Parting's End

Chapter Six: Thrice a Goddess

Nothing hid from the depth of their bond, so the Doctor did not waste energy or focus in the attempt. Rose felt his fear and hate towards the creatures they seemingly could not be rid of despite so many sacrifices. “We'll have to go out. Because if we don't, they'll get in.”

Having just regained her husband and the near loss of him to a full regeneration, Rose was not eager to leave the safety of their home. Add on their still sleeping child. “You told me nothing could get through those doors.”

“You've got extrapolator shielding.” Jack argued.

But the Doctor understood the danger better than the rest. “Last time we fought the Daleks, they were scavengers and hybrids, and mad. But this is a fully-fledged Dalek Empire, at the height of its power. Experts at fighting TARDISes, they can do anything. Right now, that wooden door is just wood.”

Rose’s fear spiked as her mind went to their sleeping child. The Doctor too was near panic wondering the right course of action to take with their precious girl. Jack spoke for the pair, “we can’t let them know about Gailia. Can you imagine the tortures she’d be forced to endure to hurt you both? Not to mention if they had any idea how in sync the two of you are now.”

“We know that, Jack! But we may not have the option of hiding our little girl,” Rose said with pain in her voice.

Jack showed how much he cared with the frantic rate of his thoughts. “What about your dimension jump?”

The shake of her head dashed a microsecond hope the Doctor allowed and for good reason. “It needs another twenty minutes. And needs to key in on my biology. Her two hearts set Gailia up for too many risks of death. Like you said Doctor, I am not ready to find out if our daughter is capable of regenerating.”

“But the two of you came through on one jump,” Jack said.

“Yes, keyed on my physiology. Like riding a bus with a baby on your chest in a sling,” Rose explained.

Then the Doctor caught another feeble hope as he looked at Jack. “What about your teleport?”

Mr. Living Fixed Point shook his head. “Went down with the power loss.”

“Right then. All of us together. If we are incredibly lucky, then in the worse the old girl can get Gailia out of the danger zone before the Daleks can think. Yeah. Rose?”

She started and looked at her mate in dread. They were going to leave their young daughter on the TARDIS and hope the enemy would simply ignore their home. Same plan with her on the ship worked before at Canary Wharf, only that was an arrogant human enemy. But, what other option remained?

“Rose?”

Again she started and loved the daft alien even more for hugging her close. Rose wished to the bottom cells of her heart that she was more Time Lord to give a chance of saving everyone from the monsters outside. Accepting she was a stupid ape rather than equal to her true love, Rose nodded and swallowed hard to face with him a fear they shared for different reasons. Giving a nod, she sighed. “Yeah.”

His regret and perceived failure of his friends, family, and the entire universe wrapped around the pair. “I'm sorry. There's nothing else we can do.”

“I know. Kinda wish we could change things a bit to take away their advantage.”

“I think we all wish that,” Donna said. “Well, I know I do with all of my heart.”

From outside, a Dalek called a second time. “Surrender, Doctor, and face your Dalek masters.”

Rose snorted as the Crucible was put on maximum alert. Shaking her head, the woman grinned at her heart’s husband. “Those fools claim to be your masters yet are still smart enough to grasp that you are their superior.”