THE GALLIFREY CHRONICLES, THE FALL OF GALLIFREY

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Beta read by nightserenade

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Romana blinked back the tears. How could she look into Braxiatel's dark eyes and lie to him? Lie to the man she loved more than anything; the Time Lord who had said he would have given up his lives for her? Nobody had ever come close to the way she felt for Braxiatel apart from the Doctor, but Brax had known her since she was a little girl. He knew her, her ways, everything about her, whereas people like Narvin would presume to know and treat her like a child. But not Braxiatel.

She had tried to deny her feelings, but she knew she loved him and wanted him and yet she could not tell him. She could not deal with that level of rejection, but had he not proven his love for her? She wasn't sure of anything anymore.

"Yes," she whispered. "it's your baby." She didn't want this, she never asked for this complication in her life. Now the truth was out she had no idea where that left her and Narvin, or indeed Braxiatel.

Keeping the secret inside her for all this time had started to hurt her and now it was out she should feel relieved, but all she felt was more confusion, more uncertainty in her life. What would Brax want? She couldn't imagine him wanting to be a part time father. What if he wanted to take her baby away from her?

"Don't cry, I will be there for you," he said softly, "but for the next few weeks you are on leave."

"No, I need to go back to work."

"I wont allow it. This is my baby too and I wont let you risk their life or your own. I want you to take some leave for a few weeks. You are taking it and that is my final word on the matter. Perhaps Davida, maybe Leela can go with you, or Emmaline, whatever you choose let me know and I will make the necessary arrangements."

"So you can keep an eye on me." She knew deep down arguing with Brax was pointless; he would win and she was too weak right now to fight him, but she knew she wouldn't be Romana if she did not have a very good try. She knew she was acting like a little girl again, wanting everything her own way. She also knew Braxiatel was the only one who was brave enough to challenge her. "I am President of Gallifrey," Romana started to say.

"That fact did not escape me, I am well aware of it, but my President needs some rest. Are you really going to pick a fight with me over it?"

"No."

"Good, then its settled."

Romana sighed in defeat. "Braxiatel how long have I been unconscious?"

"A few weeks," he mumbled. "You were in an induced coma."

"Why? How could you let that happen?"

"I did what I did for my President's welfare."

She wanted to fight him, yell at him, anything, but she had little strength. Her eyelids felt heavy as she fell back into sleep.

He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and stayed by her side, until he was satisfied she would not wake for some time.

"Good night, Romana," he whispered, brushing the hair away from her face.


Romana knew she was not happy and she had not been happy for a long time. Simply put there was nothing left for her on Gallifrey. She wanted to fly away from Gallifrey, after all if the Doctor could why couldn't she?

She knew of course she would never come back. She glanced back at her planet for a moment before entering her TARDIS and watched her home world disappear until it was just a speck light years away as she choked back a tear.

She wanted to turn back to tell Braxiatel she loved him, for him to hold her like he had on Davida when she had been a nervous wreck after her time at the Dalek's hands, but she was stubborn and wouldn't allow herself to.

Just you and me, she thought, putting her hand to her stomach. Maybe one day I will tell you about your father. She felt the baby kick as if she was listening.

In some ways Romana knew she was running, running from Gallifrey, her life, and from the father of her child who she desperately loved and respected, but she could not stand for Braxiatel to reject her or her child. He wasn't her Braxiatel anymore.

She had Narvin; boring, predictable, loyal Narvin, and she had tried so hard to love him. He was a good man but this was not his child and she could not expect him to raise another Time Lord's child. She would do it alone if she needed to.

It used to be so simple when she knew who she was, when she had been that young girl travelling with the Doctor. She yearned for those days again, as she leaned against the console, catching sight of herself in a mirror.

She sighed heavily. She was fat, her hair was flat and lifeless, no wonder Braxiatel didn't look at her. No wonder Narvin did not find her attractive. He was likely repulsed by her. She wiped her eyes before she noticed a figure behind her.

She spun round, angry that this thing that was the Doctor's son had dared to invade her space by coming here after all he had done.

"Bainbridge,"


The two young Chancellor Guards nervously entered the President's office to find Braxiatel sitting at her desk with a bunch of data pads. Besides Braxiatel, there was no one else in the room and no sign of their President.

"My Lord Chancellor," babbled one nervously.

"What is it?" Braxiatel asked kindly, looking up from the desk.

"The Madam President, she is gone."

"President Romana is taking some time away from the capital," Braxiatel said.

"She's left Gallifrey, she took her TARDIS."

"What do you mean she's gone?" snapped Braxiatel

"Exactly that."

"So let me get this right. You have allowed the President to wander away from Gallifrey unescorted, she is pregnant or did that little fact escape you? Tell me what exactly is the job of the chancellor guard."

There was a long uncomfortable silence.

"I want her TARDIS tracked immediately," Braxiatel snapped as regret welled inside him. She must have been planning this for some time, he reasoned to himself. Romana did not do spur of moment things. Unless someone had taken her? No, he could not think like that, but an uneasy feeling rose in his chest.


Romana struggled out of Bainbridge's grip.

"Get your hands off me!" she spat angrily.

"I should have made sure you were dead the last time. You have stolen everything from me; my father, my family, and the Presidency."

"Take some responsibility for once. You abused my daughter. She had nothing do with your twisted little games. As for your mother, that relationship was over long before I was on the scene. Now let go of me!" she demanded. If she had not felt so physically weak she could of put more of a fight towards him, but as it was, she was weak and she had a baby to think of now. She had to choose her battles.

Grabbing her roughly he pushed her back into the console room."No, I am going to get back what you took from me."


It had been weeks since Braxiatel had heard anything. He had explored every avenue possible and now knew someone had taken his President and he was out of options. He needed someone devious and more dangerous than himself and he found himself travelling the short journey to Shada to see his Valeyard self.

"What do you want?" he demanded. "Come to gloat?"

"I need your help," Braxiatel said quietly. He hated everything about this terrible situation but it was a risk he was prepared to take to bring the woman he loved home. "Someone has taken Romana and I want her home."

"Why should Romana concern me?"

"Because she is important to you. I think if I love her then you do too."

"Love," he scoffed. "Do you even know what it means ?" he spat at Braxiatel.

Braxiatel sighed. "She's pregnant with my baby."

"It could be mine," he egged the real Braxiatel on. "I slept with her more times. Can you imagine me in bed with her laying in my arms, her making a baby with me and not you. Oh she was something. The last time we did she wanted more so we did it three times. It was so incredible."

The real Braxiatel sighed, seeing that this was going nowhere, wanting nothing more than to let his fists do the talking. "I love her, you hardly know her."

"I know her more than you think, we could have married. Me and her forever," he started to rant.

Braxiatel's communicator started to ring. "Chancellor Braxiatel,"

"Brax," said a sweet voice on the end.

"Romana, thank Rassilion, where are you?"

"Well that's the million dollar question," said a male voice he knew to be Bainbridge. "We are going to play a little game of hide and seek. It's an earth game. I hide something and you find it and to make it more thrilling you only have seventy microspans to find and save your precious President." The line went dead.

"Bainbridge has taken her, so are you going to help me or hinder me?"

"Well that depends, what is it worth?"

"Anything, I just want them safe."

"Will you give up your lives for them?"

"Yes. " He sighed in defeat.


"What do you want?" Romana hissed realising after coming around that she was chained to the dungeon. This was getting old, the amount of times he had done this to her, but she was President of Gallifrey. Surely someone would have noticed she was missing."

"Your resignation."

"Don't be absurd, I am not resigning."

"You will and you will name me as your successor. I have the letter here, all you do is sign it."

"I am not signing anything."

"Tut tut. I didn't think you wanted your baby to grow up without a mother."

Romana went pale. Suddenly Braxiatel appeared in the dungeon, grabbing him he launched him against the wall. "You never stop do you? It's one thing to threaten the President. It's enough to threaten a pregnant Time Lady."

Braxiatel grabbed him and dragged him out. She could hear the fighting, the screams, as she tried to block it out and she was alone in the dungeon and it's cold. It's dark and the one thing that scared her about dungeons is the darkness. Then it all went quiet.

A tear rolled down her cheek. Is Braxiatel gone forever? she wondered. Finally the door opened and he was there. Instantly he released her, helping her up, but something was different about him as he faced her. He was walking around her and she suddenly felt afraid.

"It's you," she whispered. She could feel him smirking at her with those cold dead eyes of his.

"Romana." He placed a hand on her shoulder and she glanced at him. His robes were dirty, smelly even with the smell of blood. There were scratches on his face as well as blood.

"It's not my blood," he said as if it was the most casually thing to say. He stood behind her and she could feel his sweet breath on her neck and he noticed that she was so tense and placed a chaste kiss at the back of her neck.

"You're shaking," he said softly. "Don't be afraid." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Shhh," he soothed. "He can't hurt you again."

"He-" she tried desperately to speak and he was deadly afraid the shock would make her go into labour. It was too soon in any case.

"I did it to protect you. I promise."

She couldn't read him. Was he lying? She wasn't sure she could believe him and wanted to throw herself out of the nearest door. She would even take a couple of Daleks right now rather than this imposter.

For the first time in a long long time she was terrified of him, but she was also so turned on by him. She hated how much she wanted him right then. He wasn't even her Brax and she didn't know if it was her stupid hormones or if it was what she really wanted.

"Brax, I need you," she managed to say. It wasn't true; she didn't need him, she wanted him. She almost wanted to tear his clothes off and have him take her to bed to feel his body next to hers.

He touched her arm so gently, his fingers delicately brushed against her arm. Her whole body tingled from his touch and it was wrong, it was all so wrong.

"Romana." Taking her face in his hands he made her look at him using that smooth and calming voice.

How can he be calm after ending someone's life? Would her Brax be the same? She didn't know what to think or what to do.

"Romana, please you have to listen to me. Please don't be scared. I will always be here for you and I will always protect you, no matter what it costs, no matter what I have to give up or sacrifice. I just want to give you everything you want and need no matter what it is."

She was scared to ask for the one thing she wanted, scared to provoke him to anger.

"Romana," he said softly, causing her to look at him again. "Tell me what you want and it will be yours."

She felt so confused about what she wanted and couldn't say anything. All she ever wanted was Brax and the baby, but this man was not him, he was a version of him. She couldn't be afraid, she was Romanadvoratrelundar, President of Gallifrey, and one thing she wouldn't do was show her weakness to even him.

His soft lips kissed the back of her neck, causing her to whimper his name as he nibbled on her neck and she moved her head slightly to give him better access to her soft skin

She knew she did not want him to stop as he started to unbutton her robes slowly as he was kissing down her neck, causing her to moan his name as he kept on kissing her neck. Finally he unbuttoned the rest of her robe, exposing her shoulders.

He had forgotten entirely how Romana tasted, what it was like to have his lips on her soft silky skin and he continued undressing her slowly until her robes fell away revealing a velvet blue, alluring maternity knee length backless dress. She looked so utterly gorgeous and he was breathing harder than he thought possible.

He stood behind her, kissing her exposed back as his arms went around her waist before finally reaching the small part of her back. He placed a chaste kiss softly against her.

"Relax," he said in a soft calming voice as he left a trail of kisses down her back before he finally lifting her into his arms and carried her to his own quarters and placed her softly on his bed.

He held her tightly as he tried to comfort her the best he knew how. Then she was crying so hard against him, almost like everything that had happened had finally made her crack. "Brax," she managed to say through her tears. He rubbed her back, allowing her to let it all out as he whispered comforting words to her.

"I love you Romana, you don't need to be brave if you want to cry, go ahead." She clung tightly to him, burying her head against his shoulder as she started to relax. He brushed his hands through her soft red hair and wiped her tears from her face. "I love you so much," he mumbled into her hair. "I will never let scum like that ever hurt you, I promise. I can give you everything you ever want. With Brax giving me his lives you can be mine too.

"I lied," said the real Braxiatel standing in the doorway.

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