Disclaimer: All BBC's not mine, no matter how much I wish. No money is
made from this story, it is all in fun.
The sound of the door closing and the familiar tapping of the Doctor on the console was the most horrible sound that Nyssa had ever heard. She faced the closing door with an open mouth and wide eyes. And then she turned to the Doctor with a disbelieving look. "Doctor…"
"Not now, Nyssa, not now. We have to leave."
"But Doctor…"
He shook his head, tearing around the console, the tails of his coat flying wide. He reached out to twist a knob and punched at the console. It moved slowly and then picked up speed. Nyssa walked to the console and leaned over it. "No, Doctor…"
"Too many questions to answer, Nyssa," he walked over and set the coordinates for a random place and then finally sighed, hunched slightly over the console. "It is my involvement with UNIT, you see…the bureaucracy…" he shook his head.
"But Doctor…"
He rubbed his hands together, talking over Nyssa. "Never mind; we'll go somewhere restful, you Tegan and I…." He answered and then looked confused. "Where is Tegan, by the way?"
Nyssa pointed to the door. "She was on her way back to the TARDIS. She was checking a few things…"she nearly cried. "She is on Earth."
"You mean?" he pointed back towards the closed door. "She isn't on board?"
Nyssa shook her head. "Can you go back?"
The Doctor bit his lip. For all the times that Tegan had recently said she wanted to remain the TARDIS, she did still want Earth. She had always struck him as the type of person who truly didn't know what she wanted most of the time. Whereas he and Nyssa enjoyed and valued her company, he had recently felt that she had not made a conscious decision to remain on the TARDIS. She didn't choose to be there. And he didn't want to force her to remain where she subconsciously didn't want to be.
"No." He said and held up his hands as Nyssa began to argue.
"But Doctor…it would be a simple transtemporal recession…just a return…and surely it doesn't interfere with the laws of time. She didn't want to be left…"
"No, Nyssa. I am not going back."
"But it can't interfere with the laws of time-"
"No, it wouldn't…but Nyssa…she has wanted to be on Earth since Castrovalva. I think this is for the best."
Nyssa hung her head, tears filling her large blue eyes. She rested against the console, but was soon pressing away from its strength to leave the room. The Doctor kept his eyes averted from his young companion. Whether it was in an effort to not see her pain, or not to be reminded of his own, he didn't know. But he didn't look up again until the cool air from her walking in front of him washed over his face and he heard the interior door close. Then he released a breath and rocked forward on his toes, shoving his hands in his pockets.
He stayed like that for a long time, staring at nothing except the constant motion of the central console, soothing as it was by its sound and presence. He knew that Nyssa felt and would feel Tegan's absence acutely, probably more than she had at Adric's death. He had recognized their closeness…they were thick as thieves. But he owed it to his brash young companion to allow her to have the life that she so ardently wanted.
He turned and faced the viewscreen, closed and silent as it was and sighed again. Then he raised his chin and nodded once. "Brave heart, Tegan…and take care."
The Doctor tapped his hand on the edge of the console, waited a few minutes and then left through the door, dimming the lights as he went. He had to find Nyssa and offer what he could for comfort.
The sound of the door closing and the familiar tapping of the Doctor on the console was the most horrible sound that Nyssa had ever heard. She faced the closing door with an open mouth and wide eyes. And then she turned to the Doctor with a disbelieving look. "Doctor…"
"Not now, Nyssa, not now. We have to leave."
"But Doctor…"
He shook his head, tearing around the console, the tails of his coat flying wide. He reached out to twist a knob and punched at the console. It moved slowly and then picked up speed. Nyssa walked to the console and leaned over it. "No, Doctor…"
"Too many questions to answer, Nyssa," he walked over and set the coordinates for a random place and then finally sighed, hunched slightly over the console. "It is my involvement with UNIT, you see…the bureaucracy…" he shook his head.
"But Doctor…"
He rubbed his hands together, talking over Nyssa. "Never mind; we'll go somewhere restful, you Tegan and I…." He answered and then looked confused. "Where is Tegan, by the way?"
Nyssa pointed to the door. "She was on her way back to the TARDIS. She was checking a few things…"she nearly cried. "She is on Earth."
"You mean?" he pointed back towards the closed door. "She isn't on board?"
Nyssa shook her head. "Can you go back?"
The Doctor bit his lip. For all the times that Tegan had recently said she wanted to remain the TARDIS, she did still want Earth. She had always struck him as the type of person who truly didn't know what she wanted most of the time. Whereas he and Nyssa enjoyed and valued her company, he had recently felt that she had not made a conscious decision to remain on the TARDIS. She didn't choose to be there. And he didn't want to force her to remain where she subconsciously didn't want to be.
"No." He said and held up his hands as Nyssa began to argue.
"But Doctor…it would be a simple transtemporal recession…just a return…and surely it doesn't interfere with the laws of time. She didn't want to be left…"
"No, Nyssa. I am not going back."
"But it can't interfere with the laws of time-"
"No, it wouldn't…but Nyssa…she has wanted to be on Earth since Castrovalva. I think this is for the best."
Nyssa hung her head, tears filling her large blue eyes. She rested against the console, but was soon pressing away from its strength to leave the room. The Doctor kept his eyes averted from his young companion. Whether it was in an effort to not see her pain, or not to be reminded of his own, he didn't know. But he didn't look up again until the cool air from her walking in front of him washed over his face and he heard the interior door close. Then he released a breath and rocked forward on his toes, shoving his hands in his pockets.
He stayed like that for a long time, staring at nothing except the constant motion of the central console, soothing as it was by its sound and presence. He knew that Nyssa felt and would feel Tegan's absence acutely, probably more than she had at Adric's death. He had recognized their closeness…they were thick as thieves. But he owed it to his brash young companion to allow her to have the life that she so ardently wanted.
He turned and faced the viewscreen, closed and silent as it was and sighed again. Then he raised his chin and nodded once. "Brave heart, Tegan…and take care."
The Doctor tapped his hand on the edge of the console, waited a few minutes and then left through the door, dimming the lights as he went. He had to find Nyssa and offer what he could for comfort.