To the Fellowship of Pain: Hahahahaha 6 points to me.
AN: It was my birthday on the 15th! I'm nineteen now, which makes this my last year as a teenager. Plus, Terra's birthday is on 9/17, and I doubt Empty Child will be done by then. So, as a present to myself and to Terra, here is some agony and pain!
==CON==
It was four days later that Rose came up to us, wanting to see her dad.
We had been on other adventures, in the meantime. The Doctor took Rose and I to California at the start of the Gold Rush. Then there was this festival in India he was excited to show us. It was a colorful one, I'll give them that.
At night, when Rose slept, the Doctor and I continued with lessons on the Time Lords. It was on the biology more than history, so not so exciting. I preferred showing off.
I was showing my freezer hoodie to him before Rose came in.
The Doctor had his hand inside, I had it set to 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3 Celsius) so it was chilly. He looked excited that I had managed to do it.
"And it's all nanobots?" He asked, feeling the fabric as if to search for them.
I nodded, beaming. "They're made of this polycarbonate material so it won't set off metal detectors." In my jean pocket, I pulled out a remote no bigger than a phone. There was a dial in the middle, with the temperature around it. "I can control it with this. It's at 65 Fahrenheit right now, so kinda chilly. I can make it lower if we land in the desert or something. Or, the opposite and make it warmer for other climates. Just pushing the button down to set it at that temperature. I made extras for my other clothes and a jacket for Rose."
The Doctor smirked. "I taught you about how we can regulate our core temperature, right?" He held the hoodie out to me.
"And the respiratory bypass. I just like to be kept cool." I explained, putting the hoodie back on. "I'm still working on working them into my jeans. It'll take a couple days."
"Someone's excited." The Doctor commented, getting back to his work on the TARDIS.
"I just haven't had someone to brag to in ages!" I cheered. 'Darcy got bored of this stuff when she hit puberty.' I thought, keeping up a sort of mental block so the Doctor couldn't hear.
Though it was cool to be able to talk telepathically, I kept reminding myself that I wasn't an actual Time Lady. I was a Jumper, a dimensional traveller. I had a sister, a father that I'm not sure is dead or not,
"The nanobots have a few drawbacks." I admitted. "For instance, they take a couple days to make. They make you invisible to cameras, which sounds fun, until you need an alibi."
Magoo smiled good naturedly. "There's a story behind that one."
"Not inclined to share." I smiled sarcastically. The Time Lord only laughed. It was loud, and struck up the somber thought of-do I ever make Eleven laugh that loudly? Before I led him to his death?
Eleven kept coming into my head, whether I wanted him there or not. It oddly felt like cheating on the Doctor, which was stupid because I didn't have any sort of feelings towards either. Eleven was just always in my mind, just like Oswin and my Fourth self. It was perfectly reasonable, they were my first faces.
It was a topic I hadn't brought up with the Doctor. Though I saw how much he loved Rose, and Amy. Sarah Jane, too. She had to be the Fourth Doctor's first face. It was hard to say for the Master, like maybe just hearing the Doctor was enough to cause an obsession? I really wish The TARDIS would just give me a book on this.
I also saw what happened when the relationships fell apart. The Doctor cried, and talked about Rose constantly, and he still called Sarah Jane his best friend. The rest of Season 7 hasn't come out, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know he'll be mourning the Ponds for a long time. The Master...well he wasn't the best source of normal for Time Lords.
What would happen to me? My first faces died because of me.
"Doctor." I began, voice soft. He kept his eyes on me. "I...I told you I regenerated, a couple days ago, right?"
"Yes." The Doctor acknowledged. He sat down on the pilot seat, toying with a ball he had plucked off the console. "And that your memory of the Johnson and Luna family only goes that far back."
"Okay. So, um." I swallowed the lump in my throat. "What if...what if a Time Lord regenerates...in front of somebody?"
He looked up at me, as if I had just said the worst thing I could've said. "What?"
His response only made me more nervous about asking. "What if I...changed in front of someone? Like, does that leave some kind of impact on me?" I asked, hands awkwardly fiddling with the remote. 'Is what I'm feeling normal? Please tell me it is.'
The Doctor was staring at me with these wide eyes of shock. "Sometimes it does." He replied, cautious. "Especially if you care about them before." The Doctor came a little closer. "Do you?"
"I don't know yet." The words came out too fast to stop them. "I...I mean..." 'I mean my future self cared about them so much she was willing to die alone just so they could stay safe. And I stupidly sent them back. Four sacrificed herself for nothing.' "If I regenerated in front of someone, and something happened to them because of me, what does that mean for me?"
Whatever answer the Time Lord was going to give was cut off when Rose came into the console room.
In the relaxed time, it was like Rose couldn't get far enough from us. She spent a lot of time locked up in her room, which troubled me. That's coming from me. My own family doesn't see me outside of school and the occasional dinner. Rose's distant even showed in the adventures. She rarely gave input, and when she did she always sounded unsure.
I think what we did to Adam was a bit much for her. Was she scared she was next? The Doctor said she was the best, so she didn't think she was being kicked out. So what else could it be? Well, maybe she was thinking about how best to bring up seeing her dad?
Her sudden appearance made me realize how close the Doctor had walked to me. I walked away, just to the part of the console with the computer.
The companion looked like she had seen better days. She hadn't put on any of her makeup yet, her hair was just in a messy bun behind her head. Without a word, she walked up to my side and gripped the console. She looked like the very words out of her mouth caused strain. They probably did.
"Peter Alan Tyler my dad." Rose looked down at her shoes, forlorn. "The most wonderful man in the world. Born 15th September 1954."
The Doctor and I listened carefully. The Time Lord didn't know much about Rose's father, only Jackie (I'm still laughing at her slap and how she flirted with him). The father was a mystery, one I had researched when trying to find her address.
"He was always having adventures." She stammered, looking up to the Doctor. "That's what Mum always says." I couldn't stop the smile. "So I was thinking, could we, could we go and see my dad when he was still alive?"
"Where's this come from, all of a sudden?" The Time Lord asked.
"All right then, if we can't, if it goes against the laws of times or something, then never mind, just leave it." Rose immediately toned it down, some spite in her voice.
"Rose, it's fine." I assured, turning to the girl slowly becoming my friend. "We can do it. We're more worried about you."
She looked at us with shaky determination. "I want to see him."
The Doctor grinned broadly. "Your wish is my command. But be careful what you wish for."
He hopped off the pilot seat, reaching over to pull down the handbrake. He sent a quick look me way, telling me our conversation earlier was only on pause.
==CON==
The first stop was their wedding. It wasn't a big affair, they were basically eloping. Though Jackie was in a nice dress.
"I, Peter Alan Tyler, take you, Jacqueline Angela Suzette Prentice-" The registrar stated.
Pete nervously looked to Jackie. "I, Peter Alan Tyler, take you, Jacqueline Suzanne Suzette Anita-"
I was looking down at my nails. Weddings had been fun on occasion, but Terra Two was bored of the whole affair.
Jackie brushed them off. "Oh, just carry on. It's good enough for Lady Di."
The Doctor looked to Rose, he was beaming. I snorted at Jackie, who looked almost Rose's age.
"I thought he'd be taller." Rose commented.
I shook my head, crossing my arms. Leaning back in my seat, I elbowed the Doctor. 'Rose is just angry because her shortness is genetic on both sides.'
Magoo didn't smile like I had hoped. Guess my humor didn't make the situation any better. My question about First Faces must still be worrying him. I'd said too much about it, how could I explain it without everything blowing up in my face?
The companion was staring at her parents, turning away from the Doctor and I once she knew I was looking.
What was going on in that head of her's? Was she thinking about how to convince us to take us to his death? Repeating the request in her head, trying to make it sound reasonable to us. Or she could just be shocked at meeting her father. I don't know, just something about the dejected look in her whiskey colored eyes was making me feel on edge.
It felt like I was losing both of them.
"To be my lawful wedded wife, to love and behold till death us do part."
==CON==
After the wedding, Rose explained how Pete did in the car accident. She told us of her mother's wish that someone had been there when her father died. Even if I hadn't seen the episode, I would know what she was asking.
"I want to be that someone, so he doesn't die alone." Rose explained.
A part of me just wanted to walk away now. It was reminding me just too much of what happened at the Reichenbach Falls. Plus, it was reminding me that I don't know what happened to Pops. Even if I checked the homebox, it wouldn't say what had happened since the box left the ship.
"November the 7th?" The Doctor asked her. He was all for it, more than in the show. He must want to get it all over with so he can yell at me about what happened when I died.
"1987." Rose added.
"Be careful." I teased. Rose turned to me. "Magoo'll probably miss by a few blocks."
The Doctor sent me a smirk. Rose only looked on with worry, biting at her nails. The joke would have made her laugh before the Dalek, what caused this change?
She stared at the door when we landed, uncertainty in her eyes.
==CON==
I walked out of the TARDIS first, hearing kids playing at a nearby park. It was a cold day, but I didn't change the setting on my hoodie. 'I'm a snowman, everybody. Cold is my happy place.'
The Doctor and Rose followed behind me. I tuned them out, just appreciating landing somewhere cold.
"It's so weird. The day my father died." I turned to her. The companion was looking around the empty street. "I thought it'd be all sort of grim and stormy." Rose mumbled. "It's just an ordinary day."
"The past is another country. 1987's just the Isle of Wight." The Doctor explained. "Are you sure about this?"
"We won't think less of you if you want to go back." I added.
Rose nodded, hesitant. "Yeah."
==CON==
There was a few blocks to walk (as I predicted, haha) before getting to Jordan Road. I stared a couple seconds at the Bad Wolf poster before joining my friends. I stood on Rose's left, hands in my hoodie pocket but mentally prepared to hold them out if need be.
"This is it. Jordan Road." Rose took on that soft voice again. "He was late. He'd been to get a wedding present, a vase. Mum always said, that stupid vase." She laughed tearfully.
I turned my head, just as Pete's car came around.
"He got out of his car." The companion narrated. Pete pulled up to the side, just a couple dozen yards away. "And crossed the road. Oh, God. This is it." She whimpered.
Pete walked out of his car, going to the other side to pull out the vase.
Magoo took Rose's hand. With just a second's hesitation, I reached out to take the other. She pulled her hand up to her mouth, biting on the nail. I was hurt at the gesture, my hand sliding back into the hoodie pocket. There was a second of thought that she did it on purpose. She couldn't have though, she didn't even see me reaching for her.
The van drove by. It occurred to me in that second we were about to watch a man die so Rose could hold his hand. It was incredibly morbid, even for my tastes.
Rose buried her face into the Doctor's shoulder.
Pete dropped his vase.
The van drove away.
Rose pulled herself away from the Doctor, only to see Pete comatose on the street.
"Go to him, quick." The Doctor tried to move her along.
"We got your back." I encouraged.
But she didn't. She just stared with watering eyes at her dying father.
==CON==
The three of us were crouched in the alley, backs against the hard bricks.
"It's too late now. By the time the ambulance got there, he was dead." She admitted.
I laid my head against the brick wall, letting out a small sigh.
"He can't die on his own." Rose looked to us. Her mascara was running. "Can I try again?"
Like the pansies we were, we agreed.
==CON==
The second time around was somehow more somber than the first.
I could see my past self, definitely reminded of Reichenbach. It was even worse because I knew that version wouldn't exist soon.
"Right, that's the first you, Terra and me." The Doctor explained. "It's a very bad idea, two sets of us being here at the same time. Just be careful they don't see us. Wait till she runs off and he follows, then go to your dad."
The green car pulled up to the side of the road.
"Oh, God. This is it." Her past self breathed.
Our Rose was almost shaking. "I can't do this."
"Rose, you don't have to do anything." I assured. "But we can't come here again."
Past Terra was about to reach for Rose's hand, the companion caught sight so she jerked it away. I could see in that moment that Rose had seen me. That brought a whole new wave of hurt.
So much so, that I wasn't aware Rose went after Pete until she was already at the kerb.
"Rose! No!" The Doctor yelled.
"Stop!" I shouted.
The blonde ran past our past selves. The faded in sparkles of yellow.
Rose pushed Pete just before the car drove over him. The case rolled away, intact.
My jaw dropped.
"I did it." The blonde gaped in disbelief. "I saved your life."
"Blimey, did you see the speed of it?" Pete asked, looking to Rose. "Did you get his number?"
She was too absorbed in her victory. "I really did it. Oh, my God, look at you." She said, in shock herself. "You're alive! That car was going to kill ya!"
"Give me some credit, I did see it coming." Pete replied. "I wasn't going to walk under it, was I."
His daughter smiled. "I'm Rose."
Pete smiled back. "That's a coincidence. That's my daughter's name."
"That's a great name. Good choice. Well done." She nodded.
Jaw was still down, and it was starting to hurt.
"Right, I'd better shift." Pete excused himself. "I've got a wedding to go to."
"Is that Sarah Clarke's wedding?" Rose asked.
"Yeah, are you going?" Pete asked.
Rose nodded. "Yeah."
Pete motioned his head towards the Doctor and I. "You and your friends need a lift? Hope your boyfriend don't mind."
==CON==
Pete drove us to his apartment in his tiny little car.
I was in a weird state of shock. My mind just kept wondering why I didn't do more to stop her. There would have been more, but the Doctor was letting waves of annoyance and hate float over in the mental link. It made my brain just stop. He wasn't angry at me, but it was still freaking me out.
Walking into Pete's apartment, which would later be Jackie's, was odd. I could see the big differences from the house of new parents and the house of a widow. Less pictures of Rose in her school year, no trashy romances, no sense of it being turned into a home. 'You know when you see a photograph of someone you know, but it's from years before you knew them, and it's like they're not quite finished.'
The unwitting survivor smiled at us, not knowing Rose was his child, Doc was her love interest, and I was a tagalong.
"Right, there we go. Sorry about the mess." Pete remarked. "If you want a cup of tea, the kitchens just down there, milk's in the fridge." He offered, adding a nervous laugh. "Well, it would be, wouldn't it. Where else would you put the milk?"
The Doctor gave a forceful smile. Mine was more nervous, anxious about that upcoming fight.
"Mind you, there's always the window sill outside." Pete spoke, sounding more focused than before. "I always thought if someone invented a window sill with special compartments, you know, one for milk, one for yogurt, make a lot of money out of that. Sell it to students and things." He paused in thought. "I should write that down."
My Storyline...I think I just found the Doctor's gob.
"Anyway, never mind that, excuse me for a minute." Pete brushed off. "Got to go and change."
The Doctor nodded, moving out of the inventor's way. I was dealing with the fact the Doctor picked another aspect of his next self for Rose. 'Did they give me anything?' I thought. 'My hair does look like Oswin's...and maybe this body is like Eleven's gangly limbs.'
The girl walked further into the apartment. I let my hands slide into my hoodie pocket. I was toying with the temperature gauge, keeping it cold in the hoodie. The blonde was showing us Pete's little trophies.
"All the stuff mum kept. His stuff." She commented. At my side, the Doctor was finally telling us how he felt. "She kept it all packed away in boxes in the cupboard. She used to show me when she'd had a bit to drink. Here it is, on display. Where it should be."
'*Jaws theme plays in the background.* I'm gonna need a bigger spaceship.'
The blonde kept on. She could tell she knew what she did was wrong, but she kept fighting for it anyway. Not gonna lie, I was worried for her.
"Third prize at the bowling. First two got to go to Didcot." Rose explained. Her eyes widened when she saw the drinks by the Doctor's feet. "Health drinks. Tonics, mum used to call them. He made his money selling this Vitex stuff. He had all sorts of jobs. He was so clever."
It was a positive, that he made bank on Vitex in Pete's World. A bright side to everything. Even the Doctor and Rose's upcoming fight. 'All couples have a rough patch.'
"Solar power. Mum said he was going to do this. Now he can." Rose finished.
'Mayday. Mayday. Abort mission. Abort mission. Rose Tyler, I suggest you run.'
Seeing as she couldn't read my mind, Rose didn't go back. "Okay, look I'll tell him you're not my boyfriend."
The Doctor stared at her, with cold blue eyes. "When we met, I said travel with me in space. You said no. Then I said time machine."
"It wasn't some big plan." She argued. "I just saw it happening and I thought, I can stop it."
"I did it again. I picked another stupid ape." The Doctor angrily stated. "I should've known. It's not about showing you the universe. It never is. It's about the universe doing something for you."
The blonde scoffed. "So it's okay when you go to other times, and you save people's lives, but not when it's me saving my dad."
"I know what I'm doing, you don't. Two sets of us being there made that a vulnerable point." He replied as if it explained everything. Well, it kinda did.
"But he's alive!" Rose fumed.
"My entire planet died. My whole family. Do you think it never occurred to me to go back and save them?" The Doctor countered.
Rose turned to me, something just clicked at the sight. "If Terra asked to see the Johnsons, you would've let her do what she wanted."
I scoffed. Really, she brought that up? To my face? "I wouldn't have gone to see them because I don't remember them! Got that? You don't get to use them against me. I wouldn't even think about going back to safe them."
Rose kept on. "They're your family! How could you not wanna save them?"
"Because they died saving my life." I stated.
Rose blinked. This wasn't a side of the story she'd heard.
"Someone was trying to kill me, and they died keeping me safe." 'Well, actually, I died anyway, but I regenerated. Just another sacrifice I made meaningless.' I thought it over. 'And, now I that I think about it, I think Logan ended up getting what he wanted anyway. I don't know, I couldn't exactly ask them.' "I don't want to see them, Rose, can't you at least respect my decision?"
Rose gulped. There was a heavy silence from the Doctor. I don't know if any of my thoughts floated into his mind. It turned out that I didn't have to, because Magoo reached over to put a comforting hand on my wrist.
'I'm sorry.' He spoke comfortingly in my mind.
I wanted to flinch away. His words did give some comfort, but I didn't want him to touch me. I ended being the thing that killed him. Succeeding where Daleks, Cybermen, and Kovarian failed.
The wrist holding was apparently the wrong thing to do. Rose's eyes narrowed at me, as if my even being there was enough reason to say this. "If you had a dad, you wouldn't feel like that."
My jaw dropped. She...She had not just said that. She hadn't. She couldn't have.
I didn't say anything, just stared at Rose with a heartbroken frown on my face. It slowly came to her that she had taken it too far, but she kept her resolve. Instead of arguing with her, cursing at her enough to earn the title Sailor, or giving her a Johnson Slap, I just turned and walked out the door.
==CON==
There's this scene in Monsters Inc., one that I think is the saddest scene ever. Sully and Mike were thrown onto the Himalayas, by Waternoose who was holding the crying Boo. Sully tried to go right back, opening the door to stop Boo from crying. It was just a door frame though. Waternoose had turned off the power. (I was terrified of spiders because of him. You would be too if he was chasing you, wanting your screams to power his dystopia.)
Sorry. That was me, getting off topic in my stress. The point is, Sully couldn't the door to take him where he really wanted.
'Pops...I lost him again.'
My mind had gone blank since leaving the Tyler flat. The box was gone.
My father back Home wasn't exactly an A plus parent. He was a sports coach, a math teacher, and principal of a high school. He liked the tough love, except on my athletic, scholastic, and all around better younger brothers. I didn't play sports, or doing any of the math since I've gone to high school ten times. Dad didn't see any of my accomplishments in Jumping, just my disappointments at Home.
Pops...Pops was never like that. Ever. It helped that I was an only child there, with just six hundred cousins.
Rose didn't know Dad, or Pops. She didn't know all the things I had done for Pops, and vice-versa. Helping him capture 626, helping him find all the 624 experiments lost on Kaui'i, helping him fix that stupid old homebox. He was my father.
There was nothing, not even a hum from the TARDIS. The only noise in my head was just my Time Lord sense, telling me the Doctor was getting closer.
I kept opening and closing the door. Every slam took more air out of my lungs. It was hard to breathe, but until I had his box in my arms.
I found out how close when the Doctor pulled me away from the empty box. He was pissed.
"It's gone. The box is gone." I mumbled, not enough air in my lungs to say much. My eyes went back to the empty ship in fear. The hair on my neck stood up. "I-I didn't know what to do."
His own eyes widened. He looked overhead, in the bare tree. I looked as well, sending the Reaper in the tree.
'Invisible tree thing?' I asked, too emotionally exhausted to speak.
The Doctor took protective hold of my arm. 'The only things with enough energy to make the TARDIS powerless. It's called a Reaper. When time is damaged, they come to sterilize the wound by erasing the wound. It used to be the job of the Time Lords, until...'
'Time is damaged by us saving Peter Tyler?' I asked. 'So that means he's in the most trouble.'
"Rose!" The two of us realized.
==CON==
It took all we had to get us to the church in time.
You could see the damage as we ran. Their weren't as much people as their should have been. The cars were all parked in the middle of the road. Some people hadn't been as lucky, and their cars crashed into trees or buildings. Neither of us slowed at all in this: Rose was in danger.
The church was in sight a block away. I pushed myself harder, Magoo just behind me. People were walking into the church, including a young Jackie Tyler and a Baby Rose Tyler.
On the sidewalk, eyes downcast like a child learning about Santa, was our Rose Tyler. There was an oddness floating over her head, like there had been all over the town and the TARDIS.
"Inside!" I screamed at her.
"Rose!" The Doctor shouted with me. "Get in the church!"
Rose turned us, looking happy and relieved at the sight. It confused her for a second to hear us so worried.
That was when she saw the Reaper hovering above her head.
She screamed.
The Time Lord zoomed past me, tackling Rose to the concrete. I was barely able to stop and drop before the Reaper could get its claws on me.
The others in the wedding party looked up in the sky, more Reapers appearing. The Doctor hopped up, eyes scanning the crowd. "Get in the church!" He shouted at them. I helped Rose to her feet, holding her wrist as I walked her towards the church.
"Oh, my God." The bride's friend gasped. "What are they? What are they?"
"Inside!" I shouted again.
The Reaper hissed at us, diving down to look for the right meal.
"Sarah!" Stuart shouted.
The Doctor ran through the crowd, shouting at the people walking out of the church. "Stay in there!"
I tripped right to Rose's wrist. She kept her eyes on the Reapers. A man in the church ran, only to be caught by a Reaper. A very pregnant Sarah screamed as another came to her, but it pounced on the priest instead.
'I've been to worse wedding's.'
The Doctor began herding the crowd. "In!" I was dragging Rose behind me. Baby Rose was sobbing in her carrier.
Once we were in the safety of the church, the Time Lord and I slammed the doors shut. I listened to the Reapers' screeching outside.
Rose stood just a yard away. Her whiskey eyes following us, confused and alert. Also maybe a tiny bit of guilt.
"We're safe, right?" I asked, lightly panting. Gotta love Time Lady biology. "They can't get in."
"It's the old windows and doors. Okay. The older something is, the stronger it is. What else?" He scanned the area, looking for weak points. He pointed at the small crowd. "Go and check the other doors! Move!"
He hopped over to a nearby door. I followed behind, if only to get some distance from Rose. I was still pissed at what she said about Pops, and what her stupid paradox was doing to him.
"What's happening? What are they? What are they?" Jackie asked, scared. She pulled me away from the door, and grabbed the Doctor.
The Time Lord pulled himself out of her hands. "There's been an accident in time. A wound in time." He corrected. "They're like bacteria, taking advantage." The Doctor explained curtly.
"And if they get you, you get wiped from existence." I added. You could see it in the streets, people eaten without leaving a trace. You didn't even hear it.
"What do you mean, time? What're you jabbering on about, time?" Jackie asked.
"Someone just shut her up." I mumbled. My hands fiddled with the AC dial in my hoodie, turning it down a few more degrees. Keep cool, keep cool.
"Oh, I might've known she'd argue." The Doctor remarked to me. "Jackie, I'm sick of you complaining."
"How do you know my name?"
"I haven't got time for this."
"I've never met you in my life!"
"No, and you never will unless I sort this out. Now, if you don't mind, I've waited a long time to say this." The Doctor stated her down. "Jackie Tyler, do as I say. Go and check the doors."
Jackie hesitated. "Yes, sir."
The Doctor turned to me, letting a smile come out. "I should have done that ages ago."
I gave him a congratulatory fist bump.
The groom walked up right after. "My dad was out there."
"You can mourn him later." The Doctor stated. "Right now we've got to concentrate on keeping ourselves alive."
"My dad had-" Stuart reached for his dad's phone.
"There's nothing I can do for him." The Doctor stressed.
'Magoo. He knows.' I thought. The Doctor paused. 'That's why he's pulling out the phone.'
"No, but he had this phone thing." Stuart gave the Doctor the phone. "I can't get it to work. I keep getting this voice."
"Watson, come here. I need you. Watson, come here. I need you."
"Wait a second. I know that voice. That's Alexander Graham Bell. His first phone call." I acknowledged. "I don't think the telephone's going to be much help."
The Time Lord gave me a look. "You knew Alexander Graham Bell's voice?" The Doctor asked, losing the anxiety in his voice.
I awkwardly scratched at the back of my neck. "Yeah...I might have accidentally helped him make the telephone."
"But someone must have called the police." Stuart said.
My mind went right to the TARDIS. The box that felt like home, family, was now a pedestrian box on the street. "No cop can help us now." I snapped. I walked to the others in the wedding party, especially Rose. "Nothing can hurt those things out there, alright?"
"Time's been damaged and they've come to sterilize the wound." The Doctor walked up behind me. He and Rose had an intense eye lock. "By consuming everything inside."
Rose's lip quivered. "Is this because..." She gulped. "Is this my fault?"
Neither of us answered her.
==CON==
I was checking doors with Pete, anything to keep my mind off the TARDIS and Pops. You could hear the occasional scream outside, the smoke rising up over buildings.
The Doctor ran in as I finished sealing the window. Pete walked up to my other side.
"There's smoke coming up from the city but no sirens. I don't think it's just us." Pete explained. "I think these things are all over the place. Maybe the whole world."
I saw the car from earlier, the car that would kill Pete. The car he jumped in front of to keep his daughter safe. That poor driver, just a kid, being dragged into all of this.
'This'll crush Rose.' The Doctor thought. I bristled. 'The only way to fix the paradox is for Pete to die.'
When Pete dies, the Reapers will go away. The Reapers vanishing will restore time including the TARDIS. That gives me back my homebox. So Rose has to lose her father, so I can have a chance at mine. What kind of monster forces that kind of choice on someone?
Me, apparently.
"Was that a car?" Pete asked.
"Not important." Was my instant response.
"Don't worry about it." The Time Lord added, walking out of the room. I followed right behind him.
==CON==
Pulling back a thick blue curtain, I let the Doctor work at the doors. I had seen Rose walk off to have her talk with Pete, so it wouldn't be long before Pete died.
'So, how can we do this without hurting Pete?' I asked.
The Doctor pushed on the door. 'If you've got any ideas, feel free to say.' He though. It wasn't hard to miss the annoyance in his mental tone. 'If I had the TARDIS, then I could use it to patch up the damage. It was thrown out of time because of the paradox.'
I nodded, tying the curtain back. 'Could the sonic calm her back? Like, some homing device?'
'No...but if we get out of this, that's a great idea.' The Doctor remarked.
Stuart and Sarah walked up to us. "Excuse me, Mister, Miss-"
"Doctor."
"Terra."
"The two of you seem to know what's going on." Stuart went on.
"I give that impression, yeah."
"Top of my résumé."
"I just wanted to ask-" He fumbled.
Sarah took the initiative. "Can you save us?" She pleaded.
'Storyline dammit. How can I say no to that?' I turned to the wedding couple, noticing the extended stomach. 'Especially when a child's involved. I always seem to cave when a child's involved.'
The Doctor sent a laugh in my mind. 'It's impossible to say no to a crying child.' The two of us walked over to the nervous couple. "Who are you two, then?" He asked the humans.
"Stuart Hoskins." The groom mumbled.
"Sarah Clark." The bride added.
"And the plus one?" I commented. "Do you know of it's a boy or a girl?" I asked softly.
Sarah's hand went to her stomach. "I don't know. I don't want to know, really."
The Doctor looked between them. "How did all this get started?"
The couple turned to each other. Stuart had a goofy lovestruck grin. "Outside the Beatbox Club, two in the morning."
"Street corner. I'd lost my purse, didn't have money for a taxi." Sarah beamed.
"I took her home." The groom admitted, shyly.
"And asked her out?" I asked, grinning.
Sarah giggled. "Wrote his number on the back of my hand." She marveled.
"Never got rid of her since." Stuart joked. It reminded me of my sister. It got a smirk out of me. "My dad said-" He stopped. He remembered his father's passing. It sobered him of his laughs.
"I don't know what this is all about, and I know we're not important-" Sarah pleaded.
"Who said you're not important?" The Doctor asked. "I've travelled to all sorts of places, done things you couldn't even imagine, but you two."
He stared at them for a moment. He looked just in awe at their existence, at their simple yet perfect romance.
"Street corner, two in the morning, getting a taxi home. I've never had a life like that." The Doctor replied. "Yes. I'll try and save you."
==CON==
When that was done, I sat in some of the pews at the head of the church. My eyes were staring at where the preacher would stand, not sure if in anger or just zoned out staring.
The TARDIS needed to be brought back. How could I do that? Was it just a timing thing? Did the TARDIS have to work her way through the paradox, like climbing out of a hole? Or was the key an anchor helping her to our timeline? It was a bit complicated. Luckily, I had my freezer hoodie on.
The idea came when I was eight, if you can believe that. I was watching Phineas and Ferb, and they had that S'Winter episode. I wondered if you could do the same with clothes. Clothes to keep you cold, with just a flip of a switch the make it warm.
Jackie came up next to me. It yanked me out of my thoughts. She handed me Baby Rose's carrier. The too young Mickey was at her side, which is who I was actually focused on when she talked. "Look, can you watch her for me? Thanks." She walked away with Mickey, probably to give him comfort. He had just watched his gran be wiped out of existence.
"Wait, no." I tried to argue, before I took a good look at Rose. Oh, she was adorable as a baby. "Aww. Can't stay mad at a baby."
The baby blinked her baby blue eyes at me. I chuckled. "Oh, sunshine. You're not gonna talk smack about my dad, are you?"
She just blinked at me.
"That's what I thought." I cooed. "You're so smart at this age."
The Doctor walked over, apparently satisfied with all the other exits. He eyed me oddly when he saw Baby Rose. "Where did you get that?"
I shrugged. "Jackie asked me to babysit." I answered. "Figures. I'm the Universe's Greatest Babysitter." With that, I kept gently rocked her carrier. She was just a little bit fussy, typical of her too.
The Doctor sat beside me, looking down at Rose's face. "Now, Rose you're not going to bring about the end of the world, are you? Are you?"
I rocked the baby, who was in the beginning phases of a full on meltdown. A snort came out instead of shushes, realizing that Magoo had made her start crying.
He must've heard that thought. "Can you quiet her?" The Doctor ordered, annoyed with both versions of the blonde now.
Oh, now I knew I had to shove it in his face.
"Watch the magic." I pulled the bawling Baby Rose up. She'd just gone through a traumatic experience. Not to often a Northern man with big ears scares you.
I pulled a song out from my head, from one of the CD's the TARDIS gave me.
"Ever since we took that midnight drive down to see the water in the full moon sky, and I told you I loved you on the blue creek road. Well I was full on fallin' for my Carolina Rose."
I thought about Rose and the Doctor's story began. How she ran off with him one night, and he took her to the end of the world. The creaking body of Cassandra. The look in his eyes where it showed he had fallen in love with her. I thought about Rose was helping to put the Doctor back together, after he fell so hard during the War.
"Spent the next few years just singing my song with Rose in the front row singing along, til I got that call, had to hit that road. Man, how am I gonna leave my Carolina Rose?" The Doctor's Song. It would end one day, and go on without Rose. For now, at the start to this song, she was there. She was the first step for everything. "Yeah the big time is everything I ever wanted, but the spotlight can't hold a candle to you. Standing up here on this stage, they all say 'man, you got it made'. They don't know, it don't mean a thing without my Carolina Rose."
When he loses her, the Doctor won't know what to do. There was no point in adventures if the woman he loved so much wasn't there. The Doctor loved the Running, with every part of him, but it was better with the Pink and Yellow human. From The Satan Pit, it was shown that the Doctor might consider giving up The Running if it meant being with Rose.
Baby Rose was starting to close her eyes. She was so easy to put down, surprisingly.
"Met a California girl on a west coast run. She sparkled like a diamond in the setting sun. They called me crazy when I let her go, I just couldn't stop thinking about my Carolina Rose." Then he met Donna. Donna taught him it was okay, that Rose wasn't really gone. She was...kinda misplaced. He could always keep her in his memory, he could keep on running. Plus, later, he would take her to a planet made of Diamonds. "Yeah the big time is everything I ever wanted, but the spotlight can't hold a candle to you. Standing up here on this stage, they all say 'man, you got it made'. They don't know, it don't mean a thing without my Carolina Rose."
I rocked Baby Rose back and forth. She was asleep now, but I kept going because I knew from experience you had to make sure the kid was a brick before putting them down. "I've been halfway around the world, just to come back to you. I hope I ain't too late and I hope that you're still thinking about me too. So now I'm back here standing on your front porch. It's been five years baby, but it feels like more. Well let me drive you down that blue creek road, I got something to say to my Carolina Rose."
In Journey's End, he chased her so hard. The Doctor fought so hard to get back Rose, and nearly regenerated just so he could hold her again. He knew he missed her, but seeing her back, it told him she missed him too. It was like he had two lifetimes after she was gone. Martha's Doctor, and Donna's Doctor. Two different men, with the same face, and all in such a short time. The Doctor could finally be Rose's Doctor again. Yet at the end of it all, he took her to Bad Wolf Bay. His twin told Rose he loved her. He'll always love her, I can tell.
I sang the chorus again, still rocking Baby Rose. She had to be safe to put down by now, based on her steady breathing. I wasn't gonna risk her just waking up out of nowhere.
With my song done, I lowered Baby Rose in her carrier. She was asleep, yeah, but there was always a chance she would wake up while being put down. If you've ever babysat, then you know that's the worst.
Looking up, I saw the Doctor and Rose gaping at me. "Umm...guys? What's...what's with the staring?"
"That song." Rose breathed, pointing slowly at her younger self. "That song you were singing. Where did you hear that?"
I shrugged. "The TARDIS gave me some CD's. I just, picked a song."
"It was beautiful." The Doctor admitted. Despite it all, I felt embarrassed when he said that.
"Told you it was magic." I explained, nervously. I looked down at my feet, realizing that must be why everyone in the church was gaping at me. "Never met a baby I couldn't put to bed."
"That song...I've heard it before." Rose pondered.
"Course ya did, I just sang it to Baby You." I explained, condescendingly.
"Right. Time travel." Rose joked, laughing mirthlessly. "I'd better be careful. I think I just imprinted myself on Mickey like a mother chicken."
I snorted, keeping quiet because of the baby. Rose snorted too. "Sorry." I laughed, keeping my voice low so I wouldn't wake the baby. "All could think about was when you took on the living plastic, and Mickey was hugging your legs the whole time."
Rose laughed. It came to a stop, when she went over to brush a finger over her toddler self's cheek.
My hand took hold of her wrist. "Don't touch the baby!" I hissed quietly. Helping my point, the Reapers outside screeched. It was this that reminded me of why I was so pissed at Rose in the first place. "Not only could you wake her up, did you forget that she's you?"
At her confused expression, the Doctor stepped in. I threw Rose's wrist aside, which tossed her back a couple steps. "You're both the same person. That's a paradox, and we don't want a paradox happening, not with these things outside." The Time Lord stressed. "Anything new, any disturbance in time makes them stronger. The paradox might let them in."
Rose's eyes were full of hurt. "Can't do anything right, can I?" She asked, voice coated in pain.
"Since you ask, no. So, don't touch the baby." The Time Lord commanded.
I checked to make sure the baby was still sleeping. No way he was waking her up.
"I'm not stupid."
"You could have fooled me."
I rolled my eyes, looking to the sleeping child. 'Please be careful when picking out your boyfriends. This one bites.'
"All right, I'm sorry." The Doctor "I wasn't really going to leave you on your own."
Rose sniffled. "I know."
"But between you and me, I haven't got a plan." The Doctor admitted. "No idea. No way out."
"I'm no better." I sighed. "My mind's a blank slate."
Rose shook her head. "The two of you'll think of something." She encouraged.
"The entire Earth's been sterilized. This, and other place like it, are all that's left of the human race. We might hold out for a while, but nothing can stop those creatures." My friend reported. "They'll get through in the end. The walls aren't that old. And there's nothing we can do to stop them."
"We're sitting ducks in the middle of a hurricane." I added.
"There used to be laws stopping this kind of thing from happening." He turned a bit towards me, but not in my eyes. "Our people would have stopped this. But they're all gone. And now you're going the same way."
The hurt in his voice was what got me. My hand reached to his wrist, holding it like he held mine in Pete's apartment. He sent back a thankful thought.
There was a long pause before Rose spoke. I glanced up at her, and she was staring at where I was holding the Doctor's wrist.
"If I'd realized." Rose cried.
The Doctor stared at her with his intense blue eyes. "Just tell me you're sorry."
"I am. I'm sorry." Rose apologized. "What I said about your family, Terra, that wasn't right."
"You're damn right it wasn't." I snapped, voice immediately cold. My hand yanked away from Magoo. "It's gonna take more than just one stupid apology to make it right, Tyler."
Her eyes were starting to shine. "Then tell me what to do. Please. You're my friend. I can't stand you being mad at me."
"Mad?" I scoffed. "I'm in a panic. My homebox was in the TARDIS. Right now, my box doesn't exist."
Rose sniffled. "That...that black box?"
"What you said, about not having a dad." I sucked in a pained breath. Telling the would be the only way past it, to show them why I needed that box so much. "It made me think, that I should be looking harder for mine."
Rose let out a soft gasp.
The Doctor turned to me. "You do have one? You remembered him?"
"He...wasn't from Gallifrey...I called him Pops." I stated, feeling as if I was sharing a secret of the universe. "He...he always encouraged me...I never felt stupid or...like he was humoring me. Nothing I said was too stupid or childish for him. He...he taught me how to make crop circles once. We got in so much trouble for that."
'Nani nearly took the keys to the ship for that one.' I smiled.
Rose looked ready to cry. "Oh god, Terra, I'm so sorry. I had no idea."
"He was who you built the homebox for."
I nodded, thinking back. "It was for his spaceship."
'Months of being a bed and not breakfast made it get rusty. I was fixing it up when I was thirteen/thirty-four.'
"It was old, and needed to be fixed. I was gonna surprise him with it." I smiled fondly.
'I had called over a few dozen experiments to help with it, to surprise Pops on his birthday. One kept setting everything on fire. Hero kept trying to paint it all black. Lilo and Stitch were helping the others keep Pops distracted while I worked.'
"The homebox was damaged, so I fixed it for his birthday."
'Pops was chasing an experiment around Kaui'i. I noticed the odd box, so I got to re-installing it. The software had been damaged, and it was in the wrong side of the ship.
That night, at his party, I showed him the repaired ship. He noticed the homebox, engraved with our names in the language of his home planet. He hugged me, and it was the best hug I've ever gotten.'
When I exhaled, it was of relief. Pops was so happy that night. The maiden voyage of the repaired ship was making crop circles. Pops kept saying how proud of me he was.
I loved my Dad back Home, but I never felt the love that I had with Pops. He brought me into his home, without me asking. He treated me as a daughter, blood or not. Dad, I always knew I wasn't held to the standard he had for me.
When I had a bad day at school, Pops showed me how to ride an anti-gravity scooter. When I had a bad day at Home, Dad went to a meeting with Mom. There were billions of other things I could say, but I still missed Pops. Why did I have to ruin everything and die?
"That box was the first thing of his I held in over a century." I sighed, chest feeling lighter. "I've been too scared to use it. He wouldn't...he wouldn't like who he was looking at now."
The things I did, in any face, would be enough to make Pops forget I had been his child. I was a monster. I was the Fallen Star, not Terra and definitely not Mahina Jookiba.
"I think he would be proud." The Doctor assured. I looked up, a bit happier from the honesty in his blue eyes. "I know I am."
I smiled, thankful but doubtful. "Yeah. I mean, I've been keeping you two idiots alive the past few months. That's gotta be worth something."
In a moment of pure emotion, Rose hugged me. I squeaked. "Okay! Okay! I forgive you. Will you stop hugging me?"
"Not a chance." Rose muttered into my hoodie with a watery voice.
The three of us laughed. The Doctor joined in on the hug. More than that, I found her nickname. 'Carolina Rose.'
Rose let out a small yelp of pain.
"It wasn't me." I immediately said, holding up my hands.
"It was him." Rose looked to the Doctor. "Have you got something hot?" She pulled open his jacket, digging for his key.
She quickly tossed it behind us. It was glowing brightly, burning the carpet it landed on.
"It's the TARDIS key!" The Doctor beamed. He pulled off his jacket. I was stunned to see him without it, but it was gone as fast as it came.
"What does it mean when it glows?" I asked, kneeling beside him.
"It's telling me it's still connected to the TARDIS." He explained happily.
==CON==
The Doctor stood up on the priest's podium. I stood behind him, looking over at Rose.
"The inside of my ship was thrown out of the wound but we can use this to bring it back." He explained. "And once I've got my ship back, then I can mend everything. Now, I just need a bit of power. Has anybody got a battery?"
I immediately pulled out my hoodie's remote.
"This one big enough?" Stuart offered, holding up his dad's phone.
"Or mine?" I added, already working to pull off the back. I'd be warm for a few minutes, but anything to help Pops.
The Doctor climbed down the podium. I shrugged, following after. "Fantastic. I'll need both." He pulled out his sonic.
"Good old dad." Stuart cheered. He handed the Doctor the phone battery. "There you go."
The Doctor turned to me. I dropped the battery in his hand. He pressed both batteries to his key, using his other hand to use the sonic.
"Just need to do a bit of charging up and then we can bring everyone back." He explained. As he talked, the Reapers screeched louder outside.
Though, when I stood by him to help, he went a different direction.
'A couple months ago, you said you saw Logan do something horrible. That it kept you quiet for an entire month.' The Doctor began, not looking away from the key. 'But then you said you couldn't remember the Johnsons. So, what did he really do?'
I looked down at my hoodie. "Stay alive! Don't break any laws. Most importantly, do not do anything I would do!" It felt like I was letting him down, making his death meaningless. What choice do I have right now?
'What you asked me this morning, in the TARDIS.' Magoo spoke, voice softer. 'You wanted to know about what happens to you, if the people you see after you regenerate get hurt.'
My hearts ached at this. "Because I want to make you scared. I want it so that the next time you hear my voice, or see my face, your body freezes in fear."
Is that what'll happen to me, because of what I did to Eleven and Oswin?
The Doctor glanced at me for a second, before getting back to the key. 'I'm not going to push. I know a thing or two about bad days.' The words did make me feel better, though only just. 'What happened when you regenerated?'
I took a shaky breath. 'They died saving my life, or this body anyway. I didn't see Logan kill them, exactly, but when I was running away he made the intention clear. Two...two of them actually made it with me out, but I stupidly sent them back when I asked about the third. I knew she was already dead but I made them go back. I sent them back to die. They all died because of me.'
Even though I hadn't said a word, I was struggling to contain my emotions. The Doctor put a comforting hand on my shoulder. I took a shaky breath.
'He probably killed the Johnsons in front me anyway.' I projected. My diary had said our first self found them dead. 'I wouldn't remember it.'
"I'm sure whoever they were, they'd be proud of you too." The Doctor spoke out loud.
That actually made me feel better.
"So. How long until we are out of this mess?" I changed the subject.
"Not long, hopefully, if this works." The Doctor explained.
He stuck the key into the thin air. Only it wasn't air, it was the key slot.
"Oh Merciful Storyline she's back!" I hollered, throwing my hands up in joy.
To agree, Idris was making the whoosh whoosh noise.
The Doctor swung his jacket back on. "Right, no one touches that key. Have you got that? Don't touch it. Anyone touches that key, it'll be, well, zap. Just leave it be and everything will be fine. We'll get out of here. All of us."
I spun around. "Mister and Missus Hoskins, get ready cause you're having a wedding today!"
==CON==
Seeing the TARDIS slowly phasing in here was the best feeling in the world. I was beaming in my seat, not even bothered that my hoodie was warmer now.
The three of us were sitting in the back. I was sitting the aisle chair, my foot hopping in place. Rose was beside me, dejected. It was a bit of a mood killer to have Jackie giving us death stares.
"When time gets sorted out-" Rose began.
"Everybody here forgets what happened." The Doctor assured. "And don't worry, the thing that you changed will stay changed."
"You mean I'll still be alive, though I'm meant to be dead." Pete stated.
The Doctor and I couldn't look him in the eyes.
"That's why I haven't done anything with my life, why I didn't mean anything." Pete prattled on.
"It doesn't work like that." The Doctor argued.
Pete shook his head. "Rubbish."
"You had Rose." I argued, turning to look him in the eyes. "That means something to me."
My words did seem to encourage Pete. He smiled at Rose, the kind of smile only a proud father could give. "Yeah. She means something to me too." He gave his daughter a meaningful look. "I'm still useless. I couldn't even die properly. Now it's my fault all of this has happened."
Rose wouldn't let him think like that. She whirled around to face him. "This is my fault."
"No, love. I'm your dad." Pete argued. "It's my job for it to be my fault."
"Her dad?"
'Oh Story. Magoo we're fucked.' I thought.
'Seems to happen a lot with Jackie around, Sailor.' The Doctor teased. It changed to a grumble. 'Bloody domestics.'
'Oh. Now who's using language.'
I threw him a cheeky grin. He grinned back before walking away.
"How are you her dad? How old were you, twelve?" Jackie grimaced. "Oh, that's disgusting."
"Jacks, listen. This is Rose." Pete emphasized.
"Rose?" Jackie gasped. She glared at her future daughter. "How sick is that?"
"Rose, remember not to touch the baby." I whispered. I stood up, slipping past Jackie to stand behind her. I looked to Rose, giving her a reassuring thumbs-up.
"You give my daughter a second hand name?" Jackie whined. "How many are there? Do you call them all Rose?"
"Oh, for God's sake, look!" Pete sighed in annoyance. "It's the same Rose!"
He took up Baby Rose, preparing to hand her off.
"Pete stop!" I warned. I slid around Jackie, about to rip the baby from the companion.
Rose tried, bless her. She shrunk away from Pete, only to have him still give her the baby.
"Rose! No!" The Doctor shouted.
It was too late. I pulled the baby away, handing her back to Jackie. A loud screech came from the front of the church. Turning, I saw a Reaper floating over head.
The Doctor stepped in front of me, stretching his arms out. "Everyone, behind me! I'm the oldest thing in here." He commanded.
The Reaper knew this. It stared at the Doctor with dark red eyes. The humans ran behind the Doctor, with me right behind him.
'Doctor. It's going to kill you.' I said, not looking away from the Reaper.
'It's going to kill all of us.' The Doctor admitted. 'I'll be buying you and Rose time.'
He closed off his mind, probably to ease any pain from his death. He walked closer to the Reaper, determination in his steps. All I could see now was purple Eleven; running away with Oswin to protect me, trying to get me out of the warehouse sooner, warning me about the dangers of time travel before leaving me alone.
My hearts were racing in fear. This wasn't happening to me again. He can't kill himself to save me again. I ran up to him, not willing to let him die. Not again! No!
"Doctor, Terra!" Rose wailed.
The Reaper took us both.
==CON==
When I landed, there wasn't any Reaper or screaming or shouting. The Doctor was at my side, looking confused as to why he was still alive.
'You jumped in front of me?' The Doctor asked.
It took me a second to respond. It felt like waking up from a long nap. 'You're my friend. Of course I did.'
Magoo sent me a shocked look. 'Don't do it again.'
'I'm not just going to leave you to die!' I argued. Even in my head, my voice was filled with pain.
'Terra, I already killed you once.' The Doctor stressed. Memories of Van Statten's museum came into my head from his. 'You told me in Space a Station Five not to make you the last. That goes both ways, you got that? I can't lose them a second time.'
I sighed. 'Rose needs us. If we're back, then Pete's...'
The Doctor nodded.
We walked out of the church, seeing Rose standing there. She was the picture of heartbroken. The Time Lord put his hand on her shoulder.
She turned to us, tears on her cheeks. Her eyes widened at seeing us alive.
"Go to him." The Doctor assured her. "Quick."
"We got your back." I encouraged.
With a shaky sob, Rose ran over to her father's side.
I felt something on my hand. Looking down, I saw Magoo squeezing it tight. I squeezed back in reassurance.
'I can't make any promises.' I thought. 'You're my friend, Magoo, and I defend my friends to my dying breath. That's why what happened when I died hurt so much. Friends died on my watch. You can't lose me a second time? I can't lose my family a second time.'