Note: Oh dear... my internet connection went all wibbly wobbly for the past couple of days and I've been meaning to post this chapter!

It actually took some time writing this up. At times I had to scrap some drafts and start from scratch. Yeah, I found it rather hard writing Chapter 21 since I had to make a bit of a transition from what just happened in the previous chapter. I managed to think of something, shedding a bit of light, so I hope I did this chapter justice!

Please continue reviewing! They keep me going and I try my best to reply to all of them!

Ah! Enough of my garble! Here's Chapter 21!

If there's one thing The Doctor has never done in an awful long time, it was sleep. The TARDIS offered a vast array of rooms-one surprisingly being a bedroom. In fact, The Doctor's bedroom.

Not too long ago, Koschei spotted his friend on a very rare trip to his room. He swore he noticed a glint of sickness on The Doctor's face and plucked the guts to approach him.

"You okay? You've been dreadfully quiet since the Silurian ship crash…" Koschei's voice faltered as The Doctor faced him. His once untamed brown spiky hair was plastered to his sweaty forehead. The area around his eyes were darkened and emphasised thanks to his extremely pale face that revealed his freckles. He was clearly tired and that was what worried Koschei. The Doctor has never been tired. Never in nine hundred years of Koschei's life has he ever seen The Doctor look so weak.

The Doctor gave a wry smile. "I just feel a little off, that's all…" He lied, giving a tentative shrug. "I need a little time by myself. The TARDIS needs refueling at the Rift in Cardiff. Why don't you and Brax visit Jack in the Torchwood Hub while I take a little rest?" Koschei studied his friend trudge into his room until the door was shut.

Something was wrong…

~DW~

"Well, if it isn't the two long lost Time Lords," An American voice called out. "I detected a flux in time and space coming from here and wondered what it could be." A tone of sarcasm could easily have been detected. Jack approached Shay and Brax, smiling playfully. "What brings you here, yet again? Don't tell me," He raised a hand stopping Brax from saying anything. "Don't tell me there's another Time Lord around."

Brax looked hesitant. "Another Time Lord?"

"The TARDIS just needed refueling." Koschei chipped in, looking at Brax in desperation.

"Ah, explains abit..." Jack trailed off. He raised a brow. "Where's Doc?"

Koschei shrugged. "He's resting," pointing his head at the TARDIS.

"That's new." Jack blurted, rather surprised by this new revelation. "Well, I can't be long. I've gotta monitor the Rift on my own since my team are investigating strange activities in Italy." He frowned in thought. "Something about vampires in Venice, but that's just rumours." He waved the last part off after seeing the exchanged glances between Koschei and Brax.

The sound of static interrupted everyone and the two Time Lords turned to Jack. He produced a walkie talkie from his pocket and pressed the 'receive' button.

"Captain, loose aliens on a run. Possible suspects of theft. They're heading south west towards your position."

Jack glanced at the two and gave them a wry smile. "You can scrub in if you want."

"Sure," Brax nodded. His voice suddenly faltered as he remembered something. "What about The Doctor?"

Koschei fell into a brief pause. "I think he's got a lot on his mind, let's go without him so we can rub it in his face."

Jack grinned. "I like you."

~DW~

Koschei never understood why Earth seemed to be some sort of alien hotspot. He finally acknowledged Jack's job after facing three alien incidences, one in particular was dealing with a group of mafia cyborgs who threatened to kill them unless they returned home safely. Fortunately, Jack was on the cyborg's side so things went out rather smoothly. It wasn't until a throng of people protesting against aliens caught them. Well, you can guess what happens next: an awful lot of running. Another point Koschei never understood was the fact that The Doctor said Earth was working in peace with aliens. That's probably another question he'll hopefully find an answer to.

When Jack got the all clear, Brax decided it was time to part. And that's what they did. Partially because he didn't want to interrupt Jack's team reunion after receiving the news that they are on their way to Cardiff from Venice.

Koschei and Brax sat on a sea wall, feet dangling over the ocean waters relishing on well deserved ice cream cones under the gentle warmth of the sun. The Doctor, however, didn't come out to accompany the two Time Lords, making Shay utterly uneasy.

"He's never been this awfully quiet…" Koschei trailed off.

At once, Brax knew who he was referring to. "I can understand if he's been alone for nearly three quarters of his life so far, and suddenly discovers he's not the only one," Brax murmured. He proceeded with his cold desert.

"I guess so…" Koschei airily replied. He finally started munching on his cone, but frowned as he realised the uneaten banana-flavoured ice cream with chocolate sprinkles he held in his other hand. "Theta said he was going to come out, his ice cream's melting…"

The two Time Lords exchanged glances and glowered at the cold banana ice treat. Koschei was the first to give a mischievous grin.

~DW~

The Doctor was splayed on his bed. He woke up from a way needed nap and felt physically better. His looked up and studied the hologram of space in all its glory on his ceiling; the moons that orbited planets and planets that orbited suns that are simply glistening stars. Asteroids hurtling in different directions, emitting a beautiful glow relative to its nearest sun. Other matter left over from the creation on the universe drifting here and there whilst galaxies orbit other galaxies as the universe continues its almighty expansion. The Doctor scowled. It was only a mere image, specifically a hologram of the universe being projected by the TARDIS, yet he treated it like the real Universe he used to grow and love. He started to wonder if the Universe really was on his side… A warm sensation passed through his body, making him relax a little.

His mind delved into another endless train of thought. A new side he never thought he'll never want to visit. Thoughts of things he never wanted to remember. The Time War, his companions… oh, those bright and shining companions… Donna, Martha, Jack, Wilf, Rose…

Rose…

The Doctor stifled a sob and scrunched his eyes in an attempt to prevent any tears shed. His mind shifted to Vastra's words.

"When he knocks four times, the world will be free of it's prison…"

What if that prophecy still exists? The Time Lord whimpered at the thought. 'Four times', what does that mean? And what is the world's 'prison'? Questions after questions circled his perplexed mind.

Suddenly, The Doctor frowned. He's being a pessimistic idiot again. He's escaped death countless times for goodness sake!

The Doctor's mind tore from thought as the TARDIS emitted a soft hum. Feeling fresh, the Time Lord bounded from his bed and dashed towards the Console Room. No Shay or Brax could be seen until he checked the monitors and remembered they made a pit stop to refuel.

He sauntered towards the TARDIS doors and opened it, expecting a rainy Wales. Instead, he smiled and hummed in surprise as the heat of Cardiff sunrays danced around his face. He gazed at the rather cosy surroundings of the bay and sniffed. The cool sea breeze certainly felt refreshing to his Time Lord senses. Not everyday you get to experience temperate, sunny days in Cardiff so the Time Lord closed his eyes for a moment to let in the comforting warmth. He thought he caught a glimpse of blond but casually ignored it.

That was until he felt something cold and sticky that smelt and tasted of banana splatter across his face.

The Doctor swore he heard the sound of pattering footsteps gradually die away along with an annoyingly familiar laugh.