CHAPTER 77

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WAR PLANS

I had just accepted the idea of allowing Belle to come and apologize to us when five minutes later she suddenly appeared out of nowhere. To say that I was surprised was an understatement.

"Gran, I'm not here to hurt anyone I promise. There's something that I have to tell you," Belle said in a frightened voice as she hesitantly approached me.

I could feel Freya take my hand and squeeze it but to her credit she didn't try to run or scream. She bravely stood her ground and didn't move an inch as she stood face to face with the woman who had caused her so much pain.

"I'm sorry, Freya. I am so sorry," Belle said to Freya in an emotional voice as she noticed this.

Freya nodded but didn't say anything. She was definitely taking this better than I thought that she would.

"I'm sorry, Gran," Belle said as she looked at me next.

"I know. It wasn't your fault. Don't worry about it. Just say what you came here to tell me," I tried to say in a voice with as little anger in it as possible.

Belle obviously must have sensed some anger in it though as she looked away from me with a shamed look on her face as she said, "The War Lords have just brought back Rassilon. They want to use him to take over Gallifrey, and he wants to do something to Mum."

My eyes widened in horror and I instantly became filled with anger as I shouted at the top of my lungs, "Those idiots! Are they really that insane?! He's not going to help them! He'll stab them all in the back and help himself! This is just great! Just wonderful! Rassilon will kill us all if someone doesn't stop him! I should rip them all apart with my bare hands just for being so unbelievably stupid!"

Freya quickly let go of my hand and backed away from me, and Belle looked at me with tears running down her face as she said, "I had nothing to do with it. I swear."

I immediately calmed down and looked at her with a smile then as I gently wiped the tears off of her face while I said, "I know. I'm not angry at you, Belle. I forgive you. It's okay. Tell me the whole story. I need to know everything that you know."

Freya was smiling at me hesitantly once again but still didn't come any closer to me as I listened to Belle tell me everything that she had heard on The Phobos. I was only half listening though because I couldn't stop thinking about what Freya had just done.

She had backed away from me in fear, and I never wanted to see her look at me like that again. Now I was beginning to gain just a little bit of insight into how Belle must feel.

As soon as Belle finished telling me her story, I said to her, "I have to tell your mother and sister about this right away. Rassilon can't be allowed to find out where Rose is or he'll immediately go after her for killing him. I won't let that monster within ten feet of her if I can help it."

I immediately ran into my TARDIS to contact Rose and Jenny and left Freya and Belle standing next to each other. I was so worried about Rose and feeling so guilty about scaring Freya that I didn't even think about how Freya might react to suddenly being left standing there next to the woman who had attacked her.

Freya started to shake with fear but refused to move away from Belle who tried to calm her down by saying, "I won't hurt you, Freya. You don't have to worry about anything."

"That's right. She's changed now," Robin said as he immediately put a comforting arm around Freya.

Belle looked at him in surprise. He was defending her now? That was a change.

"So has Sekh," Freya said.

"You mean you're afraid of her? Not me?" Belle asked in surprise.

"You look so different now. I mean you look the same, but your body language is different and your eyes . . . your eyes are so kind now. I can tell that you're not the same person who hurt me anymore. I forgive you for that by the way because I don't think you should have to feel guilty for something that wasn't your fault," Freya said.

"Thank you," Belle said as she hugged her in gratitude.

"Why are you afraid of your sister?" Robin asked Freya with concern.

"I'm not usually. It's just that I get scared of her sometimes when she has that strange look in her eyes. She had it before when we were fighting you, Belle. She was starting to have it again just now when she talked about Rassilon. It's like she's a different person when she does that. A scary person," Freya said in a frightened voice.

"You don't understand, Freya. Rassilon did terrible things to her mind. He warped it and changed it in an attempt to make her into the perfect warrior. She's much better now, but sometimes that side of her still comes back especially when she thinks about him. You see Rassilon did more than just warp her mind he also ruined her life. It's only just now that she's starting to regain her true personality and a sense of happiness back. So if she becomes filled with anger at the thought of him that's why. She would never hurt you though, Freya. She loves you. Always remember that," Robin said.

Freya nodded but said nothing. I was so glad that I only heard about this later from Robin or it would have broken my hearts. I never wanted her to feel that way about me. Ever.

That was when Allison came up to her and said, "Freya, I've seen Mum in full Sekhmet mode before, and she is scary. I know that. I was scared of her too at first, but then I realized that she was always protective of me no matter how far gone she was. She never hurt me. She only tried to help me and save me. She protected me, and she'll protect you too."

"She's changed so much though. It's bad enough that I can barely recognize her as the same person anymore. When she starts becoming that other person, I don't even know who she is at all. That's what's really scary is when my own sister becomes a stranger to me. I've already lost everyone else. I don't want to lose her too," Freya said in tears.

"You won't. She's getting much better about losing control of herself since she's gotten a family again. I think that's helped her tremendously to regain her sense of self again," Robin reassured her.

"I can tell you that it's certainly helped me. It feels so good to not be alone anymore," Violet said.

Freya looked at her with curiosity as she said, "You're her clone, but you're purer somehow. I've never seen you lose control of yourself once. It's like you're more like Sekhmet than Sekhmet is."

Violet shrugged as she said, "That's because my mind is perfectly normal. It hasn't been tampered with like hers has. Luckily what Rassilon did to the original Sekhmet wasn't transferred over to me when I was created."

"You're more like my Sekh was. I wish the real Sekh was more like you. In fact, I wish you were the real one instead of her," Freya said then according to Robin she looked sorry about it as soon as she said it.

"You shouldn't say that about her. She can't help what's happened to her. It's completely beyond her control, and it's one of the reasons why she hates Rassilon so much. She still loves you no matter what though, Freya. I can tell you that getting you back has really helped her, and it's made her happier than she's been in a long, long time. You can trust me on that. Please don't pull away from her. Don't do that to her. She needs you," Violet pleaded.

Freya looked ashamed now as she said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I just . . . this is all just so overwhelming to me. It's just so hard for me to take it all in. I just wish that she wasn't so different now. I miss my little sister. I miss my old life. I just want my life back like it used to be."

"In her heart of hearts, so does she. She's lost her way, Freya. She needs someone to help her find it again," Violet said which made Freya look at her in surprise.

"I'm sorry. This is my fault. I plucked you from the past in order to use you against your sister in the first place," Belle said.

"No. You actually did a good thing even if it was for the wrong reason. You saved my life. I would have died if you hadn't saved me. Thank you," Freya said as she embraced Belle.

"I hurt you though," Belle said.

"Yes, and then you apologized to me for it. That was the real you wasn't it?" Freya asked.

"Yeah, it was just for a second," Belle admitted.

"Don't worry about it, Belle. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't even be here so you actually did a good thing. Maybe I'm supposed to be here because Sekh needs me. I can see that now. She needs me to help her remember who she's supposed to be again, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Starting right now," Freya said as she went into the TARDIS to find me.

"Thank you," Belle almost whispered.

"Belle, I'm sorry that I almost killed you. I'm so glad that I decided not to. I just couldn't do it because I knew how much that it would hurt Lily if I did," Robin admitted once Freya was gone.

"I almost wanted you to because it seemed that I was never going to be myself again," Belle admitted in a sad voice.

"I'm glad I didn't. We're definitely all better off with you here than without you," Robin said as he embraced her.

Belle smiled at this pleasant surprise and gladly returned his embrace. She was beginning to think that maybe reforming herself wasn't going to be so hard after all.

Then she turned around to see Allison and Aishwana glaring at her.

"Dad might have forgiven you but I haven't. You tried to kill all of us, and you put Mum and Freya through a living nightmare. I really don't want you to come back here anymore," Allison said.

"That goes double for me. You almost took Mum away from me when I'd only just gotten her back again. I can't forgive you for that," Aishwana said.

Belle looked heartbroken as Robin said, "You shouldn't feel that way. What she did wasn't her fault. I think you both should apologize to her."

Allison could see that Belle was hurting inside and having the big heart that she has she hesitated as she said to her, "Look, I know that it wasn't your fault, okay? Part of me wants to forgive you, and another part of me hates the sight of you. I'm trying to forgive you, but I can't just now, okay? I just can't. I'm sorry but I can't. Maybe someday I will."

"I won't. You tried to take my Mum away from me. I can't forgive that. I just can't and I won't. Just go away," Aishwana said in anger.

Belle began to tear up as she turned away from her. Isabella meanwhile immediately put a protective arm around her and said, "Don't worry. They'll come around eventually. They're both good people, and they'll see that you are too one day. I know they will."

"Thank you. I really appreciate that," Belle said.

"For the record, I'm still a little angry with you, but I'm willing to let it go. Izzy's a good judge of character so if she thinks you're okay I know that you are," Ron said as he smiled at Isabella and took her hand.

"Thank you. Both of you," Belle said feeling better now.

Now it was time for the usually silent Ivy to weigh in as she said, "Belle, I know exactly what you're going through right now. I tried to kill my best friend, a woman who I love like a sister, over and over again when I was a vampire. So when I was cured, I really had a terrible time trying to forgive myself even though Lily forgave me immediately. I just want to say that it does get better. Maybe you'll never forgive yourself completely and maybe not everyone will see that you're trying so hard to make up for what you've done, but it will get better, Belle. One day you'll see all of the good that you've done and you'll see that it balances out all of the bad and then some. Just don't give up, Belle. Keep believing in yourself no matter what anyone else says or does and stick by your sister. She'll help you find your way back. I know because mine helped me."

Belle didn't say anything. She just grabbed Ivy and hugged her tightly in gratitude for her tender words of consolation.

That was when I returned from the TARDIS after warning Rose and Jenny. I was happy to have Freya back at my side again acting as if nothing had happened. She hadn't said anything about what I had done. She had just walked up to me and kicked me in the rear!

"Don't ever scare me like that again!" She said and then she gave me a hug and laughed.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"I know. Don't worry about it," Freya said as she took my hand again.

Now as I stood there together with her once more I noticed right away that two of my kids were angry with Belle and Ivy and Isabella was doing their best to comfort her. That was typical of Isabella though. She had the biggest heart of anyone in our group and was always willing to reach out to anyone in need. Ivy meanwhile could understand what Belle was going through better than the others since she had once been there herself.

I decided to take everyone's mind off of Belle for the moment as I said to Isabella, "So tell us more about the baby. I know that you know what it is. I saw Ivy helping you get some readings on it in the medical bay."

Isabella smiled knowing what I was trying to do as she said, "Yes, I do. Should I tell them or should I keep it a surprise?"

"You'd better tell me before I explode. I want to know whether I'm going to have a nephew or a niece," Allison said eagerly.

"I don't want to see Ally explode, Isabella. That would be far too messy. I think you'd better just tell her," I said grinning.

"Do I have to?" Isabella teased.

"Yes, you do if you know what's good for you," Allison said as she pretended to make a fist at Isabella.

"Well, I don't want to expose Freya to any unnecessary violence or to let her know what a psycho you are this quickly in the relationship so I guess I will," Isabella said with a pretend sigh.

I looked at her in surprise as she usually wasn't this talkative. Being a new mother was obviously making her so happy that she could hardly contain it.

"Don't push it, Izzy," Allison said as she pretended to be angry with her even though I knew that the two of them loved each other dearly.

"Fine, fine. Everyone, I'm going to have a baby . . ." Isabella then paused with a wicked smile on her face.

"Izzy," Allison said in a warning voice.

"Go on, Izzy. Tell them," Ron encouraged her in a way that let me know that he knew already.

"I'm having a girl. I'm not sure what I'll name her yet, but I wanted to name her after one of you," Isabella said.

"I'm going to have a niece!" Allison screamed with joy.

"At least there'll be someone younger than me around. I won't be the billion year old baby of the group anymore," Freya said with a grin.

Aishwana looked at Isabella hesitantly as she said, "Do you think that you could name the baby after me?"

"Aishwana? I don't know. No offense but I wanted to give her a human name," Isabella said hesitantly not wanting to hurt her feelings.

"I can understand that, but I meant the translation of my name into English. On my world, my name means Daisy. Could you call her Daisy after me?" Aishwana asked with a hopeful expression on her face.

"What is it with you and the flower names anyway? You were always obsessed with flowers when you were a kid too," Freya said to me making me grin.

"Daisy. I like that name. I think I'll name her Daisy Allison Rose Hardy after my three sisters in law. What do you think?" Isabella asked Ron.

"Wait. Don't name her after me. Instead of using my name for the middle name, why don't you name her after Belle?" Allison said shocking everyone.

"What?! I don't want my name alongside hers!" Aishwana said in anger.

I glared at her and she immediately became silent as Belle said, "No. I like the original name better. Don't name her after me."

"Are you sure?" Isabella asked.

"Yes. Keep the original name," Belle insisted.

"Daisy Allison Rose Belle Hardy," Isabella said testing a new name.

Ron smiled and nodded as he said, "Sounds good to me."

Aishwana looked at Allison, Isabella, and Ron in disbelief as she said, "Why are you doing this? Don't name the baby after her!"

"Ivy's right, Aishwana. We need to forgive her so that she can move on with her life. I did that for Ivy, and I need to do it for my niece too," Allison said.

"I . . . can't," Aishwana said.

"I don't want to cause any trouble," Belle insisted.

"Well, it's too late for that," Aishwana said in anger.

"Stop it. Now," I said in a firm voice.

"Mum, she tried to take you away from me," Aishwana said.

"Let it go, Aishwana. Please," I said.

Aishwana stared at me for a moment with no expression on her face and then said, "Alright. I'll do it for you."

"Thank you," I said as I gave a small hug of approval.

Aishwana then turned to Belle and said, "I'm going to try. I really am."

"So am I," Allison added.

"That's more than I deserve. Thank you for that. Both of you," Belle said.

"Why are you wasting time over such trivial matters when your lives are all in danger?" A very familiar voice said behind us.

I turned to see Omega standing there and immediately went on the defensive as I said, "What are you doing here? If you want a battle, you'll get it."

"I do want a battle but not with you, Sekhmet. I want to join you against our common enemy," Omega said.

"You mean you want me to help me stop the War Lords?" I said in an unbelieving voice.

"Yes. The War Chief has lost all sense of reality in bringing Rassilon back to life to help him. I know that you of all people understand this. I will not work with that man because I know sooner or later that he'll turn on all of us. Join me, Sekhmet. Help me destroy him, and I'll help you defeat the War Lords. We must preserve Gallifrey's future and keep it safe from both of those madmen especially Rassilon," Omega said as he held out his hand to me.

I hesitated for a moment and then I took his hand as I said, "Let's send the tyrant back to where he belongs."

I could see that Freya looked troubled by this new flare-up of anger in me, but she still kept holding my hand this time. I was so grateful for that.

"Are you sure that we can trust him?" Robin whispered to me.

"No, but I do trust that he hates Rassilon and wants to kill him. So maybe that will keep him from turning on us. Besides that he seems to have a crush on me according to Holly," I said with a slight grin.

"That's just another reason for me not to trust him," Robin said in a jealous voice.

I shook my head at him as I said, "You have no cause whatsoever to worry, Robin. Believe me."

"I know I don't from you, but he's liable to do anything in order to win you to his side even lie," Robin warned.

"I know. I'll have to watch him carefully. We need to know what he knows about the War Lords and the War Chief's plans though," I said.

"I can probably tell you more than he will," Belle said as she joined us in our whispers.

"Maybe but you weren't there recently and he was," I said.

"Yes, how convenient that he chooses now to defect too just as Rassilon returns," Robin said suspiciously.

"I know that you're suspicious of me and maybe you should be based on my past, but I'm asking you to trust me, Sekhmet. Rassilon is about to do something that will bring all of the Time Lords everywhere to their knees," Omega said in what sounded to me like an earnest voice.

"What? What's he up to this time?" I asked.

"He wants to steal the biodata of Arkytior from the Matrix. He has a plan to use it to control her and turn her against the Time Lords. He wants to use her to help him conquer Gallifrey," Omega said.

"Tell me everything that's been going on since Belle left," I said to him immediately as my eyes almost bulged out of their sockets.

I had to stop Rassilon before he could do this. The last thing that I needed was to have to face a mind controlled Rose. The War Lord had been bad enough. I could only hope that Omega had gotten to us in time for me to prevent Rassilon from getting what he wanted.

I was already too late though. The black garbed artificial construct with a black spherical head called Shayde, who was Rassilon's servant, was phasing through the walls of the Capitol at that very moment.

When he reached the Matrix, he immediately copied Arkytior's biodata. That wasn't all that he did though. It turned out that Omega didn't know the half of what Rassilon was really up to.

I was soon about to find out that Rose was just the tip of the iceberg. Rassilon had a plan that was much larger in scope than even Omega could have ever imagined.

I was about to find out everything about it, and I was definitely not going to like the answer.

Next: Rassilon's full plan is revealed at last. What it is and will he succeed? Will he be able to take over Rose and what will happen if he does?