Chapter Eight: The Parting of Ways
[Spaceship]
The Dalek turns to the Alchemist, "You know the Doctor. You understand him. You will predict his actions."
She shrugs, arms crossed, "Do I know? They tend to be a bit... unpredictable," she smirks, "Besides,
even if I did, I still wouldn't tell you."
"Predict! Predict! Predict!" the Dalek orders.
"Nope!" she grins.
Another alerts, "TARDIS detected in flight."
"Launch missiles. Exterminate."
'Turn on the extrapolator yet?' the Alchemist calls out.
'Of course,' The Time Lady hears and calmly uncrosses her arms, preparing.
The Dalek turns to her, "He will be Exterminated!"
"Yeah, good luck with that," she scoffs.
"Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!" they chant, making the Time Lady roll her eyes.
[TARDIS]
"We've got incoming!" Jack calls out.
The Dalek missiles strike the TARDIS but have no effect.
Jack grins, "The extrapolator's working. We've got a fully functional forcefield. Try saying that when you're drunk."
"And for my next trick," the Doctor smirks.
The TARDIS materializes around the Alchemist and a Dalek.
"Get down! All of you get down!" the Time Lady shouts, and they duck.
"Exterminate!" it calls out.
The Dalek fires and misses. Jack shoots the Dalek with his modified Defabricator.
Rose smiles, "Good job."
"Thanks," Jack replies.
The Doctor hugs the Alchemist tightly and kisses her forehead.
She pulls back, "They were real scared of me!"
"I told you I'd come and get you," he replies, relieved.
She shrugs, "Never doubted it; besides, like I said, terrified of the scary ginger lady."
"I did, and we'll be discussing that. You alright? Promise?" he frowns.
"Later pile," The Alchemist nods, "Yeah, I'm always fine. You?"
The Time Lord rolls his eyes, embracing her again, "Not bad, been better."
"Hey, don't I get a hug?" Jack asks with a pout.
Rose laughs and goes to him, "Oh, come here!"
He shrugs, "I was talking to them."
Jack hugs Rose and pats her back.
"Welcome home, Allycat," he calls over Rose's shoulder.
"I wouldn't say that yet; I'm still unsure if they'll listen," she winces, "I gave them an ultimatum that I can't
confirm I can do it or not yet."
"What do you mean?" asks Rose.
She sighs, "My abilities can defeat them, but I can't use them to that extent right now on my own and they're working out payment."
Rose frowns in confusion, not understanding who 'they' could be.
"Well, still, you were lucky. That was just a one-shot wonder. Drained the gun of all its power supply. Now it's just a piece of junk." Jack complains and drops the gun.
"A nasty piece of junk," the Alchemist scoffs, making Jack laugh.
Rose turns to the Time Lord, "You said they were extinct. How come they're still alive?"
"One minute, they're the greatest threat in the Universe. The next minute, they vanished out of time and space," Jack adds.
"They went off to fight a bigger war. The Time War," the Doctor tells him.
Jack frowns, "I thought that was just a legend…" he blinks in realization, "Allycat, is that what you were talking about? Your planet?"
The Time Lady sighs, "Yes, that's why our homeworld is gone. And believe me, I wish it was just a legend."
"We were there," the Doctor frowns, "The war between the Daleks and the Time Lords, with the whole of creation at stake," he sighs, "Our people were destroyed, but they took the Daleks with them. I almost thought it was worth it. Now it turns out they died for nothing,"
The Alchemist looks straight at him, "They didn't die for nothing; they would have gone on to destroy everything after, Doctor. They saw us as the one thing standing in their way. For a while, it was me standing in their way."
"There's thousands of them now. We could hardly stop one. What're we going to do now? Can't you stop them, Ally?" Rose asks, alarmed.
The Time Lady rolls her eyes, "No. Not at the moment. Something is going on that I have to deal with to do so. Like I said, kid, payment needs to be made," she nods to the door, "I also want to know why and how they're here."
The Doctor waves Rose off when she goes to respond, shutting down her questions.
"She's right. No good stood round here, chin wagging," he rolls his eyes, "Human race, you'd gossip all day. The Daleks have got the answers," he takes his Bondmate's hand, walking to the doors, "Let's go and meet the neighbors."
Rose cries out, "You can't go out there!"
"Just watch us, kid!" The Alchemist shouts as they open the door and slip outside.
[Spaceship]
"Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!" The Daleks call.
The extrapolator force field intercepts the Dalek beams as they fire upon the TARDIS.
"Do you know any other words?" the Alchemist frowns.
"Good question, Alchemist," the Doctor scoffs, "Is that it? Useless! Nul points," he calls out behind him, "It's alright, come on out. That force field can hold back anything."
"Almost anything," Jack corrects as he slips out the door with Rose.
The Time Lord glares at him, "Yes, but I wasn't going to tell them that. Thanks."
"Sorry," Jack winces.
The Doctor glares at the Daleks, "Do you know what they call me in the ancient legends of the Dalek Homeworld? The Oncoming Storm. You might've removed all your emotions, but I reckon right down deep in your DNA, there's one little spark left, and that's fear. Doesn't it just burn when you face me? So tell me. How did you survive the Time War?"
"They survived through me," they hear.
The lights illuminate a colossal piece of technology: the shattered shell of a giant Dalek, with a blue-skinned, one-eyed mutant lounging inside it like royalty on a throne.
The Time Lord glares, "Rose, Captain, this is the Emperor of the Daleks."
"...Who's somehow alive," the Alchemist shakes her head, "Yeah, that's unfortunate, so very close too. You almost died, I bet. What, did you go skinny dipping in some blue paint? You were pink before if I remember correctly."
The Emperor orders, "Cease! You destroyed us, Doctor! The Dalek race died in your inferno, but my ship survived, falling through time, crippled but alive."
"We both did it, actually," the Alchemist adds with a glare.
"Do not interrupt," a Dalek begins a chant.
"Do not interrupt."
"Do not interrupt."
"I think you're forgetting something!" the Doctor interrupts, "I'm the Doctor, and she's the Alchemist, and if there's one thing we can do, it's talk. We've got five billion languages, and you haven't got one way of stopping either of us. So if anybody's going to shut up, it's you!" he grins when they stop, "Okey-doke. So, where were we?"
"We waited here in the dark space, damaged but rebuilding," the Emperor informs them, "Centuries passed, and we quietly infiltrated the systems of Earth, harvesting the waste of humanity. The prisoners, the refugees, the dispossessed. They all came to us. The bodies were filtered, pulped, sifted... The seed of the human race is perverted. Only one cell in a billion was fit to be nurtured."
The Doctor slowly nods, "So you created an army of Daleks out of the dead. Which makes you human, and doesn't that just burn to know that?"
"You're mutations of humanity, not pure Dalek," the Time Lady continues, "You'll never be creations of perfection by your line of thinking."
"Those words are blasphemy," the Emperor announces.
A Dalek calls out, "Do not blaspheme."
"Do not blaspheme."
"Do not blaspheme."
The Emperor cries, "Everything human has been purged! I cultivated pure and blessed Dalek."
"Since when did the Daleks have a concept of blasphemy?" The Doctor asks.
"I reached into the dirt and made new life. I am the God of all Daleks!"
"Worship him. Worship him. Worship him," the Daleks cry in unison.
The Time Lady grimaces, "Well, apparently, the Daleks have gods now. This is news… Remember what happened to the other mutant Daleks during the Time War? Really wasn't good. Really, really wasn't."
"They're insane," the Doctor breathes, "Hiding in silence for hundreds of years, that's enough to drive anyone mad," he shakes his head, "But it's worse than that. Driven mad by your own flesh. The stink of humanity. You hate your own existence. And that makes them more deadly than ever," he turns back to the TARDIS, the Alchemist's hand still in his own, "We're going."
The Emperor orders, "You may not leave my presence."
"Stay where you are," A Dalek calls out.
"Exterminate!" A Dalek orders.
The Doctor swings open the TARDIS door, ushering everyone inside. Meanwhile, the Daleks resume their relentless fire against the forcefield.
"See ya," the Alchemist comments with a wave as she closes it behind her.
They all call out, "Exterminate! Exterminate!"
"Exterminate! Exterminate! Worship him! You will be exterminated!" the Daleks cry.
[TARDIS]
The Doctor leans against the TARDIS momentarily before the Alchemist pulls him away and glares at him.
'We're in this together,' she telepathically reminds him.
He nods, and they stride over to the Console to move the TARDIS back to Floor 500.
[Floor 500]
The TARDIS materializes.
"Turn everything up! All transmitters full power, wide open. Now! Do it!" the Time Lord orders as he runs out of the ship.
"What does this do?" Pavale asks as he works.
"Stops the Daleks from transmatting on board. How did you get on? Did you contact Earth?"
Pavale grimaces, "Well, we tried to warn them, but all they did was suspend our license because we stopped the programs."
"Well, that's very like them, isn't it just?" the Alchemist rolls her eyes.
The Doctor scowls, "And the planet's just sitting there, defenseless," he turns, "Lynda, what're you still doing on board? I told you to evacuate everyone."
"She wouldn't go," Pavale says.
Lynda shrugs, "Didn't want to leave you."
Rose narrows her eyes and crosses her arms, missing the Alchemist's pointed glare.
"There weren't enough shuttles anyway, or I wouldn't be here. We've got about a hundred people stranded on Floor Zero," the woman from before says.
The Doctor rubs the back of his head, turning to his wife, "Ally, what was your ultimatum?"
"The ultimatum is me," the Alchemist shrugs, "They're coming here most likely and not going to attack Earth until our line of defense is gone."
Pavale looks, "Oh, my God, she's right. The Fleet is moving but straight here. They're on their way."
"How come..." the Doctor starts to ask, but she waves him off.
"Later mountain."
[Spaceship]
"We cannot purify the Earth with fire, or the Crimson Tsunami will return, but we can attack the Time Lords directly," the Emperor announces.
[Floor 500]
The Doctor grins and starts pulling pieces of the conduits apart.
"Dalek plan," he laughs, "Big mistake, because what have they left me with?" he glances around, "Anyone? Anyone but Ally? Oh, come on, it's obvious. A great big transmitter. This station. If I can change the signal, fold it back, sequence it, anyone?"
"You've got to be kidding." Jack gapes.
The Doctor smirks, "Give the man a medal."
He asks, "A Delta Wave?"
"A Delta Wave!" the Doctor shouts back.
"Please, not a Delta Wave," the Alchemist groans, having thought of that earlier and scrapped it.
"What's a Delta Wave?" Rose asks.
Jack explains, "A wave of Van Cassadyne energy. It fries your brain. Stand in the way of a Delta Wave, and your head gets barbecued."
"And this place can transmit a massive wave. Wipe out the Daleks!" the Doctor exclaims.
Lynda grins, "Well, get started and do it then."
The Doctor winces, "Trouble is, wave this size, building this big, brain as clever as mine, should take about… oh, three days on my own, and Ally can't help but I need her to stay here. How long till the Fleet arrive?"
"22 minutes and 16 seconds." the Alchemist tells him.
The Alchemist and Jack work on expanding the Extrapolator to floor 500, adjusting cabling, and utilizing her sonic screwdriver.
"Floor 500 covered," the Time Lady announces.
"Right, okay. We've now got a forcefield, so they can't blast us out of the sky, but that doesn't stop the Daleks from physically invading," Jack says, sharing a wary look with the Alchemist.
Pavale asks, "Do they know about the Delta Wave?"
"Yes, so we need to expand the forcefield from the extrapolator as much as we can, meaning... five levels total," the Alchemist says darkly as she looks over it.
"Exactly, Allycat," Jack nods, "They'll have worked it out at the same time. So, they want to stop the Doctor and the Alchemist. That means they've got to get to this level, 500. Now, we can concentrate it down from 500 to four nine five."
"They'll penetrate the station below that at level four nine four… If they don't go to Floor Zero first and fight their way up. They want everyone in this station dead, not just us. You need to clear out Floor Zero and get them up for at least some amount of protection, even if they refuse to fight. I need to be here as... a last-ditch effort."
"Who are they fighting? Pavale asks.
Jack turns to them, "Us."
Pavale frowns, "And what are we fighting with?"
"The guards had guns with bastic bullets. That's enough to blow a Dalek wide open." Jack explains.
She hears a sigh in her mind and glances towards the Doctor.
'I know, it won't work. I know,' she silently says.
The woman shakes her head, "There's five of us since the Alchemist needs to stay."
"Rose, you can help me. I need all these wires stripping bare," the Doctor calls out, and she goes over to assist.
The woman scoffs, "Right, now there's four of us."
"Then let's move it," Jack nods, "Into the lift. Isolate the lift controls."
Pavale and his colleague head off to do just that.
"I just want to say, uh, thanks, I suppose, and I'll do my best," Lynda says as she approaches the Time Lords.
The Doctor smiles, "Me too."
"Same, Lynda with a y," the Time Lady nods.
They shake hands, and Lynda moves towards the lifts as Jack approaches.
He shrugs, "It's been fun, but I guess this is goodbye."
"Don't talk like that. The Doctor's going to do it. You just watch him," Rose says.
"Rose, you are worth fighting for," Jack kisses her before moving to the Time Lord, "Wish I'd never met you, Doctor. I was much better off as a coward."
Jack kisses the Doctor quickly, making the Time Lord frown and the Alchemist glare at him. As Jack approaches her, he winks at her, and she rolls her eyes.
He smiles, "Allycat, thank you for not killing me, sister... Both times now."
"Get that floor cleared. If they refuse, contact me, and I'll come down and make them," she orders.
He salutes her with a grin before hugging her tight, and she squeezes back, lifting him and spinning him around.
"See you in hell," Jack says as he heads out.
Rose watches him leave, "He's going to be alright, isn't he?"
The Time Lords are silent.
[Floor Zero]
Jack climbs atop a stack of crates and begins to unleash a barrage of gunfire into the sky, capturing the attention of everyone on Floor Zero.
"One last time! Any more volunteers? There's an army about to invade this station. I need every last citizen to mount a defense and the rest of you to come up and hide," Jack calls out.
Rodrick rolls his eyes, "Don't listen to him. There aren't any Daleks. They disappeared thousands of years ago."
The Floor Manager steps forward, volunteering, and five others come to find shelter.
"Thanks," Jack nods before glaring at the larger group, "As for the rest of you, the Daleks will enter the station at floor four nine four, and as far as I can tell, they'll head up, not down. But that's not a promise. So here's a few words of advice. Keep quiet. And if you hear fighting up above, if you hear us dying, then tell me that the Daleks aren't real. Don't make a sound. Let's go."
Jack, Lynda, those seeking protection, and the few volunteers get in the lift.
"Allycat, most of them refused to come up," he says over his comm.
He hears her sigh, "I'll come down and make them then."
Jack sees her appear and grins as the door closes.
Her eyes are filled with the Vortex, and she leaps on top of one of the crates.
"Oi!" the Time Lady shouts, "You lot, if you don't get your pathetic whiny arses up in those lifts right now, you are dead. Do you hear me? Dead!" she glares around the room, "Get yourselves anywhere hidden on Floor four nine five and above and I damn well mean it. You see these eyes?" she asks, gesturing to them with two fingers. "These are the eyes of Time. I know the Daleks; I've battled them," she scowls, "I'm a Time Lady. I'm 900 years old. I'm from Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous and I sure as hell am not going to let them kill you without a fight with me around. Now get in the damn lifts!"
Rodrick yells out, "There aren't any Daleks!"
"You!" she growls, "You saw me get hit by an alleged disintegrator beam; if there wasn't something out there, then how am I still alive, you moron?"
The Alchemist disappears as quickly as she came, returning to the top floor.
Everyone starts mumbling before they head towards the lifts. Rodrick hesitates a moment before he runs to beat them all there.
[Floor 500]
"Why isn't Ally helping with the wave?" Rose asks.
The Alchemist flashes back in and leans against the computer desks, eyes shut and frowning tightly.
He glances up at his Bondmate upon her arrival; she's clearly in the midst of a telepathic conversation with the Vortex. He sighs as he adds another wire.
"She can't, won't, and I'd never ask her to do this," the Doctor explains.
"I don't understand. The Daleks are evil. They murdered so many people, even just that one we found at the museum," she mutters, angry.
"That would be genocide if I were to kill them, kid. They're made from the cells of a human. A human who had a life before. I would never do that. And I don't like that the Doctor's even considering it. I'm trying to work out another way," the Alchemist says, glaring straight ahead.
Rose scoffs, "Like what?"
"Death begets Death. Life begets Life. Death begets Life. Life begets Death. Change begets Change," she explains ominously.
"What does 'Beget' mean again?" she whispers to the Doctor.
He glances up at his wife, who's back to speaking with the Vortex.
"It means to make or cause. It's one of her proven theories that time is like alchemy," the Time Lord explains.
"Then she should hurry up," Rose says under her breath, glaring at the Time Lady.
The Alchemist's eyes flick open, and she glances at Rose, having caught that.
"Watch your tone," she says, voice filled with venom, and the young woman swallows tightly, looking away.
Rose bites her lip, glancing at the Doctor, "Suppose..."
"What?" the Doctor asks, still working.
She shakes her head, "Nothing."
He glances at her, "You said 'Suppose.'"
"No, I was just thinking. I mean, obviously, you can't, but you've got a time machine. Why can't you just go back to last week and warn them?" Rose asks.
"As soon as the TARDIS lands in that second, we become part of events, stuck in the timeline," the Time Lord informs her.
She sighs, "Yeah, thought it'd be something like that."
"There's another thing the TARDIS could do. It could take us away. We could all leave. Let history take its course. We go to Marbella in 1989," he says.
Rose nods, "Yeah, but you'd never do that."
The Alchemist narrows her eyes, her nose twitching; she's lying. This whole conversation, she's lying beyond that last comment.
The Doctor shrugs, "No, but you could ask. ...Never even occurred to you, did it?"
Rose grins, "Well, I'm just too good."
A bigger lie, she realizes. That must be exactly what she was going to ask. Her frustration peaks and the Doctor glances at her in concern.
He sighs, thinking it an issue with the Vortex, "The Delta Wave's started building. How long does it need?"
They all sprint over to the Console to check. The Alchemist swallows heavily at the readings.
'Teacher, I can't let this happen; we can't let him do this,' she calls out.
'Two choices, our Chosen. Both cause pain,' The Time Lady hears in reply and sighs.
Rose looks between them, "Is that bad? Okay, it's bad. How bad is it?"
'Emergency Program One bad,' she reminds the Doctor, and he nods with a grin.
He grabs the human's hand and runs towards their ship, "Rose Tyler, you're a genius! We can do it. If I use the TARDIS to cross our own timeline. Yes!"
'What are the choices, Teacher?' she asks, worried.
'You lose time with Other half through destruction or forcefully increase the connection now, and our Chosen stays with us until fully connected,' she hears, and her hearts begin to thunder in her chest.
The Time Lady swallows hard, 'Either way, I leave, but he lives, they all live… And the Daleks are stopped.'
'Yes, our Chosen,' is the reply.
"Let me out! Doctor, what've you done?" the Time Lords hear as they watch the TARDIS dematerialize.
"We've done the right thing," she reminds him, and the Doctor nods.
He glances at her, "How far along are you in your discussion with the Vortex?"
"Far enough. We're down to two choices from, uh... about a million. Neither one is a good one mind you, but... One must be better than the other," she replies.
[TARDIS]
A hologram appears of the Time Lords.
"This is Emergency Program One," the Holo-Doctor explains, "Rose, now listen, this is important. If this message is activated, then it can only mean one thing. We must be in danger. And I mean fatal. We're dead or about to die any second with no chance of escape."
Rose shouts, "No!"
"And that's okay. Hope it's a good death. But I promised to look after you, and that's what I'm doing. The TARDIS is taking you home."
She shakes her head violently, "I won't let you."
The Holo-Doctor rolls his eyes and continues, "And I bet you're fussing and moaning now. Typical. But hold on and just listen a bit more. The TARDIS can never return for us. Emergency Programme One means we're facing an enemy that should never get their hands on this machine. So this is what you should do. Let the TARDIS die. Just let this old box gather dust. No one can open it. No one'll even notice it. Let it become a strange little thing standing on a street corner. And over the years, the world'll move on, and the box will be buried."
"I know you don't like me, Rose. And that's okay, because I don't like me much either. Take care of yourself, though, alright? Live your life to its fullest and be kind," the Holo-Alchemist says.
The Doctor grabs his wife's hand in the hologram, "And if you want to remember us, then you can do one thing. That's all, one thing. Have a good life. Do that for us, Rose. Have a fantastic life."
The hologram flickers out, and Rose begins to panic.
"You can't do this to me. You can't. Take me back! Take me back! No!" she demands.
Rose tries to use the controls, flipping every switch and hitting every button, but the engine has stopped.
She opens the doors and runs outside to find Powell Estate before running back inside the TARDIS, hitting as many controls as possible.
"Come on, fly. How do you fly? Come on, help me!"
[Powell Estate]
Rose kicks the Console in tears, finally giving up, and leaves the TARDIS as Mickey runs down the road, meeting her in the street.
"I knew it!" he shouts, "I was all the way down Clifton Parade, and I heard the engines. I thought, 'There's only one thing that makes a noise like that.'"
Mickey looks at her in concern, noting her tears, "What is it?"
The girl begins to sob, runs forward, and clings to him.
[Floor 500]
"Rose, I've called up the internal laser codes. There should be a different number on every screen. Can you read them out to me?" Jack calls out over comm.
The Time Lord doesn't pause in his work, "She's not here."
Jack replies, "Of all the times to take a leak... When she gets back, tell her to read me the codes."
"She's not coming back, Jack. And I can't read them out to you," the Alchemist admits.
"What do you mean? Where'd she go?"
"Just get on with your work," the Time Lord demanded.
Jack sighs, resigned, "You took her home, didn't you?"
"Yeah," he whispers.
Jack pauses before asking, "The Delta Wave. Is it ever going to be ready?"
The Emperor takes over another view screen, "Tell him the truth, Doctor. There is every possibility the Delta Wave could be complete, but no possibility of refining it. The Delta Wave must kill every living thing in its path, with no distinction between human and Dalek. All things will die. By your hand."
"Doctor, the range of this transmitter covers the entire Earth," Jack says.
"You would destroy Daleks and Humans together. If I am God, the creator of all things, then what does that make you, Doctor?"
The Doctor glares, "There are colonies out there. The Human Race would survive in some shape or form, but you're the only Daleks in existence. The whole Universe is in danger if I let you live. Do you see, Jack? That's the decision I've got to make for every living thing. Die as a human or live as a Dalek. What would you do?"
"You sent her home. She's safe. Keep working. Ally will come up with something," Jack reminds him.
"But he will exterminate you!" the Emperor shouts.
"Never doubted either of them. Never will."
The Timelord snaps, "Now, you tell me, God of all Daleks, because there's one thing I never worked out. The words 'Bad Wolf;' spread across time and space, everywhere, drawing me in. How'd you manage that?"
"I did nothing,"
"Oh, come on, there's no secrets now, your worship," he counters.
The Emperor maintains, "They are not part of my design. This is the Truth of God."
The Doctor exchanges a wary gaze with his wife before they both look up at the Bad Wolf Corporation sign on the wall.
'What is Bad Wolf, Teacher? At least tell me that?' she begs.
'A stolen Choice,' the Time Lady hears, and that terrifies her.
The Doctor glances over, "What? You're not afraid of Daleks. What is it?"
"Bad Wolf... The Time Vortex is directly involved. It's the stolen choice," she admits.
[Cafe]
Rose, Mickey, and Jackie are gathered at a table in a little restaurant. While Mickey and Jackie engage in light conversation over their meals, Rose absentmindedly pushes her food around on her plate with a fork.
Jackie sighs, "Oh, Rose, have something to eat."
"200,000 years in the future, he's dying, she's letting him, and there's nothing I can do."
She purses her lips, "Well like you said, 200,000 years. It's way off."
Rose scowls, "But it's not. It's now. That fight is happening right now, and he's fighting for us, for the whole planet, while she does nothing, and I'm just sitting here eating chips."
"Listen to me. God knows I have hated that man, but right now, I love him and do you know why? Because he did the right thing. He sent you back to me. And I don't know who that Ally woman is, but she agreed."
"But what do I do every day, mum?" Rose asks, "What do I do? Get up, catch the bus, go to work, come back home, eat chips, and go to bed? Is that it?"
Mickey frowns, "It's what the rest of us do."
"But I can't!" Rose shouts.
He scoffs, "Why, because you're better than us?"
"No, I didn't mean that," she sighs, "But it was… It was a better life. And I don't mean all the traveling and seeing aliens and spaceships and things. That don't matter," she shakes her head, "The Doctor showed me a better way of living your life. You know he showed you, too. That you don't just give up. You don't just let things happen. You make a stand. You say no. You have the guts to do what's right when everyone else just runs away or does nothing, and I just can't," she glares at the table, tearing up, "She might do nothing to help, but I will!"
Rose gets up, sobbing, and runs out of the restaurant.
[Powell Estate]
Mickey grasps her shoulder, "You can't spend the rest of your life thinking about the Doctor. He's married, Rose! Do you even care that they're both there? That Jack's there?"
Rose scowls, "Of course I do! But how do I forget him?"
"You've got to start living your own life," he implores, "You know, a proper life, like the kind they never had. The sort of life that you could have with me."
Rose turns her head in refusal and walks away. Her eyes catch the words etched into the ground near the playground, prompting her to dash over to them.
"Over here," she gasps, "It's over here as well!"
"That's been there for years. It's just a phrase. It's just words."
"I thought it was a warning," Rose mumbles, "Maybe it's the opposite. Maybe it's a message. The same words written down now and two hundred thousand years in the future," she bites her lip, "It's a link between me and the Doctor. Bad Wolf here, Bad Wolf there."
Mickey frowns, "But if it's a message, what's it saying?"
"It's telling me I can get back. The least I can do is help him escape."
[TARDIS]
"All the TARDIS needs to do is make a return trip. Just reverse," Rose explains, looking over the Console.
Mickey scoffs, "Yeah, but we still can't do it."
"The Doctor always said the TARDIS was telepathic. Ally calls it a she. Maybe she means more than just a car or something. This thing is alive. It can listen."
He reminds her, "It's not listening now, is it?"
"We need to get inside it," Rose says, determined, "Last time I saw you with the Slitheen, this middle bit opened, and there was this light, and the Doctor said it was the heart of the TARDIS. This is like what Ally's power comes from. She said to look into it. If we can open it, I can make contact. I can tell it what to do."
"Rose."
"Mmm?"
"If you go back, you're going to die," Mickey frowns.
She shakes her head and replies, "That's a risk I've got to take because there's nothing left for me here."
The young man swallows hard at that, "Nothing?"
"No."
"Okay, if that's what you think, let's get this thing open, but promise me you're doing this to save them all. Not just the Doctor, his wife, and Jack too."
"I am," she replies.
[Observation deck]
"Okay, activate internal lasers. Slice them up," Jack orders over comm.
The Floor Manager does so, but they shut down immediately.
Lynda announces, "Defenses have gone offline. The Daleks have overridden the lot."
The Floor Manager and other volunteers begin to shoot at the approaching Daleks. The Daleks' force fields absorb each bullet.
"You lied to me! The bullets don't work!" the Floor Manager screams before she's exterminated.
The hidden contestants and workers are quickly found and killed as well.
On Floor 500, the Alchemist clenches her jaw, furious, hearing their screams through the comm.
[Powell Estate]
Mickey has attached a chain to the tow hitch of his Mini Cooper, with the other end fastened to the TARDIS console. As he struggles to pull it apart, the tires screech and smoke, the rubber protesting against the effort.
"Faster!" Rose yells.
Jackie watches as they continue on trying, getting nowhere.
Mickey grinds out, "Come on!"
"It's not moving!" the young woman shouts.
The chain snaps, making Mickey's car lurch ahead abruptly before he manages to halt it. Rose, filled with exasperation, lets out a frustrated scream and kicks the Console.
[Floor 500]
"Advance guard have made it to four nine five," Lynda calls out.
The Doctor asks, "Jack, how're we doing?"
"Four nine five should be good. I like four nine five," Jack replies, concerned.
Lynda, watching the screen, informs them in terror, "They're flying up the ventilation shafts. No, wait a minute. Oh, my God. Why're they doing that? They're going down."
"It's alright, the floor is clear, everyone went up to hide," the Alchemist calls out.
[Floor Zero]
"Exterminate! Exterminate!" they chant.
The Daleks enter and no one is there.
[Observation gallery]
"Yeah, but they're going up now!" Lynda replies.
[TARDIS]
"It was never going to work, sweetheart. And the Doctor knew that. He just wanted you to be safe," Jackie explains softly.
"I can't give up."
"Lock the door. Walk away," Jackie orders.
Rose looks at her and states, "Dad wouldn't give up."
Jackie purses her lips before replying, "Well, he's not here, is he? And even if he was, he'd say the same."
Rose shakes her head in denial, "No, he wouldn't. He'd tell me to try anything. If I could save the Doctor's life... Ally's life, try anything."
"Well, we're never going to know," her mother huffs.
Rose turns to her, proud, "Well, I know because I met him. I met Dad."
"Don't be ridiculous," Jackie snaps.
"The Doctor took me back in time, and I met Dad."
"Don't say that," Jackie says, tearing up.
She steps forward, "Remember when Dad died? There was someone with him. A girl, a blonde girl. She held his hand. You saw her from a distance, Mum. You saw her! Think about it. That was me. You saw me."
"Stop it," Jackie demands.
Rose shakes her head, saying, "That's how good the Doctor is."
"Stop it! Just stop it!" Jackie shouts, eyes glassy, as she runs out of the TARDIS.
[Floor 500]
"Lynda! What's happening on Earth?" the Doctor asks.
"The Fleet's just staying put like Ally said," she assures him.
Said woman is still in the midst of discussion, eyes open, but she sighs in relief after meeting the Doctor's own. She closes them and goes back to her talk.
[Spaceship]
The Emperor announces, "This is perfection, I will destroy the Doctor and the Alchemist and then create heaven on Earth."
[Powell Estate]
Mickey sighs heavily, "There's got to be something else we can do."
"Mum was right. Maybe we should just lock the door and walk away," Rose replies, resigned.
"I'm not having that. I'm not having you just… just give up now! No way! We just need something stronger than my car. Something bigger. Something like… that..." Mickey trails off, spotting it.
Jackie navigates a big yellow recovery truck as she turns the corner, pulling up next to the TARDIS.
She steps out, "Right, you've only got this until six o'clock, so get on with it!"
"Mum, where the hell did you get that from?" Rose grins.
Jackie shrugs, "Rodrigo. He owes me a favor. Never mind why, but you were right about your dad, sweetheart. He was full of mad ideas, and it's exactly what he would've done. Now, get on with it before I change my mind and make sure you save that Ally woman, too."
Jackie tosses the keys to Mickey, who catches them with a smirk.
[Floor 500]
The Doctor catches the first sound of gunfire and leaps to his feet, racing to connect the enormous power cable for the Delta Wave device.
The Alchemist swallows hard at the sound. She's been hearing it for a while, along with the accompanying screams, but it's close now, so close, and she's getting flashbacks.
"I've got a problem," Lynda whispers through the comm.
"Human female detected," a Dalek is heard.
She swallows tightly, "...They've found me."
Both Time Lords exchange remorseful looks.
The Doctor replies brightly, "You'll be alright, Lynda. That side of the station's reinforced against meteors."
"Hope so! You know what they say about Earth workmanship," she answers, quivering.
[Observation gallery]
The Dalek exchanges his absorber arm with an oxy-acetylene torch and begins to cut through the door.
Lynda backs up, terrified, before turning towards the window and spotting them. Four Daleks are rising outside the sheet of glass. One fires, shattering it, and Lynda lets out a singular scream.
[Floor 500]
The Alchemist punches her fist through the wall, 'We need to hurry and choose, come on, Teacher.'
[Floor 499]
Jack backs up against the lift, still shooting.
"Last man standing," he calls out, "They even got everyone Ally sent up! For God's sake, Doctor, finish that thing and kill them! Ally's out of time!"
[Floor 500]
The Emperor on the viewscreen taunts, "Finish that thing and kill mankind."
The Alchemist opens her eyes, full of the Vortex, and glares at the Emperor from the side.
[Powell Estate]
Jackie watches cautiously from a distance as Mickey drives forward in the truck to pry open the TARDIS console using a new chain.
"Keep going!" Rose exclaims.
Jackie adds, "Put your foot down!"
"Faster!"
"Give it some more, Mickey!"
"Keep going!" Rose repeats.
Jackie clenches her fists, "Come on, come on!"
"Keep going!"
"Give it some more!" Jackie demands.
The Console bursts open, and Rose peers inside, drawing the golden Vortex energy of the heart into herself.
"Rose!" Mickey yells worriedly as he and Jackie run toward the ship.
The doors of the TARDIS slam shut, and the ship dematerializes.
[Floor 499]
"Doctor, you've got twenty seconds maximum!" Jack shouts as he runs out of bullets.
He angrily tosses the machine gun and takes out a pistol, using up every bullet.
A Dalek calls out, " Exterminate."
"I kind of figured that," Jack says and shuts his eyes, ready.
The Dalek's blast knocks the lifeless man back into the lift.
[Floor 500]
The Alchemist squeezes her hands into fists at her sides and shouts in her mind, 'Option two!'
Relieved, the Doctor calls out, "It's ready!"
Daleks swarm into the area from every direction, poised to fire.
"You really want to think about this because if I activate the signal, every living creature dies," the Time Lord warns, hand above the device.
The Emperor exclaims, "I am immortal."
The Alchemist steps into view then.
"Crimson Tsunami," he greets.
"I know what can be done, and I've made my choice, Emperor," she says.
The Doctor's eyes expand in astonishment as he gazes at his wife, filled with more questions than answers.
"Mankind will be harvested. I am God. I cannot be stopped!" the Emperor shouts.
"And what about us? Are we going to become one of your angels?" The Doctor scoffs after shaking off his shock.
"You are the heathens. You will be exterminated," he informs him.
The Time Vortex speaks in layered voices, "There will be no extermination. We have chosen a cost, one that will be great. One that will be done."
"What? What's the payment?" the Doctor asks, full of nerves.
"You will find our Chosen, Other half, but later in time than before. She will be safe," Teacher tells him.
He closes his eyes, breath hitching, and nods in understanding.
The Vortex gasps, body lurching, "No, no, what has that horrible child done!? Our daughter! Our daughter!" they growl, "She has stolen our choice as we feared, and now you must pay a different price if she does not give it back!" they grit their teeth, "I will take it! I will force it from her!"
The Time Vortex drops down to the ground, gasping, and the Doctor goes to their side to help brace them.
He felt like his hearts were being crushed for a nanosecond before it was blocked.
The TARDIS materializes behind them.
A Dalek calls out, "Alert! TARDIS materializing!"
"You will not escape!" the Emperor shouts over the viewscreen.
The TARDIS doors open, and Rose steps out, surrounded by snaking golden light. The light of the TARDIS' heart. The Energy tendrils extend and entwine around the hands of the Time Vortex, seeking assistance from her mother.
"What've you done!?" the Doctor demands.
"I looked into the TARDIS, and the TARDIS looked into me," Rose answers in the layered voices of Time.
He shakes his head in denial, "You looked into the Time Vortex. Rose, no one's meant to see that. Only the Alchemist can handle it!"
The Emperor exclaims, "This is the Abomination!"
The Vortex time locks everything around them besides the trio as they stand again and turn their true glowing Vortex glare onto the girl.
"Return our power," the Vortex orders through gritted teeth.
Rose turns to them, "The Alchemist is weak; I will save him while she will not. The power is mine to hold."
"Return our power," they repeat.
"Never," Rose replies.
"You stole our daughter's heart!" the Vortex snaps, "You stole our choice and forced our hand! You will not return it by choice? Then we will…" they pause and look away, frowning, "Fine. We see what you will do and now will take a different payment," they glare at Rose, "You want to trial our power without knowing how we work beforehand?" they gesture to the frozen Daleks, "Show them what you have planned because there is no going back now."
"I know everything; I see everything. I will accomplish what she would and could not," Rose says.
The Vortex grounds out, "You see nothing. You know nothing. You will not like what's coming to you, but must accept your own actions now. Time comes with a price. Know this. You have been warned. You envious, pathetic mortal child."
They sigh before releasing everything and pulling back out. The Alchemist gasps and starts to sweat profusely, holding herself back from clawing at her chest. The amount of pain she's blocked from the Doctor is excruciating, almost beyond what she dealt with during the war, and Teacher is furious.
"Exterminate!" a Dalek cries and shoots.
Rose stops the beam with her hand.
"I am... the Bad Wolf. I create myself. I take the words. I scatter them in time and space. A message to lead myself here," Rose blandly states and waves her hands about, scattering the words through space and time.
"Rose, you've got to stop this!" the Time Lord shouts, "You've got to stop this now! You've got the entire Vortex running through your head. You're going to burn. A human can't handle it!"
"She won't die, not yet... Teacher's protecting her for me," the Alchemist gasps out.
'Bad Wolf. It means Rose was bad and myself as Time's Chosen and an Alpha will bite back for this,' she silently tells her Bondmate.
He looks at her in concern.
"I want you safe. My Doctor. Protected from the false God," she states.
"You cannot hurt me. I am immortal," the Emperor replies.
"He's not yours! He belongs to himself, and he's my Bondmate!" the Time Lady grounds out, furious with the young woman.
Rose shakes her head, "He is mine, and you Daleks are tiny. I can see the whole of time and space. Every single atom of your existence, and I divide them."
A Dalek freezes at first, locked in time before it grays and disintegrates.
She smiles, "Everything must come to dust. All things. Everything dies. The Time War ends."
The Daleks all crumble into gray dust.
"She killed them all," the Alchemist cries out, devastated, as she pushes away from the Doctor to lean against the TARDIS.
The Doctor steps over, "Rose, you've done it. Now stop. Just let go."
"Please, free them! They're hurting so much!" the Alchemist begs.
"How can I let go of this? I bring life," she says, lifting one hand.
In the lift, Jack gasps in a breath.
"No! That's an overpayment! He doesn't deserve that!" The Alchemist cries.
The Doctor, equally horrified, exclaims, "But this is wrong! You can't control life and death. It doesn't work like that! The Alchemist has rules!"
Rose smiles, "But I can. The sun and the moon, the day and night. Just like the Alchemist…" she frowns, "But why do they hurt?"
"Because that power isn't yours to have, and you've chosen wrong!" the Time Lady cries out, stepping forward.
The Doctor frowns, "The power's going to kill you, and it's my fault. This is the payment."
"I can see everything. All that is, all that was, all that ever could be," the girl explains.
He nods, "That's what we see. All the time. What Ally sees so clearly, but you don't understand it. And doesn't it drive you mad?"
"My head," Rose whispers, and a tear drips down her cheek.
"Come here," the Time Lord says softly, regretfully.
She frowns, "It's killing me."
"It needs to be both of us; you won't survive if it's not, Doctor. She's held it too long," the Alchemist informs him as she unsteadily walks up to his side.
The Doctor and the Alchemist touch the girl's shoulders, and the golden energy transfers from her eyes to their own. Rose faints in his arms and the Doctor exhales the energy back into the TARDIS' engine, and its doors slam shut.
"Alchemist, why did it shut like that!?" he shouts and turns to look at her.
She's glowing a shimmering gold, and her eyes now look like a spinning blue vortex, full sclera, with her dark pupils cast like eclipsed suns reaching out.
She sighs, exhausted, "There was an overpayment and now I must accept the price of my third birth and a gift, but first..."
As she gestures with her hand, every soul that perished suddenly returns in a single, collective gasp, rising to sit upright, their faces displaying shock and fear. Lynda glances around, bewildered by her presence in the corridor.
"That's what was going to happen…" he breathes, "It's your prophecy, why I would have found you later. The third birth of Time may be forced."
The Time Lady nods, "I was able to bring those who just died back, normally. The gift is worth it, and the price would have occurred somehow. I must accept the heart to increase my connection and link myself through another soulbond to time. You took some of their power, and I took the heart."
"What's the gift?" he asks.
She shakes her head, "Later pile. Jack is coming, and it hurts. He's rippling through time, and I don't know when I will feel it end and begin. He's a..."
"Fixed point, a temporal paradox," he murmurs, sighing, "Inside, come on, then."
[TARDIS Console Room]
The Alchemist quietly closes the doors while the Doctor gently lays Rose on the ground. As she comes to, she blinks in confusion, trying to make sense of her surroundings.
"What happened?" Rose asks.
He looks at her, "Don't you remember?"
She shakes her head, "It's like there was this singing."
"That's right. I sang a song and the Daleks ran away," The Doctor says with a sad smile.
"That wasn't singing; that was screaming," the Alchemist corrects angrily and heads over to stand further away in the console room, preparing.
"I was at home," Rose tries to recall, "No, I wasn't. I was in the TARDIS, and there was this light. I can't remember anything else."
The Doctor's skin is darkening, beginning to glow gold as he backs away.
The Time Lord laughs, "Rose Tyler. We were going to take you to so many places. Barcelona. Not the city Barcelona, the planet Barcelona. You'd love it. Fantastic place. They've got dogs with no noses. Imagine how many times a day you end up telling that joke, and it's still funny."
"A good laugh is what you said I needed," the Alchemist remarks, staring down at her glowing, shimmering hands, the skin darkening beneath.
Rose shakes her head, confused, "Then, why can't we go?"
"Maybe you will, and maybe we will. But not like this," he says.
"You're not making sense."
"I might never make sense again," he laughs, "I might have two heads... or no head! Imagine me with no head… And don't say that's an improvement," he frowns, "But it's a bit dodgy, this process. You never know what you're going to end up with."
The Alchemist grabs him as he doubles over in pain.
"Doctor!" Rose cries out and goes to run to him.
He shouts as the Alchemist leads them further back, "Stay away!"
"Doctor, tell me what's going on," Rose orders.
"We absorbed all the energy of the Time Vortex, and no one's meant to do that. Even the Alchemist can't handle that much. Every cell in our bodies is dying."
"You mean you never told her, Doctor!?" the Alchemist manages to yell, and he shrugs.
"Sorry," he says, and she rolls her still glowing eyes.
Rose frowns, "Can't you do something?"
"Yeah, we're doing it now," the Doctor explains, "Time Lords have this little trick; it's sort of a way of cheating death. Except it means I'm going to change, and I'm not going to see you again. Not like this. Not with this daft old face. And before I go..."
Rose shakes her head in denial. "Don't say that."
He tells her sternly, "Rose, before I go, I just want to tell you, you were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic."
The Alchemist smiles sadly and says, "Rose, hopefully you'll like this me better. I know I was very rude. Not like me usually. Doctor, together again?"
He grins at her, "Always... Alchemist, I'm so happy we found each other again. You're always, always fantastic... and do you know what? So was I."
A burst of golden light radiates from the Time Lords as they join hands; their features morph and change until the glow fades, revealing the new Doctor and Alchemist in their place.
The Doctor grins and says in Estuary English, "Hello. Okay," he grimaces, "Ooh, new teeth. That's weird. So, where was I? Oh, that's right. Barcelona."
The Time Lady collapses, and he kneels beside her, "What's wrong, Alchemist!?"
She grits her teeth and replies in her new Scottish accent, "Still gaining the connection, and apparently the gift is going to take a bit…" she groans, "The Time Vortex is quite literally working inside me right now adjusting things. I'll be knocked out for a while, but they'll protect us if something happens."
He nods and presses a kiss to her newly freckled forehead before grinning.
"Right, right. I'll just... set up the flight, and then you rest, hm?" The Doctor asks.
The Time Lady sighs, eyes shut, "Mmm. Good luck with that."
The new Doctor leaps up and dashes to the Console before he flicks a few switches and checks the monitor.
"6 PM... Tuesday..." the Time Lord calls out.
Rose peeks out from behind a pillar, her heart racing with fear. Meanwhile, the Doctor fiddles with a dial on the Console.
He grins, "October... 5006... Right-o, coordinates set!"
He straightens up and faces the Alchemist, grinning and bursting with confidence.
"Now then... What do I look like?"
She opens her mouth slightly to reply, but he holds up a hand to silence her, and she pouts in annoyance.
"No, no no, no no no no no no no… No. Don't tell me."
The Alchemist looks slightly amused now.
He takes stock, looking over himself, "Let's see... two legs, two arms, two hands…" he gestures to his Bondmate, "You've got those as well, by the way."
He circles his wrist and bends his elbow, checking it, finding it odd which makes him frown slightly.
"What?" the Alchemist asks, sensing his confusion.
The Doctor explains, "Slight weakness in the dorsal tubercle."
He runs his hands through his hair and wildly pulls at it.
"Hair! I'm not bald!" The Time Lord announces.
Rose is wholly overwhelmed as The Doctor runs his hands through his hair happily, making a wild mess of it.
He jumps and turns to his wife, "Oh, Oh! Big hair! Do you like the big hair, Ally?"
The Alchemist smiles softly, "I love the big hair."
The Time Lord checks the sides of his face next, "Sideburns, I've got sideburns! Or really bad skin. Little bit thinner..."
He slaps his stomach and his Bondmate giggles.
"Definitely sideburns and thinner, but I think I am, too," she mumbles.
The Time Lord laughs, "You are! You're like a string bean! That's weird. Give us time; we'll get used to it."
She nods from her place on the ground, "We will. What else have you got?"
The Doctor gasps and spins, "Yes, what else," he rolls his shoulders, "I... have got... a mole. I can feel it."
"I'll name it for you then," The Time Lady quips.
Rose is breathing heavily. She looks terrified. The Time Lords don't notice.
"Between my shoulder blades, there's a mole," he grins, "That's alright. Love the mole. Can't wait for the name."
He turns to his Bondmate then and holds out his arms in presentation.
"Go on then, tell me," The Doctor grins.
She smiles, "Handsome, always handsome."
The Time Lord laughs and points to her with both hands, "Beautiful, always beautiful. And ginger still! And so many freckles!" he claps. "A constellation of freckles like the first one! I'll name them all also, hm? New timey eyes, wait til you see them," he wiggles his brows, "Also, legs. Long, long legs. Longest legs yet. Gorgeous smile, too, but that's always true."
"Is it curly?" she asks, eyes wide.
He shakes his head, "Wavy, very wavy, but… wavy."
The Time Lady shrugs, looking down at her long locks herself, "It'll do."
"More than," the Doctor grins.
He turns and stands straight up before Rose, ready for her assessment. His hair is all ruffled from the mess he made of it.
The Doctor nods to her, "And what do you think?"
"Who are you?" Rose whispers.
His grin drops, "I'm the Doctor."
She shakes her head in denial, "No... Where is he? Where's the Doctor?" she shouts, "What have you done to him!? And who is that woman?"
The Doctor raises a brow, "You saw us, I, we changed... " He waves a hand over his shoulder to where the Alchemist still sits, where they had Regenerated, "We did it right in front of you."
"I did warn you, love," the Alchemist mumbles before groaning and rolling onto her side to curl her legs against her abdomen.
He glances at her worriedly, but she waves him off.
"Handle this first," she whispers, and he nods.
"I saw them sort of explode, and then you two replaced them, like a... a teleport or a transmat or a body swap or something," Rose says.
The Time Lords glance at each other, amused, and Rose walks up to the Doctor before pushing against his chest.
"You're not fooling me," she declares.
The Time Lord rocks back on his heels, and the Alchemist snorts, thoroughly entertained as she straightens out again on the grating.
"I've seen all sorts of things. Nanogenes... Gelth..." She glares at him then, "Slitheen..."
The Time Lady huffs in annoyance as the Doctor raises his brows, concerned now.
"Oh, my God, are you a Slitheen!?"
"I'm not a Slitheen," he calmly replies.
"Bit too thin to be a Raxacoricofallapatorian," the Alchemist grumbles, glaring at her.
Rose shouts, "Send him back. I'm warning you; send the Doctor back right now!"
"He is the Doctor!" The Alchemist thunders as she sits up slightly, voice louder and full of fury.
Rose steps back, surprised by the other woman's reaction.
He ruffles his hair again, "It's alright, Ally... Rose, it's me. Honestly, it's me, and that's the Alchemist."
Rose stares at him and glances at the Time Lady who's laying down again, her breathing unsteady, fearful.
"I was dying... We were dying," he explains kindly, "To save our lives we changed our bodies. Every single cell, but... it's still me. So is Ally over there... She's still changing; she's not ready to get up, but she'll be good in a minute."
"You can't be," she whispers, eyes glistening.
"Tell her how you met," the Alchemist calls out, and he nods.
The Doctor nods, "Right. How we met. How could I remember this? How could I know this? Very first word I ever said to you. Trapped in that cellar. Surrounded by shop window dummies... I said one word... just one word, I said... 'Run.'"
He raises his brows and stares her down, and Rose finally meets his gaze.
"Doctor."
He grins, "Hello."
Rose looks over, "But who's she? Is she really Ally?"
"I'm Ally, Rose. Just look at my eyes. Who else has the eyes of the Time Vortex but me?"
Rose frowns, shrugging.
The Alchemist rolls her eyes before pinning her with a glare, "I had no memories at first. I was on the roof of the hospital, waiting, and when you found out, you asked if I was crazy, and I said, 'We haven't figured that out yet.'"
She's furious that she had to change. She didn't even get a complete cycle to herself; her last body was only a few months old.
Rose retreats a few steps with a frustrated sigh as she processes the situation's impact.
The Doctor scurries around to the other side of the Console.
"We ran! And we never stopped running, did we? All across the universe. Running, running, running..." He flicks a few switches on the Console before returning to their companion, "One time, we had to hop. Do you remember? Hopping for our lives. Ally hopped, too. Complained the whole time!" The Doctor starts hopping wildly in one place while Rose leans against a pillar, watching him, "Yeah? All that hopping? Remember hopping for your life? Yeah!? Hop? With the..." Rose doesn't react, and his smile dissipates along with the hopping, "No?"
"I do," the Alchemist quietly comments, making him smile at her.
Rose asks, "Can you change back?"
"Do you want me to?" the Time Lord replies.
She nods, "Yeah."
"Oh," the Doctor mutters, swallowing hard.
"Can you?" Rose asks pleadingly.
"No."
Upset, he glances briefly down at the floor before turning to his wife worriedly.
"I love all of you, every one of you, and I always will. Nothing beyond that matters," the Time Lady strongly says.
His smile returns, and he nods and asks Rose, "Do you want to leave?"
"Do you want me to leave?" Rose asks, alarmed.
"No! But... your choice... if you want to go home..."
Still dismayed, Rose watches as he returns to the Console and adjusts the coordinates. She misses the cynical expression on the Time Lady as she watches her.
"Cancel Barcelona. Change to... London... the Powell Estate... ah... let's say the 24th of December," he looks up with a smile, "Consider it a Christmas present. Not quite Christmas for us, though, huh, Ally?"
"Few months to go," she responds, meeting his smile.
Their companion begins to step away from her hiding spot finally.
"There," he says, crossing his arms as the ship shudders.
Rose looks between the Time Lords and then to the Console, "I'm going home?"
"We're not changing back, so it's up to you," the Alchemist replies contritely.
The Doctor adds, "Back to your mum... it's all waiting... Fish and chips, sausage and mash, beans on toast... no, Christmas! Turkey! Although... having met your mother... nut loaf would be more appropriate."
Rose tries to hide her smile by looking down.
"Was that a smile?" the Doctor asks.
She's quick to reply, "No."
"That was a smile..."
"No, it wasn't."
"You smiled..."
"She smiled," the Alchemist confirms dryly.
"No, I didn't," Rose denies again.
The Time Lord rolls his eyes, "Oh, come on, all we did was change, we didn't..." he gags as the TARDIS shudders.
Rose looks at him in confusion, "What?"
He takes a breath and tries again, "I said we didn't..." he begins to retch again, the TARDIS shaking even wilder before he looks at his wife, frowning, "Uh oh."
"You're getting side effects, aren't you?" the Alchemist bemoans, and he gags again.
Rose carefully approaches him, asking, "Uh... are you alright?"
A piece of golden Time Vortex floats out of the Doctor's mouth and spins around the room before the Alchemist sighs it in.
"Huh?" she asks, crossing her eyes as she watches it enter her.
"What's that? What just happened?" Rose asks.
He shrugs it off, "Oh... the change is going a bit wrong and all."
"It's the Vortex, they're... why do you still have some?" the Alchemist asks.
He drops to his knees, gagging again, helpless.
"Look... maybe we should go back. Let's go and find Captain Jack; he'd know what to do to help you both," Rose suggests.
The Alchemist eyes him worriedly, sensing rapidly shifting emotions in his side of the bond.
"Gah, he's busy!" he waves her off, "He's got plenty to do rebuilding the Earth!" he shouts as he stands back up, having spotted a lever on the Console and smirks at it, "I haven't used this one in years. Ally never lets me."
The Alchemist's eyes widen, "You're not possibly considering…"
The Doctor switches it on, and the TARDIS jolts with a fierce tremor, nearly sending them both sprawling. The Time Lady quickly clutches a nearby railing to steady herself and avoid being thrown across the room.
"What're you doing!?" Rose demands, "Ally, what's he doing?"
"We're not meant to hit these speeds through the Vortex! Doctor, turn it off!" the Alchemist groans out.
The Doctor wildly shouts, "No way! We're putting on a bit of speed for once! That's it!"
Rose frantically grabs at the Console while he goes around it, rapidly flicking more levers and hitting buttons.
"Our beautiful ship! Come on, faster! That's a girl! Let's show her off, huh!?" he spins and runs around the Console, "Faster! Wanna break the time limit!?"
"Stop it!" the young woman shouts.
He huffs, "Ah, don't be so dull... let's have a bit of fun! Let's rip through that Vortex!"
"Doctor, let me take over!" the Alchemist calls.
He catches her eye, and his voice calms momentarily, "The Regeneration's going wrong. I can't stop myself, Ally."
"Oh, love, no," she mutters.
He grimaces, grabbing at his hair, "Ah, my head..." the TARDIS shudders, and he starts shouting again, "Faster! Let's open those engines!"
A bell tolls, and the Time Lady groans in frustration.
"What's that?" Rose calls over to the Time Lady.
"It's the cloister bell, Rose! An alarm!" the Alchemist groans out, trying to stand to stop him.
She makes it to her knees before another wave of pain hits her, and she collapses again.
The Doctor dashes over to his Bondmate and kisses her cheek quickly and excitedly, shouting in her ear, "We're gonna crash land!"
He pulls back and starts laughing maniacally while she whacks him on the leg for the move. Now, her ears are ringing, too.
Rose shouts, terrified, "Well then, do something!"
"Too late! Out of control!" The Time Lord sprints around the Console, jumping and laughing, "Oh, I love it! Hot dawg!"
"You're gonna kill us!" Rose screams.
"Rose, grab hold of something, anything!" the Alchemist calls out.
The girl looks at her and nods, running over and holding tightly to one of the columns near the Time Lady.
"Hold on tight, here we go!" he shouts, grinning, and gestures to Rose, "Christmas Eve!"
He glances at the Alchemist then who's breathing heavily and is gripping the railing with straining fingers.
"Alchemist!?" he calls out, reality hitting again.
"Land her as best as you can. I'm not in the... the..." she swallows hard, "I can't stand, not right now. Just don't kill us again."
To be continued in... Eyes of Time: The Final Line
A/N: So our Time Lord couple has Regenerated... how's this going to fair with Rose Tyler? Guess you'll have to read to find out. The sequel will be posted once I've finished it on Wattpad as I have several changes that I'll be making to it for the edited version.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you've enjoyed the ride thus far!