The book snapped shut, sending a clap out around the study.
"Bill!"
Bill hadn't even reached the room, but at the loud exclamation of her name opted for a lean-in while grabbing either side of the doorframe. When her glance to the desk showed no sign of the Doctor, she began looking around a little frantically.
"You just gonna hang around in the doorway or what?"
After tilting her head back with a hint of confusion, she made her proper entrance with the usual amount of disregard, and promptly sank back into one of the leather lined seats. Still no Doctor.
"I'm just waiting to feel like an idiot for asking the obvious question huh?"
"What obvious question?"
She lightly clenched her fingers. He was definitely in the room, but for whatever reason she simply could not work out where exactly his voice was coming from. As if her sense of spatial direction was completely gone. Or to put it simply, listening to sound stuck in mono track.
It took a lot of willpower to cross that bridge of knowing she was about to be shown up for asking the obvious question, and ask it anyway.
"Where are you?"
"What? That's the question getting you in a tiffy?"
"Yes!"
After a few moments, the Doctor half appeared on the other side of the desk. There was a sharp vertical line that divided the part of him that was visible, and the part that just showed the rest of the study beyond.
The Doctor himself was clearly leaning out from behind an invisible wall, wide eyes fixated on Bill while she began rubbing the side of her head in frustration. "Well it's a perfectly valid question when someone is invisible. 'Where are you?'" He leaned back and lifted his hands in something of a searching gesture for emphasis. "Certainly better than 'who are you', or 'what are you'. Not really as relevant."
Bill put that frustration aside and got up, sauntering around the table and eventually reaching out to the invisible wall he was hiding behind. Then promptly sighed.
"You made the TARDIS invisible."
"Yes I did."
She drummed her fingers on the TARDIS wall a few times, then lifted her hand away with another sigh. "Okay! I'm not even gonna ask!"
"Ask what?"
At that, Bill turned around with what she intended to be a fierce glare for all the teasing questions. But, there simply wasn't anything that could stand up to the smile that formed on the Doctor's face at that moment.
The joyous satisfaction that came at the end of teasing, and at the beginning of explaining.
"The answer is; I felt like it." He stepped out of the TARDIS fully, at which point it reverted to its standard appearance as the big blue box. "Doesn't have to be invisible. Perception filter does the trick when it needs to." After clapping his hand against the typically closed half of the door, he shrugged his shoulders and hopped right back in. "Meet you right outside?"
Through a series of confused gestures, shrugs and expressions, she finally managed to get a nod in.
"Great. I'll have something cooked up by then. Easier this way."
He closed the door right after that, which was soon followed by the familiar sound and sight of the TARDIS dematerializing.
Bill stood there a few moments longer before making her way back out of the study for the short walk to the university grounds on the other side of the wall.
By the time she actually reached the grassy area in question, she had figured out the reason for taking the walk herself. Which after her minor frustration a couple of minutes earlier gave her a rather satisfying one-up on the inevitable explanation the Doctor would be itching to throw her way.
Less than a minute after she found a moderately comfortable part of the wall to lean against, the TARDIS rematerialized once more. Just after, the Doctor burst out with an odd contraption of brightly coloured wires, metal pieces and all other manner of mechanical junk.
"Since you don't want to ask questions today, it's a pile of junk."
Somehow stymied yet again, Bill was left blinking at the so-called pile of junk until it was tossed back inside without a second thought. "So, you spent anywhere from hours to months in there while I was walking around, just to end up with a pile of junk?"
"Not exactly."
That time when he returned to the TARDIS, he gestured for her to join him. Less than a minute later, the door had closed in preparation for another launch, and near immediate touchdown again afterward, at which point he gestured for her to open the doors again.
She sighed yet again upon seeing that not only were they back inside the study, they had in fact remained in sync with Earth's time for the duration of that extremely brief trip.
"Okay, I really do give up. What is this all about?"
"Exactly, Bill. That's exactly the question to ask!"
The Doctor hurried out after prompting her to exit the TARDIS, heading straight for his desk. "What is this-" He had stopped at the desk, one hand leaning on it while the other firmly tapped a deep red hardcover book resting in the middle of it. "-all about?"
Bill took just one look at the book in question before tilting her head. She had been ready to accept the day's routine of being perpetually confused, but one particular detail about the book prompted new thought.
"No title. Not even on the spine. Who prints a book like that?"
Once again, the Doctor looked to her with that knowing smile, showing the kind of pride in knowing intuition was at work. "Keep going."
She stared at it closer, thinking about the possible answers more. "The printer wants people to open it up and see what's inside? Taking that old saying a bit literally?"
"Good answer, what else?"
Briefly she was left clueless for any other options, thinking about it a little longer, then finally catching onto the real answer. "You don't label what's in it, because you already know what's there. Because it's not meant to be found by others."
"This book, it's a very special kind of book." The Doctor slowly passed his hand, fingers gliding across the texture in its infinite complexity. "It originates from Gallifrey. It's the key to an ancient Time Lord prison, from the old years. An old colleague gave it to me, for safekeeping."
Just as he was about to open it, he looked back at Bill. "That has nothing to do with why the book is important now."
"So why the backstory?"
"I like reminiscing on past adventures." He looked back to the book, then hastily flicked it open to a random page. Gallifreyan writing glared back up at him.
"You remember the exact time when you came into the room? I recall it being eight-oh-two, on the dot. Right after the book snapped shut and I called for you."
Bill had instinctively gone for her phone at that moment, drawing it out with a bit of a shrug. "I wasn't really looking back in the corridor, but-"
Her gasp of surprise was all the confirmation the Doctor needed. He hurried around the desk and looked over her shoulder at the phone, then lightly clapped her shoulder with joy.
"And that's when we're headed! All we need to do, is figure out where!"
He raced around again, that time barging into the TARDIS with great excitement, leaving Bill dumbfounded.
"But… what…"
"Bring the book! Can't leave it lying around for someone to borrow by mistake, again!"
After a few moments of fumbling, Bill simply pressed her phone to the book and carried both in one hand while making her way into the TARDIS as well. Leaving her oblivious to the time and date display going absolutely haywire for seconds at a time. But always defaulting to one specific instance.
By then the Doctor had made a full circuit around the console, flipping, switching, turning and adjusting all manner of controls, but had yet to actually take off.
"There aren't any grey spheres floating about, so someone else is looking for that book! But not to take it. Set it there please."
It was when Bill went to put the book down that she finally noticed the frantic pattern of her phone's lock screen. Still defaulting back to the same time and date she had seen in the first place.
"119:72 ZL? 19th of June, 92,701 CE?" She looked between the Doctor and her phone several times in bewilderment. "They changed how the clock works but still use June ninety thousand years in the future?"
"Why not? June is a nice month."
"And what does ZL even stand for?"
"Haven't the foggiest!"
A wide sweep of the Doctor's hands across the controls sent the TARDIS on its way at last, hurtling forwards through time.
"Whatever's happening, whatever adventure lies in wait, we're headed right for the middle of it! Going in blind! No clue what to expect! More or less."
The whole room rumbled, lights flickering as a few showers of sparks shot out across the room. Pushing through the many waves and shears of relative space as they drew closer to the destination.
"More or less? So you do have some idea?"
Yet again the Doctor looked at Bill for a prolonged moment. There was curiosity, anticipation, wonderment, even excitement in his eyes. But above all else, the feeling of a reunion long overdue.
"Hopefully."
He moved around the console again, that time stopping over the book in question. "When you copy a normal book, you're making a second version, however identical. It will always be seperate. You can destroy the original, but the second will survive."
Sensing where things were going, Bill wisely retrieved her phone before it was cast aside as part of the Doctor's expositing.
"But Gallifreyan books, oh, those are different. You don't make identical copies of those books. You borrow them from an infinitely short amount of time in their existence." Once again, he brought his hand to rest on the surface, lightly brushing over it with a deep, clear reverence for what was contained inside. "There is only ever one version of a specific Gallifreyan book. The original. Spread out across time. There are many instances, indecipherable to many, indestructible to all. It's the virtue of being so constant in time. You cannot destroy or damage what has always existed, and what must always exist."
He closed his eyes for a few moments, then smiled again. "Like a handsome fellow I once knew. Though he was far easier to read, plain as a children's book."
"Huh."
The Doctor broke from his further reminiscing to look back to Bill. That time she had a rather sly smirk on her face.
"What?"
"Figured you had a boyfriend at some point."
"He's-" The Doctor went through several various gestures, most of them differing kinds of exasperation, culminating in an exaggerated silent desire for the attention to the book in hand. "This book is important! It's the sort of book that isn't supposed to have instance copies! What good's a prison key if you can't keep track of all its copies?"
The smile faded from Bill's face as she once again lost track of the point being made.
"So, someone made a copy, and that's where we're headed. What tipped that off?"
With a smile of his own, the Doctor opened the book up slowly. "That's the thing about constant points in time. They have to always exist in the big blob of continuity, but also follow their own passage of linear time." He snapped the book shut again quite firmly. "Linear time flows backwards over this particular book. Echoes from the future can ripple back and effect the past, if you know how to make just the right kind of ripple."
"The book closing on its own. Someone wanted you to notice, and come find them."
The Doctor clapped his hands together in a triumphant moment. "Right on it. Now all that remains is to see who exactly is waiting for us. Why we had to go to them."
"Not worried it's a trap?"
At that moment, the TARDIS finally powered down to indicate they had arrived at the designated time and location. Based on what had been deduced from the book anyway.
"Oh, I don't think it's a trap in the sense that we're walking into one." He began making his way over to the doors. "More likely, our special someone is trapped."
Right after throwing both doors open for a good view, he took a surprised step back.
"Well now. That is interesting."
Out in the void of space ahead of them was a second police box, slowly fading in and out of existence. Unlike the TARDIS, it wasn't actually becoming any more or less tangible, perpetually stuck in that cycle.
"Doctor, does this mean-"
"No, no Bill." The Doctor closed the doors rather delicately, then turned around on the spot for a thinking pose. "It looks like this TARDIS." His posture shifted as the realization came to him. "But it's not the same. It's a deliberate copy, it's recognizable." He looked to the book yet again, quietly gasping as it all became clear. "This is a call for help."
He snapped his fingers to draw attention to one of the computer screens, racing around to the other side of the console while Bill hurried over to it.
"How do we communicate with an entity that both is and isn't there at any given moment. That is the question. And don't bring up Schrodinger's cat, that's a horrible analogy. Not to mention irrelevant."
While posing that question, he had brought up a camera feed of the other TARDIS on the screen in question, giving Bill a constant view of it as it continued to fade in and out of existence.
"Book won't be any good for it, right? If I got it all right, going forward in time from here won't make a difference. Our book will still be in the past of the book over there, so nothing we do will send a message back to it."
"See? You're learning."
She allowed herself a bit of a smile for that after all the previous embarrassments from before. Cycling through more ideas and notions, studying, pondering. Something seemed to be changing about the other TARDIS between phases, but she couldn't quite pin it down.
"You know why it's doing this?"
"Any number of reasons, still running through them right now. Takes a lot longer to scan something when it's scraping the very edge of existing for a few microseconds at a time. And even then the readings are faint."
More phases passed. Feeling as if she was going blind staring at it for so long, Bill was about to leave it be when the oddity finally stood out to her.
"Doctor! The top lamp!"
He leaned heavily to the right, staring at her quizzically.
"The one on top outside! This other TARDIS is flashing theirs in Morse code!"
"What?" The Doctor circled right back around to take a look for himself. But sure enough, the other TARDIS remained just visible enough in each phase to notice a pattern in the lamp's brightness. Following the same pattern over multiple phases, repeating with enough space between each.
When it connected, the Doctor let out one of his deep, loud inhales. "It's not just Morse code. It's Gallifreyan Morse code!"
That just made Bill tilt her head with a very indignant look. "You saying Samuel Morse was a Time Lord?"
"No, no, Gallifreyan uses different patterns. But if I used the actual name, I'd sound rather daft and you wouldn't have a clue what I was talking about. And then I'd compare it to Morse code anyway."
"Ah." Bill just folded her arms after that, taking the gracious answer for what it was worth and not saying more. Though it didn't stop her from leaning in when the silence began to draw out. Further and further.
Until she could stand it no longer. "So, what does it say?"
"Our friend was asking if we could understand them." He reached over to a nearby switch, flicking it in various intervals to convey a reply. Understandably a long process, leaving a few minutes of tense silence before he had anything to translate again. "Whomever it is knows we're here. They just don't have lock-on capability."
He waited until certain the flashes had ended before looking back to Bill at long last. "Their TARDIS is adrift between dimensions. Where time and space don't exist. Quite literally marooned in the middle of a void, with no stars, no concept of anything to navigate by. We're just seeing the equivalent of someone pushing their finger against the fabric of reality. Trying to get in."
"And we're gonna let them in, right? Gotta be another Time Lord over there surely."
"Maybe." The Doctor slowly backed away from the screen, taking the time to think things over again. "Gallifrey is back. There shouldn't be anyone stuck in the gaps between. There shouldn't be."
Again he made a slow turn, going over everything in his mind again. "It's easy to forget when you're excited. To forget to ask the other questions you don't want to ask. Who would be stuck out there? Who wasn't lost to the Time War? Who?"
Bill moved over to his side, lightly grabbing his arm until he looked right at her. "Someone who needs help. That's all that matters, right?"
When all she got was that specific kind of stare, that so strongly implied she was making light of far greater consequences than she could imagine, she ignored it and pressed her case. "If it turns out bad, we'll make it right after, okay? We can't just leave someone stranded like that. Even if it turns out they're a big end-of-the-universe nutter."
The Doctor held his firm stare for a while longer, still weighing up all the potential outcomes and problems.
Finally, his beaming smile returned yet again.
"I have an idea."
Once again he bolted around the console, though that time it was to dive under and open up one of the panels beneath to get at the circuitry inside.
"Tell our friend out there to prepare for a S. O. D. Synchronized orbital descent. They'll know what it is from the initials."
Bill nodded hastily, then promptly realized the myriad of problems with that. "I don't know that kind of Morse! And what if they think I'm about to tell them to sod off?"
"They won't!" The Doctor emerged back out from under the console, pausing just a moment to reassure her. "We're gonna save them with science! They'll know that."
He rushed off again to another part of the room entirely, leaving Bill sheepishly looking over the console. Alone, unsupervised, somewhat terrified of sending them both spiralling into the depths of space. And hastily trying to recall what she did know about the typical code.
"Alright, uh, okay." After a tense minute, she overcame that apprehension and began flicking the light switch with as much contraction of words as she dared to keep things short, but still understandable.
The further sounds of the Doctor doing whatever in different panels around and under the room were hard to block out as she kept at the process. There hadn't been any communication from the other TARDIS for a while by that point, making it hard to not think about the chance there wouldn't be a response.
Seeing that flash on the screen brought with it a great sense of relief.
"I think they got the message!"
"Good! Good!"
The Doctor clambered back up towards the console through one of the railings, taking a quick glance at the screen again before putting the plan into motion.
"Bill, I need you to hold that switch down, turn that dial every three seconds, flip that lever if it resets, push these buttons in this exact order-" He demonstrated the pattern without slowing down even a little. "-when I tell you to, and keep an eye on a convenient graphic I've worked up for this. Got that?"
After several moments of tilting her head around, trying to recite it all mentally, she just shrugged in defeat. "Maybe if I don't have to worry about the turning part?"
"Alright, I'll turn the dial. Hold on."
Barely after getting a grip on the console, one hand holding the designated switch, the TARDIS lurched heavily to the right. All manner of grinding sounds rang out as more sparks flew and lights flickered. The screen swung around to an angle she could watch it from, showing her the other TARDIS again, only that time with extra analytical readouts and the like.
Soon enough, the rotation on the other TARDIS appeared to cease, while the stars behind began to move instead. Both were now orbiting each other, perfectly balancing the opposite in the endless cycle.
Right after, the Doctor began running along his side of the console, excitement all over his face. "Synchronized! And now, for the descent!"
From the outside, both vehicles began hurtling through space at incredible speed, still maintaining that balanced circle between each other. One remaining steady, the other still fading in and out. Before long, they both came out of the acceleration in close proximity to the nearest planet. Warm, temperate, an ideal landing site.
"And now the best part, Bill! Science! Push those buttons!"
She had only just started to not feel queasy thanks to the constant sway of their orbit, fumbling a little in her hasty attempt to follow the pattern. "Why the spinning?"
"Data! Time machines make this all possible! We're half a second ahead in time of that other TARDIS, but it takes half a second for it to arrive where we were physically. So it's technically occupying the exact same space as we are, which means we can give it exact data to lock onto this space-time intersection with! Science!"
"You keep saying science like it's-" The way in which the lever snapped out position made her yelp briefly before she went to reset it. Enough of a pause to make the Doctor take notice.
"Like what?"
"A buzzword! Like it's a magic cover-all thing!"
The TARDIS lurched yet again as they began passing through the various layers of the atmosphere. Immediately, the screen lit up with constantly changing analytics, all being transmitted to the exact point where the TARDIS was half a second earlier in a constant data stream.
Throughout the Doctor remained unfazed by both the turbulence and Bill's doubts, laughing a little while he took a brief look at that data stream in action.
"Oh, it's much better than magic! Surface temperatures, wind currents, air flows, particle counts, atmosphere composition, humidity! Real, livestreamed scientific data! Everything a TARDIS scans for while materializing! This is how we get our friend unstuck!"
The most impressive part was that by all appearances, he was exactly right. Little by little, the phase ins were growing longer, more solid, and the phase outs less transparent.
"Almost there Bill! Your first interdimensional rescue mission!"
All of the frantic tumbles and confusing explanations aside, it was that one simple declaration that stuck out most. Being part of such an incredible rescue, as well as the one to convince the Doctor to make it happen.
"Easy does it! Bill, buttons!"
She went through the sequence again, which to her surprise seemed to ease the turbulence significantly. The other TARDIS was starting to become fully tangible by that point, but not quite complete in the materialization process.
On the display itself, she began to catch glimpses of an ocean, and a landmass, flashing around in the background as they drew closer still to the surface in the tumbling cycle.
"We gonna make it before we crash?"
"Of course! Timed it perfectly! There's a good joke." After one more hasty sweep of the controls, the Doctor stood right up, smiling gleefully once more. "You can release the switch now."
There was one last jolt when she did, accompanied by another whirring sound from the console and dimming of lights. When she regained her footing again, the other TARDIS had completely materialized', spinning on its own axis once again.
Despite her thumb being sore from holding the switch for so long, Bill paid it no attention in that moment. The simple joy and relief at having succeeded was all she could think about, for just that perfect moment.
It was just the same for the Doctor. Making the touchdown smooth was virtually subconscious, his mind just as encapsulated by their triumph.
"We did it, Bill. Together. Not I alone. The two of us. And our friend over there."
Bill gave a rather more elated shrug that time, taking another glance at the screen as it displayed the other TARDIS coming to land as well. And then back to the Doctor, proud as ever.
"So, gonna go meet them? Find out how they got the book, copied the police box look?"
"By all means. This is what once-in-a-lifetime moments are really like."
Both circled around the console, the Doctor taking the lead on the walkway to the doors, and once again opening both.
Outside lay the fresh smell of the ocean, down the beachfront some metres to their left. To the right lay pristine scrub that ran all the way up to rolling hills, and eventually cliffs.
Directly ahead stood the other TARDIS. In the broad daylight, its ramshackle state became clear. It looked not so much old and worn, as it was cobbled together. As if the similarity to the police box wasn't down to malfunctioning camouflage, but due to someone sticking wood to the shell and painting it blue. So many inaccuracies and imperfections, but still close enough.
At ten paces from the copy exactly, the Doctor stopped, and waited.
Bill moved in a little closer, head leaning forward to get her own close look at the box.
There was no complaint or warning from the Doctor, just the anticipation. The curiosity. The wonderment.
"I do believe this is more than a fan, more than a friend, we've just helped out of the void."
The door creaked, opening just a bit. It was enough for Bill to step back to the same distance the Doctor remained at, standing shoulder to shoulder, in principle anyway.
"One of my people, for certain. I'm just not sure…"
The door opened a little more. For just an instant, something red flicked out into view, then vanished again.
"... who it is we're about to greet. That's the thing with Time Lords."
At last, the door opened fully, taking some effort to push it past sticking points. Very ramshackle indeed.
"You see, Bill. I know who it is. I just don't know the mind…"
Out from the other TARDIS stepped a woman. Starting with bright scarlet boots, matched by a flowing red dress that continued up to a white frock. A short red jacket was layered over that delicate frock, the collar of which splayed the long flows of straight blonde hair.
"...behind the face."
The woman took gentle steps across the beach after fully emerging, her plain face soon forming into a wholly innocent smile. She stopped at two metres from the pair, then made a very slight bow that showed off the ribbons as they danced from her hat in the ocean breeze.
It was then that the Doctor finally felt assured. Enough to get the name just right.
"Hello, Romana."
Romana's smile moved from that small, innocent grin of childish wonder, to unbridled joy as she crossed those final steps to embrace the Doctor.
The first words from her lips were so simple, just two in fact. But then, the simplest of questions always had the most profound of answers.
"How long?"
So overburdened by the happiness of that moment, it very nearly broke that moment for the Doctor. A question loaded beyond anything, carrying so many memories, so many happenings. But worst of all, carrying one, specific, vital distinction. Two alternatives, two crucial connotations.
"Since E-Space? Or Trey?"
He could feel the shift in her mood immediately. The way the embrace lost its warmth, her hands tightened on his jacket, and her eyes opened.
Fortunately, that lasted only a moment, Romana releasing him shortly after, and taking the time to straighten his jacket back out. "Long enough then. So, how far along?"
"Twelve. Well, thirteen. Well, fourteen technically." He tilted his head about a bit in mild confusion, then straightened out again. "Twelve."
"Seven."
The Doctor's eyes widened a little as he looked over her again in shock, eventually setting his hands on her shoulders. "Seven? You were still on three when you flew into the Gargantuan Intersection of Relative Mirrors!"
That brought back a whole slew of memories from the Time War, so many that Romana instinctively shut them out and redirected the topic once again.
"I'll gladly explain, just once we're all comfortable, and safe." With another smile to the Doctor, she turned to Bill at last, and reached out her hand. "Sorry, it's so very easy for Time Lords to lose track of the time. Not even a joke, we can talk for hours and hours if circumstances allow."
Just for a moment, Bill hesitated, having taken notice of the fact that the latest smile looked forced after so many genuine, innocent ones. She put that aside eventually, smiling herself while taking the offered hand.
"I'm fine with it, actually. Just glad to be part of something like this, y'know?"
After the two had parted from the handshake, the Doctor lifted his own hands to begin the proper greeting.
"Bill Potts, meet the woman I like to consider a protege of old even if she objected to begin with, my long time friend and companion, the great lady, Romanadvoratrelundar of Gallifrey. Romana Seven, for short."
Her natural grin returning, Romana made a more formal curtsy, swishing her long skirt to the left while dipping her head a little more. "Lady President of Gallifrey for a while, in fact. And good riddance to those days. I see why you ran away from the seat, Doctor."
Bill shrugged with a bit of a smirk. "I dunno about that. Would be kinda neat having a woman become the president-"
"And Romana." The Doctor made a not-so-subtle expression to lay Bill's assertion to rest so he could continue the introductions. "My current pupil from St Luke's University, an amazing woman who single-handedly saved the Earth from an invasion by the Monks, among many other accolades, Bill Potts."
"The Monks?"
"Yes, this is going to be a day of many many long stories! You had the right idea Romana."
The Doctor began ushering both towards his TARDIS, taking one more look at Romana's before moving to follow. "Fascinating."
All three reached the threshold of the TARDIS together, Bill leading the way even after turning around to move backwards up the walkway.
Romana's first reaction was that of awe, plain and simple. "It's big!"
"Yeah, bigger on the-"
"No, I mean yes, dimensional transcendentalism is obviously at work here like any other TARDIS. But this is big!"
Throughout, she began gesturing to different parts of the ship. "Multi-layered control room, curved walls, greater dynamic console mechanisms. Railings!"
To the surprise of the others, she promptly front flipped over one of the railings, landing perfectly on her feet without so much as a ruffle in her dress or a hair out of place. Even her hat had remained precisely in place.
A few moments later, she spun around and looked right back up at the Doctor. "You've redecorated."
"Don't say you don't like it. That's my thing. I never like what I do with the TARDIS after I'm gone."
"Don't like it? It's wonderful!"
"Sorry, just to bring it back a bit." Bill leaned right over the railing, waiting to be sure she had been heard. "Why exactly did you just flip over the railing? The stairs are right there."
Romana looked at the stairs a couple of times in succession, then shrugged very casually. "Post-regenerative elation I suppose. Feel more flexible and agile than ever."
"Ah." The Doctor made his way around to the top of the stairs, waiting on one side for her to climb back up. "I thought as much. You looked very young indeed for someone who's been absent from this universe three lifetimes."
"Why thank you." The way Romana climbed those stairs had more of her youthful bounce to each step, landing on the main level with a loud clap of her boots. "You still have the pictures?"
"Yes, yes I do. One moment."
While the Doctor hurried off to an adjacent room, Romana span around again to set her attention on Bill. "Wasn't easy getting back here. But part of me knew that I was about to return, and so I ended up looking like my second form in the end. Just familiar enough to be recognizable at a glance."
Bill just nodded along, having heard enough from travelling the Doctor to follow along. "Just like with your TARDIS?"
"In a sense, yes." Romana glanced over it through the still open doors, sighing wistfully. "Though I don't plan on keeping it like that. I need to find my own style." She broke into a soft laugh, swishing her skirt around more. "Even this is something I wore back in the day."
"Well." After taking another long glance over it all, Bill shrugged, almost unsure of what to say. "It's something alright. Worn real long dresses before when we visited the frost fair, but that's about it really."
Romana's smile persisted, taking on a hint of knowing. "It's alright, Bill. Thank you."
"Thank you? For what?"
"You look quite lovely too."
Bill just blinked for several seconds, stunned into silence, even after the Doctor returned with two big scrolls in each of his hands.
"Bill, I'd like to introduce Romana One, and Two."
In succession, he lifted his arms and let each scroll unfurl, revealing a lifesize lifelike painting of the respective Romanas on each.
Romana herself moved to stand beside the second, shifting into the same pose and putting on that more subtle smile to match.
"See? Same clothes, similar look, different face." She tilted her head back enough to just barely look at the Doctor's face. "Surprised you kept them all these years."
"I'd never throw these away."
After the two exchanged another laugh, the latter began rolling the paintings right back up, leaving the former to lean against another of the railings. That time without doing a backflip over it.
A bit of rumination on those portraits of herself kept Romana thinking about the previous conversation more and more. "I might just stop by Lord Mieran's when I've really found myself in this new form then. Add a third to your collection." Another wistful sigh took her back to her many years of loneliness yet again. "I do wish you could've met my previous three incarnations though."
"As do I." The Doctor quickly bundled the two rolled up paintings under one arm, hurrying back to where he had gone originally to keep them in place.
Leaving another quiet window for Romana to pick back up on Bill's sudden awkwardness. "I am sorry for catching you off guard there."
"Off guard? Me?"
"It might've been around a thousand years, but I can still tell when someone is shy about expressing their feelings. Particularly those relating to romantic interest."
"Romantic? What, but..."
Romana waved the questions off before they came. "I'm quite flattered certainly. But like I said, I still need to find myself before I really jump into anything of the sort. And since time isn't an issue, maybe I'll stop by sometime."
It took a little while for Bill to overcome the disbelief, one hand gripping hard onto the railing for some stability. The other went to her hip, her focus wandering a little while she mulled it over. "Funny, I keep feeling like I have to remind everyone when they get me figured out all wrong. Stay on the defensive. But you got it right before I even thought about it."
"I've got an intuition for understanding people. One of many talents, if I do say so myself. Made the Doctor very grumpy back in the day knowing that I was the star pupil of Gallifrey!" Romana made a quick gesture with two fingers back over her shoulder. "Speaking of."
"Found it!"
And promptly grinned for that effective demonstration of intuition, much to the amusement of Bill.
"Found what, Doctor? Don't tell me you actually kept one of those fakes Scaroth commissioned."
She hadn't actually looked in his direction while posing the question, and was thus surprised to see he was lugging around a rather bulky projector instead.
"That's a good reference I'll tell Bill about later, but no. This is actually useful."
He rather casually brought the projector to rest on the console, leaving it there while retrieving a stand from one of the lower sections of the room. "Figured you'd like a little help with the retelling of your adventures in the other dimension, Romana. So, why not make a home movie of it?" He hastily set the stand up facing a relatively open section of wall, then went back for the projector. "Narration and mental imagery woven together. Hard to beat."
"Doctor. Before you go putting up a screen."
Being midway through lugging the projector around again, the Doctor opted to get it set up anyway while nodding to Romana.
"As I was telling Bill, I was trapped in that other dimension for a little under a thousand years. It might be a bit much to sit through in one go."
That made him hesitate a good while, even looking back at her twice in varying levels of surprise. In the end, he still went ahead with finalizing the projector's set up.
"I'm sure you can condense it down, make it all engaging and dramatic." His attempt to dismiss the concern didn't last long, as concerns of his own took full root. "A thousand years?"
"All alone, not another sapient being in the cosmos."
When the tense silence grew to be a bit much, she opted to shrug it off and find a comfortable spot right next to the projector, resting her hand on top of its well worn surface. "You're right, I can make it all neat and concise. I'll even spare the trouble of watching a screen and make it a direct mental feed. You'll see things as I did through your own eyes, Bill."
Once again Bill looked to the Doctor briefly, who gave a subtle nod of support, then moved to a comfortable position of her own. "Okay, sure."
"Close your eyes, it will be less disconcerting that way. Anything that isn't clear I'll provide narration for, just as suggested."
Both Bill and the Doctor closed their eyes right after, anticipation surprisingly equal between them both for a rare change indeed.
As I mentioned, at one point I was Lady President of Gallifrey. It's why an instance of the key to Shada was in my possession. I had always planned to do away with its use as a cryo-prison, to find a far less appalling purpose it could fulfil, until the Time War came.
What had once been a simple, small facility built into the side of an asteroid, isolated from the rest of time and space, had been transformed into a fierce stronghold. Scorch marks lined its outer hull, the legacy of the early years of the war when Shada had returned to reality. The battle fortress of Romana, capable of appearing in the midst of battle at the aid of the Time Lords, and to retreat where none could follow when the tide turned.
It was after we had parted on unpleasant terms, Doctor. At the time, I had no interest in winning back your approval, only of doing what I could to win the war. Shada was incredible as a war asset. Perhaps too much so, seeing as the Daleks started to pursue it's destruction to terrible lengths.
Smoke and smouldering fire billowed through what had become the control centre of Shada, shaking and stirring as Trey stumbled in. Clutching at the main control board. Ready to prepare the last bastion of her defence for retreat back to safety once more.
"Halt!"
She closed her eyes, taking a rasping breath. Carefully, she raised her hands, leaning off the console as she did so, and finally turned around.
It was impossible to mistake the voice of a Dalek. And while at a different point, she might have had a witty remark to make about being hunted by the Emperor's personal forces by then she was simply too battered to put up any real fight or retort.
The Dalek on the other hand was pristine. A field commander. No doubt there solely to oversee the invasion of Shada, and her execution.
"Identity confirmed. You are the War Queen! You are Romana!"
Trey very lightly rolled her eyes, trying not to think about the trickle of blood from the latest of many head wounds over her lifetime. "I answer to Trey now! For the record."
The Dalek approached steadily, weapon trained right on her at all times. "You will face, Dalek tribunal! You will sit in judgement, before the Emperor! You will be punished, for your war crimes, against the Daleks!"
Again, where there might have been the will to snap back at her mortal enemy, Trey simply found herself lacking the will to even try. Mocking them had grown old decades ago.
"Tribunal? No field execution? It's not going to convince anyone to bring the war to an end, wherever I die. Why bother?"
"Silence! You will remain here, until Shada has been secured!"
"If you say so."
The sound of Cyberman weapons fire in the hall beyond distracted the Dalek for just a moment as it turned its head to investigate.
In that moment, Trey made her move, lunging right at the Dalek without reservation. The surface hissed at contact with her skin and clothes, something she bitterly ignored while throwing all her strength at wresting control of the weapon from the Dalek inside. At least enough to keep it pointed anywhere but the doorway.
"Stop! Stop! Stop!"
In desperation she looped her elbows around it instead, keeping it pointed upward while she focused on avoiding the eyestalk beating her head in.
Fortunately, it was just enough of a distraction for Mal to clamber in, gun blasting away at the mid section of the Dalek chassis.
The blast threw Trey clear to the ground, scurrying around to cover behind the controls for a moment's respite as the pain from her seared hands really set in.
Mal was a little slower, his particular Cyberman design having favoured raw strength over bursts of speed, firing another blast at the Dalek for covering fire.
Two holes lined the midsection of the Dalek's shell, but neither were enough to stop it from firing a blast that took Mal's right arm clean off.
His metallic voice rang out as he moved into cover at last. Physical pain was something he was glad to be free of, but Trey had restored his emotions after his recruitment, something he had both welcomed and regretted at times. Thus the shock of losing a limb so abruptly, as well as the horror of having just been left helpless were in full effect by then.
Trey nonetheless seized the opportunity, hissing through her teeth as she forced herself to take up his gun even with those burns to her hands fresh. The third blast blew a hole in the Dalek's front section, the fourth stripping away the inner armour altogether to reveal the creature within.
A fifth blast brought out a screech of pain, which the sixth promptly ended. And still she went for a seventh, rife with pain and malice as she ensured that the Dalek was well and truly dead.
It was a terrible day, when the Relative Mirrors were deployed. Right from the beginning. I was down to what felt like my bare hands in escaping the Daleks. Moving Shada back to its own realm wouldn't stop them from taking control. So, I had to evacuate who I could, and eliminate anything that remained from a distance.
Her battle TARDIS was in even worse shape than Shada itself. Broken panels, severed wires sprung everywhere, all manner of electrical discharges and tiny fires were scattered across the walls. What had once been a display of militant splendour and tastefulness in crimson had been reduced to dismal shrapnel in dark red. A fitting parallel of its owner.
And yet, for all of the cold that had set in her mind over the decades since her regeneration, there was still that constant spark of virtue.
"Careful, careful."
With Mal following close behind, Trey led him through the spacious doors to her TARDIS, having to tug her skirt a little to cross the large hole in the floor. Another battle scar from a more recent incursion.
The key difference internally from the standard models was the far more open layout of the entryway. Easy access to the bunks and medical lab, weapon lockers, development rooms and testing ranges not far behind. The console floor overlooked the landing area, glowing in its ominous magenta hue.
In practicality, it meant a lot of space for soldiers, technicians and other of her recruits alike to rest in. Many were slumped against the walls, trying not to block passageways for the more seriously injured.
"I'm no good to you without my better arm."
"I'll manage. Do your best, Mal." She left the doors open on the odd chance any others would come for refuge, leading the way up to her console and starting the preparations for departure.
Before long, more of the lights came back up to proper illumination. Some sparked and fizzed before failing altogether, but there were still enough afterwards to better see the state of things.
"Alright. Mal, keep an eye on this. And don't close those doors until I'm through. I'm going to make sure I'm the last Time Lord to step off Shada today."
She left Mal at the console, making a swift descent back to the landing area. Outside, the distant sounds of continuing battle throughout the corridors made it clear they were far from driving out the incursion. And that there were still many yet to be evacuated.
"That bomb had better be ready."
Over the next two hours, I sent anyone I came across back the way I came, and eventually decided to leave. The Daleks had a foothold by then, it was only a matter of time before they found the cascade device and disabled it. So I left. Perhaps if I had departed sooner, the entire course of the War would have changed.
"Mal!"
Daleks were swarming the corridor mere seconds after Trey bolted through them, Mal's gun slamming against her hip as it bounced frantically on the strap.
Even from that distance, she could see him at the controls. Torn between being ready to close the doors behind her and take off, or charging down there to catch her on the likely chance she didn't quite make it.
"Don't you leave that console Mal! You hear me!? Mal!"
She didn't know if he could even hear her over the continued screeches of the Daleks.
"Halt! Halt! Halt!"
A couple of metres from the threshold, she felt a searing pain rip through the left of her stomach region. She crashed to the floor of the TARDIS completely helpless, pulled inside by a nearby technician just before the doors closed in against her foot.
Romana had revisited that moment so many times that the memory of pain was dull as ever. But just enough remained for her to keep that one vivid detail from her recounting to the others.
I trusted Mal with my life. He used to be just one of many Cybermen. Someone I wouldn't trade for another in a heartbeat. Perhaps, if I had just taught him a little more about steering the TARDIS…
Trey's last memories in that form were hazy, confused. Not that anyone would be surprised.
No-one else in the TARDIS was in ideal condition to help her. And those that tried she shouted away, knowing they were only going to harm themselves or others by negligence in the process.
By the time she had dragged herself all the way to the console, she could feel herself reaching the onset of regeneration. Long had she taken every step to avoid it in the midst of war, fearing the risk of losing her will to fight. And now it was coming at the worst moment possible.
"Mal! I need-"
The TARDIS shook about violently, causing Trey to cry out in anguish at the further strain it put on her badly wounded body. They had left Shada minutes earlier, putting them right back in the open space of battle. And even with both arms, Mal wasn't quite as fast as Trey herself in navigating under such conditions.
It was too much, pain starting to overwhelm Trey, intensified further by her resistance to regenerating. Trying to make the most of what time she had to at least put things in motion.
"Send the detonation signal, use the book-"
Another hard lurch threw her back to the floor in agony. She was beyond even the ability to resist Mal's attempts to help her up again as he abandoned the controls altogether.
That was the last memory I experienced as Trey. What exactly happened afterward I was only ever able to guess at. It took me decades just to conclude what had stranded me in that other dimension. I had no idea you were there, watching.
I got there too late. By how much I didn't know, until now.
For a little while, the mental recollection switched to that of the Doctor, back to his eight incarnation. In the time when he was still staying out of the war.
Watching your TARDIS spiral into the trap of the Relative Mirrors. It was heartbreaking.
From his distant view, he could see the entire exchange of fire between the Dalek fleet and the retreating battle fortress. His focus was set on the middle, that seemingly tiny red box with rounded corners, spiralling helplessly into an area of space that twisted into sharp edges. Reflecting on itself. Intersecting with each other.
His singular outcry of her name was drowned out by the gunfire, and the simple nature of space sapping away everything into the silent abyss.
There was no escaping the Relative Mirrors once that deep into their grasp. Soon enough, her TARDIS began to reflect across all its shifting surfaces, being torn apart on a metaphysical level. Until finally, the whole array shattered, leaving nothing at all in its wake.
As far as the universe knew, both Trey and everyone aboard her TARDIS were gone forever.
I gave up holding regrets for every action I took that day. And every action I didn't. I knew you would survive against all the odds, Doctor. That was my greatest consolation, from the beginning of my new life, to the moment I made for my return trip.
The perspective returned to that of Romana's at the moment she awoke in her new body.
It was immediately evident by her surroundings that she had been lying in that location for at least well over a day, perhaps longer.
The plant life was dense, presumably having cushioned the fall somewhat. When she had enough strength to lift her head, at which point she realized her hair had turned a bright red, she could see jungle-like forest stretching around until she could see no further.
Overhead was a definite hole in the canopy, through which she had crashed most likely. Given the timing of her regeneration, it soon became clear that she might very well have not survived at all. An impact before or after that critical phase would have meant the end of her.
It quickly left her less and less hopeful for any of the others to have survived.
"Mal."
When she could eventually stand, her momentary glimmer of hope was quickly dashed.
Mal looked mostly intact, aside from the arm obviously. There weren't any major cracks in the helmet, or the chestpiece. No tears in the outer lining of his suit. But he was completely motionless, in the kind of pose that she'd expect from an impact. A small trail of sickly, pale green fluid had leaked from his mouthpiece.
I got used to it after a few weeks of searching. It was easy to believe that I was at fault, that waiting just that bit longer had cost everyone's life, that at any given day I would find another body, another I had doomed to die by holding out for one more to evacuate. By the end of the first year, I stopped feeling guilty, and got to work on rebuilding the TARDIS.
The memories began to blend together much faster, shifting through many sights, mostly of the home she had gradually built up. And the pile of debris and scattered parts that had once been the TARDIS itself.
At a certain point, the pile began to shift about, moving to a sheltered space where the actual assembly began. Hewn wood made up the original structure of the TARDIS console, there solely to provide an actual frame to work from as each piece was gradually recovered from the continent some of the original had been scattered across.
It was decades before I finally realized I would have to get to other planets to get remotely close to a working stage. But I had decades to work on repurposing every part I could find. And anything I couldn't, I eventually built from scratch.
Gradually, the home and shelter that had a ramshackle, almost islander look to it was refined. Rough wood weathered by years of exposure turned to clean, and later painted panelling. The workshop laid in wood offcuts and sheltered by dense trees became crude concrete and metal, even expanding further to accommodate metalworking needs.
The development began to ramp up quickly after that. Her vast knowledge of advanced science and technology from the years spent developing armaments and defences were finally becoming relevant. Power, machinery, and even Time Lord computing systems arose.
Somewhere along the line, her red haired form passed, a woman of black hair and tanned skin taking over the ages-long task ahead of her.
By the time she had a space-worthy TARDIS, more enclosed and far safer than the one the Doctor had once built from the graveyard, she had changed yet again.
Things went so much faster at that point. Any material or scrap I hadn't found on my home planet I could start searching the new universe for. And when the sensors were fully developed, and later the dematerialization circuit, I could traverse anywhere as needed.
The memories shifted yet again. Gone was the planetside locale, both the home and the workshop becoming part of the new TARDIS as physical attachments. It was still vastly different from the simple box that could change shape as needed, but as more years passed it grew closer towards that ideal state.
Until finally it was indeed a plain blue box, featureless, bearing just a simple swinging set of doors that marked the boundary between the normal realm and the limited, but functional dimension that contained her new interior.
After everything that happened, I was willing to take the risk of creating a paradox by undoing what was close to a millennium of isolation. Even if saving all the others meant my death, instead of regeneration, I would do it. But, I never did complete the time track systems. More decades of searching hadn't brought me any closer to finding the components.
That's when the barriers between universes started to decay.
Just as other companions of the Doctor had once described, the stars in Romana's night sky were going out. One by one. Most she hadn't even visited, each closing off another potential location for her search. Little by little, hope of achieving time travel again was being wiped away.
That's when I decided to abandon my plan of going back to the war. When I knew I had to escape. I couldn't use the book to return to Shada, and there was no ready Gateway to traverse through like E-Space, so I settled for the next best thing.
Done up to resemble the Doctor's TARDIS in a makeshift way, Romana's memories finally broke from the monotony to the sight of her daring charge for the very barriers of that universe. With a haphazard mechanism tying the book right into her TARDIS for as much protection from the wild forces, she broke through the decay of her own world in triumph. Escape to reality seemingly within each.
Then, the barriers sealed back up.
In the bleak, supposedly empty void between dimensions, there was just enough existence for her to have crashed on. The TARDIS was battered badly, looking just as it did on the beach outside.
Romana on the other hand was in far worse shape. Cast out by the impact altogether, horribly burned by the voidspace she was trapped in. Reduced to the appearance of dark rot, clothes and skin alike. Withering, and seemingly no longer capable of regenerating.
Inch by inch she crawled back towards the TARDIS, just one eye left intact, unwavering from the sight of what sanctuary there was. Between her mangled fingers, she had the key. Her only way back in after the doors had closed. A last ditch effort by the TARDIS to not share in her fate of complete decay from the non-existence of time.
She had enough strength to pull herself within reach of the TARDIS, to gradually lift her arm, to force her hand to turn. The key slid in with a click, but she didn't have the strength to turn it. Her fingers slowly slipping away from the lock, trying to cling to the door for one little push.
I don't know how the crash occurred, how I ended up so far from the TARDIS, or how I ended up back inside. Only that when I woke, I had regenerated, and that the barrier decay had started to occur again. That time in the form of cracks.
Again, I made a break for it, to try and break through one of those cracks and finally come home. But the damage meant I couldn't make a solid lock onto spatial coordinates. So I took a gamble, and hoped that the only signal I could send would reached either you, myself, or Professor Chronotis. And one of us would come to my rescue.
The shared memory experience ended in a gradual manner at that moment. Romana, Bill, and finally the Doctor all opening their eyes in turn. Oddly, the TARDIS had grown quite dark of its own accord, with just the illumination of the console to actually help them see.
"Doctor? I think I can safely say this isn't part of my recollection."
The Doctor was on the case immediately, once again rushing around the console with his manic hands gliding over every switch and control. "No, no this is something alright! It's not dangerous or there'd be warning sounds going off now. No, this is just unexpected."
After a bit more fiddling, he brought the lights back on at last, illuminating the issue at hand.
Both the TARDIS door and the wall surrounding it had vanished, the entire area instead opening onto Romana's ramshackle console room.
She rushed over to it immediately with a shocked gasp, nearly tripping over the mess that had been caused by the two TARDIS rooms coming together. "The dimensional stability circuits! They must have started to burn out!" In a move that rather fittingly mirrored that of the Doctor, she hastily moved around her console, running through her own set of checks and controls.
Bill was just lost between them both trying to work out the exact problem, cautiously approaching the threshold between the two rooms. The thought of them suddenly separating, and leaving part of her inside Romana's TARDIS when it happened was more than enough to keep her from stepping over that boundary.
And yet, when she came right up to it, there was an unusual feeling of warmth. Different from the climate control that the TARDIS provided. Or that of Romana's, given there wasn't even good lighting in her side, let alone comforts for temperature and the like.
Fortunately, the answer came to the Doctor anyway, at which point he abandoned his console and moved up to the boundary as well. "Romana!"
"I don't understand! These readings say the stability circuits are still working as intended!"
"They are! This happened on my end! And I don't think it's a malfunction!"
"What?" She stumbled back down to the boundary as well, looking up and down her side of the divide between the two rooms with persisting confusion. "What do you mean it's not a malfunction?"
"Listen." The Doctor slowly closed his eyes, gesturing with his hand for emphasis on remaining quiet.
After a little while, he smiled, then opened his eyes. "TARDISes have a life of their own. Yours is in distress. It isn't quite there. You rebuilt it, gave it the start of a new life. And now it's being given the rest it needs. A transfusion of energy."
Just like that, the process became more and more noticeable. Shaky parts of the wall started to peel away, disintegrating to nothing, but leaving behind new panels and shapes. Gradually, the various lights around the space grew in brightness, culminating with a familiar grind as the console itself blared into light with its mauve aura.
That look of concern on Romana's face had shifted to full wonderment in that time as she witnessed the metamorphosis of her home. Taking on a couple of traits from the Doctor's TARDIS, while still keeping to her own unique style of tasteful maroon, and all manner of shades of deep red and touches of purple.
The bleakness of the Time War, and the isolated despair of her thousand year exile were washed away. Her excitement was bubbling to the surface in that aura of renewal.
So much so that she hugged the Doctor and Bill in turn without a second thought, the only thing keeping her from practically bouncing on the spot or doing somersaults around the room.
Even when the internal change looked to be done, she had difficulty backing away, clinging to a hand from each as she gradually backed into her own TARDIS again.
"See you both at the good spot? I think…" She lifted her eyes to the bright blue console behind them. "I think she knows we can handle the rest from here." The bounce in her step finally started to come through as Romana bounded over to her console. "I won't be long!"
"We'll be waiting. Count on it, Romana!"
While she had still felt rather lost, witnessing the change as well was more than Bill could ask for. She almost didn't respond at all, catching on her breath as her eyes grew watery. Seeing people find themselves in a new light had that effect on her.
"Yeah. We'll be there. I'll even leave the porchlight on. When you're settled into who you are now, and feel like tea and biscuits."
Romana grinned at that, then flipped a large lever that resulted in the two TARDISes separating at last. The lights of the Doctor's flickered a little, either because of the connection being severed or because of the small power loss thanks to its donation.
The return of the doors, still left open, gave both remaining a clear view of Romana's TARDIS as it burst from the remains of its police box style attachments. A surface of deep, rich burgundy in gleaming metal, distinct art deco curve theme to its shape, and more importantly lacking any of the outward armaments from it's time in Trey's era.
Seeing it fly off into the sky was nothing short of mystifying.
"Just like a butterfly. Amazing."
Bill just let her head rest against the Doctor's shoulder, watching the other TARDIS spin off and eventually vanish, off to a place she couldn't even guess at.
"All of space, and soon, all of time."
Romana slowly walked around the new console floor, turned to clean glass that unveiled a dazzling display of the Gallifreyan constellations beneath. It felt reminiscent of Trey's TARDIS again, much of the interior having shifted around to accommodate a landing area, with the console elevated and further back from the doors.
It just needed a little more to finalize its layout, mixing both the original rooms and those she had added to it herself. That last burst to let it sprawl out and fill every single designated room again.
"So much potential. So many places to see. Where do we begin, my friend?"
Her smile lit up once again as the idea came to her. An excited twirl and kick launched her back towards the console, arm flailing along it to set the course. The addition of railings gave her something to hold onto as her wild dance continued, each step coming with another input to the controls. She could practically hear the music in her ears, matching the beat of whatever she felt like doing in her moment of joy.
"Brilliant! Astounding! Incredible! Oh who even cares about catchphrases?"
As soon as she felt the imminent arrival, she twirled her way down the stairs and bounded to the doors, casting them open with a great gasp of elation.
The stunning colours of the nebula shone across both her and the TARDIS as she threw her arms to either side. Letting the billions of glimmering particles wash across them both together. Before long, her hair was dancing in the flow as it swept through to the TARDIS itself, breathing that fullness of life into the shell and its owner.
Her eyes closed, chest rising for one deep breath of relief, her head shaking just enough to let her hat loosen, and fall back to safety. Not lost, but also no longer needed by Romana. A distant part of her life she was ready to move on from, but would never forget.
"Funny, there was a phase where I felt like the loneliest man in all of time."
Bill tilted her head. It was easy to guess exactly where the Doctor's line of thought was going. She played along nonetheless. "Even with all your companions? Had Nardole around lot longer than me surely."
"Even so, it was never quite the same. To me, there was always that constant knowledge that I was the last of my species. That was the real isolation. No-one else could truly share my experiences, no-one could accompany me to the end of time and back."
He slowly turned his head in that characteristic way, meeting Bill's eyes as she sauntered over, and ended up leaning against the railing beside him in the same way.
"A thousand years, completely alone. And she came out so very sane for it, having never given up hope of escape. It makes me reevaluate my life, my experiences. Every time I've fallen, every time I've come within a pinch of not getting back up."
"Pretty amazing, right? Even if I could live for that long, I'd go mad after a couple of months. A thousand years though?"
"She was always a very bright woman. Just smart enough to be a troublemaker when the time came, smart enough to keep herself occupied no matter the circumstance." He smiled again when a distant sound echoed through into the TARDIS. "Shall we go check on her?"
After her nod of approval, he once again led the way to the doors. "It'll be nice, having another TARDIS flying about the galaxy. We might just run into her on some of our own adventures! She could have companions of her own, new stories to regale us with. And still be home for tea time."
He pulled the doors open with grace, giving the moment at hand every ounce of reverence it deserved.
Both TARDISes were situated well above Earth's atmosphere, providing a scenic view unlike any other. But it was Romana herself that both the Doctor, and Bill in particular were focused on.
The red dress, white frock and hat were gone. Instead she had on a denim jacket atop a plain white shirt. Her maroon dress was complimented by thick black leggings that ran down to half-laced high boots, with the mauve underlay visible through all the holes and tears. Rather fitting given her entirely casual slouch in the doorway of her TARDIS, wistfully staring downwards at the Earth below without a care in the world.
It was so completely different from any of the other Romanas, but it was never the point to be different from them.
It was only ever about being herself.
Bill caught on her breath a little, but chose not to say anything on the matter, instead lightly grabbing onto the Doctor's arm.
He just smiled again, reaching into his pocket. "It needs a little something."
As soon as Romana looked to him, he removed his hand and carefully tossed a hairclip across space to her.
She caught in both hands, looked at it for a bit, then back to him with a wide smile. Without saying anything, she reached up and set it in her hair, unveiling the jewelled butterfly once it was in place.
"You always know best, Doctor."
Just for a few moments, others appeared in the TARDIS behind Romana, each resting a hand on her shoulder in turn.
The first two were easily recognizable from the paintings shown earlier, making the next three easy to deduce. Each of the previous Romanas taking a moment to acknowledge the latest in her line, from the first to the fifth.
When they departed again, she looked back across the gap, that beaming smile brighter than ever. "I think I've only just started to find myself. But, I like it this way. I like knowing there's so much more to explore."
"Oh, there is. I hope to see you out there, Romana."
Romana laughed tenderly, nodding in complete agreement. "I guarantee it. We might not be travelling together, but I'm not letting you get away that easily." As her laugh settled back down again, she looked back to Bill once more. "I'll bring the biscuits. I'm quite fond of Nice."
"Still planning on having the tea ready."
"I'll be there." She leaned out a little and looked downward once more. "Everywhere." And then back up towards the many many stars surrounding them. "Out there."
With a gentle sigh she began to move back inside, closing one half of the doors as she turned away. Then stopping, not quite looking over her shoulder at them. "I'm just glad to be home."
The other door closed, and shortly after, her TARDIS flew off into the depths of space once more.
In the bleak, supposedly empty void between dimensions, there was just enough existence for matter to land against. Every lost wanderer adding a little more to its mass at a time.
On that occasion, it was a battered, worn TARDIS, dressed up as an imitation, lost on its way home.
Romana was in far worse shape. Burned by the absence of time in the void, nothing more than a withering body stretched out before her TARDIS. Key pinched between her fingers in her outstretched hand, just shy of touching it.
A pair of scarlet boots walked up beside. Shortly after, a hand reached down, taking the key from those withered fingers, setting it into the lock of the TARDIS and turning.
Then, those boots continued past inside, the door closing. Shortly after the TARDIS dematerialized, leaving the decaying form of Romana in the desolate void.