Forever

One True Home

If you don't understand something, visit the TARDIS Data Core's Wikia page on Gallifrey. It cleared a lot of things up for me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to write this chapter! http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Gallifrey

DOCTOR'S POV

Strolling through the fields thick with red grass really brought me back to my past and made me think about who I was. No matter how much I travel throughout the universe and on the Earth, I am a Timelord, and Gallifrey will always be my one true home.

"How come the planet's still alive? I thought it was destroyed in the Last Great Time War. That's what you told me, right?" Rose questioned me, curious to find out more about my home planet.

"Yeah, it was. Well, will be. We've traveled back to the past before it was destroyed. I figured, since we've been through so much together, that you deserved to see it." Once more, all was quiet except for the crunching of the leaves underneath our feet.

"So, where are we in Gallifrey?" Rose asked. Though she didn't speak it, it seemed as though she was asking me if this was the place I dwelled in before it fell to its devastating end- done by me. I wanted to tell her, to explain what had happened on that fateful day. The destruction of a planet full of life had been my doing, but that didn't make me a monster, did it? I didn't even know anymore.

"Doctor? Oh, Doctor!" Rose said quizzically, as she waved her hand and snapped her fingers to regain my attention. Once I'd blinked a couple of times and shaken my head, she added, "Hey, you're back!" "What?" I responded quickly, having already forgotten the question that led me to reflect on my past mistakes. "I wanted to know where we were in Gallifrey." Rose repeated sternly, probably thinking I was intentionally avoiding her. I had to remind myself why I brought her here for the sake of my emotions.

"Right," I said briefly before continuing on. "We're approximately ten miles outside the Capitol, the place where almost every Timelord calls home." "What do you mean 'almost', Doctor? Where do the other Timelords live?" It was always uncomfortable when it came to talking about my past life and family members, but I didn't want to discuss this part of my past. Not yet, anyways. So I answered Rose's request with an interesting fact.

"The Capitol also holds the Time Lord Academy." I presented, hoping to escape any questions that Rose might ask. It's not that I don't want her to know about me; it's just... Anyway, my plan didn't work as well as I thought it would. "There's a school for Timelords?" she exclaimed loudly, curiosity bursting from her eyes. "What do they teach there?"

Releasing my breath with a sigh, I walked a bit faster, wondering how to deal with my feelings without ignoring Rose or unintentionally giving her the "silent treatment". Rose noticed that something was wrong and spoke softly, saying, "Doctor, it's okay if we leave now. I've seen enough." I was thankful that she understood my process of thinking, but at the same time loved and disliked her because she would sacrifice her wishes for my internal problems.

"No." I whispered to Rose, but to myself as well. "Let's stay and explore a bit more. You've got to at least see the Capitol." I pleaded. I really wanted her to see at least one famous Gallifreyan landmark or species. Rose replied, "Well, if you're begging me..." and gave a sly smile in my direction. "Ok," she said and skipped off, but not before giving me a comforting hug. Oh, Rose Tyler.

Using a trick that only Timelords can use, Rose and I boarded a secret "bus-like" shuttle that would take us straight into the heart of the city. On the way there, I anticipated Rose's reaction to the Capitol; it was such a beautiful sight to behold. When we arrived, I looked to my right to see Rose's jaw dropped in amazement. It hung so low that I almost expected it to collide with her neck if she moved her head any which way.

What lay before us was a thing I could only describe as "heavenly fire". The way the morning sun shone through the delicate treetops. How the snow gently fell if you sat near the bottom of the snow-capped mountains, which I used to slide down on the weekends or whenever they had to replace a teacher. These were the places that reminded me of my childhood, as well as the childhoods of many Timelords that would've been alive. You did the right thing, I kept reminding myself. If I hadn't of ended the Time War, the Daleks would've taken over, and there could be nothing worse than that.

A small shriek awakened me from my thoughts. Startled, I quickly found the source of the sound; Rose. She was being pushed and pulled by a group of about ten Gallifreyan soldiers nearby. Sprinting as fast as I could, I was soon overtaken by another group of guards, who blocked my way to Rose before forcing me to the ground. After chaining us up with an unbreakable species of plant, the Gallifreyans threw us into a truck that would soon take us to the leaders of the planet.

"What's he saying? The TARDIS wont translate it for me." Rose whispered quietly to me as we sat tied to the seats of the vehicle. "First of all, he's a girl. Second, she's telling us that we have been arrested for touring without ID and other possible charges." I told her. "What?!" Rose exclaimed. "Have they gone off their rockers?" "I don't know," I offered, before adding, "I don't remember security being this bad!"

When we arrived at the office only moments later, the first thing they asked us was our names and what planet we were from. Not thinking, I pulled out my wallet from Earth and showed them the psychic paper. A tall man with gray hair grinned before laughing evilly. Rose and I exchanged confused looks before facing the council again. "Your silly psychic paper doesn't work in here, I'm afraid." he informed us. I turned it around and was shocked to find it blank. Of course, I thought. Timelord technology doesn't work against other Timelords.

Hastily, I came up with somewhat of an excuse so we wouldn't be killed on site. (I wasn't sure if they had the power to do that, but didn't want to find out.) "Don't worry, we're of no threat to your society. We were just visiting." Unfortunately, the man didn't believe us and ordered his men to place us in the holding cell. Oh no. This couldn't be good, I thought, as Rose and I were shoved in a direction that led down a hallway. Five, faded jail cells stood tall and proud against the brick at the end of the hallway.

Rose and I produced genuine looks of uncertainty mixed with shock and worry. Following close behind us were three guards, and we walked into the cell one of them gestured to before they could push us into it.

After slamming the barred door and locking it, the men left, leaving us to our own thoughts while they analyzed our features to discover our identities. At least they put us in the same cell so we could talk about plans of escape, which is exactly what Rose and I did in the thirty minutes that followed.