The Destiny of Three [3] (The Parallel Series) ✓

Journey's End

The Doctor threw his head back add the golden energy flew out of his hands and head, forcing the group shield their eyes. "Doctor!" The Stone shouted. "The hand!" Slowly the Doctor turned shifting his body before the energy coming out of him was targeted towards his hand in the jar. He suddenly stopped regenerating and stumbled backwards still the same man as before.

"Now, then. Where were we?" The Stone laughed and launched herself onto him wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug while Donna and Rose gaped.

"You're brilliant!" He beamed picking her up and spinning around laughing. "Completely brilliant!" He grinned placing her down. "Oh, I really do love you." He beamed.

She chuckled quickly kissing his lips before they moved over to the hand the Doctor bending down towards it while the three humans stood there stunned. The Doctor watched in awe as the hand bubbled and glowed before he softly whispered. "There, now." Gently he blew on the hand which then stopped glowing and calmed. He smiled in delight and slumped down with the Stone. "You see? Used the regeneration energy to heal myself, but as soon as that was done, I didn't need to change. I didn't want to, why would I?" He grinned tweaking his tie.

"Careful with your ego their Doctor." The Stone chuckled.

He sent her a playful look before turning back to the humans. "Look at me! So, to stop the energy going all the way, I syphoned off the rest into a handy bio-matching receptacle - namely, my hand. My hand, there. My handy spare hand, thank you for the brilliant idea." He beamed at the Stone as they stood up. "Remember?" he looked at the young blonde. "Christmas Day? Sycorax? Lost my hand in a sword fight? That's my hand!" Slowly Rose looked from the hand to the Doctor. "What do you think?"

"And... you're still you?" Rose questioned sounding hopeful.

"I'm still me." He grinned before Rose threw her arms around him the two of them tightly hugging as the Stone laughed.

Jack grinned at them happily as Donna looked over at him. "You can hug me if you want." She joked as Jack laughed before stopping at the serious look on her face. "No, really, you can hug me."

The Doctor then let go of Rose who couldn't help but smile then slowly frown as she noticed the Stone. "Rita...?" She whispered in a guess briefly remembering when the Stone walked in on the Daleks accepting the name they had given her. The Stone slowly nodded.

"Yeah, it's me, well sort of." She shrugged. "You were there when I waltzed in that room facing all of those Daleks and mocking them by calling them pepper pots when I first opened the watch, I regenerated."

"And you two...?" She suddenly changed the subject looking between the Doctor and the Stone. "You're together?"

"Yeah." They both nodded the Stone feeling a little awkward with the whole situation knowing full well that Rose also love the Doctor.

"I thought we were friends?" Rose blinked back tears looking at the Stone.

"Rose, don't please." She begged not wanting an argument now.

"You wanted me to leave." She shook her head. "So you could have him yourself."

"Rose?" The Doctor raised a brow confused by the whole situation.

"I am not discussing it now with those bloody pepper pots outside and all over the Earth." The Stone looked at her warningly. "Talk to me about this after, but not know."

"Stone?" The Doctor looked at her in confusion wanting someone to explain what was going on.

The Stone went to explain, the power in the TARDIS suddenly cut out. The Time Lords quickly ran around the console looking at the scanner. "They've got us. Power's gone... some kind of chronon loop!"