Doctor Who:The Fate of the Jedi (Doctor Who x Star Wars)

Father's Day Pt. 6

Pete looked out of the window in the side room with the view of the car that was stuck in a loop. As he watched his brow furrowed, it seemed as though a revelation came to him. He breathed heavily, shaking slightly.

Rose was sitting on her own in the dark church. She was silent and grief-stricken. Pete approached her, carrying his jacket.

"The Doctor really cared about you..." Pete said

Rose looked up at him.

"He didn't want you to go through it again if there was another way. Now there isn't," Pete continued.

"What're you talking about?" Rose asked standing

Pete put his jacket on "The car that should've killed me, love. It's here. The Doctor worked it out way back, but he, er, he tried to protect me,"

Rose just looked him, eyes filling with tears.

"Still, he's not in charge anymore. I am," Pete continued.

"But you can't..." Rose started her voice cracking.

Pete reached out and stroked Rose's face. "Who am I, love?"

"My Daddy,"

Jackie approached them. She looked at Rose, eyed wide.

"Jackie...look at her. She's ours," Pete said

Jackie looked at Rose, the truth dawning upon her. Rose looked back, tearful. "Ph, God..." Jackie threw her arms around Rose, eyes shut tightly. When she let go, she looked at Pete.

"I'm meant to be dead, Jackie, you're gonna get rid of me at last,"

"Don't say that," Jackie said holding back her tears.

"For once in your life, trust me. It's got to be done. You've got to survive because you've got to bring up our daughter." Pete said gently gesturing to Rose, then pulled Jackie in for a last kiss. He turned to Rose. "I never read you those bedtime stories. I never took you on those picnics. I was never there for you,"

"You would've been," Rose cried

"But I can do this for you. I can be a proper dad to you now,"

"But it's not fair,"

Pete smiled "I've had all these extra hours. No-one else in the world has ever had that. And on top of that...I get to see you." he took Rose's face in his hand. "And you're beautiful,"

Rose sobbed silently.

"How lucky am I, eh?" Pete asked "So, come on...do as your dad says,"

Slowly, tears flowing, and without looking at him, Rose handed him the vase.

"Are you going to be there for me, love?" Pete asked

Rose nodded. Pete put a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes.

"Thanks for saving me," Pete pulled his wife and daughter into a tight embrace. Rose screwed up her eyes.

***

The Reapers were still clamoring outside the church when Pete ran out of the doors, holding the vase. He stopped just outside the gate and looked up at one of the Reapers- it began to bear down on him. Pete turned to see the car appear from thin air around the corner and ran straight out in front of it, screwing up his eyes before the impact.

"Goodbye, love..." Pete said.

The driver threw a hand over his eyes as the car knocked Pete over. The vase crashed to the ground and broke. The Reapers disappeared one by one. Rose stood outside the church doors, her head down and her eyes closed, taking deep breathes in the slight breeze. Tiaalen came up behind her and looked at her for a few moments.

"Go to him." Tia said "Quick,"

Rose ran out of the church gates, down the road, and knelt down next to her dying father. She held his hand and lifted his head slightly up off the ground. They looked into each others' eyes as he took his last few breaths. Finally, his eyes closed and his head fell back. Rose lowered his head gently to the ground. Sarah Clarke, Stuart Hoskins, his father, Jackie, and the rest of the guests emerged from the church, trying to see what had happened.

***

"The driver was just a kid," Jackie said as she and Rose, as a little girl, sat on Jackie's bed with the photo-album. "A girl with brown hair got him to stop. He waited for the police. It wasn't his fault. For some reason, Pete just ran out." Jackie paused, remembering "People say there was this girl...and she sat with Pete while he was dying. And she held his hand. Then she was gone. Never found out who she was or the girl who stopped the driver,"

Rose looked up at her mother.

***

Rose placed a kiss onto her father's forehead. She stood up, and after looking down at him, for a few moments, raised her eyes to meet the Doctor's, who was standing around the other side of the car that killed Pete. She went to him.

***

"Peter Alan Tyler, my Dad. The most wonderful man in the world. Died the 7th of November, 1987,"

***

The Doctor took Rose's hand, and they walked slowly back to the TARDIS together.