Author's Note: Hi. Yes, yes, I know I'm awful for not posting anything for millions of years. I was working on fan fictions, though. And work. That's important. Right? On the bright side, I'm back with a new chapter of When He Met Gracelin. I also have a couple of episodes in series 6 and 7 written (help me) and the Code Geass fan fiction I have been working on is nearly done with the character planning stage and starting to go into the plot layout stage. I would tell you all this sooner so you aren't left hanging for months, but I have no way of doing it. I'm thinking about doing a blog sort of thing so I can keep you up to date with what's going on without writing a full out chapter? Thoughts?

As always THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO READS AND REVIEWS! It always brightens my dark days of conformity to know that I am (hopefully) bringing entertainment (or something that resembles it at least a *little*) to a large group of people. Please, pass it on to your friends! I have millions of ideas of where I want this to go and for chapters in the future (I'm not joking - literally millions). Stay tuned! Please read and comment. Tell me what you love/hate/fan girled over/thought I did well/thought I screwed up/etc. Enjoy! ;)

If I owned any of this stuff, don't you think I would have a room of writers (or the Moffat himself) to get these things out to you quicker?

Chapter 12

Tough Decisions

The Doctor leaned against the door frame to Gracelin's room. She was sitting on her bed, still in the ripped, bloody, dirty clothes she had saved the world in.

"I see you don't care if you're wearing seeing as you're still wearing that." The young woman glanced up, startled out of a deep thought. She looked down at herself.

"Guess I didn't think about it," she said vaguely. She continued to sit there.

"I came in to check on you." The Doctor started walking to the bed. "You did get shot today."

"I suppose I did." Gracelin absentmindedly held her arm out to the Doctor for him to look at. He pulled a first aid kit out of his pocket and set it next to him. He then gently lifted her arm and cut away the blood soaked cloth - all dried by now - and looked at her skin.

All around the area was covered with dry blood. He certainly hoped it wasn't as bad as it looked to be. He got out some gauze and water and started cleaning the gore off.

"Where did you go earlier?" The Doctor kept wiping her arm as he answered.

"I went to the Shadow Proclamation, as I said before." She turned her eyes to his. For a moment, they looked as if they matched his in age.

"Stop lying. Tell me the truth." He stopped moving. He had a choice here. Keep with his false story or tell the truth. he knew the answer. He opened his mouth to tell Gracelin the same story, but then he thought about it. She finally seemed like she was coming out of her carefully constructed shell and was starting to trust him. Some how, she could tell he was lying. If he did it again even after she called him out on it, he could damage their relationship and reverse what progress she had made. So he went with the only real choice he ever had.

"I had to watch." He slumped on the bed next to his friend. "I had to watch what I did."

"Ah. I see." Gracelin fell silent, absentmindedly folding and unfolding her hands in her lap. After a minute to check his emotions, the Doctor resumed cleaning.

"What you did today was really brave." Gracelin bit her lip and wrung her hands faster. "I mean, first real adventure, not bad. Next time, though, try not to get hurt." He smiled at her. "I don't want you getting hurt. It makes me worried." He looked back down at what his hands were doing, missing the blush that flooded Gracelin's cheeks.

When he had finished cleaning the blood, the Doctor looked more closely. That wasn't right. There was no bullet hole. There was a small scar where the was looking, but that looked to be years old. But all that blood couldn't have come from nowhere. Anyway, he saw the Sontaran shoot her. So why wasn't there a fresh wound? He finished dressing it, then wound a clean bandage around her arm. She didn't need to know about this supposed ability to heal until he knew more about it himself. In the meantime, it just meant she didn't have to deal with injuries.

"There you are. Good as new. You shouldn't over use that arm for a while, though." Gracelin nodded, still thinking about something else. "I'll leave you to it, then." He got up and turned to head out the door, then paused and looked back at Gracelin. She was sitting on her bed, eyes wide, looking at something only she could see. Her hands in her lap trembled.

"Is everything okay?"

Gracelin turned her gaze to the Doctor, expression full of shock. "I never... Before today I hadn't... I didn't know I could do that much damage." She cleared her throat, struggling to link the words together. "To anyone. Before today, I had never fought anyone outside of a controlled environment. That was something different." She took a shuddering breath and looked at the Doctor pleadingly. "I didn't mean to hurt them that badly. I didn't know I could. I'll control it better in the future."

The Time Lord sighed. She was asking for his forgiveness, his understanding, for what she had done. "I don't doubt you had every good intention. However, only you can make it alright. Maybe this isn't the life for you. If that is so, we'll drop you off in London as soon as possible.

"I guess what I'm saying is, do you really belong on the TARDIS, saving the world and running for you life every other day?" He gave a sad smile. "Think about it." He walked out of the room, leaving his newest friend considering what he said, thinking about what he knew about Gracelin.

She healed faster than most creatures in the universe. She had more strength and endurance and speed than a regular human, even one well trained and in shape. She had a natural ability for fighting even if she never fought. And there was that period of time at the track. When her eyes glowed like stars and her strength multiplied until she was able to send a Sontaran flying with a flick.

Gracelin Rosemary Celia Pacem certainly wasn't an ordinary human. The Time Lord continued walking, putting the gauze with Gracelin's blood on it in his pocket for later.

Gracelin sat on her bed, so many unspoken words whirling around in her head, the spoken ones sinking like a pit in her stomach. What the Doctor had said seemed ridiculous to her. Not belonging on the TARDIS? This is the only place she felt like she actually fit. Even when her old flatmates were still around, she had never felt this at home. NOw that she had seen the wonders of this kind of traveling, there was no turning back.

But Gracelin didn't know if she could stay. What she had done to the Sontarans still haunted her, making her want to throw up. Hurting others was so upsetting to her that she questioned why she had chosen to become so apt at it. And then she remembered ow it felt.

She remembered the feeling of being invincible, powerful enough to crush the world with a single blow. She remembered how it felt to fly through the air and know her kick would land. The wonderful feelings of the adrenaline pumping through her veins, of the fight.

Could she leave life on the TARDIS behind?

No.

Could she say here knowing she will at some point have to hurt some one again?

Barely. But there was no other place for her to go.

Gracelin looked at her bandaged arm. She remembered how the Doctor's hands had felt against her skin as they cared for her injury.

She would stay. For now.

She exited the room and walked down the hall. By now, the rest of the travelers would be planning their next grand adventure. And she wanted to be there to make sure that they didn't go anywhere boring or too dangerous. She stepped through the portal to the console room and saw the Doctor standing in his usual place at the console. He turned around and beamed at her, then went back to his tinkering. Amy and Rory were playing darts. But everyone was having the conversation Gracelin thought they would be having.

"How about Space Florida?"

"Amy, we went there only a couple of weeks ago!"

"Fine then. You think of a better place, stupid head."

"How about a nice trip to New Zealand."

"What's in New Zealand?"

"No! Doctor, don't ask that!"

"It's where they filmed all the Lord of The Rings movies. It's also very scenic-"

"And very cold. How about we go some where warm?" Suggested Amy.

"The Galapagos Islands back on Earth? I heard those were very nice," said Gracelin. She had taken a seat on the steps down to the platform. The Doctor looked at her questioningly and she nodded once. He grinned.

"I know!" he exclaimed.

"Where?" asked Rory, warily.

The Doctor beamed. "How's Rio this time of year?"