CHAPTER 71

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CHANGE AND RENEWAL

"I still can't believe that they're gone," Donna said in a lifeless voice as she stood in her grandfather's kitchen.

"They'll be back, darling. I know that they will. Nothing keeps the Doctor down for long," Wilf said with a reassuring smile.

"They were sent who knows where by Nightshade before she died, Granddad. They have no way of getting back either since Missy finally managed to take everyone's powers away including Rose's by messing around with the laws of the universe. Wherever they are, they're stranded there. Maybe Rose might be able to rebuild the Dimension Cannon but even if she did I'm still not sure that she could find the right universe or not. It just all feels so hopeless. I – I wanted the Doctor to be there when Lauren was born. I wanted him to be a part of that. I was going to make him and Rose her godparents," Donna said in an emotional voice.

Then she felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder and turned her head to see Calliope standing there. Calliope seemed to be oddly calm about the entire situation for some reason. She had gone completely hysterical when Emmy had been killed, but now she didn't seem to be fazed at all about losing her son. Donna couldn't help but worry that she was in a state of denial, and that she was going to take it very hard when the truth eventually did sink in one day soon.

"Donna, it's going to be alright. Wilf's right. They'll be back one day and then you'll see that you were wasting your time worrying about them. You need to be focused on the baby right now not about this," Calliope said.

Donna looked at her as if she was mad as she said, "Gran, you do know that they could be anywhere, and we have no way of finding them, right?"

"They'll be fine, Donna. I know they will," Calliope said in a voice filled with conviction.

"How can you say that, Mother? We may never see them again and I . . . I miss him. I can't believe that I'm saying this but I actually miss him," Emmy said as she came into the room in tears.

Lilith entered right behind her carrying Kimberly and put a comforting arm around the woman that she now considered her sister as she said, "Mother Calliope might be right, Emmy. The Doctor seems to have a long history of doing the impossible. Who's to say that he won't come up with some incredible way back that we never even thought about? You have to have faith that you haven't seen the last of him and that one day he will come back."

Calliope smiled at Emmy as she said, "Yes, he will come back and until then you must have no regret, no tears, and no anxieties, Emmy."

Then she turned to look at Donna as she said, "And the same thing applies to you too, Donna. I want both of you to move forward in that belief that he's returning and prove to me that I'm not mistaken in my belief in both of you. I know that you can both get over this if you just have faith in the Doctor's ability to always get out of every mad, impossible situation that he finds himself in."

"Mother, how can you be so sure of that? You seem to have no fear about this whatsoever. How are you doing this? I wish you could explain the secret of it to me because I just can't stop thinking about it myself. I just can't," Emmy said.

"You've got to try, Emmy. You've got to set your worries aside or they'll tear you apart," Calliope said as she hugged her daughter to her tightly.

Then she looked at Donna as she said in a voice that said that she meant business, "That goes double for you. You're pregnant. You're not supposed to be under a lot of stress. Stop worrying about them. I mean it!"

Donna smiled at the woman's remarkable strength as she said, "Alright. I'll try."

"Good. Now let's talk about something happier instead. Wilf is about to take the potion that Rose gave him just before the final battle with Nightshade and Missy. He was waiting to become a Time Lord until all of you were here first though. We're still waiting on Sylvia, Donna. Where is she? She is coming isn't she?" Calliope asked.

"I told her to, yeah. She said that she was coming right away," Donna said.

"Maybe she isn't as alright with my decision as I thought, Callie. It's okay though. She'll come to accept it eventually," Wilf said.

"She'll accept it now if I have anything to do with it. It's about time that I explain to her once and for all that just because you become a Time Lord that doesn't mean that you lose your humanity. I should know after all," Calliope said.

"What do you mean by that?" Donna asked curiously.

"Mother used to be human before she became a Time Lady, Donna," Emmy said.

Donna's eyes widened as she said, "How does that work then? Did you have some secret go go juice too?"

"No, being pregnant with a Time Lord's child changed me. Braxiatel's blood slowly altered my body into that of a Gallifreyan while I was pregnant with him so that I could carry him to term. It was such an unbelievable long shot that such a thing would happen according to the High Council and yet it happened anyway. That should tell you all that you need to know about our family, Donna," Calliope said with a warm smile.

"Yeah, it really kind of does actually. You lot just have incredible luck on your side," Donna said as she momentarily smiled back at her.

"So you see I was human once and yet I'm not some weird unreadable alien am I? I like to think that I'm still pretty human on the inside where it counts," Calliope said.

"You are, Callie. You really are,' Wilf reassured her.

"I've always thought that you acted more like a human than a Time Lord. I never could understand why that was either since the Doctor just always acted so . . . strange," Donna said.

"He was always strange. Being an alien had nothing to do with it," Emmy said with a small smile.

"Don't talk about him in the past tense, Emmy. He is still alive after all," Calliope chastised her.

"Yes, I know. Sorry. I – I just can't help it. I guess it's the human in me coming out. It wasn't that long ago that I was human too you know," Emmy said.

"I don't understand why she's not here yet. I hope that she's alright," Donna said as she tried to focus on her mother's whereabouts so that she wouldn't get dragged down into despair again by all of Emmy's depressing talk.

"I'm sure that she's fine. Don't start worrying again, Donna. Just don't. Everything's fine," Calliope said.

Donna continued to wonder more and more if Calliope was in denial every time that she made a comment like that. She noticed that even her grandfather looked worried now after that last statement.

Then suddenly the front door opened and Donna said, "Well, it's about time. Where were you?"

Donna's mouth dropped open in shock along with everyone else's as a much younger Sylvia entered the house and said, "Trying out some of the potion myself."

"What?" Donna said almost speechless now.

"Well, I had to test it to see if it was safe for Dad to take, didn't I?" Sylvia said with a wry grin.

Donna continued to look at her mother in shock because she just looked so different now. She was so much younger than she had been before. In fact, she looked even younger than Donna which irked her to no end!

"How did you get younger? I didn't get any younger when I changed. People are going to think that you're my younger sister now instead of my mother," Donna said in irritation.

"Good," Sylvia said with a grin.

"What do you mean good? I'm not supposed to be the older one here," Donna protested.

Sylvia laughed at her and hugged her which surprised Donna even more than her sudden youth had as she said, "You'll just have to learn to get over it, Donna. I'm still your mother though and nothing's changing that, alright?"

"Yeah, sure," Did you regenerate or something because you're acting different?" Donna said.

"No, I just concentrated on becoming younger when I took the potion and suddenly I was. I didn't just become younger on the outside though. I actually feel renewed on the inside too, Donna. I feel . . . I don't know how to be explain it to you except that I haven't felt this happy in a long time. I feel like I've been freed from some enormous burden somehow," Sylvia said as she kissed Donna's cheek making Donna wonder if she was a Zygon or something.

"Rose should have told you, Donna. Time Lords can change their age if they focus on it. You still could now if you wanted. That change in age can sometimes regress the mind to a much more youthful mindset though," Calliope said.

"That explains a lot about the last Doctor. I think I'll stay the same age that I am instead of risking becoming a kid again thank you very much," Donna remarked.

"No, that wasn't it, Donna. He acted like a child for different reasons I think," Calliope said.

"I'm so happy that this happened for you, sweetheart. You're just like you used to be back before . . ." Wilf said and then hesitated.

"Before Mum and my brother died? Yes, I am. I can feel that. Maybe it was the potion and maybe it was just my letting go of a lot of baggage. Who knows? All that matters is that I feel better now than I have in decades," Sylvia said.

"Don't rub it in about the decades, alright?" Donna said.

Sylvia smiled and hugged her as she said, "Sorry, sweetheart."

"Okay, you're really freaking me out now. I'm afraid that you're going to change into a Zygon or a Rutan or something," Donna said.

Sylvia's smile faded as she said in an emotional tone, "I'm sorry, Donna. I'm so sorry that I never gave you the affection that you deserved. I'm sorry that you've come to expect no warmth or compassion whatsoever from me. That's going to change from now on. I promise."

Then Sylvia hugged her tightly as Donna stood there in shock. She still couldn't believe it. Her mother was acting . . . like a mother.

Wilf smiled happy to see Sylvia acting like her old self once again as he said, "Well, now that everyone's here I guess I shouldn't delay this any longer then."

He took the potion out of his pocket and then looked at it hesitantly as Calliope said, "It's okay, Wilf. If you don't want to do this, it's alright."

"It's not that. It's just that it's a big step," Wilf said.

"I know. Believe me I know. I was very upset when I found out that I was changing, but then when I realized that I was still me it was much better. I could accept it more then," Calliope said.

"What is she talking about?" Sylvia asked.

"She used to be human too," Donna explained.

Sylvia looked dumbstruck as she said, "And she still raised someone like the Doctor?"

Then she looked ashamed as she said, "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"It's alright. Don't worry about it. You're just thinking ahead to the time that he's coming back is all," Calliope reassured her.

Sylvia looked at her strangely as Donna whispered to her, "I know."

"You said that you just thought about getting younger, dear?" Wilf asked Sylvia as he tried to change the subject.

"Yes, and it worked," Sylvia said.

"It's worth a try I suppose. Well, here goes," Wilf said as he drank the potion.

At first he felt no different. Then he began to feel incredible pain all through his body, and he began to scream in absolute agony.

"It's alright, Dad. I did the same thing. It'll pass," Sylvia said in a compassionate voice.

"It certainly will and then the fireworks will begin. Everyone get back!" Calliope said as she moved everyone away.

Wilf began to glow all over now as Donna said, "Oh, yeah. I remember this alright."

"I remember this part too. Now that was really scary," Sylvia said.

"What is this? This looks like regeneration," Lilith asked in amazement as energy poured forth from Wilf's head and hands.

"It's sort of a partial regeneration I guess you could say because he isn't becoming someone else. He's changing species," Emmy explained.

"I'm glad that he's not changing. I like him the way that he is," Lilith said with relief.

Suddenly the glow faded as Wilf said in a younger voice, "So did I. I did make myself just a bit younger though. I hope not too young, Donna."

He looked to be around the same age as Donna now which made Donna smile as she said, "You're just fine, Granddad. At least you don't look like my baby brother. I was kind of worried about that for a minute after what happened with Mum."

"I don't look that young," Sylvia protested.

"You look like you just came out of a sorority," Donna said.

"I guess I do. That was the last time that I was really happy after all since they died not long after I graduated from the university," Sylvia admitted.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know," Donna said.

"It's alright. That was yet another thing that I didn't talk about with you that I should have. That's going to change too. We're going to talk more," Sylvia promised her.

"I'm not sure whether to be happy about that or not," Donna said with a small smile.

"Oh, shut up," Sylvia said in a good-natured tone.

"Are you alright, Wilf?" Calliope asked.

"I'm fine, Callie. Are you alright?" Wilf asked her in concern.

"Yes, of course. I don't care if you became younger. I love you no matter what," Calliope said.

"I wasn't talking about that, darling. I meant that you act as if you're not worried at all about the Doctor and Rose. Are you alright?" Wilf asked.

"I'm fine. Really. If you must know, I have Kallista and Victoria Waterfield searching for them right now. Their powers weren't affected by what happened to the universe because they got their power from the previous universe. Victoria almost had hers stolen by the Matriarch recently though after she watched her ambushing and stripping the powers away from Fenric, Hecuba, the Toymaker, and the Great Intelligence. She said that she barely got away from her in time before she took her power too. I'm so glad that she did because two of them searching are more likely to find them than just one," Calliope said.

"Is that why you're so unworried? Why didn't you tell us about this, Gran?" Donna asked.

"Yeah, you should have said something. I would have really liked to know that," Emmy said.

"I didn't want to get your hopes up in case they couldn't find them," Calliope admitted.

"I can understand that I guess. It still isn't a guarantee that they'll be back after all but it's better than nothing," Emmy said.

"It definitely makes me feel better," Donna said.

"Good because it should. Those two will find them if anyone can. I'm sure of it," Calliope said.

"There is one bad thing about that though. That means that the Wolves are all powerless now except for the vampires on the group and Tori. We just lost a lot of our heavy hitters thanks to Missy. Dorothy lost her Vortex powers, Michelle lost her MirrorVerse abilities, Victoria Collins lost all of her Wolf Queen mojo, and you can't alter reality anymore can you, Lilith?" Donna said.

"No, I'm afraid not. Reality was changed so much that my abilities no longer affect it. I may be able to compensate for the changes somehow if I can figure out the nature of them though, Mother Donna. I may even be able to restore the laws of the universe back to normal if I use the right combination of words," Lilith said.

"Really? You never told me that before," Donna said even as she smiled at the sound of Lilith calling her Mother.

She still couldn't get over that. She supposed that she had better get used to it though since someone else was about to be calling her that soon enough now.

"Yes, Mother Donna. I believe that if I work at it long enough that I can figure out just how Missy changed things and then come up with the right words to change them back. There is greater power in words then any of you realizes I think," Lilith said.

"I hope that means that everyone including Rose will get their powers back soon because I'm not about to let her be stranded somewhere by herself," A familiar voice said.

Donna smiled as she saw Rose's mother Jackie, Martha, and Mickey standing in her grandfather's living room. She just knew that Mickey would tell Jackie about what happened sooner or later, and she was reacting just like she thought that she would.

"The Doctor's with her too you know," Donna said.

"Some help he'll be. He brought her back a year late before so who's to say that he'll be any better about it this time," Jackie said.

"I do have people looking for them, Jackie," Calliope said with a frown.

Jackie became a bit happier at that as she said, "Well, I'm certainly glad about that but I won't feel better about it until I'm looking for her too. How soon will it be until I can get a TARDIS that I can use?

"What?" Calliope said in surprise.

Martha gave her a sheepish grin as she said, "Yeah, about that. Jackie wants a TARDIS so that she can look for Rose herself."

"Jackie flying a TARDIS? I don't think so. We'd all be in trouble if she started messing around with time," Donna said.

Jackie glared at her as she said, "I didn't mean that I'd fly it by myself. I meant that maybe one of the Time Lords could help me find her. She has saved them all about a billion times now hasn't she? I think that they owe her one."

"The High Council probably won't see it that way I'm afraid," Calliope said.

"Let me speak to them. I'll make them change their minds," Jackie said in a threatening voice.

"And I thought Lily was bad," Calliope said to herself in a low voice.

"What?" Jackie said.

Calliope sighed as Donna tried not to laugh. She was finally starting to see what other people went through when she went on a rampage. Not that she would ever admit that she did that sort of thing to anyone of course.

"How about I let you use my TARDIS instead? I'll take you to look for her myself," Calliope quickly offered since she didn't want Jackie to get in a fight with the entire High Council.

Gallifrey might go into a state of anarchy if the entire High Council wound up dead after all. Then again some people might not even bat an eye.

"That sounds good to me. Let's go already," Jackie said impatiently.

Suddenly Emmy said, "Wait. Let me do it. Dad's going to need you to help him adjust to his changes, Mother. I'd feel better if I was out there looking anyway."

"Are you sure?" Calliope asked.

"Yeah, I am. I want to help," Emmy said.

Calliope smiled as she said, "I knew you loved him."

"Of course I do. Just don't ever tell him that," Emmy said with a grin.

"Well, let's go then," Jackie said.

"Good bye, Emmy, and good luck. You're going to need it," Donna said with a grin as Emmy led Jackie toward Calliope's TARDIS.

Jackie glared at her but said nothing as she continued to walk away.

"Maybe I should go with her," Lilith said as she watched the two women leaving the room.

"Sorry, but we need you here so that you can keep trying to fix the universe, Lilith," Donna said sympathetically.

"Yes, you're right of course, Mother Donna," Lilith said in an unhappy voice.

"She'll be fine. I promise," Donna said as she realized that Lilith was worried about Emmy being on her own.

"That's right because no one in their right mind would bother her with Jackie around," Mickey said.

"You'd better be glad that she didn't hear you say that," Martha said.

"Why do you think that I waited until she got out of earshot?" Mickey said.

"You told her because you were worried about Rose too weren't you? You wanted her to light a fire under someone to do something to bring her back," Donna realized.

"Yeah, that's right. When you need something done quickly, you bring in the big gun after all," Mickey said.

"He's been going mad since it happened. He won't sleep or eat. I'd probably be getting jealous if I wasn't worried about her myself," Martha said.

"I am too," Donna admitted.

"Don't be. They'll both be fine," Calliope said once again.

"You say that almost as if you're sure of it," Martha said suspiciously.

Calliope said nothing but only gave her a brief smile instead. Donna gave her a questioning look but she still said nothing.

If the venerable old Time Lady really did know anything about what was going on, she certainly wasn't telling anyone else about it any time soon.

Next: At long last we have the wedding of Joan Redfern and John Smith. Attending the wedding will be some very special guests including River Song, Donald Noble, and Christina de Souza. There will also be an extra guest that no one was expecting. Wait till you see who it is and how they bring two old traveling companions back together again for a very special moment. Plus we'll see how Jackie and Emmy are faring together on the search. I think I almost pity whatever world comes across Jackie Tyler. Oh, and I'll definitely show the rest of the team too next time so don't worry about missing them.