The Master walked in laughing with Rita pushed behind him with two guards. "Put her over with Gandalf." The guards pushed her over towards the bird cage where the tiny being which was the Doctor sat. "Doctor." She swallowed deeply seeing him in person for the first time in a year.

"Oh my dear." He whispered into her mind his hands grasping the bars to try and be as close as possible to her. "I have missed you so much."

"And you sweetheart." She smiled sadly. "I took her. Just as we planned. I took Martha around the world."

"I knew you would." He smiled at her. "I love you."

"I love you too, Theta." She blinked back the tears in her eyes wishing she could hug him so she knew he was really there with her and that it wasn't a dream. The dream she had been having ever since leaving with Martha a year ago.

They looked at the Master who grinned seeing the tears in his cousin's eyes. Walking over to the microphone he spoke into it happily. "Citizens of Earth, rejoice and observe." The door then opened and Martha slowly walked in followed by two guards similar to the ones which brought Rita in. Martha slowly walked past her family then saw the Doctor with Rita next to his cage.

The Master gestured for her to walk closer then coldly spoke holding out his hand. "Your teleport device, in case you thought I'd forgotten." Martha reached into her pocket and threw the vortex manipulator to the Master. "And now, kneel." He ordered. "Down below, the fleet is ready to launch. Two hundred thousand ships set to burn across the universe. Are we ready?!" He shouted.

"The fleet awaits your signal. Rejoice!" A man shouted.

The Master looked around at the clock. "Three minutes to align the black hole converters. Counting down." A clock then began to tick. "I never could resist a ticking clock. My children, are you ready?!" He shouted.

"We will fly and blaze and slice." They said all at the same time allowing those on the Valiant to hear. "We will fly and blaze and slice."

"At zero, to mark this day, the child Martha Jones, will die. My first blood." He laughed. "Any last words?" He paused looking at Martha who didn't reply. "No? Such a disappointment, this one." He looked at the Doctor. "Days of old, Doctor, you had companions who could absorb the time vortex. This one's useless. Just like my cousins were." He glanced at the Stone then turned back to Martha. "Bow your head." He pointed his laser at Martha. "And so it falls to me, as Master of all, to establish from this day, a new order of Time Lords. From this day forward-" he stopped noticing Martha quietly laughing. "What. What's so funny?"

"A gun." She chuckled.

"What about it?"

"A gun in four parts?"

"Yes, and I destroyed it." He said in annoyance.

"A gun in four parts scattered across the world? I mean, come on, did you really believe that?"

"What do you mean?" The Master asked confused.

The Doctor grabbed onto the bars of the cage yet again squeezing tighter. "As if we would ask her to kill."

"Oh well, it doesn't matter. I've got her exactly where I want her."

"But oh my sweet, dearest cousin." Rita mockingly grinned at him. "You honestly think I would do that, let her kill do really know me at all? After everything that I have seen and done do you think I would take her around the world to end up seeing her kill?" She asked before continuing. "I'm smart and you of all people should know that. Smart enough to know what Professor Docherty would do. The Resistance knew about her son."

"We told her about the gun, so she'd get us here at the right time," Martha added.

"Oh, but you're still going to die." He hissed pointing the laser at her again

"Don't you want to know what we were doing, travelling the world?" She asked as the Stone raised a brow.

The Master snapped ordering them. "Tell me."

"I told a story, that's all. No weapons, just words. I did just what the Doctor and the Stone said. She took me across the continents, all on our own. And everywhere we went, we found the people, and I told them my story. I told them about the Doctor."

"And then I told them to pass it on, to spread the word so that everyone would know about the Doctor." Rita smiled softly looking at the Doctor.

"Faith and hope? Is that all?" The Master laughed.

"No, because I gave them an instruction, just as they said." Martha stood up.

"She told them that if everyone thinks of one word, at one specific time-"

The Master snapped again cutting Martha off. "Nothing will happen. Is that your weapon? Prayer?"

"Right across the world, in word, just one thought at one moment... but with fifteen satellites."

"What?" He looked at her in horror then snapped his eyes over to Rita.

"The Archangel Network," Jack muttered.

"A telepathic field binding the whole human race together, with all of them, every single person on Earth, thinking the same thing at the same time."

"And that word is Doctor." Rita grinned widely. The cage and the Doctor started to glow.

The Master looked on in horror. "Stop it. No, no, no, no, you don't." Rita then stepped back watching in awe.

Jack then closed his eyes and began to say: "Doctor. Doctor."

Martha's mother than did the same. "Doctor."

"Don't." The Master stepped back.

Rita looked at the screen seeing the crowds chanting. "Doctor. Doctor. Doctor."

The Master started to shout. "Stop this right now. Stop it!"

"Doctor." Lucy thought.

Martha breathed in closing her eyes as well. "Doctor."

Rita then closed her eyes. "Doctor." She thought with every bone in her body, every Doctor, every moment, every hug and every kiss they shared everything about him.

"I've had a whole year to tune myself into the psychic network and integrate with its matrices." The Doctor explained now floating in the air changing back.

"I order you to stop!" The Master cried moving down the stairs, slowly backing up.

"Doctor. Doctor." The crowds chanted. "Doctor. Doctor."

"The one thing you can't do." The Doctor then changed back to his younger self. "Stop them thinking. Tell me the human race is degenerate now, when they can do this."

Martha ran to her mother and Tish as Rita moved to Jack laughing and hugging him.

"No!" The Master shouted shooting his screwdriver at the laser. The energy field around him causes it to be ineffective and the beam disappeared.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Then I'll kill them." The Master pointed the screwdriver towards Martha. The Doctor stretched out his hand and the screwdriver then flew from the Master's hand.

"You can't do this." He cried out backup against the wall. "You can't do it. It's not fair!"

"And you know what happens now." The Doctor told him.

"No! No! No! No!" He crouched down into a ball crying.

"You wouldn't listen."

"No!" He screamed through the tears."

"Because you know what I'm going to say."

"No." He screamed

"I forgive you."

"My children." The Master cried hiding his head in his hands

"Protect the paradox." The spheres chanted. "Protect the paradox. Protect the paradox."

The Doctor snapped his head to Jack. "Captain, the paradox machine!"

Jack then pointed at some men. "You men, with me!" He shouted and ran out.

Rita saw the Master grabbing the Vortex Manipulator and ran for it grabbing hold just as the Doctor did while he shouted. "No!"

They then were teleported on top of a hill in front of the millions of rockets. "Now it ends, Doctor, Stone. Now it ends."

"We've got control of the Valiant." The Doctor informed the Master "You can't launch." He said as Rita stepped forward standing beside him.

"Oh, but I've got this." He held out a device. "Black hole converter inside every ship. If I can't have this world, Doctor, Stone, then neither can you." He laughed. "We shall stand upon this Earth together, as it burns."

"But you won't." Rita slowly walked forward. "Because I know you better than anyone, all of these years all that time I've watched you grow up and I know you wouldn't, you never would because I know what you can't face, if you explode those ships then you kill yourself."

"I guess you don't know me so well." He looked at her seriously. "I could never kill my own family." He placed the black hole converter in her hand as she blinked not expecting him to say that, they never did have a good family bond. The ground began to shake as the Doctor and Master dived struggling for the Vortex Manipulator. Rita did as well managing to press the button taking them back to the Valiant.

The ship then began to shake as Martha was thrown into the Doctor and Rita. "Everyone get down!" He shouted pulling Rita to the ground with Martha following. "Time is reversing!" She laughed hugging him tightly as he laughed hugging her back as the Valiant shook violently. After the Valiant stopped the Doctor jumped up rushing to the controls as Rita stood up moving to the door. She knew he would try and make an escape. "The paradox is broken." The Doctor informed. "We've reverted back, one year and one day. Two minutes past eight in the morning." He pressed a button and a radio came through.

"This is UNIT Central. What's happened up there? We just saw the President assassinated."

"Just after the President was killed, but just before the spheres arrived. Everything back to normal. Planet Earth restored. None of it happened. The rockets, the terror. It never was."

"What about the spheres?" Martha asked.

"Trapped at the end of the universe."

Marthas mother frowned muttering. "But I can remember it."

"We're at the eye of the storm. The only ones who'll ever know." The Doctor then looked over smiling. "Oh, hello. You must be Mister Jones. We haven't actually met."

"Not now sweetheart." Rita rolled her eyes. The Master then headed for the door and stepped in the way as Jack blocked the other side of the door.

"Whoa, big fella! You don't want to miss the party." Jack spun the Master around.

"Handcuffs please." Rita held out her hand as a guard handed her them she then gave them to Jack.

"So, what do we do with this one?" He asked.

Marthas dad spat. "We kill him."

"We execute him."

"No." the Doctor and Rita both said. "We don't do that."

Francine then raised a pistol shaking with tears running down her face. "Oh, I think so, because all those things, they still happened because of him. I saw them."

"Go on. Do it." The Master whispered.

"Over my dead body." Rita hissed.

The Doctor looked over in alarm. "Francine, you're better than him." "Rita move!" He screamed at her.

"Doctor I can't let them."

The Doctor slowly moved down the steps and lowered the gun pulling Francine into a hug. He then let her go to hug Martha. "You two still haven't answered the question. What happens to me?" The Master looked between them.

"As your older cousin, you're now my responsibility"

"Ours." The Doctor corrected her. "The only Time Lords left in existence."

Jack moved over whispering. "Yeah, but you can't trust him."

"No. The only safe place for him is the TARDIS." The Doctor replied.

"You mean you're just going to keep me?" He asked.

The Doctor and Rita nodded as he hummed. "Mmm. If that's what we have to do." He glanced at Jack then Martha. "It's time to change. Maybe We've been wandering for too long. Now we have got someone to care for."

Suddenly two rounds of bullets fired. The Doctor ran catching the Master as he staggered back.

"Put it down," Jack ordered Lucy.

"There you go." The Doctor cooed cluching the Master. "I've got you. I've got you."

"Oh my God." Martha gasped her eyes widening seeing Rita stumble back herself clutching the side of her stomach. She ran over helping the Time Lady down.

"Martha I'm fine," Rita whispered reassuringly wincing at the slight pain.

"I have to get the Doctor."

"No." she sternly told her grabbing Martha's arm. "The Doctor needs to say his goodbye." She told her as she heard the Doctor crying out. "He needs to say goodbye to his friend because I know the Master won't regenerate."

"What about you?" She asked worryingly pressing her hands now covered in blood onto the wound.

"I'll regenerate." Rita coughed slightly.

"No!" She heard the Doctor scream. She swallowed knowing what was too come. The Doctor then looked around not seeing her beside him. "Rita?"

"Over here sweetheart..." she weakly said into his mind.

"Stone!" The Doctor cried out loud his eyes widening as he ran to her seeing Martha and Jack crouched down by her almost limp body.

"I'm fine." She smiled at him as he clutched her hand. She swallowed for a moment. "Look." She chuckled lightly. "I'm regenerating." She shakily moved her hand up the golden energy swirling around. "D- Doctor." She coughed.

"Oh, -my love." He cried tears spilling from his eyes, falling onto her cheek and the floor.

"I- I'm frightened." She sobbed out. "I haven't regenerated in a long time."

"I know." He cried pulling her head to his chest rocking her head back and forth. "I know, I love you."

"I love you too." She weakly laughed looking up at him. "We have had some brilliant times haven't we?" She asked cupping his cheek as he looked down at her giving her a soft smile. "When I first told you that I love you." She looked into his eyes. "When you wouldn't stop teasing me about how I almost ran into the TARDIS doors." She gave a watery laugh remembering the fond memory and how much the Doctor didn't let her forget about it for days. "I love you."

"I love you too dear." He leant down to her softly kissing her lips wishing to that he could take the pain away from her. Gently she pulled away sooner than she would have liked knowing fully well that she couldn't hold it off, she hadn't regenerated in a long time, longer than many of her other selves had it was definitely dangerous for her to regenerate here and not in the safety of the TARDIS, especially with all the humans around that could get hurt and a gun in the presence.

However, she had no choice they wouldn't reach the TARDIS in time which was still looking like a Paradox machine. "Sweetheart it's time." She looked down watching the golden energy swirl around her hand lighting her face up now brighter than before.

"I'll be right here." He reassured her stroking a stray strand of hair away from her face. "Right here right beside you."

"You have to move sweetheart." She firmly told him tried to push him away while shaking her head. "All of you," she looked around at them before she swallowed deeply, "here we go." She looked between Martha and Jack who stood with his hand on her shoulder. He pulled her away as they backed up the Doctor kissing Rita's forehead before doing so himself standing slightly in front of the rest of the people. "Here comes ten," she softly smiled at the Doctor thickly swallowing. "I wonder if I get amazing hair like you, Doctor." She laughed lightly the Doctor chuckling himself.

"Laughing up to the last second aren't you dear?" He smiled softly before his face slightly filled with worry as the Time Lady cried out as the pain surged through her body the golden light completely engulfing her. Continuing to crying out in pain the energy took over changing ever single one of her cells. Collapsing as soon as it was over the Doctor rushed over to her an picked up her body checking to make sure that she was okay.

---------------------------------------------------------

The Doctor lit the Master's pyre sadly watching from the distance then looked back at the TARDIS wishing and knowing that Rita should be with him. She was resting, her body needed it with all that energy flowing through her especially when she hadn't regenerated in a long time. The Doctor watched as the pyre burnt, he thought of the Master for a moment before slowly walking away back to the TARDIS to check on her before taking Jack home as he wished.

"Time was, every single one of these people knew your name. Now they've all forgotten you." Martha sighed.

"They won't know how cheeky you are." A rather posh Welsh accent spoke from behind causing the three to jump. "Didn't mean to scare you all, I just can't help myself with this new body and all, it seems I love to make an entrance." They turned around to the woman who looked in her early 20's with shoulder length blonde hair. She wore a plain white blouse with a black blazer over the top and plain black trousers. The Doctor glanced down and silently groaned seeing she had changed her maroon vans for black ones.

"When don't you ever make an entrance." The Doctor chuckled lightly.

"Apparently I love it even more now." She frowned slightly eyeing her height compared to the Doctors. "I feel taller." She hummed.

"You are." Jack pointed out to her guessing it was actually Rita since the Doctor rushed off suddenly with her in his arms after she collapsed that he or Martha never got to see her. She then looked back at the Doctor remembering that she roughly came up to just under his shoulders in her ninth body, however in this body she was slightly taller than them.

"Any side effects?" The Doctor asked her worryingly.

"Not that I'm aware of." She shrugged. "So what do you think?" She raised a brow at him.

"I quite like it." The Doctor smirked looking up and down at her, Rita coughed a little feeling her cheeks flush at the look he was giving her, especially when he looked at her now green eyes. "Except for the vans." He then added.

"Dis the vans and I dis your sandshoes." The Doctor raised a brow as Martha snorted at her. Rita blinked frowning. "Don't tell me I'm rude."

"I think it's sass." Martha laughed. "Works with the accent."

"Do you think?" Rita asked. "I thought it sounded a little too posh."

"Gives people quite the shock." Jack nodded in agreement with Martha.

"I think it's a lovely accent." The Doctor grinned wrapped an arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him. "Any after effects and you tell me." He whispered kissing her forehead.

"I will, I will." She chuckled kissing his cheek.

Jack lightly coughed and stepped under the railing. "Back to work."

"We really don't mind, though." The Doctor said then looked at Rita who nodded in agreement. "Come with us."

"I had plenty of time to think that past year, the year that never was, and I kept thinking about that team of mine." He looked back in the direction of Torchwood. "Like you said, Doctor, responsibility."

"Defending the Earth. Can't argue with that."

"Hold on a minute." Rita stepped under bringing out her sonic and grabbing Jacks wrist exposing the vortex manipulator and sonicing it.

"Hey, I need that." He protested.

"I said only Time Lords should have access to time travel and I keep my word, unless you have a respiratory bypass system and two hearts your not moving around on what he would call a space hopper." She grinned nodding over at the Doctor.

The Doctor smirked at her. He was definitely going to enjoy this regeneration of her. "And what about me Doctor?" Jack asked causing the smirk to disappear from the Time Lords face. "Can you fix that? Will I ever be able to die?"

"Nothing I can do." The Doctor replied sadly. "You're an impossible thing, Jack."

"Been called that before." He nodded at them. "Ma'am. Sir. Ma'am." He saluted to them and started to walk off before turning back round. "But I keep wondering. What about aging? Because I can't die but I keep getting older. The odd little grey hair, you know? What happens if I live for a million years?"

"He's had plenty grey hairs." Rita pointed to the Doctor who groaned a little. "I love you either way sweetheart so hush."

She shook her head as the Doctor replied to Jack. "I really don't know."

"Okay, vanity. Sorry. Yeah, can't help it." He nodded. "Used to be a poster boy when I was a kid living on the Boeshane Peninsula. Tiny little place. I was the first one ever to be signed up for the Time Agency. They were so proud of me. The Face of Boe, they called me." The Doctor and Martha's mouths dropped as Rita chuckled. "Hmm. I'll see you."

"No." the Doctor looked at them both.

"It can't be." Martha laughed.

"No. Definitely not. No. No."

"Ladies and Gentlemen." Rita waved her hands in the air. "I give you, the Face of Boe." She then waved her arms in the direction of Jack while laughing.

The three watched Jack head back to Torchwood before heading back to the TARDIS. The Doctor and Rita took her to Martha's mother's house. Martha ran out and headed straight inside. The Doctor and Rita leant beside the TARDIS. "You know she's probably going to stay here." Rita softly told the Doctor leaning her head on his chest watching Martha's hug her mother.

"I know." He sighed. "If she says she wants to she can, we don't want to kick her out now do we?"

"Of course not." Rita smiled looking up at him before her eyes grew soft. "I missed you." She reached up touching his cheek with her hand gently rubbing her thumb against his skin.

"I missed you too, dear." He leant down as she turned to face him, softly kissing his lips placing her hands on his chest.

The Doctor gently pulled away then looking into the window seeing Francine watching them. The Time Lords softly smiled at her as she smiled back before they entered the TARDIS. The Doctor threw his coat over the coral beam and walked around the console his fingers entwined with the Time Lady's before he sat down in the jump seat placing his feet up on the console. Rita sat beside him his arm draping over her shoulder as she cuddled next to the Doctor happy to be back next to him with the both of them relatively okay. They didn't talk because they didn't need to. They both knew that the other was there beside them and safe, it was all they needed to know.

A few minutes passed with Rita almost falling asleep beside the Doctor still slightly tired from regenerating. She jolted upright at the sound of the TARDIS door opening. They both leant to the left seeing Martha walk in. The Doctor jumped up as Rita sighed sadly. "Right then, off we go. The open road." He started to run around the TARDIS. "There is a burst of starfire right now over the coast of Meta Sigmafolio. Oh, the sky is like oil on water. Fancy a look? Or back in time. We could, I don't know, Charles the Second? Henry the Eighth. I know. What about Agatha Christie? I'd love to meet Agatha Christie. I bet she's brilliant." His face fell at seeing Martha's knowing what she was going to say. Rita walked up to him resting a hand on his arm as he sadly nodded. "Okay."

"I just can't." She apologised.

"Yeah." He looked down sadly.

"Spent all these years training to be a doctor. Now I've got people to look after. They saw half the planet slaughtered and they're devastated. I can't leave them."

"Of course not." He nodded sadly at her then smiled hugging her. "Thank you. Martha Jones, you saved the world."

"Yes, I did." She smiled. "With the help of the Stone." She looked at Rita smiling at her. "I spent a lot of time with you two thinking I was second best, but you know what?" She poked him. "I am good." She laughed her face then becoming serious. "You two going to be all right?

"I got my Stone." He chuckled rubbing the Time Lady's arm. "She keeps me in shape."

"I don't know about in shape." Rita laughed. "Looks like you do that already you're like a piece of string." She laughed kissing his cheek before turning to Martha looking serious with a small smile. "He has me and I have him." They both knew that those words won't always keep them safe but they could only hope that they had each other for many more years.

"Right then." Martha nodded at them giving Rita a hug and then kissing the Doctors cheek. "Bye." She then quickly walked out

The Doctor and Rita smiled sadly at each other before turning to the door hearing it open again. "Because the thing is, it's like my friend Vicky. She lived with this bloke, student housing, there were five of them all packed in, and this bloke was called Sean." She explained. Rita smiled seeing where this was going while the Doctor looked at her a little confused. "And she loved him. She did. She completely adored him. Spent all day long talking about him."

The Doctor frowned crossing his arms and leaning against the console. "Is this going anywhere?"

"Yes." She nodded. "Because he never looked at her twice. I mean, he liked her, but that was it. And she wasted years pining after him. Years of her life. Because while he was around, she never looked at anyone else." The Doctor looked down feeling slightly guilty. "And I told her, I always said to her, time and time again, I said, get out. So this is me, getting out." She looked at Rita who smiled nodding at her for what she just said, proud that her friend made the hard choice. Martha then reached into her pocket and threw her phone over to the Doctor. "Keep that, because I'm not having the two of you disappear. If that rings, when that rings," she corrected herself. "You'd better come running. Got it?"

They both nodded. "Got it."

"I'll see you again, mister." She laughed and the Doctor smirked. "And you miss."

"Of course you will Martha Jones. The girl who walked the Earth." She nodded as Martha exited the TARDIS.

Seeing Martha leave the TARDIS for the last time in a long time she sighed the Doctor walked over pulling the Stone into a hug closing his eyes enjoying the slight warmth of her finally in his arms again as she closed her own eyes faintly hearing his two hearts beating at a steady pace. They stayed there for a couple of moments enjoying being able to touch and be with each other again before the Doctor lent over and pulled a lever sending them into the Time Vortex, he then entwined his fingers with hers gently pulling her over to the jump seat again and sat down, placing his legs up on the console as she tucked hers under herself resting her head against the inside of his shoulder with his arm securely around her. Smiling down at her he placed a kiss on her temple. "Love you."

"Love you too." She moved her hand up and cupped his cheek pulling him down to her gently as she reached up connecting her lips to his in a lingering kiss. Sighing happily she broke away after a few moments closing her eyes and resting her head against him. "I'm never leaving you alone like that again." She murmured to him.

"I have no arguments against that." He chuckled lightly before leaning down sealing another long deep kiss.

----

*runs* Yes I did just kill Rita and made her regenerate into her tenth incarnation so for a comparison the Doctor is in his eleventh regeneration (because of the War Doctor) and Rita is in her tenth. You'll see who the 'face' of the tenth Stone/Rita is in the final chapter of book two. ;)