As Donna and the Archivist ran out of the house, the Time Lord began her explanation. "This is going to create more questions than we may have time to answer now, Donna—but if there's one thing I've learned from the Doctor it's that you are a very fast study and should be able to keep up."

"Well, thank you very much. First of all, where are we going?"

"To my TARDIS."

"Your TARDIS?"

"Yes. I'm a Time Lord—Time Lady—whatever your preference. Just like the Doctor."

"He was alone. The Master died."

"Not exactly true. You remember him telling you about the Chameleon Arch?"

"Yeah, the thing that makes a Time Lord think he's a human."

"Yup."

"You? How long?"

"Twenty years."

"Blimey."

"So, my name is the Archivist. I grew up with the Doctor and the Master on Gallifrey. I was very close to the Doctor but as we grew older, we grew apart, he left Gallifrey for a very long time. We lost touch. Then, not too long after he had to leave you here, he found me. We spent several months getting to know each other, me a human, him a Time Lord, before we discovered my fob watch and I became Time Lord again. Suddenly he knew me, I knew him, in a whole different way."

"You love him, don't you?"

The Archivist stopped jogging and turned to her. "What?"

"You love him. I can tell the way you talk. Does he love you?"

The Archivist blushed. "Um, yes—actually—he does. I was planning on warming you up to all that…"

Donna smiled. "So, he finally found someone. I mean really found someone. It's about time."

They made it to Libby, which Donna was suitably impressed by. "Now this looks more like a timeship! I like her!"

The Archivist grinned. "Thank you." She opened the ship and allowed Donna to walk in first. "Meet Libby. Short for Library. The books you see here in the control room represent only a drop in the bucket compared to what's held elsewhere in the ship. For now, that's all the time we have for introductions. Time to get down to real business. First, we're going to get Jack and Martha. I need all the companions with prior knowledge that we can get. Especially this sort of prior knowledge. The Master is involved in this and I'm not sure what state things will be in when we arrive at Naismith Mansion. It appears he's called back the Time Lord and Gallifrey. That's the big red planet up in the sky right now. I don't know what we're going to need to do when we get there, because I have no way of communicating with the Doctor right now."

To say that Jack and Gwen were a bit alarmed when the miniature Torchwood tower appeared inside the hub was an understatement.

The Archivist stuck her head out. "Good to see you two back to your normal selves. Is Martha here?"

"No, haven't been able to reach her since the whole Master duplication thing."

"Well, looks like it's just us then. Jack. We need you—now!"

Jack jumped to attention and was running towards the TARDIS before Gwen could second guess. "It's about time—let's go!" He turned back quickly before stepping in the doorway. "Gwen, continue to check and see what systems were accessed by the Master. I'll be back."

But when he stepped on board, he didn't see who he'd expected.

"Donna!"

"Hello, Jack!"

"Donna!" He yelled again as he ran over and picked her up in a hug. "You're back!"

"Thanks to her Ladyship, I am."

The Archivist grinned. "That's what your grandfather calls me."

"Not surprising. So, he went off to get into trouble with the Doctor, did he? Just wait till I get my hands on that man. He's supposed to be taking it easy, not off getting himself shot at by aliens."

"Oh, Donna. You are every bit what I'd hoped you'd be. I can't begin to tell you how happy I am that you're here," the Archivist said with a smile from across the console. Her face then turned serious. "But now, back to business—"

As they traveled to Naismith mansion, she caught Jack up on what was going on. Once they had arrived they snuck closer to the action. Before going around the final corner that would have them within sight of what was going on, the Archivist whispered to Donna.

"Donna, I need you to stay back."

"What? You brought me all this way to make me 'stay back'?"

"Donna, if the Doctor sees you right now, it will be too big a distraction. Me, he'll expect—maybe even Jack. But you—too unexpected. I promise I'll signal you if I need you. Be ready, keep your eyes and ears open."

Jack and the Archivist snuck around the corner, managing to hide behind the huge plants Naismith had lining the halls. They'd gotten close enough to hear the conversation between the Master, the Doctor—and Rassilon.

"Exactly!" the Master shouted. "It's not just me, it's him. He's the link. Kill him!"

"The final act of your life is murder. But which one of us?" Rassilon goaded the Doctor.

The Archivist watched the Doctor's back from her hiding place as he looked to Rassilon, then at the woman behind him. She looked directly to where the Archivist was hidden, though she was sure she couldn't be seen. When the Doctor spun around, she saw the look of utter anguish on his face, his cut and bleeding face. She pulled away just one fern leaf and caught his attention over the Masters shoulder. He glanced only a moment, but she was sure he saw her. She looked to Jack who stood on the opposite side, with a better view of the equipment in the room. The Doctor glanced that direction, then back to the Master.

"Get out of the way."

The Master, after one glance towards the equipment, got the idea and moved. He thinks the Doctor is going to shoot, but instead, a shot comes from behind, from Jack—and the diamond is shot out of the gizmo, exploding the link and causing the Time Lords to begin to be closed off from this reality.

"The link is broken. Back into the Time War, Rassilon. Back into hell!" the Doctor yelled.

"You'll die with me, Doctor," Rassilon called out as he held up the gauntlet.

"I think not," the Archivist said as she rushed in, pulling the Doctor away just as the Master stood again.

"Both of you, out of the way." The Master then began to attack Rassilon with his energy, stepping closer and closer till he was caught in the light with the other Time Lords and disappeared, along with Gallifrey.

"Archie?" the Doctor gasped out. When she'd pulled him away to safety, she'd held him so close, so tight, he could barely breath. His body still ached from the long drop and fall onto the hard floor. "I'm alive—I'm still alive!" He exclaimed in surprise.

"Of course you are," she said with a smile.

He leaned his head against hers a moment, then went in further and kissed her.

Then, there was a tapping. A knocking.

"Oh no," he said as he broke off and spun around to see Wilfrid Mott in the booth.

"They gone, then? Yeah, good-o. If you could let me out?"

"Oh, Wilf," the Archivist said sadly.

"This thing seems to be making a bit of a noise," Wilf said as he looked down.

"The Master left the Nuclear Bolt running. It's gone into overload," the Doctor explained.

The Archivist glanced down the hall. Donna still hadn't made an appearance, thankfully.

"And that's bad, is it?"

"No, because all the excess radiation gets vented inside there. Vinvocci glass contains it. All five hundred thousand rads, about to flood that thing."

"Oh. Well, you'd better let me out, then."

"Except it's gone critical. Touch one control and it floods. Even this would set it off," he said as he holds up his sonic screwdriver.

"Well surely the two of you can come up with something? Two of the greatest minds put together—you'll come up with something."

"They don't need the greatest minds, Mr. Mott. What they need is a body that can't die. Or at least, one that will keep coming back to life," Jack said as he approached. "And that's just what they have."

"Jack, no—" the Doctor started.

"Oh, don't even start with me, Doc. This is just what I was made for. I'll come back in no time, you'll see."

"Jack, we can't ask you to—," the Doctor started again.

"Yes, yes we can," a voice called out from the hallway.

The Doctor gasped and turned towards the voice. "D-Donna?"

"Merry Christmas, Doctor," the Archivist whispered from his side.

"I—I don't understand," the Doctor gasped out.

"Of course you don't, Spaceman. Because sometimes it takes a woman to see things clearly. In this case, your woman. It's nice to see you're no longer the smartest in the room. I bet she's real good at putting you in your place, too—isn't she? And she loves you like crazy, she does."

The Doctor turned to the Archivist. "Arch—Arch, did you do this?"

She smiled and nodded. "With a little help from some confiscated Torchwood tech, yeah—yeah, I did."

"You—you saved Donna?"

"And now, if you don't mind—there's another life in need of saving," Donna spoke to interrupt them. "Gramps, what have you gotten yourself into?"

"Donna? Donna, love? Is it really you? All back to your old self again?"

"Yeah, Gramps. It's me." She turned to Jack and rested a hand on his arm. "Jack—I wouldn't—I wouldn't ask this of you if—well—"

"It's okay, Donna. It's my honor. Your grandfather has served both his country and this planet well, in the past and today. Many have died and can't return. But I can."

And with that, Jack Harkness saved Wilfred Mott's life. He stepped into the empty booth, and pushed the button to lock it, allowing Wilf to escape the other side. Within moments, the chamber was being flooded with radiation. It hurt, it hurt badly. Only once the radiation had been absorbed into his body did the chamber reopen.

"Wilf, Donna—stay back. His body will still be radioactive. Arch, let's get him back to the TARDIS. Which is closer, yours or mine?" the Doctor said as he and Archie moved to lift the man up.

"I parked next to you."

"To the stables then."

AUTHOR NOTE:

This is pretty much all I have written up to this point that I'm prepared to post. But I'll be continuing to write, as I know where I want the story to go next. Hopefully I'll be able to post something in the next few days!