#* // ch. old soldiers are hard to kill ( ana. )

[saiilorstars]

The Beginning of Everything

Ch. 32: And That’s the Beginning and End of Everything

// Story Masterlist // 

Fandom: Doctor Who

Pairing: 10th Doctor x Female OC

Taglist: @ocfairygodmother @anotherunreadblog @maaaaarveeeeel​

[If you would like to be added to this specific OC’s taglist, let me know!]

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Chapter summary: The final face-off between Renata and the Assessor begins in the middle of the final battle between her, the Doctor and the Time Lords. Who will survive? And what will the sisters do to each other?

[Renata’s new face claim is Livia Brito and the Assessor’s is Ana Brenda]

‘I love her, and that's the beginning and end of everything.' - F. Scott Fitzgerald.

~ 0 ~

Present Day.

The Doctor worked truly hard on the Vinvocci equipment to get them back to Earth. There was a new incentive and it was a huge one!

"But you said your people were dead, past tense," Wilf was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that these Time Lords were no longer dead. Five minutes ago they had been. What changed?

"Inside the Time War, when the whole War was time-locked — like sealed inside a bubble. It's not a bubble but think of a bubble. Nothing can get in or get out of the time-lock. Don't you see? Nothing can get in or get out, except something that was already there."

"And that was the signal. The Master has been hearing it since he was a child because that's what the High Council did." Renata was doing her best not to get distracted while fixing the wires in front of her. She was still trying to process everything she had remembered. The Assessor and the Council...everything they did. How could she forget that? Well, she had a pretty good idea. She had regenerated into her last incarnation only hours after the Assessor had taken the Whitepoint Star from her. It was a traumatizing war, a terrible death — she had pushed it all away to start anew. She sealed everything away except for the deal she made with the Assessor. That's all that survived with her."

"If they can follow the signal, they can escape, before they die," the Doctor said in a quick-paced tone.

"And that's not good?" Wilf assumed by their terrified faces.

"Not the Time Lords at the end of the War," the Doctor shook his head. "It changed them completely, right to the core."

"My own sister became even more heartless than before," Renata's hands stopped working again. "She stole my necklace to use it for the High Council's needs. She had no regard for my pain."

"I am going to need you both to start explaining what the hell you're talking about!" Addams strode up to the pair with no intention of letting them go. "You killed our ship and now you want to fix it to go back there!?"

"Just shut up and listen!" snapped the Doctor in a loud volume, startling Addams. "Right, you! This is a salvage ship, yes? You go trawling the asteroid fields for junk?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"So, you've got asteroid lasers!"

"Yeah, but they're all frazzled," Rossiter reminded them with a pointed look on Renata, only now the Time Lady wasn't concerned with the ship. She was too deep in her thoughts.

"Consider them unfrazzled." The Doctor flipped a lever and made two doors on opposite sides of the room slide right open. "You there - I'm going to need you on navigation." He nodded at Addams then moved onto Rossiter. "And you, get in the laser-pod. Wilfred?"

"Yeah?"

"Laser number two. The old soldier's got one more battle!"

"Right!"

"But this ship can't move. It's dead!" Addams reminded them, but the Doctor had taken care of that as well.

"Fix the heating!" he pushed two large levers on either side of the control panel, starting the ship back up.

Addams still didn't look too pleased. "...now they can see us," she pointed out, folding her arms.

"Oh, yes!" the Doctor turned away and grabbed Renata's hand, pulling her away from the controls. He settled down for her, for that moment. "We're going to get that back, okay? That Whitepoint Star? You're getting it back, I promise."

Renata met his gaze and raised an eyebrow at him. "You would fight for it?" She let the doubt cover each of her words. Why would he fight for a necklace that her husband gave her? If what he said about her was true, wouldn't he be overly jealous about the jewel?

"Because it's important to you," the Doctor answered both her out-loud question and her silent question. He wiped a few tears off her face with his thumbs. "And a good man gave it to you." He never even met Elek but he knew - from the very start - that he had been nothing but kind to Renata. He had cherished her and loved her each day of his lives. He'd done what the Doctor wished he could've, and he would never harbor any resentment towards the man. If anything, he owed Elek for messing up the beginning of his relationship with Renata. If it hadn't been for him, perhaps Renata could've truly loved Elek.

"This is my ship!" Addams exclaimed, pulling the Doctor back to the present. "You're not moving it. Step away from the wheel!"

"There's an old Earth saying, Captain, A phrase of great power, and wisdom, and consolation to the soul in times of need," the Doctor began, straight serious that even for a second there, Renata was curious what old quote he knew.

"What's that, then?" Addams asked.

"Allons-y!"

Renata's face went flat. "Oh you—" But the ship lurched forwards, ending whatever she was going to say.

His piloting skills were really questionable. It apparently didn't matter if it was a TARDIS or a ship — he just wasn't the best pilot. The others practically screamed as the ship took a harder pace as it entered the Earth's atmosphere.

"You are blinkin', flippin' mad!" Addams gripped onto a railing, letting her scream echo throughout the room.

The Doctor ignored her and called to Rossiter and Wilf to go into the laser pods just like he told them once. "We've got to fight off the entire planet!"

"How does this thing work!?" Wilf called from his pod. Everything was all fancy, nothing like in his time.

"The tracking's automatic. Just deploy the trigger on the joystick!" Rossiter explained from his own pod.

"Doctor, we've got incoming!" Renata managed to put herself in front of a computer without falling.

"You two, open fire!" the Doctor called to the pods. They were just getting the hang of the controls but they needed to act fast before the missiles struck them.

It seemed like Rossiter got it first. He gave quite a war scream as he took out the first missile.

Wilf soon got the hang of it and took care of the second and third missile. "Ha, ha! Oh, I wish Donna could see me now!" She would've had the laugh of her life seeing her old gramps in a space battle.

Addams had found her way to the computers beside Renata and was appalled to see the missiles doubling in numbers. "There's 16! And then another 16 of them!" They were going to die alright.

"Go to the rear-gun lasers!" ordered the Doctor.

"Show me where!" Renata told the Vinvocci urgently.

Of course with the Doctor's attempts to evade the missiles, the flying ship would send both women back and forth before they could actually reach their intended location. It was impossible when the ship actually spun. But at least they got all the missiles down and the only casualty was the front window being blown away.

"Lock the navigation!" the Doctor instructed afterwards. "To England! The Naismith mansion!"

Addams inwardly groaned but did as told. Renata struggled to make her world stop spinning after such a terrible flight, but eventually she found the Doctor's arm to keep her steady.

"How are we landing, exactly?" She sent him a sharp look. His mind had suddenly stopped being so open to hers. The ship neared the England ocean, Addams warning them they were getting lower and lower. "Doctor?" Renata asked again, her grip on his arm becoming tighter as the Time Lord refused to answer.

"Doctor!" Wilf came rushing into the room after getting out of his pod, along with Rossiter. "Doctor, you said you were going to die!"

"He said what!?" Addams gawked and immediately shot the Doctor a warning look. She was not going to become part of whatever plan that man had.

"But is that all of us?" asked Wilf. "I won't stop you, sir, but is this it?"

"Absolutely not!" Addams screamed her head off since nobody was listening to her.

Renata, on the other hand, was the opposite. She did not scream, she did not scowl, not even frown. She only stared at the Doctor. "What are you planning?" Her tone was dangerously low, though. It was that type of scary anger where a scream wouldn't cover it.

His mind had been completely shut from her now.

The Doctor was grim but just for her, he would let it go for one moment. "I do love you, Renee. And I won't let you die for me." He pulled his gaze away from hers, as if that would make him braver. He bent down to the ground, right over the hatch.

"I don't know what you're planning but you are not leaving me behind," Renata warned him, watching him try to lift the hatch. "I'm done with that. You're not getting rid of me this time." She was determined to show him that this incarnation was different from her previous ones. She may not know where she stood with him in regards to an actual relationship, but she knew that where he was she wanted to be too. They were a team, albeit an unorthodox one, but a team. In fact, she didn't think she ever felt such a determination.

She didn't even notice the golden wisps of energy briefly emanating from her fingertips.

The Doctor held Wilf's gun tightly in one hand. He raised his head to see Renata staring down at him. "Not you," he tried to say but Renata bent down next to him, letting them be face to face.

"Only me," she corrected. "Because only I will fight for you the way you deserve it. It's not just you anymore, it's me too. If they are back then I want a word with them." Her eyes flickered to the revolver in his hand. She wasn't sure how to feel about that but she supposed once they stood in front of...them, she would know. So, she seized the Doctor's free hand and cracked a smile, almost a smirk. And then, just like that, she threw herself down the ship first but with their connected hands the Doctor was right beside her. They fell down the long way, crashing through the glass dome of the Naismith mansion. Each shard that penetrated their skin was painful enough, but then came the solid smack of the ground.

Rassilon was mildly impressed with the entrance, but nothing would beat theirs. He looked over his shoulder where a few of the Council had gathered with him, along with the two who dared to object to their plan of salvation.

"My Lord Doctor. My Lord Master. We are gathered for the end," he said once he returned his attention to the trio.

The Doctor grunted as he peeled himself off the floor. He tried taking the revolver off the floor as well but he only managed to briefly aim it at Rassilon before dropping it again. His entire body was aching and he doubted that this time he would be able to heal from it. He glanced to his left and saw Renata more or less groaning the same.

"Renata," he tried to help her but his arms were too weak to help anyone, even himself. "Renata!"

"What did you say?" demanded a sharp voice behind Rassilon.

Renata scrunched her face — her face that now hurt — but she ultimately picked herself up better than the Doctor. It was when she was on her feet that she finally saw what was around them. She stopped completely at the sight of the Assessor. Of course her sister wouldn't recognize her, yet. The Assessor was too focused on the Doctor beside Renata. Just like those centuries ago, her eyes still held the same hatred.

"It is a fitting paradox that our salvation comes at the hands of our most infamous child," Rassilon went on, speaking primarily to the Master standing only a few feet from the pair.

"Oh, he's not saving you. Don't you realize what he's doing?" the Doctor struggled to speak without feeling the echoes of pain inside his chest. Renata helped him stand up but she had to keep a grip around him for a few minutes.

"Hey, no, hey! That's mine! Hush!" snapped the Master as he moved around the room."Look around you. I've transplanted myself into every single human being. But who wants a mongrel little species like them? Because now I can transplant myself into every single Time Lord. Oh, yes, Mr President, sir, standing there all noble and resplendent and decrepit. Think how much better you're going to look as me!"

The threat made no effect on any Time Lord. The Assessor let out a small noise akin to condescension.

Rassilon held out his gauntlet-covered hand and with one glow of it, the humans all returned to normal. The Master was mortified to see his grand plan stripped from him like that, so easily like it never even happened.

"No, don't...! No, no, no, stop it! No, no! No, no! Don't!"

"On your knees, mankind," demanded Rassilon and since all the humans there had the sense to be afraid, they knelt without protest.

The Master took in a deep breath as he tried to see he wasn't completely lost. "No, that's fine, that's good, because you said salvation. I still saved you, don't forget that."

"Oh, they never cared," Renata groaned with exasperation. She looked over her shoulder to the man. "Don't you get it? The High Council never cared. They are responsible for that noise in your head. I saw them throw my Whitepont Star just to establish the link that would save them."

"What did you say?" the Assessor once again demanded, this time her eyes narrowing on Renata. "How could you possibly know that?"

Renata whipped her head to meet her sister's gaze. Unlike the last time she saw the Assessor, she wasn't afraid. She didn't fear her sister anymore. After everything that she'd gone through recently, the Assessor was no one to have fear for. "I was wrong, you didn't take everything away from me…" the Assessor's eyes were beginning to widen, "You forced my hand and I stupidly played into it. You're not going to do the same again to me. CeCe."

The Assessor was rightfully stunned. Her dark eyes scrutinized the black haired woman from head to toe. The clothes were far to vulgar to be that of a Time Lady but then again only her sister would call her that wretched nickname. "...Renata?" Renata raised her head high, just like she was accustomed to. It was her place, after all. That's what the Assessor always said. "How...how are you…?"

"I tricked you," Renata said with no attempt to hide her smirk. "Because in the end, CeCe, I tricked you."

Though her words were brief, it was enough to send the Assessor into a whole new level of rage. "What do you me—" But before she could finish the question, a violent rumbling rocked them all on their feet. A bright light lit up from the windows.

"What's going on!?" the Master scowled.

"Something is returning. Don't you ever listen?" the Doctor was just as exasperated. "That was the prophecy. Not someone, something."

"What is it?"

"They're not just bringing back the species. It's Gallifrey. Right here, right now!"

Because now the Gallifrey as a whole was coming, intending on knocking Earth out of its own orbit to take its place.

The Master was beyond shocked that he'd been played like that. "But I...I did this. I get the credit!" he started scowling again as he looked at the Time Lords. "I'm on your side!"

"You're on their side because they wanted it to be so!" snapped Renata. "They're manipulators," she said directly at her sister. "No regard for anyone else but their own skin. Such a shame that you're what's left."

The Assessor's face grew red as a tomato from the anger. "You will not speak to me like that!"

"What are you going to do!? You already took everything! There's nothing left to dangle in front of me anymore!" Renata's humorless laughter only made her sister infuriate more. "You have finally met a version of me that you can't control. It must burn."

Chaos was ensuing all over the room. The humans were terrified of the intruding alien planet coming for theirs so they ran out. Wilf made it inside but before he could reach the Doctor or Renata, he found his way towards the technician booths where one employee was desperately banging against the glass doors to be let out. The Doctor could barely move as it was, and he didn't know who to go to. The Master? Wilf who was now locked in one of the booths? Or the two sisters in a standoff? Or the mastermind behind everything, Rassilon?

"But this is fantastic, isn't it?" the Master rose from the ground, ignoring the Doctor's glare. He still wasn't getting it!? Amazing. "The Time Lords restored."

"You weren't there in the final days of the War!" the Doctor cut in before he made any other assumptions. "You never saw what was born. But if the time-lock's broken, then everything's coming through, not just the Daleks, but the Skaro Degradations, the Horde of Travesties, the Nightmare Child, the Could-Have-Been King with his army of Meanwhiles and Never-weres, the War turning to hell. And that's what you opened, right above the Earth. Hell is descending!"

It wasn't admittedly what he had in mind but the Master would take it if it meant victorious. "My kind of world."

"Just listen! 'Cause even the Time Lords can't survive that!"

"We will initiate the Final Sanction. The end of time will come at my hand," Rassilon confirmed. "The rupture will continue, until it rips the Time Vortex apart."

"That's suicide," the Master said.

Even the Assessor had paused for a moment to evaluate the implications. "My Lord…"

"We will ascend to become creatures of consciousness alone, free of these bodies, free of time, and cause and effect, while creation itself ceases to be."

"Was that...was that the final plan?" Renata was truly horrified to hear that, much more to know that her sister was in on such a plan. "CeCe…"

The Assessor faltered. Her eyes flickered to Renata, letting her see for one moment a scared woman. "I...I didn't know the extension of the plan but…" She took in a breath, one that was hard too from what Renata saw, "...if it our Lord President's decision then...we will follow."

"No," Renata shook her head, utterly disgusted.

"This is what made me do it," the Doctor told her quietly. "I knew what they were planning and I had to stop them."

Renata's eyes watered up. "Oh CeCe...how far you've gone…"

"We do what we must to survive," the Assessor said with her head held high. "I always do what I must, something you clearly—" Her eyes hardened on the Doctor, "—will never get. You say you tricked me, Renata, and for what? For him? The man who, as much as he tries, will never be good enough for you." She took a heavy pleasure watching the Doctor react to her words. Even centuries later, it still hurt him to know the truth.

"He was always good for me," Renata's voice was soft and honest when she looked at the Doctor. "I was trapped and for one moment — one small moment in my life — he made me happy." Her mind then opened up to show the Doctor those precious memories of theirs back on Gallifrey. They were running down hallways, sneaking around to see something they shouldn't but something that always brought out her laughter. They bantered and bickered about the oddest of things and even when the Doctor clearly won — from his vast well of knowledge — he never belittled her like the Assessor would. He would explain and show her what he meant. Their hugs, their hand-holding, their kisses — they were all treasured memories.

The Doctor saw them all one by one and felt the stinging of tears pricking his eyes. They were his best memories too. He brought a hand over Renata's cheek. "I was only happy there too," he nodded.

The Assessor audibly growled at the pair, completely outraged that her words were no longer holding the effect they always did. "Let go of her!" she yelled.

The Doctor did but only to sent a dark glare in her direction. "You hurt her."

"And you didn't?" she almost laughed in his face.

"I did and I will always regret it," the Doctor swallowed hard. "But I will always try to make up for it, if she allows it..." He glanced at Renata with nothing but hope that she really would let him try at least.

"Enough of this!" the Master pushed them apart to get up front. "Let me ascend into glory." He knelt down in front of Rassilon with his arms outstretched.

"You are diseased, albeit a disease of our own making. No more," Rassilon didn't look at him twice. He let his gauntlet do the talking. Energy started springing from it but before it reached out to the Master, a revolver clicking took the moment away.

The Doctor had found his strength to aim it right at the President.

Rassilon seemed amused but he would humor the Doctor by making a well pointed out difference. "Choose your enemy well. We are many. The Master is but one."

"But he's the President. Kill him, and Gallifrey could be yours!" the Master jumped on the boat that would save his skin. However, the Doctor turned the gun on him now. "Oh! He's to blame, not me! Oh, the link is inside my head. Kill me, the link gets broken, they go back. You never would, you coward. Go on then. Do it."

Renata's head changed each time the aim did. She didn't know what to do, how to help, but she just wanted to do something.

"I told you that he would ruin you," the Assessor spoke from her spot, raising her head as she smirked proudly. Once again, she'd been right. "He could never be on our level."

Renata closed her eyes as a new wave of fury rippled through her. The Assessor would never be able to change her tune. There were always these small moments where the Assessor would do something that would make Renata believe that perhaps her sister wasn't all bad. But maybe it was just a fact. It wasn't the Council's fault that her sister was the way she was.

The golden energy once again sparked from her fingers but this time the Assessor noticed it, although she wasn't sure what it was.

"The final act of your life is murder. But which one of us?" Rassilon taunted the Doctor as the Time Lord once again switched aims to hold it at the Master.

Behind Rassilon, however, there was a woman who'd been covering her face and the Doctor noticed her lowering her hands. He blinked twice to make sure he was seeing right. He couldn't...he couldn't quite remember but…

A bubbling feeling took place in his chest, like a wave of serenity coming to aid him. The Doctor watched the woman's eyes flicker to something on their side. With the gun being pointed at him for so long, the Master was beginning to realize that this was truly the end for him. He locked eyes with the Doctor, almost accepting that he'd lost all over again.

"Get out of the way," the Doctor suddenly ordered.

A grin broke across the Master's face. He dove out of the way and gave the Doctor the opportunity to shoot the device holding the Whitepoint Star. Once shot, the link went dead.

"The link is broken. Back into the Time War, Rassilon. Back into hell!" he cried with just a hint of a smirk.

"You'll die with me, Doctor!" warned Rassilon.

"I know," the Doctor let the revolver drop to the floor. This was where he met his end as well.

But Rassilon never made a move. The Master did. "Get out of the way!" he told the Doctor and Renata. "You did this to me!" He started firing electric bolts at Rassilon. The President staggered backwards with each blow. The Assessor quickly dove out of the way before she was caught in the crossfire. "All of my life! You made me! One! Two! Three! FOUR!" He gave the last powerful blow but he'd gotten too close to the link as well and was pulled in with it.

And so the link started pulling everything else.

"You blundering idiots!" the Assessor lost her entire cool facade as she fled from the link's grip. "We have the right to survive! We are Time Lords!" She stormed directly towards Renata and grabbed her by the shoulders, shoving the Doctor away. "And you! You had a duty! I always did everything right and I always made sure that you did everything right!" Renata allowed her sister to continue shaking her like a rag doll, but inside something was burning. Literally. "But you were always the odd one! Of course it had to be you! You-you had to go and fall in love with the likes of him! That — it was the beginning of everything! If you had never met the Doctor, then you would've done your job as a Time Lady!"

"LET ME GO!" Renata seized her sister's arms, squeezing them with a golden energy wrapping around them. The Assessor's eyes widened when she saw the same energy swirling inside her sister's eyes. "You're right, meeting the Doctor was the start of it all. It was the beginning of everything and it should have had a much different ending! A better one! But you took care of that! You made sure that I was as miserable as you! Elek never deserved me because I couldn't love him the right way. But you know what? I am so done with you Cece. I dare to think that even while I was out there, fighting our war, you considered me dead. I was never going to be your sister, no matter what I did for you. Because all you ever cared about was appearances and the High Council. So..." Renata felt a terrible pang across her chest knowing what she would have to do. "You want to die for their cause? Then go right ahead, but I refuse to follow you any longer. Serve your people like you always did. Till the end."

The Assessor tried shaking out of Renata's death grip. The energy around her was burning like fires from the war and it only seemed to be getting stronger. "What...what are you?" Her voice trembled with fear as she watched the energy dance around her sister's body.

"I don't know," Renata answered honestly while the golden energy spread behind her back, flapping like a butterfly. The Assessor soon recalled the Visionary's scroll. The Time Vortex and a butterfly. The Vortex Butterfly. "I love you Cece but it's time to say goodbye."

The Assessor's eyes widened one last time before Renata pushed her away with her newfound energy. The Assessor was the last thing to go into the pull before everything was shut off.

"Renata!" the Doctor tried reaching her but Renata screamed as she once again expelled golden energy. He was thrown back, hitting the side of a machine with a thud.

Unlike the other times where Renata would collapse from expelling energy, it gathered behind her back again and fluttered brilliantly like a golden butterfly. Renata sucked in a deep breath and tilted her head back, her arms stretching outwards. She could feel the energy moving with her, not against her this time. It was becoming a part of her, solidifying as her regeneration finally stabilized.

Far, far away one Gabby Gonzalez felt the echoes of the Time Vortex alerting her that Renata would be just fine.

When the golden energy died down, Renata was left standing but she appeared to be hazed for a moment. She raised her left hand, turning her palm over and smiled when a small butterfly formed above it.

"Ren…?"

Renata turned her head to see the Doctor struggling to get off the ground on his own. "Doctor!" she dashed to help him. "Oh, look at you!" She cupped his battered face.

"It's okay, I'm still alive. You're alive," he laughed shakily, prompting her to do the same.

"Yes, yes, we are," she agreed and kissed his nose. "I'm sorry what she said — the Assessor. She's going back and she's going to offer me the deal, and I'm going to say yes because she betrayed me. I'm a terrible person." She could remember perfectly now the way her deal was granted. They would offer the new cycle as a last hope that she would take the Moment from the Doctor, but Renata had seen what they nearly did. Her sister had stolen from her without a second though. She would betray them because they betrayed her.

"It's okay," the Doctor wound an arm around her neck, bunching some of her hair as he brought her closer to him, resting their foreheads against each other's. "It's okay, you never have to apologize for that."

But just as they relished in their victory, in their moments, they heard four knocks against glass. Renata flinched against the Doctor's forehead while the Doctor himself froze. The four knocks went again and this time they turned to see where it came from. Wilf was knocking against the glass of the booth he was in. He'd let the technician go without realizing what would come out of it.

"They've gone, then? Good-oh. If you could let me out...?" he smiled meekly.

The Doctor swallowed hard as he pushed himself up. "Yeah…"

Renata couldn't stand right then.

"Only, this thing seems to be making a bit of a noise," Wilf pointed behind him to the whirring control panel behind him.

"The Master...left the nuclear bolt running. It's gone into overload."

"And that's bad, is it?"

"No...'cause all the excess radiation gets vented inside there. Vinvocci glass contains it. All 500,000 rads, about to flood that thing."

"Oh! Well, you'd better let me out, then!"

"It's not that easy," Renata scrunched her face to keep herself from crying. She forced herself to stand up and turn around. "It's gone critical. Touch one control and it floods. Even our sonics would set it off."

"...I'm sorry," Wilf said once he realized what it meant. All this time he'd been so worried that the Master would kill them and it turned out to be him. "Look, just leave me."

"Okay, right then, I will," the Doctor said as if he would really do it. As if. "Cause you had to go in there, didn't you? You had to go and get stuck, oh, yes! 'Cause that's who you are, Wilfred. You were always this. Waiting for me all this time!" He was related to Donna Noble, of course her convergence wouldn't end with just her. It had to extend to her grandfather and yet the Doctor wouldn't leave him there. He couldn't.

"No, really, just leave me. I'm an old man, Doctor. I've had my time."

"Well, exactly. Look at you. Not remotely important. But me? I could do so much more!" the Doctor yelled at the ceiling and turned away in deep fury. "So much more! But this is what I get. My reward. And it's not fair!" He swiped an entire desk clear but stopped when he caught himself, when he caught his words.

Was he really throwing a child's tantrum? Acting like a God who fought to stay alive even when his time was clearly up? That's exactly what he did on Mars. It keeps happening, he realized. This life...he'd lived it too long, so long and most of the time it had been heartbreak after heartbreak that it finally got to him. He let it get to him.

"I've lived too long," he concluded out lout and turned back towards Wilf. "I played the game of Life and I went down a path that I shouldn't have. I'm not God, I never should have tried to be one. This is my punishment, a lesson."

"Doctor, it's not," Renata said sadly. "You know what? Let me do it."

The Doctor humorlessly laughed. "You died once when I promised you that I would be there for you—"

"But you were!" she blurted, no longer caring what it would do to the future. "You were there, Doctor! Just...just not this you!" The Doctor only paused so that she could explain herself better. "You promised me that you would come back and you did. Another you did. A...future you. He came and he was with me when I died. He was there, telling me that I was going to be okay. He made my last moment peaceful and-and I don't want you to die now."

"I was there?" the Doctor asked, his eyes tearing up but this time with relief. "I was truly there?"

Renata nodded her head, tearing up herself. "Yes. You carried me out to my garden and you stayed with me until the end. So you see? This isn't a punishment."

"No, but it is where I have to go," he decided. "Because I need to be that man who can keep his promises to you."

"No, Doctor—"

"I want to be that man." He started towards the booth, forcing himself to keep his eyes locked ahead and not on the distraught Renata behind him. Despite Wilf's own protests, he opened the second booth door and stepped in. "Wilfred...it's my honour. Better be quick. Three, two, one." He pressed the button to release Wilf and once he was out, the radiation flooded his own booth.

"Doctor!" Renata ran towards the booth but it was far too late. He was being engulfed by the radiation. She was forced to watch him fall to the ground, curling up in true pain. Those few minutes felt like a lifetime for her.

But then, slowly, the Doctor regained his balance and was able to come out. Wilf was so confused but he still waved a hand. "Hello?"

"...hi," the Doctor stopped to help Renata stand on her feet. She'd fallen with him on the other side of the glass.

"Still with us?" Wilf asked again.

"The system's dead. I absorbed it all. Whole thing's kaput."

"There we are then, safe and sound. Mind you, you're in hell of a state. You've got some battle scars there."

Renata looked up at him as he covered his face with his hands, the next time he lowered them his injuries were completely healed.

Wilf was stunned. "But they've...your face! How did you do that?"

The Doctor stared at his hands. "It's started…"

Renata threw her arms around him, sniffling to herself but she promised at the same time that now she would be with him, just like he had been for her.

Do you mind one last round? The Doctor was looking at her with a resigned smile. She had no idea what he meant but she nodded her head fervently.

~ 0 ~

Sylvia Noble was right outside the house when the TARDIS materialized across the street and to their wonder, she was smiling.

"Hm, didn't know she did that," Renata remarked, actually making the Doctor and Wilf laugh beside her. She blinked after a moment when something hit her. "That was rude, wasn't it?"

The Doctor would let her ponder on that for a while. He turned to Wilf with a genuine smile. "Don't go thinking this is goodbye, Wilf. We'll see you again, one more time."

"What do you mean?" the man frowned. "When's that?"

"Just keep looking. We'll be there."

"Where are you going?"

"To get my reward." The Doctor reached for Renata's arm and gently tugged her into the TARDIS. They had a few stops to make after all.

~ 0 ~

Martha Jones ran as fast as she could down a paved area, but the rifle in her arms was a bit heavier than she thought it'd be. Finally, she ran up behind a concrete wall where her husband, Mickey Smith, was hiding at. He was appalled to see her there.

"I told you to stay behind!"

"You looked like you needed help. Besides, you're the one who persuaded me to go freelance!" she reminded him, leaving no chance of an argument there.

"Yeah, but we're being fired at by a Sontaran. A dumpling with a gun. And this is no place for a married woman!

Martha rolled her eyes. "Well, then. You shouldn't have married me!" But if he agreed with that, she'd kill him on the spot and he knew it.

Suddenly, the very Sontaran they were looking for caught them from behind. He was about to fire when a mallet struck him from behind. The Doctor held the mallet and gazed at Martha and Mickey, nonethewisers yet about their near death experience.

"If we go in here and down to the factory floor and down past that corridor, then he won't know that we're here.." Mickey was busy reading off a map when Martha shook his arm and pointed to the Doctor and Renata behind them. "Hey!" Mickey grinned, even Martha but it faltered when they truly saw the pair's grim faces.

"Ren…?" Martha squinted her eyes at the black-haired woman. She died. Martha felt tears come to her eyes but then she noticed the even worse face the Doctor had on and knew that the story wasn't completely over yet. "Oh no…"

The Doctor offered them one small smile before taking Renata's hand and leaving with her.

~ 0 ~

They finally met Sarah Jane's son, Luke Smith, although the boy was a bit distracted. The Doctor barely saved him from getting ran over by a car.

"But it's you!" Luke blinked at the man in front of him. He forgot all about his cellphone call. "Doctor! Mum! Mum!"

The Doctor smiled at him too then headed back for the TARDIS.

Luke caught up with mother - after looking before crossing the street - and told her about the Doctor. Sarah Jane caught him by the TARDIS and saw the him waving, but she knew that look. She'd know it anywhere. She smiled sadly as well.

~ 0 ~

Captain Jack wearily sat at a bar counter. He was off in how own world until a bartender stopped by to give him a note. "From the man over there."

'His name is Alonso'.

Jack took the note then looked over to see the Doctor and Renata. The Doctor nodded over to the quiet man sitting across from Jack, the same Alonso from the space Titanic. Jack knew what it all meant, even more so when the Doctor gave him a salute with a finger to his forehead.

He was saying goodbye.

Jack raised his head and gave him a proper salute.

~ 0 ~

Renata was front and center getting "A Journal of Impossible Things" signed by Verity Newman. "Lost touch there," Renata chuckled as the author, the granddaughter of her old friend, Joan, signed her copy.

"Yeah, you did," Verity agreed with her own chuckle. "Even did the whole face thing you told us about." Renata had always talked about it, her face changing was a possibility but of course that wasn't quite believed.

"I brought a friend," Renata pulled the Doctor from the line.

"Oh, lovely," Verity smiled at him. "Shall I add onto your book, Renata?"

"Please," Renata fondly looked at the Doctor. "Your name?"

"The Doctor," he told the author, expecting her to do a double take. Verity froze and looked him over and when she couldn't quite finish believing it was the same man, she checked for Renata's confirmation.

Renata gave the nod.

"Was she happy in the end?" the Doctor asked quietly. He knew from Renata's stories that Joan had lived a good life even after the whole mess he created, but he wanted to know from her own family too.

"Yes," Verity answered, smiling softly. "You and Renata changed her entire perspective of the world. It's why she traveled afterwards."

The Doctor smiled sadly. "Good."

~ 0 ~

Donna Noble had finally gotten married and was gleefully showing off her beautiful ring outside the church. And just as they were celebrating outside, Sylvia and Wilf noticed the Doctor around, along with Renata.

Wilf immediately set out for them. It had been months and he always wondered what happened to those two. "And here you are, same old face. Didn't I tell you you'd be all right? Oh! They've arrested Mr Naismith. It was on the news. Crimes undisclosed. And his daughter. Both of 'em, locked up."

"That's good to know," Renata nodded.

"I just wanted to give you this," the Doctor handed Wilf an envelope. "Wedding present. Thing is, I never carry money. So I just popped back in time, borrowed a quid off a really lovely man. Geoffrey Noble, his name was. "Have it," he said." Sylvia gasped with chills from hearing her husband practically gave their daughter her wedding present. " Have that on me."

"The one time we can bend the rules," Renata smiled proudly as she curled her arm around the Doctor's. "Donna deserves the entire world." She watched Donna have a laugh while the photographer took her picture.

The Doctor gave a final look at Donna as well. That was his best friend, and she would finally get a good ending, one that she did deserve. The pair started back for the console, only stopping to give Wilf and Sylvia a proper goodbye as well. Both sides were tearing up. It was impossible not to.

~ 0 ~

Gabby had stuck to her drawing from the moment Renata had left with that strange man claiming to be the Doctor. She had a feeling that he was being honest, but she just needed a bit more time to confirm for herself. Still, she knew Renata would never go off with a stranger and much less a stranger who had the same TARDIS (least that's what it looked like from outside). Her head had been a bit frantic for a few moments here and there that day.

Gabby clung to hope that they survived whatever they had fought on Earth. She kept remembering the little feeling she got last night. It was so strange because she'd been drawing like usual when there was a ping in her heart. A purple energy wafted from her fingertips, remnants of the Cosmic Butterfly. It was only for a few seconds before it calmed down and turned into a beautiful swirl of purple butterflies and she suddenly knew that Renata was fine. It was like a wave of peace that washed over her. It was for that reason that Gabby continued to wait for them to come back. She knew what she felt was real. They couldn't be dead. They just couldn't be. They had already lost Donna and Gabby didn't know what she would do if she lost Renata and the Doctor too.

With all those concerns and unanswered questions, Gabby set out to draw. She had a few doodles of Donna which she hoped would become the basis of her next statue. She was just finishing shading Donna's bright orange hair when she heard the TARDIS wheezing.

Gabby's face lit up. She dropped her pencil and ran out of her room. In only one minute, she had dashed out of the gallery altogether to see the blue box in the garden again.

"Oh thank God!" she laughed in delight as she ran up to the box. Renata and the Doctor were just coming out of it when she reached them. "You're back! You're back!" Gabby greeted each of them with a tight hug. "I was so worried about you two! I thought I might have to build myself a spaceship to get back to Earth and…" she trailed off when she finally took notice of their grim faces. They were identical.

Gabby stepped back from them. Something was churning in her stomach.

"What's wrong?"

"Gabby Gonzalez, the Cosmic Butterfly," the Doctor had a strange smile on his face but Gabby couldn't figure it out just yet. "My family. Thank you for taking care of Renée, for helping me...for being there with me."

"...you're saying goodbye," Gabby blinked. "You're-you're leaving me? Are you dropping me back to Earth?" The same fear that had crossed Donna's face before getting her memories wiped was now on Gabby's face. "Oh God, are you sending me back?"

"No, never," the Doctor stepped towards her, allowing her to see how strained of a step it had been. In fact, he seemed strained as a whole.

Gabby looked him up and down, forgetting all about her initial fear. "You're not okay," she realized. "You're hurt." She looked past him to Renata and now she could fully understand why the Time Lady was nearly crying. Gabby looked at the Doctor again, now understanding. "You're doing it, huh? Regenerate? It's about to happen."

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah. I had to say goodbye to all my friends and you are one of them."

"But-but isn't there something we can do? Maybe-maybe—"

"No, Gabby. My time is up," the Doctor shrugged. "And it's fine. I may have not lived the best life but it's a lesson. And when I'm good, I'm going to make sure that I don't repeat the same mistakes in my next incarnation. So, this is goodbye. Thank you, Gabby."

Gabby smiled with tears in her eyes. "Goodbye, Doctor. Thank you for picking me up and showing me the stars." She moved closer and hugged him tight. If she was feeling terrible she could only imagine what Renata was going through.

"Doctor," Renata gently called, breaking them apart. "There is one more place you have to go to. She deserves one too."

The Doctor didn't say anything but he didn't have to. She could read him even when his mind was still shut off from her.

Renata held a hand out for him to take and when he did, she directed a gaze on Gabby. "Now Gabriella, we'll be back for you afterwards."

Gabby nodded. "Of course, you...you take your time." They would of course want to be alone for the next part. "I'll be here waiting...and drawing…" She had a good idea of what she wanted to draw next anyways.

~0~

January 2005.

It was New Year's and everything was in full mode party. Only a few people were out of the loop and that only because they missed it.

"I'm late now, I've missed it!" Rose Tyler grumbled while keeping her arms tightly folded over her chest. It was freezing and trying to walk through snow was not the way to get warmer. "It's midnight. Mickey'll be calling me everything. This is your fault."

"No, it's not. It's Jimbo!" Jackie Tyler exclaimed, quite indignant all the fault was being placed on her. "He said he was going to give us a lift, then he said his axle broke. I can't help it."

The mother and daughter went back and forth bickering, until they remembered it was midnight and they had just started a whole new year. They couldn't argue right now.

"Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year!"

"Don't stay out all night," Rose jokingly warned her mother afterwards.

"Try and stop me!" Jackie laughed as they split up. Jackie was going home and Rose was off to find Mickey...until she heard a quiet grunt of pain behind her.

Rose looked back and saw a pair of people, a man and woman, trying to stay above the snow. It looked like the man was struggling to stand on his own because the woman was practically holding him by the waist.

"You all right, mate?" she had to call out. Anyone else would've had the good sense to run away. It was WAS New Year's after all, all the crazies were out...but Rose didn't get that vibe from either of them. "Too much to drink?"

Renata quietly laughed to herself. The Doctor drinking? That would be a sight.

"Something like that," the Doctor said to skip any unnecessary dialogue. He only had minutes left and there was still something else he wanted to do after this.

"Maybe it's time you went home?" Rose suggested, figuring he wouldn't be able to make it down the block even with the woman's help.

"Yeah," the Doctor really tried not to put all his weight on Renata but his feet weren't responding the same way anymore.

Rose figured that they didn't need her help, or probably even want her help. The woman seemed to be just fine. They were close. "Anyway...Happy New Year."

"And you," the Doctor returned and watched her leave in the opposite way. "What year is this?" he called to her suddenly, curious where she was in the timeline. Renata had set the coordinates and he hadn't had a head to pay attention.

Rose stopped to look back and laughed. "Blimey, how much have you had?!" The Doctor merely shrugged, making her laugh again. "2005, January 1st."

"2005?" he repeated, eyes widened as they landed on Renata beside him.

She smiled innocently. She'd taken him here on purpose. She learned well where the Doctor met Rose and how could she not do this for him?

The Doctor leaned his head over hers, silently thanking her for giving him this last time. A few seconds later, he smiled at Rose nostalgically. She had no idea what was to come and his heart swelled for her. It was a lovely story despite its ending. But he wouldn't trade it, he would cherish it. That time was over for him, but not for her. "2005? Tell you what. I bet you're going to have a really great year."

Rose chuckled. "Yeah?" she could with some luck. "See yah!" she waved a hand then hurried off.

"Thank you," the Doctor told Renata as soon as Rose disappeared.

Renata smiled softly at him. "Of course. Now let's get you back to the TARDIS. Won't be good for any human to see us."

She turned them back for the TARDIS and little by little they were able to get closer. Upon making the turn where the box would be, they found Ood Sigma waiting for them.

"Can we help—" Renata was about to say when the Doctor yelped in pain. He nearly fell to the ground if she hadn't reacted fast to stop him. "Sorry."

The Doctor just smiled at her. She would apologize.

"We will sing to you, Doctor. The universe will sing you to your sleep," Ood-Sigma said as he watched the pair. They then heard the gentle tune of a choir singing. "This song is ending. But the story never ends."

"He's right," Renata helped the Doctor towards the TARDIS. "Think of it as a new chapter of your book."

The Doctor only smiled at her for those kind words. He felt a bit more at peace when he was finally inside the TARDIS. It's where he was born and where he would die.

Renata shut the door behind them and brought him up to the console. When she was sure he wouldn't fall, she started the box up. A nice float in the sky might do some good, she thought. From the corner of her eyes, she could see the Doctor taking his coat off. Even that was a struggle. This particular regeneration would be a painful one due to what he'd gone through just before. Renata hoped that this wouldn't affect his next incarnation.

That's what happened to her in her previous incarnation, after all. Apart from the fact that she'd always been a bit reclusive, her last incarnation took it to the next level. She was burdened with secrets and fear because of what she'd gone through just before regenerating. The War, her sister, it moved on with her into her next incarnation. She didn't want the same thing to happen to the Doctor.

"Renata," the Doctor called to her, startling her out of her thoughts. Thinking he was losing his balance, she rushed round the console to meet him.

"I'm here, I'm here!" she assured him. He stopped her anxious hands from moving all around him. He grabbed them and held them tightly with his own. She met his gaze with confusion.

"I'm sorry," he began to say and already Renata was shaking her head. "I don't think I ever apologized for kidnapping you."

A light chuckle slipped through Renata's mouth. "Oh Doctor, you don't have to be guilty over that."

"I'm not guilty," he corrected, quieting her down with his seriousness. "I've never been guilty for kidnapping you. Truth is if I had to, I would do it again. I would steal you all over again."

Renata wanted to laugh but she also wanted to cry. So instead, something of a cross came out. "That's...that's a felony."

The Doctor was able to crack a smile. "And I've always been a thief. Anyone would try stealing you — you're Renata."

"You say that like it's supposed to mean something," she playfully rolled her eyes, but the tears clouded them. He was using up his last minutes to pay her compliments. "I'm just me."

"It does mean something, because you mean something to me." He brought one of his hands up to her cheek. "You always have and you know it. I really wish we hadn't done things the way we did. From the very beginning, I shouldn't have asked you to run with me. I should have stayed and fought for you, spoken to your family."

"It's not just on you," Renata smiled sadly. "I should've been braver. But I don't want you to think about those horrible thoughts right now. They shouldn't be the last things you think of."

"You're right, there's better things to think of. Happier ones." He stroked circles over her cheek. "Our adventures back then were pretty good, huh?"

Renata laughed softly. "Which ones? The ones where I would yell at you for nearly getting us caught? Or the ones where you would nearly get us caught?"

The Doctor put on a strained smile for her. Minutes were shortening. "Mm, it was the beginning of everything. Of us."

Renata sobered fast under his softened gaze. She knew he was in pain. His mind was still sealed off from her but she just knew. "The beginning of everything," she mused. "Yeah, I suppose it was."

The Doctor swallowed down a grunt of pain. He had to make this quick. And part of him was tired of beating around the bush, saying it with an unsure future. He was tired of that. He leaned closer to Renata and willed his words to come out in one go. "I love you, Renata. I've loved you for centuries and if I live for centuries more, you'll still be the one to own my hearts."

Renata once again smiled sadly. Her hearts jolted with the same thrill she would get in her first incarnation. Hearing him say it, to mean it like that with so much intensity...nobody else was ever able to give her that same rush. Not even her husband. "I love you too," she whispered. She touched his arms on instinct when he lowered his head to hers.

It was the same story from the past. He would hover over her lips for an agonizing minute while he took in her face. For him, it was his way to admire the beautiful woman he was about to kiss. He loved remembering it each time; his own special treat.

He finally kissed her a moment later. He made it hard straight away, like he was trying to take as much as he could before some new man stepped into his place. Renata kept up with his speed and strength. It wasn't their first kiss like this, after all, and she secretly loved them. She loved the feeling of his lips fiercely pressing against hers, his arms pulling her impossibly close to him.

Eventually, the Doctor was forced to pull away. The pain was taking him this time and there was no stopping it. "I'm sorry," he held onto Renata for a bit longer. She was just watching him, knowing what was coming now. "I love you, Gala."

A small smile spread across her face. "I love you too, Theta."

His hearts swelled in that moment. She had rarely used his name in the past. Back then, she would remind him that they should only use their names if and when they were married, just like customs demanded. The fact she even told him her name was a miracle but a testament to how much she loved him.

The Doctor moved a few steps back. Minutes were seconds now. He gazed at his hands and saw the regeneration energy beginning to flow from his fingertips. He breathed in jaggedly. He took one last look at Renata, the woman tearing up knowing this was it, and he said: "I don't want to go."

Not a second after did the energy begin to emanate from his body. There was a brief glow around his head before it turned onto a full blast. Renata yelped as the force of it knocked her back. Even the poor TARDIS couldn't handle the burst of energy. A good part of the console caught on fire while the parts that didn't spark like it eventually would. Several of the beams collapsed and crumbled while the box lurched to each side in an attempt to put the fires out.

With the lurches, the Doctor even fell backwards. By the time his back hit the ground, he was a brand new man. He jerked upright with a yelp.

"Legs. I've still got legs, good!" he exclaimed, even kissing his knee for just being there. The regeneration was definitely a wonky one, he could just feel it! "Arms! Hands! Ooh, fingers, lots of fingers!" he wiggled said fingers in front of them to make sure they were all operational. "Ears, yes! Eyes, two!" He blinked particularly hard when one of his fingers nearly poked him. Probably not the best idea to touch his eyes in a ship that had no sense of flying. "Nose, I've had worse! Chin, blimey!" He'd need a proper mirror to examine that chin later on. "Hair - I'm a girl!" He fiercely ran his hands through his longer brunette hair but he calmed himself from the shock when he felt his Adam's apple. "No! No... I'm not a girl." He stopped everything when he pulled some of his hair in front of his eyes and saw the brown shade of it. "And still not ginger! And something else, something important, I'm, I'm... I'm…"

"CRASHING!" Renata's loud scream cut him off and nearly rivaled the TARDIS' own distressed hums. She had clambered back to the console and was frantically trying to control the box before it killed them both. "We're crashing you idiot!"

The new Doctor grinned despite already being insulted. It was a beginning alright, but perhaps things wouldn't be entirely new. Things would be changing, like a metamorphosis.

Author's Note:

To be continued in...Metamorphosis!

I don't think anyone figured out what the next title was going to be called but if you did, kudos to you! The next story is already in motion if you'd like to check it out! Spoilers, you won't be seeing Gabby there until after Prisoner Zero but she WILL be a part of that story as well. I'm so excited to see her become the "alpha" companion because it's going to be super important in regards to her relationship with Amy, then Rory! And as for Ren and 11? They will be...interesting.

As for this story...the final stand-off between Ren and the Assessor was long overdue and I hope it was fitting. I even got the Doctor in there a bit too but I felt like it needed it to primarily be between the sisters. Ultimately, they both did wrong things (Renata scamming the Time Lords for a second regeneration cycle and the Assessor blackmailing her) but only Renata was able to admit it.

THANK YOU so much for all the reads/comments! I have truly loved writing this story so much and I'm happy (and sad) that I was able to finish it. I hope you continue on with me into the next story!

Fun facts of the story (I always like doing these at the end of the stories to let yall know what changed along the publishing process)

1. This was, in fact, not meant to be such a long story. I originally posted this as a one-shot to see how received it would be!

2. Renata's name was originally going to be only Renée but since I couldn't decide between that and 'Renata' I went with both. I only realized after that both names are the same and that Renée was a nickname!

3. Gabby wasn't originally going to be in the story. I learned about her when I started reading the comics and since I'm a sad Latina who is probably never going to see a Latinx companion on the series, Gabby is here to stay for a long while!

4. The Assessor wasn't in my original drafts but I felt like she would be a good addition to the story (Ren probably disagrees with me there...). I haven't decided if I ever want to bring the Assessor back in future stories but it's not a 'no' ;)

[katrandomwrites]

Glass Knives

A Hitman 76 and Detective Reyes fic.

Read it on AO3 Start at Ch 1

As one comment said, “It’s the calm before the storm”

If you haven’t seen this before then… ok, hi. If you like domestic moments, awkward crushes, and murder then this might be for you.

October 21th , 2076 – 1730 – Amari Residence

The October air was chilly even this far into the day. Gabriel was already loathing the day he had to start scrapping frost off his windshield. He turned the heater up as he turned the corner into Ana’s neighborhood and smiled when he saw Fareeha’s car in the driveway.

The girl in question sat on the steps looking down at her phone before looking up at the sound of Gabriel’s car. He could hear her squeal as she ran towards him. Gabe barely had time to get out of his care before he was tackled by his goddaughter and pulled into a rib crushing hug.

“How’s my little pharaoh doing?” Gabriel asked as she grabbed his wrist and began dragging him to the house. He had to stop her so he could go back and grab the dish and package he’d brought from the backseat.

“Great! I have so much to tell you guys. Reinhardt is already here and Jesse said he’d stop by tomorrow. I’m gone two months and that man manages to get himself shipped off to the coast, typical,” Fareeha rambled as they walked up the drive.

The Amari residence was truly something to behold. The house itself wasn’t much, just a common yellow-sided prefabricated house that had been put down during the last housing boom. All the neighboring houses were of the same type with detached garages connected to alleyways. It was the yard that truly set it apart.

A massive willow tree stood proudly in the front yard surrounded by bushes that were full of color in summer. Hostas edged the house broken only by the paved areas for planters that had been taken in for the season and the trellis of morning glories. The war on the invading woodbine last year was starting to disappear as the plants filled in their bald spots.

Around back sat the Amari’s pride and joy, the gardens. On both sides of the backyard patio were midsized plots that had yielded an amazing amount of produce. Gabriel had been recruited to help cook and can over the summer and could tell he would be needed again soon by how big the pie pumpkins in the corner were when he was last there.

Gabriel sighed as they stepped into the entry of the home. He almost didn’t want to kick his shoes off and get his toes cold but he knew that would result in Ana shooting him passive aggressive looks over the table all evening. The shoes came off slowly even as Fareeha danced around in her socks waiting for him to carefully place them next to the enormous boots that could only belong to Reinhardt.

The inside of the house was just a beautiful as the outside. When the pair stepped in they were met with the warm smell of tea and something vaguely sweet and rosey. Often times the house has an acrid undertone from Ana’s constant kitchen experiments with various organic chemicals she makes from her garden.

“Mom, Uncle Gabe is here!” Fareeha shouted as she continued to drag the man into the kitchen. Reinhardt gave him a sympathetic wave from the table.

Ana turned from the stove, “Took you long enough.”

“At least he showed up unlike Jesse,” Fareeha huffed as she wrapped her arms around one of Gabriel’s own.

“Well at least your mother can cook in peace. Which reminds me,” Gabe said as he slowly made his way to the counter with his new arm band sliding across the linoleum floor in her striped socks, “I have a present for you.”

It was always amazing to see such a serious child practically squeal in delight as he handed her the package from earlier and then proceeded to scoop her up like a twelve-year-old. It was still hard for him to believe that she was eighteen and in college.

“Ah ha! Quite the catch you have there, Gabriel!” Reinhardt said, roaring with laughter at the sight.

“There is a matching one in the kitchen if you want,” Gabe teased, he barely managed to dodge the spoon that came flying from the doorway.

“Okay, okay, put me down,” Fareeha managed through her own giggles.

Gabriel obliged but was very slow about it until he was gently smacked on the side of the head. Dramatically he clutched his ear and whined in false agony.

“Drama queen,” Fareeha accused.

“Guilty as charged,” Gabriel said with a grin before settling into one of the chairs, “So are you going to open it or just hold it? Maybe use as a medicine ball?”

She looked at him with a twitchy straight face before flinging a placemat in his face. Reinhardt cackled with laughter again as she took to the opportunity to tear into the package while Gabriel was blinded.

“I love it,” she whispered.

“What?” Gabriel said leaning closer.

“I love it!” Fareeha shrieked before launching herself at him.

“What is it?” Ana asked from the doorway.

Proudly, Fareeha held up the blue and yellow patterned sweater. It was a perfect copy of the sweater her father had bought for her as a child, just sized up to fit her much bigger frame.

“I found an old picture a while back and remembered how much you used to love that thing,” Gabriel said, “I thought it might help you feel less homesick at school too.”

Ana smiled as Fareeha took off her sweatshirt and put the sweater on over her tank top, “Wow, you even got the shoulder width right. Maybe I should just have you make her clothes instead of trying to find them at the store.”

“Maybe I could get some nice pants with pockets,” Fareeha grumbled even as she curled into a comfy sweater ball on her chair.

“Oof, now your asking way too much,” Gabriel said, “I could sew on two more buttons but pockets? Too hard. I’ll just make you a massive wallet and purse, how about that?”

Ana snorted in amusement before shooting a glare at her own bulky bag hanging on the door and sliding back into the kitchen. Reinhardt looked at the pair in mild confusion.

“So, Rein,” Gabriel said, “When is Fareeha getting her own book series?”

Fareeha lit up when she noticed the thoughtful look Reinhardt’s face, “Wait seriously?”

“Well I suppose her character could get a spinoff of the Overwatch series. She holds enough importance in that series to warrant a book or two. I’d need some time to fill out the character and I would want to make sure Pharah is true to our Fareeha.”

“So, a couple years after college?” Gabriel asked.

“Sounds about right. It will give me time to start building her world and character before I try to find a plot befitting such a noble engineer.”

Fareeha squealed in delight, “I have a friend at school that should totally be a character. Her name is Efi and she’s only eleven but she’s super smart, honestly I think she needs her own comic book.”

Gabriel leaned back in his chair as Fareeha began telling Reinhardt all about this girl she’d befriended and how she’d managed to get in contact with some gamer she and Rein were fans of. A glance over to the kitchen confirmed that Ana had moved closer to the doorway to listen in to her daughter’s lively conversation.

“So, are you working on any other books right now?” Fareeha asked.

“Yes, currently I am waiting on correspondence from Balderich and for the illustrations to be done for Crusader Tales. I’m also being torn between starting a sequel to Blackwatch and continuing the third Overwatch book. It would not be so hard if Gabriel wasn’t so interesting right now,” Reinhardt lamented as if having too much time and inspiration was such a travesty.

The younger Amari cocked her head at him before giving Gabriel an accusing glare, “You’re never interesting when I’m around.”

A sudden cackle from the kitchen startled everyone at the table. A fist pounding on the counter could be heard between each snort and wheeze. Gabriel raised a middle finger before turning back to the table.

“Well it seems your mother never thinks I’m interesting,” he grumbled earning another loud snort from the next room, “But yes, something has come up at work.”

Fareeha glowered at him and waited for more information. When she didn’t get what she wanted, she waved her arms around and said, “Well? Do I get anything other than that? For all I know you could have just dropped a coffee pot in the breakroom considering how little action you guys have seen!”

Gabriel winced when Reinhardt cleared his throat, “Well… over the past couple months hitmen have been popping up around the town, er, dead.”

She gapped at Reinhardt before turning to Gabriel and smacking him in the arm, “Rude! Something exciting actually happens in this godforsaken town and you don’t think to tell me?”

He rubbed his arm before saying, “Well, I figured your mom would have said something to you and ow. What are they feeding you in the mountains? Protein powder and rebar?”

“Don’t change the subject, detective,” Fareeha said, “I need to hear some details, now.”

“When did you become my boss,” Gabe sulked. Why were women being so mean to him lately? First Rita ransacked his house and now Fareeha practically had him at gunpoint with her grumpy face. Maybe he was just a super weiny.

“Fine,” he relented after a few moments of awkward silence, “We’ve had a weird string of murders around town. At first the methods and drops were sporadic but this month they’ve been piled in the same place with similar MOs. The last victim was a French woman under the Talon division of hitmen. We’ve since closed the case and sent her body home to be buried.”

“Do you know who’s been killing them?” Fareeha asked, her face was serious but by the way she was practically bouncing in her seat Gabriel could tell she was very excited.

He stalled for a moment before sighing, “We’re still unsure about the first victims but the last three we believe to have been taken out by Soldier:76. We found connections between both him and the last woman predating their conditions.”

“Do you think HAI is in on it,” she asked.

“What?”

“The HAI Corporation built a new medical facility just outside town. There have been rumors of their involvement in hitmen activities for years now, right? So, I’m thinking they’re making new hitmen and training them in town,” Fareeha said before scrambling to the decorative table in the corner and pulling out a notebook. Reinhardt watched in awe as she started outlining her ideas.

“Even if you’re wrong this is an fascinating book idea,” Reinhardt mumbled as she worked.

Gabriel sighed, “No, they aren’t making new hitmen, all the ones we’ve found were already in the system and at least a year old. Besides no claims of HAI having any involvement in hitmen have been proven.”

“Gabi,” she started, “They experiment in making minds. They couldn’t look anymore guilty then that and besides, everyone knows that the CEO and chief programmer are omnics.”

He rolled his eyes, “Solomon and Stef Waverly are not omnics. Unless they suddenly figured out how to make omnics look perfectly human, there is no way. Just because they act a little stiff does not equal robot.”

“Somebody hasn’t read the Transformers comics,” she mumbled.

“Food,” Ana shouted as she brought a steaming dish to the table.

They wasted no time distributing the plates that had been sitting in Ana’s spot and shoveling the koshary onto their plates. A round of ‘thank you’ and ‘my complements to the chef’ was given before they started.

“You know, Gabriel,” Ana said after a moment of not so quiet eating, “Maybe you should start cooking again too. I do miss your father’s tamale recipe.”

“I brought you homemade tortilla chips, what more do you want?” Gabriel grumbled around a mouthful of food.

Fareeha’s eyes lit up, “Is that what was in the other container? Yes!”

“Perhaps you can just get him to make this year’s Halloween costumes,” Reinhardt mused.

“Only if we have a haunted house again this year,” Gabriel said, “And you have to get Jamie and Torb to rig the special effects. I will not start costumes this late in the month unless we have a stage to match.”

Ana laughed, “You know we can never live up to that without Sombra programming everything together. She was the only one that could ever live up to your dramatic expectations.”

Gabriel chuckled lightly, “Yeah, I guess you got me there. Maybe if somebody does well in school she can help,” he said glancing over at Fareeha.

“I’m an engineer not a programmer but I’ll take your challenge. It’ll look good in my portfolio if nothing else. I already have people interested though so it’ll just be bragging rights.”

The entire table looked at her shocked. She grinned and said, “Oh yeah I’ve had recruiters from Vishkar, Volskaya, and Petras motors come talk to me. I’ve been offered a full ride from Petras and Volskaya.”

“And why was I not informed of this?” Ana asked, pointing a fork at her daughter, “I feel like this should have been something I was told.”

“Well I haven’t accepted anything yet. I want to go a little further before I decide what I real want to do. So far Petras is winning because they have aerospace development contracts with several countries but Volskaya is offering room to grow.”

“And what about Vishkar?” Gabriel asked, “Satya is going to be working with them soon, you’d know somebody there.”

“I don’t agree with their ethics. Something about the recent development in Brazil just feels wrong. If they are so great then why are so many people speaking out against them?”

“A good point,” Reinhardt agreed, “One must always think over their options and what they want to be associated with.”

“But with the recent Volskaya scandal, why are you still considering them?” Gabe asked, “And aren’t they partnering with HAI soon.”

“I just said I’m still thinking, jeez,” Fareeha groaned, “And besides I have my eyes on another place.”

“Where?” Ana asked her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

“It’s a secret,” Fareeha teased before diving back into what was left on her plate.

The rest of the meal went smoothly, though Ana continued to throw suspicious glances and a very smug Fareeha. They considered playing a few rounds of cards but a phone call from Reinhardt’s illustrator broke them up. Hugs where exchanged and soon Gabriel and Reinhardt were out the door and in the darkness.

“I will see you later,” Reinhardt said before stepping up into his vehicle, “Don’t be a stranger, come visit sometime.”

“We’ll see,” Gabriel said before getting into his own car and heading back to his empty apartment

[storiesbecame-a-blog]

starter for @willsurrendered !

    She doesn’t like the LOOK in the other, younger woman’s eye -- and Ana is reminded, yet again, that it is nothing she hasn’t seen before. All Talon agents ( or any perpetrator of evil and harm ) look the same. Intelligent, cunning, and cruel; a desire for power above all else. Ana does not have to know Moira’s name to know she can only mean trouble.

    “Tell me -- what is stopping me from putting you down where you stand? Haven’t you hurt enough people in your world before this one?”