THE GALLIFREY CHRONICLES, A NEW WAR

Author note chapter 7 now up Please review. Beta read by Forestwater

Disclaimer I own a Sonic screwdriver does that count

As soon as the Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS, he was met by silence. "Makes for a change," mumbled the Doctor. As he walked through the deserted, bloodstained corridors, he noticed that it certainly looked different than the Gallifrey he knew. There were smashed doors and broken glass littering the place. He heard footsteps behind him, and he continued walking. Equal parts of him wanted to run and to turn around, but he did neither; the smartest thing, he'd learned, was to act nonchalant.

When a voice said, "Stop, or I'll fire," he decided that it was a good time to turn around, holding his hands in the air like it was nothing.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor," he said with a grin. One of the guards replied by firing at him, sending him falling to the floor in pain. He groaned as his vision dimmed, and then everything disappeared.

"Each and every time the Doctor returns to Gallifrey there is violence," the chancellor said, looking down at the man's prone body as it was dragged away by the guards.

"Perhaps it is us that should modify our approach," replied one of the council.

"He resisted the guards."

The Time Lord smiled. "The Doctor returns to Gallifrey. We send armed guards when a friendly face and a welcoming hand were all that was needed. Are you surprised he resisted?"

The Lord President rounded the corner. "Well, where is he?"

"The Doctor tried to evade security, and some force had to be used. You will be able to see him once he has recovered."

The Doctor woke up in the medical wing within the citadel. He groaned as he started to come around. "Stun . . . gun?" he muttered, attempting to sit up. "How" - he groaned again - "primitive."

"Relax, Doctor. The pain will soon ease," one of the guards said.

"Where's Romana?" he managed to ask.

"Romana has been dealt with for her continuing interference, as will you be."

"What do you mean?" The Doctor asked, as a bad feeling rose inside of him.

"It will all be explained to you in time. Now come along, Doctor. The President will see you now."

"Can't wait to see him."

"Doctor."

"Bainbridge. So, it's President. You have done well."

"Oh, where are my manners?" He smirked, tilting his head towards the young woman behind him. "This is Awen."

"You should relax," she said, as she massaged his shoulders. He did have everything: the presidency, wealth, security and a beautiful Time Lady on his arm. Even better, she was needy and always eager to please, so he didn't have to worry about insubordination like he did with Gandar. His jaw clenched at the thought, and Awen whispered, "Shh," in his ear.

"You not met Awen, have you? Gorgeous, she is. You should try her yourself; if you're good, I might let you." The Doctor noticed that Awen looked away at Bainbridge's words, and her hair fell away from her face to reveal a nasty purple-and-yellow bruise on her cheek. This should have filled the Doctor with rage at what his son had become; however, all he could feel was a crippling sadness. Even the idea that Gallifrey had been destroyed was less painful than the thought that it thrived, corrupt and evil, and that his son had been a result of that evil. "Where is she?" Bainbridge continued.

"Her? That depends on who you mean."

"The White Wolf. Why is she not with you?"

"She's gone. I lost her, and wherever she is, she's where I can never hurt her again." The pain on the Doctor's face filled him with anger. When had his father ever felt such sorrow over him? What did that child have that he didn't?

"Not exactly parent of the year are you?" he spat, losing a bit of his glacier calm. Awen squeezed his shoulders tighter.

"I was there for you and your sisters. I was always there."

"Until Romana came along. She destroyed our family - her, and that little witch." Bainbridge cringed at the memory of what children had said about them. "Bainy was a little brat, so his daddy went away. Right, Bainy?" "What about his sisters?" "Oh, they were tarts like their mommy." "No wonder he left." He slammed his fist on the table. "She deserved everything I -"

The Doctor cut in, his face still. "I loved Romana. She was everything to me, and I fell in love with her. Your mother cheated on me. Our marriage had been nothing but a battle which caused me pain. I do not know what she told you, but I always loved you."

Bainbridge would not be placated. Not after this long. "Every punishment they received, they both deserved."

"What do you mean?" demanded the Doctor. "What did you do to Romana and Emmaline?"

"Isn't it a bit late to act like the concerned father?"

"Tell me what you did." He realized his error. She had been telling him the truth. And he told her she was lying. He knew, now that he had truly lost her for good. "She told me that you had her in solitary confinement for months, and you tortured her. Is it true?" he asked.

He simply smiled. "She wanted you, and you never came. In a way I was helping her learn to live with the disappointment of being in pain and never having your father come to kiss it better. Rassilon knows I had to."

The Doctor took a deep breath, walking towards him and grabbing him across the desk. "What else did you do to her? I demand you tell me." Bainbridge just smirked, ignoring Awen's gasp. "Why did you do it? She's your sister, for Rassilon's sake."

"She's not my sister."

"Accalia and Maeja are. What happened to them?"

"Am I my sisters' keeper? Accalia always came first, didn't she? She was your favorite, and none of us came before her, not ever, but now I come first. I will rule Gallifrey for eternity."

"Bainbridge, I'm sorry for what you've been through, but I can't let you live like this. You can't hurt people this way. What you did to Emmaline was unforgivable. She was just a little kid. None of this was her fault."

"Why do you care so much about her? You never cared about me like that, did you?"

"I did. And that's why I have to stop you."

"Commander!" Bainbridge shouted, and Commander Maxil entered with the Chancellory guards Annos and Hilred. "Lock him up, throw away the key, do whatever you have to so long as he's out of my sight!" Once the Doctor had left, he turned to Awen. "And as for you, you will soon learn that trying to get the Doctor's sympathy is a very dangerous thing to do." He grabbed her wrist and she cried out. "Now say sorry."

"Sorry! Please, I'm sorry, my Lord President."

"Good." He let go of her. "Now clean yourself up. You are a mess. Guards, escort her."

The Chancellor entered the room. "The Doctor is back I see. Lord President, we can not afford to let him leave Gallifrey knowing all he knows."

"What would you suggest?"

"A full memory wipe and placement on an unknown planet."

"Excellent. What of Emmaline?"

"No news."

Bainbridge sighed. "Well, how did she escape from Gallifrey in the first place? Who helped her?"

"Our only guess is that it was someone within the CIA."

Bainbridge scowled. "That wretched organization! Will they never stop undermining me? And her TARDIS?"

"It's back on Gallifrey. There are signs of it being tampered with. That's why it crashed. We do still have the girl."

"Oh, yes. Romana. Well, I have an idea what to do with her."

"What would that be, Lord President?"

Romana woke up on the hard, cold floor of the cell. The high council had voted to expel her from Gallifrey society, and every day she died a bit more. She did not know what she was being punished for, and she prayed that the Doctor would come back. She had been a fool to let him go, but she knew deep down he was never coming home. Yet she still loved him, and she never regretted her time with him for one moment, despite the daily beatings she now received. She had heard whispers that Emmaline had fled Gallifrey, and taken her TARDIS. She smiled at that. She was glad for her part in helping her daughter get out of Gallifrey, even though she knew she would be punished for it.

"Not today," she whispered as the silence continued. She laid down on the ground; they wouldn't come today. She would often hear their footsteps, and she would be pulled up and placed in the mind torture machine until she passed out. They wanted to know where her daughter was, but Romana didn't know and even if she did, she would never tell them.

It felt different on Gallifrey in last few days. Nobody had come to torture her, but on occasion she had been brought food and had her injuries treated. During the night, she could hear daily battles as people cried, but Romana felt too weak these days to do anything. "Its never over, there's no distractions from the pain, no exercise, very little food and rarely any sleep," whispered Romana to herself.

Footsteps were heard as the door swung open. Bainbridge pulled her up, forcing Romana to face him. "Here is the choice: tell us where your daughter is or face further punishment."

Romana sighed. After two long years locked up, it still came down to either protecting her own child or betraying her. "Same old choice for two years," muttered Romana.

"Well?"

"I will tell you nothing." She gritted her teeth in pain. Two years' worth of torture was now taking its toll on her. She was too weak now and exhausted. She passed out, hitting the cold hard floor.

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