Mickey Smith frowned as he paced in Jackie's living room, his gaze flickering towards the front door. The Doctor was currently laying in Jackie's bed after collapsing outside of the TARDIS. Rose and her mother were checking him over to make sure he was going to be okay. Mickey, however, was worried about his aunty.

When he had asked Rose what had happened, seeing that she was rather pale after leaving the TARDIS, the blonde had said that Aries had gone for a walk; that the red head had needed some fresh air. He had frowned at her words, but knew what his aunty was like. And after everything the red head had been through, he understood that she might need some space.

With a heavy sigh, Mickey sunk down on the lounge, turning the TV on as he tried to clear his head. He sighed again and ran a hand down his face as his thoughts drifted to Rose and what he had learnt inside the TARDIS. The young man was still having trouble processing and accepting what he had heard, but he was starting to see the truth. Anytime Rose was around him lately, all she could talk about was the Doctor. It was always the Doctor this and the Doctor that, and even before having learnt what he did, he had been questioning his relationship.

He had been ever since Rose had just dumped him and ran back to the Time Lord when he had gone to see her in Cardiff. He hadn't accepted it then, but knew deep down that their relationship had been a lost cause. He just didn't want to admit it. But now...now he knew his aunty had tried to warn him, had tried to ease his pain by telling him before he had gotten hurt.

He rested his head against the back of the couch, not even listening to whatever was on the television as his thoughts continued to run riot in his head. He didn't even notice Rose and Jackie as they walked by and entered the kitchen. How could I have been such an idiot? he thought bitterly, I treated her like she didn't know what she was talking about, but she knew more than what I did. He wanted to be angry with Aries for never telling him; wanted to take his frustrations out on her, but knew that she didn't deserve it. If anything, I need to apologise.

"How should I know?" Rose's voice cut through Mickey's thoughts and he opened his eyes as he listened. "Sorry," the blonde continued, "The thing is, I thought I knew him, Mum. I thought him and me were..." Mickey snorted at her words, unbelieving that she still didn't get it before he frowned as he continued to listen, "And then Aries appears and he goes and does this. I keep forgetting he's not human."

"Course he's not human," Mickey said as he pushed himself off the couch and walked into the kitchen, frowning at the startled and guilty expression on Rose's face. Is that it, then? he asked himself, I only exist to her when she needs something. Pushing his thoughts away, Mickey continued, "I've told you that since the day I met him."

Rose scowled as she looked away from Mickey, deciding to ignore his comment and refocused back on her mother. "The question is, where'd you get a pair of men's pyjamas from?" she asked and Mickey just shook his head and left the kitchen. He knew there really wasn't any point in getting her to see reason. Even the Doctor had told her that he wasn't interested; repeatedly, as far as the young man knew. But Rose still continued on like he was. That somehow she could win him over.

A knock on the door caught his attention and he called back to the others, "I'll get it." He made his way to the door and a gasp passed his lips when he opened it.

"Aries!"

Not long after Mickey and Rose had carried the unconscious Time Lord up to Jackie's flat, there was a flash in a nearby alleyway. Moments later, a slim, hooded figure stepped out of the shadows and headed towards the TARDIS.

Pulling out a silver key from a pocket of their coat, the figure unlocked the door and quickly stepped inside. The TARDIS lights flashed in delight at the figure pulled down their hood and smiled.

"Hello, Sexy," a females voice said, her voice holding her affection for the ship, "I really had forgotten what you had looked like," she continued as she made her way over to Aries. She knelt before the red head and glanced up to the rotor, "Do you think you can help me wake her? It would probably be better for you to do it, if I'm honest. I really don't want to be blasted across the room."

The TARDIS let out an affirmative hum and the woman's smile grew as she watched Aries begun to stir.

The red head frowned as she felt the TARDIS tugging slightly on their link, trying to rouse her from the darkness around her. Her eyebrows furrowed as she swallowed, her eyes flickering open as she wondered why the ship was waking her, only to jump in surprise when she noticed a young woman kneeling before her.

She tensed, immediately alert, though was calmed when the TARDIS hummed quietly in her mind. It's okay, my Wolf. She's a friend, the ship explained soothingly.

She blinked a few more times, trying to figure out why the woman seemed somewhat familiar, but just couldn't place her. The young woman had straight, shoulder-length brown hair, green-blue eyes and slightly tanned, but soft features. She looked no older than eighteen, twenty at best. Aries shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts, but the movement caused her to groan and her vision to blur, the room beginning to spin.

"Easy there," the brunette said softly as she moved to help Aries stand, "Take it slow. That's it," she continued as Aries shakenly got to her feet. She wrapped an arm under the red heads shoulders, letting Aries lean against her. "They said you'd be pretty much out of it, but considering what you've gone through, I don't blame you."

Aries frowned, her eyebrows knitting together again as she glanced at the young woman. "Wh-who are you?" she questioned.

The brunette smiled warmly as she introduced herself, "Vera. Vera Bourn."

"Vera?" Aries asked, wondering why the name sounded familiar. They started making their way towards the TARDIS doors and she glanced at the brunette again. "How...?" she trailed off as the doors swung open, rather confused as to what was going on.

"I doesn't matter," Vera replied as she shifted her hold on Aries slightly so they could make it through the doors, "What matters is that you need rest, and sleeping on the floor of this console room is not a good place for that."

Aries blinked in confusion once more as they stepped through the doors, the TARDIS closing them after they were clear. Deciding that it was too much trouble to talk anymore as her mind was suddenly overcome with the Doctor's thoughts again, causing her to grow dizzy, Aries gritted her teeth and let the young woman lead her up towards Jackie's flat.

It took the pair a while as they made it up the stairs, having to stop multiple times because of Aries' growing nauseated when the dizziness got to much, but they finally made it to the floor that Jackie's flat was on. Aries, however, was sweating profusely and started to look very pale.

Vera shifted her hold on the red head once again before managing to knock on the door. There was a second before they heard Mickey's voice and the door opened.

The young man gasped, "Aries!" before rushing forwards to help Vera support his aunty when she started to pitch forwards, slipping unconscious once more. "What's wrong with her?" he asked the brunette, not even questioning who the woman was and what she was doing there.

"She was unconscious in the TARDIS," Vera explained as she helped carry Aries into the flat, "I was told to bring her here."

"Oh, my god!" Jackie shrieked when she noticed Aries being carried between Mickey and Vera, "Is she okay?" she asked.

"I thought she went for a walk," Mickey remarked, ignoring Jackie as he helped carry his aunty into the room where the Doctor was resting; knowing that Rose would throw a fit if they took Aries to her room.

"She never left the TARDIS," the brunette told him, her eyes flickering to Rose as they passed the blonde, "I found her slumped against the console."

The pair managed to manoeuvre Aries onto the bed beside the Doctor, taking her boots and coat off before pulling the covers over her.

When he knew that Aries was taken care of for the moment, Mickey rounded towards his wide-eyed girlfriend. "You lied to me!" he hissed angrily, "You said she went for a walk, but she didn't. What did you do?!"

Rose managed to quickly collect herself and frowned at Mickey, wondering why ever one seemed to blame her for whatever happened to Aries. "I didn't do anything," she snapped, "She threw me across the console room and I left. She was fine."

Mickey glanced at his unconscious aunty, wondering why she would have done something like that. It wasn't like her to attack someone without reason and he frowned as he looked back to Rose. "What did you do, Rose? I know that Aries wouldn't do anything like that without a good reason."

Gaping at Mickey, unable to believe what he was saying, Rose responded, "Why would I do anything. She's nothing but an attention seeking freak and I don't know why you're on her side. You're my boyfriend. You should be on my side."

Mickey's expression darkened at Rose's words and he shook his head. "Aries is not a freak, Rose. And she was right about you. I thought we had something, but you've changed. Ever since you left me in that alleyway," he paused, frowning in thought, "Actually, it was even before that. You have never seen me as a boyfriend, have you? I'm only someone who's been stupid enough to think we had something, to come running back to you anytime you called. But not anymore. We're done," he declared before turning on his heel and leaving the room.

Vera, who had been watching the argument with raised eyebrows, blinked in surprise as she heard the front door slam shut and she sat on the edge of the bed. Her gaze went to Rose, seeing the blonde staring at the open doorway with her mouth hanging open before she rushed out of the flat after Mickey.

"Wow," the brunette remarked, wondering what she had just witnessed.

"It has been a long time coming," Jackie stated as she walked into the room with a cup of tea. "I'm finally glad that he's seen the truth," the older woman continued as she handed the cup over to Vera, "I've tried telling him. Even Aries has. But he's never believed us."

"I can tell you right now, Mrs Tyler," Vera said as she took a sip of the tea, trying to not grimace at the taste, "Mickey Smith does now."

Jackie smiled in agreement before looking at the brunette in confused curiosity. "How do you know my name?" she asked, knowing that she's never met the woman before.

Vera smiled knowingly as she replied, "Spoilers."

Mickey walked down a street with a frown on his face, lost in his thoughts. He didn't even notice the brass band he passed, each of the members dressed up in Santa robes and masks while they played 'God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen'.

Suddenly a voice called out to him and he quickened his pace.

"Mickey, wait!" Rose shouted. Her voice was breathless, telling the young man that she had been chasing after him since he had left. Let her do the chasing for once, he thought angrily, not even acknowledging her as he kept walking. He had never understood why Rose had seemed to hate his aunty so much, but over the last couple of hours, he had learnt a lot.

Not only had he found out that his ex girlfriend didn't want him anymore, but that she most likely never had. But if that wasn't enough, she had been chasing after another man while stringing him along, jealous at his aunty for her association with the Doctor. It made him question just how many men had Rose been seeing while away on her travels and a part of him wanted to ask Aries, but he knew he wouldn't.

Mickey, the idiot, he thought with a scowl.

"Mickey!" Rose huffed as she grabbed his arm, causing the young man to stop.

"What do you want, Rose?" he almost snapped, not even turning to look at her.

"You can't mean what you said," Rose stated.

Mickey frowned as he finally faced his ex, shrugging off her hand. "And why not? I'm over being second best. Just scraps left behind, forgotten until something doesn't go your way. I'm sick of always running after you and I wasn't lying, Rose. We're done," he told her firmly.

Rose went to grab his arm again, but he was quick to avoid her.

"You need to realise that not everything revolves around you, Rose. There are other people in this world as well," he continued before shaking his head, "Aries was right, I should have broken up with you ages ago," he admitted before he begun to walk off.

Neither noticed the brass band were watching them rather closely.

Rose immediately saw red at the mention of the red head. "Aries!" she almost screeched, "What does Aries have to do with this? Are you seeing her, is that it?"

Mickey actually grimaced as he stopped walking and looked to Rose. "Me and Aries...together? Are you mad?" he asked, feeling rather disturbed by the mere thought, "Aries is my aunty. She helped raise me when my mother died and my father ran away, but you didn't know that, did you? And to think that she tried telling me for months that you and I wouldn't work and I," he scowled, "I told her that she didn't know what she was talking about. That she didn't know you like I did. But she was right and I, like the idiot I am, didn't want to believe her. How many, Rose?" he snapped.

"What do you mean that Aries is your aunty?" Rose asked and Mickey just shook his head, exasperated.

"What the hell is you problem with Aries?" he questioned, "From what I've seen and heard, she's done nothing to you. All she's ever done is her job and hasn't done a single thing to earn your hatred."

"She's a freak!" Rose blurted out, angry.

Mickey froze at her words and his expression darkened, his eyes narrowing on the blonde. "My aunty is not a freak," he asserted coldly, "She is nothing of the sort, and if you can't manage to get it through your thick head that she has done nothing wrong to you, I would rather not talk with you anymore. Anyone who thinks of my aunty that way is not someone I want to know."

Without another word, Mickey turned and once again begun to walk away.

"You're choosing her over me?!" Rose exclaimed in disbelief.

Mickey paused, though he didn't turn around. "The way you're acting right now, the way you've been treating her? Yes."

Rose gapped at Mickey, "You can't be serious? You're lying. You don't even know her!"

Mickey spun round to face Rose. "I don't know her? I don't even know you! The Rose I grew up with, the Rose I fell in love with," he shook his head sadly, "She's long gone. She left the moment she chose a complete stranger, an alien over her own boyfriend. The person who returned is not the Rose I once knew."

Mickey frowned suddenly, realising how quiet the street around them had gotten. He looked around before spotting the brass band behind Rose. The one holding the trombone slowly lowered it, right before flames shot out of the instrument, causing panic and chaos to erupt amongst the Christmas shoppers.

Without thinking, Mickey grabbed Rose's hand and dragged her behind a stall.

"It's us! They're after us!" Rose exclaimed, just as one of the band members that held a tuba shot fire at a tree near the hidden pair, demolishing it and sending the tree crashing atop of it.

"Why would they..." Mickey trailed off as his eyes widened in realisation, "The Doctor! Aries!" he shouted as Rose called for a taxi.

Vera walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen where Jackie was standing, chatting away on the phone. "Mrs Tyler, just grabbing a chair," she told the older woman as she grabbed one of the chairs that were around the table.

Jackie paused in her talking, placing the phone against her shoulder and smiled, "No problem, dear. And please, call me Jackie."

Vera smiled and nodded, "Of course, Jackie," she replied before carrying the chair back into the bedroom. She placed the chair near the bed, closest to the Doctor and sat down with a sigh as she wondered what she was supposed to be doing. The brunette had only been informed that Aries would need her help getting to Jackie's flat, but that was all. With another sigh, she glanced down to her vortex manipulator and wondered when it would activate to take her home.

"How can you stand drinking this stuff?" a voice spoke from behind the brunette and she was out of her chair in an instant, turning to face the owner and pulling a dagger that had been in a sheath hidden in her boot. The newcomer just raised an eyebrow as he leant against the wall, the cup of tea Vera had abandoned in his hands.

"L-Ly?" Vera blinked, her eyebrows creasing in confusion.

"Really, Vera? Is that a way to greet family?" the man asked with a raised eyebrow as he placed the cup back on the beside table, though his eyes never left Vera, nor the ice-blue hilted dagger she was holding.

The young woman didn't say anything for a moment, rather surprised to see him. Her gaze flickered up and down the man, pausing briefly at his short, plain brown hair before narrowing when she noticed a mark on the left side of his neck. "What are you doing here?" she questioned firmly, her grip on the dagger tightening as she fought the urge to glance behind her and make sure that the Doctor and Aries were unharmed.

"Well, I certainly didn't come for the tea, now did I?" the brunette replied sarcastically, though Vera didn't miss how his eyes flickered behind her.

Her lips pinched together tightly as she tried to work out Ly's intentions. By the four arrows surrounding a red dot on the side of his neck and his plain brown hair, there could only be two points in time where he could have come from, and she was rather afraid to ask him which it was. If it was the first, then not only was the Doctor in danger, but so was his Nesdra. "Ly, I'm only going to tell you once. You need to leave," she ordered.

"No, I do not," the brunette stated simply as he crossed his arms against his chest, "I have as much right to be here as you do."

"Don't make me do this, Ly," Vera said as her stance shifted from defensive to offensive, "I won't let you ruin this. You know just as well as I do that the timeline must be maintained."

"You think...?" Ly barked out a laugh, "You believe I want to change this?" he asked, waving his hand at the room in front of him. "The only thing I'd change out of this deplorable mess would be the tea," he added, looking at the cup with a grimace.

His words had Vera blinking in confusion, but before she could do or say anything, Jackie bustled into the room. "Oh, no. Don't come round, darling," the woman said as she carried two cups of tea, the phone being held between her ear and shoulder, "No, flats all topsy turvy. Yeah, she just barges in and litters the place." She handed a cup to Vera, who had hidden her dagger back into its sheath the moment the woman had entered the room. "Yeah. No, I'll come round and see you Boxing day," she continued, not even noticing Ly.

Vera raised an eyebrow as she watched Jackie place the other cup of tea by the bed near Aries before leaving, still having not noticed the extra person standing in the room.

"I swear that woman can out-ramble the Doctor," Ly muttered bitterly, a sneer on his face. His words had Vera head snapping in his direction, surprise and confusion warring in her eyes. He noticed her expression and frowned, "Why don't you take a blasted picture if you're gonna stare at me like that?" he snapped, shifting uncomfortably under her gaze.

"You...you know Jackie?" Vera asked carefully, her eyes once again looking him up and down, making sure she hadn't missed anything.

"Who could forget such a decrepit woman?" he sneered before his eyes narrowed on Vera, "Why does it matter if I...oh," he smirked, and non to nicely, "You think I'm from after he...oh, this is gold." He chuckled darkly as he took a step towards the brunette and pulled the sleeve of his right arm up, revealing a nothing but a bare forearm; no blemishes, marks or, well, anything.

"It's true. They're...you're still..." Vera trailed off with a frown, taking a step towards the man, only to stop when he stepped back, tugging his sleeve down. She paused, glancing up to his neck and the mark that was there, "And what about that?" she asked.

"A necessary precaution," Ly muttered, his voice almost bitter, but also sounded resigned. He shook his head at Vera's questioning gaze.

Swallowing, Vera managed a small smile and nodded, her shoulders relaxing. She knew when to leave a topic alone, especially with Ly. "So, what brought you here?" she questioned instead, turning to the Doctor and Aries and sat back down on the chair, understanding that Ly wasn't there to cause trouble. "Still hunting for those answers, then?" she added.

Ly's eyes narrowed before they flickered passed her and to the Doctor and Aries, his lip curving downwards. "Perhaps," he replied quietly.

"Well, I doubt you're gonna get any," Vera said, nodding to the unconscious pair laying on the bed, "He probably won't be up for questions anytime soon."

Ly's frown deepened, but he didn't say anything; his black gaze still on the unconscious Time Lord and Aries. His eyes narrowed the moment he watched the Doctor exhale a wisp of Time Vortex before he suddenly straightened, realisation flashing across his eyes. "You know, I never understood what Javic meant," he muttered as he slipped a hand into a pocket inside his coat to retrieve something; his eyes now solely locked onto the wisp of golden energy as it floated out of the nearby window, "But now I can see that this really is just the beginning."

Vera frowned before turning to Ly, wondering what he was going on about. "What do you me-" she cut herself off, finding that the man was no longer there.

With a huff, she turned back to the bed, still finding Ly as confusing as ever. Why he couldn't talk straight for once is beyond me, the brunette grumbled, silently fuming about the man's quick departure. She looked back to the Doctor and Aries, shaking her head before smiling slightly at the pair. She reached forwards and brushed some stray hair from the Time Lord's face. "You know, on the odd occasion I forget how different, younger you look. Sometimes, it's rather...complicated to think that you-" she cut herself off, shaking her head as she pulled away, knowing that even if he was unconscious, there was a high possibility that the Doctor could still hear her. Bloody time lines, she groused.

Her mind went back to Ly, unable to stop herself from wondering where the brunette had disappeared to. To say she was confused by his presence was an understatement, but she found it also rather welcomed. Despite his irritating personality and curt remarks, he was still family; no matter what he thought.

With a sigh, Vera leaned back in the chair, turning to the bedside table and picked up the cup of tea. Well, whatever he was doing here, it was good to see him once more, she thought as she took a sip from the cup, only to almost choke on the mouthful, finding the taste completely different. "Wh-what?!" she exclaimed, looking at the cup before frowning. "Why would he...oh!" she breathed, her eyes snapping to the Doctor and Aries. "Oh, I sometimes want to punch that man," she almost laughed, realising why Ly had been complaining about the tea.

Before she could even think of how to do what she needed to, the front door of Jackie's flat was thrown open as Rose and Mickey burst inside.

"Get off the phone!" Rose yelled at her mother.

Mickey rushed past Rose and though the flat towards Jackie's room where Vera, Aries and the Doctor were. He barely took notice that the brunette was still there as he made sure that his aunty and the Doctor were okay before rushing back out to the living room where his ex was now on the phone, her mother standing nearby looking very flummoxed.

"Bev? Yeah. Look, it'll have to wait," Rose quickly cut through whatever the woman on the other end of the line was saying before hanging up. She then threw the phone onto the couch and turned to her mother and Mickey. "Right, it's not safe. We've got to get out. Where can we go?" she asked the pair quickly.

"My mate Stan, he'll put us up," Mickey suggested as Vera entered the room, wondering what was going on.

"That's only two streets away," Rose denied, shaking her head, "What about Mo? Where's she living now?"

"I don't know," Jackie exclaimed, rather at a loss as to why her daughter and ex were acting like this, "Peak District."

"Well, we'll go to cousin Mo's then," Rose stated.

"No, it's Christmas Eve!" Jackie told her daughter, "We're not going anywhere! What are you babbling on about?"

Rose ignored her mother when she noticed a green Christmas tree. "Mum. Where'd you get that tree?" she asked, knowing it had been white earlier, "That's a new tree. Where'd you get it?"

Mickey and Vera looked to the tree, both noticing the same thing Rose had. Vera narrowed her eyes at the tree, having a fair idea what was about to happen.

"I thought it was you," Jackie told Rose.

Rose frowned, "How can it be me?"

"It doesn't matter right now," Vera cut in, causing Rose to turn to her in surprise, "We need to leave, now."

"Who put you in charge?" Rose asked, "And who are you, anyway?"

"I never believed how annoying you were," Vera muttered as she looked at Rose in disdain, "And as much as I would like to see it for myself, we need to leave," she turned to Mickey, "We need to get the Doctor and Aries out of here. Back to the TARDIS."

With a nod, Mickey was already heading off to the bedroom.

"Wait!" Rose exclaimed, grabbing Vera's arm and stopping her from following Mickey, "Who the hell are you to order us around?!"

Vera looked to the blonde with a raised eyebrow before her gaze landed on her arm where Rose still held her. She opened her mouth to tell the young woman to let her go, but was quick to tug her arm out of Rose's grip and push the blonde towards the bedroom the moment she heard a weird, distorted version of 'Jingle Bells' started playing. "Get them out of here," the brunette shouted as she also pushed a protesting Jackie towards the bedroom as the Christmas tree started to rotate in different directions.

She spun towards the tree, her dagger finding itself in her hand once more, though the moment she watched the demented tree chop effortlessly through the coffee table, she cursed silently under her breath. Of course that bastard would leave when they need him, she thought, knowing that there wasn't much she could do against the tree; and wished that Ly had at least told her a little more as to what to expect. She seriously would be having words with a certain red head when she returned home.

Without missing a beat, Vera turned and rushed towards the bedroom, her thoughts focused on protecting the Doctor and Aries. Her mind was already thinking through every way she could stop the tree, though was rather annoyed that the restrictions that had been placed on her manipulator left her pretty much defenceless. She shoved Jackie into the bedroom and slammed the door closed after she stepped inside.

"Mickey, I need your help with the wardrobe!" she shouted, turning to the bed and casting her dagger aside. What bloody good are fangs against a tree, she grumbled in her mind before attempting to push the wardrobe in front of the door. Mickey, thankfully, was quick to rush over and help her, all the while Jackie was shrieking unintelligibly, causing the brunette to grit her teeth.

"Doctor, wake up!" she heard Rose shouted at the Time Lord, but he didn't move.

Vera spared a quick glance to the bed, a small frown on her face before she looked to Mickey. "I'll be a second," she told him before rushing to where the Doctor's jacket was laying and searched through it. "Please be there," she muttered before making a noise of triumph as her hand closed around a slender device. Pulling the Doctor's sonic screwdriver out, she wasted no time moving to the unconscious Time Lord, pushing Rose out of the way just as the tree smashed through the door.

"I'm going to get killed by a Christmas tree!" Jackie cried out as she cowered against the wall at the same time Vera placed the sonic in the Doctor's hand, ignoring the glare she was getting from Rose, and leant down to whisper in the Doctor's ear, "Please don't kill me for this, Theta, but you need to wake up. She needs you."

Without warning, the Doctor shot up suddenly and aimed his sonic at the tree, causing it to exploded. He frowned, glancing at the device in his hand. "Remote control," he murmured, "But who's controlling it?" he questioned out loud before freezing in place.

The Time Lord slowly lowered his screwdriver and he turned to face Vera, who was currently looking at him meekly. His eyes hardened as he pushed himself off the bed, causing her to take a step back.

Standing before her, he quickly demanded, "Who are you?!"

Rose couldn't help but smirk as she watched the Doctor glare at the brunette. She hadn't liked at all how the woman had just taken over and ordered them around, much like a certain red head, and then just push her out of the way when she was trying to wake the Doctor.

How did she wake him, though? she thought, wondering what the brunette had said.

Vera didn't look perturbed at the Doctor's expression as she straightened, her lips twitching upwards into a small smile. She held her hand out to the Time Lord, revealing her vortex manipulator. "Vera Bourn," she introduced herself.

The Doctor's eyes narrowed when he noticed the device around the brunette's wrist and grabbed her arm, running his sonic over it. A frown formed on his lips when his sonic couldn't get a read off the device, but was picking up traces of another sonic signature; as well as something his screwdriver didn't recognise. But his confusion turned to surprise when he realised that it wasn't just any sonic signature, but the exact same frequency as his own screwdriver.

Her smiling growing at the expression on the Doctor's face, Vera couldn't help but ask, "Everything in order, Doctor?"

Rose's eyes narrowed on the brunette, wondering just who the woman thought she was; but her mouth dropped open in shock when she watched the Doctor let go of Vera's arm, his hard expression disappearing as he took a step away from the brunette.

"How do you know me?" the Doctor asked with furrowed brows, his voice holding none of the frosted tones from seconds earlier. He was rather confused, and a little uneasy, at the fact she seemed to know him, or will know him. Even more so that she knew the name he had used in the Academy. And he knew she wasn't a Time Lord, knowing that he would have sensed her. But it didn't answer how she had known that name.

Before Vera could answer him, a quiet voice from the bed gained their attention.

"Doctor?" Aries uttered softly as she tried to push herself up into a sitting position.

The Doctor spun on his heel and was at his Nesdra's side in an instant, helping her sit up. He didn't take any notice of Rose's glare, or the odd look on Jackie's face. Nor did he notice Mickey's amused smile as he watched the pair. "Are you okay?" the Time Lord asked her quietly as he placed another pillow behind her, giving her something to rest back into.

Aries' eyebrows knitted together as she looked around, a little unsure as to where she was and why there were so many people in the room. She grew confused by the sight of the broken wardrobe, door, and a Christmas tree that was in pieces. "I...I think so," she replied, looking questionably at the Doctor, "Though I think I missed something," she added, glancing once more at the ruins of the wardrobe, door and tree.

Vera rolled her eyes at the pair as the Doctor shook his head and muttered, "It's nothing you should be concerned about." Even she knew that Aries wouldn't believe the Time Lord for a second and as much as she enjoyed watching the pair, or more specifically the Doctor stumbling over words to not worry his Nesdra, they did have more important things to worry about. "Sorry to cut in on couple time, but I think we need to figure out what was controlling that tree," she stated before the Doctor could dig himself a hole.

Rose shot the brunette a glare that the woman still felt the need to boss them around, and also not liking what the woman was insinuating. The Doctor an-and Aries are not a couple, she groused angrily in her mind.

"What do you mean?" Aries asked Vera as the Doctor frowned. He glanced at the brunette, knowing she was right, but he also didn't want to leave Aries' side.

"It's nothing that the Doctor can't deal with, Aries," Vera said, ignoring the red head's raised eyebrow as she looked to the Doctor. As if knowing what was going through his mind, she spoke, "And if you like, I can watch Aries while you're gone."

Aries grabbed the Doctor's hand, not really wanting him to leave. And he seemed to have the same idea as he hadn't moved, his fingers intertwining with hers.

It was surprisingly Mickey that was the voice of reason, causing both the Doctor and Aries to look at him in surprise as he spoke. "She'll be fine," the young man said, "And," he swallowed, glancing at Vera, "I think you can trust her, Aunty. Vera's been watching over the two of you ever since she helped you up here."

The Doctor frowned, still not convinced, but when he looked to his Nesdra, he found her watching Vera curiously. "Aries?" he asked, causing the red head to turn to him before she slowly nodded.

"I...I think Mickey is right," she told him quietly, "And I do feel like we can trust her."

"You sure?" he asked, wanting to make certain that she was okay while he was gone. When Aries nodded again, the Doctor squeezed her hand before letting it go. "I'll be right back," he told her before placing a gentle kiss on her temple and got off the bed. Something caught his eye as he did so and he snagged a dressing gown as he left the room.

Mickey grinned at a flushed Aries and winked at her before following the Doctor, causing his auntie's eyebrows to crease in confusion. While Rose glared at the two women as she too left with her mother. Jackie paused at the door, her expression thoughtful as she glanced at Aries before continuing on her way.

When they were gone, Aries adjusted herself on the bed, trying to will the blush she could feel to recede before shaking her head. She looked curiously at Vera once more as the brunette moved around the bed. "Who are you really?" she asked, only to frown when she realised that there was no presence of the Doctor's swirling thoughts in her mind and couldn't help but hope it meant he was feeling better.

Vera smiled as she replied, "That, Aries, is a long story. But I believe you need tea." She picked up the cup that Jackie had left earlier and handed it to the red head carefully, making sure that she wasn't going to drop the cup.

Accepting the cup with a slight frown and slightly shaking hands, Aries asked, "Why do I need tea?"

"Tea is good for you. Helps settle the mind," the brunette explained with a shrug before walking to the hallway, "I'll be back in a second. I believe that the Doctor might need some tea as well."

The red head watched her leave as she took a sip of tea. Surprise and disappointment warred across her features at the realisation that this wasn't just any ordinary tea, and that it had sadly gone cold. Holding the cup with both hands, cradling it in her palms, Aries glanced at the doorway before looking back to the tea and with a flash if magic, it quickly warmed in her hands. She almost dropped the cup in surprise, however, when instead of the normal red hue she had come to associate with her magic, it was joined by a slight golden hue as well.

"What in Merlin's name was that?" she breathed as she stared at the cup.

Vera entered the kitchen and moved over to where she had seen Jackie making tea earlier and quickly popped on the kettle. She pulled out a cup and went to grab the tea, only to pause when she spotted something that looked out of place on counter.

She frowned, picking up the small, brown hessian bag. There was a small note and strainer attached to the string that tied the bag closed and she read the note.

Skiz'urr krato aramopal krymk nixim jomecarvec. (You'll find enough for two doses.)

It was unsigned, but the brunette knew immediately who it was from and shook her head as she opened the small bag, wondering what Ly was playing at.

Pulling out enough tea for one cup, using the strainer that Ly had thoughtfully provided, Vera grabbed the kettle once it was done and quickly made the Doctor's tea, forgoing any milk or sugar. She knew that it'd need to be strong to help the Doctor, but also knew that if was the same tea she had tasted earlier, it wouldn't need anything added to it.

When the cup was done, she made her way out through the front door and to where the others were at in front of the flat, just in time to see the Doctor stumble backwards and fall against the wall.

"What's wrong?" Rose asked worriedly and Vera fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"I woke up too soon. I'm still regenerating. I'm bursting with energy," the Doctor explained before exhaling more of the Time Vortex.

Vera inhaled sharply and scowled, realising what had brought Ly here. Damnable man! she fumed internally, although the expression on her face cleared of her annoyance so she would give anything away, He never just comes to say hello, does he?

"You see?" the Time Lord continued, unaware of Vera's thoughts, "The pilot fish could smell it a million miles away. So they eliminate the defence, that's you lot, and carry me off. They could run their batteries on me for a couple of- Ow!" he groaned, holding his head in his hands.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Jackie exclaimed as she begun to fret.

"My head! I'm having a neuron implosion. I need..." the Doctor didn't manage to tell them what he needed, as Jackie cut him off, causing Vera to sigh, dragging her thoughts away from a certain brunette.

"What do you need?" the older blonde asked him.

"He needs tea," Vera spoke up as she made her way over to the group.

Rose frowned. "And what's tea supposed to do?" she asked snidely.

Vera didn't even look at the blonde as she handed the cup to the Doctor. "You'd be surprised as to what natural remedies can do to help after a regeneration," she said as the Doctor drank down the cup of tea, not even caring that it was hot. Though there was a brief flicker of surprise that appeared on his face as his eyes met Vera's.

After he finished the tea, the Doctor exhaled some more of the vortex energy before sighing, feeling his mind suddenly calm. A lot quicker than he had expected, but as he glanced at the cup before looking back to Vera, he knew that it hadn't been an ordinary cup of tea. "Thank you," he said as the brunette offered him her hand and helped him stand, "But how did you know I needed tea?"

Vera pursed her lips and the Doctor's eyes narrowed. "I should have remembered, to be honest," the brunette admitted, "But it wasn't until someone reminded me that I realised."

"Ly?" the Doctor asked, confused and surprised. He could vaguely remember overhearing Vera speaking to someone she had called Ly. If it was the same Ly the Doctor had met, to hear that the brunette had helped Vera realised what he needed to settle his regeneration confused the Time Lord. Apart from the first time he had met the man back on Satellite Five where he had helped save Aries, the brunette, or 'blonde', had never shown an ounce of concern for anyone but himself. And as far as the Doctor knew, Ly hadn't survived the Dalek's.

Unless, the Doctor thought, his eyes flickering to Rose.

Vera shrugged, "He's a rather...complicated man," she said, causing the Doctor to let out a snort and raise an eyebrow at her. "And his intentions may not always clear, but...Well, despite what he seems, his er...heart is in the right place," she frowned, "Most of the time. He was the one who left you and Aries the tea."

At the mention of his Nesdra, the Doctor's thoughts on the confusing and complicated man known as Ly vanished and he breathed, "Aries!" before rushing back inside the flat, needing to make sure his Nesdra was okay.

He missed Rose's scowl as he pushed passed her and the blonde couldn't help but mutter, "It's always, Aries," bitterly under her breath.

"Get use to it, kid," Vera said as she followed after the Doctor, a smile on her face, "Cause it won't be changing anytime soon."

"Hey, I'm not a kid!" Rose shouted as she stormed after the brunette and Mickey, her mother trailing behind her.

"Could have fooled me," the brunette muttered to herself, her lip twitching upwards when she heard Mickey snort in amusement beside her.

When the Doctor re-entered the bedroom, he found Aries sitting on the bed, staring at her cup of tea and looked to be lost in thought. He paused at the doorway, just watching her for a moment, relieved that she was fine before he approached.

"Aries?" he said quietly as he went to sit beside her.

The red head, however, jumped at the sound of his voice and the cup slipped from her hands. The Time Lord tried to grab it and stop it from falling, only to freeze when the cup came to a stop in mid-air, along with the spilt tea. He watched in awe as the tea seemed to move on its own, back into the cup that Aries had grabbed, a slight red and gold hue surrounding the cup and contents.

"What was that?" he breathed as he sat beside Aries, knowing that it hadn't been the first time he had seen his Nesdra use her strange abilities. But it was the first time he had seen them up close and he marvelled at just what she could do. Though if he was honest, the last time he had seen her use them, he hadn't thought much on it at the time. Especially after what had happened when she had managed to link with his ship and stopped the Slitheen.

Aries looked down at the cup nestled in her hands, unsure what to say. Usually she was more discreet with using her magic, but she still wasn't feeling one hundred percent and had been lost in thought about why it had now taken on a golden hue. She also knew that she hadn't been as secretive about her abilities around the Doctor before, that there was just something about him that seemed to make her feel relaxed, that she could be herself. Though now...

"Hey," the Doctor said quietly, tucking a few strands of her hair behind her ear before gently moving her head so she was looking at him. "I've told you before th-" he broke off as he gazed into her silver-grey eyes, his eyebrows creasing slightly when he noticed that they weren't just flecked with red anymore, but gold as well.

"Doctor?" Aries asked in concern, resting a hand against the Time Lord's cheek and caused him to jump slightly.

He blinked before he felt his cheeks warmed, realising that he had been caught staring at her. "Sorry," he mumbled, feeling embarrassed before he frowned slightly, his hearts picking up their pace as he begun to worry if the gold flecks were because of her encounter with the Heart of the TARDIS. "But I think you need to go to the med bay," he continued as he grabbed the cup out of her hand and placed it on the bedside table. He looked back to his Nesdra and found her eyeing him in confusion. "I just want to make sure there were any after-effects of having the Time Vortex passing through you," he added, trying to not sound as worried he was feeling. He wouldn't know what he would do if he found out there was something wrong with her because of his ship.

"Oh...okay," Aries said, her eyebrows furrowing closer together, but she allowed the Doctor to help her off the bed. I wonder if it was because of the Heart as to why my magic has changed, she thought as she stood up and swayed slightly. But the Doctor was quick to support her, wrapping an arm around her waist to help her stand.

Once again Aries ended up with a nose full of his scent and couldn't stop her face from falling when she found that the scent of leather; something she had come to associate with the Time Lord was barely there anymore. She couldn't stop the guilt from appearing, feeling as though she had failed him. That it was her fault he had regenerated. And even though he was still alive, he had still changed because of her.

The Doctor was startled, though frowned when he felt a wave of guilt coming through the mental link he shared with his Nesdra and glanced at Aries, wondering why she was feeling guilty. "Are you alright?" he asked her quietly as they made their way out of the room, feeling that she was getting steadier on her feet, but really didn't want to let her go. That Aries hadn't pulled away to walk on her own was a silent relief for the Doctor, however. After everything they had gone through during the last week, he really just wanted to keep her close. Keep her safe.

Aries glanced at the Doctor, but quickly looked away when she saw the concern in his eyes and nodded. "Yeah, fine," she sigh, pushing the guilt away. She knew that there was nothing that could be done about what had happened. He's still alive, she told herself, Even if he did change, he's still the Doctor.

She was broken from her thoughts when Vera spoke up.

"Everything okay?" the brunette asked as they entered the living room. She, Mickey, and Rose were sitting on the lounges. Mickey was typing away on his laptop as he looked something up, though had stopped when Vera had spoken to glance up at his aunty. Rose, on the other hand, was scowling at the sight of Aries leaning into the Doctor's side, his arm around the red head's waist and looking at her in concern.

The Doctor nodded as he looked away from Aries. "I'm just gonna take Aries to the TARDIS. Just want to make sure that she's feeling better. Shouldn't take too long," he told them as he led her out of the flat.

Vera watched them go, a small smile on her face as they disappeared through the front door.

"Got it!" Mickey exclaimed not a moment later and the brunette turned to the man. She noticed Rose was still scowling at the door that the Doctor and his Nesdra had just left through and couldn't stop her eyes rolling before focusing on Mickey.