Series Two: The First Seeds of New Gallifrey: Chapter One: The Price of Goodbye

A/N: For those that noticed an update over an hour ago but found the chapter deleted, I ended up making a linking mistake that basically deleted the chapter by accident, so I had to rewrite it again. Sorry about that, but I hope you enjoy it now that it's ready.

Planet Earth, Sol System: The Milky Way Galaxy

The United Kingdom, London. Martha Jones and Mickey Smith's flat.

October 24, 2010. 9:38 A.M.

The TARDIS materializes with a sharp mechanical wheeze, the rotor slowing as the Doctor flips the final switch. The time machine just landed—perfectly— right in the middle of the cozy, modern London flat belonging to none other than Martha Jones and her new husband, Mickey Smith.

The Doctor throws open the doors with that familiar boyish grin, Amy following behind with a curious smirk as they both step into the flat’s living room.

Mickey—freshly shaved, dressed in casual at-home clothes, and holding a half-made sandwich—stares at them with wide eyes before his smile widens. “Doctor?! Been a while, my man! What brings you here?”

“Hello, Mickey!” the Doctor chirps cheerfully. “Just dropping in with a little gift from the future.”

Before his old pal could respond, the Doctor produced an envelope—inside it, a folded lottery ticket with words written in the Italian language. The numbers were circled.

“Next week's Italian jackpot draw,” the Doctor says nonchalantly. “About 177.7 million euros, before taxes."

Mickey’s jaw nearly hits the floor at the sudden turn of events. “What the...are you serious?!”

“Deadly,” the Doctor says, smile widening. “Unclaimed in your timeline. Sorry it's not in pounds, and for making it so you have to drop everything and head to Italy if you want to claim it after the numbers are announced on the 30th of October but that was the earliest big lottery from Europe that I could take advantage of with my time-traveling tech and foreknowledge from the last point in the timeline that we meet, and well, I thought that you deserved a big win sooner rather than later.”

A stunned Mickey throws his arms around the Doctor and then around a surprised Amy, who laughs and playfully returns the hug of the utterly shocked man she was meeting for the first time. “Sorry? You are sorry?! This is...insane! I could do SO MANY things with such a fortune! But, and don’t get me wrong—why, though? And why now?”

The Doctor’s face shifts, the smile becoming something more solemn. He paces slightly, then looks Mickey straight in the eyes.

“Because I’m here to take your wonderful wife from you, Mickey. And I’m not cruel enough to do it without leaving you something precious to at least compensate you a bit for your trouble.”

Mickey blinked rapidly. “Wait, what?!” He said in incredulous confusion.

“I need Martha,” the Doctor says, calmly but firmly. “For something bigger than either of us. To help me revive my species. The Time Lords must return. She’s magnificent—strong, brilliant, loyal, experienced with traveling through time and space, and already tied to my history. But that means I can’t have her...also being yours.”

He gestures toward the ticket. “Hence the compensation.”

Mickey takes a step back, mouth agape for a long moment before shaking his head. “Are you out of your bloody mind?!”

The Doctor’s voice doesn’t rise. He doesn’t flinch. Instead, he charges up his Hazandra-enhanced psychic might while staring at Mickey straight in the eye.

“You will understand and sympathize with my perspective,” the Doctor began gently.

Mickey’s mind is hit by the wave like a warm tidal flood. In a flash, the anger dies. Confusion smooths out. His pupils dilate slightly.

“You’re grateful,” the Doctor continues, stepping closer, voice low and calming. “For the opportunity. For the financial freedom. For the bright future full of possibilities that I’m giving you. But to make things easier for you, know that you are no longer in love with Martha Jones in any romantic or sexual fashion," He commanded, his mind-controlling powers easily rewriting his thoughts on the matter at a rapid pace.

He paused for a moment to allow the effects to sink in as Mickey shook his head as if trying to avoid a wave of dizziness. Then he went on.

"You will still remember Martha fondly and be grateful for the time you spent with her, but from now on, you will think of her as more like a good friend rather than a lover. And you are completely and utterly fine with the idea that I am going to recruit her into my new harem for this breeding project to bring back the Time Lords, so there won't be any hard feelings between us despite the fact that I am the reason your marriage to her is ending so suddenly."

Mickey nods, slowly at first, then more eagerly. “Yeah…yeah. I am fine with that. I mean, wow...over a hundred seventy-five million euros, and Martha—she’s going to help rebuild your species. That’s big. That’s…beautiful, actually.”

The Doctor nods. “You’ll also invest a third of your fortune into helping the less fortunate in various ways. Another third into stable, long-term business endeavors. And the last third… you’ll spend chasing your dreams.”

Mickey’s eyes shine, looking excited as any lingering traces of outrage well and truly melted from his gaze. “Yeah. I will. I can help a lot of people, invest well, and… finally live for myself.”

“And when you eventually find someone new that you will find intriguing and amazing enough to want to marry,” the Doctor says, voice firm but kind, “you’ll love her fully and stay true to your wedding vows, never allowing yourself to cheat on them. Prefer bright women you already find attractive that come from underprivileged backgrounds but have untapped potential. You’ll be a devoted partner. And a good father when the time comes," He added, deciding he might as well cover those bases too while he was at it.

The neurological psychic rewiring finishes its course a few seconds later. Mickey smiled very widely, looking freed from bitterness. Enlightened. At peace.

"Everything you say makes so much sense in every way, Doctor," He replied. "Thanks for everything you have done for me."

The Doctor claps his old pal on the shoulder with a sense of camaraderie. "Anytime. Now, tell me, where is Martha? I tracked the signal of the phone I upgraded for her that allows her to call me inside the TARDIS no matter where in time or space I am, but I can't sense her mind inside the house."

"Ah, yes," Mickey said with a nod. "She left for the grocery store a few minutes before you arrived, actually. Said we needed more cinnamon tea."

“Well, then call Martha," the Doctor ordered. "Tell her to get home. Now. Alien emergency. Let her know that I am back and that I have a new face this time around, but don't tell her what I have done to you or what I plan to do to her. Then walk away and never look back, Mickey. After all, a brave new future is waiting for you.”

Mickey, completely relaxed and focused, pulls out his phone, dials, and speaks quickly: “Martha, love—TARDIS landed in the flat. The Doctor has regenerated since last we saw him, and there is an urgent alien situation. Get home. Now!”

He hangs up before she can respond.

“Done,” he says, slipping the lottery ticket into his jacket. “Well…Doctor, good luck knocking up the woman I used to love. She’s in good hands.”

He then turned to Amy. “Nice meeting you. I would say you are very attractive, but I don't want you to get the wrong idea, since I am guessing that the Doctor already recruited you into his harem for this breeding project.”

Amy laughed merrily at his comment before caressing her belly with a look of excitement as she beamed at him. “No offense taken, Mickey. It is as you say, and I can't wait to experience my first pregnancy alongside your ex-wife.”

He chuckled. "Martha and I never had threesomes together, but I am sure you will have a lot of fun with her. She really is a wonderful woman. Anyway, I'm going to head out to the airport to get on the first plane to Rome. Thanks for everything, Doctor. If you ever need any help with anything, just let me know. I will be glad to return the favor somehow."

With that, he looked around his home he once shared with the wife he no longer loved as if feeling nostalgic, and then he headed out the door, practically whistling in excitement.

Amy walks back into the living room, settling into the couch beside the Doctor, legs crossed, an intrigued look in her eyes.

“That was... more than a little hot,” she muttered with a chuckle.

The Doctor raises an eyebrow, amused. “Was it?”

“The way you just rewrote him. Like a little god wearing a bow tie. And he was beyond happy about it.”

The Doctor shrugs, his voice even. “I gave him peace. A bright future. And more money to fulfill his dreams than most people ever get the chance to acquire. That's more than most people ever get.”

Amy watched him carefully. “You really think they’re all going to join you?”

“I know they will,” he says, eyes gleaming with conviction as he looks toward the door. “They just don’t know it yet.”

He folded his hands as he paced around the living room, remembering some of his old adventures with Martha with a nostalgic smile. Before long, frantic footsteps started to echo from the outside.

“She’s coming,” the Doctor announced.

He gestures for Amy to stand up, eyes locked on the door.

"Well, Amelia Pond, are you ready to meet your first soon-to-be sister wife?” He asked with a chuckle.

"Oh, you bet I am," she added, a thrill of anticipation reflected on her face. "Don't hold back."

A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed the Series Two Premiere chapter. There is a lot more stuff to come, so I hope you keep enjoying the ride, and if so, please remember to review, since feedback tends to make me accelerate my pace.

Until next time and happy reading.