Roswell Fanatics

Note: Dear Mods - I've realized that this may be better suited to the Alien Abyss forum - please use your best judgment. Thank you!

Title: End to Begin
Author: Opus
Disclaimer: The characters of "Roswell" belong to Jason Katims, Melinda Metz, WB, and UPN. The characters of “Doctor Who” belong to the BBC and various and sundry others. Neither belong to me, and no infringement is intended. I'm just playing “Let's Pretend” for a bit.
Pairings/Couples/Category: Doctor Who(Tenth Doctor)/Roswell crossover; very AU, and, to my own personal horror, pretty darn dark. Takes place after "Journey's End" for Doctor Who, and goodness knows where for "Roswell."
Rating: TEEN
Summary: When the Doctor finds himself in timeline that's “all wrong,” he sets out to fix it. Also tries to answer the question, "Whatever happened to Mrs. Valenti?"
Author's Note: This is an idea I simply couldn't get out of my head. I'm not an expert in either “Roswell” or “Doctor Who,” so I'm sure there are factual/continuity/physics errors. And there's probably a few other errors that I haven't caught - please forgive me for all of it. Most importantly, I'd like to give a HUGE thank you to those who post in the "Authors' irrational fears" thread here at RF. If I hadn't lurked and read your words, I never ever EVER would have written, let alone posted, anything about this story. Again, thank you.

*************
Somewhere in the Universe...

The familiar whooshing of the TARDIS was the only sound in the cosmos. It may as well have been for its lone occupant. Once again, the Doctor traveled alone. “As it must be,” he thought. He absently twiddled knobs and twisted dials to set his next destination, wherever he might land, and he pondered the old man's words spoken moments before:

“Every night, Doctor... when it gets dark, and the stars come out, I'll look up...on her behalf. I'll look up at the sky...and think of you.”

Running his hand through still damp hair, he finally took a moment to ponder what had just happened. He saved the universe, yet again.

No.

WE saved the universe.

We, the Children of Time. Who saved 27 planets and more, decimating an entire race in the process. Even if it was the hated Daleks, even if it was still the “right” thing to do, genocide was still wrong.

Perhaps the genocide argument was just an excuse to find a happy ending for his doppelganger, born of blood and anger as he was, and his favorite companion? The doctor wasn't supposed to play favorites, and he knew all of his fellow travelers had their own special strengths and charms. But Rose.

Rose. He – he -

Even now, he couldn't finish that thought. But his clone could, and did. Well, at least Rose could be happy now. She had earned it.

He smiled at the memory of seeing everyone working together to cheat annihilation and bring the Earth home. They were brilliant. All of them.

And none so much as Donna Noble, his last and most recent partner.

She never thought she was anyone special, but she was, for one brief shining moment, the exact center of the universe. The metacrisis that made Donna part Timelord like him brought out the best parts of her. She hypothesized things he never would have dreamed. But the power had already started to kill her; threatening to destroy the very thing they had just risked everything to save. So the Doctor took it all away. He left her where she started, with instructions that she must always remain oblivious to all the extraordinary adventures she'd had.

He smiled to himself and shook his head. Against all odds, he realized that he missed her. They had too many memories to still make; too many more planets to roam.

Well, perhaps he'd see all of his other “Children” someday. Actually, given recent events, the odds were pretty good. But this was how it had to be, from now on. Him, alone, traveling through space and time.

“Oh, who am I kidding?” the Doctor said, suddenly chipper. “I won't be alone for long.” His words echoed through the otherwise empty control room.

With a sigh and a deep breath, he returned to piloting his ship. His hearts – both of them – beat in time with the TARDIS, and perhaps because of that, flying it was as natural as breathing to him. It helped clear his mind, and he began to look forward to whatever adventure awaited him. As he pulled at the stabilization lever, he remembered how much smoother the ride was with six of them at the helm.

Suddenly, the TARDIS jerked to the left and began to shake violently. The Doctor immediately entered panic mode, pulling and pushing and spinning whatever controls he could get his hands on. But with a distinctive thud, the TARDIS unceremoniously dumped itself onto its next destination.

The Doctor picked himself off the ground, and dusting himself off, yelled at no one in particular, “Oh, come on! There's no way we could be there yet. Way too soon!” When he got no response from the now silent machine, he shrugged and decided to see where he could have possibly ended up in such a short time.

He exited the door, and entered directly into chaos.

He found himself in an alley (lucky for me, he thought) but he instantly heard the screaming. He saw people running in the streets, ducking pink phaser fire. The entire sky was pink, and full of smoke.

“What?” The doctor asked to no one in particular. He closed the door to the TARDIS, now cleverly disguised as a 1950's British police emergency box, and walked quietly to the edge of the alley. He peered around the corner.

The sky was on fire. So were cars in the street. A spaceship attached to one of the buildings had taken a direct hit. He saw two bodies laying on the ground, and other people trying to carry wounded without becoming casualties themselves.

The doctor was gobsmacked. Where on Earth was he? “What?,” he repeated.

It was an ordinary city street – obviously 21st Century – and he was definitely on Earth. But when? This was like nothing he remembered or heard about in his 900 years of existence.

It didn't take him long to find out.

As he gingerly stepped out from the alley, he saw a newspaper machine for the Roswell Daily Record. He inched closed to the box, close enough to see the symbol of the state of New Mexico and the headline, “President Declares Martial Law.” He squinted and saw the date – June 21, 2014.

He was in America. Roswell, New Mexico, to be exact. In 2014. And it was a war zone.

The doctor realized the gravity – the sheer wrongness – of what he was witness to at that very moment. Therefore, he failed to notice a new barrage of pink tracer fire. It was coming right at him.

“This isn't supposed to BE!” the doctor thought. At that moment, he looked up to see what could kill him in mere seconds. He froze in place. And only one word would escape his lips:

“WHAT???”

(Cue Doctor Who Theme:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZXtmBHB ... re=related).

Act 1

The Doctor was telling his legs to move, but his legs refused to honor his request. The next thing he knew, he was on the ground, shielding his face from shrapnel from the now ex-newspaper box. He didn't know if he had jumped out of the way or was pushed. An outstretched hand in his field of vision provided the answer.

“You trying to get yourself killed? Come on!”

He accepted the hand and boosted himself up. Looking at the man who just saved him from becoming atoms and dust, the Doctor noted his US Military standard issue fatigues. Late 30s, maybe, tan-skinned, dark hair, probably Hispanic. The Doctor gave his thanks as he dusted himself off.

“Did you not notice that they're still shooting at us? They're not gonna stop. Follow me. RUN!” With that, the Doctor's savior took off. The Doctor ran, and followed the man only a short distance down the street. The Doctor witnessed him putting out the fire to the spaceship attached to the structure with a simple wave of his hand.

“Well.” The Doctor noted. “That's a neat trick.” Then he continued to run, dodging more pink fire. The man waved the Doctor to the Spaceship building. The other man yelled, “Coming in! I've got one!” and waved his hand over the doorknob. A shield flickered and he entered, never breaking stride. The Doctor followed.

“Chop chop!” said the darker man as he herded him into the building. The Crashdown, it was called, according to the sign in front.

The Doctor took deep breaths and bent over to calm himself from the exertion of his dash. He heard the door slam and from the corner of his eye he saw, for a brief moment, a shimmer around the front face of the building.

He then heard a voice booming over him.”Jesse! What the hell do you think you're doing?”

“What?” Jesse yelled back. “He was gonna get killed out there!”

“He? What if it's a skin? Are you crazy?” The Doctor kept his head down. Skins?

“Jeff! How many Skins do you know wear suits like that?”

The Doctor didn't hear anything after that and, after thanking his fashion sense, chose the moment to look up. An older man was facing off with the one who saved him – the Doctor deducted that was Jesse.

“Bring the testosterone down a notch, boys! We're a safe haven here and if Jesse brought him here, he's welcome to stay.”

Jesse and Jeff looked sheepishly at the woman who just barked at them. Jeff spoke first. “Sorry Micki. It's been a rough time.”

“Rough? That's an understatement.” She paused, noticing the silence outside. “Sounds like the raids're over for tonight.”

The Doctor looked at all of them and tried to process the events of the past 3 minutes. He knew the history of Roswell, from the crash to the rest, and this just wasn't it. The names he heard weren't in the legends. Oh, sure – he knew all about the unsung heroes who really saved the day, the names long forgotten in the stories, who made all the difference in how the possibilities of the universe played out. And he knew in his hearts that this timeline, this world, was definitely in flux. The TARDIS had dumped him here not to keep this as it was, but to change it all.

But what would change it? And how? And at what cost?

“Good thing I love the challenges of possessing a Timelord consciousness,” the Doctor mused to himself. “Otherwise I'd be scared to death right about now.”

Jesse broke into the Doctor's thoughts. “Maria! Casualties?”

Maria! A name he knew! The Doctor found his strand of hope – his way of reconstructing these horrible circumstances. He took a closer look at his current surroundings. He was in what was at one time a restaurant, with alien paintings on the walls – he was in Roswell, after all. But now it looked like nothing more like a field hospital, with tables and booths pushed together; makeshift gurneys with people of all shapes and sizes upon them.

A dark-haired woman in a black hooded sweatshirt moved among them, checking on each patient and occasionally placing a hand upon one. A soft glow emanated from the spots she touched. She spoke without looking up. “Mr. Troy's bad off. I got the major damage but it might be not be enough. We lost Danvers and Paulie out there. We'll have to pick them up later.” Maria wiped her brow with her hand. “Sorry, I'm a bit busy here.” She then returned to her work with no further comment.

The other, older man – Jeff – was clad in fatigues like Jesse's. He had dark features, hair flecked with gray. His face was drawn and tired. But he still carried himself with an authority that indicated he ran the show.

Looking to the woman who broke up the skirmish earlier, the Doctor saw a Mom. Early 50s, maybe, trim, long brown hair pulled back, with gray here and there. She wore the same fatigues as the others, but with a white kitchen apron over then. She looked drawn and exhausted as well, but she still had a spark to her that hadn't quite dimmed yet.

Micki. Another one, thought the Doctor. He liked her already.

She was the one to break the Doctor's reverie. “Hey, you alright?”

“Yes, thank you,” the Doctor replied. “It's been a rough time.”

Micki chuckled. “Yeah, it has. British?”

“Not quite, but close enough,” the Doctor replied.

“So.” Jeff stated pointedly. “What's a British guy in a suit doing in an American/Alien battle zone?”

The Doctor thought for a bit. This wasn't going to be easy, was it? “Well... I was hoping I could pitch in and help-”

“Let's start with a name.” Jesse was in cross-examination mode.

“John Smith.” Calling himself The Doctor under present circumstances wouldn't be a good thing with all the medical help sorely needed at the moment. That was a can of worms he dare not open.

Jesse needled a bit more. “And you're not a Skin?”

“Oh, that's it!” thought the Doctor. “A primitive alien husk? No. Although I appreciate that they found a way to dissipate the bodily gases.” The three men stared at one another after that, not quite knowing what to say after that particular revelation.

Micki saved them, breaking the silence. “Would you like some coffee? And get away from that door, all of you. Even if it's got a shield it's still not very safe.”

“Yeah! Thank you Micki!” Jesse was exultant at the thought of caffeine even at this time of night. Jeff sat at the counter, motioning for Jesse and John Smith to join him. The doctor realized that Jeff thought he was safe – that was one hurdle crossed.

Jeff looked The Doctor up and down. He said, “That suit. You're a – what did Liz call them? Oh, yeah. Metrosexual. You're a metrosexual, aren't you?”

“Uh, well -”

“But I like you. Anyone who wears Chuck Taylors is good with me.”

The Doctor looked down at his trainers, and silently thanked his footwear. Whatever helped, he supposed.

“I'm just messin' with ya. But really – how the hell did you get in here, and why the hell would you want to? There's a buffer zone within 100 miles of this town. Even the real military stays out.”

“Yeah, well -” the doctor began.

Jesse joined in, “Yeah, Khivar owns this arena. Him and his Skin lackeys. It's suicide.”

The Doctor countered, “And you're here because...?”

“It's our home. And we owe it to our families to do all we can to fight until the end,” Micki said, matter of factly. She laid out five mugs and began pouring the coffee. “Maria?”

Maria shook her head no. The Doctor turned around to look at her, but she avoided his gaze and returned to her patient. Turning back to the counter, he found the other three holding their cups in a toast. “To those we've lost.”

The Doctor echoed the others' response, although for very different reasons. “To those we've lost.”

Jeff took a sip. “Hmmm, that's good.” He tipped his cup to Micki. “I'm glad you popped in, John – Micki broke out the java for you. Must be a special occasion.”

Jesse joked, “Must be the accent.” This earned Jesse a cuff upside the head, courtesy of Micki.

“You all don't think I'm a Skin then?” The Doctor joined in the joking.

Jeff thought a moment. “You would've killed us by now if you were. So, no.”

“Glad to hear.” The Doctor replied. With a pause and a breath, he knew now was the time to find out what was really going on in this world, with these people. “I've been traveling a long time to get here. And, well – I've missed a lot. What's happened here?”

Jeff asked, “What did you hear last?”

“Oh, you know how the media and the military never tell the entire story. Just tell me from the beginning.”

The three Roswellians looked at one another. Finally, Micki crowed, “Oh, fer chrissakes. Aliens are bombing us and we're still worried about protecting our dead families?”

“Who wants to start?” asked Jesse.

Micki thought about it, then said, “My story started first. Guess it should be me.”

“Alright then.” The Doctor said, offering Micki a seat. Micki came from behind the counter and sat herself down, absently picking up a ketchup bottle. “You're from England, so you know all about the spaceship in the Thames and the Titanic in the sky-”

“Among other things,” The Doctor said.

“So why was everyone on this side of the pond so surprised when our government revealed that the Roswell crash really happened?”

The doctor answered, “I honestly have no idea.”

“Exactly!” Jeff said. “People everywhere went into a blind panic.”

“Which is why when I found out in 1989,” Micki continued, “my family and I kept the secret. We all did, for a very long time.”

“Until Isabel sold us out.”

“Jesse!” Micki scolded. “Isabel didn't sell us out. Vilandra did.”

“Whatever.”

With a sigh, Micki started again. “One day in 1989, I was driving along the highway, when I came across a little boy, naked as a jaybird, standing at the side of the road.” She smiled. “He wasn't more than six years old. He was so scared. Didn't say a word. Long story short, he became family. Actually, he saved my family. Jim and I were going through a rough time...” She laughed. “There it is again. Our favorite phrase! But Michael – that's what we named him – he brought us together as a family. Kyle loved him like a brother. He was his brother. And he was our son..”

“We heard the Evanses had found two other kids the same way, and since they were lawyers they were able to do whatever it took to adopt Max and Isabel legally. And they worked it out with Michael and our family as well. So it was only natural that when Michael started showing,” Micki wiggled her fingers, “otherwordly gifts, we shared it with Phillip and Diane. We were bound by our secret, and determined to give our kids the normal life they deserved.”

Jeff took over, “We got involved much later – Max healed my Liz when she was shot. It was right over there.” Jeff pointed to a spot near the kitchen door. Liz tried to protect Max at first, but the Valenti's and Evanses knew that we all needed to know, because once Max healed them... well....” He gestured to Jesse and Maria. “It's the gift that keeps on giving.”

Jesse wiggled his fingers in response and joined in, “We 'kids' all seemed to have a bad habit of getting into mortal peril knowing there was a healer around, even before all hell broke loose. But it's come in handy over the years, right?” The others nodded in agreement, but the Doctor remained silent.

“So,” Jeff continued, “they told us everything. Max and Liz were truly soulmates, so it was an easy call to keep quiet. Too many people could hurt them.”

“And it ended up being one of your own that hurt you,” the Doctor said, quietly.

“I came back to Roswell after law school,” Jesse chimed in. “I worked with Isabel's dad at his firm. She was beautiful. I fell hard for her. I almost left when I found out everything, but I realized that I was part of something bigger than me, you know? This whole, crazy extended family.” Jesse stopped for a moment. “It was so easy to be drawn into it all.”

“Jesse.” It wasn't a admonition, but a plea. He looked to the Doctor. “He thinks this was his fault.”

“Well, she was my wife. I should have known -”

The Doctor interrupted him. “What happened?”

Micki continued for Jesse. “Our kids – Max, Isabel and Michael - they didn't know where they came from, and they didn't care. They all had 'cool powers, man,' but other than that, we never thought about their alien heritage. We didn't think to protect them from anyone other than the government. They were just like any other humans. Until about 18 months ago.

“The best way to explain it is... Isabel was a sleeper agent for the enemy. One day, she was herself and the next day, she wasn't. This is all secondhand, but she told an incredible tale of this 'Royal Four' and how her planet, Antar, was never going to be ruled by her or Max or Michael. The true ruler was Khivar, her lover, and nothing was going to stand in our way. Certainly not us.” Micki choked up a bit, but steeled herself for the next part.

“She took... murdered – my Kyle first. He thought he could get through to her, try to reason with her. Fool. But he died protecting Liz and Maria. Max couldn't get there in time, and Maria didn't know about her powers yet. But, at least at died a hero.”

Throughout all of this, the Doctor listened intently, trying his best to hide his disbelief. This version of the Tale of the Royal Four was completely and utterly wrong.

Jesse picked up the tale next. “Isabel left. But she left a note. It was before Vilandra completely took over. It said that she was trying to stop it, but she couldn't. She also confessed to killing two of her friends from school – Tess and Alex – and making it look like an accident. She said she was sorry, but she knew what she had to do.”

“I'm so sorry.” The Doctor meant it. In response, Jesse just shrugged and slugged his coffee. “Where is she now?”

Jesse looked at the Doctor, pain in his eyes. “We don't know, but it's a pretty safe bet that she's at Khivar's side right now. We heard she helped broker a deal with the Skins to unite with Khivar against us. But who cares? Doesn't matter now.”

“The raids started soon after,” Jeff picked up the story again. “Khivar's forces began attacking every night. At first it was surreal. Then it became commonplace. We lost Phillip and Diane Evans that first week.”

Micki continued, “We've tried to fight back, but Michael and Max were too soft. We never thought to prepare them for alien battle. Who would? And we never thought about why they were sent to Earth in the first place. If the kids did, they never told us. Even with the other kids and their powers, it hasn't been enough. The military is a joke against them. But we've fought back. Still are.”

“What happened to the others?” The Doctor leaned back then looked straight at Micki.

“Michael tried to take Khivar on his own. Jim tried to stop him. They must've faced him together. It was suicide... but they're heroes to me too.”

Maria spoke up from behind, finally joining the group, and helping herself to coffee. “Then Max and Liz... they tried to change everything. They tried to turn the Granilith into a time machine.”

The Doctor perked up. “The Granilith?”

“They tried to go back in time, to make everything right. But that went wrong too. There was a huge explosion – we saw it from here. We haven't seen them since, but nothing's changed. It was too volatile - the granilith destroyed them.” Maria looked down at her boots, taking a moment for her own thoughts.

The Doctor couldn't help himself. He could fix this, and all would be made right. Now was the time to show his cards. “They didn't have a stabilizer?”

Maria looked at the Doctor, eyes narrowed. “What do you know about the granilith?”

The others turned to look at him. He said, “Its the vertical temporal stablizer that's most...” He stopped himself, and fumbled for words... “Well... a granilith needs a very specific crystal to stabilize the vortex created by the immense amount of power it creates. It's an easy miss for those for don't know how to use it properly. You never just play around with graniliths-”

“But that was our last chance.” Maria said, resigned. “Now we're just waiting for the end of the world.”

“Maria -” Jeff warned.

“It's true.” Maria looked to the Doctor. “Isn't it?”

The Doctor returned her gaze and asked his own question. “When did this happen?”

Jesse said, “Two weeks ago.”

The Doctor smiled. “That's more than enough time for the granilith to recharge! We've still got a chance! Listen, I'm sorry for your losses, all of them. But you have to believe - know - this isn't meant to be this way.” He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “Now, have any of you ever seen a crystal? About yay long?” The Doctor held his hands about 6 inches apart.

Micki gasped. “I have. Michael was carrying it when I found him.”

“And where is it now?” The Doctor asked.

“It's still at the house. We always knew it must have been special, but we never knew what it was for. We kept it safe; we figured it was an heirloom for something. Oh, god-”

“Well, we can't change that part right now, Micki.” The Doctor stopped himself. “Oh, nothing against you, but I already know one Mickey and that one's more than enough. What's your name?”

Micki looked at The Doctor as if he had gone bonkers, because honestly, she thought that he had. “It's Michelle. Michelle Valenti.”

“Well, Michelle Valenti. Let's find this crystal, fix the granilith and save the Earth. Whattya say?”

Jeff had heard enough. “Are you crazy! Who do you think you are, John Smith? Coming in here pretending to be able to CHANGE this? Max and Liz couldn't do it! What makes you think you can?”

“I can. No, wait – I will. I'm the only person who can save this planet. And if I can't, I can try. I'm your last, best hope to save you. I suggest you trust me.” The Doctor then muttered under his breath... “Metrosexual? Not so much.” Looking to Micki, he asked, “So, Michelle – where do you live around here?”

“That's a restricted area,” Jesse said. “No way-”

Maria broke the argument. “Let them go. If there's a chance, they need to take it. For everyone - Max, Liz, Kyle, Isabel. And Michael.” Maria looked at Micki. An understanding passed between them. Then Maria turned back to tend to her patients.

“Let's go.” Micki was resolute.

Jesse grabbed keys from the counter. “I'll get you as close as I can. It's the least I can do.”
“Thank you, Jesse.”

“Just bring her back,” Jeff ordered. There may have been hope in his voice, but it was tempered by the gravity of this sudden crazy, stupid mission.

The Doctor simply nodded in response. Jesse brought down the force field at the front door, allowing him the Doctor and Micki to walk out. Maria closed the door and brought the field back up from the inside. Jeff walked over to her and placed an arm around her daughter's best friend – a woman who was now his own daughter in every way but birthright. He whispered, “It's worth a shot. What have we got to lose?”

Maria looked at the three figures getting into a jeep at the other side of the street. “It's worth everything. But we've already lost...”

Act 2

Jesse drove the jeep as silently as possible through the deserted streets of Roswell, no headlights lest they call any more unwanted attention. The houses they passed stood empty, their occupants having fled long ago to other areas, or to the UFO Center, Roswell's shelter of last resort. A tunnel had been dug between the Center and the Crashdown in the early days of the raids to ensure safe passage for the refugees who found themselves, quite literally, on the wrong side of the road. But Jesse couldn't stay too silent for long.

“So. Dude. Who are you, really? Cause you're sure as hell not John Smith.”

The Doctor said, “I'd forgotten about you 21st Century Americans, always cutting to the chase. It's quite refreshing, actually. The British tend to-”

Jesse repeated, “Who. Are. You?”

“Jesse-” Micki countered.

“Well, since you're helping to save the Earth and all... I'm the Doctor. I'm a Timelord.”

Jesse smirked. “What? Is that a gang or something? Or secret society?”

“Not really. I'm the last of a race from a planet called Gallifrey. I travel space and time, having adventures and saving the universe every once in a while, and occasionally making things right. But only if and when it's the right thing to do...”

“You mean like the guy from Quantum Leap?” Jesse asked. He should have questioned it further, but there were enough aliens in his life already. What was one more?

“Yeah... No! Not like him. I don't have quite the same... boundaries.”

Micki joined in, “So this – what's happening – isn't supposed to happen.”

The Doctor quipped, “No guarantees, of course, but I certainly hope so. Earth has so much more to offer, and there's no way I'm going to let a two-bit megalomaniac from a primitive existence take it away.”

“Well, alright then,” Jesse said.

Micki asked, “So why didn't you say anything before, when we were at the Crashdown?”

The Doctor responded, “The thing about changing events is that the right ones have to changed. Pick the wrong ones and it's worse than before.”

Jesse maneuvered the steering wheel to get the jeep around a barrier. “Like the butterfly effect.”

“More or less. Pick your battles, although I'd rather not have any more battles...” The Doctor continued. “The point is, I don't want to change anything until I have an idea of what's in play – what's stable and what's in flux. Plus, I didn't want that Jeff bloke to hurt me.”

“Jeff wouldn't hurt you,” Micki assured him. “So the crystal and the granilith are the keys here.”

The Doctor nodded. “I'm almost positive. The crystal stabilizes the granilith. We get the crystal, we get to the granilith, we start it up, and we get Max and Liz back-”

“Wait – Max and Liz are alive?” Jesse couldn't believe it.

The Doctor hedged. “Well, maybe-”

“MAYBE???”

“Depending on how the granilith malfunctioned, it's possible they could still be inside. The King and Queen of Antar are connected with the granilith – it would've wanted to protect them.”

Jesse stated, “You knew Max was a King, didn't you?”

“I figured that if I was in Roswell in the first place, it had to do with Max – King Zan of Antar. The Legend of the Royal Four – it's been told for eons, all over the universe. It's a children's fairy tale, actually.”

“So THAT'S how you know this is wrong? A fairy tale?” Jesse just shook his head.

The Doctor smiled. “You. You're brilliant. You know that?”

Jesse played along,“I know. The Harvard diploma proves it and everything.”

The Doctor laughed despite himself. “I met some nice co-eds there in the 1970s, but that's for another time and place...”

Jesse stopped the jeep. “We're as close as we're gonna get – you'll have to go the rest of the way on foot.”

The Doctor clapped his hand on Jesse's back as he climbed out of the vehicle, then lent a hand so Micki could get out. “Thank you.”

Jesse replied, “Take care of Mom.”

“Mom?” the Doctor asked.

“She's everybody's Mom.” Jesse looked at Micki. “Please be careful.”

“I will. Take care of the others, okay?” Micki hugged the man who had been her surrogate son in the past few years, and especially during these last months.

“I'll be waiting around the corner over there.” Jesse slipped a hand radio into Micki's hand. “Use it only if you need it. Once you two get that mystery crystal, we can regroup and figure out how to get to the granilith without getting massacred.”

“One step at a time, Jesse.”

“I know. Good luck.” And with that, the Doctor and Micki began walking down the road. Jesse looked at them, then got back in the jeep and coasted it around the road to wait.

Micki led the way as she and the Doctor walked silently down the pavement. “It's not far,” she whispered. “It's been so long since I've been here.”

Eventually she stopped in front of a ranch-style rambler. The first thing the doctor noticed was the three white crosses on the front lawn.

“One for each of my boys,” Micki said simply.

The Doctor looked at his surroundings – a middle-class neighborhood, with desolate, empty houses much the same as the one in front of him. But the crosses stood out. They were on most every lawn – some only had one, others five or six. They gleamed in the moonlight – reminders of a battle fought. He wondered how many more crosses should have been laid to represent all of those lost.

“I miss them every day.”

The Doctor placed a hand on Micki's shoulder, offering what comfort he could. Loss was universal, yet so personal to each soul.

She walked up to the door and looked for the spare key under the doormat. The Doctor stopped her. “Allow me.” He pulled out a silver rod, slightly broader than a pen, and with the push of a button, a glow came from it. He held it to the front door, heard the snick of the lock and said, “You lot aren't the only ones with nifty security techniques.”

Micki smiled in response despite her surprise. She didn't what what it was about this strange man – he was a man, right? But, somehow, she trusted him.

The entered the house, left just as it was a few months before. It was surprisingly clean and well-kept. Micki could've sworn it had been messier. Her eyes came upon the old, tattered plaid couch, then her eyes scanned the walls. Jim's Stetson was still hanging on the coat race. Kyle and Michael's sports trophies and medals were scattered all around. And sitting on the bookshelf was the photograph that she wished she had taken when she left so suddenly all those months ago. It was her, Jim, and her sons, both dressed in their football jerseys. It was a posed portrait, but all of their smiles reached their eyes all the same. They had been happy.

“They were the Bash Brothers.”

The Doctor turned around. He'd been checking around for a crystal, but understood the need for his companion to have a moment before he asked. But time was running short. “Excuse me?”

“That's the nickname their Midget coach gave to Kyle and Michael. It stuck all through high school – even when Kyle played at UNM. Four straight division championships in high school.”

“That's something.”

“It was. Jim was so proud. We both were.”

Okay, the Doctor thought. Crystal, then go. Now.

“You know, Michael saved our family.”

“Oh.”

“Jim and I had been at each other all the time. I was a terrible mother to Kyle. I had just given up. Kyle helped me pack the car – good little man even then – and then I was gone. I didn't know where I was going.” She paused. “But then I found Michael. It was my second chance, to be a good wife and mother. To be the person I knew I could be.”

“It wasn't easy of course – it takes two to make a marriage work, and Jim and I fought like... well, we fought. I remember him yelling that first that that picking up a kid from the side of the road wasn't like bringing a puppy home from the pound.” She laughed, and the Doctor chuckled a bit. “But somehow we found that we did really love one another. And Jim finding out his son was an alien actually helped him beat a couple of his own family demons. The boys – Michael was sullen, Kyle was hyperactive – but they tempered one another. Them, and the Evans kids, and Maria and Liz and Alex and Tess... I'm babbling, aren't I?”

“No.” The Doctor said. “Michelle. I'm so sorry.”

Micki looked at him, unshed tears threatening to fall. “We can change this?”

“Yes, we can.” Reminiscing complete, the Doctor went back on task. “Now, where's that crystal?”

“I'm sure it's in Michael's room-”

But Micki never had a chance to look.

A pink streak came through the picture window, breaking the glass and hitting Micki in the side. She slumped over and gasped.

“Michelle? Micki?” The Doctor yelled. She was conscious, but barely. “Oh, nonononono.” As uniformed soldiers grabbed him and his co-conspirator, he realized this was very bad. He felt a pinch and he immediately recognized a sedative agent through his system. It was working too quickly for him to expel it from his system. Oh, this was bad. This was very, very bad.

As his view because hazy, he realized there was still a chance. Maybe. One more possibility. It wasn't the one that he wanted, but it was the only way. He knew all too well that sometimes sacrifices had to be made for the greater good. He might have heard voices yelling – something like fall back and abort. And he absently thought that he never thought to hide his TARDIS, still in that alley by the Crashdown.

Then his own universe went dark.

Act 3

As the Doctor came to his first thought was, as saving the world/pre-apocalyptic scenarios went, this one was not going very well at all. No crystal, no fixing the granilith, no saving Max and Liz. This Earth was not in good shape. He supposed he could just confront Khivar himself, but he was really hoping to avoid that. Killing him would just make him a hypocrite after sending his clone to a parallel universe for that very reason just hours ago.

“John?” He heard a voice call from the other side of the wall. Michelle was here. Good.

The Doctor took notice of his surroundings. To his shock, he noted he was in an ordinary jail cell. He did a cursory check of his body- no lingering effects, although it concerned him that he couldn't tell the chemicals those “soldiers” had used to knock him out. Then he lifted himself off the bunk on which he was laying, picked up a stray rock – at least he hoped it was a rock – and threw it at the cell bars. It simply bounced off and fell to the ground. “Not even electrified? Really, now...”

Searching his pockets, he found his door opener from before (he called it a 'sonic screwdriver'), and strode over to the cell lock. It gave easily. He opened the door and left his cell.

Looking down the hall, The Doctor saw there was no one around, not even one guard. That was very odd. He made his way to the next cell, and found it's door wide open. He saw Micki lying on the bunk. He readied himself to lift her up and take her out of there. Until he saw the wound. Tracer burns, by the look of it. There was no way Michelle Valenti was going to make it out of here.

The Doctor – he ruefully thought that at this very moment, he wasn't the right kind of doctor – walked over and crouched next to her as she lay on the bunk. “Oh, Michelle. I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry.”

“John. It was worth a shot,” she whispered. “Sorry, bad pun.”

“No, not this way. No -”

“Where is everybody?”

“I don't know,” the Doctor replied. Just rest.”

“Now, that's a crock.” She wheezed a bit. “I've been around the wounded long enough to know that rest isn't going to help. At least I'm gonna see my boys.”

“Yes. Yes, you are,” the Doctor assured her.

“John?” The Doctor winced at the continued use of his alias, but it was good as any name at the moment.

“Yeah?”

“Tell me the fairy tale.”

He paused. This was what she wanted, and, honestly, he guessed it was something he needed to tell.

“Okay.” He leaned a bit closer to her so she could hear. He quietly began, “Once upon a time, there was a planet called Antar. It was a beautiful planet, ruled by beautiful people that were known as the Royal Four. But there was a terrible war, led by an evil despot called Khivar. Khivar killed the Royal Four, but not before the brilliant scientists found a way to clone the Royal Four and send them to another beautiful planet called Earth. Zan and Vilandra were adopted by a noble Earth family. Rath – Michael - had a harder road, and an evil stepfather. But three of the four found one another, and the fourth – Ava – came later. They discovered their heritage and their wonderful gifts, but they were too scared to share their secrets to anyone. Until one day, Zan – Max – saved his soulmate – Liz - from being killed.”

“The Royal Four had their enemies – there was a local sheriff, a lawman who always seemed to follow them, over the needs of his son. But he became an ally after Zan saved that son. And when Ava arrived, it was discovered she had been brainwashed to take the Royal Four back to the horrible Khivar. But, she was saved too.”

Micki stopped the story. “Were they happy?”

“Alright, I'll just skip the running from the government and Isabel overcoming Vilandra's treacherous thoughts – which she did, by the way. But, yes. They were happy – all of them. Max and Liz, Isabel and Alex, Kyle and Ava, who became Tess, and Michael and Maria. They eventually saved two worlds.”

Michelle said out loud what she somehow already knew. “I'm... I'm not a part of any of it, am I?”

“Kyle's mother left him and her husband when he was six. That's all I remember.”

“What about Jesse and Jeff?”

“They're taken care of, don't worry.” The Doctor smiled. “And Michael and Maria. Two spitfires, I think you'd call them.”

“Really? Both of them?”

“Yeah. And Jim and Kyle, they turned out just fine. Both of them.”

Micki struggled a bit, then said, “So I'm the key. Not any crystal, no granilith. I never bring Michael home, and the world is saved. Figures...”

The Doctor grabbed her hand. “No! Michelle - you were brilliant in this world. You held everybody together in this timeline. And I can tell – well, I barely know you, but you... You remind me of someone I've lost recently. If you're anything like her, you were the most important person in the universe to everyone around you. Not just your boys.”

“So what's more important? My family or the Earth?” Micki didn't want an answer, but the Doctor gave one anyway:

“That's up to you.”

“John?”

“Yes?”

“Come find me? I mean, you can change moments in time, right?”

The Doctor smiled and replied, “I'll certainly try.” The Doctor meant it. “And even if I don't, I'll still tell whoever I can about you. Maybe they'll even be songs – songs of Michele Valenti.”

“You don't have to do that,” Micki replied, but she still smiled tremulously at the remark.

“Yes I do. And if and when I do end up finding you, the first person I'll have to tell is... well, you.”

“Okay.” She labored for breath. “John?”

“Yes?”

But there was no answer.

This was how this needed to be played out after all. This was truly the end. He covered Micki's body with a prison-issue blanket and left her there.

***************

The Doctor walked out of the deserted jail and into the bright sunlight. He read the sign on the building as he left - “Roswell Sheriffs' Department.” He hadn't been taken anywhere but the local big house. The area was deserted and eerily quiet, with no cars on the street, save one. He saw Jesse, leaning against his jeep.

The Doctor walked up to him saying, “Hello.”

“Hey.”

The Doctor didn't know how to tell him. “She didn't -”

“I know. Maria told us.”

“What?” yelled the Doctor.

“She just knew!” Jesse screamed back. “I heard the ambush at Micki's house on the radio and knew you two were in trouble. I didn't know where they had taken you, so I went back to the Crashdown to regroup and plan and she filled me in. There wasn't anything much to do after that. Well, except for meeting you here.”

“Oh. Ohhh!” the Doctor marveled. “What she told you - did it have anything to do with why it's so quiet?”

“Oh, yeah. End of the world, man, courtesy of the leaders of the free world. They pulled the pin on some planet-wide detonation thing, so Earth... it's gonna explode. We've got a few hours. But it worked – Khivar turned tail and ran. We figure Micki was his forces' last kill before they left.”

The Doctor just nodded, but his eyes were wide.

“Jesse, I've got to see Maria. Where is she?”

Jesse climbed into the drivers side and waved the Doctor into the jeep.

“She said you'd say that. Get in.”

TBC

Act 4

The Doctor jumped out of the jeep before it stopped moving. He ran inside the Crashdown, yelling, “Where's Maria?”

“I'm right here.” Maria turned to face him. “Do you see anyone else?”

The Doctor noted she was right. The Crashdown was deserted now, without a trace of the infirmary that it was just hours ago.

“Tell me what you know,” the Doctor commanded.

Jeff looked at the scene unfolding around him as Jesse casually strolled in the front door. “What do ya think would have happened if we hadn't taken down that shield?” Jeff laughed. He knew he end was near – Maria had told him as much - but at least they'd all have a few moments of peace before it it was over.

Maria motioned the Doctor into the back room. As he entered the swinging door, she apologized. “I wasn't supposed to say anything. Do you know how hard that's been?”

“Well,” the Doctor replied, “You did keep the existence of aliens quiet for a very long time, after all. When did I see you?”

“Two days ago. You gave me these with strict instructions to not say anything until you left with Micki - something about a tangent temporal loop dee loop or something-”

“Actually, it's more causal than temporal, but-”

“Whatever. Here.” Maria handed the Doctor the sought-after crystal, along with a letter. He looked at the envelope and saw the name on the front of it: Michelle Valenti.

“She was with me?”

“Yeah,” Maria answered. “But she was younger. Not the Micki I know, but she was there and knew who I was.”

The Doctor asked, “Why didn't you at give me this when I walked in here the first time?”

“Like I said. Because you asked me not to.”

“Yeah, I know I'd do that,” admitted the Doctor. “Sometimes I'm too clever for my own good.”

Maria grinned at him – the Doctor had never seen her smile. It looked good on her. She said, “No worries. Apparently it's part of your charm. Well, that and the accent.”

“You like the accent?”

“Oh, yeah,” Maria sighed. Silence ensued. Maria whispered to herself, “Okay, awkward moment....”

“Maria?”

“Yeah?”

“Do me a favor – if you ever see me again, never listen to a word I say.”

“Noted,” Maria promised.

“Alright. So... end of the world then?” The Doctor didn't have any other way to bring up the subject.

“Yeah. It's scary. But, and this is what's getting me, all of us, through this without curling up into a fetal position on the floor.... You told me we were happy in the right world, the way all this is supposed to be. Not anything like here. And I'm completely human there. No healing powers or sparky things. I mean I'd miss them there if I knew I had it here, I guess, but... I'm not a healer. I mean, I took remedial science, for crying out loud!”

The Doctor grinned back at her, seeing the Maria that she was before all the dark, and would be again. The doctor leaned to her and said, “Oh. Maria Deluca? Great album.”

“What?”

“Nevermind.” The Doctor grinned. He figured that was something she needed to know. “So, you're all... okay with this?”

Maria answered quietly and honestly, “We're all probably still in shock, but I think we've all made peace with it. The whole knowing there's a better world thing. And knowing my Spaceboy is still with me there helps a ton.”

“You do realize that Spaceboy is a bit of a grump in all the tales I've heard,” the Doctor cautioned.

“I handled this. I can handle him.”

“Of that I have no doubt.” The Doctor pocketed the crystal and the letter, then sat down on pickle barrel and said, “So, tell me the tale of Michelle Valenti.”

Maria smiled again and replied, “Well, as mother-in-laws go, she was the best...”

***********

“How long have we got?” Jeff asked to no one in particular.

“Not much longer now,” Maria answered. “Okay, now I'm getting scared.”

“We're all scared,” Jesse admitted. “And we can't do one damn thing to stop it.”

The Doctor shook his head. That horrible Osterhagen key still existed here. That's what was happening here, he knew it – the Earth's suffering was so great that all the world's leaders decided the only way to escape invasion was to sacrifice the entire planet. A bit hasty, the Doctor thought, but Jesse was right. There was no time left to do anything about it. He turned to the other three sitting at the table. “About 6 years ago, did you notice, oh, about twenty-six other planets in the sky?”

Jesse looked at him like he was nuts, but he had learned very quickly to expect that kind of question from this guy.

The Doctor quipped, “Well, that answers that question, I suppose.”

Jeff stood up and held his hand out to him. “Thank you,” he said.

“For what? You're going to die. You could come with me-”

Jeff interrupted, “That's not how it's supposed to be. We're fixed here. We know that. But we also know that in another place and time, it's better. Even if I am a bit of an overbearing dad in that one”

“And that changed from this universe how?” Maria couldn't help herself.

Jeff ignored Maria's comment, and said, “Listen - find Mick- Michelle.”

Jesse offered his thanks as well. “I would've loved to have seen you take on Khivar. Too bad he was such a wuss.”

“Thank you, Jesse,” the Doctor said. “Wuss?”

“It's a figure of speech.”

“Right,” the Doctor quipped.

Maria was last. “Now get into that damn English boxy thing. The last thing we need is to get you caught up in asteroids. Go.”

“Maria Deluca. I look forward to seeing you again sometime.”

“Likewise. Now go find her. Go!”

With a wave, the Doctor left the Crashdown and turned down the alley. He saw people sitting and laying in the sun - a last precious few minutes, after being held underground for so long, before it all ended. For a brief moment, he thought to save a few. This was its own type of genocide.

But it was also the correct decision, leaving this. This was still all wrong.

He walked down the alley and saw his TARDIS, covered with a painter's dropcloth. A note was taped to it:
He pocketed the note, pulled off the dropcloth and walked into his home. Once inside, he pulled the crystal out of his other pocket, along with the letter addressed to Michelle Valenti. Finally, he pulled out the picture of the happy Valenti family he had swiped from the house before all hell broke loose.

He looked at the picture and promised, “Just so you know, Michelle. Sometime.”

*********

Jesse, Maria and Jeff sat at a table, a bottle of Crown Royal and cans of Coca-Cola in front of each of them. Maria placed an arm around each of her boys as the voice of the President of the United States rang out from a radio on the counter. The President was trying to defend his decision that Earth's destruction was the only way to overcome and defeat the tyranny of those trying to take over Roswell, New Mexico and other parts of the world. He asked God to bless America, and the citizens of the Earth.

Jeff raised a can in a final toast. “To a better life and time.”

Jesse and Maria joined in, “To a better life and time.”

They all heard a whooshing noise in the distance. Maria prayed, “For all of us. Please.”

Then the world faded to white.

****************

1989

Michelle Valenti was just sick of it all. If she had known her soon-to-be ex-husband was just the latest crackpot in a long family tradition of alien-hunting crackpots, she never would have given Jim Valenti a second look. “Bastard,” she thought.

Now she was driving down the desert highway, kissing off Roswell, New Mexico and all that was in it, forever. She was free.

She felt guilty about Kyle, but honestly, she was never meant to be a mother. He was better off without her. She loved her little boy, but she had to let him go.

She didn't know where she was going, and she didn't care. She had a packed car, the contents of a checking account, and a killer sound system in her car for road tunes. And that was all she needed.

She began singing along with the Fine Young Cannibals, and was deep into the chorus when she noticed something odd on the side of the road. It was a boy.

A naked little boy.

“What the hell...?” Michelle stopped the car and threw it into reverse, pulling onto the shoulder of the road.

She got out of the car and walked to him. “Hey, little buddy. You okay there?”

The little boy just stared, then ran off to hide in the brush.

The wind picked up suddenly, and a sound filled the air. A pushing sound. No. Definitely a “Woosh,” Michelle thought.

Then, about twenty-five feet in front of her, she saw something pulsate. A blue box.

Michelle noted, “This is getting very weird.”

As soon as the box solidified, she saw the door to the box open. A man stepped out. Not a bad-looking man, she thought, except for the fact that he had stepped out of something that hadn't been there thirty seconds before.

She muttered to herself, “Okay, blue box officially trumps naked boy on side of road in terms of weirdness-”

“Michelle?” Of course the Doctor recognized her. She was much younger - the hair unmarred by gray, the lines in her face all but gone – but it was unmistakably her.

“How do you know my name?”

“You asked me to find you.”

“When?”

“That's a really long story,” he replied. “Did you happen to see see a little boy around here, naked as a jaybird?”

Michelle pointed toward the brush.

'Thanks.” He went to move to the boy, but stopped. The Doctor pointed a finger to her. “Don't go anywhere.”

Michelle stared at the man. He wore a trenchcoat. Over a suit. In New Mexico. And he just stepped out of something that wasn't there. A flippin' blue box. Oh, yeah, she thought. This was a very weird acid flashback.

But then, something in her brain flickered... That little boy! He was special!

She looked over to the strange man, who was now watching that special little boy run over the crest of a nearby hill.

Michelle yelled, “Well? Aren't you going to go after him? He'll freeze to death!”

“Oh, he'll be fine. It's all going to be fine.” He really didn't want to leave little Michael like this. They'd just have to come back.

The Doctor took a deep breath and walked to the young woman. “So. Michelle Valenti!” He clapped his hands. “Looking for a new start, are you?”

“What? How'd you kn-”

He handed her a letter, which was wrinkled but still had unmistakable handwriting. Her own.

The Doctor leaned to her. “Hope you don't mind. Took a peek. Couldn't help myself.”

As she opened the envelope, Michelle realized that she should really be more frightened and concerned than she was. She unfolded the paper and saw a note, again in her own hand:
The Doctor looked at her. “Well? What do you say?”

Michelle blinked at him. “But... how did you get this? How do you even know me?”

“Well, I don't really know you. But I do know you have the potential to be brilliant. And I'm willing to take that chance. If you are.”

She thought for a second. “Where are we going to put my car?”

“Didn't you read the note? Take only what you need.” He sighed, and wondered if having an American woman as a traveling companion was a good idea. “As for the car - that'll just have to be one of Roswell's other mysteries, at least for a little while.”

“Uh... Okay.”

“Wonderful. You're going to love this.”

After taking her necessities out of her vehicle, she walked to the door and dropped her luggage with a thump. Noting the box, she asked, “How am I going to fit all this in there?”

The Doctor leaned in and said, “Bigger on the inside.”

He opened the door, and Michelle walked in. A female voice was heard saying “Holy...” as the door closed behind her. With a few pulses and another whoosh, they were gone.

And so, the Earth was saved, and a happy ending was assured for all... well, at least the planet wasn't destroyed. The Doctor wasn't alone traveling the universe, and a lost woman was on her way to finding her place in it. In exchange, a family was torn apart before it ever had a chance to be. For two little boys and a young husband, it would be a rough time, in different ways.

But sometime, they'd make it right. Not only for the world, but for the families of Roswell. They would make sure of it.

There had already been an ending. Now it was time to begin again - the right way.

********
Thanks for reading.