Continuing from 'The Parting of the Ways - Part III'

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ROSE SAT ON A BENCH IN THE PARK, head slumped in hands. She saw in the corner of her eye Mickey joined her on the bench scooched a few inches away, hugging herself. "You can't spend the rest of your life thinking about this." Mickey rubbed his hands together. "Lily made her choice and it's hard but it's something you'll need to understand."

He kept talking but Rose zoned out to keep from lashing out. That's when she saw a pair of large letters painted on the tarmac of the play area the bench was overlooking. 'BAD WOLF.' She stood, scanning the area, and spotted the same words in chalk on a brick half-wall. "Over here!" She cried and ran in the direction of it. "It's over here as well!"

Mickey joined her side when she stopped, looking at the words himself. "That's been there for years." He brushed it off with a shrug. "It's just a phrase. It's just words."

I thought it was a warning."She looked at him. "Maybe it's the opposite. Maybe it's a message!" Rose grinned as it all started to make sense."The same words were written down now and two hundred thousand years in the future. It's a link between me and Lily and the Doctor!" She pointed at the sky. "Bad Wolf there," And then to the half wall. "Bad Wolf here."

"But if it's a message, what's it saying?" Mickey asked.

"It's telling me I can get back," Rose told him and sprinted to where the TARDIS was parked. "I need to save them." She said, swinging the doors open with determination and running up to the console, knowing Mickey was right behind her. "All the TARDIS needs to do is make a return trip." Rose smiled up at the console tube. "Just reverse."

"Yeah, but we still can't do it." Mickey pointed out.

"The TARDIS is telepathic," Rose explained, patting the console. "This thing is alive. It can listen." She walked around to the area where Margaret the Slitheen was when she looked into the TARDIS light. "We need to get inside it. Last time we saw you, Mickey, with the Slitheen, this middle bit." She tapped on it. "Open, and there was this light, and the Doctor said it was the heart of the TARDIS. If we can open it, I can make contact! I can tell it what to do!"

"Rose?" Mickey frowned. "If you go back, you're going to die."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take for Lily and the Doctor." She nodded. "Because there's nothing left for me here."

There was a small break of silence before Mickey muttered. "Nothing?"

"No," Rose answered quickly.

"Okay, if that's what you think, let's get this thing open." Rose tried to ignore the hurt that laced his voice.

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Mickey's attempt to open the hatch, via a chain attached from it to his car, failed horribly. She wordlessly sat in the captain's chair, hugging one leg to her chest and the other hanging off, helping her twist the chair back and forth. Her mum entered the TARDIS and walked up to Rose. "What do we do now?"

Rose rested her chin on her knee, muttering. "I don't know, Mum, okay?" She shook her head at Jackie. "But I can't give up 'cos Dad never did." She watched her mum's eyes squint, puzzled. "He'd tell me to try anything. If I can save my sister and the Doctor's life- try anything."

"But," Jackie gave her a disbelieving short laugh. "You were just a baby when he died, Rose."

"I know because I've met him." Rose choked out. "I met Dad."

The smile on Jackie's face faded. "Don't be ridiculous."

Rose dropped her leg and leaned forward, trying to seem as serious as she could. "The Doctor took us back in time, and we met Dad."

"Don't say that." Jackie snapped, taking a step backward.

"Remember when Dad died? There was someone with him. A girl, a blonde girl. She held his hand. You saw her from a distance, Mum. You saw her!" She was desperate for her mum to listen but Jackie only backed away further- Rose stayed seated in her chair. "Think about it- that was me. You saw me!"

Jackie held up a hand and tears started to form. "Stop it."

Rose swallowed back a lump in her throat. "That's how good the Doctor is!"

"Stop it! Just stop it!" Rose watched Jackie run out of the TARDIS, crying and wanting the chair to swallow her whole.

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After wiping her face Rose exited the TARDIS and was surprised to see Mickey waiting for her, leaning his back against his parked car. "There's got to be something else we can do." He wondered out loud, crossing his arms.

Rose lowered her head and joined him against the car. "I don't know. Lily was always better at these kinds of things."

"I'm not having that," Mickey said. "I'm not having you just, just give up now. No way." Rose listened, appreciating his words of comfort. "We just need something stronger than my car. Something bigger." A loud car horn sounded from down the road. "Something like that."

The pair watched what created the horn- a large yellow recovery truck rounding the corner and moving to park in front of Mickey's car. When Jackie hopped out of the driver's side, Rose stared in shock. "Right." Jackie pointed at them and then back at the truck. "You've only got this until six o'clock, so get on with it."

"Mum?" Rose laughed. "Where the hell did you get that from?"

"Rodrigo." She replied with a shrug. "He owes me a favor. Never mind why, but you were right about your dad, sweetheart. He was full of mad ideas, and it's exactly what he would've done." She tossed the keys to Mickey who clumsily caught them. "And if you're right about this, and it could save Lily-'' She didn't try to hold back her tears. "Know I'll burn down the universe for you two. Now, get on with it before I change my mind."

✧

Still on Floor 500, Lily was helping the Doctor the best she could. But it was hard given that he was giving her a rough cold shoulder. Daleks had infiltrated Earth's atmosphere, by Lynda's words who was under surveillance at her station Jack brought her to an observation deck she'd been to prior. The stakes and emotions are high after Lynda told them all the civilians hiding on Floor Zero were exterminated. And now it was the Earth's turn and there was nothing they could do.

Lily felt like she was doing mindlessly work but it's what the Doctor instructed her to do. Instructed in short words with little to no eye contact. Even handing over the items he asked for he didn't dare glance her way. It was making her equally furious.

"Look, start acting your ancient age and stop acting like a child." When that didn't faze him, his back staying facing her, she groaned, annoyed. "This was my choice, okay? My decision to stay. And I get you're upset about that for whatever reason, but-"

"Whatever reason?" He turned to her. "I told you my reason. You're going to die, Lily!" The Doctor twisted back to his work in creating the Delta Wave generator- which would kill all life on the Game Station and Earth, including the Daleks but also themselves. He continued speaking to her in a furious voice. "I was trying to send you and Rose both home so you'll be safe."

"And you'll what? Just die here, alone?"

"Yep."

She laughed in disbelief at what he was saying. "You were wrong when you called me an idiot. You are."

This enticed him enough to give her his full attention. "Me?"

"Yes, you!" She exclaimed, letting her anger boil over. "It's idiotic of you to think I'd be okay with any of this. This is my life." She put a hand on her chest to emphasize her words. "I won't let you die alone. Rose is safe back home with Mum and I thank you for that peace of mind. But, ever since that day on the rooftop when I said yes, under that sky full of stars, it's been me and you. And it will always be me and you .." Lily paused and smiled fondly. "Till the end of time."

Something passed the Doctor's eyes. It was something Lily couldn't read but those eyes of his softened and his shoulders, that have been tense for a while now, lowered. "There's so much I want to tell you."

She bit her bottom lip and nodded, going to fiddle with her locket. "Not enough time, I know."

Lily may be wrong, but it seemed like the Doctor was nearly in tears. "I'm sorry .."

"I've got a problem." Lynda's voice sounded from the PA system. "They've found me."

The Doctor turned away from Lily. They both started working faster on the device- making up for lost time they wasted talking to one another. "You'll be alright, Lynda." The Doctor reassured her, Lily joining him, helping. "That side of the station's reinforced against meteors."

Not long after the Doctor said that they heard glass shattering from Lynda's end of the PA system. She screamed a curdling scream- one that pained Lily's heart. And then silence. "No," Lily whispered.

Jack's voice came through, apparently firing at the Daleks that killed Lynda. "The last man standing!" He called himself. That meant everyone else was dead. "For god's sake, you two, finish that thing and kill them!"

The Emperor corrected. "Finish that thing and kill mankind!"

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

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- Kayleigh