THE ADVENTURES OF THE DOCTOR'S AMAZING HAND

Chapter Twenty Five

When night came, Tom loaded the back of his truck with supplies and made room for Rose and Ianto. Both of them climbed into the back and lay on their sides while Tom threw a tarp over them and tied it down.

"If I get stopped, just keep quiet no matter what happens," they heard him say.

They listened while he got inside the truck, closed the door and started it up.

"Here we go, off on our barmy little holiday around the world," Ianto said to Rose.

"Yeah but we'll make it, we have to," Rose replied.

Both of them lay quietly for awhile while John rested inside Rose's jacket. Occasionally they would say something to one another but soon the hum of the engine and the movement of the truck lulled them both into a deep sleep.

Rose was standing on a beach along with her mother, two versions of the Doctor and a strange red-haired woman. Behind the redhead the TARDIS stood, patiently waiting for its occupant to get back inside. The Doctor was in front of Rose, his brown suit slightly rumpled, his wild hair blowing in the breeze and an apologetic look on his face. Behind her stood another Doctor, only this one was dressed in a blue suit and red t-shirt. This Doctor looked at her tenderly and then glared at the other Doctor when he lay a protective hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Rose," brown suited Doctor said with those same apologetic eyes.

"Why are you doing this?" Rose asked.

"Because I must," he replied. "For the sake of the universe, I must leave you here with him."

He turned his gaze to the other Doctor and his expression darkened.

"How could you do this to me? I trusted you," brown suited Doctor said. "You were my friend and you've gone and betrayed me."

"I betrayed no one," blue suited Doctor said. "I did what I did for the sake of the universe. I did what you didn't have the guts to do and I finally ended the nightmare Davros began centuries ago."

"You didn't have to kill them, John!" the Doctor thundered back.

Rose was shocked when she learned the identity of the second Doctor. She turned her head to look at John. He smiled tenderly at her for a brief moment before he focused his anger back on the Doctor.

"They were a threat to the universe; I couldn't leave them alive, not any more. I grew tired of them constantly reappearing and making my life hell!"

"You didn't have to kill them. There's always another way," the Doctor pleaded.

"Not this time. If I'd let them live they would have gone off and maimed and killed others. You're condemning me for providing a service to the universe and you're making poor Rose suffer with me."

The Doctor turned his eyes to Rose and once more gave her a look of apology.

"She's needed here," he said softly, trying to convince himself rather than John. "She needs to be with you, to look after you. She loves you more than me anyway."

"No!" Rose said quickly. "I love you, I love you both. Can't the two of you work out a solution that doesn't involve stranding us here?"

"I'm sorry, Rose, it must be done."

Without another word, the Doctor turned and strode back into the TARDIS with the red haired woman following behind him. Rose stood and stared at him in shock as he took one last glance at her before closing the door.

"No, you can't do this," Rose whispered. "Please don't go. I love you."

Rose's breath caught in her throat when she heard the familiar wheezing and watched the TARDIS fade away, leaving her, John and Jackie alone on the beach. Tears streamed down her face when she realized that he had left her for good. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked at it. It was John's right hand, the hand that had kept her company when she and Ianto walked the world. Her eyes went up his arm to his face and she saw love and complete devotion shining in his eyes while he gazed at her.

"He's gone, Rose, but I will never leave you," John said. "I will protect you the way I protected you when we traveled the world together. I loved you then and I love you now and I will be with you until we're separated by death."

"Oh, John," Rose said softly.

John leaned down to her and kissed her lips gently. Rose put her arms around him and kissed him passionately, realizing that even though the Doctor had left her he had granted her this one small mercy and John, her John, would be with her and grow old with her for as long as she or he lived.

Rose woke and lay there in the darkness wondering what the dream meant. She remembered John telling her about them standing on a beach together and the Doctor condemning him. Was her dream a part of that, a premonition of things to come?

"John?" Rose whispered.

She felt him move inside her jacket and saw him come out and stand in front of her but it was so dark she knew she wouldn't be able to read what he was signing if he said something. So she reached out and stroked his back before she took his hand. John lay down when she lay her hand on the floor of the truck and stayed there while Rose used her other hand to stroke his back.

"I know I won't be able to see you if you sign something to me so I just want you to listen," she whispered to him. "If we do find a way for me to stay here, then I want you to stay with me, John. Don't ever leave me, please."

As a response, John squeezed her hand tightly for a brief moment before relaxing. She then felt him let go and saw his outline as he walked to her head. He lay back down and Rose sighed softly when John began to stroke the top of her head.

"Thank you, John," Rose murmured.

John continued to stroke her as she let out a contented sigh and went back to sleep.

Rose's eyes snapped open when she heard Tom's voice.

"My name is Tom Milligan, I'm allowed to travel, I have a pass!"

Rose looked at John and Ianto. By now it was daylight and she could see them both clearly. Ianto put his finger to his lips and Rose nodded. She watched as John got up and paced while in an agitated state. She sensed his frustration and figured he was angry that they were in danger and he couldn't do much to protect them. She put her hand on his back and gently urged him to her chest. John came up beside her and stood quietly while Rose rubbed his back and calmed him down.

"Where are you going?" they heard a woman say in a metallic voice.

"I'm delivering medical supplies to the workers at missile site fifteen," Tom replied.

Rose blinked.

"Missile site?" she mouthed to Ianto.

"You may pass," the Toclafane said after a moment's silence.

"Thank you," Tom replied.

They heard him get back in the truck and both of them breathed a sigh of relief as John lay back down beside Rose. Rose waited till he was driving again before speaking.

"Missile sites? Do you know anything about that?" she asked him.

Ianto shook his head.

"No, I never saw any missile sites when I was making my way back to London," he replied.

"When we were on the Valiant, the Doctor found this work order for parts but we didn't know what they were for. I s'pose they were for these missiles. Damn, I wish there was some way I could contact him and tell him."

"Why would he need missiles?" Ianto said. "I'm assuming that he's going to use them on the rest of the world but he has those Toclafane and they're just as destructive, even more so."

Rose held up a finger when she had another thought.

"The Doctor found another list as well. It was the names of all these planets but there was no explanation about what the list was for. Maybe the missiles aren't for Earth," she said.

He wants to wage interplanetary war, John signed. I know the Master and I know he loves nothing more than destroying and conquering. I'm also guessing that's what the missiles are for.

"We need to find a way to contact the Doctor then," Rose said. "To let him know what's happening so he can work it into his plans."

"How do you propose we do that?" Ianto asked.

"Dunno, but there's got to be a way, same as there's got to be a way to find Martha. There's usually a solution to everything, we just need to think of it."

"Well, I hope we think of it soon before the Master uses those missiles on the rest of the universe," Ianto replied.

Rose sighed.

"I s'pose for the moment we should just concentrate on one thing at a time. First we find Martha, perhaps she knows a way we can contact him. After that, we worry about how to stop the missiles from firing and destroying the whole universe."

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