The Apocalypse Stops For No Time Lord [Part Five]
Part Five
Thankfully he didn’t have to wait long. With an almighty explosion, the carcass of the Leviathan obliterated the west side of the building, hurdling towards the portal. There wasn’t time to think, not really, just react.
All of them scrambled to their feet, dodging falling debris as they desperately sprinted for the exit. They made it with inches to spare, the Doctor staggering out of the building as it seemed to simply implode, crumbling into a pile of rubble. There was nothing left. It looked as though the concrete had fallen to the curse of weathering rather than an aborted apocalypse.
“Did- did you close the gates to purgatory?” Dean wheezed out, turning to the Doctor.
“No, no.” Sam almost flinched at the sadness in the Doctor’s tone. “The body of one of the crown princes’ of Hell is amazing and complex enough to cause the portal to collapse in on itself. I opened it, but he was the one who closed it.”
“We,” Castiel corrected, a strange tightness in his voice. “We opened the portal to Purgatory.”
“Yes... we.” A switch flipped and suddenly the mad Doctor was back, the sadness shut away again. His hands jumped from where they had been twisting together anxiously and carefully straighten his tie. "Still cool.”
“Hang on.” Bela was staring agape at Castiel, blinking rapidly as if it might help everything make sense. “I thought you went AWOL and let the Leviathans out Alien style.”
Castiel looked confused. “I don’t understand-”
“It’s a long story,” Dean broken in. “The Doctor will explain to us all at some point along with the story about his clone who was the one who flew the TARDIS here.”
“He was a flesh ganger actually,” the Doctor corrected. “It was alien tech in Torchwood, how was I supposed to resist? I needed one me to fly you lot about and one me to reassemble Castiel. I programmed the TARDIS to return to the real me if the ganger was destroyed.”
“Like I said,” Dean deadpanned. “It’s a long story.”
“Now...” Spinning back to the wreckage the Doctor spread his arms out, dashing over to a dusty but intact TARDIS half hidden behind a pile of rocks. “Hello sexy!” The equally dusty group of companions followed the Doctor to his spaceship, a few limping or dotted with blood but all still alive. Sam carefully ripped up his top shirt on the way, forming a makeshift bandage for his sluggishly bleeding shoulder wound.
“How did she not get destroyed when the portal collapsed?” Dean asked, peering at the blue police box with token suspicion.
“What, my TARDIS?” The Doctor asked indignantly. “It would take a lot more to damage her. The Titanic crashed into her once and it didn’t even leave a dent.”
For a moment Sam considered voicing the questions in his head aloud, then gave in and laughed. It took a moment but eventually it caught on until all of them except for the Time Lord were standing in front of the demolished house, surrounded by charcoal fields, holding their stomachs and laughing.
“And people say I’m the strange one,” The Doctor muttered. Casting a wink at Dean he raised his hand and clicked his fingers. With a gentle creak the TARDIS door swung open and the apocalypse survivors filed in. “Now to pick up Bobby and Canton-Crowley.”
The journey was short, the TARDIS barely leaving before she landed again, this time outside the still-standing building on the west side of the lake. It was until he was looking at the building, with its jagged holes like a bombsite, that Sam thought maybe the Doctor’s promise hadn’t come true. Maybe not everyone had lived.
He raced towards the building and through the doorway, skidding on debris as he tried to turn the corner. It was silent in the empty building, devoid of the corpses, everything tumbling into Purgatory. It was the kind of still when you could hear your heartbeat pulsing in your head and the pain in Sam’s shoulder seemed heightened.
There was a loud crash at the other end of the house, followed by steady swearing. Sam raced towards the noise and burst into the room. He had two seconds to see Crowley and Bobby spinning around to face him, water guns raised and surprised expressions, before he was hit in the face with a stream of industrial strength cleaner.
“Hey! Wait,” he spluttered, hiding his face behind his arms. “It’s just me.”
“Sam Winchester, apologies,” Crowley said, looking mildly pleased with himself as Sam wiped an arm across his face.
“Where in the Hell have you been?” Bobby pulled Sam into a tight hug. “What happened? The Leviathans just flew off.”
“We opened the gate to Purgatory again.” Castiel and Dean appeared in the doorway, the latter taking in Sam’s damp face with an amused look. “The Doctor filtered who was sucked into the portal to ensure we survived.”
“I thought you were dead,” Bobby muttered, staring at Castiel.
“It’s a long story,” the Winchesters and the angel chorused, exchanging smiles
“Back to that again are we?” The Doctor slipped into the room, the rest of their party following. “Hello Bobby!” He turned to Dean with a knowing smile. “Everybody lives.”
“Everybody lives,” the older Winchester repeated, a smile creasing the soft crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes.
“Well, not that this wasn’t a lovely adventure,” Crowley interrupted. “But duty calls.”
“No.” That terrifying cold fury was in the Doctor’s voice once more. “I never forget about my friends, Crowley King of Hell, especially not when they’re in trouble.” Calmly the last of the Time Lord’s pointed his sonic at the demon, face clouded with anger.
“What-”
“I’m very kind, Fergus McLeod, so you get one chance.” A chill crept up Sam’s spine at the Doctor’s words, spoken against an enemy so much smaller but still a threat to the Doctor’s friend. “Get out of Canton’s body.”
For a moment, just a heartbeat’s hesitation, Crowley looked like he might refuse. Then he tipped his head back and a column of smoke exploded from his long-time vessel’s mouth. It billowed out of the room disappearing in the smoke-filled sky. Sam rushed forward in time to stop Crow-Canton from hitting the ground. The Doctor followed him over to help, waving his sonic over the man’s body.
“Thank-” Canton’s voice stumbled and he coughed violently before continuing. “Thank you, Doctor.”
“Anytime, Canton Everett Delaware The Third.” The Time Lord tucked his sonic away in his pocket with a slight smile. “I’ll take you back to your own time, now.”
“What about her?” Dean was glaring at Bela, hand lingering next to his gun. “She’s in a human body as well.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, genius, this one is my own body,” the demon replied coldly. “A welcome-back-from-Hell present courtesy of Crowley.”
“Yeah, well, you’re still a demon in a meat-suit.”
“Who just helped save the world,” Jack smoothly cut in. “Personally I’m glad that such a lovely body isn’t going to waste.”
“And here I just thought you liked my charming personality,” Bela almost purred back. Dean showed his usual maturity by making gagging sounds until the Doctor, Jack and Sam all turned their glares on him
Nothing more was said after that. Instead their rag-tag band of eight traipsed into the blue police box and Sam couldn’t hold back a goofy grin as they formed a ring around the console, Castiel taking over Crowley’s station as Canton collapsed in a chair.
“Eight in the TARDIS,” the Doctor said with a smile. “To 1972.”
Canton was the first to leave, disappearing out the door with a smile and a wink at the Doctor. “Until next time.”
“Sooner than you might think,” the Time Lord replied, with just a hint of sorrow.
Then it was Bobby, still holding his water gun and with an expression that said it would take a long time to believe what had just happened.
“See you soon Bobby,” Dean said with a smile.
“Make sure you do. Take care boys.” He turned to Castiel. “You too, Spock." The angel nodded with the hint of a smile. Finally the old hunter nodded to the time lord and slipped out the door.
The next stop was more bumpy, even with The Doctor and another semi-Time Lord.
“Temporary Torchwood Headquarters,” the Doctor said with a smile. Jack slipped over to the Time Lord and wrapped him in a hug.
“It’s been good to see you again, Doctor.” They pulled back, smiles tight with goodbyes. Then Jack turned to Bela and extended his elbow. “Ma’am.”
“Thank you, Captain Harkness,” she said with a smirk, resting her hand on the offered arm.
“Wait, what?” Dean looked like a math problem with letters in it had just been given to him. “You’re going with him?”
“You never do bother to ask,” Bela said icily. “But Hell is actually about as much fun for demons as it is for humans. Besides, I never did like being a ‘black-eyed bitch’. Even with you on their side, I rather like humanity.” Sam choked down laughter at the taken aback look on Dean’s face.
“I’ve asked Bela to join Torchwood,” Jack said evenly. “Haven’t had a demon on our team before and it will be nice to have another attractive person to look at.”
“You better watch yourself, sir,” Bela said with a smirk and an eloquently raised eyebrow.
“Then stop calling me sir,” he smirked in reply.
“Oh god,” Dean groaned. “Please just go.”
Jack laughed and then stood to attention, saluting the four left in the TARDIS. “It’s been a pleasure to stop the apocalypse with you.”
“Goodbye,” Sam said with a grin, nodding to both of the Torchwood members. “And good luck.”
The pair was about to leave the TARDIS when the Doctor’s voice stopped them. “And Jack, destroy that flesh machine. I know it helped us today, but it won’t in the future.” The Captain just nodded and then they were gone.
Four in the TARDIS. Their final journey was anything but smooth, lurching and diving, the floor shuddering under their feet. Sam was thrown from one side to the other, the console jarring against his ribs and battering his head until he cursed his height. Of course, he would want it no other way.
When they stopped it seemed too final, the whoosh of the TARDIS landing too loud. Perhaps it was the sudden still after the insanity of the journey or the realisation that reality waited for them beyond the walls. Sam couldn’t help spinning in a circle on the balls of his feet, taking in as much of the insane space as possible, collecting memories of this place that was bigger on the inside.
The TARDIS fell silent and there was no more running now. The four of them walked to the door, not looking at each other, steps in time while everything else was a muddle. Dean got there first, opened the door and saw the driveway to the old abandoned house where they found the mad man from the stars. The Impala was there, patiently waiting to carry them to the next red pin on their map.
“Well then,” the Doctor said and his eyes were sad, but they managed to mirror the smile on his lips. “I’m not very good at goodbyes, they’re too sad.”
“Then let’s not make a big deal,” Dean said gruffly. “See you later, Doctor.”
“See you later, Dean Winchester.”
“And Doctor,” he hesitated, leaning towards the outside world without quite leaving the TARDIS. “Thank you.”
“You are welcome.” They shared a smile, passed between soldiers, survivors of something bigger than they will ever be. “Good luck.”
Dean walked away then, moving to run a hand along his baby’s frame. Sam didn’t follow and he wasn’t expected to, waiting for Castiel to leave first. The angel stepped up to the time lord like old friends, brothers from planets Sam had only dreamt about.
“It has been good to see you again, Doctor,” Castiel said quietly. “You know I have to stay.”
“Of course,” the Doctor said with a smile. “I can’t defend the Earth all the time.”
“Goodbye.” The time lord didn’t give a reply, just nodded once and then Castiel too was stepping out of the TARDIS and into the late afternoon sun. Sam stepped up beside his imaginary friend and watched the hunter and the angel talk over the sleek back of the Impala.
“Would you like to see the stars?” Sam knew what the Doctor was offering. It was the universe, the world, everything out there in the past, present and future. It was cascades of nebulas and collapsing stars. It was too big for a boy who grew up in a ’67 Chevy Impala. It was too far for a hunter with only his brother, an angel and a drunk left. They both knew his answer.
“Perhaps another time, Doctor.” Without thinking, Sam pulled the Time Lord into a hug and it was strange to find him so much smaller than he seemed. Sam supposed he must be bigger on the inside. They fell back and the Doctor was grinning. “Thank you, for everything.”
“I have one last thing for you,” the Doctor said and for a moment there was a glimmer in his eyes, that knowledge of the Time Lord leaking into his brown irises. Slowly he raised his sonic and pointed it at Sam. By the Doctor’s shoulder the Devil rolled his eyes and laughed at Sam’s trust in the mad man in the bowtie.
The Doctor pressed a button. The sonic flashed on, green blinding Sam for a moment. When his vision cleared, Lucifer was flickering. The younger Winchester blinked once and the apparition was gone.
“How did you-” He broke off mid-sentence, shaking his head. Finally a smile broke his lips, hand dropping from where his thumb had been resting against angry red stitches. “I’ll see you again Doctor.”
“Of course,” the Time Lord replied with a smile. “Goodbye, Sammy Winchester.” Sam backed out the door, still trying to memorise everything, every little detail. “Go and be marvellous.”
“Goodbye, Doctor.” The Time Lord grinned, straightened his bow tie and then nodded one last time. Winking at Sam, he disappeared into the TARDIS with a twirl. There was a moment’s silence and then the gentle whooshing of the blue box started again. Sam didn’t think he would ever forget that sound, was sure that it would forever echo into his dreams.
He had just reached the Impala when he heard it again and for a second he thought he was really was dreaming. The earthly trio turned perfectly in time as the Doctor re-appeared, grin already stretched across his face as he stuck his head around the TARDIS door.
“Almost forgot.” He sauntered over to them, hand reaching into his blazer. “I found this floating through space and time and I love a lost thing.”
From the depths of his jacket he pulled a spiked metal amulet on a black leather string. It was slightly more tarnished than Sam remembered but it still glinted golden in the sun. Instantly Sam’s mind turned to memories of Christmases made for two brothers. Chasing it came the ever-lasting ringing of metal dropped into a trash can, Christmas reduced to pine trees browning on the roadside.
For a moment, Sam thought the amulet would hang in the Doctor’s hand forever. Then Dean was reaching out, fingers closing around the golden face as quickly as he could without seeming rude. All of a sudden Sam could breathe easier. The elder Winchester’s face was as closed in as ever, but Sam could see that echo of happiness in his brother’s eyes.
“Thank you,” Dean said in his customary growl. Carefully he slipped the cord back around his neck, letting the amulet fall to his chest like an old friend that had never really left.
By the time the trio had pulled their eyes from the returned hope, the Doctor was disappearing into the TARDIS. Once more, the time-travelling astronaut returning to the stars.
They leaned back against the Impala as the blue box faded in and out. The sleek black car dutifully carried their weight, held them up off tired feet. For a moment Sam entertained the idea of her looking at the time-machine-space-ship disappearing, wondering at her future generations.
It was then, when the TARDIS was nothing more than a wispy mirage, that the Winchesters and their angel heard it. A voice echoing back through space and time, carried on the back of shooting stars like a single-word prayer. The parting goodbye of the last of the Time Lords and the defender of the Earth.
“Geronimo!”
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| Epilogue |