Chapter One

Finally, he was able to relax enough to sit down in his jump seat. The realization of what he had just done hit him like a ton of bricks and the appearance of Ood Sigma terrified him more than anything ever had before. The cloister bell which had sounded like a death knell to him finally quieted down which helped to soothe his jittery nerves. But even though everything had calmed down in the TARDIS, including himself, he knew that he had witnessed another omen of his impending death.

Thinking about it, he wondered why he was so terrified. After all, he'd died nine times why would he be worried about dying again. But something about the way Ood Sigma had told him his song was ending made his hearts race with terror. It made him realize just how much time he had left. Even if this wasn't the ultimate end, he would still regenerate into his eleventh life. Eleven out of thirteen. He shook his head wondering where the time had gone. It seemed like only yesterday he had stolen his beloved ship from dry dock and now both she and him were way past their prime.

He looked up at the ceiling.

"I don't wanna die, old girl. If this is it, if this is the end for me, who'll look after you when I'm gone?"

The TARDIS gave a sympathetic grunt and nudged his mind affectionately. She wasn't used to him being so unnerved and she tried everything she could to calm him down and soothe him with her grunts and nudges and whispered telepathic words of love. She didn't like what she saw in the Doctor's mind, she didn't like that he had become so arrogant and flippant with Adelaide after defying the laws of time and rescuing her and her companions. What he had done would have gotten him vaporized if the Time Lords had still been alive and caught him. This whole lone wolf attitude upset her greatly. She knew that the Doctor needed companions to keep him on an even keel, even if he denied that fact to others and himself. She was at a loss for what to do for her old friend. She watched while he sat there, morose and guilt-plagued, as he thought over what he had done and almost did. He stayed that way for over an hour, staring unseeing at the console while she continued to fly through the vortex. Then he rose and walked over to it. The TARDIS grunted again when he began to rub the rim of the console.

"My one, true companion," he said softly as he rubbed the rim. "You've always been here for me. You've never let me down and you alone, truly understand me."

The TARDIS nudged his mind but the Doctor stopped rubbing the console and stared blankly at the monitor.

"They're calling me," he finally said as he continued to stare. "The Ood. Ood Sigma. He's summoning me. I can sense it. Oh Girl, I don't wanna go. I hate to say it but…"

He trailed off but the TARDIS knew he was afraid to tell her that he was scared to go since going meant the end was beginning.

"Forgive me," he said to no one in particular. "I can't. Not yet. I can't face them yet. It's too soon. I can't die yet. I've got other things to do first…I'll do a few things and then I'll go see them."

The TARDIS ached for her friend as he quickly inputted some coordinates and headed for Earth.

"Alison?"

Alison Jenkins looked over at her door when she saw her mother step into her room. Her mother smiled warmly at her.

"Baby, your daddy and I are going to go out for a bit but Julie will be here to look after you, alright?"

Alison nodded and smiled. Her mother felt a pang of guilt as she looked at her daughter. Just six years old, her daughter was in the final stages of leukemia and she had lost a considerable amount of weight. Her face was gaunt and her skin was slightly pale and her hair was stringy from sweating and lying in her hospital bed but Andrea was proud of her little girl. She faced the specter of death bravely and without complaint. Even though she didn't have much longer to live, only a few weeks or so, Andrea insisted on keeping her at home on hospice care and hired Julie, an RN, to provide care for her and babysit for her at times when the strain got to be too much for her and her husband, Dan, and they needed to take a break for a few hours. Which was why Julie suggested going out to eat tonight. Andrea hated to leave her little girl but Dan told her she wasn't much good to her daughter if she was exhausted and stressed out and Andrea knew he was right. She needed all her strength in the coming weeks because she didn't know if she would be able to hold up once her beloved treasure passed away.

She walked over to the bed and kissed Alison on the cheek and then on the lips before walking over to a wooden bookcase in the corner of her room. She selected a few books for her to read and brought her favorite lamb plushie, Lamb Lamb, to her, setting them down in the bed beside her before giving her another kiss. Once she was certain her water pitcher was filled and she had everything she needed, she reluctantly pulled herself away from her ailing daughter and with a blown kiss, exited the room.

A couple of hours later, Alison lay in her bed thumbing through a Richard Scarry book about life in the city. It was one of her favorite books and it was all bent and dog-eared from carrying it everywhere. She took a small sip of water and had a few bites of potato chips, barbecue Lays potato chips, her favorite. As she chewed them, she suddenly heard a strange wheezing sound outside. The window was directly beside the head of her bed. Her bed had wheels and her mother moved the bed to the window during the day so she could watch her fellow New Yorkers passing by. Directly across the way was an alley and as she watched, she could scarcely believe her eyes when she saw a blue box magically appear. She kept her eyes riveted to it and smiled when a tall thin man with unruly brown hair stepped outside, looked around and walked away. She stared at the blue box waiting for something else to happen but it just sat there. Finally, curiosity got the better of her and she decided to risk the wrath of Julie by going outside and seeing this magic box up close. She slid out of bed, slid her feet into her Spongebob slippers and grabbed her lavender jacket, throwing it on over her Scooby doo nightgown. She zipped up the jacket, opened her door and quietly tiptoed down the hall. She paused at the end of the hall where the door to the kitchen lay to the left of her. Ahead was the living room and she could see Julie sitting on the couch with her back to her as she watched Lost. She quietly snuck into the kitchen and headed to the front door on the far right wall. Quietly, she turned the handle, opened it just enough for her to slip out and then shut it quietly behind her. Once she was sure she was safe and Julie wasn't coming after her, she padded down the concrete steps to the sidewalk and after looking both ways, headed across the street to the magical blue box.