Blink

The Doctor, Martha, and the Professor climbed out of a cab, running off down the road towards where they'd found a nest of a particularly dangerous lizard species.

"Doctor!" someone shouted, "Professor! Martha!"

They looked back to see a young woman with blond hair step out of a nearby shop, a purple folder in her hands.

"Hello!" the Doctor grinned, "Sorry, bit of a rush, there's a sort of thing happening, fairly important we stop it."

"My God, it's you, it really is you. Oh, you don't remember me, do you?"

"We don't have time for this!" Martha called from a bit down the street.

"She's right, the migration's started," the Professor told him.

"Look, sorry," he turned back to the girl, "We've got a bit of a complex life. Things don't always happen in order. Gets confusing, especially at weddings, I'm rubbish at weddings, especially my own," he winked at the Professor who just rolled her eyes at him, he was still pushing for that wedding but she wanted to be up to 100 percent first and, if she had to admit, she was very close to that.

"Oh, my God!" the girl gasped, "Of course, you're a time traveler. It hasn't happened yet! None of it, it's still in your future!"

"What hasn't happened?" the Professor frowned, curious as to how the girl knew who they were and that they were time travelers.

"Guys!" Martha called, "Twenty minutes to red hatching!"

"It was me," the girl realized, "Oh, for God's sake, it was me all along. You got it all from me!"

"Got what?" the Professor asked.

"Okay. Listen. One day you're going to get stuck in 1969. Make sure you've got this with you. You're going to need it," she handed them her folder.

"Professor!" Martha shouted, "Doctor! Come on!"

"Yeah, listen, listen, got to dash..." the Doctor said apologetically, "Things happening. Well, four things. Well, four things and a lizard."

"Okay," she nodded, "No worries, on you go. See you around, some day."

"What was your name?"

"Sally Sparrow."

"Good to meet you, Sally Sparrow."

Just then another man with brown hair walked over, stopping, stunned at the sight of them. Sally grinned and went to his side, taking the man's hand, "Goodbye Doctor, Professor, Martha."

She turned and walked back into the shop with the man, leaving them to their thoughts.

"Guys!" Martha shouted.

They quickly turned and ran after her down the street.

~8~

Martha walked into the control room to see the Doctor and Professor leaning over the console, examining papers that were placed all across it. Some were handwritten, others were typed, there were pictures as well.

"What's all this?" she asked, walking over to them and looking down at a picture of a wall with big, black letters on it reading 'Beware the Weeping Angel. Oh and duck! Really duck! Sally Sparrow duck now! Love from the Doctor, Professor, and Martha (1969).' She frowned, "When did we go to 1969?" she didn't remember writing that.

"We haven't…yet," the Doctor grinned, gathering up the papers and getting to work, setting the coordinates for the house in the files, one year ago.

"What do you mean 'yet?'"

"Apparently, at some point last year," the Professor remarked, flipping absently through the papers, "We get sent back in time by a Weeping Angel to 1969, without the TARDIS, and this girl, Sally Sparrow, and her friend help us by sending the TARDIS back."

"Now, we just have to go back," the Doctor added.

"Ok…and why do we have to go back?" Martha asked.

"We need to maintain the timeline," the Professor told her, putting the files in the folder and looking at Martha, "We have to stick to an established chain of events, especially when it involves our own personal timelines."

"Why?"

"Because one mistake could cause the whole timeline to collapse and then we'd end up lost in the Void, the dead space between words, Hell…forever."

"Right then," Martha nodded, alarmed, "Let's get to it!"

~8~

Martha was very cross with the two Time Lords after they had appeared in 1969, for many reasons. The first was that they hadn't told her exactly how a Weeping Angle sent its victims back in time, the fact that it basically meant for the victims to die in the past and never live the lives they were meant to was an important one she felt she needed to know. Then, there was the fact that Sally had no set idea of just how long they had been in 1969 for. And then there was the fact that they had conveniently forgotten to tell her she would be working in a shop and finally…that they would be there, without any idea of where to live, or where to meet this Billy person, or…anything.

It had taken them quite a few days to get the irate woman to forgive them, namely the two of them getting a small two bedroom flat to rent, using the Doctor's psychic paper. As soon as they had shelter they had to set out and get jobs. The fact that they even needed jobs told Martha they would probably be there for quite a while and she could only hope it wouldn't be for too long.

They'd had to threaten the Doctor…or really, the Professor had to threaten the Doctor with no kisses the entire trip, to get him to stay in the flat while they went about town to get jobs. The first day they were there he'd attempted to sonic the television so they could get more than just a few measly channels…and ended up blowing the power for the whole complex…

Neither girl was very happy though the Professor had to be thankful it was only the complex and not the entire country. To which, the Doctor had claimed that only happened once. The Professor had scoffed 'On Earth.'

Given that that was his typical nature and luck, they refused to allow him to get a job anywhere, for the safety of the people and time itself.

They'd managed to find Martha's job relatively quickly, it was a small mechanics' shop and Martha was set to be the secretary, filing appointments, helping to catalogue parts and equipment, among other responsibilities. She got a decent lunch break, though, and the Professor always came to visit her during her own break to see how the day was going. After three weeks they'd fallen into a very nice routine.

"Couldn't you just…I don't know build another TARDIS?" Martha asked her as they sat outside a quaint café and ate their small lunches, "Get us back home?"

"TARDISes are grown, not built," she remarked, recalling another time she'd given that answer, "And really, we could be stuck in worse places and times."

"Like how?"

She shrugged, "We could be stuck on a planet orbiting a black hole with a demon festering in the core of it."

Martha laughed, "Yeah, like that could happen. That's far out even for you and the Doctor."

She smiled at that, if only she knew…

"So," Martha continued, "Are we still on for painting the message this weekend?"

"I think so," she nodded, "I'm supposed to pick up the paint and wallpaper on my way back tonight," she groaned, "Do you think he's blown another fuse?"

"God I hope not, we got lucky last time that they didn't know where the power outage originated."

The Professor could only shake her head at that, lucky they had been.

~8~

The Professor held the roll of wallpaper in her hand tightly as they walked up to the old house, looking better than it would in nearly 40 years. The Doctor had a bucket of paint and Martha, the rollers and brushes.

They looked around cautiously, not wanting to run into any more Angels, but were safe, it seemed however the Angels got there, they hadn't come yet.

They walked around, looking at a photo of Sally's, trying to find the wall in the picture and finally found it across from a greenhouse/garden area.

They made quick work of it, painting the message in the photo onto the wall and letting it dry before lightly coating it with glue and sticking the wallpaper over it. Martha peeled a small section away from the top so that in time, it would fall down more so that Sally would see it.

~8~

The Professor slipped on her boots, balancing with one hand rested on the counter of the small flat, as she zipped up the side of her white go-go boots. She was wearing a typical sleeveless dress that went down to her knees in a sort of grey-blue color. The Doctor sat at the kitchen table, watching her as he drank the cup of tea she'd made him.

"I'll be back around 8," she told him, "Meeting Martha for lunch, like usual. Same rules as always: no leaving the flat, no fiddling with the toasters or microwaves, no going near any hens, the sonic stays in your pocket and switched off, if the device beeps you come and find me or Martha and that is the only time you can leave, understood?"

"Yes mum," he sighed, rolling his eyes.

"I'm not your mother," she gave him a peck. She moved to pull away but he reached out and cupped her cheek, pulling her in, giving her a deeper kiss.

"No, you're not," he agreed with a smirk.

She blushed and stepped out of the flat, heading off to work. The Doctor had yet to really ask her where she worked. All she'd told him was that she taught, he'd assumed she'd gotten a position as a teacher or something in a school…if only he knew…she laughed before making her way to the dance studio only a few blocks away.

She rather enjoyed her job, teaching ballet to young girls. Granted, Earth ballet was different than the form taught on Gallifrey but she was able to get by just fine. She'd observed a few classes to try and get a feel of what was acceptable before applying for a job.

She walked over to the row of girls, already stretching by a bar at the side of the class, and unzipped her dress from the side, pulling it off. She was wearing a black, spaghetti strapped, chiffon dress with a skirt that flowed to above her knees. She had nude colored stockings on and black ballet slippers already on, inside the boots she removed. She quickly bunched her hair up into a bun from the ponytail it was in and clipped it. She clapped her hands and the girls lined up, ready to stretch with her before beginning.

The first half of her morning flew by and soon it was almost time for her lunch break. Seeing as it was Friday and the girls had worked very hard in the two months she'd been there, she decided to give them an early dismissal. They thanked her with smiles and jogged over to their parents, everyone filing out and leaving her be. She watched them go through the glass wall at the front of the class, the one that ran along the street. When she was sure they'd all gone she checked the clock on the wall to see she still had nearly 15 minutes before she normally left to meet up with Martha.

She smiled and walked over to a small music player the studio provided and slipped in some music from Swan Lake, one of her favorite human ballets. She smiled as the music picked up and moved to the center of the room, beginning a dance, completely un-choreographed, just letting herself move.

As the song finished a little while later, she ended up on the floor, one leg beneath her, one extended before her, her body leaning over her extended leg, with her arms reaching out towards her pointed toe…

And then someone started clapping.

She jolted up, her hearts racing, to see the Doctor standing in the doorway of the studio, leaning against the frame, smiling at her as he clapped.

"That was beautiful," he told her with a grin, "You're beautiful."

"And you're still a horrible liar," she smiled, getting up.

"I said it once and I'll say it again. That's how I see you," he eyed her a moment before glancing at the clock, smirking, "Will you dance more for me Kata?"

She laughed, "For you Theta, anything."

He laughed as well and she went over to the player, changing it to the dance music she had been teaching the children, Nocturne in C Sharp Minor, Opus 20 by Chopin.

He smiled as he watched her, she always had a soft smile on her face whenever she danced, it always cheered her up. He regretted that he couldn't dance more than a waltz, because he would have loved to dance with her, but to be honest…he was far more content to just watch her instead.

She had always been beautiful, graceful, fluid. Even in combat, from what he'd seen, she carried it over. Every action, every move, flowing effortlessly into the next. Her balance was exquisite. It was probably one of the reasons she'd lasted so long in the war, her natural strength and agility…

As the music died down, he watched her strike her final pose, spinning on one foot, her arms above her, before moving into an extended forth position, gently lowering her arms.

He clapped again, "Still beautiful."

"Still lying," she eyed him a moment before moving to shut off the player, "What are you doing here anyway? Did the device go off?"

"No," he sighed, "Martha called and said an order for parts had come in early and that she wouldn't be able to make it to lunch today. She asked me to come tell you to save you the trip to the shop."

She nodded, "Oh, thank you."

"But…" he continued, grinning a grin that she knew meant he was planning something, "You shouldn't waste your lunch break stuck in here, so…how about we go out to lunch?"

She blinked, "Like a…date?"

They'd never been on a date before…ever…which, now that she thought about it and their relationship, she had to admit was rather strange.

"We've never been," he nodded, "And you know how I do love to explore things I've never done."

She laughed, "And take me along with you."

"Always," he nodded, extending his arm. She laughed and took it, but before they could set foot outside, he turned and kissed her, looking deep into her eyes when he pulled away, "Beautiful."

And this time, looking into his eyes and seeing his honesty staring her in the face, she couldn't argue.

~8~

Billy hit the wall behind him, falling to the ground in the middle of a dark alleyway.

"Welcome!" the Doctor called as he stepped through a door at the end of it, a device in his hands, Martha and the Professor following after him.

"Where am I?" he groaned.

"1969," the Doctor replied, as the device beeped, "Not bad, as it goes. You've got the moon landing to look forward to."

"Oh, the moon landing's brilliant," Martha smiled.

"We went four times," the Professor added.

"Back when we had transport..."

"Working on it!" he cried, exasperated.

"How did I get here?" Billy looked up at them.

"The same way we did," the Doctor sat beside him, "The touch of an Angel. Same one, probably, since you ended up in the same year. No, no, no, no, no, don't get up. Time travel without a capsule, nasty. Catch your breath, don't go swimming for half an hour."

"I don't…I can't…"

"Fascinating race, the Weeping Angels. The only psychopaths in the Universe to kill you nicely. No mess, no fuss, they just zap you into the past and let you live to death. The rest of your life used up and blown away in the blink of an eye."

"You die in the past, and, in the present, they consume the energy of all the days you might have had," the Professor added as he got a bit metaphorical, "All your stolen moments. They're creatures of the abstract. They live off potential energy."

"What in God's name are you talking about?" Billy looked between them.

"Trust me," Martha cut in, "Just nod when he stops for breath or she picks up."

"Tracked you down with this," the Doctor held up the device, "This is my timey-wimey detector. It goes ding when there's stuff. Also, it can boil an egg at 30 paces, whether you want it to or not, actually, so I've learned to stay away from hens. It's not pretty when they blow."

"I don't understand," Billy shook his head, "Where am I?"

"1969, like he says," Martha replied.

"Normally, we'd offer you a lift home, but somebody nicked my motor," he sighed, "So we need you to take a message to Sally Sparrow. And I'm sorry, Billy, I am very, very sorry. It's gonna take you a while."

~8~

The Doctor stepped back from the doorway, trying to be quiet as he heard Martha and the Professor speaking inside the small sitting room of the flat. He peeked through the crack in the door to see the Professor was lying on the couch, her head on Martha's lap as the woman absently ran her hands through the Professor's hair, the TV on before them, providing more background noise than entertainment.

"…never left me alone after that," the Professor was saying, "He just…kept talking to me, everyday, whenever he saw me."

Martha laughed, "Sounds like the Doctor alright, the gob that wouldn't stop."

The Professor laughed a bit at that as well, "He just wore me down over the years, got me to talk back, then joke, then argue. He really got me out of my shell."

Martha smiled at her, her eyes growing soft and even sad, "He's the only man you've ever trusted, isn't he?" the Professor's gaze grew downcast as she nodded, "I…" she paused in speaking, "I've noticed that you…shy away from men sometimes," Martha admitted, "I mean, you'll hug me and other women we run into, comfort them, but…you tend to keep back from most men except the Doctor and…" she hesitated.

"You can say it Martha," the Professor said softly, sensing where Martha was going with it.

"I know that sort of behavior can arise from…abuse," she finished.

The Professor could only nod.

"Was it, I mean, was it your father?"

She nodded again, before taking a breath, "He…"

"You don't have to say," Martha cut in, "I know it can be really hard and I really didn't mean to pry I just…" she offered the Professor a small smile, "You're my friend, probably my best friend, and I care about you. You've told me a lot, about your planet, about the war, and I really and truly am touched and honored that you trust me to talk to. But you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

The Professor smiled at Martha, "I…think I might want to though."

Martha nodded, "Then I'm all ears."

He looked down as the Professor spoke of her father, of his treatment of her. Telling Martha about the names he'd call her, the threats he'd make, the anger she faced, the hurt, the pain, the beatings. He was a clever man, her father, making sure to only hurt her in places covered by clothing whenever he knew her mother would be back too soon, but having free reign when she'd be gone for extended periods. He closed his eyes, feeling tears behind them as the Professor recalled the insults, the terror, the neglect, the…hate… He could barely bear to hear about it, he still didn't know how she had been able to physically bear it for eight years of her life. And she remembered all eight. Time Lords were conscious of who they were from birth. And her father had never truly wanted a child to begin with. She could remember nights spent in her cot crying for someone, for a changing, for comfort, for food, only to be ignored. She could remember being shouted at and shoved when she was just learning to walk and speak, she could remember how it progressively got worse the older she became, the more he despised her…

"…until the Academy shuttle arrived," the Professor sighed, "And I finally got away from him," she gave a small laugh, "I met the Doctor not two days later."

Martha was silent a long while, taking in everything her friend had endured, tears in her eyes, "You are so…incredible," she whispered after another moment, looking down at the Professor, shaking her head, "Do you know that? So…" she trailed off, unable to really think of a word to describe her, "So strong."

"No I'm not," the Professor said quietly.

"No, but you are though," Martha insisted, "You are SO strong, because of that. To survive all that, not just your father, but that training program, and then the war, and what the Krillitanes did to you…to fight past all that and still be able to smile and laugh and trust…" she laughed with pride, "You are amazing."

The Professor smiled up at Martha, tears falling from her eye as she pushed herself up to hug the woman. She'd heard those words from the Doctor numerous times. But…Martha was the first person…alien, human or otherwise…to ever say it and really believe it. Not even Mickey Smith, probably the second man she'd ever even remotely trusted, really got to see her truly be outstanding.

"You are good," she whispered, hugging the woman.

"You're better," Martha countered.

The Professor pulled away with a little laugh before moving to sit back on the couch, the two of them talking some more…till she actually drifted off to sleep, worn from recalling the emotional ordeal. Martha smiled softly at her, feeling more respect for the woman than ever, before she got up and put a blanket lying on another chair over her, shutting off the telly to head back to her room.

She stopped short, though, when she'd stepped through the door to see the Doctor leaning against the wall, looking at her, "We need to get you squeaky shoes," she muttered, it was unnerving how easily he could sneak up on people.

"You should feel honored," he said quietly, so as not to wake the Professor. Martha gave him a questioning look, "She told you about her father," he gave a sad smile at the mention of the man who, in his mind, had no right to the title, "It took me decades to get her to talk."

Martha smiled, "Well, once you tell one person, it's easier to tell others," she remarked wisely, sounding very much like the Professor to him just then, "And besides, YOU were the one that got her to open up in the first place, the one who made her believe in people, trust again. And, from what she's told me, you had a rather big hand in how incredible she is."

His eyes got a soft look at the praise before he shook himself out of his thoughts and looked at her, thinking of how much she had helped the Professor progress in beating the aftereffects of her regeneration, "I think you have a hand in how incredible she'll be," he remarked, making Martha beam, "Thank you, Martha Jones."

She waved him off, "It's what friends do," he nodded, "Good night Doctor," she added, before stepping into her room.

He waited till the door had shut before heading into the sitting room and over to the Professor's side. He knelt down, gently brushing a lock of hair from her face before reaching out to scoop her into his arms, carrying her back to their room as she snuggled against him.

~8~

They decided it was time to make the DVD recordings for Sally the next morning. They had to get them to Billy quickly so that, perhaps, the quicker he got them, the sooner they could return home to the TARDIS.

"That's it," the Professor nodded as she set the autocue, "It's all set."

"Good," the Doctor smiled as she moved to sit beside him before the camera, "Martha if you would?"

"Got it," Martha hit the record button and started up the autocue and they were off.

~8~

"There he is," Larry stepped back from the portable DVD player he'd set up in the old house Sally had told him to meet her in with his DVDs of the man and woman.

"The Doctor," Sally smiled, "And the Professor."

"Who're the Doctor and Professor?"

"They're the Doctor and Professor."

"Yep," the Doctor nodded, "That's us."

"Okay, that was scary."

"No, it sounds like they're replying," Larry shook his head, "But they always say that."

"Yes, we do," the Professor nodded.

"And that."

"Yep, and this," the Doctor grinned.

"They can hear us," Sally's eyes widened, "Oh, my God, you can really hear us!"

"Of course they can't hear us," Larry laughed, picking up a small file of papers with typed words on it, "Look! I've got a transcript, see, everything they say. 'Yep, that's us.' 'Yes, we do.' 'Yep, and this.' Next it's..."

"Are you going to read out the whole thing?" the Professor and Larry said at once.

"Sorry," Larry moved to sit down.

"Who are you?" Sally asked them.

"We're time travelers," the Doctor replied, "Or we were. We're stuck in 1969."

"We're all stuck," Martha came onto the screen, "All of space and time, they promised me. Now I've got a job in a shop, she's gotta teach, and we've got to support him!"

"Martha!" the Doctor mock scolded.

"Sorry," she moved off screen.

"I've seen this bit before," Sally remarked.

"Quite possibly," the Professor nodded.

"1969, that's where you're talking from?"

"'Fraid so," the Doctor sighed.

"But you're replying to me. You can't know exactly what I'm gonna say, 40 years before I say it!"

"38," the Professor corrected.

"I'm getting this down!" Larry grinned, "I'm writing in your bits."

"How?" Sally shook her head, "How is this possible? Tell me!"

"Not so fast…" Larry scrambled to get her words down.

"People don't understand time," the Professor remarked, "It's not what you think it is."

"Then what is it?" she asked.

"Complicated," the Doctor answered.

"Tell me."

"Very complicated."

"I'm clever and I'm listening. And don't patronize me because people have died and I'm not happy. Tell me."

The Doctor gave the Professor a small look and she turned back to the camera, "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a…"

"Big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff," the Doctor finished with a grin.

The Professor rolled her eyes and nudged him, but he just grinned wider and winked at her.

"Yeah, I've seen this bit before," Sally remarked, "You said that sentence got away from her."

"It got away from her, yeah," he agreed.

"Next thing you're going to say is, 'Well, we can hear you.'"

"Well, we can hear you."

"This isn't possible."

"No," Larry laughed, "It's brilliant!"

"Not hear you exactly," the Professor agreed, "But we know everything you're going to say."

"Always gives me the shivers, that bit."

"How can you know what I'm going to say?" Sally frowned.

"Look to your left," the Doctor replied.

"What does he mean by, 'Look to your left?'" Larry wondered as Sally looked to her left to see him there, "I've written tons about that on the forums. I think it's a political statement."

"He means you," she eyed him, "What are you doing?"

"I'm writing in your bits," he held the transcript up to show her, "So I've got a complete transcript of the whole conversation. Wait until this hits the net. This will explode the egg forums."

"We've got a copy of the finished transcript," the Professor told her, "It's on the autocue."

"How can you have a copy of the finished transcript?" Sally frowned, "It is still being written."

"We told you," the Doctor said, "We're time travelers. We got it in the future."

"Okay, let me get my head 'round this. You're reading from a transcript of a conversation you're still having?"

"Wibbly wobbly, timey wimey," he waved her off.

"Actually, never mind that," she looked at Larry, "You can do shorthand?"

"So?" he asked.

"What matters, is we can communicate," the Professor cut in.

"She's right, we have got big problems now," the Doctor nodded, "They've taken the blue box, haven't they? The Angels have the phone box."

"The Angels have the phone box!" Larry grinned, "That's my favorite, I've got it on a t-shirt!"

"What do you mean, Angels?" Sally asked, "You mean those statue things?"

"Creatures from another world," the Doctor replied.

"But they're just statues."

"Only when you see them."

"What does that mean?"

"Lonely assassins, they were called. No one knows where they came from. They're as old as the Universe, or very nearly."

"They've survived this long as they have the most perfect defense system ever evolved," the Professor added, "They are quantum locked."

"They don't exist when being observed. The moment they're seen by any other living creature they freeze into rock. No choice. It's a fact of their biology."

"In the sight of any living thing, they literally turn to stone."

"And you can't kill a stone."

"Though, a stone can't kill you either."

"But then you turn your head away, then you blink, and oh, yes it can!"

Sally eyed them, "Do you do that often?"

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded.

"Sorry," the Professor added, both of them already knowing she was referring to their habit of finishing each other's sentences.

Sally looked over, spotting an Angel through the window, "Don't take your eyes off that," she ordered Larry who turned to watch it.

"That's why they cover their eyes," the Professor continued, "They're not weeping, they can't risk looking at each other."

"Their greatest asset is their greatest curse," the Doctor nodded, "They can never be seen. The loneliest creatures in the Universe. And I'm sorry, I am very, very sorry, it's up to you now."

"What am I supposed to do?" Sally demanded.

"The blue box, it's our time machine. There is a world of time energy in there they could feast on forever. The damage they can do can switch off the Sun. You have got to send it back to us!"

"How? How?"

The Professor frowned, "And that's it, sorry. There's no more from you on the transcript, that's all we've got."

"Dunno what stopped you talking, but we can guess," the Doctor continued.

"They're coming. The Angels are coming for you."

"But listen, your life could depend on this. Don't blink! Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast, faster than you can believe. Don't turn your back, don't look away, and don't blink!"

"Good luck!"

"No!" Sally cried as the screen froze, the feed ending, "Don't! You can't!"

"I'll rewind him!" Larry leapt forward.

"What good would that do?" and then she realized, "You're not looking at the statue?"

"Neither are you."

They looked over to see the statue had moved inside the room, its face distorted and angry…

~8~

They'd spent nearly a week on edge since they'd given Billy the DVDs. Gone to their jobs with the story of an illness in the family that might require them to leave suddenly and unsure of whether they'd be able to return. Their employers had understood, they had said from the beginning it was a temporary stay.

One morning, when they'd been about to head to work, the device beeped.

It was such a relief. Another day of walking on eggshells, waiting, would have been torture. They'd grabbed what little they had collected during their stay and dashed out, towards the house. They'd listened intently, not having known where the TARDIS would come through, only to hear the wheezing sound in the basement.

They ran down and beamed, watching the blue box appear before them. As soon as she was solid they ran inside, practically hugging the console when they reached it, just so happy that they were back.

~8~

"Where are we going?" the Professor asked as the Doctor led her through the halls of the TARDIS, his hands over her eyes, blocking his thoughts from her as well.

"I told you it's a surprise," he replied, mock exasperated.

She laughed, "Theta tell me."

"Oh just wait a minute Kata," he smiled, repositioning himself so that he covered both her eyes with one hand and leaned forward to push a door open. He led her in a few feet before pulling his hand away, "Ta da!"

Her mouth dropped open as her eyes widened in absolute shock at what lay before her. It was a room, designed similar to a ballet studio, mirrors on the walls, a small bar along the back one, false sunlight streaming through from a window in the ceiling. She stepped more into the room, just looking around at it when something caught her eye. There were a few stairs that led to a small platform in the back of the room. She walked over, seeing something set up on the platform. She reached out, scarecely daring to believe it really was what she thought it was, but when she touched it, she knew.

"You stole this from the Academy didn't you?" she asked, unable to look away from the exact instrument she'd favored playing during her time at school, their version of a piano.

"I told you," he called softly, "Anything and everything that reminded me of you, I took with me."

She shook her head, a smile growing on her face as she spotted two other, much smaller instruments on a side table, and turned to him, "Theta…"

"Do you like it?"

She shook her head, walking towards him, tears in her eyes now, "Oh no, not at all," his expression started to fade, "I love it Theta."

He beamed, "I'm glad," he reached out, wiping a tear as it fell from her eye, "I'd almost forgotten how much you loved dancing as well as music till I saw you teaching that class."

She reached out and pulled him into a tight hug, her hearts nearly bursting at the gift he'd given her, "Thank you," she whispered into his chest.

He pulled away, smiling softly at her, "Go on, try it out."

She laughed, pulling off her shoes and running to the middle of the room to dance for him, but this time, a dance from their home.

A/N: I got a review asking a very good question of whether or not the Professor knows all of the Doctor's previous selves. I sort of glossed over that in the very first chapter of Reunion, so just to clarify it a bit more. She's VERY familiar with his first incarnation, it being the one she went to school with. She missed out on seeing his second incarnation (and was detained by the Krillitanes, thus missing his ninth as well). From what I've read about the previous Doctors, he didn't seem to like to go back to Gallifrey very often, almost avoiding it unless he HAD to go back (which we now know had something to do with 'running' from the Professor), so she didn't get to see much of him when he did come back. He doesn't really appear to be there for long and she's busy making her way in their world after being an Academic (and...channeling River here with a Spoiler! We get to hear about what HER previous incarnations were like in Vampires of Venice, I know SUCH a long way away!). She didn't really get to talk to him at all when he was on the planet. She did SEE his incarnations when he was on Gallifrey (he, being oblivious, didn't see her though or didn't recognize her from a glance after regeneration) but she doesn't quite KNOW those versions of him as deeply as she knew his first body. What she DOES know about his previous selves is mostly from reports/rumors she's heard of his adventures. But, since she does share a mental bond with him, he would have shared his memories of his adventures throughout his bodies with her at times and she would know him that way. But not from her own experiences, no. I like to think of it as, they had/have such a deep connection that they can pick up their friendship/relationship from any point, like having that great friend when you're younger and when you meet them again years later it's like nothing changed, like they never left. Almost any time she references an adventure with the Doctor it is from their time at school or after the war (and off screen). Hope that cleared a few things up :)

As for the Professor/Martha bonding moment, I purposefully didn't write anything too specific for her past with her father because I felt like it might just take away from it, cheapen it in some way. I KNOW I could never do something like that justice. I feel like eight years to a child would make it all a jumbled mess of a nightmare anyway and, having the Doctor being the one to recall the general sense of it, also gave an opening for him and Martha to have a little moment too.

But, on a lighter note, the poll results! And the winner for the Doctor/Professor couple name is...Keta!

And we're only 11 reviews away from matching Reunion! Woo! You guys are amazing!