, hello!" said the Doctor, smiling at the gobsmacked kitchen staff in a friendly manner. "Sorry about this. My friend and I just snuck in here…to er," he trailed off and looked at Rose for help.

Rose was biting her lip, trying not to laugh. Before she could come up with a vaguely valid response, the head chef chuckled merrily. "Oh don't explain at all, sir," he said. "I remember being that young."

"Yes, quite," said the Doctor, though Rose was almost certain that he hadn't quite caught on to what the head chef was insinuating.

"Could you point us to the ballroom please?" Rose interrupted before things could get any more awkward than they already were.

"Out through this door and up the flight of stairs to your left," said the head chef.

"Thank you," said Rose and then practically pulled the Doctor out of the kitchen. On their way out, they heard the head chef instructing his staff not to use anything from that larder and Rose was as red as her namesake by the time they arrived near the ballroom.

"Rose, slow down, would you?" said the Doctor, running a calming hand over her back as they stopped in the doorway of the ballroom.

Rose nodded and was about to ask him about where the core was pointing when she saw what was on the dais while a man walked among the audience giving a speech. The Doctor followed her horrified gaze and his face went cold.

"That's impossible," said Rose, her voice trembling. "Tell me that's not possible."

"Come on," said the Doctor, his voice rougher than usual as he pulled her towards the other end of the corridor, away from the ballroom. Rose was about to ask what he was doing when she noticed that he was taking her in through the staff entrance that would most likely come out behind the dais.

She quickened her step and they jogged along the corridor until they arrived at an alcove, just next to the door that opened behind the dais. The Doctor was about to open the door when a figure in front of them nudged the door open and slid a silver deodorant can onto the dais which rolled along until it hit the Dalek's base and stopped.

The Doctor's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he pushed Rose against the wall of the alcove and covered her body with his. A loud explosion rang from the dais and Rose clutched the Doctor's arms in shock and fear.

As the explosion continued to ring in their ears, the woman who had slid the deodorant can turned around and beamed at them.

"Hello, Professor."

A/N End of Part 1. Thanks for reading.

So, did you guess who it is? I mean, apart from the Brigadier and well, Henry van Statten.

The lines about the dress: 'It'd be a bit conspicuous' 'I meant for me' were said by the Eighth Doctor and Charley Pollard in the audio 'Seasons of Fear'. Honestly, one of the most hilarious moments and I just had to use it at least once.

Anyway, Part 2 will be up soon and the Dalek and van Statten are not as gone as everyone would like them to be. It will be up soon. See you then!

~ Phoenix