Author's Note: You remember, of course, that the Doctor still believes that Buffy died in 2001, in the portal over Sunnydale. This is due to a number of misunderstandings in which Buffy accidentally made him think she was supposed to survive the portal, so that when he showed up and found Elizabeth in 2001, he assumed he'd changed history so she'd died.

Buffy's rescuing Seo was what allowed her history to be flexible and changeable, of course. So it does make sense why the Doctor believes Seo blames herself. And, of course, the Doctor feels the blame ultimately lies with him, not her.

Shame of it is, Seo also believes Buffy died in a portal over Sunnydale, just a different one...

Maybe I should do something about that, this season. Hm... anyone notice the name of the last story in this season, yet, from my preview?

Anyways. In this chapter, you'll notice the Doctor refer to something Ace said, in here. You'll find out more about this in a later story, never fear.

Enjoy!


Seo wasn't crying, anymore, when the Doctor entered.

Closed the door, awkwardly, behind him. Not sure exactly what to say.

What could he say? What did Madam Vastra expect him to do? Waltz up here and tell her that he was so sorry he got lonely, went back over and over again to visit her mum, and accidentally changed history so she'd died forever?

"Are you all right?" he asked Seo, instead.

She looked up at him.

With eyes that showed just how shattered and miserable she really was.

"I don't need your pity," Seo muttered. She tucked her knees up to her chin, sitting in the center of the bed. "I'm fine."

The Doctor rocked back and forth on his heels. "I… see."

He tried to fish for something else to say.

"Listen, I'm… sorry about your mum," he said, coming over to her. Sitting on the bed, beside her. "I miss her, too."

Seo looked down into her lap. "You already know how she…?" She shook her head. "Of course you do. You know everything."

He wished he did know everything.

He wondered… if she blamed him for what happened to Buffy. Or herself — for being the force that allowed Buffy's past to shift the way it ultimately had.

"It was when Elizabeth came to Sunnydale, wasn't it?" muttered Seo. "I guess… that's when you worked it out." She buried her face in her knees. "No wonder you hate me."

The Doctor sighed. "Seo…"

"I know you do. You tried to leave, just now," said Seo. "I saw you through the window."

Caught out.

Right.

"The only reason you didn't," Seo continued, "is because Madam Vastra's scared that if you don't calm me down, I'll accidentally kill her wife."

The Doctor fidgeted, idly, with his sonic screwdriver.

"I don't hate you," he said, at last.

"Liar."

"I just… don't know what to do with you," the Doctor admitted. "I spent every day watching Amy and Rory, not wanting to admit there'd be a time when they went out and didn't come back. And every second I spend with you, I know there'll be a day when…"

He stopped.

Reconsidered his words.

"What do you want me to do, Seo?" he said. "First you tell me to stop following you around everywhere. Then, when I stop, you come crying back here, complaining I'm not involved enough."

Seo didn't answer.

"So go on," the Doctor said. "What do you want?"

She was quiet for a very long time.

Then, "I don't know."

"If you're here looking for someone to replace your mum," said the Doctor, "then you might as well leave. She was special. Unique. I'm not her."

"I know."

The Doctor blinked. Not really expecting this. "Well… good! I'm glad we're agreed."

"You're meaner."

The words were like a slap in his face.

More so, because he knew… she was right.

"Dinner," the Doctor decided.

Seo looked up at him.

Confused.

"Like you said, yesterday!" the Doctor explained. "Dinner. A chance to talk. Catch up on… Martha and Mickey and Captain Jack and… all the rest of them. Some together time."

"You didn't come, yesterday," Seo replied. Then, a little nervously, added, "And… I don't think your friends will ever let me use their kitchen, again."

"Then… we'll use the TARDIS kitchens!" the Doctor said. Got up from the bed, and extended his hand to her. "Come along."

She hesitated.

Then… took it.


The Doctor, very soon, discovered why his friends had been so reluctant to let Seo back into their kitchen.

"No, that's not…!" he tried, grabbing for the vinegar. "This doesn't go in cake!"

But Seo had already gotten distracted, as she raced over to the oven. "A gravity knob!" she cried. "I can adjust the gravity in the oven?"

"Yes, but—"

"Can I use it to change the gravity across the whole ship?" Seo said, spinning back to him.

"What? No!"

"But it'd be fun!" Seo cried. "I've never cooked in zero g. And… oh, look! Salsa!" She grabbed for the bottle. "That'd go good in cake, right?"

About three small fires and nine cooking disasters later…

Dinner had been finished.

And they sat down. To eat.

The only sound that of the cutlery clinking against their plates. As both picked at the food on their plates.

Poking at the roast — that was black on the outside, and raw in the middle. The mashed potatoes that Seo had gotten bored with mashing, half-way through, and then overcooked, so they'd become soggy lump potatoes. The vegetables almost unrecognizable as vegetables.

The cake… was…

Well.

Inedible.

So they stayed. In silence. Seo not wanting to admit she couldn't cook. The Doctor realizing that anything he said, at this point, would just hurt her feelings. Neither wanting to admit the food was bad, but neither being willing to eat it.

The Doctor looked down at his plate.

Then burst out laughing.

Seo looked up.

And started giggling, too. She picked up her slice of roast, which wiggled in her hands — for some reason — like jello.

Which just made them both laugh even harder.

"Eat out?" the Doctor proposed, getting up.

"Eat out," Seo decided, taking his hand.


They wound up at a little pub on a side-street. Sitting together, laughing, as they talked about their lives and the people they both knew in the twenty-first century.

"No!" the Doctor said. "Mickey did that? Mickey the Idiot?!"

"Yes!" Seo insisted. "And then Martha — covered from head to foot in alien slime — spun him around and kissed him right on the lips. And said this is the reason she married him."

The Doctor shook his head. "That's the most ridiculous story I've ever heard!"

"Oh! And I ran into Luke, again," said Seo. "He and Alison met up at University, see. Except there was this Professor whose whole face started turning blue, more and more, especially whenever he ate bacon. So we all wound up investigating, and Sarah Jane even rushed in because she thought we were in danger—"

"And it was a Hronger from Terlep 12?" the Doctor guessed.

"How'd you know?"

The Doctor laughed. "It's what happens when they're pregnant! Don't tell me you saw it giving birth!"

"Sarah Jane helped deliver the baby," Seo replied.

They both broke down in fits of laughter at this.

At the other end of the pub, one of the barmaids looked over. Intrigued by all the laughter. Spotted a man and a young girl, both chatting loudly and enjoying themselves immensely.

She'd never seen either of them around, before.

Nor did she quite understand why they seemed to be telling each other stories of monsters and daring escapes and things as if it were… commonplace. Normal.

"Clara! Service on table two!"

She spun around. Then planted a smile on her face, and got back to her job.

She kept watching them, throughout. Watched as their laughter died down, and their voices went quiet and somber, and the girl looked like she was struggling not to cry. As if the weight of the world were on both their heads, and they just wanted to shut it out because neither of them could deal with the loss that accompanied it.

Clara kept a stealthy eye on them.

But by the time they left the pub, she was busy with other tables. Serving drinks and food and trying not to let the place get too rowdy. Clara only just had time to see the girl look back at her, intrigued, then tug on the man's sleeve and ask if he knew her.

"Nope," said the man.

And they left.


"You look happy," Madam Vastra commented to the Doctor.

As Seo rushed into the house to greet Strax, who'd been standing around testing out different weights of battle axes. Which was something Seo couldn't help but get excited over.

"Yes, well, bit of chit chat never hurt anyone," the Doctor said. Brushing back his hair out of his eyes. "You don't mind keeping an eye on her, tonight? Probably not best for her to be alone. What with trauma and grief and all that. How's Jenny?"

The requests slammed one into the next into the next.

And Madam Vastra didn't even have a chance to answer, before the Doctor had done it for her.

"Splendid! See? I knew she'd make a full recovery." The Doctor turned around. "Don't worry about Seo. She'll probably be off in the morning. Now that she's happy and content again."

At that moment, Strax and Seo were deep in conversation. Strax holding up a bar of chocolate, not sure what to do with it, and Seo insisting he should eat some and see how he liked it.

Then the tentative bite.

And the sudden realization, by Strax, that chocolate was, indeed, very good. Very, emvery/em good.

"I'll just… check in," the Doctor decided. "To make sure. See if… she needs anything. Before she leaves. Since she's definitely going to be leaving, any time, now."

"You really care about her, don't you?" said Madam Vastra.

The Doctor paused. Then spun around. "I'm not getting involved," he insisted. "This… what I'm doing now… it isn't involvement ! It's completely different!"

Madam Vastra didn't answer.

Didn't have to.

"I'm not saving the world," the Doctor insisted. "Or the universe. Or anything else. I'm just… this is one person. And only temporarily. I'm still retired!"

"You don't want to save the world," Madam Vastra replied. Nodded at Seo, who was now enthusing with Strax over how brilliant it'd be to create a chocolate battle axe that actually worked! "But she does. If she's in danger, are you really going to sit on the sidelines and do nothing?"

"I… well… Yes!" the Doctor replied. "She makes her own choices. It's up to her."

Madam Vastra crossed her arms.

The Doctor stared off after Seo. His face falling.

"I have to go," he said, turning back towards the door, and heading out, fast as he could.


The Doctor paced around his TARDIS long into the night.

"Don't get involved!" he chided himself. Hands tugging at his hair. "Don't get involved! Don't get involved! You know what will happen if you do!"

He paused.

Hesitated.

"No!" he decided. "No, no, no! It doesn't matter that her mum's dead and it's all your fault. Seo's just… someone's dangerous botched science experiment from another universe. She's not really my child! She isn't even a real person! I don't care what happens to her! I don't!"

He stopped.

In the middle of the console room.

Then spun on the central console. Slammed his hand down.

"Why did Ace have to be right?!" the Doctor shouted. "Why do they always have to be right?!"

He breathed, heavily.

Staring off into the distance. Feeling every last ounce of hope ebb away.

"I should have kept being cruel," the Doctor told himself. "I should never have second guessed! I should have just shoved her out the door and made her want nothing to do with me. I should have…"

He trailed off.

The words replaying themselves in his mind.

If she's in danger, are you really going to sit on the sidelines and do nothing?

The Doctor hung his head. "What do I do with you, Seo?" he muttered. "What can I do?"

He knew the answer, already.

He'd have to save her.