Never let me go [2]

Chapter 5 - The Doctor's Wife

In the Tardis, Maddie listened to the Doctor speaking. “And then we discovered it wasn't the Robot King after all, it was the real one. Fortunately, I was able to re-attach the head.” She loved him speaking about the adventures they had, he told them to Rory.

“Do you believe any of this stuff?” Rory glanced at Amy, disbelieving him.

“I was there.” Amy sighed.

“As was I.” Maddie comment.

“Oh, it's the warning lights. I'm getting rid of those. They never stop.” The Doctor pushed some buttons.

“Hey. You're still thinking about it, aren't you?” Rory whispered to Amy as he had pulled her away from the Doctor.

“Oh, shush. We saw him die.”

“Yeah, two hundred years in the future.”

“Yes, but it's still going to happen.”

Just then, it knocked on the Tardis door as Amy asked confused. “What was that?”

“It knocked.” Maddie looked at the Doctor. “That’s weird.”

“The door. It knocked.” The Doctor stated it obvious.

“Right. We are in deep space.” Rory was very confused.

“Very, very deep.” Maddie agreed.

“And somebody's knocking.” The Doctor was getting excited as then he opened the doors. A small glowing box is outside. “Oh, come here. Come here, you scrumptious little beauty.” The box flew inside and ended up hitting the Doctor on the chest.

“A box?” Rory asked confused.

“Doctor, what is it?” Amy asked, also confused.

“I've got mail.” The Doctor replied to them. “Time Lord emergency messaging system. In an emergency, we'd wrap up thoughts in psychic containers and send them through time and space. Anyway, there's a living Time Lord still out there, and it's one of the good ones.” Then he pushed buttons and pulled over a lever.

Maddie looked at him.“Sweetie, there aren’t other Time Lords left.”

“You said there weren't any other Time Lords left.” Rory basically repeated Maddie.

“There are no Time Lords left anywhere in the universe. But the universe isn't where we're going. See that snake?” He showed them, The Ourobouros, the snake swallowing its own tail. “The mark of the Corsair. Fantastic bloke. He had that snake as a tattoo in every regeneration. Didn't feel like himself unless he had the tattoo. Or herself, a couple of times. Ooo, she was a bad girl.”

“What?!” Maddie exclaimed as then things went bang!

“Oh, what is happening?” Rory asked as it was a bumpy ride.

“We're leaving the universe.” The Doctor replied to him.

“How can you leave the universe?” Amy asked confused.

“With enormous difficulty.” The Doctor replied to her, well shouting as everything shock and shakes. “Right now I'm burning up Tardis rooms to give us some welly. Goodbye, swimming pool. Goodbye, scullery. Sayonara, squash court seven.” Then there was a whoosh, thump, crash, then all was still and silent.

“Okay, okay. Where are we?” Amy asked to the Doctor.

“Outside the universe, where we've never, ever been.” The Doctor replied to her as then the lights went out in the Tardis.

“Is that meant to be happening?” Rory asked confused.

“No, I don’t think so.” Maddie replied as then she glanced at the Doctor. “Sweetie?”

The Doctor shook with his head. “The power, it's draining. Everything's draining. But it can't. That's, that's impossible.”

“What is that?” Rory asked as everything was dark in the Tardis.

“It's as if the Matrix, the soul of the Tardis, has just vanished. Where would it go?” The Doctor asked confused.

~00~

Not much later, they went out of the Tardis and saw a Junkyard, to the rear of a large crashed spaceship as Amy asked to the Doctor. “So what kind of trouble's your friend in?”

“He was in a bind. A bit of a pickle. Sort of distressed.” The Doctor replied to her.

“Ah, you can't just say you don't know.” Amy comment to him.

“But what is this place? The scrap yard at the end of the universe?” Rory asked confused.

“Not end of, outside of.” Maddie corrected him.

“How we can we be outside the universe? The universe is everything.” Rory was still very confused.

“Imagine a great big soap bubble with one of those tiny little bubbles on the outside.” The Doctor explained.

Rory nodded. “Okay.”

“Well, it's nothing like that.” The Doctor corrected him as then he looked at the Tardis. “Completely drained. Look at her.”

“Wait.” Amy waved with hand. “So we're in a tiny bubble universe, sticking to the side of the bigger bubble universe?”

“Yeah. No. But if it helps, yes. This place is full of rift energy. She'll probably refuel just by being here.” The Doctor replied to her as then Maddie interrupted him and looked at Amy.

“Think of the movies that are about science fiction, they saying basically the same thing as the Doctor had said.” She told her.

“Now, this place. What do we think, eh? Gravity's almost Earth normal, air's breathable, but it smells like...” The Doctor as interrupted again, this time by Amy.

“Armpits.” She comment.

“Armpits.” The Doctor repeated.

“What about all this stuff? Where did this come from?” Rory asked confused.

Maddie stood next the Doctor as he replied to Rory. “Well, there's a rift. Now and then stuff gets sucked through it. Not a bubble, a plughole. The universe has a plughole and we've just fallen down it.”

Just then as woman came running to the Doctor and Maddie. She shouted to him. “Thief! Thief! You're my thief!” Then she looked at Maddie. “And you are his Soulmate. They are very special and rare.”

Then an older woman comment. “She's dangerous. Guard yourselves.”

Then the woman ran up to the Doctor. “Look at you. Goodbye. No, not goodbye, what's the other one?” Then she kissed the Doctor as Maddie scoffed and looked angry at the crazy woman.

“Get away from him, he’s mine.” Maddie shouted angry.

“Watch out. Careful. Keep back from her. Welcome, strangers. Lovely. Sorry about the mad person.” The older man shouted to them.

“Why am I a thief? What have I stolen?” The Doctor asked to the woman.

“And how do you know that I’m his soulmate?” Maddie demanded.

“Me. You're going to steal me.” The woman replied to him. “No, you have stolen me. You are stealing me. Oh tenses are difficult, aren't they?” Then she looked at Maddie. “I know, because I’m the… I’m the… Oh it’s on the tip of my tongue.”

“Oh. Oh, we are sorry, my dove. She's off her head. They call me Auntie.” The older woman, Auntie looked at them.

“And I'm Uncle.” The older man introduced himself. “I'm everybody's Uncle. Just keep back from this one. She bites!”

“Do I? Excellent.” The woman comment as the she bite the Doctor's ear.

“Ow! Ow!” The Doctor cried out.

Then Maddie shouted. “Oi, get away from him.”

“Biting's excellent. It's like kissing, only there's a winner.” The woman comment.

“So sorry. She's doolally.” Uncle told the others.

“No, I'm not doolally. I'm… I'm… It's on the tip of my tongue. I've just had a new idea about kissing. Come here, you.” The woman went after the Doctor as Amy, Rory and Maddie stood for him, so she couldn’t get to him.

“No, Idris, no.” Auntie told her no.

The woman, Idris looked at the Doctor. “Oh, but now you're angry. No, you're not. You will be angry. The little boxes will make you angry.”

“Sorry? The little what? Boxes?” The Doctor asked confused.

“Oh, ho, no. Your chin is hilarious.” She grabbed his chin as then she looked at Rory. “It means the smell of dust after rain.”

“What does?” Rory asked confused.

“Petrichor.” She replied to him.

“But I didn't ask.” Rory told her, looking confused.

“Not yet. But you will.” She told him.

Just then Auntie told to Idris. “No, no, Idris. I think you should have a rest.”

“Rest. Yes, yes. Good idea. I'll just see if there's an off switch.” She jumped, before she collapsed.

“Is that it? She dead now. So sad.” Uncle comment, somewhat sad.

Rory had laid her on a chair as he checked her breathing. “No, she's still breathing.”

“Nephew, take Idris somewhere she cannot bite people.” Uncle ordered to Nephew as he was the Ood.

“Oh, hello!” The Doctor greeted it as then he went over to it.

“Doctor, what is that?” Amy exclaimed.

Maddie looked at the thing in disgust. “Yeah, sweetie, what is it?”

“Oh, no, it's all right.” The Doctor replied to the girls as Rory mimicked the Ood looks. “It's an Ood. Oods are good. Love an Ood.” Then he looked at the Ood. “Hello, Ood. Can't you talk? Oh, I see. It's damaged. May I? It might just be on the wrong frequency.”

“Nephew was broken when he came here. Why, he was half dead. House repaired him. House repaired all of us.” Uncle explained it to them, from what had happened to them.

Then the Doctor had repaired it as they all could hear voices coming through. “If you are receiving this message, please help me. Send a signal to the High Council of the Time Lords on Gallifrey. Tell them that I am still alive. I don't know where I am. I'm on some rock-like planet.” Behind the message was a lot of other voices trying to speak at the same time.

“What was that? Was that him?” Rory asked confused.

“No, no. It's picking up something else. But that's, that's not possible.” The Doctor was getting angry as Maddie felt him, then he looked at the older couple. “That's, that's. Who else is here? Tell me. Show me. Show me.”

“Just what you see. Just the four of us, and the House.” Auntie replied to him as then she looked at the Ood. “Nephew, will you take Idris somewhere safe where she can't hurt nobody?”

Maddie went over to the Doctor and grabbed his hand, as if saying, stay calm, but it didn’t help though as he demanded them. “The House? What's the House?”

“House is all around you, my sweets. You are standing on him. This is the House. This world. Would you like to meet him?” Auntie replied to him as then she asked.

“Meet him?” Rory asked confused. (Authors note: He’s getting confused quite a lot.)

“I'd love to.” The Doctor replied to her as he squeezed in Maddie hand, reassuring her that he’s calm at the moment, but not for long. Soon he will be very angry and emotional.

“This way. Come, please. Come.” Auntie told them all as they already started walking.

Amy looked concerned. “What's wrong? What were those voices?”

“Time Lords.” The Doctor replied as he didn’t let go of Maddie’s hand. “It's not just the Corsair. Somewhere close by there are lots and lots of Time Lords.” Then they all walked to where they were led.

~00~

When they were there, Uncle told them all to come further into the room. “Come. Come, come. You can see the House and he can look at you, and he…” They lead the Doctor and Maddie to the device where Idris had her soul drained and replaced.

The Doctor looked down the grating on the floor. “I see. This asteroid is sentient.” He comment.

Auntie nodded. “We walk on his back, breathe his air, eat his food.”

“Smell its armpits.” Amy made a face.

Just then, House spoke through Uncle and Auntie as if they were marionettes. It is a nice, refined voice. “And do my will. You are most welcome, travelers.”

“Not comforting.” Maddie muttered.

“Doctor, that voice. That's the asteroid talking?” Amy asked to the Doctor.

“Yes.” The Doctor replied to her as then he talked to the House. “So you're like a sea urchin. Hard outer surface, that's the planet we're walking on. Big, squashy, oogly thing inside, that's you.”

“That is correct, Time Lord.” House agreed with him as Maddie stiffed and thought to the Doctor. ‘He doesn’t know what I am, right?’

Then he thought back. ‘I don’t think so.’ Then he spoke out load. “Ah. So you've met Time Lords before?”

“Many travelers have come through the rift, like Auntie and Uncle and Nephew. I repair them when they break.” House replied to him.

“So there are Time Lords here, then?” The Doctor asked another question.

“Not anymore, but there have been many Tardises on my back in days gone by.” House replied to him.

“Well, there won't be any more after us.” The Doctor comment, but he was serious and didn’t want to give away any more information that Maddie was a half Time Lord, well Time Lady. “Last Time Lord. Last Tardis.”

“A pity. Your people were so kind. Be here in safety, Doctor. Rest, feed, if you will.” House told him as then everything went to normal, well for now.

“We're not actually going to stay here, are we?” Rory asked to them.

“No.” Maddie replied to him.

“Well, it seems like a friendly planet. Literally. Mind if we poke around a bit?” The Doctor asked to the older couple as Maddie groaned.

“You can look all you want. Go. Look.” Auntie replied to him as then she looked at Amy. “House loves you.”

“Come on then, gang.” The Doctor to his soulmate and his friends. “We're just going to, er, see the sights.”

~00~

When they were in the open, close by the Tardis, they heard Idris shouting. “Thief!”

“Shush, shush, shush.” The Doctor shushed them.

“So, as soon as the Tardis is refueled, we go, yeah?” Rory asked to the Doctor.

“No.” The Doctor replied as he glanced at Maddie. “There are Time Lords here. I heard them and they need me.”

“You told me about your people, and you told me what you did.” Amy told him, concerned.

“And me, sweetie.” Maddie was also concerned.

The Doctor missed their concern. “Yes, yes, but if they're like the Corsair, they're good one and I can save them.”

“And then tell them you destroyed the others?” Amy asked him.

“I can explain. Tell them why I had to.” The Doctor replied to her.

“You want to be forgiven.” Maddie told him.

The Doctor looked her. “Don't we all?”

“What do you need from me?” Amy asked to him.

“My screwdriver.” The Doctor replied to her. “I left it in the Tardis. It's in my jacket.”

“You're wearing your jacket.” Rory comment.

“My other jacket.” The Doctor fired back.

“You have two of those?” Rory asked as his eyes widened.

“Okay, I'll get it.” Amy told him concerned. “But Doctor, listen to me. Don't get emotional because that's when you make mistakes.” Then she throws him her mobile phone.

The Doctor gets it and put it away in his jacket. “Yes, boss.”

“I'll call you from the Tardis.” Amy told him as then she ordered Rory. “Rory, look after him.”

“Rory, look after her.” The Doctor ordered him as Amy had walked away.

“Yeah.” Rory nodded as then he hurried away.

Then Maddie comment. “Don’t you dare to send me to the Tardis, Doctor.”

“I’m not going to.” The Doctor looked at her. “I need you by my side, dear.”

“Okay, sweetie.” Maddie nodded as then she grabbed his hand again, wheezing it.

Then they walked to the Tardis as Amy phoned the Doctor. “Hey, we're here. Screwdriver's in your jacket, yeah?”

“Yeah, it's around somewhere. Have a good look.” He has it in his other hand as he had let go of Maddie’s hand and used it to lock the Tardis door remotely. Then they went to investigate as the Doctor muttered. “Come on. Where are you? Now, where are you all? Where are you?” He pulled back a curtain to a small alcove. “Well, they can't all be in here.”

There were indistinct voices nearby as he opened a small cupboard and finds at least 10 of those message boxes all chattering away.

“Please do you read me.”

“Structural integrity failure. Damage to dimensional stabilizer.”

“If you can hear, come and help.”

Maddie put her hand on her mouth, in shock. “How horrible.”

Then Uncle and Auntie come up behind them as the Doctor had noticed. “Just admiring your Time Lord distress signal collection. Nice job. Brilliant job. Really thought I had some friends here, but this is what the Ood translator picked up. Cries for help from the long dead. How many Time Lords have you lured here the way you lured me, and what happened to them all?”

“House, House is kind and he is wise.” Auntie replied as they turned around to look at them.

“House repairs you when you break. Yes, I know. But how does he mend you? You've got the eyes of a twenty year old.” The Doctor comment as he looked at Uncle in the eye.

“Thank you.” Uncle thanked him.

“No.” The Doctor shook with head. “Oh, no, I mean it literally. Your eyes are thirty years younger than the rest of you. Your ears don't match, your right arm is two inches longer than you're left, and how's your dancing? Because you've got two left feet. Patchwork people. You've been repaired and patched up so often, I doubt there's anything left of what used to be you. I had an umbrella like you once.”

Auntie's forearm had a snake tattoo. “Oh, now, it's been a great arm for me, this.” She comment.

“Corsair.” The Doctor exclaimed.

“He was a strapping big bloke, wasn't he, Uncle?” Auntie looked at Uncle.

Uncle nodded. “Big fellow.”

“I got the arm and then Uncle got the spine and the kidneys.” Auntie told to the Doctor.

“Kidneys.” Uncle comment.

“You are just horrible.” Maddie comment to them.

“You gave me hope, and then you took it away.” The Doctor strode towards them, furious. “That's enough to make anyone dangerous. God knows what it will do to me. Basically, run!”

“Poor old Time Lord. Too late. House is too clever.” Uncle mocked as then Auntie and Uncle leave. Then the phone rings and the Doctor picked it up.

“No sonic screwdriver.” Amy comment over the phone. “Also the doors seemed to have locked behind us. Rory thinks there's a perfectly innocent explanation, but I think you lied to us.”

“Time Lord stuff. Needed you out of the way.” The Doctor told her.

“What, we're not good enough for your smart new friends?” Amy asked, not happy that she was in the TARDIS with her husband.

“The boxes will make you angry. How could she know?” The Doctor muttered as he glanced at Maddie.

“Doctor, what are you talking about?” Amy asked confused.

“Stay put. Stay exactly where you are.” The Doctor replied to her.

“We don't have much choice.” Amy comment as the Doctor hang up and grabbed Maddie’s hand as then they walked to the woman that was locked up.

~00~

When they arrived by the woman, Idris, the Doctor strode towards her, asking. “How did you know about the boxes? You said they'd make me angry. How did you know?” Maddie followed him as the Doctor had still her hand fixed.

“Ah, it's my thief.” Idris comment. “And his soulmate.”

“Who are you?” The Doctor asked to her.

“And how do you know that?” Maddie asked to her as well.

“It's about time.” Idris sighed.

“I don't understand. Who are you?” The Doctor asked confused.

“And how do you know that I’m his soulmate?” Maddie demanded.

Idris looked at them. “Do you not know me? Just because they put me in here?”

“They said you were dangerous.” The Doctor replied to her.

“Not the cage, stupid.” Idris comment. “In here. They put me in here. I'm the. Oh, what do you call me? We travel. I go…” Then she made the Tardis sound.

“The Tardis?” The Doctor and Maddie were in shock.

“Time And Relative Dimension In Space.” Idris smiled at them. “Yes, that's it. Names are funny. It's me. I'm the Tardis.”

“No, you're not.” The Doctor disbelieved her. “You're a bitey, mad lady. The Tardis is up and downy stuff in a big blue box.”

“Yes, that's me. A Type Forty Tardis.” Idris thought back fondly, when they first met. “I was already a museum piece when you were young, and the first time you touched my console you said…”

“I said you were the most beautiful thing I had ever known.” The Doctor finished the sentence.

“And then you stole me.” Idris told him. “And I stole you.”

The Doctor looked at her. “I borrowed you.”

“Borrowing implies the intention to return the thing that was taken.” She comment. “What makes you think I would ever give you back?”

“You're the Tardis?” Maddie asked to her, still in shock.

“Yes.” She replied to her.

“My Tardis?” The Doctor looked at her, still a bit in shock. “Our Tardis?”

“My Doctor. His soulmate.” She looked at them. “Oh. We have now reached the point in the conversation where you open the lock.” Then the Doctor soniced the cage, that it went open. “Are all people like this?”

“Like what?” The Doctor was confused.

“So much bigger on the inside.” Idris comment. “I'm, oh, what is that word? It's so big, so complicated. It's so sad.”

“But why?” The Doctor asked to her. “Why pull the living soul from a Tardis and pop it in a tiny human head? What does it want you for?”

“Oh, it doesn't want me.” She replied to him.

“How do you know?” Maddie asked to her.

She looked at her. “House eats Tardises.”

“House what? What do you mean?” The Doctor asked to her.

“I don't know.” She replied to him. “It's something I heard you say.”

“When?” The Doctor asked to her.

“In the future.” She replied to him.

“House eats Tardises?” The Doctor was in shock as Maddie stood there looking at them, she found it amused.

“There you go.” She gestured to him as then she asked to him. “What are fish fingers?”

“When do I say that?” He asked to her.

“Any second.” She replied to him.

“Of course.” The Doctor thought out loud. “House feeds on rift energy and Tardises are bursting with it. And not raw, all lovely and cooked. Processed food. Mmm, fish fingers.”

“Do fish have fingers?” Idris asked.

“No.” Maddie replied to her.

“But you can't eat a Tardis.” The Doctor thought out loud. “It would destroy you. Unless, unless…”

“Unless you deleted the Tardis Matrix first.” Idris finished.

“So it deleted you.” The Doctor looked at her.

“But House can't just delete a Tardis' consciousness.” Idris rambled. “That would blow a hole in the universe. So he pulls out the Matrix, sticks it in a living receptacle and then it feeds off the remaining Artron energy. Oh. You were about to say all that. I don't suppose you have to now.”

Maddie looked at the Doctor. “Amy, Rory are in there.”

“I sent Amy and Rory in there. They'll be eaten.” The Doctor shouted at them he and Maddie ran back to the Tardis. “Amy! Amy?” He shouted to them. “Rory? Get the hell out of there.”

“Get out, Amy, Rory.” Maddie shouted to them.

“Doctor, Maddie, something's wrong.” Amy shouted back.

“It's House.” The Doctor shouted. “He's after the Tardis. Just get out both of you.”

“We can't.” Amy shouted back. “You locked the door, remember?”

“But I've unlocked it.” The Doctor shouted to her.

“You stupid well haven't.” Amy shouted to him as then the Cloister Bell started and a wind blowed through. “Doctor, I don't like this.”

The Doctor tried the screwdriver again, and snapped his fingers. “Open!” He shouted.

“Doctor?” Amy shouted.

“Open this door!” The Doctor shouted. “Amy. Rory!” The Tardis dematerialized as the Doctor tried the phone again. “Amy? Amy, can you hear me?” Nope. “Okay, right. I don't, I really don't know what to do. That's a new feeling.” Then the Tardis was gone as the Doctor and Maddie went back to Idris.

~00~

When they were back, the Doctor called to her. “It's gone.”

“Eaten?” Idris asked to him.

“No, it left.” The Doctor looked at her. “Not eaten, hi-jacked. But why?” Then they went to Auntie and Uncle.

When arrived there, Auntie comment. “It's time for us both to go, and keep together.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Go?” Maddie looked at her. “What do you mean, go? Where are you going?”

“Well, we're dying, my love.” Auntie replied to her. “It's time for Auntie and Uncle to pop off.”

“I'm against it.” Uncle comment, annoyed.

Auntie looked at them. “It's your fault, isn't it, sweets? Because you told House it was the last Tardis. House can't feed on them if there's none more coming, can he?”

“So now he's off to your universe to find more Tardises.” Uncle comment.

“It won't.” The Doctor told him.

“Oh, it'll think of something.” Auntie comment as then she collapsed.

“Actually, I feel fine.” Uncle comment as then he collapsed as well.

“Not dead. You can't just die!” The Doctor shouted to them.

“Tell them that.” Maddie comment, a little annoyed by the Doctor.

“We need to go to where I landed, Doctor, Maddie, quickly.” Idris told to them.

They looked at her. “Why?”

“Because we are there in three minutes. We need to go now.” Idris grabbed her side. “Ow. Roughly how long do these bodies last?”

“You're dying.” Maddie told her seriously.

“Yes, of course I'm dying.” Idris agreed. “I don't belong in a flesh body. I could blow the casing in no time.” Then she looked at the Doctor. “No, stop it. Don't get emotional. Hmm. That's what the orangey girl says. You're the Doctor. Focus.”

“On what? How?” The Doctor told her. “I'm a madman with a box, without a box. I'm stuck down the plughole at the end of the universe on a stupid old junkyard.” Then he realized. “Ooo.”

“Ooo what?” Idris asked to him.

“I'm not.” The Doctor replied at them as they looked confused.

“Not what?” Maddie asked confused.

“Because it's not a junkyard.” The Doctor replied to her. “Don't you see? It's not a junkyard.”

“What is it then?” Idris asked to him, confused.

“It's a Tardis junkyard. Come on!” The Doctor looked Idris. “Oh, sorry. Do you have a name?”

“Seven hundred years, finally he asks.” Idris replied to him as Maddie laughed a little.

“But what do I call you?” The Doctor looked at her.

“I think you call me Sexy.” Idris replied confided.

“Only when we're alone.” He glanced at Maddie.

“We are alone.” Idris smirked, knowing that Maddie called her that also in the future. “And Maddie will me that in the future.”

“Oh. Come on then, Sexy.” The Doctor sighed as then they went to the half-eaten Tardises.

~00~

When they were there, the Doctor called. “A valley of half-eaten Tardises. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?”

“I'm thinking that all of my sisters are dead.” Idris replied sadly. “That they were devoured, and that we are looking at their corpses.”

“It’s, it’s really sad.” Maddie told them sadly.

“Ah. Sorry.” The Doctor sighed sadly. “No, I wasn't thinking that.”

“No.” Idris told him. “You were thinking you could build a working Tardis console out of broken remnants of a hundred different models. And you don't care that it's impossible.”

“It's not impossible as long as we're alive.” The Doctor told them. “Rory and Amy need us. So yeah, we're going to build a Tardis.”

Maddie grinned. “Well, I wanna see that.”

~00~

A little while later, the Doctor pulled something as Idris comment. “Bond the tube directly into the Tachyon Diverter.”

“Yes, yes, I have actually rebuilt a Tardis before, you know. I know what I'm doing.” The Doctor comment annoyed.

“You're like a nine year old trying to rebuild a motorbike in his bedroom. And you never read the instructions.” Idris comment.

“I always read the instructions.” The Doctor comment annoyed.

“There's a sign on my front door. You have been walking past it for seven hundred years. What does it say?” Idris asked to him.

“That's not instructions.” The Doctor was getting extremely annoyed.

“There's an instruction at the bottom. What does it say?” Idris asked to him another question.

“Pull to open.” The Doctor said, annoyed.

“Yes. And what do you do?” Idris asked as Maddie let out a laugh as she watched them.

“I push.” The Doctor said as he let go of the ropes.

“Every single time. Seven hundred years. Police Box doors open out the way.” Idris gestured the movement of opening doors.

“I think I have earned the right to open my front doors any way I want.” The Doctor said childish as he walked towards her.

Idris looked at him. “Your front doors? Have you any idea how childish that sounds?”

“Indeed, sometimes you are childish.” Maddie comment to him.

The Doctor was now even more annoyed, his soulmate and his Tardis were ganging up on him. “You are not my mother.”

“And you are not my child.” Idris told him.

“Yeah, you are his Tardis and I’m his soulmate.” Maddie told them. “In the Time Lords they say that we are so much more.”

Idris agreed. “I know.”

The Doctor looked at Idris. “You know, since we're talking with mouths, not really an opportunity that comes along very often, I just want to say, you know, you have never been very reliable.”

“And you have?” She asked to him.

“You didn't always take me where I wanted to go.” The Doctor replied to her.

“No, but I always took you where you needed to go.” Idris told him seriously.

The Doctor looked at her and Maddie. “You did. Look at us talking. Wouldn't it be amazing if we could always talk, even when you're stuck inside the box?”

“She can’t do that, you that it can’t.” Maddie replied to him.

“You know I'm not constructed that way.” Idris also replied to him as Maddie gestured, see I’m right. “I exist across all space and time, and you talk and run around and bring home strays.”

“I’m not a home stray.” Maddie comment a little bit angry.

“You’re not.” Idris agreed to her as then she buckled at the knees as the Doctor catches her.

“You okay?” The Doctor asked her. Maddie was also worried.

“One of the kidneys has already failed. It doesn't matter. We need to finish assembling the console.” Idris waved it off.

“Using a console without a proper shell. It's not going to be safe.” The Doctor told them.

“Since when it’s about safety, we need to get to Amy an Rory.” Maddie told him, seriously.

“This body has about eighteen minutes left to live. The universe we're in will reach Absolute Zero in three hours. Safe is relative.” Idris told him.

“Then we need to get a move on. Eh, old girl?” The Doctor smiled at Idris and at Maddie. “Dear.”

“Indeed.” Maddie nodded to him.

~00~

The console was almost complete as Idris told to the Doctor. “You'll need to install the time rotor.” He did that.

“How is this going to make it through the rift? How? We're almost done. Thrust diffuser? Er, retroscope. Blue thingy.” The Doctor told them as Maddie was dumbfounded.

She looked at him. “Uh, you know I don’t know any of what you just said.”

The Doctor looked back at her. “I will teach you.”

Then Idris examined a wire coat hanger as then she asked suddenly. “Do you ever wonder why I chose you all those years ago?”

“I chose you. You were unlocked.” The Doctor replied to her.

“Of course I was.” Idris told him, she had a small smile on her face. “I wanted to see the universe, so I stole a Time Lord and I ran away. And you were the only one mad enough.”

“Right. Perfect. Look at that.” The Doctor comment. “What could possibly go wrong?” Just then a piece falls off the console.

Maddie glared at him. “You had to say that, didn’t you?”

“That's fine.” The Doctor winced at her voice. “That always happens. No, hang on. Wait.” Then he got a couple of pieces of red rope with hooks on the ends.

~00~

The ropes were safety lines as the Doctor said. “Right. Okay, let's go. Follow that Tardis.” Nothing happened. “Oh no, come on. There's rift energy everywhere. You can do it. Okay, diverting all power to thrust. Let's be having you.” Bang, sparks.

Maddie looked at it. “Oh, oh.”

“No, no, no, no.” The Doctor shouted, looking at the console.

“What's wrong?” Idris asked to him.

“It can't hold the charge. It can't even start. There's no power. I've got nothing.” He replied to her, frustrated.

“Oh, my beautiful idiot. You have what you've always had. You've got me.” Idris kissed her finger, and transferred golden energy to the console.

Then they dematerialized and on their way, the Doctor shouted. “Whoo hoo!”

Maddie was not happy. “OMG.”

“We've locked on to them.” Idris told them. “They'll have to lower the shields when I'm close enough to phase inside.”

“Can you get a message to Amy?” The Doctor asked to her. “The telepathic circuits are online.”

“Which one's Amy? The pretty one?” Idris asked to them as then she contacted Amy or so she thought. “Hello, Pretty.”

“What the hell is that?” Rory asked confused.

“Don't worry. Telepathic messaging.” The Doctor replied to him as then he glanced at Idris. “No, that's Rory.”

“You have to go to the old control room.” She ignored him as she told him. “I'm putting the route in your head. When you get there use the purple slider on the nearest panel to lower the shields.”

“The pretty one?” The Doctor asked confused.

“You are even more prettier.” Maddie replied to him as he blushed.

“You'll have about twelve seconds before the room goes into phase with the invading Matrix. I'll send you the pass key when you get there. Good luck. “ Idris ended the telepathic circuits for now.

“How's he going to be able to take down the shields anyway?” The Doctor looked at Idris. “The House is in the control room.”

“I directed him to one of the old control rooms.” Idris told them.

“There aren't any old control rooms. They were all deleted or remodeled.” The Doctor complained.

“I archive them, for neatness. I've got about thirty now.” Idris rolled with her eyes.

“But I've only changed the desktop, what, a dozen times?” The Doctor asked to her.

“So far, yes.” Idris nodded.

“You can't archive something that hasn't happened yet.” The Doctor comment to her.

Idris looked at him. “You can't.”

“OMG.” Maddie muttered.

“Keep going. You're doing it, you sexy thing.” The Doctor comment to Idris as Maddie rolled with her eyes.

“See, you do call me that. Is it my name?” Idris asked to him.

“You bet it's your name.” The Doctor comment happily.

“Whoo!” Idris cheered happily as then she send to password to Rory and it was. “Crimson. Eleven. Delight. Petrichor.” Then they were through as Idris comment. “They did it. Shields down.” Then she contacted to Rory. “We're coming through. Get out of the way or you'll be atomized.”

“Where are you coming through?” He asked to her.

“I don't know.” Idris replied to him.

“Oh, great. Thanks.” Rory comment sarcastically.

Then Idris got it off as the console was closing on the Tardis. “It's not going to hold.” She comment to them.

~00~

The console materialized in a shower of sparks as Amy and Rory were behind something. Then they were blasted to the ground, all of them. Not much later they stood up as Amy saw the Doctor and Maddie. “Doctor.” She said. “Maddie.”

The Doctor helped first his soulmate up as then he helped Idris. “Not good. Not good at all. How do you walk around in these things?”

“We're not quite there yet. Just hold on.” The Doctor looked at Idris and then he looked at Amy “Amy, this is, well, she's my Tardis. Except she's a woman. She's a woman, and she's my Tardis.”

“She's the Tardis?” Amy pointed at Idris.

Maddie nodded. “Yeah.”

“And she's a woman.” The Doctor added. “She's a woman and she's the Tardis.”

Amy looked at the Doctor in disbelieve. “Did you wish really hard?”

“Shut up. Not like that.” The Doctor replied to her.

Idris looked at them. “Hello. I'm Sexy.”

“Oh. Still shut up.” The Doctor comment to them.

Then they heard House. “The environment has been breached. Nephew, kill them all.”

“Where's Nephew?” Rory asked confused.

“He was standing right where you materialized.” Amy replied to him.

“Ah. Well, he must have been redistributed.” The Doctor told them.

“Meaning what?” Rory asked to him.

“You're breathing him.” The Doctor replied to him as they others made a face un disgust.

“Ew.” Maddie comment in disgust.

Amy looked in disgust. “Oh, come on.”

“Another Ood I failed to save.” The Doctor sighed sadly.

“Doctor. Maddie. I did not expect you.” House told them.

“Expect the unexpected.” Maddie comment.

“Well, that's me all over, isn't it?” The Doctor asked/ comment. “Lovely old unexpected me.”

“The big question is, now you're here, how to dispose of you? I could play with gravity.” House told them as they get pulled to the floor for a few seconds. “Or I could evacuate the air from this room and watch you choke.”

“You really don't want to do that.” The Doctor said angry.

“Why shouldn't I just kill you now?” House asked to them.

“Because then I won't be able to help you.” The Doctor replied to him. “Listen to your engines. Just listen to them. You don't have the thrust and you know it. Right now I'm your only hope for getting out of your little bubble through the rift, and into my universe. And mine's the one with the food in.”

“Water, water.” Idris whispered as Rory rushed over to her and wanted to help her.

“You just have to promise not to kill us. That's all, just promise.” The Doctor told to house.

Amy looked in disbelieve. “You can't be serious.”

Maddie sighed. “Oh, god.”

“I'm very serious. I'm sure it's an entity of its word.” The Doctor told her.

“Doctor, she's burning up. She's asking for water.” Rory called to the Doctor.

“Hey. Hang in there, old girl.” The Doctor told to Idris. “Not long now. It'll be over soon.”

“I always liked it when you call me old girl.” Idris comment, happy as she laid on Roy lap.

“You want me to give my word? Easy. I promise.” House told the Doctor.

“Fine. Okay. I trust you.” The Doctor told him. “Just delete, oh er, thirty percent of the Tardis rooms, you'll free up thrust enough to make it through. Activate subroutine Sigma nine.”

“Why would you tell me this?” House asked to him.

“Because we want to get back to our universe as badly as you do. And I'm nice.” The Doctor replied to him.

“Yes. I can delete rooms.” House told them all. “And I can also rid myself of vermin if I delete this room first. Thank you, Doctor. Very helpful. Goodbye, Time Lord. Goodbye, little humans. Goodbye, Idris.” Then there was a Bright light. The Tardis returned to normal space with an empty console room as then the five of them appeared.

“Yes.” The Doctor stood up and told to House. “I mean, you could do that, but it just won't work. Hardwired fail safe. Living things from rooms that are deleted are automatically deposited in the main control room. But thanks for the lift.”

“We are in your universe now, Doctor.” House told him. “Why should it matter to me in which room you die? I can kill you just as easily here as anywhere. Fear me. I've killed hundreds of Time Lords.”

“Fear me. I've killed all of them.” The Doctor told him seriously.

Just then, Idris was still telepathically telling Rory stuff. “I don't understand. There isn't a forest in here.”

“Yeah, you're right.” The Doctor told to House. “You've completely won. Oh, you can kill us in oodles of really inventive ways, but before you do kill us allow me and friends Amy and Rory to congratulate you on being an absolutely worthy opponent.”

Then they clapped as Amy comment. “Congratulations.”

“Yep, you've defeated us.” The Doctor said still clapped. “Me and my lovely friends here, and last but definitely not least, the Tardis Matrix herself, a living consciousness you ripped out of this very control room and locked up into a human body.” Then he stopped with that and pointed to Idris.  “And look at her.”

“Doctor, she's stopped breathing.” Rory called as Amy went over to them.

“Enough. That is enough.” House told them all.

“No. It's never enough.” The Doctor told him angry. “You forced the Tardis into a body so she'd burn out safely a very long way away from this control room.” Then he pointed at Idris. “A flesh body can't hold the Tardis Matrix and live. Look at her body, House.”

“And you think I should mourn her?” House asked to him.

“No. I think you should be very, very careful about what you let back into this control room. You took her from her home. But now she's back in the box again, and she's free.” The Doctor said as then Idris opened her mouth and the golden energy streams from Idris into the console then out again and through the Tardis.

“No. Doctor, stop this.” House groaned.  “Argh! Stop this now.”

“Oh, look at my girl.” The Doctor swirled. “Look at her go. Bigger on the inside. You see, House?”

“Make her stop.” House groaned angry.

“That's your problem.” The Doctor said also angry. “Size of a planet, but inside you are just so small.”

“Make it stop.” House shouted.

“Finish him off, girl.” The Doctor said darkly.

“Ow. Don't do this! Argh!” House shouted as then he was finished off.

Then the console returned to its normal color as then a golden Idris was standing on the stairs. “Doctor, are you there? It's so very dark in here.”

The Doctor looked to where her voice came from and looked at her. “I'm here.”

“I've been looking for a word.” Idris told him. “A big, complicated word, but so sad. I've found it now.”

“What word?” The Doctor asked to her.

“Alive. I'm alive.” Idris replied to him.

“Alive isn't sad.” The Doctor told her.

“It's sad when it's over.” She looked at him. “I'll always be here, but this is when we talked, and now even that has come to an end. There's something I didn't get to say to you.”

“Goodbye?” The Doctor had teary eyes.

“No.” She shook her with her head. “I just wanted to say hello. Hello, Doctor. It's so very, very nice to meet you.”

“Please.” The Doctor said with a creaking voice as she disappeared. “I don't want you to. Please.” Then the Tardis dematerialized as then the Doctor whispered. “Where?”

~00~

Later the Doctor was doing some work below the console as Rory asked to him. “How's it going under there?”

“Just putting a firewall around the Matrix. Almost done.” The Doctor replied to him.

“Are you going to make her talk again?” Amy asked to them.

Maddie stood next to the Doctor. “She isn’t programmed that way.” She remembered Idris saying on the planet, before everything went don hill, or it was after that.

“I can't.” The Doctor replied to Amy.

“Why not?” Rory asked confused.

Amy looked at them. “Spacey wacey, isn't it?”

“Ha-ha.” Maddie laughed at Amy’s silliness.

The Doctor looked at Amy. “Well, actually, it's because the Time Lords discovered that if you take an eleventh dimensional matrix and fold it into a mechanical then. Yes, it's spacey wacey.”

“Sorry.” Rory told him. “At the end, she was talking. She kept repeating something. I don't know what it meant.”

“What did she say?” The Doctor asked seriously.

“The only water in the forest is the river.” Rory replied to him. “She said we'd need to know that someday. It doesn't make sense, does it?”

“Not yet.” He replied as then he asked to him. “You okay?”

“No.” Rory replied, shook his head. “I watched her die. I shouldn't let it get to me, but it still does. I'm a nurse.”

“Letting it get to you.” The Doctor  glanced at him as he was still busy. “You know what that's called? Being alive. Best thing there is. Being alive right now, that's all that counts. Nearly finished. Two more minutes, then we're off. The Eye of Orion's restful, if you like restful. I can never really get the hang of restful. What do you think, dear? Where shall we take the kids this time?”

“Look at you pair.” Amy comment. “It's always you and her, isn't it, long after the rest of us have gone. A boy and his box, off to see the universe.”

“Well, you say that as if it's a bad thing.” The Doctor looked at them. “But honestly, it's the best thing there is. The House deleted all the bedrooms. I should probably make you two a new bedroom. You'd like that, wouldn't you?”

“Okay.” Amy nodded. “Er, Doctor, this time could we lose the bunk beds?”

“No.” The Doctor shook with head as Maddie smiled at his silliness. “Bunk beds are cool. A bed with a ladder. You can't beat that. It's your room. Out those stairs, keep walking till you find it. Off you pop.”

“Doctor, do you have a room?” Rory asked to the Doctor.

“Everyone does.” Maddie replied to him, instead the Doctor as then Amy pulls Rory away.

Not much tater, the Doctor's work is finished as Maddie sat on the captain’s chair, watching him as he called out. “Are you there? Can you hear me? Oh, I'm a silly old. Okay. The Eye of Orion, or wherever we need to go.” Just then levers moved on their own as they went into flow. “Ha, ha! Whoo hoo.”

Just then Maddie laughed and comment. “As one.” She looked the Doctor dancing around the Tardis.