Waiting On A Rival

Chapter 29

Solitude. It was certainly the right word for how the Ood lived. The frozen tundra hurtled everything it had onto the haven I escaped to.

Beautiful music flowed over the mountains, weaved its way through the valleys, and followed me everywhere.

Memories kept popping up without warning.

I should have cried. Any person would have. Even my TARDIS had no words for me. The Doctor kept his distance until he finally came into my TARDIS. "I almost forgotten what she looked like," he murmured.

Wrapping his arms around me, he placed his head on top of mine. I didn't protest when he intertwined our fingers. I knew one day, I'd never see this Doctor again. His overly long explanations. His light brown hair. His wonderful optimism.

Maybe that was what compelled me to lean in and kiss him lightly. The kiss lasted for only about fifteen seconds before I pulled away. He smiled when I smiled.

"Lady Remords," Ood Sigma said, "Do you not wish to read or paint?" My free times had been either spent in the library or in a dimly lit room with a canvas.

I nodded, "I think I'll read." Though no library could compare to the TARDISs', a library was only as good as its books.

The only moment of dissonance was a brief period where I fainted. The Ood talked about how my existence was fading, but I assumed that whatever the Doctor did, it ended perfectly fine.

Days after the incident, I fell to my feet as I walked through the snow. An Ood had to assist me. I didn't trip and sprain my ankle. Instead, my legs decided that they were too weak to carry me.

Since then, Ood Sigma insisted that he did research about Natural Time Lords. He worried that the disappearing planets might affect the time vortex.

My appearance changed considerably. Dark bags hung under my eyes. My already pale skin turned paler, to resemble something like chilled milk.

A reasonable excuse for that would be that I was mourning River, but my body failed many times since the poisonous sky. A Time Lord's body was a great feat of engineering, and it had a sole purpose to function correctly, unless injured. Even then, a Time Lord's body would just rewrite itself.

I refused to admit anything, but Ood Sigma continued his test his theory almost religiously. He consulted with the Oods that were able to predict the future, who requested to see me a few days after the incident outside.

Their underground den felt damp, but I tried to be respectable and not show any uncomfortableness. "You requested to see me?" I held myself in a regal manner that reminded me terribly of home.

The Oods spoke in unison, "Lady Remords, are you aware of the missing planets?" I tugged my sleeve and nodded.

"We believe that as you take energy from the vortex, it will in fact, take energy from you." I waited in silence, not quite sure what to say. "It means that one more use of your power will activate your fifth regeneration."

"What?" I demanded, "So planets go missing and I'm some power source?"

"Natural Time Lords were made to harness the energy-"

I cut the Ood off, "Yes, yes, I know that." No one said anything while I just stared.

One Ood stopped talking in unison and said, "This star is burning out, Lady Remords, but there is always the star after that."

"Why do people compare me to a star?" I wondered, "They're just luminous spheres of plasma held by its own gravity. No use, just looked at."

"Stars fill people with wonder," Ood Sigma stated, "Dreams of what is beyond their homes. Hope can be spawned from stars."

"How? How can hope come from the stars when the stars have been hopeless lately?" My face cleared away any emotion. "How can I help anyone when I'm too busy hiding and lying and tricking?"

"We've seen this regeneration for quite some time," the Ood in unison explained, "It's always either you or another like you."

"The Doctor?" My voice softened unintentionally.

He told me, "It's time to save your Doctor when he needs you to. The universe is fragile and old friends will come through, one as pure as a Rose."

"Rose," I repeated.

"Old enemies as well. The darkness is coming and it needs a star to guide the people," Ood Sigma reminded, "If you recall, the suns are also stars."

"Can you tell me what is threatening Earth?"

The answer was instantaneous, "Daleks." I stiffened than nodded. Records show that you died at the hands of a Dalek.

Taking a deep breath, I remembered what this face saw. It saw the hard Doctor turn to the fun loving Doctor, New New York twice, Amy Pond, Martha Jones, Jack Harkness, Donna Noble, War World II, River Song's death, the Master, the invasions, the adventures, and all of the running. It had seen Tyler and Jenny and Shakespeare and Winston Churchill.

Most of all, it had seen the Doctor, in his different regenerations, each different, but good. All the fury and pain that should be there is rarely shown. Sometimes eerily, like silence before a storm. He was the Oncoming Storm, the Mad Man with a Box, and inexplicably, the man I fell in love with.

"Doctor," I whispered before feeling my feet leave the ground.

The transport was usually smooth and quick, but that time, I was deteriorated, almost as if I was on a spinning top. It also felt like I was spinning through a thick fluid.

I finally landed, but with all the confusion, I only registered the Doctor looking at me, confused as to why I just appeared next to him, until the Dalek shot me. "Exterminate."

My body illuminated and shock went through my left heart, stoping half of my circulatory system. An explosion next to me suggested that the Dalek was taken care of. My eyes fluttered uncertainly, but focused on Rose, the Doctor, and Jack all around me.

"I got you," the Doctor held me gently. I looked around sluggishly, "Look, it's Rose, Celeste."

"Rose," I repeated hoarsely, "I didn't get to see you as much as I wanted."

"It's fine," she reassured, "Been busy, you know." Her tone changed to frantic. "Don't die. Oh, my God. Don't die. Oh my god, don't die."

Jack ordered, "Get her into the TARDIS, quick. Move." They held me up and helped me walk to the familiar police box.

Donna appeared out of nowhere, asking, "What, what do we do?. There must be some medicine or something." I hunched over the counsel, trying to control my breathing. The Doctor and Rose both remained at my side, even though my fingers were slightly glowing.

"Just step back," he warned, "Rose, Doctor, do as I say, and get back. She's dying and you know what happens next."

"What do you mean?" Donna insisted, "She can't."

"Oh, no, I came all this way," she stated.

"What do you mean, what happens next?" Finally, my whole hand began to glow and tremble.

"It's starting," I muttered.

Jack got Rose, the Doctor, and Donna a good distance away. "Here we go. Good luck, Celeste." I nodded stiffly.

"Will someone please tell me what is going on?" She demanded.

Rose hastily explained, "When she's dying, her body, it repairs itself. It changes. But you can't!" Tears unwillingly went down my face.

"I'm sorry, it's too late. I'm regenerating," I stated the obvious, "Never really liked crying." The yellow light crept up to my face and it felt like holding back a sneeze that you knew was coming. I had to hold it back as much as I could to protect them from the regeneration energy.

Unable to contain it, my head was thrown back from the force and my arms and legs spread out. The electric light surged through my body, erasing, healing, rewriting every cell, until nothing remained from the previous.

And I refused to scream.