THE GALLIFREY CHRONICLES, THE FALL OF GALLIFREY

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Erisa took a deep breath as she pushed open the door to the Presidential office. It had been so long since she had stood before a President; the last time being when she had been a child, stood before President Rassilon.

She wasn't sure what Romana was like. The only thing she knew for sure was that his cousin loved her; both of them in fact, the Doctor and Braxiatel. She'd have been an idiot not to know that.

"It's her," Emmaline hissed as she glared at the woman who she believed was now wrecking her family.

"Gander, Emmaline please leave us," Romana ordered.

Gander quietly departed with a simple bow. Emmaline however, stood firm, wanting nothing more to tear the woman's eyes out.

"Emmaline, please. I can handle this."

Romana waited as Emmaline slowly walked out of the room and the door firmly closed.

"Madam President," mumbled Erisa falling to her knees on the marble floor. So this is my President, she thought silently to herself. She was really beautiful standing there in her beautiful lace presidential gown all adored in silver and gold even her hair was so perfect, a beautiful golden blonde that fell down her shoulders. No wonder Narvin was taken with her and, if the stories were true, Braxiatel was in love with this woman too.

"Who are you?" Romana asking eying this woman who was supposedly Narvin's wife. Romana could see how young and pretty she was, certainly not fat and ugly like herself. Every time Romana looked in the mirror she saw the truth she was fat, no wonder Narvin looked at other women.

"I am Erisa."

"Oh," as it suddenly dawned on her this was Braxiatel and the Doctor's cousin, the cousin they lost.

"A long time ago I used to live on Gallifrey." Erisa continued. "I was a bit of a wild child, you could say. I liked Narvin and I fell in love with him and him with me, at least I thought so..." she smiled wistfully. "And we got married. Then things started to fall apart, he was older than me wanted to settle down but I wanted to have fun. Then I got pregnant." She took a deep breath. "Emmaline is my daughter."

Romana frowned. She didn't like where this was going at all.

Erisa gazed earnestly at the President. "I am not here to take her away from you, so you don't need to worry. But, I want to meet her."

Romana ignored the statement. "Go on, what happened next?"

"Anyway he kept pushing me away and I ran away from him. He didn't even want the baby. I met a Guardian and I fell in love again and he was prepared to raise Emmaline as his own. I became a Guardian. We would have married but then the war happened. I did what I could to protect my baby put her in a space pod. I prayed so hard someone would find her and raise her as their own child and you did. She's more your daughter than mine. She was so small, so tiny I couldn't let her be a casualty in the war. She was so perfect."

"She knows I am not her real mother," Romana finally said. "If you want to get to know her I won't stand in your way. She is not the easiest. She has been through so much, please be gentle with her."

"Narvin did he- That is did he ever cheat on you?" Romana asked

"I don't know. I suspected but he was clever."

It hadn't taken Narvin long to track Braxiatel down, not long at all. He had found the collection. The Braxiatel Collection; a Gallery displaying thousands of works of art. Something the Time Lords frowned upon; it was the law, you did not interfere in the universe and yet, he had gone out there saving pieces of art from destruction, something his President failed to see the seriousness of.

"What are you doing here Narvin, come to gloat have you?" Braxiatel said bitterly.

"I know you interfered in our lives." Narvin got straight to the point. "We were happy; me and Romana. We could have had our own child together...instead you have left her alone and pregnant. You couldn't leave it. This is all down to you."

"My dear Narvin, I am really not responsible for all the stupid things you may have done, what's the word? Taking personal responsibility?" Brax said with a smirk. "You cheated on her over and over again. Stupid, stupid Narvin, far too stupid for Romana. You were never good enough for her. Oh, I don't doubt she has a little bit of affection still for you, but that's nothing compared to how she feels for her unborn children."

While all of Brax's words were cutting Narvin deep, he could only register one word. "Children?"

"Yes, Romana is having twins." Brax said indifferently.

"What do you really feel for her?" Narvin snapped. "Do you love her?"

Brax sighed patronisingly. "Romana is special, too special for you, Narvin. She is prepared to make the difficult decisions not the shortcuts like you do. That's why you can never aspire to be anything as great as President." He eyed Narvin like he was a bug on the ground.

Romana stood outside the palace needing to clear her head. She had never felt so alone,so empty. Braxiatel was gone; the father of her child. How could she have been so stupid to fall in love with him? Now she was going to raise her twins alone.

She wished now she had accepted the Doctor's invitation to travel with him again, but how could she? She was heavily pregnant she was no longer that young girl who could run across the universe without a care in the world; she had responsibilities.

She suddenly felt uneasy; spinning round she saw the other temporal powers surrounding her the Phaidon, Sunari, Nekkistani and the Monans all fixing their eyes upon her and as their eyes met a fury and hate so strong like a furious storm was raging inside their realm. With their weapons ready, they approached her; the weapons chosen to draw blood, her blood. Before she could register what was happening she felt a sharp object pierce her skin which was followed by more crushing pain. She tried to scream as she felt herself crash to the ground but felt she could not utter a sound. She felt blood start to drench her clothes feeling herself getting weaker as her own life flashed before her eyes, seeing the only Time Lord she really loved in her mind and their baby.

She was going to die and she knew it, as she drifted in and out of consciousness pleading with them to stop.

This was her fault; she knew she should not let outsiders live and work on Gallifrey and now she was going to deal with the consequences of that choice.

She heard Voices that seemed so far away feeling herself being lifted off the ground. "She is not going to make it, there's so much blood!" she heard a young Time Lord utter. She felt it herself her gowns soaked in crimson blood. It was on her hands and face feeling the blood drip faster out of her like a rushing waterfall.

"You will do as you told," she heard Gander's voice full of anger and fear.

She felt them try and stem the bleeding as she heard Gander's comforting voice. "Stay awake Romana, you going to be just fine."

She had just enough energy to utter a groan before she lost consciousness.

Gander stood in the medical station his fists clenched. How could this have happened? He wanted to punch someone or something as Romana lay unconscious in the medical station connected to machines and tubes. She had been so alive hours ago and now she was only just holding on. Of course she would make it; she was strong she was a fighter but she looked anything but right now.

"Well?" asked Gander, as a medic arrived.

"It's a miracle she is still alive, she has been injured pretty badly. She lost a lot of blood in the attack. The next few days are going to be critical. It's up to Romana now," the medic said gravely.

"The baby?" Gander asked, almost too scared to ask.

The medic sighed and Gander immediately expected the worst. "She lost the baby, the attack was just too severe. We had to put Romana first... we couldn't save them both"

Gander sighed. He had known how much she wanted this child. He didn't know how she would deal with this on top of everything else that had happened recently.

Her eyes suddenly opened. "Brax," she mumbled. It pained Gander that the one thing she wanted he couldn't give her.

People always told him the President could have whatever she wanted but he knew that wasn't true, but he was determined she would have what she wanted and she would have the happiness that Gallifrey had denied her.

He took her hand gently.

"My baby?" she whispered.

Gander looked at her sadly. "I am sorry, there is no baby," he said quietly.

She closed her eyes and turned on her side away from Gander's view.

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