Purple Vortex [II]

The Family of Blood Pt3:

"If I hand them the watch...If I stay human...We could be together." John said as he and Galaxy were sitting by the fireplace, the watch in his hands. "We can't." Galaxy said as she looked away. "But..."

"We can't be human together, when I'm not human." She said and looked at him, "I'm a Time Lady, like he's a Time Lord." She said, nodding to the watch. "Can't we just...can't you become human too?" He asked. "I could. But I can't..."

Since her implants were compatible for a Time Lord body with Time Lord biology, who knows what would happen if she changed to a human like the Doctor had, she could put her human self in so much pain and she didn't want to do that.

"Why not?" He asked. "The Doctor and I have always protected the Universe. At least I can still try and do something without him." She told him, shrugging, "You could always find someone else, as a human. I know Nurse Redfern cares for you."

This was what she did, stepping aside, pushing away her own happiness for the Doctor's, always because his happiness is what she cared about most.

"No. No, I could never...I could never love her, not like I love you. I couldn't love anyone the way I love you." He told her, shaking his head, "It's strange...I should be mad at you, I should hate you for keeping this from me but...I'm not real. I really thought...Being human."

Galaxy looked at him before slowly holding the hand that had the watch. Flashes appeared in their minds of a future they might have had had she been human. She felt tears well up and fall when she saw a wedding, the birth of children, grandchildren, dying old in a bed having lived a full, content life.

"Did you see?" He asked when she pulled away and she nodded. "I've wanted a life like that with him but because we have so many adventures, we could never have that." She said.

She wanted to marry the Doctor the way her mother would tell her growing up, wanted to have a child of her own with him but that was something she kept deep inside her heart.

"And yet I could." He said, looking down at the watch. Galaxy saw his struggle and stood up to let him think it over, she walked over to the door before stopping to look back at him. "Don't see it as sacrificing yourself. Think of it as giving someone else a chance to succeed...giving those you love the chance to survive."

Galaxy walked out the cottage to where the others were and gave John time to think and Astro went over to her, sensing her mood.

"Why do you want John to do this?" Redfern spoke up, frowning at her, "It's suicide. Don't you care about him?" She asked and Galaxy frowned at her.

"I love him, more than you can ever know. Doesn't matter if he's human or Time Lord, I love him as I have during all his regenerations. I'd give anything for him to be happy and I don't want him to die." She said and glanced at the necklace, "I won't let him die." She said and looked at Martha, "John won't be able to make a decision fast enough. I'll draw out the Family, get them away."

"How?" Martha asked, not liking the look on the Time Lady's face, neither did Astro. "They want a Time Lord, I'll give them one."

Galaxy ran off into the woods, pulling off the Perception Filter as she did, letting the Family sense her and they did so immediately if the lack of explosions was anything to go by. She heard someone following her and looked to see Astro had ran off after her, he was mad, mad at her for doing something stupid like this, she could've thought of something else but instead she decided to play bait.

She stopped running slightly to look in the direction of the cottage. She sensed the watch had been opened but also felt the familiar feeling of another Time Lord being around. John made his decision.