Gallifreyan Nature: Chapter 32

[nevermoreraven]

Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: Teen
DISCLAIMER: Other people have actually read this one before the internet.  Yes, I know.  It's weird.
Summary: This is a rewrite of the Human Nature/Family of Blood two-parter, because I really liked Latimer.  It's long.  I liked it pretty well at the time, as did the other readers, so let's see how well it held up.  ...so far, so good.  also I actually bothered to tab for once on this one.
It's not finished, but it's fairly close.

 

It was late into the night when they had at last earned a respite.  Martha came up to the Doctor and let his strong arms ease her down into a sitting position on one of the rocks.  “How are they?” he asked quietly.  The same question, only querying about her, was written on his face, but she chose not to answer.

“They’re scared that the Family is going to come back. I’ve done the best to reassure them, but…some are going into shock, and I’m afraid if they don’t get more extensive medical help soon…” she shrugged helplessly.

“I was afraid of that.  We’re running out of time, on all fronts…which is possibly why the Family of Blood haven’t made their move yet…”

He stiffened at her side as a mocking voice came into the cavern, echoing in the darkness.  “Wrong, Time Lord.  We have now secured our immortality!”

The Doctor stood, and the flickering lamp-light revealed his fury.  “You took the watch.  So what?  If it was useful, why aren’t you strutting around as our Lords and Masters yet?”

“We wished you to taste our victory,” Mother-of-Mine hissed at him, relishing his anger.

“Don’t you dare,” the Doctor warned, voice quietly dangerous.  “I mean it, really.  Don’t you dare.  ‘Cause immortality isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.  It gets lonely, and hidden dangers exist in the night.  You’re not strong enough to survive it, so I’m asking you politely, don’t.  Please, don’t.”

The Family grinned at him, enjoying the screams of pain and terror as they had invaded the villager’s sanctuary.  In that moment, the Time Lord knew it was too late, that, despite all the chances he’d given them, they were determined to destroy themselves.  And in that last, desperate moment, he felt the agony of his choice ease.  They had chosen their own annihilation, not him.  His role was merely that of the executioner, but the jury had already cast their vote.

“How did they get in here?” the Headmaster asked, looking for someone to blame.

“My fault, probably.  I’m guessing they followed me, and I brought them straight here.  I thought I felt something sinister on the air.  That was you, wasn’t it?”  He looked directly at Baines, ignoring the dark emotions dancing on the air, twisting around all of them, calling up a storm of hate and fear and loss.

Baines snarled at him, letting Dan get under his skin yet again.  “That was one of my soldiers.  They are not necessary here.”

“Nope.  Well, then, what are you waiting for?  You’ve gloated enough.  Open the watch!”  His voice rang out, mesmerizing, commanding, enough so that his mortal enemies, the Family, did as he said.  Martha’s glance was despairing, but she’d chosen.  If she had to die, here and now, she didn’t mind dying with the Doctor.  She remembered his words about regeneration.  They’d be together, in the end, though not perhaps as they were.  The Doctor, though, seemed to feel differently.  When he was sure the Family wasn’t looking, he winked at her.  It’d be all right.  No need for that yet, his expression said.

The Family of Blood gasped in unison and smiled, as eerie golden energy poured out from the watch.  It gathered around all the people in the room and grew brighter, amplified somehow.

The alien light swirled around the Doctor, tall and straight and regretful.  For once, he had mercy, and he was regretting the necessity of what he had to do.  “They have a saying on Earth.  ‘Be careful what you wish for-you may get it.’”  He stared at the Family of Blood, with eyes that communicated the depth of the pain he felt, the agony of his choice.

“What have you done, Time Lord?” Father-of-Mine muttered, trying to open his eyes and attack his foe, but he was helpless against the change that was occurring.  “You were helpless.  We had your TARDIS!  How could you have defeated us?”

“I let you have my poor little ship,” the Doctor revealed, voice heavy with remorse.  “It was the only way to convince you that you’d won.  Oh, yes, you got the watch, but not the way I’d planned-or anticipated.  You hurt Martha to get it.  I was hoping to ‘lose’ it in the flight in the woods, knowing that you were following.  Just a few more loose ends to tidy up, but they didn’t quite cooperate, thanks to you.  I knew that you were following, went very slowly so that you could catch up, as a matter of fact.  I knew that it was one of your straw men, sent as a scout.  I knew very well that he hadn’t left, but pretended like I hadn’t.  It’s a scarecrow, for goodness sake, it’s not that bright.  I had it fooled, though, fair play to me, I had you fooled too.  All of you.  I’m sorry for the deception, I really am.  And I’m sorry it had to come to this.”

Martha gasped, instantly putting all the pieces together.  He really was brilliant.  The only question she had left went something along the lines of-what had he done, really?

She was soon almost blinded by the brightness, but could make out the Doctor’s shape, tall and forbidding against the light-and the Family, sucking in the radiance in great gulps.  He was giving them their immortality.  She didn’t know how she knew, she just did.  And they’d bitten off more than they could chew, literally, as they seemed to…eat…the energy.

They fell on their knees in unison, tears streaming down their cheeks.  “What have you done?”  They spoke as one, shuddering with the pain of whatever they’d just gone through.  Still the Last of the Time Lords stood immobile, stern, watching them with very little pity.

“I gave you what you wanted-a little bit of me.  You’ll live longer, though it won’t be forever.  You believed being a Time Lord was just the extended lifespan, that anything else could be tamed.  You were wrong.  It’s not easy, being from a dead planet.  You get to share my pain, the loss of the world I love.  If you wanted to live a carefree life, then you picked the wrong Time Lord’s soul to steal.  I can’t just stand by, can’t just watch wrongs being done.  I have to meddle.  There’s only one way I can even run away and hide-to let myself forget everything that I stand for, to let my essence be drained from me, slowly and agonizingly.  You get my legacy.  And even just a taste is overwhelming to you lot, but that doesn’t matter.  You’re not getting all of my soul; you’re not exactly becoming me,” he paused, letting his face relax, just a little.  “So much else that comes with the immortality that you can’t get rid of, a taste in the back of your mouth that’ll never fully go away.  You’ve become echoes of me-which means you will do your best to protect these people that, as yourselves, you detest.  It’s a lonely, harsh existence, but you asked for it-and I gave it to you, my soul beneficiaries.  Those bodies you’re wearing?  They’re just shells, people that you murdered for your own designs.  This is justice.  You get to be the guardians of a ‘lesser species’.  Forever.  You’ll want to hurt them, lash out in fury, but the part of you that is me won’t let you.  I’m sorry,” he let his expression show his true feelings now, pity and disgust and just a little hint of guilt.  “I really am.  I am so sorry.”

He held out his hand to the Family, helped them to their feet one by one, and, despite the loathing in their eyes, they accepted his assistance.

Martha came over to him and held his hand.  His eyes were still dark, though she thought she saw unshed tears glimmering in his eyes.  She laid her head on his shoulder, and he ran his fingers through her hair, kissing the top of her head.  They stood in the center of the cavern for a long time, as the men panicked and the Family glowered.  But, in their spot on the dirty floor in the flickering lamplight, Miss Jones felt that she and her Doctor were completely alone for eternity.