***

"Do you think I should try the hospital?" wondered Rose.

Willow tapped her fork against the wooden table, her gaze fixed upon the cutlery. "What, like, nursing? You need a degree for that."

"No, Suki said they had a job going in the canteen." She sighed, her frown ever-present. "Is that it then, dishing out chips?"

"Yeah, it's a hard life, Rose Tyler." Her tone held no emotion. The day had worn her down, and she was too tired to make any good suggestions. She tried her best to push the Doctor out of her mind, but her desire for answers fought back every time.

"I could do A Levels. I don't know." She didn't really have many options or qualifications to her name; it was hard enough getting a job in retail. "It's all Jimmy Stone's fault. I only left school because of him. Look where he ended up." Her boyfriend stared back at her, his expression blank. "What do you think?"

He leaned forward. "So, where did you meet this Doctor?"

Willow dropped her fork upon the mention of the man's name, the item falling to the floor. As he bent down to pick it up, Rose replied. "I'm sorry, wasn't I talking about me for a second?"

Mickey didn't seem to care about changing the subject. "Because I reckon it started back at the shop, am I right? Was he something to do with that?"

She shook her head, lightly. "No."

"Come on." His lips curved into a sly, cheeky grin.

Rose's front teeth hooked her bottom lip, pulling it back ever so slightly. "Sort of."

She placed the fork back on the table, aligning it with the knife atop a clean napkin as she listened to their conversation.

"What was he doing there?" questioned Mickey.

Willow snorted, half-smirking. "You jealous then?"

"I'm not going on about it, Mickey. Really, I'm not, because, I know it sounds daft, but I don't think it's safe." Rose lowered her voice, glancing at the other patrons in the restaurant. "I think he's dangerous."

Her sister agreed with her thoughts. "Well, he kinda admitted it, so I wouldn't put it past him."

"But you can trust me, sweetheart. Babe," he flinched, his facial muscles twitching, "sugar, babe, sugar." Mickey sounded like a skipping record, his voice changing octaves. "You can tell me anything." He assured her. "Tell me about the Doctor and what he's planning, and I can help you, Rose. Because that's all I really want to do, sweetheart, babe, babe, sugar, sweetheart."

His mannerisms glitched again as if he were a robot. "What're you doing that for?"

Before he could respond, a waiter approached their table with a bottle in hand. "Your champagne."

"We didn't order any champagne." He grasped Rose's hand, his grip tight. "Where's the Doctor?"

The waiter travelled to the other side of the table, offering her the bottle instead. "Madam, your champagne."

"It's not ours." Rose tried her best to remain calm, more concerned about her boyfriend's wellbeing. "Mickey, what is it? What's wrong?

"I need to find out how much you know, so where is he?" This wasn't like him at all. Mickey was like a puppy that clings to its owner's legs, but this was on the extreme.

Willow's eyes were glued to their hands, and she observed how unnaturally glossy Mickey's was. There was something uncanny about this situation. "Mickey, let go of her hand."

His head snapped towards her, making a loud squeak. She flinched, breaking her gaze. "Do you know where he is then?"

His grim stare unnerved her even more. She'd never been scared of Mickey before, but something was unsettling about his gaze, and she felt the need to run as fast as she could.

"Doesn't anybody want this champagne?" the waiter asked.

Mickey rolled his eyes, huffing. His posture relaxed as he looked up at the waiter. "Look, we didn't order any-" He stopped, an evil grin spreading across his face. "- Ah. Gotcha."

Willow twisted in her chair, hanging her head back to find the Doctor, instead of a normal waiter. Her mouth fell agape. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Don't mind me." He started shaking the bottle, his smile manic. "I'm just toasting the happy couple." The Doctor aimed the tip of the champagne at Mickey. "On the house!"

He released the cage around the top, the cork flying straight into Mickey's forehead. To the two women's shock, it didn't smack against his head. Instead, the cork went straight through his skin, absorbing it. Rose and Willow's expressions dropped at the sight of it. His face morphed unnaturally for a second, resetting once the cork was in his mouth. He chewed the item before spitting it out, the cork flying between Rose and the Doctor.

Seeing his cover blown, the fake Mickey did not hesitate. "Anyway." 

He stood up, his hand flattening into a hard plastic chopper. Before he could slam it into the table, Rose and Willow fled their seats, the former screaming. He wrecked the table, scattering broken plates and cutlery onto the floor. The sisters held on to one another for dear life as the Doctor headed straight for him, putting the fake Mickey in a chokehold. 

Then he started to yank, his head squeaking with each tug before eventually pulling it off. The rest of the customers screamed and yelled, confused by the attack. The Doctor raised fake Mickey's head, watching his eyes shoot open. "Don't think that's going to stop me."

Just then, his headless body jumped up, blindly smashing anything in his way. To save the restaurant patrons from its calamity, Rose set off the fire alarm next to her. "Everyone out! Out now! Get out! Get out! Get out!"

The women sprinted through the kitchens, followed by the Doctor, who carried the head under his arm. Behind them, they could hear the body trailing them, destroying the dining area and the kitchen. The cooking staff had no idea what was going on, but they fled too. Only Willow, Rose and the Doctor made it to the back exit -- but the plastic Mickey wasn't too far behind. 

Once outside, they slammed the metal door in its face, the Doctor sealing it shut with his metal stick wand thing. Rose sprinted towards a large gate, attempting to yank the chain away from it to secure their freedom.

But Willow stayed put, her gaze fixed on the blue box standing a few feet away. She was right -- it did have something to do with him. 

"Open the gate! Use that tube thing. Come on!" shouted Rose as she tugged at the lock, unable to pull it loose.

The Doctor began to walk away from the door, his stride bizarrely calm. He held up the silver-blue wand, correcting her. "Sonic screwdriver."

The name didn't matter to her. All that mattered was that they needed to escape, and they couldn't do that without the Doctor's help. "Use it!"

"Nah." He reached into his jacket pocket, retrieving a key. "Tell you what, let's go in here." The Doctor slipped his key into a lock and twisted it to the right, the door popping open. A green glow emanated from inside, just briefly as he stepped into the box.

Willow could hear the plastic duplicate hammering on the door behind her, denting the metal. But with a million thoughts running through her head, her focus was elsewhere.

Rose stepped in front of the blue box, yelling. "You can't hide inside a wooden box!" She glanced back at her foster sister with a pleading expression, yet she remained unfazed. Rose dashed back to the gate, pulling on the chain with all her might. "Willow, help me! Don't just stand there! It's going to get us! Doctor!"

For a moment, she considered helping her sister, but what good would it do? Even with their combined strength, that thing would kill them instantly. Within the last twenty-four hours, their lives have been turned upside down, and for Willow, even more so. 

All her life, she thought she was crazy. Yet, with all she had seen today, Willow had begun to consider the impossible. What if she really could see the future? She couldn't just pretend she was normal anymore, not after all this.

It was time to embrace the unnatural.

Her eyes closed and she took a deep breath through her nose, her chest puffing as air filled her lungs. Her lips pressed together as her shoes shuffled against the ground, skidding on the tiny rocks beneath her soles. She exhaled, her eyes bursting open as she ran towards the box. With her arms outstretched, she threw the doors open and stumbled inside.

Instead of a wall and a tight fit, Willow found herself in an expansive space. She stood on a black metal grating, a walkway leading up to a circular console. A green light illuminated it from behind a glass shield, granting an otherworldly demeanour. Wires dangled from above, intertwined with coral pillars.

Behind her, she could sense Rose entering the box for a few seconds before running out again. But Willow stayed put, her fear of the unknown lessening. There was a warmth to this place, an odd sort of comfort. She felt as if it welcomed her presence, and a sense of security washed over her. They would be safe here.

Shortly after, Rose returned, exclaiming. "It's going to follow us!"

As the doors closed behind them, the Doctor argued. "The assembled hordes of Genghis Khan couldn't get through that door, and believe me, they've tried. Now, shut up a minute." Despite saving their lives again, he still retained his rude exterior. "You see, the arm was too simple, but the head's perfect. I can use it to trace the signal back to the original source." He plugged the plastic Mickey's head into his console before turning around. "Right." The Doctor tucked his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. "Where do you want to start?"

Willow didn't know what to say -- how to act. She'd spent so long running from the abnormal that she was unsure how to welcome it in her life. This place was incredible. How could a room this size fit in a box so small?

Rose, of course, had her questions. "Er, the inside's bigger than the outside?"

"Yes." He nodded.

"It's alien," Willow uttered, meeting his gaze.

The Doctor's lips parted. "Yeah."

"And you're..." she swallowed, easing the dryness in her throat, "... you're an alien too?"

He knew the question was coming, and the Doctor couldn't exactly deny it. They'd seen too much now. "Yes." He paused, sensing their apprehension. "Is that all right?"

Willow reached behind her nape, scratching it. She looked him up and down, her lips twitching into a slight smile. "You're a very human-looking alien, so it's not that jarring." Her hand dropped, her eyes widening. "Or are you, like, a shapeshifter or something?"

His mouth clenched, shaking his head. "Not quite."

"Okay." Her head bobbed briefly before her gaze wandered upwards, drinking in the sight of it all. "So what is this thing?"

"It's not a thing." He stated, looking around the space. "It's called the TARDIS."

"The what?"

"T-A-R-D-I-S. That's Time And Relative Dimension In Space."

A sob escaped from Rose's throat, the younger woman slapping a hand over her mouth to hold it in. Tears fled her eyes, smearing her mascara.

It didn't take long for Willow to acknowledge her discontent, rubbing her shoulders. "Rose?"

The Doctor didn't budge from his spot, though he assured her that it was an appropriate reaction. "That's okay. Culture shock. Happens to the best of us."

Willow faced him again, her expression solemn. "I don't think it's that."

"Did they kill him?" her voice cracked. She sniffed, wiping her nose. "Mickey-? Did they kill Mickey? Is he dead?"

"Oh." His brows drooped, his eyes narrowing. "I didn't think of that."

Her jaw went slack. "He's my boyfriend. You pulled off his head. They copied him and you didn't even think?" Willow tried her best to hold her back, attempting to calm her down. "And now you're just going to let him melt?"

"Melt?" he spun back to discover the plastic head of Mickey's duplicate dissolving into a pool of brown and black sludge. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no!"

Willow raised her voice, the muscles in her neck tightening. "Do you seriously care more for a plastic copy than a living person?"

"No, it's not that!" The Doctor pulled a lever, setting the TARDIS in motion.

The women stumbled, nearly falling over their own feet as the machine began to whir and shake. It felt as if they were being hoisted off the ground. The time rotor within the glass casing began to pulse upwards, followed by the sound of choked wheezing. "What're you doing?!"

"Following the signal. It's fading." He consulted a computer monitor, his hands reaching for every button and dial he could use. "Wait a minute, I've got it." His face soon fell, his hope swiftly dying. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Almost there. Almost there. Here we go!"

Eventually, they came to a stop, the TARDIS thudding against the ground. The Doctor turned and sprinted for the door, charging between the two women.

Willow and Rose remained, the latter shouting after him. "You can't go out there. It's not safe!"

But he did not listen. In fact, he didn't even return. They were half-expecting the headless duplicate to come charging through the doors, yet no such incident occurred. With their hearts in their throats, they followed him out to discover they were no longer by the restaurant. 

The Doctor didn't treat this as anything new, instead complaining. "I lost the signal, I got so close."

They were on Westminister Bridge, but how? A minute ago, they were miles away. "How did we get here?"

"Does it fly?" asked Rose, who was eyeing the blue box.

He released a shallow huff, leaning over the edge of the bridge. "It disappears there and reappears here. You wouldn't understand."

"But what about plastic Mickey? His body's still out there." It must have broken through the door by now, wandering the streets aimlessly as it searched for them. Surely they leave it there -- it could hurt someone.

To her surprise, the Doctor announced. "It melted with the head." He charged past them. "Are you going to witter on all night?"

Her upper lip curled in disgust, and she stepped towards him. "Hey, you're the one who dragged us into this mess! Of course, we're gonna ask questions!"

"Well, save them for another time. I'm busy, Willow Hughes." If he was going to refuse them at every turn, then what was the point in bringing them with him? Sure, they were a little safer by his side, but they were still in danger. And if they were to leave now and not look back, a horde of plastic duplicates would be hunting them down.

Rose scratched the back of her head. "I'll have to tell his mother." The Doctor turned around, bewildered by her statement. "Mickey." She glared at him, her eyes cold. "I'll have to tell his mother he's dead, and you just went and forgot him, again!" She rolled her eyes, gritting her teeth. "You were right -- you are alien."

He sighed again. "Look, if I did forget some kid called Mickey-"

"Yeah, he's not a kid." She interrupted him.

The Doctor continued, raising his voice. "- It's because I'm trying to save the life of every stupid ape blundering on top of this planet, all right?!"

"All right!" responded Rose.

"Yes, it is!" he retorted, crossing his arms and turning away from them.

"If you are an alien, how come you sound like you're from the North?" she asked.

He glanced over his shoulder. "Lots of planets have a north!"

"You are kidding, right?" Willow laughed briefly before the Doctor shot her a look of earnestness. Her smile fell and she cleared her throat. "Look, I know you said to save the questions, but I need to know..." she raised a hand and pointed at the TARDIS, "... What's with the police public call box?"

"It's a telephone box from the 1950s." He leaned against it, smiling. "It's a disguise."

Willow scoffed. "Well, hate to burst your bubble," she started, using his own words against him, "but it's not the 1950s anymore."

"Yeah, well..." his gaze darted back and forth for a few seconds, unsure how to respond, "... it's broken. It's stuck like this."

Rose smirked, shaking her head. "Okay. And this -- this living plastic. What's it got against us?

"Nothing. It loves you." He told her.

"If it loves us, then why is it trying to kill us?" Willow questioned, folding her arms as she leaned her back against the TARDIS.

"Well, it loves your planet." The Doctor corrected himself. "Lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air, perfect. Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs." She nodded, feigning some kind of understanding. "Its food stock was destroyed in the war, all its protein plants rotted, so Earth," he gestured with his hands, "dinner!"

Her brows furrowed, squinting. "The war?"

His face fell, growing notably despondent. Willow caught a strange glint in his eye before he looked away, reaching into his jacket pocket. "A war."

"Any way of stopping it?" wondered Rose. "Not the war. This -- this invasion."

The Doctor retrieved a large vial of dark blue liquid, grinning like a madman. "Anti-plastic."

"Anti-plastic?" she repeated.

"Anti-plastic!" He pointed at the vial, the liquid slightly swishing against the glass. "But first I've got to find it." The Doctor stepped away from them, the women's eyes following his every move. "How can you hide something that big in a city this small?"

London wasn't that small a city. It might not have been New York, but it certainly wasn't small. "Hold on -- hide what?"

"The transmitter." The Doctor turned back, explaining. "The Consciousness is controlling every single piece of plastic, so it needs a transmitter to boost the signal."

Willow's forehead creased, thinking. "Okay, so it has to be pretty big, right?"

"Exactly." He answered.

Rose wrung her fingers together. "What's it look like?"

"Like a transmitter." He strolled past them, looking around. "Round and massive, slap bang in the middle of London. A huge circular metal structure like a dish, like a wheel. Radial. Close to where we're standing." Behind him, quite a distance away, the London Eye stood tall, resembling the Doctor's exact description. "Must be completely invisible." He stopped, tucking his hands into his pockets. The foster sisters stood in front of him, staring into the distance. "What?" Rose's head bobbed, gesturing to it. He glanced over his shoulder, though he didn't seem to understand. "What?" The two women acknowledged it again, yet the Doctor kept looking past it, ignoring the obvious. "What? What is it? What?"

He just wasn't getting it. Rose sighed and tilted her head to the side. "You wanna tell him or should I?"

She smirked, still gazing beyond him. "Let him figure it out."

The Doctor glanced back again, and finally, it clicked. "Oh." He took one final look before facing the pair and grinning. "Fantastic!"

Without any hesitation and no hint of worry in his expression -- the Doctor took off running, shortly followed by the two women he'd brought along. There was no getting rid of them now. As Willow caught up with him, the Doctor briefly glimpsed her approach and grasped her gloved hand, dragging her down the street. She peered back at Rose, taking her hand as well. 

The three sped across the bridge with little regard for the world around them. They ran on pure adrenaline, buzzing with excitement. It was a dangerous time to be alive, but that's what made it so fun. Willow had never felt so free before -- she loved it.

They stopped in front of the London Eye, looking around for any clues as to where the Nestence Consciousness was hiding. "Think of it, plastic all over the world, every artificial thing waiting to come alive. The shop window dummies, the phones, the wires, the cables-"

"- The breast implants," Rose added.

Willow cringed, squeezing her eyes shut and grimacing. "God, Rose. I don't need those images in my head."

"Still, we've found the transmitter. The Consciousness must be somewhere underneath." The Doctor believed.

The sisters strolled over to the parapet nearby, leaning over the side. Below, they spotted a large manhole right next to the river. The Doctor said it himself -- they liked all those toxins and dioxins. The tunnels running under London and the stinking state of the Thames would be perfect for them.

"Down there?" she queried.

He joined the pair by the parapet, taking a glimpse. "Looks good to me."

The three made their way down, and when they reached the bottom, the Doctor turned a wheel and unscrewed the hatch. Red-tinted light poured out and hot steam emerged from inside. It was clear to them that this was the point of no return, but they weren't retreating now.

The Doctor descended first, climbing down a short ladder into a manmade area of bricks and chains. It was not long before the foster sisters joined him, following him through a down and down another flight of steps into a large chamber.

"The Nestene Consciousness." The Doctor leaned his arms against the metal fencing. "That's it, inside the vat. A living plastic creature."

"Woah, that's..." her shoulders dropped, her eyes widening, "... that's massive." Very few words could describe this molten orange pool of sentient goo. It was moving on its own accord, reminding Willow of lava at the bottom of a volcano, ready to blow.

Rose's gaze darted back and forth, growing uncertain. "Well, then. Tip in your anti-plastic and let's go."

It's what they presumed he would do, at first. But then he crooked his head, glaring. "I'm not here to kill it." He stated. "I've got to give it a chance."

Willow's mouth fell open, stuttering. "But it's killed people-"

His gaze met hers, stern and full of fire. "I'm not resorting to genocide." The Doctor turned away from them, marching over to the catwalk. As he did, he faintly whispered. "Not again." He reached the edge, addressing the trio's presence. "I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract according to convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation."

The molten pool writhed and screeched. It could understand him -- and speak, as well. It seemed to respond to him. Though the two women could not translate what was being said, the Doctor appeared to understand it perfectly.

He nodded his head in appreciation. "Thank you. If I might have permission to approach?"

Rose began to wander, her anxiety growing as the adrenaline ebbed away. Then, someone familiar entered her view. On another platform, trembling like a scared cat, was her boyfriend, alive and well. "Oh, my God!" The two women rushed down the stairs, racing to greet him. "Mickey, it's me! It's okay. It's all right."

They knelt beside him, checking him over. Mickey put his finger to his lips, sweat dripping down his face. "That thing down there, the liquid. Rose, it can talk!"

"Oh, you're stinking." But that didn't matter -- the Nestene Consciousness didn't hurt him. He was safe now. "Doctor, they kept him alive."

"Yeah, that was always a possibility." He commented as he descended to the next platform. "Keep him alive to maintain the copy."

Rose stammered, gritting her teeth. "You knew that and you never said?"

"Can we keep the domestics outside, thank you?" He snapped back, heading down the stairs.

Willow rubbed Mickey's shoulder, assuring him. "Don't worry, we're gonna get you out of here..."

"Am I addressing the Consciousness?" The Doctor started.

She sighed, standing up. "... Just after he's finished."

His arms hung limp by his sides. "Thank you. If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilisation by means of warp-shunt technology. So, may I suggest, with the greatest respect, that you," he smirked, "shunt off?"

The vat pulsed, a face of molten plastic slowly formed and began to converse with the Doctor. It appeared to say something, though what emerged from its weird mouth was nothing short of screeching.

"Oh, don't give me that." He retorted. "It's an invasion, plain and simple. Don't talk about constitutional rights." The Nestene Consciousness interrupted him, sparking outrage. "I am talking!" His unexpected fury silenced the creature, appearing to listen to his plight. "This planet is just starting. These stupid little people have only just learnt how to walk, but they're capable of so much more. I'm asking you on their behalf. Please, just go."

During his begging, however, from behind, a pair of shop window dummies started to approach. The humans acknowledged their presence from above, Willow screaming. "Look out!"

It was too late. They grabbed the Doctor, holding him hostage. One reached into his jacket pocket and removed the vial of anti-plastic, revealing the poison to its master. The Nestence Consciousness screeched in response.

"That was just insurance. I wasn't going to use it." The Doctor insisted, but the creature in the vat begged to differ. "I was not attacking you. I'm here to help. I'm not your enemy. I swear, I'm not." Then, it spoke again, and the Doctor's face fell, his eyes narrowing. "What do you mean?"

A door opened behind Willow, Rose and Mickey, unveiling the TARDIS. They must have captured it whilst the trio were on the run. Obviously, the Nestene Consciousness had eyes everywhere.

"No. Oh, no. Honestly, no." He tried to defend himself. The creature screeched again, and the Doctor answered. "Yes, that's my ship." In response, the Nestene Consciousness writhed and screeched. The Doctor struggled against the plastic arms holding him in place, trying to protest his innocence. "That's not true. I should know, I was there. I fought in the war. It wasn't my fault." His throat grew thick and dry, nearly choking on his words. "I couldn't save your world! I couldn't save any of them!"

The creature's molten exterior extended from the vat, moving from side to side. "What's it doing?!"

"It's the TARDIS! The Nestene's identified its superior technology. It's terrified. It's going to the final phase." The Doctor surmised from his translation. "It's starting the invasion! Get out -- both of you! Just leg it now!"

"We can't just leave you here!" yelled Willow.

"Just go while you still can!" But what was the point? Leaving him behind would only cause pain and regret, knowing they could have stopped all this. Besides, with the invasion beginning above, where could they go to find a safe haven?

Instead of escaping, Rose retrieved her phone, dialling her mum's number. She had to make sure she was safe. "Mum?" Willow couldn't hear what was being said, but from the look on her foster sister's face, it wasn't good. "Where are you, Mum?" she asked, shouting into the phone. "No, go home! Just go home right now!" It was no use. The signal down there was poor, so there was no other way of warning her. Soon enough, Jackie hung up on her daughter, unaware of the imminent danger. "Mum?! Mum!"

A shield of electricity formed over the Nestene Consciousness. A blue lightning bolt shot up from the vat, breaking through the ceiling. "It's the activation signal. It's transmitting!"

The humans could only regard it with horror, unable to do anything to stop the invasion. "It's the end of the world."

The Doctor twisted his head towards them. "Get out of here! Go!"

Scattered explosions destroyed some of the manufacturing around them -- a side effect of the Nestene's power. Willow clasped the metal bar, her voice trembling. "We can't!"

"The stairs have gone!" They ran over to the TARDIS, attempting to pry the doors open, only to find them locked shut. "We haven't got the key!"

Mickey and Rose sunk to the floor, cowering in fear. "We're going to die!"

Willow pounded on the door, trying to break through the wood -- until she remembered it was an alien spaceship. There was no way a human like her could be able to get in. "Don't talk like that! There has to be a way out of here!" Her gloved palm pressed against a glass window, her bottom lip quivering. "There just has to be..."

She gazed at her hand, her fingers spread across the window pane. A realisation came to mind. Her strange visions came from the TARDIS, igniting them from within her. It was powerful -- strong enough to enhance her abilities. Perhaps it could do it again. After all, desperate times call for desperate measures. If it meant saving their lives, she was willing to take that risk.

With a swift yank, she removed the woollen glove from her right hand before slamming her bare palm against the blue wood. Her eyes widened, and she took a sharp intake of breath. The vision took shape, clouding her view of the present. She saw what needed to be done, and from the looks of it, Willow couldn't save the world without Rose.

She let go, the vision fading. Willow turned around, meeting the Doctor's eyes. He acknowledged her look of determination with a curious brow, unaware of her intentions. She slipped her glove back on, her lips parting. She grabbed Rose's hand, pulling her onto her feet and dragging her away from her boyfriend.

"There's nothing you can do!" Mickey yelled after them, but his cries were ignored.

They halted in front of a long chain. She grasped hold of an axe, shooting Rose a brief look. "Stand back."

The younger woman stepped back, bewildered. "What are you-?!" 

Willow raised the weapon over her head and swung, breaking the chain. A slight squeak escaped Rose's throat as her foster sister released a huff and turned to face her. "You did gymnastics, right?"

Her gaze darted between the axe in her foster sister's hand and the broken chain. "Er, yeah, when I was six."

"And you still won the bronze." She recalled. Willow threw the axe away and pulled at the chain, letting it dangle. "I believe in you, Rose." She extended her arms, offering the chain to her. "Save him."

Not many people believed in her -- not even Rose believed in herself. But Willow's words of encouragement were the exact thing she needed. If they had one chance to stop this invasion, then she was going to take it with pride.

Her fingers clasped the chain, her knuckles white. Rose squeezed her eyes shut, taking a deep breath before running. She wrapped her legs around the chain and swung over the edge. The Doctor ducked as her feet came flying towards him, kicking the dummy that held him captive off the edge. 

Soon after, she incapacitated the second dummy as well. The anti-plastic flew from the falling dummy's hand, landing in the vat. The molten plastic absorbed the vial and its contents, and the effect soon took hold. Blue veins spread through the Nestene Consciousness and it began to scream, the anti-plastic burning its insides. It could do nothing but writhe in pain, suffering the consequences of its actions.

"Rose!" She swung back towards him, falling into the Doctor's arms. Once she was safely back on the ground, they both peered down at the dying alien. "Now we're in trouble."

They retreated upstairs as a cacophony of explosions began the destruction of the Nestene Consciousness' secret base. Willow stood by the TARDIS, awaiting their imminent return, whilst Mickey hugged the TARDIS, afraid to let go. As the Doctor approached, he smiled at Willow, praising her for her quick thinking, even though it wasn't technically her idea. 

He unlocked the TARDIS doors and, as soon as it opened, Mickey tumbled inside. The Doctor stepped over his fallen body, and the two women followed, glimpsing a final look at the Nestene Consciousness before heading inside.

***

Sorry for the long wait. I've had a busy last few months.

I don't quite know how to describe The Doctor and Willow's relationship dynamic, to be honest. I wouldn't say "enemies to lovers" because that's not what they are. I need to do some research into tropes. What do you think?

Anyway, thank you so much for reading. If you could leave a vote or comment then that would be great. Thank you for 4k reads xx

- Alice.