A/N: I promise you plot is coming but I am sashaying into it slowly and gradually. Hope you enjoy this chapter. The next chapter will end up being climatic, and will bring in an old friend of the Doctor's.

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Chapter Ten: Sometimes a Headache is just a Headache

The Doctor smiled at Tash, she had helped him so much. Perhaps it was her gentle nature, perhaps it was something else. At any rate, he liked it, he liked her. "How about going to see Sarah Jane?"

Tash shrugged and the Doctor frowned, "Are you all right Tash?"

"I am fine."

The Doctor looked at his guest, "You seem a bit troubled, anything the matter Tash?"

"I just have a headache, that's all."

"Headache, ooooh those can be bad. Particularly if they are caused by psychic feedback, you're telepathic and I know from experience how particularly painful those types of headaches can be."

Tash smiled lightly, "Or it could be just an ordinary headache, Doctor. Sometimes a headache is just that, a headache. I have been a bit wound up, lots of excitement, Doctor. I saw floating gardens, got my picture taken, looked at all sorts of pictures of you, Rose, and her family. Excitement can cause headaches."

The Doctor chuckled, "I suppose you're right. So what exactly do Mala'shra do for headaches?"

Tash sighed, "Usually another Mala'shra heals it. Like I said, healing is physical, usually achieved by touch."

The Doctor smiled, "You want me to take a whack at it?"

Tash shrugged, "If you want to, Doctor. Just be careful, I only got one mind….don't damage it."

The Doctor laughed, "I am gentle Tash. I am very gentle. I have touched many minds, Tash. A lot of them were human." He placed a hand on her shoulder, "Trust me Tash…"

Tash looked in the Doctor's eyes, something about them showed a great deal of compassion and kindness. However, part of her didn't like the idea of someone touching her mind, especially if it wasn't another Mala'shraian and part of her was scared, "I….I am fine Doctor."

He shook his head, "Oh no, we are not going through this refusal thing again. Let me help you, Tash?"

Tash shook her head, "Doctor, I am fine. It will eventually go away on its own. I…" she sighed, "I'd rather it were another member of my race. No offense, Doctor but….that's just the way I feel."

The Doctor looked a bit hurt, "But I am your friend Ta'sheeka. I never knew you felt like that."

Tash saw the pain reflected in his eyes at her 'polite' refusal. She gulped and then said truthfully, "Doctor, I am afraid. Afraid that you'll hurt me. Your mind is so much stronger than mine. I can feel its strength. It's reflected in your eyes. It scares me, Doctor."

The Doctor sighed, he couldn't deny that. He realized that he had become a rather imposing person in his past lives and that there were many that did actually fear him, but he had no idea that Tash was scared of him. He bent down and held her hands, "Tash, have I ever harmed you? Have I ever hurt you? I swear…" He paused, he wondered what he could swear by that would have meaning to Tash. Surely, he couldn't swear on Rassilon, Rassilon was a Time Lord figurehead and would have no meaning to her. However, he was not Mala'shraian, and if he swore by the planet and its consciousness; Tash might not think he was sincere, since technically he wasn't bound to her home. But he had to swear something to her. He then looked her firmly in the eyes and with a voice that sounded so much older than it normally did, "I swear by Mala and by Rassilon that I will never harm you."

Tash looked into his eyes, he meant those words, and he meant them with ever fiber of his being. She then said, "Who's Rassilon?"

The Doctor smiled, "A figurehead of great importance to the Time Lords, Tash. To swear by him means I am very serious. I swore by your planet and by Rassilon that I will not harm you, I know both of those names mean a lot to us. So…do you trust me now, Tash?"

Tash nodded, "I trust you, Doctor."

He smiled, "So can I touch your mind, relieve you of that nasty ole headache?"

Tash chuckled lightly, "It's gone away, Doctor. You were so busy swearing to me that you wouldn't harm me it went away."

He grinned, "See, I am that powerful."

Tash snorted, "You didn't do anything."

He smirked, "I am so powerful, and I didn't have to lift a finger."

Tash rolled her eyes, "You're delusional."

"Yep, that's me. So can we go see Sarah Jane now?"

Truthfully, Tash really didn't care where they went. But those sad puppy dog eyes, that the Doctor now used to look at her, melted her heart. Ironic that those eyes which could hold so much power at one moment now seemed so childlike.

She sighed, "What ever you wish, Doctor. This is your ship; I am only here for the ride."

He shook his head, "Honestly, you're way too modest Tash. I am going have to break you of that habit."

She sighed and shook her head. She doubted that the Doctor could break her of being modest, it just was her nature, but she watched as the Doctor pulled levers and pushed various buttons. The TARDIS dematerialized from Mexico and into the void.

"I put a tracking device on K9. That means anytime I want to find Sarah, I find K9."

Tash cocked her head, "Who is K9?"

The Doctor grinned, "K9 was a robot dog of mine. I built a few of them for company. The first one was given to me by another doctor. He helped out when I was sick once."

Tash blinked, "You can get sick?"

"I am not immortal, Tash. Well…kind of immortal, semi-immortal. It's hard to explain. A Time Lord can live a long time. I already told you about regeneration, that's kind of part of the secret. Except for accidents, Time Lords are immortal. But eventually once we use up all our regenerations, that's it. We die, just like any other species. But I can get sick. I can be hurt just like anyone else."

Tash took in this information thoughtfully but was quiet.

The TARDIS dematerialized once more and the Doctor grinned, "Come on Tash, let's go surprise Sarah Jane."

He grasped Tash by the hand and both of them exited the TARDIS.