Chapter Twenty-One

After finding some more tablecloths, Martha and Donna tied Mordrok's hands and feet together. Checking one more time to make sure he was out, they quickly ran back to the trophy room. All of them looked at the weapons and chose swords to use against the zombies if they needed to. Once they were armed, the four of them ran back through the palace until they reached the room with the fireplace. The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and positioned it in front of the lock.

"Get ready. Who knows what's gonna happen between here and the TARDIS." He said looking back at them.

The women nodded and held their weapons at the ready while the Doctor unlocked the door. He hesitated a moment and then flung it open. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they didn't see any zombies. The Doctor looked back at his companions and nodded. The four of them hurried off down the corridor.

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After several minutes, they finally reached the bottom of the slope. The Doctor looked back at them.

"Okay, here goes, we go past the zombies as quietly and as quickly as we can and keep your eyes open for any signs of life. We don't want these things getting the drop on us and swarming before we can fight back."

The women nodded and took deep breaths as they readied their weapons. The Doctor paused a moment and then beckoned them on.

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Mordrok groaned and slowly regained consciousness. He looked around and let out an angry grunt when he saw he had been bound and gagged.

You may think you have won, Doctor. He thought. But, you are about to find out how very wrong you are.

Closing his eyes, he mentally summoned his zombies to rise as he slowly wiggled out of his bounds.

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"That's it," the Doctor whispered back to the others as they hurried through the catacombs. "Keep going. We're almost past them."

He jerked his head around when Rose seized his shirtsleeve. She pointed to one of the zombies. In the flickering torch light, he could see him coming to life.

"Bollocks, and here I thought it'd be easy for a change!" he said.

They looked around and noticed the others were waking up.

"Alright, guys, now's the time to run like hell!" he said.

He took Rose's hand and he and the others sprinted down the pathway. All around them the zombies were waking up and all of them put on a fresh burst of speed hoping to get completely past them before they were up and fighting. They dodged the hands that tried to grab them and once Martha lobbed off the wrist of one who got too close. It occurred to her as she ran from him that he didn't scream or make any sign that he had just lost his hand. Pushing that thought from her mind, she concentrated on outrunning the undead army who was now up and grabbing at them from all sides. The zombies were now closing in and all of them resorted to hacking and stabbing at the bodies in order to get through. But, no matter what they did, the corpses just kept on coming. The Doctor heard Rose cry out and turned to see one zombie had her by her neck. He lobbed off his arms with his sword and pushed him back against the wall. Rose murmured a thank you to him as she hurried to his other side and began chopping off legs and arms in an attempt to clear a path to safety. She let out a frustrated yell. No matter how many limbs they chopped off, they just kept on attacking. The ones without the arms were trying to head butt them and the ones without legs were pulling themselves along the ground and grabbing at their ankles. Rose was beginning to tire and she could tell the others were too.

"HEY!"

All of them jumped when they heard Donna scream. They looked at her and saw she was staring right at Rose.

"EXCUSE ME, MISS BAD WOLF?" she screamed. "WOULD YOU WAKE UP OR POSSESS ROSE OR WHATEVER IT IS YOU DO? WE COULD USE SOME BLOODY HELP HERE!"

All of them glanced at Rose, but there was no change in her. Donna threw up her hands and yelled angrily.

"THANKS FOR NOTHING!" she screamed as she turned her attention back to the battle.

Rose glanced at the Doctor who was trying to get a zombie off his back. She rammed into it with her body and knocked it against the wall.

"Doctor, why won't the Bad Wolf come?" she asked him.

The Doctor shrugged.

"Dunno," he said turning to look behind him. "Maybe she figures we don't need her help yet."

"Well, maybe she doesn't, but I do." Rose replied.

She took the butt of her sword and smacked it against the face of a nearby zombie. She sighed angrily when it shook his head and then came after her again.

"That's it," she muttered. "I held back on doing this, but I guess there's no other choice!"

The Doctor glanced at her.

"Held back on what?" he asked.

"Chopping their heads off!" Rose said. "I figure if they can't see us, then maybe that'll stop them!"

She yelled and swung her sword at the zombie's neck. It came off cleanly and the head and torso fell to the ground. Both the Doctor and Rose were taken aback when the head and torso instantly dissolved into a pile of dust.

"AHA! THAT'S THE SOLUTION!" the Doctor screamed.

Martha and Donna glanced back at him.

"What is?" Donna asked.

"The heads, guys, go for the heads," Rose yelled. "It kills them completely!"

Martha and Donna glanced at each other and then began to hack the zombie's heads off. They gave out delighted yells when the corpses dissolved into dust and they began a frenzy of decapitation. Meanwhile, the Doctor and Rose were at their backs clearing a path towards the exit.

"See, you didn't need the Bad Wolf after all. She knows what she's doing. She knows how capable you are without her help." the Doctor said to Rose.

Rose smiled and lobbed off another head.

"Bit grisly doing this though." she said as another head went flying.

"Well, just think of it this way," the Doctor said glancing at her. "They're all dead anyway, just under a spell. By doing this, we're bringing them peace at last."

Rose nodded. She hit a zombie in the face with the butt of her sword when it tried to lunge at her and then chopped off its head when it reeled back. This time it dissolved into dust before it hit the ground and Rose coughed violently when some of it blew up into her face.

By hacking and chopping, they finally managed to get the situation back under control to the point that it took no effort to decapitate the attacking zombies. Once the ones behind them were dispatched, they all turned and concentrated on hacking their way towards the exit. The muscles in their arms began to ache and it seemed like they would never get past all the zombies. But, thankfully, as they went down the path, the zombies began to thin out and they saw less and less until there was only one left. The Doctor dispatched him easily and with a sigh of relief, they watched as the last corpse fell to the floor and dissolved into dust. The four fighters fell against each other, exhausted.

"Okay," the Doctor said gulping in air. "I think that qualifies as your training session for today. Now let's go back to the TARDIS and pass out."

"Sounds good to me." Rose panted.

Donna and Martha nodded, too exhausted to speak.

All of them paused for a moment to catch their breath and rest their aching arms. Then, after they had gotten their second wind, they headed back down the corridor towards the exit. After several minutes, they finally saw the stairs and they all gave a joyful yell.

"Oh God, I can't wait to get inside the TARDIS and take a nice, long shower so I can get this zombie stink off me!" Rose said.

The Doctor smiled.

"Well, in that case, after you." He said gesturing to the stairs.

Rose started to go up when suddenly she felt someone grab her from behind. All of them stared at Mordrok as he wrapped his right arm around her neck.

"You may have defeated my men, Doctor, but I will not be denied Rose." He rasped out.

He held up the ring.

"The ring hasn't reached full potency, but it will still change her enough that she will be mine forever."

"Don't do it, Mordrok! I'm warning you!' the Doctor said.

Rose struggled to get out of his grip, but Mordrok closed his arm tight around her windpipe. Choking, she stopped struggling. He put the ring in his right hand and forced Rose's hand up to it.

"I mean it, Mordrok. Do it and you'll be signing your death warrant!" the Doctor snarled.

"You don't scare me, Doctor. I have your love in my arms and you won't do anything if she's endangered. All of you have lost! Now drop your swords and get on your knees or I will torture her."

The Doctor looked at Rose and noticed her eyes starting to glow with a golden light. She winked at him and he smiled in understanding.

"You heard him, drop the swords." The Doctor said to Martha and Donna.

The two women sighed angrily and threw their swords to the ground. All of them knelt around him.

"Excellent, I knew you'd see things my way." Mordrok said. "Sadly, that is not enough to save Rose. I'm afraid she is mine forever."

"I think not!"

Mordrok paused when he noticed Rose's voice had changed. He glanced at the Doctor who had a smirk on his face.

"What have you done?" Mordrok demanded.

"I've done nothing." He said shrugging. "Why don't you turn Rose around and see her for yourself?"

Mordrok stared at him warily. He slowly turned Rose and was taken aback when he saw the golden glow in her eyes.

"What have you done?" he said in wonderment. "What sorcery is this?"

"It is no sorcery, I am the Bad Wolf, the guardian of Rose Tyler." She said.

"What?" Mordrok said. "The child carries a guardian spirit within her?"

"Yes, she does. I have been with her since the moment of her birth watching over and protecting her."

"I sensed there was something different about her from the moment I saw her," Mordrok said. "And now I see why! Now, I know without a doubt that she will make the perfect queen for me!"

"No, you will never have her. She belongs with the Doctor!"

"I think not, I am Mordrok the Magnificent and whatever I want, I get!"

The Bad Wolf smirked.

"Well then, Mordrok the Magnificent, I believe you are about to learn that there are some things in the universe that are off limits even to you!"

"You do not scare me. Once I slide this ring upon your mistress's finger, I will not only have her, I will have you as well! I will not only have a beautiful wife, but I will also control a goddess and…"

He trailed off when he noticed the ring disintegrating into atoms and blowing away into the wind.

"You were saying?" the Bad Wolf said smirking.

"You demon! I will destroy you both for this!"

"How are you going to do that without a head?"

Mordrok stared at her in confusion. Then, he noticed the Bad Wolf look over his shoulder and smile. He turned and saw the Doctor standing behind him with his sword raised.

"Yes, I agree, it'll be quite hard for you to harm Rose or anyone else without your head!" he said.

Mordrok had just enough time to gasp as the Doctor swung at his neck. His head flew off his body and everyone stepped back as both parts fell to the ground and dissolved into dust. Everyone cheered as the Bad Wolf smiled proudly.

"Once again I am in your debt." The Doctor said to her. "I thank you."

"No thanks is necessary. I knew you could handle Mordrok, I only appeared to provide a distraction so you could defeat him, and get rid of the ring so it wouldn't hurt Rose or anyone else. That is the only reason I am here now."

She looked at Donna.

"Sorry, but I chose not to come when you called. You did not need me at the time."

"Speak for yourself." Donna replied.

The Bad Wolf looked at the Doctor.

"Thanks to you and your companion's efforts, you will not have any trouble getting back to the TARDIS now." She said.

She smiled warmly at him and stepped closer.

"But, just between us, the next time you and Rose decide to go explore an unknown planet, I would think twice before you did it." She said with a wink.

"Yes, believe me; I will be more careful in future now."

The Bad Wolf raised her eyebrow.

"You will?" she said amused.

The Doctor grinned at her.

"Naaaaaaah!" he said.

The Bad Wolf laughed.

"I thought as much. Ah well, seems I was on to something when I made the decision to look after you all those years ago, you are proving to be quite a handful, my dear Doctor!"

"You can say that again!" Martha muttered.

The Bad Wolf took his hands.

"Just…try at least to heed the carved warnings on the walls, okay?" She said.

The Doctor grinned.

"That I can do." He replied.

She squeezed his hands.

"And now, I must bid you adieu once more. You have a TARDIS to get back to and a confused companion to enlighten once she wakes up."

"Can't you make it so Rose knows what's going on whenever you appear?" Donna asked.

The Bad Wolf looked at her and shook her head.

"No, when I possess her body I need her out of the way so she does not interfere with me, therefore she must be put to sleep until I am ready to retreat back into her mind. There is no way we can both be awake and share her body at the same time. I'm afraid you will just have to put up with the inconvenience of filling her in after I am done."

"As long as she is with me alive and safe, I will gladly put up with that inconvenience." The Doctor replied.

The Bad Wolf smiled and nodded. She put her hand against his cheek.

"I will do all in my power to protect her and the ones you care about and I know you will do the same." She said. "It is good to speak with you again, my valiant warrior, but now it is time for me to go. Know that I am watching over all of you and helping you even though I do not come when you feel you most need me. I do help in my own little way."

She smiled at Donna.

"For instance, I did put that bobby pin under the dresser in your bedroom just as you suspected." She said. "And you are most welcome. I was glad to assist. And know that is how I will help you most of the time, in little ways like that. I rarely get involved in battles unless there is absolutely no way out. You were correct too, Doctor, about all of you becoming lazy and slothful if I constantly helped you. I care about all of you too much to let you become that way. All of you are more than capable of getting out of any situation. It's just that sometimes you need a tiny bit of help from time to time." She said winking.

She stepped back.

"And now, my friends, it is time to go. Goodbye, until we meet again!"

The Doctor, Martha, and Donna said goodbye. They watched as the Bad Wolf closed her eyes and Rose opened them. She glanced around in confusion.

"Huh? Where's Mordrok?" she said.

The Doctor smiled at Martha and Donna and then put his arm around her.

"Come on, I'll explain on the way back to the TARDIS." He said.

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(One week later…)

"Ah, good morning, my dear ladies." The Doctor said as the three of them entered the kitchen. "How did the training session go today?"

Rose beamed.

"Donna killed Dalek Caan!" she said overjoyed.

The Doctor gave her a delighted look.

"You did?"

"Yeah, I finally got the tin bugger. I think battling all those zombies helped my fighting skills!" Donna replied.

"YES! NOW AT LAST WE CAN GO SEARCH FOR HIM!" the Doctor yelled leaping from his seat.

He paused when he saw the horrified look on Donna's face.

"What? You didn't think you were just doing that training exercise for fun, did ya? I do want to put him out of commission and I was hoping to send the three of you in as a first strike unit."

He stared at her for a moment and then an evil grin spread over his face. Donna gave him a dirty look as he chuckled and walked out of the room. She looked at her two friends.

"Next training session, I say we load up a hologram of him instead of the Dalek." She said.

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The Doctor sat comfortably in the captain's chair with his feet propped up on the end of the console. At the moment, the TARDIS was flying through the vortex and he was racking his brain trying to think of somewhere nice he could take his companions.

He smiled when he saw Rose come over to him and sit down.

"So, what's the plan, fearless leader?" she asked him.

The Doctor put his arm around her shoulders.

"I'm trying to figure out where to go next." He said.

Rose giggled.

"Shouldn't you be running that by the committee back there?"

The Doctor stared at her with wide eyes.

"Oh come on, you mean they still want me to clear it with---"

"No, I was just kidding, I don't think they mind where you go." She said.

The Doctor sighed.

"Yeah, as long as I know something about the planet." He said, rolling his eyes.

Rose played with his hair.

"Well, after what happened with Mordrok, I think they might have a point." She said.

"Yeah, but you gotta admit, it was an exciting adventure." He said grinning at her.

Rose raised her eyebrow.

"Doctor, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"When you lived on Gallifrey, did you ever have any holidays like Christmas where you got presents?"

"Oh yeah, we had plenty of festivals where we exchanged gifts with our friends and family. Why do you ask?"

"Because I can see you as the kind of kid who got bored with his toys after two seconds and was always look for something bigger and more exciting to play with. Am I right?"

The Doctor beamed.

"Spot on, Tyler." He said kissing her cheek.

He slapped his hands.

"Now, shall we round up the rest of the gang and figure out where to go next?" he said.

"Sounds good to me."

He leapt up and took Rose's hand.

"Actually, I was kinda thinking of taking you all to Aquaqarium. The planet is one big ocean and all the inhabitants live under the water in huge crystal cities. How's that sound?"

"Sounds great."

"Great, let's go see if the other two will go for it!"

"And if they don't?"

The Doctor paused.

"Then, we just keep on talking until they see things our way!"

Rose giggled. She and the Doctor kissed as they walked out of the console room in search of their two friends.

THE END