THE END OF TIME

Chapter 2

Jenny woke up and looked around her, eyes searching for a clock. She didn't know how long she had slept for, it was normal for her to sleep as little as two hours or for as long as twelve hours. For a moment she forgot where she was but after a little searching, she remembered.

She got up but she couldn't see her Dad or Jack around anywhere. Who knew what those two were up to right now? Jenny was ever so slightly worried - she had felt the tension between then ever since she had come to London with Jack...

"The Tardis has been seen," stated Jack.

Jenny's heart suddenly jumped in excitement. She had been in Torchwood for months now and she had heard nothing about her Dad...she was getting impatient.

Jenny jumped up. "Okay. Lock me onto the Tardis, Jack. I'm going to find my Dad!"

"Wait a second you still aren't... "Jack wasn't sure if she was ready to start running round the earth. She had being hurt pretty badly in the crash and he had become close to her during her stay in Torchwood...would she leave if she found her Dad?

"What Jack? What am I not?" Jenny started to sound disappointed that Jack wasn't going to let her find her Dad.

"Your injuries from the crash," he stated.

"I'm fine! Besides, Timelords heal fast anyway. Owen says I'm good to go."

Jack glared at Owen. "I was hoping for a bit of support here."

"But she's fine. I did a complete medical on her and she's as good as new. You really have nothing to worry about."

Jack snapped. "If you're wrong, then you will have a lot of explaining to do and not to me, but to the Doctor."

Owen sighed. "I wish you would start trusting me, I am the medical officer after all."

Jack threw his hands up in the air. "Okay fine... but I'm coming with you." He said to Jenny, defeated.

Jenny smiled at the memory as she still looked around for any sign of Jack or her Dad. She remembered what happened next, after they'd locked onto the Tardis...

"We're in some kind of mansion." She glanced at Jack who was playing with his vortex manipulator.

"What you doing?" She whispered.

"Doing a search for alien tech."

"And?"

"This way," he whispered, pointing to the right of him.

Jenny rushed in front of him, a smile lighting up her face. "Come on then, what are we waiting for?"

Jack threw out a strong arm to stop her, wrapping it tightly around her waist. Without thinking, he pulled her back against him, spinning her around to face him.

Jenny looked up at him, preparing to glare at him for not letting her go and find her Dad. Didn't he realise how close they were to finding him? But when she looked up to find his face inches from hers, the glare softened into a wide-eyed stare as she watched his eyes dart from her eyes to her lips, then up again.

She gasped a little, immediately knowing where they were going...but for some reason, she didn't want to stop it. His strong arm around her, holding her body to his warm one felt so dreadfully right for some reason...he smelt divine and those eyes – had his eyes always been that beautifully deep brown colour that was making her insides quiver?

Jack saw that she wasn't pulling away. 'It's now or never.' He told himself before closing the gap between them and pressing his lips to hers.

Jenny gasped against his mouth and responded, both hands coming up to tangle in his hair as she kissed him back, She didnt want the kiss to end. It was better than she ever could have imagined...he kissed her tenderly, a silent plea for her to stay with him when the Doctor was found, for her to not just go off and never see him again.

They pulled apart, both taking deep breaths as they stared at each other. "Right," Jack said, grinning, "I've been waiting to do that."

Jenny couldn't help but split her face into a wide grin as she took off after him into the room where the Doctor was...unbeknownst to them...The Doctor had seen everything.

Wilf wandered into the large room, casting glances around it to see if he could spot that spiky hair or long brown coat. He'd heard a noise in here, he was sure he had.

"Doctor? Are you there? Is that you?

"Well, I must be lost then," Wilfred sighed when silence greeted his questions.

"And yet you were found." A female voice said behind him. He spun around to see a well-kept, middle aged woman standing there, wearing a skirt and blazer, her eyes fixed solely on him.

"This is the Doctor's final battle. At the end of his life he must stand at arms or lose himself and this whole world till the end of time. But tell me old Soldier, did you take arms?"

"I brought this, but what am I supposed to do?" He asked as he pulled out the gun to show the woman standing in front of him. "Who are you?"

"I was once lost so long ago." She replied, her face vacant for a moment.

Wilf wanted tell the Doctor that this was third time he'd seen this woman, but he had been warned that the Doctor's life could still be saved so long as he said nothing...

The Doctor stared blankly ahead of him, still in a state of shock. He'd been so close to death...he'd been sure that the Master would kill both him and Wilfred. But he'd been wrong. It was Jenny who had been the one to save him and the Doctor thought she was dead...

He felt a sense of pride go through him as he thought of his daughter's rescue.

"Tell me, where's your Tardis?"The Master asked, staring at the Doctor.

"You could be so wonderful." The Doctor replied, choosing to ignore his question.

"Where is it?"

"You're a genius. You're stone cold brilliant; you are, I swear, you really are. But you could be so much more. You could be beautiful. With a mind like that, we could travel the stars. It would be my honour. Because you don't need to own the universe, just see it. Have the privilege of seeing the whole of time and space. That's ownership enough." The Doctor made his speech, willing it to work. Why wouldn't the Master understand? You didn't need to own the whole of time and space in order to appreciate it.

"Would it stop then? The noise in my head?" The Master asked, looking as though he was actually considering the offer.

"I can help." The Doctor said.

"I don't know what I'd be without that noise." For a moment, the Master looked a little lost as quiet descended on the room.

"I wonder what I'd be without you." The Doctor said seriously, looking at him.

"Yeah."

"What does he mean? What noise?" Wilf called out from where he was bound to the chair.

The Master turned his gaze on Wilf, his eyes haunted and hungry. "It began on Gallifrey as children, not that you'd call it childhood; more a life of duty. At 8 years old I was taken for initiative to stare in the untempered schism..."

"What does that mean?" Wilf asked, glancing at the Doctor.

"It's a gap in the fabric of reality. You can see into the time vortex itself... and it hurts." The Master answered, his eyes staring into nowhere as he recalled when it all started.

"They took me there in the dark. I looked into the time, old man, and I heard it. The never ending drums, calling to me... drums, the never ending drums." His tone had grown angry now and he snapped his head back around to face the Doctor.

"Where's the Tardis?"

"Just stop! Just think!" The Doctor called out, pleading.

"I need that technology, Doctor!Tell me where it is or the old man dies!"

"Don't tell him!" Wilf shouted, fear running down his back.

"I will kill him right now." The Master warned, his tone murderous.

"Actually, the most impressive thing about you is after all this time; you're still bone dead stupid. Six billion guards and you still can't see the obvious." The Doctor said, a coy smile on his face.

"Meaning what?"

"That guard is one inch too tall." The Doctor told him, pointing to the guard stood behind Wilf. He knew all too well who it was...and who had just kissed her.

"Hello, Dad." A female voice said, as Jenny pulled off her helmet and smiled.

The Doctor glared at Jack, now they were clear of any danger, he was having it out. "You better not, Jack! Not with her, I am warning you."

"Look, Doctor I wasn't doing anything bad and I think Jenny can make her own decisions regarding me." Jack replied, stubborn as a mule.

"You kissed her, Jack. I hardly think that's nothing! I am not going to allow you to mess with her head, because whatever you may think you feel, I know that somewhere down the line, whether it's one week or one year - you will hurt her."

"You know what, Doctor? I am not the way you portray me. I happen to care very much for her."

"What's going on?" Jenny demanded as she walked into room where Jack and her Dad were.

The Doctor ignored Jenny question. He didn't want Jack flirting with his Daughter as he flirted with every other Person he came across.

"Just trying to fix the heating," he lied.

Suddenly, an open Broadcast startled Jenny. The Master's face stared down at them.

''A star fell from the sky, don't you want know where from, Doctor? Because now it makes sense! The star was a diamond and the diamond was a white point star... and I have worked all night to sanctify that gift. Now the star is mine, I can use it as a life line. Do you get it now Doctor? Keep watching... this should be spectacular!''

''What's he doing?'' Jack asked.

''Dad, what does this mean?'' asked Jenny. She didn't understand what big deal was about. Stars and diamonds were all pretty to look at, but nothing to get all worked up about. She rolled her eyes, thinking of The Master and The Doctor fighting over diamonds.

Jenny had only met the Master once, although she didn't know who he was at the time but once was quite enough. Yet here she was, stood with her Dad and Jack, facing the Master.

"I'm so hungry, that's human Christmas out there! They eat so much. All that roast and meat, cakes and red wine. ...Hot, fat, blood, food. Grease, juice. Baking, burned, sticky, hot skin. It's mine, it's mine! to Eat it, eat it!" The Master exclaimed crazily, his eyes burning.

"I want fish 'n' chips, freshly crème doughnut; I want beans on toast, crispy toast. I want Barbecue chicken."

"Hang on what exactly is your problem?" Jenny asked, "are you mad or something?"

"Mad?" He shrieked at her. "It's the drumming, the never ending drums!" He screamed, clutching his head.

"Can you hear them? The drums. The never ending drums!"

"I'm sorry, there's no noise." She looked apologetically at him but that just angered him.

"1, 2, 3, 4! 1,2,3,4! 1,2,3,4! Louder than ever before - have a try" he hissed at her.

Jenny just shook her head as he pulled her closer to him. But then, she heard it as she pulled away.

"What?" said the Master.

Jenny didn't reply.

"What?" he hissed again.

"I heard it, but there's no noise. It's just your insanity. What is it? What's inside your head?" Jenny asked, looking at him curiously.

"It's real! It's real!" The Master shrieked. "All this time, the Doctor thought I was mad, but something is calling me."

''A white point star is only found on one planet – Gallifrey. Which means it's the Timelords. The Timelords are returning."

''Then that's our people. Is this good?" Jenny asked.

"No, Jenny. It's bad; the worst thing ever. They can never be allowed to return. Because it won't just be the Timelords returning, but the Daleks too." The Doctor replied gravely.

''But you said your people were dead. Past tense.'' said Wilfred.

''They're inside the Time-lock, the whole thing was Time-locked; kinda like a bubble. Nothing can get in or out except something that was already there. '' The Doctor replied.

''The signal since he was a kid.'' Wilfred said, everything falling into place.

''If they can follow the signal then they can escape before they die,'' The Doctor sighed.

''Well, big reunion, we'll have a party!'' Jack exclaimed, smiling happily.

''They will be no party.'' The Doctor replied.

''But, Sir, you used to talk of the Timelords like they were wonderful'' Wilfred said, a little confused.

''That's how I choose to remember them." The Doctor told him, his eyes hard.

"I like to remember the Timelords of old, but then they went to war. An endless war that changed them right to the core. You've seen my enemies, Wilf. The Timelords are so much more dangerous than any of my enemies."

Author note what will the Doctor do now that he knows the Timelords are returning ?

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