Although the Doctor and Willow return Martha home, it appears that she isn't quite ready to leave the universe behind. But before they can leave, they learn that Professor Lazurus plans to rewrite history.

***

Immediately after they visited New York, the Doctor sent the TARDIS flying through the Time Vortex. It spiralled and shook the travellers, however, they had grown used to it by now. Willow laughed as they tumbled around the console.

Eventually, they came to a halt; the Doctor pulled the handbrake. "There we go. Perfect landing. Which isn't easy in such a tight spot."

"You should be used to tight spots by now. Where are we?" asked Martha.

"The end of the line. No place like it." He answered.

Martha excitedly sprinted towards the doors, opening them to discover their location. Nevertheless, her excitement sunk the moment she realised where they were. "Home. You took me home?"

The Doctor and Willow exited their ship, looking around Martha's place. "In fact, the morning after we left, so you've only been gone about twelve hours. No time at all, really."

"But all the stuff we've done. Shakespeare, New New York, old New York?"

"Yep, all in one night, relatively speaking. Everything should be just as it was. Books, CDs, laundry." The Doctor picked up a piece of Martha's clothing which she immediately snatched from his hands in embarrassment. "So, back where you were, as promised."

"This is it?"

"Yeah," Willow was strangely silent, having not expected to return Martha so soon. During their trips, they had truly bonded as friends, but now that was all over. "We should probably er..."

Just then, Martha's landline began to ring, interrupting them. After a few moments, it went straight to the answering machine. "Hi, I'm out. Leave a message."

She sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Martha, are you there? Pick it up, will you?" her mother's voice asked. 

However, Martha ignored the call. "It's Mum. It'll wait."

The trio was silent, listening in. "All right then, pretend that you're out if you like. I was only calling to say that your sister's on TV. On the news of all things. Just thought you might be interested."

Martha raised her eyebrows and grabbed her television remote, switching it on. On the news was Tish Jones, Martha's sister, and an elderly gentleman speaking to the press. "The details are top secret..."

"How could Tish end up on the news?" she wondered.

"Tonight, I will demonstrate a device which will redefine our world." The man informed them.

As their eyes were glued to the screen, Martha explained. "She's got a new job. PR for some research lab."

"With the push of a single button, I will change what it means to be human." The press went wild upon hearing his announcement.

Ignoring it, Martha turned the television off and stared at the pair. "Sorry. You were saying we should...?"

For a moment, the Doctor was still focused on the man's words. However, not to keep Martha waiting, he answered. "Yes, yes, we should. One trip is what we said."

"Yeah. I suppose things just kind of escalated." She responded.

"You're telling me," Willow spoke. "But it was nice though. Well, partly if you ignore everything else that happened."

She smiled, secretly hiding her disappointment. "Thank you. For everything."

"It was our pleasure." Slowly, the Doctor ushered Willow and himself back into the TARDIS, bidding Martha a final goodbye.

He raced back to the console, unlocking the handbrake and dematerialising from Martha's house. Willow stood by the doors, pondering. "Is that it then?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yep. That's it. Where should we go now?"

Willow shrugged, unsure. "I don't know. You can choose."

However, he paused, thinking back for a moment. "Actually, I think we should go back."

As he started the engines again and directed them back to Martha's house, she asked. "What? Why?"

He didn't respond as he flew the TARDIS through the Time Vortex, eventually reaching their destination. The Doctor dashed towards the doors, poking his head out. Underneath him, Willow peeked out as well in confusion. "No, I'm sorry. Did he say he was going to change what it means to be human?"

***

Since Tish worked for Professor Lazarus and helped organise the launch, the event was accessible to the trio. Martha wore a shot black dress and sparkly heels whilst she wore a hairband on her head. On the other hand, the Doctor wore a black tuxedo with a bow tie, yet he found it very uncomfortable.

It had been a long time since Willow got to dress up for an event, so she wore a lacy purple dress with long, thin sleeves. She had found it at the back of the wardrobe and thought it was a perfect fit for this event. Her strawberry-blonde hair was curled with a few strands pinned back. 

Somehow, both the Doctor and Willow had a bad feeling about the event. "Oh, black tie. Whenever I wear this, something bad always happens."

"I think that trouble comes to you naturally," Willow mentioned, jokingly. "Sadly, I've been pulled along for the ride."

"Anyway, I think it suits you. In a James Bond kind of way." Martha believed.

"James Bond?" The Doctor thought about it for a moment as he adjusted his tie. "Really?"

Willow let out a small giggle as they approached 'Lazarus Laboratories', a brightly lit building with flashing spotlights all around. The guests that entered the building seemed rich, being able to afford tickets easily.

Inside, the place was lavish. White and blue lights illuminated the room as the guests gathered around a large chamber in the centre of the room. The staff had trays of canapes and wine, presenting them to the patrons and guests.

A waiter wandered past the trio, the Doctor nabbing some food off their tray. "Oh, look, they've got nibbles! I love nibbles."

"You know, I'm glad we don't have to pretend to be the staff this time," Willow mentioned as he gobbled the food. She scoffed. "You are such a pig!"

"What? It's free food!" he argued.

Behind them, Martha's sister approached. "Hello."

"Tish." She lovingly embraced her sister, having not seen her in three days. However, it had only been several hours since Tish Jones saw her. Time travel really was the strangest thing.

"You look great." Tish complimented her outfit. "So, what do you think? Impressive, isn't it?"

She nodded in agreement. "Very."

They admired the decor of the room for a few moments. "And two nights out in a row for you. That's dangerously close to a social life."

"If I keep this up, I'll end up in all the gossip columns." Martha joked.

"You might, actually. You should keep an eye out for photographers. And Mum, she's coming too. Even dragging Leo along with her." Her sister informed her.

Her eyes widened in shock. "Leo in black tie? That I must see." Soon after, Tish acknowledged the presence of Martha's new friends. She glanced back at Martha, waiting to be introduced. "Oh, er... this is Willow, and that's the Doctor."

The Doctor raised his hand, shaking hers. "Hello."

"Hi there." Willow shook Tish's hand, softly smiling.

"Are they with you?" she asked her sister.

Martha nodded again in confirmation. "Yeah."

"But they're not on the list. How did they get in?" questioned Tish.

"The Doctor's my plus one, and Willow is... his. They're engaged." She told her.

He peered at the machine for a quick second. "So, this Lazarus, he's your boss?"

"Professor Lazarus, yes. I'm part of his executive staff." Tish affirmed.

Martha scoffed. "She's in the PR department."

Her sister appeared offended. "I'm head of the PR department, actually."

"You're joking."

"I put this whole thing together."

Upon hearing that, the Doctor queried. "So do you know what the professor's going to be doing tonight? That looks like it might be a sonic micro field manipulator."

She smirked. "He's a science geek. I should have known. Got to get back to work now. I'll catch up with you later."

Soon enough, Tish left to attend to other business. The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Science geek? What does that mean?"

"That you're obsessively enthusiastic about it," Martha answered.

Willow chortled, glancing at him. "Yeah, that sounds like you."

He seemed oddly pleased about it though. "Oh, nice."

The three scanned the machine once more, the Doctor and Willow attempting to figure out what it was. Nearby, two more members of Martha's family approached them. "Martha."

She spun around, instantly relieved to see her alive and well. "Mum!"

Martha strolled over, wrapping her arms around her mother. "All right, what's the occasion?"

They broke away. "What do you mean? I'm just pleased to see you, that's all."

"You saw me last night." She reasoned.

"I know. I just miss you." Martha wasn't lying; she really did miss her mother. It had been a while since she had seen her. Acting natural, she turned to her brother. "You're looking good, Leo."

He chuckled. "Yeah. If anyone asks me to fetch them a drink, I'll swing for him."

"You disappeared last night." Her mother's eyes noticed the smiling couple who stood near her, silently judging them.

"I just went home." She excused.

"On your own?" Francine suspiciously eyed the curious pair.

Of course, soon enough, Martha acknowledged their presence. "These are some friends of mine. The Doctor and Willow."

"Doctor what?"

"No, it's just the Doctor. We've been doing some work together." 

"You all right, mate?" Leo greeted the Doctor before nodding in Willow's direction.

The Doctor excitedly shook Francine's hand. "It's lovely to meet you, Mrs Jones. Heard a lot about you."

"Have you? What have you two heard, then?" she wondered.

He cringed a little. The Doctor flicked his tongue, awkwardly babbling. "Oh, you know, that you're Martha's mother and..."

"That she admires you." Willow finished. She could sense his relief the moment she spoke.

"Yeah, we haven't had much time to chat. You know, been busy." He told her mother.

She furrowed her brows. "Busy? Doing what, exactly?"

"Oh, you know. Stuff...." he hesitated.

Before their conversation could continue, the Professor emerged. A glass was tapped, gathering the attention of the room. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Professor Richard Lazarus and tonight I am going to perform a miracle. It is, I believe, the most important advance since Rutherford split the atom, the biggest leap since Armstrong stood on the moon. Tonight, you will watch and wonder. Tomorrow, you will wake to a world which will be changed forever."

A scientist opened the chamber door, and Lazarus stepped inside. Once the door was firmly closed, his staff activated the machine. It whirred as the columns began to oscillate around it. They rotated, pouring energy into the chamber.

For a moment, things were going fine. That is until an alarm blared. The Doctor and Willow instantly realised that something was wrong. "Something's wrong. It's overloading."

The controls sparked, smoke emerging from the system. The Doctor jumped over, whipping out his sonic screwdriver. His fiancée followed from behind. "Can you stop it?"

"You do realise who you're talking to, right?" he checked.

She rolled her eyes. "Can you save the arrogance for later?"

The lights flashed, blinding the crowd. "Somebody stop them!" yelled Lady Thaw. "Get them away from the controls!"

"Hey, we're trying to stop the building from going up in flames!" Willow shouted back. 

Eventually, the Doctor managed to remove a large cable from its socket, slowing the machine down. It ceased; Martha sprinting up to the chamber. "Get it open!"

The pair raced back as she opened the door. Smoke erupted from inside, the crowd edging closer. Every person in the crowd gasped as a figure stepped out. However, instead of the elderly man they saw before, a much younger man stood before them. He caressed his skin in astonishment, seeing that his machine worked. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Richard Lazarus. I am seventy-six years old and I am reborn!"

There was rousing applause, the guests amazed by this incredible machine. Yet, the trio were the only ones who weren't impressed. In fact, they had a feeling that something went terribly wrong.

***

Lazarus posed with several guests as a photographer snapped many photos of the world's newest wonder. The three looked on in awe. "It can't be the same guy. It's impossible. It must be a trick."

"Oh, it's not a trick. I wish it were." The Doctor admitted.

"What just happened then?" she asked.

"He just changed what it means to be human." He recalled what Lazarus had said earlier, intriguing him.

Willow clicked her tongue, pondering for a second. "But it's not possible to reverse age. If it was then Lazarus would be in history books, but I know for a fact that he isn't."

"How do you know?" he wondered. "Time is in flux."

"I just have a feeling."

"So have I."

Just then, in mid-conversation with his wife, Lazarus grabbed a tray of canapes and ravenously ate them up. Lady Thaw was shocked. "Richard!"

"I'm famished!" he argued.

The trio walked up to the couple, the Doctor speaking to the man himself. "Energy deficit. Always happens with this kind of process."

Lazarus cocked his head. "You speak as if you see this every day, Mister...?"

"Doctor," He stated. "And well, no, not every day, but I have some experience of this kind of transformation."

He scoffed. "That's not possible."

Nevertheless, the Doctor swiftly proved him wrong. "Using hypersonic sound waves to create a state of resonance. That's inspired."

Understanding that this individual shared a similar intellect to his, Lazarus smirked. "You understand the theory, then."

"Enough to know that you couldn't possibly have allowed for all the variables." He affirmed.

"No experiment is entirely without risk." Lazarus thought.

Willow's mouth gaped, clearly disagreeing with his comment. "Are you kidding? That thing almost exploded with you inside it. This wasn't a success; it was luck."

"You're not qualified to comment." Lady Thaw attempted to silence her.

Her eyes widened, a small gasp leaving her lips. "Excuse me?"

"If I hadn't stopped it, it would have exploded." The Doctor spat, angered that she tried to talk Willow down like she were nothing.

"Then I thank you, Doctor." He praised him with a smug expression. "But that's a simple engineering issue. What happened inside the capsule was exactly what was supposed to happen. No more, no less."

Martha argued. "You've no way of knowing that until you've run proper tests."

He scoffed again, seemingly ignorant of it all. "Look at me. You can see what happened. I'm all the proof you need."

"This device will be properly certified before we start to operate commercially." Lady Thaw stated, trying to ease their worries.

Yet, their worries remained. "Commercially? You are joking. That'll cause chaos."

Lazarus shook his head. "Not chaos, change. A chance for humanity to evolve, to improve."

"This isn't about improving. This is about you and your customers living a little longer." The Doctor emphasised, caring deeply for the human race's safety.

"Not a little longer, Doctor. A lot longer. Perhaps indefinitely." He theorised.

Willow's lip quivered. "I'd like to see you try." 

"Is that a threat?" he questioned.

In a bitter tone, she said. "Quite possibly."

The two stared each other down for a few moments until Lady Thaw summoned him away. "Richard, we have things to discuss, upstairs."

He shifted past them, placing the tray on a nearby table. "Goodbye, Doctor. In a few years, you'll look back and laugh at how wrong you were."

Before leaving, he kissed Martha's hand. She grimaced, the trio watching him depart with his wife. "Oh, he's out of his depth. No idea of the damage he might have done."

Willow scowled. "I have never loathed a human being this much before; I didn't even hate James this much." 

"So what do we do now?" queried Martha.

The Doctor scanned the space, thinking about the location. "Now? Well, this building must be full of laboratories. I say we do our own tests." 

His fiancée nodded in agreement. "That's not a bad idea."

Smugly, Martha raised her hand. "Lucky I've just collected a DNA sample then, isn't it?"

The couple beamed, impressed with her. "Oh, Martha Jones, you're a star."

***

Upstairs, the three had located a laboratory. The Doctor had taken a swab of Martha's hand, gathering Lazarus's DNA. He placed it under a microscope and analysed a strand of his DNA on a computer screen. "Amazing."

"What?"

"Lazarus's DNA."

Martha and Willow looked closer, but nothing had changed. "I can't see anything different."

"Look at it." In a split second, something in the DNA strand converted into something new.

She smiled. "Gotcha!"

Martha's eyes widened. "Oh, my God. Did that just change? But it can't have."

"But it did."

"It's impossible."

"Don't impossible things happen every day?" wondered Willow. 

"That means Lazarus has changed his own molecular patterns." She guessed.

The Doctor explained his theory. "Hypersonic sound waves to destabilise the cell structure, then a metagenic programme to manipulate the coding in the protein strands. Basically, he hacked into his own genes and instructed them to rejuvenate."

"But they're still mutating now." Martha recognised.

"Because he missed something. Something in his DNA has been activated and won't let him stabilise. Something that's trying to change him." He presumed.

"Change him into what?" she asked.

"I don't know, but I think we need to find out." The Doctor realised.

"Definitely," Willow responded, knowing that this spelt trouble. "He went upstairs with Lady Thaw, didn't he?"

"Let's go." The trio ran from the laboratory, heading up to his office.

They sprinted up a flight of stairs, quickly finding themselves in a large space. The floor was polished, yet the room was dimly lit. It was elaborate; they had to admit. The room matched Lazarus's theme perfectly. No one was here, however.

"This is his office, all right," Martha said.

"So where is he?" he questioned.

"Don't know. Let's try back at the reception..." her words trailed away when she noticed something behind his desk. It looked like two skeletal legs sticking out. Immediately, the trio ran over to discover that it was the body of Lazarus's wife. "Is that Lady Thaw?"

"Used to be. Now it's just a shell. Had all the life energy drained out, like squeezing the juice out of an orange." The Doctor described.

Willow sneered. "That's a disgusting explanation, but I'm guessing that this is Lazarus's doing." 

He considered it to be a large possibility. "Could be."

"So he's changed already?" Martha asked, growing fearful for the people downstairs.

"Not necessarily. You saw the DNA. It was fluctuating. The process must demand energy. This might not have been enough." He conjectured. 

This only scared her more. "So he might do this again?"

He nodded in confirmation. They needed to find Lazarus as quickly as possible before he kills again. The three stormed over to one of the lifts, boarding it. Although, they were unaware of the other lift that had made its way to their floor.

By the time they reached the reception room, Lazarus was nowhere to be seen. The three searched for several minutes, but they couldn't find any evidence that he was here. Eventually, they were forced to reunite. "I can't see him."

"He can't be far. Keep looking." The Doctor insisted.

Martha's brother, Leo, approached them with a glass of wine in hand. "Hey, you all right, Marth? I think Mum wants to talk to you."

"Have you see Lazarus anywhere?" she frantically questioned.

He nodded. "Yeah, well, he was getting cosy with Tish a couple of minutes ago."

Her eyes widened, turning back to the Doctor and Willow. "With Tish?"

"Ah, Doctor, Willow-"

"Where did they go?" The Doctor asked Leo.

He narrowed his eyes, yet still answered. "Upstairs, I think. Why?"

"Doctor-" However, the trio sprinted past Francine, accidentally spilling her champagne glass onto her dress. "I'm speaking to you!"

"Not now, Mum!" hissed Martha.

Francine huffed, walking over to a table. She retrieved a napkin, wiping herself down. From behind her, a waiter appeared. "I think you need one of these." He offered.

"Thank you. That's very kind of you." The napkin was quickly discarded as Francine grasped another glass from his tray.

It seemed that he had noticed her anger towards Martha and her friends. "Do you know those two?"

"No. They're friends of my daughter." She responded.

The waiter sneered. "Perhaps she should choose her friends more carefully."

His words confused Francine, but, by the time she had turned around, the waiter was gone. Something was going on, and she knew Martha was caught in the middle of it.

Meanwhile, the three made their way back up to Lazarus's office, yet again he was not there. "Where are they?"

The Doctor removed his sonic screwdriver again. "Fluctuating DNA will give off an energy signature. I might be able to pick it up." The blue tip lit up, scanning for Lazarus. All signs pointed above them. "Got him."

"Where?" He pointed upwards, gesturing to the ceiling. "But this is the top floor... The roof."

***

Professor Lazarus and Tish Jones, who now had an attraction towards him, stood under the starry night sky. They stared out at the city, taken by its beauty. "That clock tower's beautiful all lit up like that."

"It's Southwark Cathedral. One of the oldest churches in London. Been around even longer than I have." He informed her.

She smirked, jokingly mentioning. "Well, you're looking pretty good for your age."

He chuckled. "Thank you."

Nervously, Tish raised her hand. "Can I?"

Lazarus smiled, tilting his head slightly. "Of course."

Her hand softly grazed the side of his face, delicately stroking his cheek. "Still can't take it in."

"I'm still adjusting myself. I've been working toward it for so many years, it's hard to believe the moment's finally arrived." He told her.

"And is it like you expected?" she wondered.

"I find that nothing's ever exactly like you expect. There's always something to surprise you. Between the idea and the reality, between the motion and the act-"

"Falls the Shadow." The Doctor finished.

The pair turned around, acknowledging the trio's presence. Though Martha's sister was not interested, Lazarus seemed intrigued by the mysterious man and his fiancée. "So the mysterious Doctor knows his Eliot. I'm impressed."

"Martha, what are you doing here?" growled Tish.

"Tish, get away from him." She warned her, knowing that Lazarus could transform at any point.

Her sister was puzzled. "What? Don't tell me what to do."

The Doctor continued with their conversation. "I wouldn't have thought you had time for poetry, Lazarus, what with you being busy defying the laws of nature and all."

"You're right, Doctor. One lifetime's been too short for me to do everything I'd like. How much more I'll get done in two or three or four." He pondered.

"You may be smart, Lazarus, but a good person should know that the length of life shouldn't be toyed with." Willow would never share this with the Doctor, but she was jealous of humanity. For years, she had forgotten what immortality felt like, and now she remembered how much she hated it.

The Doctor added. "Some people live more in twenty years than others do in eighty. It's not the time that matters, it's the person."

"But if it's the right person, what a gift that would be." He challenged.

"Or what a curse." The Doctor contradicted. "Look at what you've done to yourself."

Lazarus snarled. "Who are you to judge me?"

"We're the people who put others in their place," stated Willow. "You got a problem with that?"

"Over here, Tish." Martha gestured.

Slightly angered by her sister's imprudence, Tish stormed over. "You have to spoil everything, don't you? Every time I find someone nice, you have to go and find fault."

Yet, behind her back, the three observed Lazarus beginning to seize up. He fell to his knees, transforming into the monstrosity his experiment led him to. "Tish, he's a monster!"

"I know the age thing's a bit freaky, but it works for Catherine Zeta-Jones." Bones crunched, attracting her attention back to Lazarus.

It was then that she saw what he had become. Lazarus had twisted into a scorpion-like creature with a gaping mouth that displayed a horrific grin. There was nothing human about it, except for the fact that Lazarus's face remained.

"What's that?" Tish uttered as they began to back away.

He lifted his scorpion tail into the air, ready to strike. "Run!"

The group sprinted away, entering the building once again. The Doctor slammed the door, sonicking it shut. Although, it wouldn't do much could since Lazarus was now ten times stronger.

They continued down the stairs, reaching the lift. "Are you okay?" Martha checked, comforting Tish who was clearly in shock.

"I was going to snog him." She admitted.

Suddenly, the lights flickered as Lazarus attempted to break back into the building. Then, the power switched off, leaving the group in darkness. A tannoy spoke overhead. "Security one. Security one. Security one."

Every door shut, even the lifts as well. "What's happening?"

"An intrusion. It triggers a security lockdown. Kills most of the power. Stops the lifts, seals the exits." Tish explained.

"He must be breaking through that door." The Doctor reckoned.

"Oh, you think!" Willow sarcastically exclaimed. "Now I have to run in heels."

"The stairs, come on!" They advanced down the stairwell, heading for the reception room.

Above them, there was a loud smash, halting them for a moment. "He's inside!"

"We haven't got much time!" he yelled. The four entered the reception room that was full of fresh meat, unaware of the danger lurking. "Tish, is there another way out of here?"

"There's an exit in the corner, but it'll be locked now." She informed him.

"Willow, setting fifty-four. Hurry." He threw the sonic screwdriver at her. Following his orders, she dashed over to the exit; Martha and Tish trailed behind as the Doctor addressed the guests. "Listen to me! You people are in serious danger! You need to get out of here right now!"

"Don't be ridiculous. The biggest danger here is choking on an olive." One of the guests jeered.

Just then, there was a loud crash. Everyone turned to see the monstrous Lazarus crawling into the room. There were shocked gasps and terrifying screams from the crowd; no one had expected this. The monster jumped down, smashing a table as everybody ran.

"Mum, get back!" cried Leo, pushing his mother away as another table slammed into him.

"Leo!" his mother screamed.

Willow continued to scan the door, eventually unlocking it. It clicked, opening very slightly. "Everyone, get out! All of you!"

The guest from earlier was frozen as the giant creature loomed over her. Lazarus raised his tail, directing it at her. "No! Get away from her!" The Doctor screamed, but it was too late.

In a few seconds, the woman's corpse fell onto the ground. Yet, Lazarus was still hungry for more. He turned to Francine and Leo, who was tending to her wounded son. Lazarus snarled, ready to feed again.

"Lazarus! Leave them alone." The monster rotated back in the Doctor's direction.

It distracted him long enough for Martha to rejoin her family. "Come on, stay with me. You're okay."

"What's the point? You can't control it. The mutation's too strong. Killing those people won't help you. You're a fool. A vain old man who thought he could defy nature. Only Nature got her own back, didn't she? You're a joke, Lazarus! A footnote in the history of failure!" he taunted the creature, which was working quite well.

He growled, lunging for the Doctor. Nevertheless, he managed to evade him, igniting a chase between the two. Willow watched as her love sped off, leading Lazarus away from the frightened guests.

"What's the Doctor doing?" Tish asked.

"He's trying to buy us some time. Let's not waste it." Using her skills as a medical student, she assessed her brother's condition. "Leo, look at me. Focus on me. Let's see your eyes." He seemed dazed and confused, still in shock. "He's got a concussion. Mum, you'll need to help him downstairs." She grabbed some ice from a nearby table, wrapping it in ice. "This'll keep the swelling down. Go! I'll be right behind you. Tish, move! We need to get out of here."

Martha ushered her family through the exit, Willow firmly holding the door. "That's it. Come on." She encouraged, still looking back in the direction the Doctor and Lazarus went.

Despite his high survival chances, she still worried about him. This was unlike anything that they had seen before.

Once everyone was gone, Willow followed the guests down to the main entrance. They were all piled up against the glass, begging to be freed. "We can't get out. We're trapped!"

"Tish, how do you override the lockdown? Where's the security desk?" Willow questioned in a panicked tone.

She pointed towards a shadowed area. "There!"

Immediately, Willow dashed over and swiftly glided across the desk. She landed on the other side, prepping the sonic screwdriver. Unsure which switch or button to select, she simply scanned the whole control panel.

Luckily, it worked, and the guests were soon freed. They tumbled out in a massive huddle, scrambling to escape. Soon, Willow, Martha and her family were the only ones left. Knowing that the guests were safe, she said. "I have to go back. I can't leave him."

"No, you're not going on your own." Martha protested.

"You're not coming. It's not safe." She insisted.

"Since when has anything been safe?" she charged.

Francine stepped forwards, addressing her daughter. "You can't! You saw what that thing did. It'll kill you."

"He was buying us time, Martha. Time for you to get out, too." Tish told her.

Willow started to back away, slowly heading back to the reception room. Martha still protested against her family. "I'm not leaving him."

She began to follow her friend, although Francine attempted to grab onto her arm. "Martha!"

The two women sprinted away, leaving Martha's family dumbfounded. They ran through the reception room and made their way up to the second floor, having heard a loud bang. Seeing that it was probably due to the Doctor's meddling, they followed the trail.

Ultimately, they unexpectedly collided with the Time Lord, who had just escaped from Lazarus. "What are you doing here?"

"Come on, you're not complete without your sonic screwdriver." Willow handed it back to him, glad to see that he was still alive.

"How did you-?"

"We heard the explosion, dumbass."

"I blasted Lazarus." He mentioned.

Martha asked. "Did you kill him?"

A roar from around the corner revealed that this was not the case. Lazarus emerged, still in his monstrous form. His eyes landed on the trio. "More sort of annoyed him, I'd say."

Once again, the chase was on. They headed back to the reception room, but they knew that they could not lead the monstrous Lazarus outside. It was too dangerous to keep him inside with them as well. "What now? We've just gone round in a circle."

"We can't lead him outside." The Doctor opened the chamber door. "Come on, get in."

With no other choices left, the women obeyed and slipped inside the chamber. However, Lazarus had seen them. It was a tight squeeze since the chamber was only built for one person, not three at once. "Are we hiding?"

"No, he knows we're here. But this is his masterpiece. I'm betting he won't destroy it, not even to get at us." He surmised.

"Then how do we get out?" wondered Willow.

"Well, yeah, that's a slight problem." He pointed out.

"Was this a part of your fantastic plan?"

"Yes, the plan was to get inside here."

"And then?"

"Well, then I'd come up with another plan."

Martha rolled her eyes in annoyance, hearing Lazarus creep outside. "In your own time, then." The Doctor lifted his arm, brushing it across Martha's body as he attempted to reach his inside pocket. "Hey!"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry." He retrieved his sonic screwdriver once again. "Here we are."

"What're you going to do with that?" she queried.

"Improvise." Then, the Doctor sunk to his knees and used the screwdriver on one of the floor panels. Once it was open, he took the chance to investigate the wiring.

"I still don't understand where that thing came from. Is it alien?" Martha questioned.

"To everyone else in the universe, maybe. But it's definitely human." Willow stated as the silhouette of Lazarus passed them by.

She raised her eyebrows. "Human? How can it be human?"

"Probably from dormant genes in Lazarus's DNA. The energy field in this thing must have reactivated them. And it looks like they're becoming dominant." The Doctor explained.

"So it's a throwback?"

"Some option that evolution rejected for you millions of years ago, but the potential is still there. Locked away in your genes, forgotten about until Lazarus unlocked it by mistake."

Martha widened her eyes. "It's like Pandora's box."

"Exactly. Nice shoes, by the way." He complimented, having noticed them whilst working.

All of a sudden, the chamber lit up. The power restarted, Willow could feel it start to spin. "Lazarus switched the machine on!"

"Damnit, I was hoping that it would take him longer to figure out." The Doctor responded.

Beside her, Martha became tense. "I don't want to hurry you, but-"

"I know, I know! Nearly done!" He interrupted.

"Well, what're you doing?"

"When he transforms, he's three times his size. Cellular triplication. So he's spreading himself thin." It wasn't exactly the answer Martha was looking for, but Willow understood what he was trying to say.

Martha closed her eyes in fear as the lights blinded her. "We're going to end up like him!"

"Just one more!" The Doctor yelled, yanking at one of the wires.

Instantly, the machine slowed down, but not before emitting a large pulse of energy outside of it. The chamber stopped whirring, allowing the trio to make their escape. They stepped out, Martha clutching her stomach. "I thought we were going to go through the blender then."

"Really shouldn't take that long just to reverse the polarity. I must be a bit out of practice." He said.

Willow scoffed. "You think?"

Their eyes were drawn to the naked body of a normal-looking Lazarus. He seemed so peaceful in his death-like state. "Oh, God. He seems so human again. It's kind of pitiful."

"Eliot saw that, too. This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but with a whimper." The Doctor recited, also feeling some sort of pity towards the man.

***

Outside the building, guests gathered around and watched in awe as Lazarus's body was being taken away. He was strapped onto a gurney, hidden under a red blanket. It was seemingly the end of his reign of terror.

The three followed soon after, having won the good fight. "She's here. Oh, she's all right." Tish jogged over to Martha, embracing her.

Francine Jones followed, storming towards the Doctor and Willow. "Ah, Mrs Jones. We still haven't finished our chat."

Unexpectedly, she slapped him in the face. Willow's eyes widened. "Doctor!"

"Keep away from my daughter. Both of you!" she warned.

Martha looked on in shock, confused why she was acting this way. "Mum, what are you doing?"

"Always the mothers, every time." The Doctor uttered, recalling the time Jackie had smacked him. His fiancée tended to him, checking he was all right.

"They are dangerous. I've been told things." Francine revealed.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

Leo approached his family, gradually recovering from his concussion. "Look around you. Nothing but death and destruction."

Shortly, the ambulance left as Martha continued to argue with her mother. "This isn't their fault. They saved us, all of us!"

"And it was Tish who invited everyone to this thing in the first place. I'd say technically, it's her fault." Leo inputted, instantly receiving an elbow from his younger sister.

Abruptly, a turbulent crash sounded nearby, ending their argument. The Doctor and Willow knew that it had something to do with Lazarus; they were the first to leave. Then, Martha stepped down, preparing to follow them.

Nonetheless, her mother clutched her arm and begged her not to go. "Leave them."

Defying her mother's wishes, Martha shook her head. She escaped her grasp, trailing the pair. "Martha?" Tish called out to her.

"Not you too?"

For some reason, Tish felt inclined to follow her, also defying Francine. "Sorry."

The young Jones caught up to her sister and her new friends, discovering that the ambulance had crashed. The back doors were wide open, revealing the corpses of two ambulance drivers. "Lazarus, back from the dead. Should have known, really."

The Doctor activated his sonic screwdriver, scanning the area. "But that means he could be anywhere." Willow declared.

"No, he's in there. The church." He replied.

"Cathedral." Tish corrected. "It's Southwark Cathedral. He told me."

Seeing that he had an interest in the place, it was perfectly reasonable that he chose to hide there. The group followed in his wake, entering the archaic cathedral. "Do you think he's in here?" Martha wondered.

"Where would you go if you were looking for sanctuary?" he questioned.

The Doctor was indeed correct by his assumption. There he was, kneeling under the lights. He was still naked, yet wrapped himself in the red blanket that covered his body.

Lazarus had almost anticipated their arrival, lifting his head slightly. Although, he did not look them in the eyes as the group began to circle him. "I came here before, a lifetime ago. I thought I was going to die then. In fact, I was sure of it. I sat here, just a child, the sound of planes and bombs outside."

"The Blitz." He guessed.

He exhaled, looking up at him. "You've read about it."

"We were there." The Doctor confessed, remembering when they encounter the Gas Mask Zombies and met Captain Jack.

Willow quietly laughed. "I was hanging from a barrage balloon."

"You're too young." He remarked.

"We could tell you the same." She reckoned.

Lazarus laughed, believing them to be lying. Not before long, he began to groan. His bones snapped, his form ready to change again. It was obvious that he was in pain. "In the morning, the fires had died, and I was still alive. I swore I'd never face death like that again. So defenceless. I would arm myself, fight back, defeat it."

"That's what you were trying to do today?" he theorised.

"That's what I did today." He rephrased.

She watched him smile, still thinking that he was successful. "Lazarus, you killed people. I wouldn't call that a success."

"I would." He stated. "I changed the course of history."

"Any of them might have done too. You think history's only made with equations? Facing death is part of being human. You can't change that." The Doctor wandered around him, observing his insanity beginning to show.

"No, Doctor. Avoiding death, that's being human. It's our strongest impulse, to cling to life with every fibre of being. I'm only doing what everyone before me has tried to do. I've simply been more successful."

Yet, he still groaned, the pain continually returning to him. "Look at yourself. You're mutating! You've no control over it. You call that a success?"

"I call it progress. I'm more now than I was. More than just an ordinary human." At this point, there was nothing human left to save. Professor Richard Lazarus had become deluded in a sense that Willow could not imagine. She understood his fear of death, but no one could truly cheat it.

"There's no such thing as an ordinary human." The Doctor believed.

He convulsed again, longer this time. Martha whispered to her friends. "He's going to change again any minute."

"I know. If I can get him up into the bell tower somehow, I've got an idea that might work." He mentioned.

Willow glanced at Lazarus, noticing that he had grown frailer. "Let's hope it works."

"You're so sentimental, Doctor. As is your lady." He gulped, his voice breaking. "Maybe you are older than you look."

"I'm old enough to know that a longer life isn't always a better one. In the end, you just get tired. Tired of the struggle, tired of losing everyone that matters to you, tired of watching everything turn to dust." The Doctor crouched to his level, staring into his eyes. "If you live long enough, Lazarus, the only certainty left is that you'll end up alone." 

"That's a price worth paying."

"Is it?"

Lazarus's mouth watered, his human form growing weaker. "I will feed soon."

"I'm not going to let that happen." He told him.

He chuckled. "You've not been able to stop me so far."

"Leave them, Lazarus!" exclaimed Martha, drawing his attention away from the couple. "They're old and bitter. I thought you had a taste for fresher meat."

As predicted, Lazarus's intrigue had spiked. He smirked at the girls before the Doctor warned. "Martha, no."

But it was too late. He lunged at her, igniting the chase. Tish followed her sister, having been caught in the middle. "What are you doing?"

"Keeping you out of trouble!" she yelled.

"Doctor! The tower!" shouted Martha.

Soon enough, they disappeared into the shadows. Willow scraped a hand through her hair, looking upwards. "Was this a part of your plan?"

"Where are they?" he muttered before raising his voice. "Martha?!"

"Doctor!" The two turned to find Martha looking down from a passageway.

"Take him to the top. The very top of the bell tower, do you hear me?!" The Doctor yelled.

"Up to the top!" she repeated. "Then what?"

However, she did not get a chance to answer when Tish pulled her away, the sisters escaping from Lazarus. They saw his monstrous shadow glide across the wall, heading for Martha and Tish.

In a hurry, the Doctor and Willow raced up to an organ loft. He sat down, ready to play. "Hypersonic sound waves. Inspired."

"Have you ever played the organ?" questioned Willow.

"Nope!" The Doctor stuck his sonic screwdriver into the power socket. "I hope it's a good acoustic in here." He pressed on the pedals, his hands gliding across the piano keys. Dramatic music emerged, just as Martha and Tish were being confronted by Lazarus.

Willow watched in horror as her friends tumbled. Luckily, her hands landed on the edge, but it wasn't going to hold her for long. "It's not working! Martha's going to fall!" she yelled over the organ music.

"We need to turn this up to eleven." He configured with his sonic screwdriver before striking the keys once again. This time, it was more powerful, seemingly affecting everyone in the cathedral. 

There was a loud screech, and Willow witnessed the monster fall from high above. He smashed onto the ground, returning once again to his human form. Broken wood surrounded his corpse; light scratches appeared on his body. From the moment he stopped breathing, she knew that Lazarus had met his end.

The Doctor and Willow looked up, but they could no longer see their companion. "Martha?"

There was a threatening pause, the pair growing fearful for them. Finally, they heard a shout. "I'm okay! We're both okay!"

She sighed, relieved that they were okay. Feeling calm for the first time this evening, she embraced the Doctor. Never in their eternal lives had they expected to meet a human that tried his best to avoid death, even choosing to become a monster to do it.

Upon breaking away, the two approached Lazarus. His eyes were still open, yet there was no life left inside him. Feeling pitiful for him, the Doctor knelt to the ground and closed his eyes. His youth surely vanished, bringing the true Lazarus to the surface.

Nearby, Martha and Tish returned to the ground floor. "I didn't know you could play?"

The Doctor hugged her, feeling at ease for the first time this evening. "Oh, well, you know, if you hang around with Beethoven, you're bound to pick a few things up."

"Stop bragging!" Willow said before wrapping her arms around Martha. Despite her past disliking of her taking Rose's place, she no longer cared about that anymore. She knew that Martha was a friend for life.

"Especially about playing loud." She joked as the women broke away.

There was a slight pause. "Sorry?" They began to laugh, finding themselves happy to be alive.

***

After their late-night debacle, the three returned to Martha's house to say goodbye once again. The Doctor unlocked the TARDIS door, preparing to part ways with her. "Something else that just kind of escalated then."

"I can see a pattern developing. You should take more care in the future. And the past. And whatever other time period you find yourself in..." She mentioned with a smile.

"It's good fun, though, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

He smirked, quickly glancing at Willow. "So, what do you say, one more trip?"

She hesitated for a moment. "No. Sorry."

It was not the response they had been expecting. "What do you mean? I thought you liked it."

"I do, but I can't go on like this. One more trip. It's not fair." Martha expressed her opinion. She wasn't wrong; she had already proven herself worthy several times before.

Willow understood what she meant, but the Doctor was completely clueless. "What're you talking about?"

"I don't want to be just a passenger anymore. Someone you take along for a treat. If that's how you still see me, I'd rather stay here." She insisted, standing up for herself.

He turned to his fiancee, knowing that she wasn't okay with it before. However, to his surprise, Willow's opinion had drastically changed. "You're right, Martha." His eyes widened, stunned by her words. "Without you, we might not have been here today. You're a great friend... and I would love to have you onboard for more than one trip." She peered back at the Doctor. "Is that all right with you, dear?"

"I, er..." he stumbled, taken aback by Willow's choice. Seeing that she appeared happier than she was before, the Doctor knew what to say. "Okay."

Martha let out a gasp, her excitement bubbling to the surface. "Oh, thank you, thank you!"

She embraced Willow once again, who was more than happy to return it. The Doctor opened the TARDIS door, stepping through. "Well, you were never really just a passenger, were you?"

The women followed him inside, ready for more adventures. Martha was never Rose's replacement; she was the friend that Willow needed around. For the first time in ages, she was truly happy.

As the TARDIS dematerialised, they were unaware of Martha's telephone ringing again. "Hi, I'm out. Leave a message."

"Martha, it's your mother. Please phone me back. I'm begging you. I know who this Doctor and Willow really are. I know they're dangerous. You're going to get yourself killed. Please, trust me. This information comes from Harold Saxon himself. You're not safe!"

It was only a matter of time before the Doctor and Willow's pasts are due to catch up with them. The couple had no idea that their adventures with Martha would soon change for the worst.

***

Eugh, this is so shitty! To me it is at least.

I hope you liked it. I'm sorry again for not updating. This is probably the hardest Doctor Who fanfiction book I've had to write.

At least we're practically halfway through the series now. I'm not sure when '42' is going to be released, but I'm hoping that it's short. Then, we enter my favourite part of this book.

- Alice ❤