Doctor Who Fan Fiction ❯ Rose and Ten The Inbetweens and backstories ❯ Chapter Twenty ( Chapter 21 )

`WHOP!'

`I think this is the on switch,' Rose said, as she `jumped' back from what the Doctor nicknamed `Pete's World'. The Doctor looked up with surprise from the computer he was rebooting.

What the hell was she doing? He was fairly certain he was going to die in his attempt to defeat the Daleks and the Cybermen, and he didn't want Rose to go the same way. And if by some miracle they did survive, she would be trapped here, never able to see Jackie again. He ran over and gripped her arms.

`Once the breach collapses, that's it,' he said angrily. `You will never be able to see her again, your own mother!' He knew what that was like, not being able to see your own family, and he didn't want Rose to go through that anguish.

`I made my choice a long time ago, and I'm never going to leave you,' she said in a quiet, but determined voice. Her mind was made up, she'd said forever, and she meant it. `So what can I do to help?'

`Systems rebooted. Open access,' an electronic female voice announced.

He saw that defiant look on her face, and God how he loved it. `Those coordinates over there, set them all at six. And hurry up.'

She went over to the terminal, removing the dimension button from around her neck, and started entering the coordinates. She saw a proximity alarm flashing and clicked on the icon.

`We've got Cybermen on the way up,' she said, looking at the surveillance footage on the computer.

The Doctor ran over to have a look. `How many floors down?'

`Just one. ` The Doctor went back to the computer and finished inputting the lever command code.

`Levers operational,' the computer announced, and a broad smile spread across his face.

`That's more like it . . . bit of a smile . . . the old team,' she said, matching his smile.

He grabbed the Magnaclamps. `Hope and Glory, Mutt and Jeff, Shiver and Shake.'

`Which one's Shiver?'

`Oh, I'm Shake,' he said as he gave her a Magnaclamp. She followed his lead and put it on the wall by the lever.

`Press the red button,' he told her, and the clamp fastened itself to the wall. They went to the levers and knelt down in front of them, ready to lift them into the locked position.

`When it starts, just hold on tight. Shouldn't be too bad for us but the Daleks and the Cybermen are steeped in Void stuff. Are you ready?'

`So are they.' Rose was looking out of the window of Yvonne Hartman's office, where she could see four Daleks about to attack.

`Let's do it!' he shouted, and they lifted the hefty levers into place.

`Online,' the computer announced as they ran to the Magnaclamps to hold on. A bright light came out of the breach and a strong wind rushed into it, sucking the first Daleks through the windows and into itself.

`The breach is open! Into the Void! Ha!'

Daleks and Cybermen started streaming through the window and into the Void, becoming a blur as they accelerated from further a field. Something hit the wall hard near Rose, she thought it was the Dalek Crucible, but couldn't be sure. What she was sure of, was that the vibration had loosened her lever and it started to move.

`Offline.' the computer told them

Rose tried to reach across to the lever, but it was too far, she would have to let go of the clamp and risk a jump to the lever. The Doctor looked on in horror as he saw her let go of the clamp. `Oh thank Rassilon for her gymnastics' he thought as she caught the lever and manoeuvred herself into a position where she could push it up.

`I've got to get it upright!' she called out. She looked over at him, and for the first time since he'd met her, he saw fear in her eyes.

`Online and locked,' the computer said. She'd done it! But it wasn't over yet, she was closer to the breach now, and the pull was stronger, and she didn't have as firm a grip on the lever as she'd had on the clamp.

`Rose, hold on . . .! Hold on!' he shouted, reaching out for her, but she couldn't, she was horizontal now, and the pull was too strong. Her world had turned through ninety degrees and she was now dangling from the lever over the very gates of Hell itself.

When their eyes met, he saw that the fear in her eyes had gone, replaced with a calm sorrow and regret. She knew what would happen next, and she was okay with that, she'd had a good life, made all the better by meeting the Doctor.

She felt the last of her fingers lose the fight against the pull of the breach, and felt as though she were floating in mid air. She had no sensation of moving, and she could hear singing, a beautiful sound that she had heard somewhere before.

She started to see her life play out, not before her eyes, but in her minds eye. `Oh, that really happens then', she thought to herself in amusement, as she saw her childhood in the minutest detail. She saw her mum, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, old friends, all come to say goodbye one last time.

She saw her holidays on the beach in Tenby, with her red plastic bucket and spade in her hand. She saw birthdays, Christmases, her red bike (brilliant, she loved that bike), Mickey, Jimmy, Henrick's, all of it. The good times, the bad times, and the ugly ones.

And then her life had changed, she had met the Doctor. There was fun and laughter, adventures with lots of running, and the danger didn't seem to matter anymore, `it was just the bits in between' he had told her mum.

That made her think about her mum, and how she would never know whether she was alive or dead. Although she felt guilty about that, she hoped that she would have been proud that her daughter died saving the world.

She saw today, how it had started out so good, walking hand in hand with her love. Excited about seeing her mum, and maybe telling her about their romance, only to have events overtake them and escalate out of control.

As these images played out in her head, she could see him, swinging on the clamp, reaching out to her and screaming her name. `If only he'd shown me that much emotion when it mattered' she thought to herself sadly, maybe then we could have been lovers.

She realised she must be moving towards the breach, because he seemed so far away now. `Don't worry, my Love, my Doctor', she thought, `it'll be all right, don't cry . . . just remember me with a smile, eh?' She remembered a message from oh so long ago. `And if you want to remember me, then you can do one thing . . . that's all . . . one thing. Have a good life. Do that for me, Doctor. Have a fantastic life, but don't try and do it on your own, because something's are worth getting your heart broken for'.

`Thump!' She'd hit something, and it was holding her. It must be a Cyberman, this was it then, `please don't let it hurt', she pleaded to what ever wanted to pass itself off as a god.

Wait a minute; whatever was holding her was soft and warm.

What the hell?

She was saved! Oh thank you, she'd been rescued from the jaws of death and she'd be able to keep her promise to him, she would stay with him forever. She looked over her shoulder, and her heart sank when she saw the expression on his face. The pain, the anguish, the loss, she'd seen that look before, when he was all ears and attitude.

And then he was gone.

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Her face! She had turned at the last moment and looked at him, with a look of longing, of love, and realisation, that he had saved her, and he very nearly hadn't. He'd contemplated letting go of the Magnaclamp, and pushing off with his legs so that he could hurtle across the room to hold her in one last embrace before they fell into the Void, because he didn't want her to face that alone.

There were occasions before when he thought that she'd died, in van Statten's bunker, and again on Satellite Five, and on each occasion, he felt as though his world had ended. He didn't want to live with that feeling again, but then a stray, rogue thought flashed through his mind.

What if he could save her?

That thought set in motion a series of events that culminated in Pete Tyler appearing in the corner of the Lever Room, catching Rose, and taking her safely back to his universe.

It had been a Hobson's choice for him, they could both die together, or they could both live apart, either choice would break his hearts, but this was the lesser of two evils. The light faded, and the wall rippled for a few moments before becoming solid once more.

`Systems closed,' the electronic voice announced, just in case he hadn't noticed.

He let go of the Magnaclamp, walked down the room, and put his hand and his ear to the wall. Something tingled in his mind, it was Rose. He could feel her, in Pete's World; she was standing in the same place, their bodies occupying the same space. There was one last thing he could do for her, he sent her all the love in his hearts and soul, hoping that she could feel it and keep it with her, wherever she might end up.

His breath caught in his throat, she had felt it, he was certain of that, he'd felt her cries of anguish and despair, and it hurt him; it hurt like that day when Gallifrey burned.

The cracks between the universes were healing and the sensation started to fade.

She was gone!

Forever!

The irony of the situation wasn't lost on him, he had sent her away so that she would be safe with Jackie and Mickey, but she had made a fuss and moaned, and she'd come back. Typical! But he couldn't stay mad at her, because secretly, he had hoped that she would.

And now that she was with Jackie and Mickey, he wanted her back here with him. He put his hands in his pockets and slowly walked away, shoulders hunched, his feet heavy; reluctant to leave the last place where he had seen his Rose.

He wandered unhindered through corridors and stairwells, making his way back to the TARDIS. He could feel her calling him back to her present location in the main warehouse. The Touchwood staff were either wandering about in shock or they were dead, deleted by Cybermen or exterminated by Daleks.

The TARDIS was standing alone, a sentinel in the dimly lit warehouse. He lovingly touched the blue wooden panelling. A warm `hum' filled his mind as the TARDIS welcomed him back. He stepped inside and leaned back against the door, clicking it shut. His head rested against the door as he stared at the arched ceiling. The TARDIS song had changed to harmonics in a minor key.

It was a Gallifreyan lament for the dead, when the last regeneration had ended and the Time Lord or Lady had finally succumbed to time itself. The TARDIS and Rose were sisters, soul-sisters. Rose had once risked everything to look in to the heart of the TARDIS to save him, and the TARDIS had looked in to Rose. It had given her the power to save her Time Lord, while trying to protect her from the very same force that would kill her. And now she was lost, the TARDIS felt that loss as much as he did.

He felt tears burning his eyes and he looked down from the ceiling over to the console. What he saw next tipped him over the edge as he took a ragged breath and started to weep. Rose's blue hoodie was draped over the handrail. He remembered her leaving it there. She was always leaving her jackets over the handrail.

He slowly slid down the door and ended in a heap on the floor. Tears came freely now as his hearts broke and he cried. The song of the TARDIS changed as she joined him in weeping for their lost soul-mate. He thought about what Tennyson had written about his friend Arthur Hallam. `Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all'.

For a man who abhors violence, at this precise moment, he felt like travelling back to 1849 and punching him on the nose. If he hadn't dared to love Rose, he wouldn't be feeling as though both his hearts had been torn from his chest. Hundreds of years of running away from his past had dulled the pain of the loss of his wife. Rose had helped him come to terms with the loss of his family . . . his home, and now pain was back again, laughing at him for trying to forget.

He didn't know how long he had sat there, wallowing in his grief, but the TARDIS nudged his mind, encouraging him to save his pink and yellow girl. He stood and walked up the ramp to the console, looking at the display screen to select the best location for his plan to succeed.

He set the coordinates and started the time rotor. There was no doubt that he would land in the right place and at the right time, because the TARDIS wanted her `soul-sister' safe. And she didn't let him down; she landed in a basement communications hub, five minutes before they opened the breach.

Every muscle in his body was screaming for him to run to the top floor, grab Rose and bring her into the TARDIS and fly far away. But every Time Lord instinct was screaming that he couldn't. So he had to stick to his original plan. He went around to the view screen, and tapped into the Torchwood CCTV system, bringing up a view of the lever room where he could see himself and Rose preparing to open the Void.

He picked up the trim phone on the console and dialled Jackie's number. The TARDIS routed the call through the Void as it was opened with the levers.

`Hello?' Jackie said, puzzled at who could be calling her in a parallel universe.

`JACQUELINE, ANDREA, SUZETTE TYLER! FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE JUST SHUT UP AND HAND THE PHONE TO PETE!' the Doctor shouted down the phone. Jackie was so shocked, she was speechless. She handed the phone to Pete.

`Hello?' Pete said with a questioning voice.

`Pete, I don't have much time. That's a bit silly really when you have a time machine. Sorry, I'm rambling, I'm nervous. Switch the phone to speaker-phone.' Pete looked at the phone and found the speaker-phone button.

`OK, it's on speaker-phone,' he told the Doctor.

`Right! Rose is in danger!' He heard Jackie gasp. `I'm in the TARDIS and it's routing this call through the cracks in the universe. I've tapped into the surveillance cameras and I'm watching myself and Rose open the breach. Are you in the white room with the levers?' he asked them.

`Yes, I'm looking at the far wall now.' Pete replied.

`Good! Rose is at the lever to your right, hanging onto a magnaclamp. In a moment she will let go and re-lock the lever. I need you to hand the phone to Mickey and walk to the right hand corner of the room with one of those yellow buttons.' Pete handed over the phone and walked to the corner.

`OK, I'M HERE!' he shouted from the corner, putting one button around his neck and holding the other in his hand.

`Step forward about five paces and brace yourself. Rose is going to lose her grip and I need you to jump in, catch her, and jump out before she's pulled into the breach. You've only got a small amount of Void stuff on you, so you'll have some inertia before you feel the pull. Get ready, she's on the lever now, she's losing her grip.'

He relived the moment again, as he watched Rose lose her grip and fall towards the Void. `Three, two, one, JUMP!'

He heard the `whop' of the dimension button as Pete appeared and caught Rose; he saw her look back and froze the image on the screen. He zoomed in on her face, tears rolling down his cheeks, as his hand gently caressed the screen, tracing her face with his fingers, as if trying to brush that stray hair behind her ear, as he'd seen her do so many times before, and would never see her do again.

He kissed his fingers and placed them lovingly on her lips on the image.

`Bye Sweetheart,' he whispered.

The End