THE GALLIFREY CHRONICLES, THE FALL OF GALLIFREY

Beta read by Lady Catkin

Disclaimer I own nothing but my plot.

Having been discharged from the medical station, Romana walked though the capital and into the wide, sweeping corridor that lead to the Presidential offices

She reached the bank of lifts that had access to the Presidential suite. Sighing, she entered the first available lift and keyed in the security code that granted her access to that floor.

After a few moments the lift stopped travelling and finally opened its doors. Captain Annos and Captain Henzil were stood by the thick wooden doors leading into the inner chamber.

Romana nodded at them in brief acknowledgement, before passing through the threshold.

"Good morning Madam President," greeted her personal secretary assistant as the doors swung shut behind her. "We did not expect you back so soon." Giving her a concerned look she looked far too pale and seemed to be losing weight instead of gaining it. Romana had always been quite petite anyway, but she had always struggled to regain all the weight she had lost from the Dalek captivity.

Danna had been her secretary now for quite some time. She had been discrete, especially during her relationship with Narvin when it was supposed to be kept an absolute secret. She reminded her very much of a former teacher she had during her academy days, so long ago.

"I have been away long enough Danna I am perfectly fine to be here. I take it Braxiatel is still here?" Romana asked. Romana tried to hide her anger on finding out what he had been up to since being away.

"Yes Madam President, he is in your office."

"Thank you Danna," she said airily as she walked through the hallway which lead directly to her rooms.

Romana had never felt so isolated and alone those past few days and being 'encouraged' to remain in the medical station had done nothing to lighten her mood. She would have crawled her way out of that bed if she had the strength, but unfortunately she had none of that. All she could do was scowl at Narvin's small talk when all she wanted do was get back to work. She especially wanted to know what Braxiatel had thought he had been up to since she had been away.

Narvin had offered to come along to offer support, as if she needed someone to hold her hand. There was too much on her mind and too many individuals that needed her attention focusing on them. Especially Narvin and Braxiatel.

Romana walked down the spiral corridor, her shoes clicking against the glinting marble floor. The walls were brightly coloured and therefore since the last time she had been here, it had undergone some massive transformation. She noticed the picture and for that moment she forgot her anger.

She traced her fingers against the rough surface of the picture. It had always been her favourite when she had been younger; Gallifrey at its most beautiful. Everything she had loved about her home world all there, somehow contained inside a picture. The beautiful twin suns beamed out at her from its surface as she looked over the lush ruby covered grass and tinted mountains covered in diamonds and gold.

There had been a time when she had been happy on Gallifrey; in happier days so long ago. She had not been happy for some time now and tears trickled down her face to remind her.

Braxiatel and her had been happy once and he had been hers. She leaned against the wall as her emotions threatened to overcome her. She was the President of Gallifrey and here she was, crying over some painting that had brought happiness to her when she was young.

She did'nt feel young anymore, she felt old and had responsibilities. She bit her lip as she wiped her eyes and cheeks with the back of her hand.

She had many chances to be happy and she had thrown them away. She could have been happy with the Doctor, but that ship had sailed long ago. Her relationship with Braxiatel had all come to nothing and then there was Narvin. He was someone who practically worshipped the very ground she walked on and yet she felt loneliness even when he was with her.

She was not happy hurling insults at him and yet she kept doing it and he kept coming back for more. It pained her to recall the way she treated him and how she refused to let him go, just to ebb the flow of her own misery, whilst adding to his.

She pushed open the door and entered her office, Inside the room was still. Her desk was neat and organised, almost as if nobody had been there since her abduction. She knew from Narvin that wasn't the case and that Braxiatel had resumed the role of acting President.

"Madam President," said Chancellor Braxiatel standing up to greet her "It is so good to see you again, to see you back where you belong."

"Oh, don't think about flattering your way out of this, I know about you and Emmaline. Did you really think I wouldn't find out? I thought we had gone through this so many times."

She shook her jumbled head sadly, quelling the anger for a moment longer.

"I do care for her very much." he replied gravely, choosing his words carefully. He knew he was far too old to keep doing this. Romana had been one thing, but chasing after someone as young as Emmaline? He could understand Romana's ire. It could not be love could it? A question he asked himself so many times, especially when he was declaring it.

"That isn't the point, Emmaline has been through too much. I cannot-"

"At least give me a chance. I know she is young, but Emmaline sought me out and I tried to ignore my feelings for her, but I have fallen for her before I knew it. I don't know what I could have done. I didn't want it to be like this."

"You could have waited until she was older at the very least"

"Would it of made any difference?"

"No, I suppose not. I don't know what to make of this. I really don't. I thought I could trust you". She sighed in exasperation.

"Was it ever me?" she finally asked. "Or were you just waiting for the chance to have Emmaline. Maybe you just wanted the whole package."

He gently caught her wrist with his large, rough hand. "No, that's not true."

She thought back to those days when she had been with Braxiatel. They had been very different people back then. She had loved him or at least she thought she had. Now she was trying desperately to remember when her love for her former Tutor had started and why it had gone so terribly wrong.

Braxiatel interrupted her train of thought. "Romana, I really don't think-"

"Answer the question Braxiatel. I want the truth."

"But, I've told you the truth."

"The truth, not some Irving Braxiatel version."

"It was always you Romana, I don't know what went wrong. I was too-" Braxiatel stopped mid sentence. "Romana, remember I am always on your side".

"Are you really? There are so many sides now that I lose track of who is sitting on which one, especially me".

"My lady?" Braxiatel gave her a questioning look.

"Was there something else you wanted to tell me?"

"Madam President" he began, raising an eyebrow.

"Why is Gallifrey overrun with Aliens? Why Narvin is acting strange"

"You mean more strangely than normal?" Braxiatel smiled benignly.

"And Why Emmaline looks like she has spent the last few weeks crying and yet won't talk to me."

But before Braxiatel could answer, Awen walked in.

"Hello mother," she said, her customary smirk playing on her lips

"Braxiatel, who is this girl?" Romana frowned with irritation, she was sure she had never seen her before in her life and yet she referred to her as mother.

"Her name is Awen, she's the daughter you lost. Rassilion took her making us all believe she was dead." He said, trying to sound as matter of fact as possible with such a delicate revelation. He watched his words sink in as she shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another.

"Rassilion. Why does it always have to come back to Rassilion?"

"This is the real Romana then, not the fake one?" Awen remarked sarcastically.

"Braxiatel, you have a lot of explaining to do, starting now. I have questions and you are going to give me the answers. Straight answers. Excuse me Awen while I borrow my Lord Chancellor."

Braxiatel followed Romana through to the private rooms behind the office. Romana walked through first and sat on the wide red velvet sofa.

"Well do sit down Braxiatel, you are starting to make the place look untidy, hovering like that" she said, twisting her hands in her lap.

Braxiatel sat down opposite her.

"What is going on? Fake Romana? Narvin's strangeness? Not to mention Emmaline. I want answers, I want the truth not some your fairytale, euphemised version of it either. Do I make myself clear?"

"My lady." He took a deep breath "With the other Romana, the Doctor found her. We thought she was you and I guess she was afraid. We eventually figured it out. It turned out she fell through a Time fissure or some kind of crack but we couldn't send her home, so she left with the Doctor."

"And I assume she is responsible for the Aliens?"

"On her Gallifrey, assuming she's from a Gallifrey within an Axis, aliens were part and parcel of everyday life. They also lead to its down fall. Why she wanted to repeat that here, Rassilon knows."

"A failed Gallifrey, Braxiatel?" Romana asked looking at him with increased interest.

"Apparently. On her Gallifrey, she never travelled, she married her Doctor and had a daughter, but on that Gallifrey they live among aliens, even inter-marrying with other species and they break all the laws of time."

"Well I suppose going with the Doctor was the best thing although it feels a bit odd. Now about Emmaline?"

"She told us that she was abused by Rassilion and Bainbridge, she's struggling. He attacked her recently or at least he almost did."

"How could I not know?" said Romana leaning forward, letting Braxiatel see the fury in her eyes. "What kind of mother am I? She was meant be under my protection! She was my responsibility. No wonder she's damaged. It's what I do, ruin lives and destroy. I should have realised. I should have spent more time with her instead of pairing her off with Gander and his family.

This baby deserves better than me. And that other child, I feel nothing for her. She is a stranger. I don't want her. What is wrong with me Braxiatel?"

Braxiatel gently rested his hands on her shoulders. "You are a good mother. Emmaline knows this."

She walked back into the office followed by Braxiatel.

Awen stood there, her arms folded. "I know you don't want me" she drawled.

Awen trembled a little but stood firm facing the Lady President who knew nothing about her or her life. She hated that Narvin had convinced her to give Gallifrey a chance and to give Romana a chance. However, she was a warrior. The President did not scare her; it was only rejection that made her afraid.

She had spent her life living in the dark tower with an over controlling father who turned out now to be some evil dictator, or was that what they wanted her to believe?

She remembered Rassilion telling her she was weak, that he had to toughen her up, that she had to fight. It was all she knew that is all there was. After Rassilion died, she lived in the outlands where she had to learn to survive. She had no mother to confide in or tell stories to her, or tuck her into bed at night. Emmaline had all that. She lived her life, had what she should have had. That felt unfair, like she had got the short straw in life.

She turned away and headed for the door, not wanting to give either of them the satisfaction of seeing her hurt. She did not need them, she had managed 150 years without a mother.

Romana sighed as Awen left. How could she do that to her own child? She was the very same age as Emmaline, the child she had carried for fifteen months. Hers had been a natural pregnancy before all of Gallifrey had been cursed, but yet even though there was a curse, she was pregnant yet again. She did not understand why when it was clear all other families were still not able to have natural pregnancies.

"Do you want me to go after her?" Braxiatel asked. He rested his hand on her shoulder once again, but she shook it off, not wanting or feeling she deserved any comfort.

"And say what? My own child was stood before me and there was nothing there, no bond, no feelings for her. But then, what can I expect? What can she expect? It's all strange and crazy. All of it. She could have just been a stranger that I passed every day and I wouldn't have known her, and yet I feel guilty for what happened to her. My priority has to be Emmaline though."

"As far as I am concerned, they could both be your daughters, but right now they hate each other and have been in many scraps."

"You see that is my worst nightmare. I cannot allow that, but I don't know what to do Braxiatel."

"I will talk with her. I will be discrete"

"Thank you."

"I am here to serve my Lady President", replied Braxiatel.

Braxiatel had left an hour ago and she wondered if he had made any progress. She knew it was pointless to say one daughter meant more to her than another. It was down to her, one way or another, that both where alive. They didn't ask to be born. There was just so much going on.

A knock on her office door wrenched her from her thoughts and she casually discarded the luminous yellow data sheet she had been half reading.

Narvin walked in to the office, bowing, before walking over to her desk, behind which she sat. He had forgotten how beautiful Romana was and this was his Romana back home where she belonged.

"Romana," he said softly.

As he drew closer to her, her eyes lit up. "Narvin," she smiled as her breathing started to speed up. She could not tear her eyes away from him. She stood up and rounded the desk so that they were stood facing each other.

"Narvin," she said quietly. She felt confused by his whole expression; for him to keep her at a distance and not immediately close the gap was somehow unbearable for her. She wanted him to kiss her like he used to, stealing her away from the office towards her bedroom.

She knew Narvin loved her and once upon a time, she had loved him too. She wanted him to take her to bed, to let him hold her, to love him back the way he loved her, telling herself there were worse Time Lords on Gallifrey she could end up with. Everyone told her Narvin was good for her; that he loved her and it would be so nice to be loved. For her though, not because she was President.

"I don't want to hurt you in any way," he said firmly, still holding her arm. "I don't know what he did," he looked away before pulling her into his arms holding her close to him.

"I don't remember," she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut trying to push the memories far, far away where they could never hurt her. She wouldn't allow the memories to ruin her reunion with Narvin.

She moved away and stood in front of the large window, as the twin suns washed over her. Something during her captivity she thought she would never see again. She let out a few calming breaths before she felt Narvin's comforting hand on her shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, before whispering something in her ear. She bit her lip slightly before she smiled and turned around.

He instantly pulled her into his arms, kissing her all over her face, before bringing his lips to hers, kissing her softly. Their passion suddenly erupted into a frenzied dance as the hunger they had for each other possessed them.

"About the Aliens," he managed to say before Romana had her lips on his once more.

"Later," she moaned in-between kisses.

He encircled his arms around her waist and he kissed her back, raking at the cloth covering his chest with her nails.

Finally they pulled apart breathless and smiled at each other, the hunger definitely still sparkling in their eyes.

"Now about these Aliens. Sorry to do this now. Let's just see how it goes. I cannot have a repeat of the problems we had last time. We should not hide from the rest of the universe. One day we might need allies and we can't do that if we are hiding behind our old, reclusive ways. It needs to be controlled though. Unfortunately problems have already arisen, but teething problems perhaps."

Romana sighed "so what is it this time?"

"The Nekkistani and the Monan host seem intent to put Gallifrey on a war footing. Daily fights between these two races have put Gallifrey smack bang in the middle and already Time Lords have been attacked forcing Gallifrey to take sides."

Romana pulled a face at this. "What is it with the Monan host? They seem intent on causing me problems. You know, I am sure it was them who infected Gallifrey with this dogma virus and as yet, we still do not know how many Time lords are infected. I could be infected and I would not know. There must be a way to find out and a cure would be nice instead of all that 'we are doomed' nonsense."

Narvin put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We will find a cure. We have to I can't see Gallifrey falling. I still feel uneasy. As if the temporal powers are orchestrating this."

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