My friend who is beat-reading this for me is moving house at the moment, but I'm such an attention seeker that I can't wait for him to get sorted and give this a once-over before posting this, so I'll have to update it later.

Doctor Who vs. the System Lords
Part 4: Home again safe

O'Neill felt his skin tingle as an Asgard transporter beam enveloped them, lifting them up the silently hovering ship. He looked round to make sure Jonas and Teal'c were safe, then headed towards the command chair.

"Hi." He addressed the back of the chair, "Thanks for that…"

"You're welcome." Allie smiled as the chair span round, "Is this ship accurate? I tried to make it as close as I could to the real thing, but I'm sure I missed something."

"What do you mean; accurate?" O'Neill asked, feeling a little worried, "This is a real Asgard ship, isn't it?"

"No; it is merely a three-dimensional construct I created, based on my knowledge of the O'Neill class Battle Cruiser. Don't worry; you're not going to fall through the floor or anything."

"Yes, I read your file. Have you seen Major Carter?"

"She's with the others."

"Others?"

"The Doctor, Rose, and a man I've not been introduced to yet who smiles at everyone. Would you like to see them?"

"If it's…"

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"…at all possible." O'Neill blinked: the inside of the ship had been replaced, in the blink of an eye, with a small beach surrounded by trees. The T.A.R.D.I.S. stood next to some ruins, the unmistakable sound of tinkering coming from inside.

"Hi." Rose looked up from where she was sunbathing, "The others are inside; playing with something I won't even begin to try and pronounce."

"Thanks." O'Neill nodded, still a little shocked, "Jonas, Teal'c; who don't you guys go have a little look round the ruins."

"Sir!" Jonas smiled happily as he walked off amid the broken buildings, followed closely by the silent Jaffa.

"Hello?" O'Neill knocked on the half open doors before stepping into the T.A.R.D.I.S.

Carter was lying on her back, half under the main consol, sounded by wires and tools. The Doctor was standing with his back to the door, playing with something that looked like a flashlight, and was emitting a low hum.

"Hello!" A mid-western voice came from just to the side of O'Neill, making him jump, "Colonel O'Neill, I presume?"

"What?" O'Neill span round, and found himself face-to-face with a man in his late thirties, dressed in a simple white t-shirt and black combat trousers, "Yes. And you are?"

"Captain Jack Harkness." The stranger offered his hand; "I've been hearing some, interesting stories about you."

"I bet you have." O'Neill shook the offered hand, then turned to his subordinate, "Been telling lies about me again, Carter?"

"Wouldn't even dream it, sir." The blond major replied from somewhere amid the T.A.R.D.I.S.' systems, "You wouldn't believe what this thing's capable of."

"And this was considered and obsolete model when I, acquired it." The Doctor smiled as he re-attached a panel, "That should do: she's a tough old thing."

The T.A.R.D.I.S. made a strange noise.

"Now you know I meant that in an affectionate way." The Doctor looked at the ceiling, "I wouldn't trade you for anything."

"You know, they say that talking to yourself is the first sing of madness." O'Neill quipped.

"Believe me, Colonel, I've been made on more than one occasion." The Doctor patted the main consol, "But this isn't one of those times: the T.A.R.D.I.S. is as alive as any of us."

"It's sentient?" Carter pulled herself out from amid the wiring, "How is that possible?"

"She's connected to the Eye of Harmony on Gallifrey." The Doctor had a distant look in his eye, "Even after all that's happened, it's still there."

"What happened?" Carter asked, innocently.

"There was a war, a tribal war, the last great Time War." The Doctor looked distant, "I was there at the end, when the Time Lords faced of against or most deadly foes, the very fate of the universe in our hands. You have no comprehension of the size of that final battle: missions of ships, the stars themselves burning away to nothing."

"I take it you lost?" O'Neill sounded glum.

"No, we won, in a way." The Doctor looked round, all the colour having drained from his face, "I struck the final blow: ten-million ships, incinerated in the blink on an eye. An entire race, wiped from existence. But the price we paid was too high: my world is gone, turned to dust and ash, long before its time. All that is left is the Eye of Harmony: the source of a Time Lords power."

"But this is a time machine; couldn't you just go back and rescue your people?" O'Neill asked, "What's to stop you?"

"You have no idea how much I would like to do just that." The Doctor shook his head, "No; that would make me that which I despise…"

"Doctor." Allie stood in the doorway, "I've decided; I want to go home."

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The SGC was a hive of activity as two of the teams prepaired to go looking for the overdue SG-1. Hammed was first to notice the by now familiar grinding sound of the T.A.R.D.I.S. as it started to materialise in the middle of the room.

"Stand down!" He ordered the guards as the T.A.R.D.I.S. finally solidified, "Medical team to the gate room."

The doors on the front of the T.A.R.D.I.S. opened, and O'Neill stuck his head out, waving to Hammed as he stepped out.

"Sorry about that: we ran into a little trouble, and had to hitch a ride home." He looked up at his CO, "We'll need one of the VIP rooms made ready."

"The Doctor's staying?" Hammed asked.

"I wish it was that simple." O'Neill looked round as Allie stepped out, followed by the Doctor, Rose and the rest of SG-1.

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"Technically, she's an American citizen, so we can't really stop her from visiting her parents." Hammed sat at the briefing room table, "But if she's as powerful as you say, why did she even ask our help?"

"N.I.D. are after her big time." O'Neill looked worried, "They're going to know she's on Earth, and there's no way of knowing how far they'll go to try and grab her again. She only agreed to come back with us because the Doctor promised to go with her."

"So we have a little girl with powers beyond those of the Ancients, and a 900 year old alien, asking to go walk about in downtown Seattle." Hammed looked at his subordinate, "If you want my job, there are easier ways of getting me fired."

"It shouldn't be that hard to arrange everything." Carter looked up from a file she'd been reading, "All we need is to arrange the diplomatic privileges as representatives of a friendly power."

"You believe the N.I.D. will respect that?" Teal'c raised an eyebrow; "They have show little regard for such rules in the past."

"T's right: we have to keep this as quiet as possible." O'Neill nodded, "They may not be able to get Allie, but you can bet that they'd consider the Doctor worth grabbing."

"And he seems intent to retaining good relations with Earth." Carter shrugged, "Hobbes choice."

"If we do this, we're going to have to do it before NID get word that they're hear, if they haven't already." Hammed looked at his subordinates, "Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter: I want the two of you to escort our guests to Seattle and make sure they get back again."

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The Air Force transport broke through the last layer of cloud and into the bright sunshine above. And unending sea of pink clouds stretched in every direction.

Allie was apparently asleep in her seat, although none of the other passengers believed for a moment that she was truly sleeping.

Unlike the Doctor; who was snoring loudly.

Rose was sat behind a large pile of newspapers, catching up with everything she'd misused during her time away. Captain Jack sat next to her, trying to complete the Times crossword.

Carter and O'Neill sat at the front, discussing various plans for avoiding the N.I.D., and dealing with them when they finally caught up. The Doctor had insisted in leaving the T.A.R.D.I.S. under guard back at the SGC, having locked the door securely himself.

"Can I ask you a question, sir?" Carter looked at her CO.

"You can ask." O'Neill shrugged, "Can't promise I'll be able to give you an answer."

"Do you really think we can pull this off?"

"Depends upon your definition of 'Pulling it off', and how fast the N.I.D. reacts. First off, if they already know Allie and the Doctor are here, they could be waiting for us in Seattle. Secondly, they're probably watching her parents; the file we found on them says they got married, so you can bet dollars to doughnuts that someone at NID is hoping that they'll have another kid that'll be as powerful as Allie. Thirdly, I'd bet my pension that someone at the SGC is an N.I.D. agent: they could be waiting for us when we get back."

"You think they'll try and get into the T.A.R.D.I.S.?"

"They may try, but from what the Doctor told me, not even the Asgard have the technology to get through those doors. I'll give them their due: the Time Lords knew how to build a good ship."

"I holy hope that nobody tries anything: Allie is still, emotionally, a little girl."

"A little girl with almost unlimited powers." O'Neill looked worried for a moment, "I just hope the Doctor knows what he's doing."

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The apartment building was the same as Allie remembered it, right down to the pealing paint and rusty fire escape. The sound of muffled drumming came from the top floor, accompanied by guitars and keyboard.

Allie smiled: some things never changed.

The front door opened without a sound, the heavy-duty lock designed to keep people out no more of a challenge to her than thin air. She'd grown up a lot in the past few years; a lot more than anyone, even those she'd been with, had ever thought possible. She headed towards the stairs, her memories guiding her far better than her eyes ever could.

The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs made everyone look round, O'Neill and Carter going for their guns, while Captain Jack moved to cover Rose and the Doctor.

A blond haired woman in her late twenties came into view, looking through her purse for something. She topped dead when she saw the crowed in the lobby, her eyes fixing on Allie.

"Oh my god…" She gasped.

"Nina." Allie grinned, running over to the shocked woman and hugging her "It's been too long."

TBC…