Big finale, guys! And it really is big - as in over 11,000 words big. Who knew I could get that much written on a 3+ hour train ride? :D

The Alchemist's fate is decided, and it's all up to the Children of Time to save the universe!

Enjoy "Journey's End!"

***

Abruptly, the Doctor turned slightly, and Rose's eyes widened as his regeneration energy flew towards a jar by the edge of the console. The energy was redirected at once, and when the energy was gone, the Doctor stumbled away . . . looking exactly the same. "Now, then," he caught his breath, making the Alchemist look up, stunned. "Where were we?"

Jack's jaw dropped.

***

"Exterminate! Exterminate!"

Sarah Jane shielded her eyes at once, when she heard two warping noises, then two huge blasts. The Daleks exploded, and Sarah Jane looked left and right to figure out who had just saved her. One – a older blonde woman in a jean jacket – was unfamiliar. The black man on her other side, however, was quite familiar, and someone she knew the Alchemist would be very happy to see. "Mickey?" she gasped in astonishment, opening her car door.

"Us Smiths got to stick together!" he grinned, helping her out.

"Jackie Tyler, Rose's mum," the blonde introduced herself. "Now where the hell is my daughter?"

***

When Gwen and Tosh emptied their entire clips, it was then they realized that the Dalek hadn't shot back . . . and their bullets were hanging in midair. Gwen blinked, walking forward, poking one of them. Her finger stopped, and the air rippled around the tip. "What the hell?"

***

"There, now," the Doctor crouched by the glowing jar, blowing gently on it, stopping the glowing. "You see?" he looked up at the six still staring at him. "Used the regeneration energy to heal myself, but as soon as I was done, I didn't need to change. I didn't want to. Why would I? Look at me! So, to stop the energy going all the way, I siphoned off the rest into a handy bio-matching receptacle. Namely, my hand. My hand there. My handy spare hand. Remember? Christmas Day, Sycorax, lost my hand in a sword fight? That's my hand. What do you think?"

The Alchemist slowly stepped forward, looking him up and down. "You're still you?" she rasped.

The Doctor cupped her face in his hands. "I wasn't going to change my face if when you . . . " He cleared his throat. "I wasn't going to let my face be a stranger's for that."

The Alchemist choked out a sob and flung herself at him, the Doctor holding her closely as she buried her face in his chest. Rose grinned brightly at the Doctor, who held out an arm to her, and she joined in. Owen smiled slightly and held up his mobile to take a picture, and Donna turned to Jack. "You can hug me, if you want," she offered. When Jack considered her, she nodded to-wards the Time Lords. "No, really. You can hug me."

Jack chuckled and hugged her, too. "Good to see you, Donna."

"And you."

***

"It's the Time Lock I was working on," Tosh identified, checking her computer. "Our ultimate defense program. I didn't realize I'd actually finished it. The Hub's sealed in a time bubble. Nothing can get in."

"But that means we can't get out," Gwen frowned.

"Not without unlocking that Dalek," Tosh nodded. "We're trapped inside. It's all up to the boys now."

***

"Rosie!" Rose perked up and ducked out of the hug, walking over to Jack's side, who was grinning. "Any chance you met our brother in your parallel world?"

"I recognized the name," Rose smiled at Owen. "I never met you, though. I mainly worked for my father at Torchwood. We were still based at Canary Wharf. You were still in Cardiff."

"Nice to finally put a face to the girl Alex based her face off of," Owen held out a hand. "Owen Harper."

"Rose Tyler," she responded, bypassing the handshake and giving him a hug instead, which he reciprocated after a moment.

"Quite a family reunion," Ianto remarked.

"Yeah, well," Rose lost her grin quickly. "I didn't expect my sister to be dying when I arrived."

"Yeah," Jack cleared his throat. "We didn't expect her to die this quickly."

"I'm not dead yet, guys," the Alchemist mumbled as she turned around.

The power abruptly shut off, making everyone look up. "What's that?" Owen asked cautiously.

"They've got us," the Doctor checked one of his monitors, seeing it off. "Power's gone. Some kind of . . . chronon loop."

The TARDIS tilted, and the Alchemist lost her balance, and would have gone crashing to the floor had the two closest to her, the Doctor and Ianto, not caught her when they did.

***

"Transferring TARDIS to the Crucible," one of the four Daleks surrounding the TARDIS announced as it went up in an energy beam.

Sarah Jane, Mickey, and Jackie peered around an abandoned van, watching, then Sarah Jane turned to Mickey. "Those teleport things, can we use them? If they've taken the Doctor and the Alchemist to the Dalek spaceship, then that's where we need to be."

"It's not just a teleport, it's a dimension jump," Mickey held his yellow button up. "Man, this thing rips a hole in the fabric of space."

"But can we use it?"

"Not yet. It burns up energy. Needs half an hour between jumps."

Sarah Jane nodded. "Then put down your guns."

"Do what?"

"If you're carrying a gun, they'll shoot you dead." Sarah Jane stood up and stepped out into the street, hands up. "Daleks, I surrender!"

The Daleks turned to her. "All humans in this sector will be taken to the Crucible."

"She's bloody mad!" Mickey stared.

"Yeah, but Mickey, if they've got the Doctor and the Alchemist, then they've got Rose," Jackie told him. She lowered her gun and walked out as well. "And us," she held up her hands. "We surrender."

Mickey kissed his gun, then put it down and followed out, his hands raised.

***

"Now Jack's explained the base code, I know how this teleport works," Martha told Francine, putting the backpack on. "I think. But you just stay indoors. There's no Daleks on this street. You should be all right. Just, er . . . keep quiet."

"But where are you going?" Francine frowned.

"I'm a member of UNIT, and they gave me the Osterhagen Key. I've got to do my job. I'm sorry."

"Martha, what's an Osterhagen Key?" Francine frowned. "Tell me, what does it do?"

Martha just swallowed and shook her head. "Love you," she said, pulling the ripcords.

She appeared in a wooded area, Daleks screaming in German not far away. "Exterminieren! Ex-terminieren!"

"Halt! Sonst warden wir Sie exterminieren! Sie sind jetzt ein Gefangener der Daleks!"

"Exterminieren!" the call continued as Martha made her way through the woods. "Exterminie-ren!"

***

"There's a massive Dalek ship at the center of the planets," Jack explained. "They're calling it the Crucible. Guess that's our destination."

"You said these planets were like an engine," Donna told the Doctor. "But what for?"

"Rose, you've been in a parallel world," the Doctor turned to her. "That world's running ahead of this universe. You've seen the future. What was it?"

"It's the darkness," Rose said simply.

"The stars were going out," Donna recalled.

"One by one," Rose nodded. "We looked up at the sky, and they were just dying. Basically, we've been building this, er . . . this travel machine, this . . . this, er . . . dimension cannon, so I could . . . well, so I could . . . "

"What?" the Alchemist asked quietly.

"So I could come back," Rose blushed, only for the Alchemist to smile and hold out her arms. Beaming, Rose hugged her again, the two sisters keeping their arms around each other as Rose continued to explain. "Anyway, suddenly, it started to work, and the dimensions started to col-lapse. Not just in our world, not just in yours, but the whole of reality. Even the Void was dead. Something is destroying everything."

"In that parallel world, you said something about me," Donna frowned.

"The dimension cannon could measure timelines," Rose nodded. "And it's . . . it's weird, Donna, but they all seemed to converge on you."

"But why me?" Donna asked in confusion. "I mean, what have I ever done? I'm a temp from Chiswick."

The scanner beeped, and the Doctor swallowed. "The Dalek Crucible. All aboard."

"Doctor!" a deep Dalek voice called. "You will step forth or die!"

"We'll have to go out," the Alchemist took a deep breath. "Because if we don't, they'll get in."

"You told me nothing could get through those doors!" Rose stared at the Doctor.

"You've got extrapolator shielding!" Jack agreed.

"Last time we fought the Daleks, they were scavengers and hybrids and mad," the Doctor explained. "But this is a fully-fledged Dalek Empire at the height of its power. Experts at fighting TARDISes, they can do anything. Right now, that wooden door is just wood."

"You had to get here some way, right?" Owen turned to Rose. "What about that?"

"My dimension jump?" Rose held up her button. "It needs another twenty minutes. And anyway, I'm not leaving."

"What about your teleport?" the Doctor asked Jack.

He double checked it and shook his head. "Went down with the power loss."

The Doctor sighed. "Right, then. All of us, together. Yeah." He paused. "Donna?" He waved a hand in front of her face when she didn't respond. "Donna?"

She started. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry. There's nothing else we can do."

"No, I know."

"Surrender, Doctor, and face your Dalek masters!" the Dalek voice shouted again.

"Daleks," Rose swallowed.

"Oh, God," Jack grinned weakly.

"It's been good, though, hasn't it?" the Doctor looked around. "All of us, all of it. Everything we did. You were brilliant," he smiled at Ianto, who nodded. "You were brilliant," he addressed Owen, who gave a small smile. "You were brilliant," he hugged Donna around her shoulders. "You were brilliant," he told Jack, who gave a small salute. "You were brilliant," he told Rose, who smiled through tears. "And don't get me started on you," the Doctor looked at the Alchemist, swallowing.

She smiled up at him, kissing him. "And so are you."

The Doctor blew out a breath. "Blimey," he groaned, heading for the doors.

The Alchemist intended to walk out with Rose and Owen, the Doctor and Jack already mostly out, but she paused when she saw Donna lagging. "Donna?" she asked, walking over to see her looking around the TARDIS in confusion. "You coming?"

***

"Daleks reign supreme!" a large red Dalek was calling as the Doctor, Jack, Owen, Rose, and Ian-to stepped out of the TARDIS to find themselves completely surrounded by Daleks. "All hail the Daleks!"

"Daleks reign supreme!" the Daleks chanted back. "All hail the Daleks! Daleks reign supreme! All hail the Daleks!"

"Behold, Doctor," the red Dalek stated. "Behold the might of the true Dalek race."

"Alice! Donna!" the Doctor called back. "You're no safer in there!"

***

"Come on," the Alchemist took Donna's elbow. "Let's get out there."

"Right," Donna nodded, turning with her. "Let's go."

The Alchemist smiled, leading her to the door –

Which abruptly slammed shut in her face.

***

"What?" the Doctor spun around, hearing the slam.

***

"Doctor!" the Alchemist screamed, banging on the door, trying to get it to unlock. "Doctor!"

"Doctor, what have you done?" Donna yelled, banging on it as well.

"It wasn't me!" the Doctor yelled back. "I didn't do anything!"

"Let us out!" the Alchemist cried, tears in her eyes. "Come on, let us out!"

"Oi!" Donna tried the handle. "Oi, we're not staying behind!"

***

"What did you do?" the Doctor spun around to face the red Dalek as Jack, Owen, and Rose tried to open the door from their end.

"This is not of Dalek origin," the red Dalek answered.

"Doctor, please!" the Alchemist sobbed.

"Stop it!" the Doctor yelled. "She's my Bonded! My Bonded and my sister! Now open the door and let them out!"

"This is Time Lord treachery," the red Dalek said.

"Me? The door just closed on its own!"

"Nevertheless, the TARDIS is a weapon, and it will be destroyed."

Rose screamed as the TARDIS suddenly fell through a trapdoor in the ground, plummeting it into the heart of the ship. "What are you doing?" the Doctor's eyes widened as Jack and Owen spun around to glare at the red Dalek. "Bring it back!"

***

The Alchemist screamed as she was flung back and away from the door, the TARDIS falling. "Doctor!" Donna shouted as they fell back into the console.

***

"What have you done?" the Doctor's eyes widened. "Where's it going?"

"The Crucible has a heart of Z-neutrino energy. The TARDIS will be deposited into the core."

"You can't!" the Doctor turned to look, eyes wide. "You've taken the defenses down! It'll be torn apart!"

"But Ali and Donna are still in there!" Rose's eyes widened.

"Let them go!" Jack yelled as Ianto checked over the edge of the trapdoor.

"You let our sisters go!" Owen shouted at the same time.

"The females and the TARDIS will perish together," the Dalek said. "Observe. The last child of Gallifrey is powerless."

"Please, I'm begging you, I'll do anything!" the Doctor swallowed as one of the viewscreens showed the TARDIS landing in the core. "Put me in their places. You can do anything to me, I don't care, just get them out of there!"

***

The Alchemist flinched as fires started all around her, then heard Donna crawling past her. She wearily raised her head to see her suddenly stumble, her hand reaching for the jar with the Doc-tor's hand. "No!" she screamed, reaching out her hand to try and stop her.

Donna's hand landed on the jar, the regeneration energy starting to flow around her. Swallowing, the Alchemist concentrated, sending out the last energy she had, the last of the Vortex she could manage to use. She was going to die, she had acknowledged that long ago.

But if she could save Donna, save the Doctor's sister . . . she was happy with that being the way she would go.

The Vortex swirled around Donna's hand and the jar, making it shudder before it shattered, energy making Donna fall, and the Alchemist slumped to the ground, not having anything left in her to move.

***

"You are connected to the TARDIS, and to your Bonded inside," the Dalek told the Doctor, the four humans forming a protective line behind him. "Now feel them die."

***

Donna watched in surprise as the Doctor's hand twitched on the floor, then gold energy rushed out of it, forming the shape of a body . . . and a duplicate of her brother shot up with a gasp. "It's you!" Donna's eyes widened.

"Oh, yes!" he nodded.

Donna blinked, then concentrated on his face. "You're naked!"

"Oh, yes," he nodded again.

***

"Total TARDIS destruction in ten rels," the Dalek counted off as Rose stepped forward to take the Doctor's hand, Jack stepping forward to place a hand on his shoulder. "Nine, eight, seven, six – "

***

The Alchemist's eyes slid shut as Donna watched the duplicate Doctor press a button on the console.

***

"Five, four, three, two – "

***

The TARDIS jerked suddenly, sending Donna and the duplicate Doctor to the ground, the Alchemist flying back against the railing. She hit it with a sickening thud, then collapsed on the ground.

She didn't move again.

***

"One."

Rose closed her eyes as the TARDIS vanished –

And the Doctor screamed.

She opened her eyes and sprang forward as he fell forward, collapsing. "Doctor!" she shouted, Owen and Ianto running to help, Jack and Rose struggling to support him between the two of them. "Doctor, we've got you!"

"Alice," the Doctor choked out, squeezing Rose's hand hard. "Rose, Jack, Owen . . . it's Alice."

"No," Jack's voice cracked as he looked up at the screen.

***

Donna's head flew up, immediately landing on the Alchemist as the duplicate Doctor returned from wherever, this time in a different set of clothes. She scrambled over, only to gasp when she saw the odd angle the Alchemist's neck was set at. She swallowed and checked for a pulse, then looked up at the duplicate Doctor. "She's dead."

***

"Before the TARDIS vanished," the Doctor swallowed. "She was dead before it was destroyed."

"Oh, my God," Ianto stared in horror at the screen.

"Those monsters," Owen growled, staring up at the red Dalek in hatred.

"The TARDIS has been destroyed," the red Dalek announced as the Doctor clung to Rose and Jack, the two humans huddling closer to him. "Now tell me, Doctor. What do you feel? Anger? Sorrow? Despair?"

None of that came close to devastation. "Yeah," the Doctor croaked.

"Then if emotions are so important, surely we have enhanced you?"

Owen snarled, but Jack was the one who shot up. "Yeah? Feel this!"

He shot the Dalek with a revolver, but it did absolutely nothing. "Exterminate!" the red Dalek announced, shooting Jack dead.

"Jack!" Rose lurched forward, Owen and Ianto's eyes widening. "Oh, my God! Oh, no!"

"Rose, come here," the Doctor said quietly. "Leave him."

"They killed him!" Rose looked up, eyes wide.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Escort them to the Vault," the red Dalek ordered.

"There's nothing we can do," the Doctor glared up at the Daleks as he, Rose, Owen, and Ianto were shepherded away.

"They are the playthings of Davros now."

Owen watched Jack blink awake, and he shook his head. "Bloody bastard," he muttered to Ianto.

Ianto just shook his head. "What the hell do we do now?"

***

"All repaired," the duplicate Doctor said as he finished cleaning off the roundels on the wall, Donna still crouching by the Alchemist's side, tears in her eyes. "Lovely. Shush!" he added when Donna glared at him. "No one knows we're here. Got to keep quiet. Silent running, like on submarines when you can't even drop a spanner. Don't drop a spanner! I like blue," he examined his suit. "What do you think?"

"You are bonkers," Donna hissed.

"Why?" he blinked. "What's wrong with blue?"

"My brother's Bonded just died, and you're prattling on about liking blue?" Donna shrieked. The duplicate at least had the grace to look a little bit ashamed about that. "And is that what Time Lords do? Lop a bit off, grow another one? Like worms?"

"No, no, no, no, no, I'm unique," the duplicate Doctor shook his head, walking over to check on the Alchemist himself. It looked . . . wrong to see her so absolutely still, not to mention the bones broken in her neck. "Never been another like me. Because all that regeneration energy went into the hand. Look at my hand!" he held it up. "I love that hand. But then you touched it. Wham! Shush," he warned when Donna jumped, startled. "Instantaneous biological metacrisis. I grew out of you. Still, could be worse."

"Oi!" Donna stared at him. "Watch it, Spaceman!"

"Oi, watch it, Earth girl!" the duplicate Doctor countered, then blinked. "Ooo. I sound like you. I sound all . . . all sort of rough."

"Oi!"

"Oi!"

"Oi!"

"Spanners!" the Metacrisis Doctor held a finger to his mouth, stopping her short. "Shush. I must have picked up a bit of your voice, that's all. Is it? Did I?" He did a check of his body, then his eyes widened. "No! Oh, you are kidding me! No way! One heart! I've only got one heart! This body has got only one heart!"

"What?" Donna blinked. "Like you're human?"

"Oh, that's disgusting," he wrinkled his nose.

"Oi!" Donna protested.

"Oi!"

"Stop it!"

"No, wait," the Metacrisis Doctor held up a hand. "I'm part Time Lord, part human. Well, isn't that wizard?"

"I kept hearing that noise, that heartbeat," Donna told him.

"Oh, that was me. My single heart. Because I'm a complicated event in time and space. Must have rippled back, converging on you."

"But why me?"

"Because you're special."

"Oh, I keep telling you, I'm not!" she growled.

"No, but you are," the Metacrisis Doctor insisted. "Oh . . . you really don't believe that, do you? I can see, Donna, what you're thinking. All that attitude, all that lip. Because all this time, you think you're not worth it."

"Stop it," Donna grumbled.

"Shouting at the world because no one's listening. Well, why should they?"

"Doctor, stop it!"

"But look at what you did!" the Metacrisis Doctor insisted. "No, it's more than that. It's like we were always heading for this. You came to the TARDIS and you found me again. Your granddad, your car. Donna, your car! You parked your car right where the TARDIS was going to land. That's not coincidence at all! We've been blind! Something's been drawing us together for such a long time."

"But you're talking like destiny," Donna frowned. "There's no such thing . . . is there?"

"It's still not finished," the duplicate Doctor frowned as Donna reluctantly left the Alchemist to join him by the console. "It's like the pattern's not complete. The strands are still drawing together. But heading for what?"

***

Martha walked up to the building she was supposed to enter, then knocked. A German woman opened the door and stared at her. "Hier ist niemand. Was immer Sie wollen, gehen Sie fort. Lassen Sie mich in Ruhe!"

"Ich heisse Martha Jones," she answered. "Ich komme von UNIT. Agentin fuenf sechs sechs sieben eins, von der medizinishen Abteilung."

"Es hiess Sie kaemen vorbei," the woman answered, letting her in. "That accent. That is London, ja? I went to London, long time ago."

"I thought this place was supposed to be guarded," Martha frowned as she walked through the building.

"They were soldiers. Boys. I brought them food every day. But when der Albtraum came from the sky, they went home to die. But not you."

"I've got a job to do," Martha said as she entered a code into a keypad, followed by letting it scan her handprint.

"London," the woman said. "In those days, to see it. So much glamor. I was so young. I heart the soldiers talking many times. They would speak of the Osterhagen Key. I think London must be changed now, yes? But still, the glamor." Martha turned to see the woman aim a gun at her. "You will not go."

"I've got no choice," Martha answered as the door behind her opened.

"I know the Key, what it does. Sie sind der Albtraum, nicht die anderen, Sie! Ich sollte Sie umbringen, am besten gleich jetzt!"

"Then do it," Martha said simply.

After a long pause, the woman lowered the gun, and Martha stepped into the lift. "Martha, Zur Hoelle mit Dir!"

"I know," Martha smiled sadly as the lift closed.

The lift descended into a small room with high technology inside. Martha sat down in the chair inside and pressed a broadcast button. "This is Osterhagen Station One," she said. "My name is Martha Jones. Is anyone there? Over."

***

"Prisoners now onboard the Crucible," a Dalek announced. "They will be taken for testing."

"One step closer to the Time Lords," Sarah Jane mumbled to Mickey and Jackie as they were led along with the others.

***

"Activate the holding cells!"

Beams of light surrounded the Doctor, Rose, Owen, and Ianto individually as Davros rolled into view. "Excellent," he grinned. "Even when powerless, a Time Lord is best contained."

"Still scared of me, then?" the Doctor asked bitterly, poking at the spotlight.

Ianto tried as well, but the light was solid. None of them would be able to escape. "It is time we talked, Doctor, after so very long," Davros answered.

"No, no, no, no, no, we're not doing the nostalgia tour," the Doctor growled. "I want to know what's happening right here, right now. Because the Supreme Dalek said Vault, yeah? As in dungeon. Cellar. Prison. You're not in charge of the Daleks, are you? They've got you locked away down here in the basement like, what, a servant? Slave? Court jester?"

"We have an arrangement," Davros stated.

"No, no, no, no, no," the Doctor grinned. "No, I've got the word. You're the Daleks' pet!"

"So very full of fire, is he not?" Davros asked, turning to Rose. "And to think you crossed entire universes, striding parallel to parallel to find him again."

"Leave her alone," the Doctor shook his head. "Them, too."

"They are mine to do as I please," Davros stated.

"Then why are we still alive?" Ianto asked.

"You must be here," Davros answered. "It was foretold. Even the Supreme Dalek would not dare to contradict the prophecies of Dalek Caan."

"So cold and dark," a spotlight hit the mad Dalek. "Fire is coming. The endless flames!"

"What is that thing?" Rose wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"You've met before," the Doctor answered. "The last of the Cult of Skaro. But it flew into the Time War, unprotected."

"Caan did more than that," Davros said. "He saw time, its infinite complexity and majesty, raging through his mind . . . and he saw you. All four of you."

"This I have foreseen, in the wild and the wind," Caan giggled. "The Doctor will be here as witness, at the end of everything. The Doctor and the Alchemist and their precious Children of Time. And one of them will die."

Rose narrowed her eyes, and Owen growled low in his throat. It was nothing compared to the Doctor's angry snarl. "Was it you, Caan? Did you kill Alice and Donna? Why did the TARDIS door close? Tell me!"

"Oh, that's it!" Davros laughed. "The anger, the fire, the rage of a Time Lord who butchered millions. There he is! Why so shy? Show your companions. Show them your true self. Dalek Caan has promised me that, too."

"I have seen," Caan giggled. "At the time of ending, the Doctor's soul will be revealed."

"What does that mean?" the Doctor scowled.

"We will discover it together," Davros said. "Our final journey, because the ending approaches. The testing begins."

"Testing of what?" Owen frowned.

"The reality bomb!" Davros grinned.

***

"Prisoners will stand in the designated area," one Dalek said. "Move! Move!" One woman fell to the ground with a small cry, and the Dalek turned to her. "You will stand!"

"I can't," she woman shook her head.

"You will stand!"

"I can't! Please!"

Sarah Jane turned to see a door nearby, and she pushed her way towards it, pulling out her sonic lipstick. She opened it quietly, then turned. "Mickey!" she hissed. "Mickey!"

"Jackie!" Mickey whispered as he headed towards Sarah Jane.

"Prisoners will stand in the designated area," the Dalek said as Jackie crouched to check on the woman.

"We can't just leave her!" Mickey protested as Sarah Jane closed the door in front of him.

"No, Mickey," Sarah Jane blocked him when he tried to get back in. "Wait!"

A Dalek glided in front, and Mickey quickly ducked down with Sarah Jane. "What does it mean?" the woman asked Jackie quietly. "What are they testing? What are they going to do?"

Jackie looked up. "I reckon it's that thing there," she answered, nodding at the big green glowing circle above their heads.

***

"Testing calibration of reality bomb. Firing in ten rels. Nine, eight, seven – "

"Behold," Davros grinned, turning on a screen showing the prisoners. "The apotheosis of my genius."

"Four, three, two, one, zero. Activate planetary alignment field."

***

"It's the planets," the Metacrisis Doctor blinked, he and Donna watching on screen as the planets started to glow. "The twenty-seven planets."

"That's Z-neutrino energy, flattened by the alignment of the planets into a single string," the Doctor frowned, then his eyes widened. "No, Davros! Davros, you can't! You can't! No!"

***

"Single string Z-neutrinos compressed," the Metacrisis Doctor frowned, then his jaw dropped. "No way!"

***

Something beeped in Mickey's pocket, and he pulled out his hopper. "Thirty minutes," he realized. "It's recharged!" He waved to get Jackie's attention, pointing at his hopper. "It's recharged! It's recharged! Use it!"

Jackie pulled out her own hopper. "I'm sorry," she apologized to the woman, activating it and reappearing by the two as the green light intensified, and all three watched the prisoners dissolve into atoms.

"Test completed," one of the Daleks said.

***

"What was it?" Donna asked nervously, seeing the Metacrisis Doctor in total shock. "Doctor, what did it do?"

***

"Doctor, what just happened?" Owen asked in horror.

"Electrical energy, Dr. Harper," Davros answered. "Every atom in existence is bound by an electrical field. The reality bomb cancels it out. Structure falls apart. That test was focused on the prisoners alone. Full transmission will dissolve every form of matter."

"The stars are going out," Rose whispered, color draining from her face.

"The twenty-seven planets," the Doctor nodded. "They become one vast transmitter blasting that wavelength."

"Across the entire universe," Davros grinned. "Never stopping, never faltering, never fading. People and planets and stars will become dust, and the dust will become atoms, and the atoms will become nothing. And the wavelength will continue, breaking through the Rift at the heart of the Medusa Cascade into every dimension, every parallel, every single corner of creation. This is my ultimate victory, Doctor! The destruction of reality itself!"

***

A crashing noise behind them made Sarah Jane, Mickey, and Jackie spin around, only for a panel to slide open and for a man in a greatcoat to roll out. "Just my luck!" Jack sprang to his feet. "I climb through two miles of ventilation shafts, chasing life signs on this thing!" – he pointed to his vortex manipulator – "And who do I find? Mickey Mouse!"

"You can talk, Captain Cheesecake!" Mickey retorted.

Jack just laughed, Mickey joining in, the two of them hugging. "Good to see you!" Jack grinned. "And that's Beefcake."

"And that's enough hugging," Mickey backed off. "Got to save one for my Pilot, eh?" He abruptly paused when Jack froze in place. "Jack?"

"Mickey," Sarah Jane said quietly. "The Alchemist is nearly dead."

"She is dead," Jack swallowed. "We watched the TARDIS be destroyed. The Doctor felt her die."

"What?" Jackie's eyes widened as Mickey blanched.

"The Alchemist is dead," Jack nodded miserably. "And Donna. Both of them, gone."

"Oh, my God," Sarah Jane put a hand over her mouth.

Mickey swallowed, then lifted his head high. "Then I guess we need to destroy this lot. For them."

Jack smiled at how far Mickey had come. "For them," he agreed, then straightened to attention as he faced Sarah Jane. "We meet at last, Miss Smith."

"There is something we can do," Sarah Jane told him. "You've got to understand, I have a son down there on Earth. He's only fourteen years old. I've brought this." She took off her necklace, holding it up to reveal a sparkling gem at the end of the chain. "It was given to me by a Verron Soothsayer. He said this is for the End of Days."

Jack's eyes bugged open. "Is that a Warp Star?"

"Going to tell me what a Warp Star is?" Mickey asked.

"A warpfold conjugation trapped in a carbonized shell," Jack answered, taking the chain carefully. "It's an explosion, Mickey. An explosion waiting to happen."

***

"This is Osterhagen Station Five," a Chinese woman said as her part of the screen activated. "Are you receiving, Station One?"

"I've got you," Martha nodded. "That makes three of us, and three is all we need."

"My name is Anna Zhou. What's yours?"

"Martha Jones. What about you, Station Four? You never said."

"I don't want my name on this, given what we're about to do," the Liberian man on the screen scowled.

"So what happens now?" Anna asked. "Do we do it?"

"No," Martha shook her head. "Not yet."

"UNIT instructions say once three Osterhagen Stations are online – " Anna began.

"Yeah, but I've got a higher authority, way above UNIT," Martha interrupted. "And there's one more thing the Time Lords would do."

***

"So what is this thing?" Donna asked, watching the Metacrisis Doctor building a gizmo.

"It's our only hope," he answered. "A Z-neutrino biological inversion catalyzer."

"Yeah . . . Earth girl, remember?"

"Davros said he built those Daleks out of himself. His genetic code runs through the entire race. If I can use this to lock the Crucible's transmission onto Davros himself – "

"It destroys the Daleks?" Donna asked hopefully.

"Biggest backfire in history," the Metacrisis Doctor grinned.

***

A large screen suddenly came to life in the Vault, and the Doctor straightened when Martha appeared. "This message is for the Dalek Crucible. Repeat, can you hear me?"

"Put me through!" the Doctor called.

"It begins as Dalek Caan foretold," Davros grinned.

"The Children of Time will gather, and one of them will die," Caan giggled.

"Stop saying that," the Doctor snapped. "Put me through!"

"Doctor!" Martha called. "I'm sorry. I had to."

"Oh, but the Doctor is powerless," Davros rolled up. "My prisoner. State your intent."

"I've got the Osterhagen Key," she held up a computer chip. "Leave this planet and its people alone, or I'll use it."

"Osterhagen what?" the Doctor frowned. "What's an Osterhagen Key?"

"There's a chain of twenty-five nuclear warheads placed in strategic points beneath the Earth's crust," Martha revealed. "If I use the key, they detonate and the Earth gets ripped apart."

"What?" the Doctor yelped, eyes wide. "Who invented that? Well . . . someone called Osterhagen, I suppose. Martha, are you insane?!"

"The Osterhagen Key is to be used if the suffering of the human race is so great, so without hope, that this becomes the final option," Martha answered.

"That's never an option!"

"Don't argue with me, Doctor, because it's more than that! Now I reckon the Daleks need these twenty-seven planets for something. But what if it becomes twenty-six? What happens then, Daleks? Would you risk it?"

"She's good," Rose tilted her head.

Martha blinked. "Who's that?"

"My name's Rose," she answered. "Rose Tyler."

"Oh, my God!" Martha's eyes widened. "They found you!"

The screen split in two, revealing another transmission. "Captain Jack Harkness, calling all Dalek boys and girls," he announced as he appeared with Sarah Jane, Mickey, and Jackie behind him. "Are you receiving me? Don't send in your goons, or I'll set this thing off."

"He's still alive!" Rose's jaw dropped as Owen whooped, Ianto grinning wide, the Doctor's eyes locked on the gem with wires attached to it that Jack held. "Oh, my God! That – that's my mum!"

"And Mickey," the Doctor nodded. "Captain, what are you doing?!"

"I've got a Warp Star wired into the mainframe," Jack answered. "I break this shell, the entire Crucible goes up."

"You can't!" the Doctor stared at him. "Where did you get a Warp Star?"

"From me," Sarah Jane stepped forward. "We had no choice. We saw what happened to the prisoners."

"Impossible," Davros frowned. "That face . . . after all these years . . . "

"Davros," Sarah Jane lifted her head. "It's been quite a while. Sarah Jane Smith, remember?"

"Oh, this is meant to be!" Davros cackled. "The circle of time is closing. You were there on Skaro at the very beginning of my creation."

"And I've learned how to fight since then," Sarah Jane countered. "You let the Doctor go, or this Warp Star, it gets opened."

"I'll do it!" Jack threatened. "Don't imagine I wouldn't."

"Now that's what I call a ransom," Owen remarked.

"Doctor?" Ianto asked quietly, noting the man looking down, not saying a word.

"And the prophecy unfolds," Davros cackled.

"The Doctor's soul is revealed," Caan said. "See him. See the heart of him!"

"The man who abhors violence, never carrying a gun," Davros nodded. "But this is the truth, Doctor. You take ordinary people, and you fashion them into weapons. Behold your Children of Time, transformed into murderers. I made the Daleks, Doctor. You made this."

"They're trying to help," the Doctor shook his head.

"Already I have seen them sacrifice today for their beloved Doctor and Alchemist. The Earth woman who fell opening the Subwave Network."

"Who was that?" the Doctor frowned.

"Harriet Jones," Rose answered. "She gave her life to get you here."

"How many more?" Davros grinned. "Just think. How many have died in your name?" The Doc-tor shut his eyes, images of past companions and friends hurting and bleeding and dying for him rushing by, the Alchemist and Donna's images making him swallow. "The Doctor. The man who keeps running, never looking back because he dare not, out of shame. This is my final victory, Doctor. I have shown you yourself."

"It's the Crucible or the Earth," Martha warned.

"Transmat engaged!" a Dalek voice called

"No!" Martha shrieked, a teleport whisking her away, the Osterhagen Key falling from her hand.

Jack dropped the Warp Star as the same thing happened to him, Sarah Jane, Mickey, and Jackie. The five of them collapsed on the ground just behind the quartet. "I've got you," Jack went over to Martha, helping her stand. "It's all right."

"Don't move, all of you!" the Doctor warned, holding out his hand, stopped by the spotlight. "Stay still!"

"Guard them!" Davros ordered, Daleks coming from everywhere. "On your knees, all of you! Surrender!"

"Do as he says!" the Doctor ordered.

"Mum, I told you not to!" Rose hissed.

"Yeah, but I couldn't leave you," Jackie shook her head.

"The final prophecy is in place," Davros grinned. "The Doctor and his children, all gathered as witnesses. Supreme Dalek, the time has come. Now, detonate the reality bomb!"

"Activate planetary alignment field," the Supreme Dalek's voice echoed. "Universal reality detonation in two hundred rels."

"You can't, Davros!" the Doctor shouted. "Just listen to me! Just stop!"

"Ahahaha!" Davros cackled. "Nothing can stop the detonation! Nothing and no one!"

***

"Ready?" the Metacrisis Doctor asked Donna, who nodded as he hefted the gizmo. "Maximum power!"

***

The Doctor's jaw dropped when the TARDIS materialized in the center of the Vault. "But that's – "

"Impossible!" Davros stared.

What was even more surprising was when the Metacrisis Doctor appeared in the doorway. "Brilliant!" Jack grinned.

"Don't!" the Doctor warned when the Metacrisis Doctor ran towards them, but Davros aimed a finger.

A bolt of electricity shocked the Metacrisis Doctor, making him collapse, the gizmo falling across the floor. "Activate holding cell!" Davros ordered.

***

Donna bent down over the Alchemist, swallowing. "I'll try to save him," she promised. "For you, I can try."

She kissed the top of the Alchemist's head, then ran for the door . . . not seeing the TARDIS con-sole crack open, slithers of gold energy billowing like fog over the controls towards the floor . . .

***

Donna ran out of the TARDIS and scooped up the gizmo. "Doctor!" she looked up. "I've got it, but I don't know what to do!"

Davros zapped Donna, and the ginger flew back with a yelp, the gizmo falling once again to the floor. "Donna!" the Doctor shouted. "Donna! Are you all right, Donna?"

"Destroy the weapon!" Davros ordered, then curled his lip at the Doctor when one of the Daleks fired. "I was wrong about your warriors, Doctor. They are pathetic."

"How come there are two of you?" Rose asked in confusion, looking between the two.

"Human biological metacrisis," the Doctor answered. "Never mind that. Now we've got no way of stopping the reality bomb."

"Detonation in twenty rels," the Supreme Dalek's voice echoed. "Nineteen – "

***

The Supreme Dalek continued counting down as the Vortex wrapped around the Alchemist's body, seeping into her skin, the bones in her neck mending . . . and her eyes snapped open, more alert than ever, the brown being overtaken by pure gold . . .

***

"Stand witness, Time Lord," Davros grinned. "Stand witness, humans. Your strategies have failed, your weapons are useless, and – oh, the end of the universe has come!"

"Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one – "

An eruption of gold energy flew from the TARDIS, sending the Daleks into walls, sending Davros into a spin, making the prisoners collapse against their spotlight prisons, and making alarms wail left and right. "Pathetic?" a voice rang out, and the Doctor instantly shot to his feet, Rose gasping as the Alchemist strode out of the TARDIS, not a single fault in her step, the Vortex billowing about her like a protective shield. "You're calling me, of all people, pathetic?" She chuckled darkly. "That's cute."

"Alice?" the Doctor asked, stunned, as Jack laughed in pure relief, Ianto's jaw dropping.

"Donna?" the Alchemist turned. "Close all Z-neutrino relay loops. Use an internalized synchronous back-feed reversal loop."

"This button here?" Donna asked, pointing and pressing.

The Alchemist smirked when more alarms went off. "Like I said, Davros. Cute. Real cute."

"What?" Owen stared at her in complete surprise. But – but the Doctor had felt her die! How was his little sister still alive? Not that he was complaining, of course he wasn't going to, but – how?

"Donna, you can't even change a plug!" the Doctor sputtered.

"Do you want to bet, Time Boy?" Donna grinned.

"You'll suffer for this!" Davros roared, pointing another finger.

The Alchemist just clicked her fingers, and a golden wall of energy made the electricity rebound and electrocute Davros. "Please. Try something difficult, will you? This is almost boring. Donna?"

"Bio-electric dampening field with a retrograde field arc inversion?" Donna asked.

"If you please."

Davros screamed when Donna flipped another lever. "Exterminate her!"

"Exterminate!" the Daleks swarmed. "Exterminate! Exterminate!"

A ball of the Vortex formed in the Alchemist's hand, and she lobbed it at the ground. The Vortex exploded out in a shockwave, blasting the Daleks back as Donna worked levers. "Weapons nonfunctional!" one cried.

"Macrotransmission of a K-filter wavelength blocking Dalek weaponry in a self-replicating energy blindfold matrix!" Donna crowed as the Alchemist grinned.

"How did you work that out?" the Doctor stared. "You're – "

"Time Lord," the Metacrisis Doctor realized. "Part Time Lord."

"Part human," Donna nodded. "Oh, yes! That was a two-way biological metacrisis. Half Doctor, half Donna."

"Actually, bit of a three-way," the Alchemist leaned against the console, "Used the last bit of my last life to put in a fail safe, protect Donna from whatever the backlash might do. Part Doctor, part Donna . . . part Creator."

"The DoctorAliDonna," the Doctor realized. "Just like the Ood said, remember? They saw it coming! The DoctorAliDonna!"

"Holding cells deactivated," Donna flipped a lever. "And seal the Vault." The spotlights went down, and Donna raised an eyebrow. "Well, don't just stand there, you skinny boys in suits! Get to work!"

The two sped forward, the Doctor skidding to a halt in front of the Alchemist, eyes wide. "You – "

"Guess the TARDIS decided I wasn't done yet," the Alchemist smiled up at him, tilting her head. "Bit of a cost, though."

He swallowed, starting to see bits of orange seeping into the energy wafting off of her. "But you . . . you won't – "

"You're stuck with me, Doctor," she beamed. "Stuck with me forever."

He kissed her in relief, the Alchemist responding immediately. "Oi!" Donna shouted, though she was grinning happily. "Get over here!"

"Go," the Alchemist gave him a small push.

The Doctor grinned and ran to Donna and the Metacrisis Doctor. "Stop them!" Davros yelled. "Get away from the controls!"

"And spin," Donna grinned, flipping another lever.

The Alchemist examined the Daleks as they spun round and round. "Help me!" one cried. "Help me!"

"And the other way," the Alchemist made a motion, Donna flipping the lever the other way to send the Daleks spinning the other direction.

"What did you do?" the Metacrisis Doctor asked as the humans kept watching, stunned speech-less at the display.

"Trip switch circuit-breaker in the psychokinetic threshold manipulator," Donna shrugged.

"But that's brilliant!" the Metacrisis Doctor stared at her.

"Why did we never think of that?" the Doctor looked at his duplicate.

"Because you two were just Time Lords, you dumbos, lacking that little bit of human," Donna grinned. "That gut instinct that comes hand in hand with Planet Earth. I can think of ideas you two couldn't dream of in a million years. Ah, the universe has been waiting for me! Now, let's send that trip switch all over the ship. Did I ever tell you . . . best temp in Chiswick?" She mimed typing, a huge grin on her face. "Hundred words per minute!"

"Ha!" the Metacrisis Doctor laughed.

"Let's do it!" the Alchemist grinned, holding out her hands, forming a protective barrier around the TARDIS.

"Come on, then, boys!" Donna grinned as Jack finally jerked out of his stupor, running into the TARDIS. "We've got twenty-seven planets to send home. Activate magnetron!"

"Stop this at once!" Davros roared.

"Mickey!" Jack shouted as he ran out of the TARDIS, his huge gun on his back, tossing Rose's to the black man.

"You will desist!"

Mickey caught the gun and aimed it right in Davros's face. "Just stay where you are, mister!"

"Out of the way!" Jack kicked one Dalek away.

Owen and Ianto quickly did the same, sending all Daleks away from the Alchemist as Rose and Sarah Jane worked together to push the ones further away towards the walls. "Good to see you again," Sarah Jane smiled at the blonde.

"Oh, you too," Rose grinned.

"Ready?" Donna looked between the Doctors. "And . . . reverse!"

The three of them pulled out the six rods in the console, then started working the console. "Off you go, Clom," the Doctor grinned.

"Back home, Adipose Three," the Metacrisis Doctor watched.

"Shallacatop, Pyrovillia, and the Lost Moon of Poosh," Donna smirked. "Sorted. Ha!"

"Ha!" the Metacrisis Doctor grinned.

"We need more power!" the Doctor turned.

"You got it," the Alchemist placed her hand on the console.

Rose watched as the Vortex flooded from her hand, powering the console more. "Is anyone going to tell us what's going on?"

"He poured all his regeneration energy into his spare hand," Donna pointed to the Doctor. "I touched the hand, the Alchemist used the Vortex to protect me from anything, and he grew out of that – " She pointed to the Metacrisis Doctor. "But that fed back into me. Protective barrier's still there from the Alchemist, but a bit stayed dormant in my head till the synapses got that little extra spark, kicking them into life. Thank you, Davros! Part human, Part Time Lord, part Creator. And I got the best bit of the Doctor – I got his mind!"

"So . . . there's three of you?" Sarah Jane asked the Doctor.

"Three Doctors?" Ianto shook his head in confusion.

"I can't tell you what I'm thinking right now," Jack admitted.

"I don't think any of us want to know what you're thinking right now," Owen gave him a look.

"You're so unique the timelines were converging on you," the Doctor smiled at his sister. "Human being with a Time Lord brain."

"But you promised me, Caan!" Davros wailed. "Why did you not foresee this?"

"Oh, I think he did," the Alchemist chuckled darkly. "Because something's been manipulating the timelines for ages, getting Donna Noble to the right place at the right time."

"This would always have happened," Caan confirmed. "I only helped, Alchemist."

"You betrayed the Daleks!" Davros accused.

"I saw the Daleks. What we have done, throughout time and space, I saw the truth of us, Creator, and I decreed no more!"

"Heads up!" Jack shouted.

They turned to see the Supreme Dalek descend. "Davros, you have betrayed us!"

"It was Dalek Caan!" Davros pointed.

"The Vault will be purged. You will all be exterminated!"

The Supreme Dalek fired at the console, sending the three working the controls back. "Like I was saying," Jack aimed his huge gun. "Feel this!"

With one shot, the Supreme Dalek exploded. "Have you got any more of those, by any chance?" Owen asked.

"I wish."

"Oh, we've lost the magnetron," the Doctor frowned, then rolled his eyes. "And there's only one planet left. Oh, guess which one. But we can use the TARDIS!"

"Holding Earth stability," the Metacrisis Doctor said, working with what was left of the console as the Doctor ran into the TARDIS. "Maintaining atmospheric shell."

"The prophecy must complete," Caan announced.

"Don't listen to him!" Davros shook his head.

"I have seen the end of everything Dalek, and you must make it happen, Doctor."

The Metacrisis Doctor scowled. "He's right. Because with or without a reality bomb, this Dalek Empire's big enough to slaughter the cosmos. They've got to be stopped."

"No," the Alchemist shook her head, walking up to him. "That is not the way of the Doctor."

"I am the Doctor," he told her, still working on the console. "Maximizing Dalekanium power feeds . . . blasting them back!"

Martha and Jackie jumped away as the Daleks closest to them exploded, followed by the rest in the Vault. The Doctor reemerged from the TARDIS, staring in shock. "What have you done?!"

"Fulfilling the prophecy," the Metacrisis Doctor answered darkly.

***

Gwen and Tosh jumped back when the Dalek exploded, and they watched their bullets fall to the ground. "There goes the Time Lock," Gwen said unnecessarily.

***

"Do you know what you've done?" the Doctor shouted angrily. "Now get in the TARDIS! Everyone! All of you, inside! Run! In, in, in, in!"

The Metacrisis Doctor hurried inside, counting everyone off as everyone ran into the TARDIS as explosions began to wreck the Vault. "Sarah Jane, Rose, Jackie, Ianto, Owen, Jack, Mickey!"

"Davros!" the Doctor turned to the creator of the Daleks, his Bonded by his side, more orange starting to mix with the gold. "Come with us! I promise I can save you!"

"Never forget, Doctor, you did this!" Davros pointed at him. "I name you . . . forever, you are the Destroyer of the Worlds!"

The Alchemist narrowed her eyes, clicking her fingers again, blocking Davros from flames. "Never underestimate us again, Davros," she warned. "That's the last mistake you'll ever make."

"One will still die!" Caan bellowed as the two headed back into the TARDIS.

The Doctor shut the doors as the Metacrisis Doctor made the TARDIS dematerialize. A noise from the Alchemist made the Doctor turn to her, just as orange overtook gold. "You are completely impossible," he told her.

She just grinned at him. "Takes one to know one!" she said before she threw back her head, arms flying out as she regenerated.

Jackie flinched and covered her eyes, Mickey and Rose shielding their eyes. Jack, Owen, Ianto, and Martha backed away, but the Doctor, the Metacrisis, and Donna didn't turn away. The regeneration took longer than normal, long enough that the Doctor was starting to get concerned, when it suddenly halted, and the Eleventh Alchemist stumbled forward, right into him. "Alice?" the Doctor quickly caught her.

She blinked her suddenly gold eyes, then looked up at him. "Hey," she gave him a wide grin.

The Doctor laughed, startled, looking over her now fair skin and black hair. "Hi!"

"Oh, my God, you're alive!" Rose ran forward, practically tackling her in a hug.

The Alchemist laughed and hugged her tightly, Jack and Owen running to join them. "You better believe it!"

"Do you ever run out of miracles, girl?" the Doctor grinned up at the TARDIS console.

The TARDIS just hummed in excitement, various lights turning on. "I love your ship," Martha grinned at him.

"Thank you!" the Doctor grinned.

"Eh, Doctor?" the Alchemist poked her head up, her arms still around Rose and Owen. "I hate to break up the party . . . but Earth's still in the wrong part of space."

"I'm on it," the Doctor promised, turning on one of the scanners. "Torchwood Hub, this is the Doctor. Are you receiving me?"

"Loud and clear," Gwen answered as she and Tosh came into view. "Is Jack there?"

"And Owen and Ianto?" Tosh put in.

"Can't get rid of them," the Doctor grinned, tilting the scanner so they came into view. "Also, meet the new Alchemist."

"Hi, guys!" the Alchemist waved.

"Oh, my God, she's alive?!" Gwen's eyes widened.

"Surprise!"

"Now, Torchwood, I want you to open up that Rift Manipulator," the Doctor ordered. "Send all the power to me."

"Doing it now," Tosh nodded, the two of them disappearing from view.

"Hi," the Alchemist grinned at Martha as she left her siblings.

"Oh, my God, never scare us like that again!" Martha hugged her. The Alchemist just laughed and hugged her back.

"What's that for?" Donna asked.

"It's a tow rope," the Doctor explained as the Alchemist moved on to Sarah Jane. "Now, then, Sarah, what was your son's name?"

"Luke," she answered. "He's called Luke. And the computer's called Mr. Smith."

"Calling Luke and Mr. Smith," the Doctor made another connection. "This is the Doctor. Come on, Luke, shake a leg!"

"Is Mum there?" the teenager popped into view.

"Oh, she's fine and dandy," the Doctor moved the monitor.

"Yes!" Sarah Jane cheered when she caught sight of her son. "Yes!"

"Mickey Smith," the Alchemist grinned as she walked up to her companion, arms open. "C'mere!"

"Thank God you're alive," Mickey gave her a huge hug. "When Jack said you were dead – "

"Can't get rid of me," the Alchemist squeezed him tight, then turned to Jackie. "Mums never can leave their kids alone, can they?"

"It's good to see you," Jackie smiled, giving her a hug.

"And you, Jackie."

"Now, Mr. Smith, I want you to harness the Rift power and loop it around the TARDIS," the Doctor ordered. "You got that?"

"I regret I will need remote access to the TARDIS base code numerals," Mr. Smith said.

"Oh, blimey," the Doctor ran a hand through his hair. "That's going to take a while."

"Nah, it won't," the Alchemist bounced up to the console, brushing her hair behind her ear and working at the keyboard. "Not if there's more than me! Sarah Jane, I believe you have a friend that can help me?"

"Oh, yes," Sarah Jane nodded, leaning in towards the monitor. "K9! Out you come!"

"Affirmative, Mistress!" K9 teleported in next to Luke.

"Oh!" the Doctor cheered. "Oh ho! Oh, good dog! K9, help Alice give Mr. Smith the base code."

"Master," K9 nodded. "TARDIS base code now being transferred. The process is simple."

"Only the Doctor would create a dog with that kind of ego," the Alchemist winked at Donna.

"Oi!" both Doctors protested.

Donna just laughed and gave her a hug. "You scared me to death!"

"I'm sorry about that," the Alchemist smiled. "But not many people can say they've come back to life like that."

"Ever the optimist, isn't she?" Ianto asked Mickey.

"You better believe it," Mickey grinned widely.

"Now, then, you lot," the Doctor looked around.

"Hang on," the Alchemist grinned. "Let me?" The Doctor smiled and bowed out, the Alchemist walking up. "Owen, hold that down," she pointed. "Donna, you hold that." The two moved into place, the Doctor brightening when he realized what the Alchemist was doing. "Because you know why this TARDIS is always rattling about the place? Rose, that there. You see, TARDISes are designed to have six pilots, and the Doctor and I usually have to do it single handed." The Doctor moved to stand between Donna and Owen, exchanging smiles with his Bonded. "But not any more. Jack, there you go," the Alchemist helped him figure out where to stand. "Steady that. Now we can fly her like she's meant to be flown. We've got the Torchwood Rift looped around the TARDIS by Mr. Smith, and we're going to fly Planet Earth back home." She stood between Rose and Jack, across from the Doctor, and they exchanged grins. "Off we go!"

The two of them brought their levers down, the four siblings following their instructions to the letter to help fly the TARDIS and bring Earth back home. "Rose," the Doctor pointed something out to her.

Rose smiled at him and made the correct adjustment. The TARDIS halted gently, then Jackie grinned. "You did it!"

Martha cheered, and everyone took their hands off the controls. The Alchemist instantly pulled Rose and Jack into hugs, grabbing Owen to join her, the Doctor doing the same with Donna. Against all odds, the impossible had been pulled off. The Daleks were gone, the Earth was back where it was meant to be . . . and the Alchemist was alive.

That alone was worth celebrating.

***

"You know, you act like such a lonely man," Sarah Jane remarked to the Doctor as he dropped her off just off her street. "But look at you. You've got the biggest family on Earth." The Doctor smiled and gave her a hug, the Alchemist walking out to do the same. "Oh!" Sarah Jane backed up. "Got to go. He's only fourteen."

"I expect to hear how that happened, by the way," the Alchemist smirked.

"It's a long story," Sarah Jane laughed as she headed off. "And thank you!"

***

"Yeah, I'm fine," Donna phoned Wilf as the Alchemist gave Martha, Mickey, Jackie, Rose, and Ianto hugs, kissing Jack and Owen on the cheek, then headed off down the TARDIS corridor. "Are you all right?"

"I'm going to miss you more than anyone," Mickey told Jackie.

"What do you mean?" Jackie asked in confusion, even as she hugged him. "The Doctor and the Alchemist are going to take us home, aren't they?"

"Well, that's the point," Mickey handed her his hopper.

Jackie bit her lip, then hugged him again.

***

"I told you, no teleport," the Doctor chastised as he disabled Jack's vortex manipulator. "And Martha . . . get rid of that Osterhagen thing, eh? Save the world one more time."

"Consider it done," she nodded, then smirked and saluted. Jack did the same thing.

The Doctor smiled and saluted back, and Owen and Ianto joined the two as they walked down the street. "You know, I'm not sure about UNIT these days," Jack remarked to Martha. "Maybe there's something else you could be doing?"

The Doctor chuckled, then blinked as Mickey exited the TARDIS. "Oi! Where are you going?"

"Well, I'm not stupid," Mickey raised an eyebrow. "I can work out what happens next. And hey . . . I had a good time in that parallel world, but my gran passed away. Nice and peaceful. Spent her last years living in a mansion. There's nothing there for me now, certainly not Rose."

"What will you do?" the Doctor tilted his head.

"Anything," he shrugged. "Brand new life. Just you watch."

"And Alice will enjoy doing so," the Doctor smiled, holding out his hand.

Mickey shook it. "See you, boss," he grinned, then ran to catch up with the others. "Hey, you four!"

"Oh, thought I'd got rid of you!" Jack complained.

The Doctor shook his head fondly as Owen and Ianto's laughter carried back. He walked back into the TARDIS, walking up to the console. "Just time for one last trip. Dårlig Ulv Stranden. Better known as . . . "

***

"Oh, fat lot of good this is!" Jackie complained as she and the Metacrisis Doctor walked out onto the beach. "Back of beyond! Bloody Norway. I'm going to have to phone your father," she called over her shoulder. "He's on the nursery run. I was pregnant, do you remember?" she told the Metacrisis Doctor. "Had a baby boy."

"Oh, brilliant!" he grinned. "What did you call him?"

"Doctor."

He blinked. "Really?"

"No, you plum!" she snorted. "He's called Tony."

"Hold on," Rose frowned, looking around. "This is the parallel universe, right?"

"You're back home," the Doctor nodded.

"And the walls of the world are closing again, now that the reality bomb never happened," Donna nodded. "It's dimensional retroclosure. See? I really get that stuff now," she grinned at her brother.

"No, but I spent all that time trying to find you two," Rose frowned. "I'm not going back now!"

"But you've got to," the Doctor shook his head. "Because we saved the universe, but at a cost. And the cost is him," he pointed at his duplicate. "He destroyed the Daleks. He committed genocide. He's too dangerous to be left on his own."

"You made me!" the Metacrisis Doctor protested.

"Exactly," the Doctor nodded. "You were born in battle, full of blood and anger and revenge. Remind you of someone?" he asked Rose. She bit her lip, remembering. "That's me when we first met. Before I met Alice," he cut in, seeing where Rose was going. "Before I met my Bonded, you made me better. Now you can do the same for him."

"But he's not you," she whispered.

"He needs you. That's very me."

"But it's better than that, though," Donna said. "Don't you see what he's trying to give you? Tell her, go on."

"I look like him and I think like him, and I've got a bit of Alice in me, too, because of what she sacrificed to save Donna," the Metacrisis Doctor told Rose. "Same memories, same thoughts, same everything. Except I've only got one heart."

"Which means?" Rose asked.

"I'm part human. Specifically, the aging part. I'll grow old and never regenerate. I've only got one life, Rose Tyler. And they're letting me spend it with you, if you want."

Rose blinked, touched. Out of every companion they could have chosen to leave the Metacrisis Doctor with . . . they were trusting him with her? "You'll grow old at the same time as me?"

"Together," he nodded.

The TARDIS made a noise behind them, and the Doctor turned. "We've got to go. This reality is sealing itself off forever."

Rose chewed on her lip, then wiped a few tears from her face. "OK," she whispered, nodding. "For you. And for Ali."

"She wanted to speak to you alone before we left," the Doctor whispered, bending down and kissing Rose's cheek. "I wish you all the best, Rose Tyler."

She let out a small noise and nodded. Donna smiled sympathetically at her before she followed the Doctor back to the TARDIS. Just before they went in, the Alchemist slipped out, now wearing a dark purple halter top, white denim shorts, and white sneakers, her hair in a low ponytail over her shoulder. She spoke quietly to the Doctor, who gave her a brilliant grin before heading inside. The Alchemist jogged over to Rose, a small smile on her face. "Can we talk? Alone?"

The Metacrisis Doctor stepped back to where Jackie was making a phone call, and Rose sniffed. "You're all right with this?" she tried not to sound too accusing.

"Rose, if he'd never been created, I would have been all for having you back in our universe," the Alchemist told her honestly. "But it was you who helped shape the Doctor into the man I love today. I trust you to be able to make this Doctor into that same man, or one similar. You, more than any companion, knows exactly what he's going through."

Rose let out a shuddering breath. "I still wish I could go back."

"Well . . . " The Alchemist looked over her shoulder. "The Doctor told you this world was sealing itself off forever?"

"Yeah," Rose frowned.

"Yeah, that was mainly for that Doctor to hear," the Alchemist admitted, taking something out of her shorts. "Part of why I was so late . . . I was making this for you."

Rose blinked, taking the locket in the shape of a rose from her. "Ali, you made this?" her eyes widened, taking in the details – the silver chain, the gold petals, the diamond stem and leaves. "This is gorgeous!"

"I'm only going to ask one thing of you," the Alchemist put her hand in her pockets, smiling innocently. "Don't open that unless it's extremely drastic."

"What?" Rose blinked. "Why?"

"Because one thing the Creators specialized in was making dimension jumpers," the Alchemist revealed with a wink, making Rose gasp. "It was our little secret. There wasn't much I could do here the first time round because the TARDIS lost power . . . but I had everything I needed this time. I had materials to make it with, I had Mickey's hopper to connect specifically to this universe and our original one . . . and most importantly, I had the full power of the Vortex at my disposal. This," she tapped the locket, "when opened, will be able to transport you back to our universe, and vice versa, with next to no consequences."

"None?" Rose looked between the locket and her hopefully. Did . . . did that really mean what she thought it did?

"Well, there might be a few weird weather patterns for a few days or so," the Alchemist admitted. "But let's face it, it's better than tearing holes in the fabric of reality itself."

"I can visit you?" Rose's voice cracked.

"Yes, you can," the Alchemist smiled. "But I have to ask you not to use it any more than you have to. There's still the danger of overuse, and really, none of us want to have another Canary Wharf incident." She smiled. "Besides . . . the Doctor and I are technically still engaged. I need to have a maid of honor, don't I?"

Rose hugged the Alchemist hard enough that her ribs nearly cracked. "Thank you!" she sobbed. "Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome," the Alchemist hugged her back, kissing the side of her head. "Make us proud, Rose."

"I will," Rose nodded, wiping her eyes as she put the locket on. "I promise, I will."

The Alchemist gave one last wave to the Metacrisis Doctor and Jackie before walking back to the TARDIS. Rose watched her go, the Metacrisis Doctor walking to her side. "Are you OK?" he asked.

Rose looked down at the locket, smiled, then took his hand. "Fine, yeah," she answered truthfully, watching the TARDIS dematerialize. "I guess you could even say . . . fantastic."

The Metacrisis Doctor grinned at her, and together, the two of them walked back towards Jackie, the diamonds on Rose's locket glittering in the setting sun.

**

The Alchemist looked at Donna, who was scratching the side of her head. "That's one small side effect of the Metacrisis," she told her. "Bigger chance of headaches, or migraines."

"Yeah," Donna sighed. "Would make me more useless on these adventures of yours."

"Donna!" the Doctor stared at her.

"No, Doctor, it's time," she looked at him. "I promised you I wouldn't leave you, especially because the Alchemist was dying. And she's not dying any more. I think it needs to be the two of you for a while. You deserve this chance, to be yourselves, to be together."

The Doctor smiled sadly. "OK."

***

"She took her mind into her own head," the Doctor told Wilf and Sylvia as he and the Alchemist joined the Noble family in their sitting room. "But that's a Time Lord consciousness. It should have killed her."

"But she's better now?" Wilf asked in concern.

"I used what remained of my last regeneration's energy to save her, protect her from what could have happened," the Alchemist nodded. "She's still got bits of Time Lord knowledge in her, but not enough to have a massive side effect. It'll just be headaches and the like."

"But you're staying?" Sylvia asked Donna. "You're leaving them?"

"Yeah, Mum," Donna sighed, not seeing the Doctor narrow his eyes at how happy Sylvia sounded with that arrangement. A bit too happy . . . and a big smug, too. "Yeah, I'm leaving them."

"But you were better with them!" Wilf protested.

"Don't say that!" Sylvia snapped at him.

"No, she was!"

Sylvia opened her mouth to say something when the Doctor leaned forward, his hand on Donna's knee, glaring at Sylvia. "I want you to know something, Sylvia Noble," he told her. "There are worlds out there, safe in the sky, because of Donna. That there are people living in the light, and singing songs of Donna Noble, a thousand million light years away. They will never forget her, even if she doesn't know where they are. To them, for one shining moment, she is the most important woman in the whole wide universe."

"She still is," Sylvia glared at him. "She's my daughter."

"Then maybe you should tell her that once in a while," the Doctor retorted.

Sylvia's jaw dropped, and the Alchemist smiled proudly at her Bonded. "You didn't have to say that," Donna mumbled, blushing.

"I didn't have to say the truth?" the Doctor raised an eyebrow. "You're my sister, Donna. I'll always say that about you."

Tears formed in her eyes, and Donna hugged him tightly. "Love you, Spaceman," she whispered.

"Love you, Earth Girl," the Doctor grinned, kissing the side of her head before standing with the Alchemist.

Wilf walked them to the door, and Sylvia swallowed, turning to Donna. "Sister?"

"Yeah," Donna grinned. "My brother and his Bonded. The most important aliens in the whole wide universe." She leaned back, a smug smile on her face. "She's got the biggest family in the world, and I'm his only sister. Ha! How's that for wizard?"

***

I seem to have a habit of having my OCs die from snapping their necks . . .

Oh, well. Good bye, Dianna Agron . . . and hello, Vanessa Hudgens! And yes, the Alchemist did just create a way for Rose to reappear in future chapters . . . one or two in particular. ;)

Just the epilogue left, guys! Nearly there!