Zaly woke with a groan, finding herself on the floor of a ransacked room. She went to place her hand against her forehead, only to frown when she realised she was holding her armband.
"What the...?" the red head muttered before slipping it back onto her arm, wondering how it came to be in her hand. It was something she never took off, having always worn it.
Zaly shook her head as she looked around, trying to remember why she was in the room, only to quickly get to her feet when she remembered seeing the gasmask boy heading towards the hospital.
"Shit," she exclaimed as she staggered out of the room, hoping to find the Doctor and Rose before the kid found them.
As much as she may not like either of them, she didn't think they deserved to die. Okay, I'm still on the fence about Rose, Zaly told herself before frowning at the thought of the Doctor. She really wasn't too sure what to make of the man, but as more of what happened before she passed out came back to her, Zaly found herself not really caring.
Once I find Jack, I can go home, Zaly thought as she entered a ward, heading towards the exit.
She stopped short, her eyes darting around when she noticed all the beds were empty and her heart picked up at what that could mean.
"Okay, then..." she muttered as she checked the next ward, only to find it was empty as well.
Unable to help herself, Zaly walked through a few more wards, wondering where everyone had gone. "And I thought a living ship was creepy," she muttered uneasily as she realised that it looked like the whole hospital was empty, "Nothing beats a dark and empty hospital..."
As the red head finally made her way out of the hospital, she was suddenly pulled into a hug, causing her to stiffen in alarm and surprise.
"What the fuck?!" she exclaimed, managing to push whoever was hugging her away, only to pause when she realised it was the Doctor. "Er, everything okay, Doc?" she asked, rather at a loss as to how to feel at his actions.
That was not the reaction she had been expecting when seeing the Doctor again.
"I thought I had lost you," the Time Lord said, tugging on his ear, feeling a little embarrassed.
The moment he couldn't feel the pull towards Tanith, nor sense her anymore, he had rushed towards the hospital, fearing the worst. The moment his eyes landed on the red head, he had been filled with an overwhelming sense of relief that he hadn't even thought, just reacted.
Zaly raised an eyebrow at the Doctor before looking down at herself, "Nope, I'm still here, Doc," she told him before frowning, "What happened? Last thing I remember was seeing that freaky gas mask kid heading towards the hospital."
"Oh, Jamie. Yeah, nanogenes. Found his mother and reprogramed the nanogenes to undo what they had done," the Doctor explained as he looked back towards where the ambulance had been, a small smile on his face.
"Right," Zaly said slowly, not having a clue at what he was talking about. "So, do you know where Jack is?" she asked.
The Doctor's head snapped towards her, his eyebrows furrowing. "Jack?" he questioned, unable to quell the spark of jealousy that had appeared in his gut.
But after feeling that pull for so long, more so while Rose tried to flirt with him, the Doctor couldn't deny that there was something there. That he did feel something for the red head.
"Ah, the conman. The one who tried to sell you the space junk," Zaly clarified, "We had an agreement and I'm guessing he finished his deal or whatever with you guys. Just point me in his general direction and I'll be out of your hair."
"What agreement?" the Time Lord asked, not liking the fact that she really did want to leave, but it irked him more that she wanted to leave with Jack.
"Jack would finish he'd deal and afterwards he'd take me home," Zaly explained, eyeing the Doctor suspiciously, finding his behaviour rather odd.
"Oh," the Doctor breathed as he scratched the back of his head, unsure how to explain what had happened with Jack.
"Doc," Zaly said slowly, "What happened to Jack?" she asked, realising that something had happened since she had fallen unconscious.
"He, uh," the Time Lord tugged on his ear uncomfortably, "He took care of the bomb."
Zaly looked at the Doctor for a moment before sighing. "Well, there goes my ticket home," she muttered before she started walking away, "Of all the times for a conman to turn straight."
"Zaly, wait!" the Doctor called as he followed after her, grabbing her arm to get her to stop. He quickly let go when she frowned at his hand. "Look, I, I..." he sighed heavily, "I'm sorry, okay. I should have taken you home instead of basically kidnapping you." The Time Lord tugged his ear again, feeling very uncomfortable before his shoulders slumped. "When my ship picked you up, I was intrigued," he began to say.
"Wait, wait," Zaly cut him off, "Your ship picked me up?" she asked, rather surprised that it would have done that. She had thought that he had done that, not his ship.
The Doctor nodded, "Not long after I left you. Well, for me it was the next day," he shook his head, "But after I realised you knew me, a future me, let alone someone who should have been dead," the Doctor frowned, unsure how to continue. He knew that Zaly didn't even know she was a Time Lady, let alone the possibility of having met herself...if what she had told him had been correct.
"Tanith?" Zaly questioned, eyeing the Time Lord.
The Doctor sighed before he nodded, "Tanith...she disappeared centuries ago, along with her mother. I had thought they were dead. But when you said that you had met her, I..."
"You kidnapped me," Zaly stated flatly, causing the Doctor to wince. She stared at the Doctor for a moment before a frown appeared on her face. "You said you were the only one left," she said, watching the Doctor carefully as she continued, "Something about a war."
The Doctor stiffened at the mention of the war before nodding slowly, though he couldn't figure out where Zaly could have heard about that.
But he remembered when he had found her in the console room after what had happened in Van Statten's museum and realised that she could have overheard what he and Rose where talking about.
And it explains why she was remembering Serenity teaching her about Dalek's, he thought.
Zaly looked away from the Doctor, her eyebrows furrowed as she digested what she had learned. It wasn't hard for her to see why the Doctor would have been intrigued by her, especially if she had met someone he had thought had died.
Her frown reappeared as she looked back to the Doctor, "What's a nanogene?" she questioned as she continued walking, deciding to think over what he had told her later.
The Doctor eyed Zaly for a moment before relaxing as he followed, rather thankful she wasn't pressing him for more answers. He really wasn't sure how much he could tell her before it became too much of a risk.
"They're subatomic robots..."
Rose frowned as she trailed behind the Doctor and Zaly, whom were talking animatedly between themselves.
She couldn't help but feel as though the Doctor should have just left the red head at the hospital since he had pretty much ignored her after returning with Zaly.
"So, the nanogenes changed Jamie, saving his life in the process, but didn't realise that the gas mask he was wearing wasn't a part of his biology and created a five year old super soldier?" Zaly asked the Doctor after he had explained what had happened.
"Pretty much," the Time Lord agreed with a grin, finding their conversation some what soothing and refreshing.
It had been far too long since he could have a conversation with someone and not having to dumb down what he was saying and rather hoped that Zaly had reconsidered leaving.
Even his ship liked her, and considering that she had been the one who had picked the red head up, he couldn't help but wonder if she knew about their bond, or even who Zaly had really been from the very beginning.
"But, why would they have done that?" the red head asked, her eyebrows knitting together, "I mean...I understand that they had never seen a human before, but why would they have saved him in the first place?"
The Doctor shrugged, "Part of their programming. The ambulance was a Chula battlefield ambulance and the nanogenes were preprogramed to fix up wounded soldiers and get them ready for the front line."
Zaly raised an eyebrow, "You know, nanogenes would be rather handy to have," she mused out loud, causing the Time Lord to glance at her. Seeing his expression, she was quick to add, "I mean, the whole 'creating super soldiers' would be a bad idea, but the ability to heal someone without medication or a hospital...I wonder if it would be possible to get any."
"And why would you need any?" he questioned curiously.
Though he knew that she was a Time Lady, the Doctor didn't actually know if Zaly held the same healing abilities that he had, or even that the armband she wore that hid who she was would also stop them from coming forth.
"Oh, I don't," Zaly told him as the TARDIS came into view as they turned the corner into the alleyway they had first arrived in. "But they would come in handy," she finished.
The Doctor pulled out his key and unlocked his ship, glancing at Zaly as he did so. "They would," he agreed as he opened the door and gestured her to go before him, "And I think I know of a few places where we could pick some up," he added, following after the red head as she entered the ship.
Rose glared after them, unbelieving that the Doctor seemed to forget that she was even there. She stomped inside, only for her glare to deepen when Zaly was laughing at something the Doctor had said.
"Really, no noses?" the red head managed to get out between her breaths, "How does that even work?"
"Doctor?" the blonde cut in before he could respond, causing the pair to jump in surprise, having forgotten she was even there.
She huffed, folding her arms across her chest. "What about Jack?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"What about him?" the Doctor asked as he made his way up to the console, rather annoyed with the interruption.
It had been the first true conversation he had had with Zaly that hadn't ended in an argument of some kind, and his companion had to cut in and mention the conman.
"Why did he say goodbye?" the blonde questioned, though she already had a fair idea as to why.
Rose felt that she preferred the way the pair had been before the Doctor had returned with Zaly. Seeing them chatting away like they had been caused her to burn with jealousy, especially when some of the things they had mentioned she couldn't follow and made her feel like an idiot.
"I thought you said he took care of that bomb," Zaly stated, looking between the Doctor and Rose, unsure as to why the Doctor's mood seemed to have shifted at the mention of Jack.
"He did," the Doctor muttered as he moved around the console, not really wanting to continue with that topic.
"He saved our lives, Doctor," Rose interjected, looking pointedly at the Time Lord.
Zaly's nose wrinkled as Moonlight Serenade played through the console room. Her attitude for the song hadn't changed since first hearing it when Jack had been flirting with Rose.
The red head glanced at the door as Rose stepped out and onto Jack's ship, rolling her eyes at the blonde's antics, only to jump in surprise when the Doctor appeared in front of her, holding out his hand.
"What?" she asked, looking at him in confusion, unsure as to what he wanted.
The Doctor just rolled his eyes before grabbing her hand and pulling her up from the jump seat.
"Wait, what?" she exclaimed in surprise as the Doctor started dancing, leading her around the console room, not saying a word.
She stumbled a few times, not really much of a dancer and accidently stood on the Doctor's feet a few times, wincing each time she did so, but it seemed that the Doctor was just as bad of a dancer as she was as he went to twirl her around, only to get her arm twisted.
"Doctor!" she exclaimed with a laugh and the Time Lord grinned sheepishly.
"Sorry," he muttered as he let her go, just as Jack and Rose re-entered the ship. "I'm sure I use to know this stuff," he added before glancing to the pair standing by the doors, "Close the door, will you. You're ship's about to blow up, there's gonna be a draft."
Rose glared at Zaly as the Doctor moved back to the console and flicked a switch the moment Jack had shut the doors, causing the engines to start up.
Zaly, however, glanced at the Doctor with furrowed brows, wondering why he had danced with her. Sure, she found the Time Lord interesting and loved to press all his buttons, but she hadn't been expecting anything like dancing, and just like the hug earlier, she wasn't too sure what to make if his actions.
Though the red head couldn't deny the flutter that had appeared in her stomach while they had been dancing and wondered what had brought it on.
"Much bigger on the inside..." Jack's voice broke Zaly from her thoughts and she was quick to look away from the Doctor when she realised she had been staring...only to end up looking to Jack who winked at her and she frowned.
"You better be," the Doctor replied, hoping he hadn't made a mistake of saving the man.
"I think what the Doctor's trying to say is...you may cut in," Rose spoke up, grabbing Jack's hand, hoping to make the Doctor jealous.
Her plan backfired before it had even started when the Doctor changed the song and 'In The Mood' started playing.
"Zaly! I've just remembered!" he exclaimed in delight, causing the red head to look at him questionably. "I can dance!" he said as he approached her, clicking his fingers in time with the music before grabbing her hand.
"Doctor?!" Zaly shrieked as he spun her around, only to find that this time, her arm didn't end up twisted behind her back and it made her curious to know if he had been faking it earlier.
Jack shook his head at the pair, a little confused by their behaviour. Hadn't they been at each other's throats earlier? he thought, not even noticing Rose's hand fall from his as she glared at the pair.
Whether or not they saw it or not was still up in the air, though neither showed any indication they had seen it as the Doctor dipped Zaly, causing her to let out a laugh before he started leading her around the console, teaching her the steps as they went.
Hours later found Zaly sitting in the doorway of the TARDIS, her legs hanging over the side as she took in the view of the stars.
After the impromptu dance party, where she had learnt that she didn't in fact have two left feet, Zaly had been surprised when the Doctor had pulled her aside and apologised once again before offering to take her home.
She had told him that she would think about it, surprising him, though she was a little confused as to whether or not she actually wanted to or not.
As much as she had wanted to go home earlier, after learning a little more about the Doctor's past, finding out that he was the last of his kind, she couldn't help but understand why he hadn't wanted to drop her off straight away.
And after finding out that Tanith, whoever the black haired woman that Zaly had seen when she was ten had disappeared along with her mother centuries ago, she had actually grown intrigued.
Then there was the way he had acted after she had woken up in the hospital.
She wasn't too sure what had changed with the Doctor, but as she remembered how she had felt while they had danced and talked, the red head could admit that it actually confused her.
A part of her felt a little bad for the feeling she had while they had danced, never having experienced them around anyone else but Mels and a small part of her questioned his intentions.
It wasn't hard for her to have figured out that the Doctor had known either Tanith or her mother, and it made her question if he was only trying to be nice to her because she held memories of them, locked away in her mind.
But, I don't actually remember them, the red head thought with a frown, And the Doc did say if I tried, my mind would burn up.
She sighed, wondering if it was even possible to retrieve them. The red head couldn't help but think it was possible, considering that she could still remember the memory about the Dalek, and the dream she had had the other night, er...day?
As she looked out to the stars, Zaly couldn't help but wonder if there was a way the Doctor could help her remember, although she was a little scared of asking him.
And even if the memories were hidden from her, the red head couldn't help but wonder as to how. As much as Zaly knew, she had grown up in Leadworth, so she wasn't even too sure how she had the memories in the first place.
Zaly pulled out her phone and sighed, really wishing she could talk with Mels. Normally they spoke daily, but Zaly didn't even know how long it had been since she had been kidnapped by the TARDIS.
It felt like months since the red head had last seen her partner, but she found she couldn't even recall half of it. It was like there were black spots in her memory.
Frowning, Zaly placed her mobile on the floor beside her, realising that it hadn't been the first time she had had blanks in her memory. She had put them down to just over studying as they normally happened when she had tests and hadn't slept well. It was also when she seemed to have more frequent episodes of the voices.
Mels had told her that all she seemed to do was study when ever she asked her, but now Zaly couldn't help but wonder if Mels had been telling the truth. Especially after every blank in her memory seemed to have her coming around in a different place.
It told her that whatever was happening, she seemed to be conscious to some degree, even if she didn't remember doing anything, just like the time she had woken up in the church with the Doctor.
Zaly jumped when the Doctor sat beside her and picked up her phone, not having heard him approach.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," the Time Lord said as he fiddled with her phone, "You must have been in deep thought."
Zaly looked to the Doctor, her eyebrows furrowing as she watched him work on her phone. "I...I was thinking," she told him, frowning when he removed the battery on her phone and replaced it with a new one.
"About what?" the Doctor questioned, raising an eyebrow as he glanced at her. It had rather surprised him when she had declined his offer to take her home and he was curious about what had changed her mind.
Zaly frowned as she accepted her phone from the Time Lord. She looked at it as she spoke, "Why can't I remember?" she asked him, "I have a part of my mind that I can't access and memories that shouldn't be possible. I...I just don't know what's going on anymore, and...I, I just want it all to stop. I don't want to hear the voices anymore. I don't want to have parts of my life that I can't remember," she told him, her hands tightening around her phone.
The Doctor opened his mouth to say something when Zaly snorted.
"Sorry," the red head said sheepishly as she looked to the Doctor, his expression confused, "It's just that you're..." she shook her head and turned back to the stars with a small, but sad smile, "I have a...friend, Mels. 'Thick as thieves', my sister calls us," she glanced at the Doctor, "Literally and figuratively."
"That I could believe," the Time Lord replied with a small, slightly forced grin, trying to ignore the jealousy that had appeared, hearing that Zaly had someone else that she seemed very close to.
Shaking his head, pushing the feeling away as he told himself that he had no reason to be jealous, the Doctor concentrated more on the fact that there had been someone she could rely on while she had been on Earth.
And it wasn't too hard for him to image that Zaly's friend would be similar to her and a part of him was glad that there was someone the red head was close with after hearing that her mother had died.
Though that also brought a feeling of guilt, realising that his ship had literally kidnapped her without a second thought for whom she could have left behind. And from the fondness in Zaly's voice as she spoke about Mels, he could tell that they were possibly more than friends.
Zaly's eyebrows creased as she looked to her phone. "I always felt I could talk to her about anything. She has always been there for me when I needed her and now..." she sighed heavily, "I don't even know what's going on anymore. At first it was just the voices, and then overtime, my magic. She was there every step of the way. And now I find myself with memories locked away in my mind that I shouldn't even have about aliens that I've never met before, sitting in a police box that is impossibly smaller on the outside than the inside with an alien that somehow is the same man I met when I was ten."
Zaly was breathing heavily by the end of her rant, feeling as though everything was crashing down around her. It was almost like everything that had happened in the last week was finally hitting home. She was startled from her swirling thoughts when the Doctor placed his hand atop of hers, successfully gaining her attention.
"I'm sorry," the Time Lord said quietly as he removed his hand, "I just," he sighed as he looked back out at the stars, "I never even thought of what you could be going through when I took you to Satellite Five and not straight home," he let out a huff and shook his head, "And I guess that ever since then it had just gotten a little out of hand."
Despite herself, Zaly laughed, causing the Doctor to glance at her a little worriedly, suddenly concerned for the red heads mental stability.
Zaly looked at the Doctor and shook her head at his expression. "You know, Doc," she spoke up, "You did actually try and drop me off home," she reminded him before she smirked, "Even though it was nineteen years too early."
The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah. I'm sorry about that," he told her, knowing that he had almost lost her and Tanith because of his and Rose's stupidity. He was a little grateful that Zaly didn't remember what had occurred, but it also reminded the Time Lord as to why he had been heading to the console room in the first place.
"Zaly," he began, causing the red head to look at him with furrowed eyebrows, hearing the change in his tone.
When the Doctor was certain that he had her full attention, he continued, "I don't know why you have those memories, or even why you can do the things you can do," he told her, knowing that even if he did know why she had the memories, he actually didn't know how the red head possessed her magic. "But if you wouldn't mind, I would like to help you figure it out."
The red head frowned, unsure, but the Doctor continued, leaving the choice up to her.
"Why don't you think it over," he said as he stood up. He was about to walk away, but paused and glanced to Zaly's phone with a small smirk, "And while you do, why don't you give that friend of yours a call."
Without giving Zaly a chance to say anything, the Doctor left the console room.
Zaly's face creased in confusion as she looked back to her phone, wondering what the Doctor had done to it. She flipped it open and turned it on, and her eyebrow raised in surprise when she got a bunch missed call notifications and a few messages.
The red head glanced to where the Doctor had disappeared and shook her head with a small smile.
"Universal roaming," Zaly muttered with a snort before calling up Mels.