Authoress Note: Welcome to Chapter 12 of Between the Lines. Thank you to those who have left a review for this story. It really does mean a lot to me that you guys love this story. I hope that you guys like this next chapter. We have four chapters left after this chapter. This story is so close to being finished and I can't wait to show you guys what happens in the last two episodes after this one. Without further ado Chapter 12. Enjoy guys.

Chapter 12

A New Life

Night had fallen and The Doctor, Jack and Alexys were in the Tardis with Margaret.

Alexys sat on the floor with her legs crossed leaning up against the wall tiredly. She didn't want to worry the Doctor that her powers were slowly beginning to slip from her and the more she used them… well the more tired she got and the Doctor knew what happened with witches when their powers began to fade over time.

"This ship is impossible. It's superb. How do you get the outside around the inside?" Margaret said in awe.

"Like I'd give you the secret, yeah." The Doctor said shaking his head. There was no way in hell he would ever give her any Time Lord information.

"I almost feel better about being defeated. I never stood a chance. This is the technology of the gods." Margaret said looking around.

"Don't worship me - I'd make a very bad god. You wouldn't get a day off, for starters. Jack, how we doing, big fella?" The Doctor asked looking over at Jack.

"This extrapolator's top of the range. Where did you get it?" Jack questioned looking at Margaret.

"Oh, I don't know. Some airlock sale?" Margaret questioned looking over at Jack.

Alexys narrowed her eyes.

"Must've been a great big heist. It's stacked with power." Jack said as he worked on the item that they had gotten.

"But we can use it for fuel?" The Doctor questioned looking at Jack.

"It's not compatible, but it should knock off about twelve hours. We'll be ready to go by morning."

Alexys let out a soft breath. "Are you sure that you want to do this Doctor?" She asked softly looking up at him worry etched across her face.

"Then we're stuck here overnight." The Doctor said with a firm nod of his head.

Alexys took a breath looking down a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"I'm in no hurry." Margaret said as she shifted her weight.

"We've got a prisoner. The police box is really a police box." Rose said with a small smile.

"You're not just police, though. Since you're taking me to my death, that makes you my executioners. Each and every one of you." Magaret said looking at them.

"Don't look at me lady." Alexys said crossing her arms. "I have no idea what you did, but with how the Doctor looks at you and if he's right… then you are getting…"

"Well, you deserve it." Mickey said snapping cutting off Alexys.

"You're very quick to say so. You're very quick to soak your hands in my blood, which makes you better than me, how, exactly ? Long night ahead Let's see who can look me in the eye."

No one looked her in the eyes.

Alexys let out a scoff moving around stretching some.

The Doctor moved over towards her. He touched her shoulder lightly causing her to turn and face him. "You alright with this choice I've made Merida?"

Alexys let out a soft breath looking up into his blue eyes. "I'll be okay with it. I trust you… I trust you and Jack to know what the two of you are doing. I don't trust her." Alexys said moving her head slightly to where Margaret stood.

"I don't trust her either. But we'll be out of here soon and won't have to deal with her any longer."

Alexys nodded her head softly.

DWDWDW

The Doctor watched Mickey and Rose on the scanner. His arms crossed as Alexys walked over to where he stood.

"So, what's on?" Jack questioned as he looked up from what he was doing.

"Nothing, just."

"I gather it's not always like this, having to wait. I bet you're always the first to leave, Doctor. Never mind the consequences, off you go. You butchered my family and then ran for the stars, am I right? But not this time. At last you have consequences. How does it feel?" Margaret questioned looking at the Doctor.

"I didn't butcher them." The Doctor snapped looking over at her.

Alexys held his arm in her hand holding him back some. Her heart raced in her chest. What exactly happened while she was away from him working for Van Statten all that time? What happened when they were apart thinking that each other was dead.

"Don't answer back. That's what she wants." Jack said as he worked.

"I didn't. What about you? You had an emergency teleport. You didn't zap them to safety, did you?" The Doctor questioned looking at Margaret wondering what she was planning.

"It only carries one. I had to fly without coordinates. I ended up on a skip in the Isle of Dogs. It wasn't funny."

"Sorry. It is a bit funny."

"Do I get a last request?"

"Depends what it is."

"I grew quite fond of my little human life. All those rituals. The brushing of the teeth, and the complicated way they cook things. There's a little restaurant just round the Bay. It became quite a favourite of mine."

"Is that what you want, a last meal?"

"Don't I have rights?"

"Oh, like she's not going to try to escape." Jack said letting out a scoff.

Alexys rolled her eyes. "She escapes she dies." Alexys said looking over at Jack being fairly cool with what she said. If the Doctor couldn't get Margaret to her planet, Alexys could easily finish her off if she was ordered to.

"Except I can never escape the Doctor, so where's the danger? I wonder if you could do it? To sit with a creature you're about to kill and take supper. How strong is your stomach?" Margaret said to Jack.

"Strong enough." The Doctor said to Margaret.

"I wonder. I've seen you fight your enemies, now dine with them."

"You won't change my mind."

"Prove it."

"There are people out there. If you slip away just for one second, they'll be in danger."

"Except I've got these." Jack said holding up to two bangles. "You both wear one. If she moves more than ten feet away, she gets zapped by ten thousand volts." He put them onto the Doctor and Margaret.

"Margaret, would you like to come out to dinner? My treat." The Doctor said with a small smile.

"Dinner in bondage. Works for me."

Alexys let out a breath as she went to go and help Jack with what he was working on.

Jack looked over at Alexys. "You alright with him taking what's her name?" Jack questioned as he went back to work.

Alexys shrugged her shoulders a little bit. "It's not like we're exclusive or anything…"

Jack gave her a look. "Not exclusive? You two are attached at each other's hip… how are you okay with this?"

"I know he won't do anything."

DWDWDW

A deep rumble was heard causing Alexys to be thrown from the ground. She looked up in shock feeling the ground shaking under her body.

The Doctor ran into the Tardis and his eyes widened. "What the hell are you doing?"

"It just went crazy!" Jack said trying to defend himself from what had happened. He hadn't expected this to happen.

Alexys got up to her feet groaning a little bit.

"It's the rift. Time and space are ripping apart. The whole city's going to disappear!" The Doctor shouted as he tried to get to work.

Alexys moved quickly to help him. "Doctor…"

He turned to look at her.

"I can try to help."

His eyes widened. "What are you…"

"You know what I'm going to try to do…"

"That's too much magic for you to be using." He said growing more concerned.

Alexys looked at the Doctor. "I have to do this." She said softly looking up her eyes glowing some.

"It's the extrapolator. I've disconnected it but it's still feeding off the engine! It's using the Tardis. I can't stop it!" Jack said looking at the Doctor.

"Never mind Cardiff, it's going to rip open the planet."

Rose quickly entered the Tardis her eyes wide with worry. "What is it? What's happening?!"

"Oh, just little me." Margaret said as she took an arm out of her body suit and grabbed Rose pulling her to her. "One wrong move and she snaps like a promise."

"I might've known."

"I've had you bleating all night, poor baby, now shut it. You, fly boy, put the extrapolator at my feet." Margaret tightened her grip on Rose's next.

The Doctor nodded and Jack obeyed him.

"Thank you. Just as I planned."

"I thought you needed to blow up the nuclear power station." Rose said trying not to struggle too much against Margaret.

"Failing that, if I were to be arrested, then anyone capable of tracking me down would have considerable technology of their own. Therefore, they would be captivated by the extrapolator. Especially a magpie mind like yours, Doctor. So the extrapolator was programmed to go to plan B. To lock onto the nearest alien power source and open the rift. And what a power source it found. I'm back on schedule, thanks to you."

"The rift's going to convulse. You'll destroy the whole planet." Jack snapped looking at her.

"And you with it!" Margaret said as she stood on the extrapolator. "While I ride this board over the crest of the inferno all the way to freedom. Stand back, boys. Surf's up."

The Tardis console cracked open and a bright light hit Margaret.

"Of course, opening the rift means you'll pull this ship apart." The Doctor snapped looking at Margaret not liking the idea of his precious ship getting torn apart.

"So sue me."

"It's not just any old power source. It's the Tardis. My Tardis. The best ship in the universe."

"It'll make wonderful scrap."

"What's that light?" Rose questioned in awe seeing the bright light.

"The heart of the Tardis. This ship's alive. You've opened its soul." The Doctor said to Margaret.

"It's so bright." Margaret said softly.

"Look at it, Margaret."

"Beautiful."

"Look inside, Blon Fel Fotch. Look at the light."

Margaret relaxed and Rose was able to get free. She then looked up at the Doctor, smiling. "Thank you." Margaret disappeared into the light and the empty bodysuit crumpled onto the extrapolator.

"Don't look. Stay there. Close your eyes!" The Doctor ordered as he quickly closed the console. "Now, Jack, come on, shut it all down. Shut down! Rose, that panel over there, turn all the switches to the right."

Alexys collapsed to her knees panting softly as she put her hands onto the floor.

"Nicely done. Thank you, all." The Doctor said with a smile as he quickly moved over to Alexys helping her up to her feet.

"What happened to Margaret?" Rose asked curiously.

"Must've got burnt up. Carried out her own death sentence." Jack said thinking.

"No, I don't think she's dead." The Doctor said as he held Alexys close to him wrapping his arm around her middle to keep her up right.

"Then where'd she go?" Rose questioned looking around.

"She looked into the heart of the Tardis. Even I don't know how strong that is. And the ship's telepathic, like I told you, Rose. Gets inside your head. Translates alien languages. Maybe the raw energy can translate all sorts of thoughts." The Doctor found a large egg with dreadlocks on the top inside the bodysuit. "Here she is."

"She's an egg?"

"Regressed to her childhood."

"She's an egg?" Jack questioned looking in shock at the egg.

"She can start again. Live her life from scratch. If we take her home, give her to a different family, tell them to bring her up properly, she might be all right!"

"Or she might be worse."

"That's her choice."

"She's an egg." Rose said looking at it in shock.

"She's an egg."

"Oh, my God. Mickey." Rose said before running out of the Tardis.

Alexys let out a breath leaning against the Doctor.

The Doctor looked at her worriedly. "That was reckless Merida." He said pushing some of her blonde hair back.

"I know." Alexys said looking up at him.

Rose returned to the Tardis alone without Mickey. Her heart clenched in her chest seeing the Doctor and Alexys that close to one another. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"We're all powered up. We can leave. Opening the rift filled us up with energy. We can go, if that's all right."

"Yeah, fine." Rose said softly.

"How's Mickey?"

"He's okay. He's gone."

"Do you want to go and find him? We'll wait."

"No need. He deserves better."

"Off we go, then. Always moving on."

"Next stop, Raxacoricofallapatorius. Now you don't often get to say that." Jack said with a grin.

"We'll just stop by and pop her in the hatchery. Margaret the Slitheen can live her life again. A second chance."

"That'd be nice." Rose said softly.

Alexys took a tired breath leaning against the Doctor tiredly. At least the long day that they had was finally over. She didn't have to worry about Margaret destroying anything or anything else bad happening. Enough had happened and she was just glad that the Doctor was able to deal so quickly with Margaret and get her regressed into childhood.

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This is the end of Chapter 12. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Reviews keep me writing so please keep that in mind. What would you guys like to see in the last 4 chapters of this story? Please let me know and I'll try to update soon. Until next time guys.