"It's alive!" The Doctor exclaimed as he stood below the main part of the console and picking things out of it while Mickey and Galaxy watched him while kneeling with Astro standing between them. "What is it?" Mickey asked. "It's a power cell, clinging onto life, with one little ounce of reality tucked away inside." Galaxy explained to him as she placed her hand on Astro's side, they wouldn't have been able to find it if it weren't for him. "Enough to get us home?"
"Not yet. I need to charge it." The Doctor said as he grabbed the power cell and gently held it in his hands to show them and Galaxy realised she would most likely be the one to put everything back, but she was okay with it. "We could go outside and lash it up to the National Grid." "Not that type of energy. It has to come from the universe." Astro told him as he looked at the light. "But we don't have anything." "There's us." The Doctor said as Galaxy leaned forward and placed her hands around his and they both blew softly on the power cell, making it glow and Galaxy smiled as the Doctor rested his forehead against hers, "We just gave away each 5 years of our lives. Worth every second." The Doctor placed a kiss on Galaxy's cheek which had her smile even more.
"It's going out. Is that okay?" Mickey asked them as the Doctor stood up and saw the light coming from the cell fade. "It's on a recharging cycle, it'll keep doing that, looping around, until it'll full power back up. Just needs about twenty-four hours." Galaxy told him smiling. "So that gives us twenty-four hours on a parallel world?" Mickey asked suddenly excited. "Shore leave. As long as we keep our heads down. Easy. No problem." The Doctor said as he helped Galaxy up and entwined their fingers together. "We should go tell Rose the good news."
-9-
The four walked out of the Tardis and found Rose sitting on a bench near the Thames. "There you are. You all right? No applause. We fixed it. Twenty four hours, then we're flying back to reality." The Doctor said as he showed Rose the power cell as he sat next to her on the bench and Galaxy stood next to where he was sitting while Mickey sat on the other side of Rose. "Rose? What's wrong?" Galaxy asked her when she saw the look on her face. "My phone connected. There's this Cybus Network, it finds your phone. It gave me Internet access."
"Rose, whatever it says, this is the wrong world." The Doctor told her. "I don't exist." "What do you mean?" Galaxy asked her confused. "There's no Rose Tyler. I was never born. There's Pete, my dad, and Jackie. He still married mum but they never had kids." "Give me that phone." The Doctor said and he tried to get the phone but Rose pulled it back. "They're rich. They've got a house and cars, and everything they want. But they haven't got me. I've got to see him."
"You can't." The Doctor told her. "I just want to see him." "We can't let you." "You just said twenty-four hours!" Rose exclaimed. "Have you forgotten what happened the last time you told me you saw your father, you didn't listen to the Doctor and almost destroyed the world!" Galaxy glared at her, she may not have been with them when it happened but when she had heard what happened, she was mad then like she's mad now. When she had been told that the Doctor had been taken by the Reapers, something she studied on, she hated at even thinking that if they hadn't fixed things, she really would have lost the Doctor.
Galaxy looked down when she felt something touch her hand and saw the Doctor had taken it, turns out that regeneration of Galaxy still hadn't been able to let go of the what-ifs, something her last one used to have from time to time. Galaxy looked at the Doctor's face to see a pained expression and she knew she was mirroring it herself. 'I'm okay.' She sent to him as she squeezed his hand and he returned it.
"It won't happen this time because he's alive." Rose counted not noticing the encounter between the Time Lords. "You can't become their daughter, that's not the way it works." The Doctor said agreeing with Galaxy's words, "Mickey, tell her." "Twenty four hours, yeah?" Mickey asked as he got up from where he was sat. "Mickey, where are you going?" Astro asked him. "Well, I can do what I want!" "I've got the address and everything," Rose said as she started to walk in another direction as well. "Stay where you are, both of you. Rose, come back here! Mickey, come back here right now!"
"I just want to see him," Rose said. "Yeah, I've got things to see and all," Mickey added. "Like what?" The Doctor asked him. "Well, you don't know anything about me, do you? It's always about Rose. I'm just a spare part." Mickey spat. "Not to me you aren't." Galaxy told him, she hated that he saw himself as that. "I'm sorry. I've got to go." Rose said before going off. "Go on, then. There's no choice, is there? You two can only chase after one of us. It's never going to be me, is it?" Mickey asked.
"Actually it is." Galaxy said before she looked at the Doctor, "You go after Rose, I'll stay with Mickey." "Galaxy..." "There's two of us and two of them, you can keep Rose out of trouble and I can do the same with Mickey." She cut him off and she wasn't down for any arguments but the Doctor could see her point, even though he wanted her to stay close to him. He knew that Galaxy saw Mickey as her companion and her determination to look after him.
"Be back in twenty-four hours." He told her as he gave her the power cell. "We will. I can't stay far away from you for long anyway." She told him as she put the cell in her pocket and gave him a peck which he deepened and he loved the dazed look he created along with her blushing. "You two better take care of her." He told Astro and Mickey, who were watching them, seriously. "Won't let anything happen to her."
Mickey promised and he meant it. The Doctor nodded his head and gave Galaxy one last kiss before going after Rose.
-9-
Galaxy smiled when she caught Mickey glancing at her for the fifth time since they had been walking, she hadn't said anything since she wanted to wait for him to speak up but she could see some confusion and the look of touched and she was curious now. "What is it?" "It's just...I thought you would have gone after Rose like the Doctor did." Mickey said shrugging his shoulders.
"And leave my companion on his own? I couldn't do that." She said simply and saw him stop walking, she saw the look of shock on his face. "Your companion?" He asked and she smiled. "Yeah, the Doctor has Rose as his and I have you as mine." She told him and he knew she meant it which made him feel warm, Galaxy walked up to him and linked her arm with his and the two caught up to where Astro was waiting for them. "You know, I actually wanted you to come with us after I first met you." She told him and he looked at her with shock again. "Really?"
"Really. I took an instant liking to you, so did Astro, so when Rose came back to the Tardis without you I was upset. And I really was planning on sneaking you onto Blue after the whole school thing." She told him grinning mischievously, she felt that him being with them now was the right time. "Why me though?" He asked her, she could have just had Jack as her companion so why him? "Because there's something special about you." She told him, everyone was special in their own way and for Mickey, it was his kind heart, his kind heart to protect those he cares about however he can, which is what Galaxy does, its why she felt he was perfect to be her companion.
"I'm not special, I'm just an idiot." "She won't believe that Mickey, and quite frankly neither do I," Astro spoke up as he walked next to them, Astro knew that Galaxy would ever choose a companion if he didn't like them and he liked Mickey, not to say anything against Rose but Astro saw more caution in Mickey then he did Rose, Mickey always made sure to listen to things and instructions if he were ever given them while Rose just did the opposite most of the time.
"He's right. Everyone has something that they're good at that makes them special. But onto other things...Let's go see this Gran of yours." Galaxy said as she skipped a bit ahead of the two with a smile on her face. "How did you..." He blinked in surprise and she looked at him over her shoulder. "You've talked about her so I had a feeling you'd want to see how she's doing." She told him winking and Mickey just looked at her before grinning and running up to caught up to her with Astro close behind.
Mickey had his arm wrapped around Galaxy's shoulders as they got to an army roadblock and Galaxy had Astro stick close to them in case something happened. "Can we pass?" Galaxy asked as a soldier walked up to them. "Yeah. No, bother. Curfew doesn't start 'til ten." The soldier informed them nodding his head. "There's a curfew?" Mickey frowned. "Course there is. Where've you been living, mate? Up there with the toffs?"
They looked up at the Zeppelins, "I wish." Mickey smiled, "See ya." He said and they walked on through after the barrier was lifted up for them.
-9-
Galaxy followed Mickey to a rundown area and a particular door, she saw him take a breath before looking at her and she nodded her head with a smile on her face. He smiled back a bit, thankful to not be doing this alone, he turned back to the door, gathered his courage and knocked on it.
"Who's that there?" An old woman said from inside the house and Galaxy walked closer to Mickey and took hold of his hand when she saw him tense a bit and she felt him squeeze it a bit. The door opened and Mickey's blind grandmother, Rita Anna, stood in the doorway. "Who is it? I know you're there. Shame on you, tricking an old woman. I've got nothing worth stealing. And don't think I'm going to disappear! You're not going to take me."
"Hi," Mickey said making Rite put down the walking stick she was swinging beforehand. "Is that you?" "It's me. I cam home." "Ricky?" She reached out to touch his face and Astro through of the irony that the last Doctor had called him Ricky and that was his parallel versions' name. "It's Mickey." "Parallel world." Galaxy whispered to him she managed to do it quietly enough so Rite didn't hear. "I know my own grandson's name. It's Ricky. Now, come here."
Galaxy watched as Rita reached out and pulled Mickey to her, hugging him tightly. "OK, I'm Ricky." He said with tears in his eyes but a grin on his face, "Of course I am. Ricky, that's me." Then he was shoved back and hit on the shoulder, repeatedly, "Ow!" "You stupid boy! Where've you been?" Rita shouted as she smacked him again. "Ow! Stop hitting me!" "It's been days and days! I keep hearing all these stories. People disappearing off the streets. There's nothing official on the download but there's all these rumours, and, and whispers. I thought that God had disappeared you!"
"That carpet on the stairs." Mickey said as his attention was brought to that instead of answering her, "I told you to get it fixed, you're going to fall down and break your neck." He said and Galaxy could hear the tremble in his voice which had her place a hand on his shoulder, she knew that was how his grandmother passed away so to remember it would be painful. He placed a hand on top of her and gave it a thankful squeeze for the provided comfort. "Well, you get it fixed for me."
"I should've done way back. I guess I'm just kinda...useless." Mickey said and Galaxy squeezed his shoulder and he looked at her when he felt it was a bit of a hard squeeze and she gave him a look that dared him to say something like that again. "Now, I never said that..." "I am, though." He said chocking up a bit and Galaxy rubbed her thumb on his shoulder, "And I'm sorry Gran. I'm so sorry." "Don't talk like that. Do you know what you need? A nice sit-down and a cuppa tea. You got time?"
Mickey looked at Galaxy who just nodded her head with a warm smile on her face. "For you, I've got all the time in the world." He told his gran, this was the side of Galaxy that not many got to see, the comforting side that showed when she knew when things were important for people, and this was one of them for Mickey. They talked a lot after he started travelling with them, Galaxy always had her art room door opened to him when he wanted to talk if she was ever in there, same with her workshop, that was how she learned about his Gran.
Galaxy had been drawing his portrait while she let him talk about Rita to his heart's content because she knew that would make him happy and she would never fully understand how grateful Mickey was for that, the two trusted each other in a way that Galaxy was contemplating telling Mickey about her implants.
"You say that, but it's all talk. It's those new friends of yours. I don't trust them." Rita said bringing the two from their thoughts. "What friends are they?" Mickey asked. "Don't pretend you don't know. You've been seeing them. Mrs Chan told me. Driving about all helter-skelter, in that van." "What van's that, then?" "You know full well! Don't play games with me. Get inside!"
Suddenly a blue van pulled up behind them and a young man got out and pulled Galaxy and Mickey into it. "I've been looking everywhere for you!" Astro quickly jumped into the van before the man closed the door and the van drove off, leaving a startled Rita shouting after them. "Ricky, you were the one who told us, you don't contact your family cos it puts them in danger!"
"Yeah." Mickey said slowly, not entirely sure what was going on, "Ricky said that. Course I did, just testing." "Who's she?" The man asked nodding to Galaxy as he eyed her. "Galaxy. A weird name I know." Galaxy answered. "She's with me." Mickey quickly said and that seemed to be enough for the man which was good for Mickey and Galaxy. "I saw them. I taped them. They went round Blackfriars gathering up the homeless like the child catcher. "The vans were hired out to a company called International Electromatcis. But I did a protocol search. Turns out that's a dummy company established by guess who?"
"Who?" Galaxy asked. "Cybus Industries." They shouted. "Well, now we've got evidence." The young man told them. "Bad news is, they've arrested Thin Jimmy. So that just leaves you." The woman added. "Leaves me...what?" Mickey asked confused. "The Number One." The man told him grinning, "Top of the list. London's Most Wanted." "OK, cool. Say that again?" Mickey said once it hit him. "London's Most Wanted," Galaxy repeated with a grin on her face.