It reads fast. I was literally woken up at three a.m. to write this chapter. A review is an honor of my brain's desire to continue this story, even when my body doesn't.

Chapter Seven:

The Doctor zipped around in her night gown. She needed to keep moving, otherwise she'd have stayed crying at the TARDIS console forever, instead of five minutes.

"What is this place?" Yaz asked as she entered

"It's where I keep my big projects," she said.

"What are you building?" Yaz asked.

"A time laser cannon," she said. "It will destroy the base the moment before it started abducting realities."

The Doctor used her sonic screwdriver on one point. She always kept replicated spares in the TARDIS.

"Can I help?"

"Yaz, you are a woman of many talents, but this is something I need to work on alone. Too many moving parts."

"Shouldn't you take a breath at least? And maybe change into something more comfortable?"

"I've been wearing next to nothing for nine days. I appreciate your concern for my modesty, but I really don't have the time."

Graham and Ryan appeared.

"How's the leg, Graham?" the Doctor asked as she added another part and connected the circuitry.

"Good as new," he said. "Possibly better even."

"I can now add emergency medical technician to my skillset," Ryan said.

"Good, good," she said.

"I'm sorry your friend died," Graham said. "He seemed like a nice, smart, lad from what we saw on the screen."

"Is there any way we can save him with this device?" Yaz asked.

"His death is permanent as it set off a chain of events outside the facility," she said sadly.

"Too, bad," Ryan said.

"Where he comes, came from, my life was a telly show," she said. "He had the most intelligent questions."

"Wait, we're telly characters somewhere?" Yaz said.

"That is weird," Ryan said. "I wonder who plays me?"

The Doctor put on glasses and bonded some pieces together.

"I've suspected my life was a telly show in the past. That was my first confirmation of it."

"What do we do?" Yaz asked.

"We live the way we always do," she said. "There's no point in changing as we don't know what parts of our lives do make it on the telly. They don't know my real name for example."

"Your name isn't Doctor?" Ryan gasped.

"We're going to need to discuss Time Lord history at some point. I acquired the name hundreds of years ago."

"Hundreds, you're that old?" Graham said.

"That's one of the reasons I change my body," she said.

"I see," Graham said.

"Doctor," Yaz said gently. "Are you up for this? Is there anyone we can call for help?"

"I know what you're trying to say. My boyfriend just sacrificed his life for us, my body has been degraded in multiple ways, and I have done things I am not proud of to get what I needed for us to escape. I'm not okay Yaz, by any definition. There is no one else who can do what I am trying to do."

She added another part.

"Okay," she said. "I think this thing is ready."

"What now?" Ryan asked.

"We're going back and destroying the reality keeper's headquarters."

"You're sure you know what you're doing?" Graham said.

"Who can be truly certain of anything?" she said.

She moved the laser cannon out of the room and down the hall. Her friends followed.

"This is where you can help," the Doctor said. "Yaz, when I flip this switch, I need you to keep your hand on this lever. If the shields break, Graham hold this button. If I get transported out, Ryan step on this peddle. Okay everyone?"

They all nodded.

The Doctor entered the coordinates for the reality keeper. The TARDIS lurched around for a few minutes. No one said anything. There was too much at stake.

She then pressed a few buttons and turned the screen on. The facility was lit with red.

"Evacuation procedures," she said. "I didn't like what the people did to me, but they don't deserve to die."

"DOCTOR!"

Infinix's voice roared through the TARDIS.

"How is he doing that?" Yaz asked.

"No time for questions," she said. "Time to act."

She looked at the screen and only one life form was left.

"Yaz, it's time," the Doctor said.

She flipped a switch, opening the doors, and moved the laser cannon forward.

The Doctor used the scanner to isolate the structure's power source. The reality drive. With single press of a button, she destroyed it. The building went up on in flames.

There was a zapping sound, and the Doctor was pulled away from her friends and the TARDIS.

…

She found herself on a moon-like surface. Before, she could get her bearings, Infinix attacked. He shredded her nightgown off.

"You destroyed my plans!" he screamed. "Now I'm going to destroy you!"

He scratched and bit at her like a wild animal. The Doctor fought back viciously.

"I know what you are," she said angrily as she pinned him down. "You're far more ancient than you look. You have some of my abilities even. You were cast off from Galifrey as parasitic menaces. You're also the last of your kind. You're a time predator."

"Very good Jane," he said. "You're going to die with that knowledge now."

He flipped and she was on the ground. Infinix threw moon dust in her eyes and stabbed at her with rocks.

The Doctor was going to die if she didn't do something extreme. She fought harder, more ruthlessly, than she ever had in any of her lifetimes. It was literally, life or death.

She had him pinned again.

"Don't make me do this," she said.

"I'll kill you, if you don't," Infinix said and spit in her face.

Acid burned her face. It would kill her quickly. The Doctor had no choice.

She pressed down on his chest and light surged through her hands. Infinix had a huge smile on his face as she killed him.

The Doctor then rubbed moon dust into where the spit hit her. It would preserve it for now.

As she started to feel light-headed, the cloister bell rang. The Doctor ran as fast as she could, to it as the TARDIS materialized.

"Sorry about the delay," Ryan said.

"Doctor!" Yaz shouted as she ran through the console room.

She went to the sick bay and pulled open the medicine cabinet. It responded to her will and the antidote appeared. The Doctor sprayed it on.

Then she went into the healing shower. The moon dust fell off and her wounds vanished. She refused to let herself cry.

Putting on a robe, she went back into the console room.

"I don't kill," she said. "But I had to kill him, or he was going to kill me."

Her knees suddenly gave. Yaz caught her followed, closely by Ryan and Graham. They hugged her tightly. These were her friends. It would be okay. The Doctor let herself cry as they held her.

…

After a day of rest while meandering in the time stream, the Doctor came out dressed as herself.

"I think it is best that you three go home for a little while," she said. "Hug your loved ones, play a pickup game, settle parking disputes."

"What about you Doc?" Graham asked.

"I'll be okay," she said. "I just need to spend some time wandering through my TARDIS."

"If you're sure," Ryan said.

"I don't like the idea of leaving you alone, after everything," Yaz said.

"I won't be gone long," she said. "I promise."

"Take care of yourself Doc," Graham said.

"I will," she said.

The Doctor pulled a lever, and they arrived in Sheffield.

"We've only been gone two days, by my calculations," she said.

Graham patted her on the back. Yaz rubbed her hand. Ryan smiled assuredly at her.

"I'll see you in a week," she called out to them. "I'm going to take you to the largest disco in the universe!"

"I think I've still got my bellbottoms!" Graham. "I'll go see if they still fit!"

"No!" Yaz and Ryan said together as they walked out.

The doors closed and the Doctor put the TARDIS in motion.

…

She took a deep breath, and stuck the special needle in her arm.

The Doctor wasn't lying when she told Grace Holloway she was part human. Before there were rules about inviting non-Galifreyans, humans were allowed to stay and have families. Not many did, but the Doctor knew she was one eighth human.

It was not something Infinix would know. It couldn't be his, he wasn't a higher functioning life form like humans, despite external appearances. The contraceptive shot would have only been one hundred percent effective if she was purely Galifreyan.

She pulled out the needle and closed her eyes. There was a beeping sound. Then she opened her eyes and gasped.

The Doctor was pregnant with Spencer's child.

After every horrible, inhumane thing she had gone through, this happened. Spencer, a man she barely knew, but deeply loved, would live on in her. The horror she had endured brought something completely different into her life.

After pulling out the ultrasound machine, she threw off her coat and lifted her shirt. She applied the scanner to her body. With her had advanced machine she could see them:

She now had four heartbeats.

THE END

To be Continued in: FOUR HEARTBEATS

COMING SOON

Author's Note:

I know this feels like a rush job. I am going cuckoo with ideas and want to get them down quickly. I have at least three other stories I want to work on in the next two months. Yeah, I have a lot on my mind.

I'm not used to so many great guest reviews! Thank you. I hope to see more. My ideas come from left field and I always aim for the fences (my apologies to the UK readers who might not know the metaphors). Thank you for reading, and I promise a smashing sequel!