The Last Royal (editing)

*The Lazarus Experiment*

A/N: was 7628 words, is now 11407! Enjoy! :D

The kettle whistles and I hurry over to take it off the heat. Making me a cup of tea with honey, I sit down and smile as I take a sip. I'm glad this is something that carried over from being Lizzie, it would suck if I- she- we didn't like honey tea anymore. Sighing at the slight pain in my head, I rub at my temples in frustration while feeling a slight pang of concern. Martha walks in and I glance up, "there's a kettle."

"Thanks," she smiles, fixing herself a cup and sitting across from me.

Watching her for a moment, I raise an eyebrow in question. She was biting her lip and seeming to struggle, thinking something over that was obviously bothering her. I wasn't quite sure what, though. "Something wrong?" I ask, making her jump slightly.

"No... not wrong," she shakes her head, taking a sip of her tea.

I wait patiently while she gathers her thoughts. The silence was nice - comforting in a way. It wasn't awkward or at all unwelcome. I do enjoy having Martha on board the TARDIS. It feels as if I've known her for years instead of just a few days. It was also a plus not to have a complicated history with her.

"In New York... you told Dalek Sec you'd lost your baby sister cause of them," she glances at me and I tense, my hands tightening around my cup as my heart aches. Martha's tone turns a bit hesitant, "what did you mean by that? What happened to her?"

"I... should tell you about something first," I sigh, leaning my elbows on the table and putting my chin in my hands. It was only natural for her to be curious, I hardly open up to her. My heart aches more and tears prickle my eyes as I think of Rose. "I was... Human for a while. Twenty-three years, actually," I mutter, making Martha's eyes widen.

"You were actually Human? How's that even possible?"

"There's this thing called a Chameleon Arch," I trace the top of my cup. "It alters your DNA... changes it entirely. The Doctor and I modified it so that when I became Human, our connection would remain. It was so he'd be able to find me if he survived. The last day of the war..." I trail off, my face contorting at the memories. "I was leaving Gallifrey... heading to Earth. I'd become Human and was ready to go, but I was shot by a Dalek." Martha gasps softly and I refuse to look at her. "The shot must've hit my necklace - what my Iralian consciousness was in," I take it out of my holster and she takes it from me, looking it over. "It corrupted the fail-safe and I became a Human infant. I managed to make it to Earth - still not sure how - and ended up on the Tylers' doorstep."

"Tyler, your last name," she mutters.

I nod with a hum, "my name as a Human was Elizabeth Mae Tyler. Most called me Lizzie."

"Dame Elizabeth..."

"The name slipped out. It was from a trip in the TARDIS when I was still Human." I smile as I think of Scotland and Queen Victoria. "You see, Kas had found me when I was Human, but since he'd thought I was dead... how was he to know I was his wife? I and the bond caught his interest, so my sister and I traveled with him. We'd been with him for... a year, I think? Maybe a bit more?" my eyebrows furrow. "We'd been trying for 1979 for Rose's birthday and ended up in 1879." Martha snorts loudly, making my smile widen. "Anyway! We met Queen Victoria, ran into an alien werewolf, and got knighted! Of course, Kas and Rose got exiled within the same breath!" I giggle.

"You two have a habit of making queens your enemies, don't you? Is it a rebel princess thing?" Martha laughs and I roll my eyes with a smile. After a moment, she seems to hesitate again, "so, Rose... she's your sister?"

"Yeah," I whisper, my heart aching once more. "The Daleks are the reason she's gone... it was during the Battle of Canary Wharf. She's lost with our mum and dad and her boyfriend - my best friend - in a parallel world. I lost my Human family to them, Kas and my children, my mum and dad, my brothers, my home... everything," my voice cracks and I wipe at my eyes.