The moment the Sycorax leader saw the Time Lord, he cracked his whip towards him. There was a startled yelp from behind the Doctor, but he ignored it as he quickly grabbed the end of the whip and tugged it from the leaders hand.
"You could have someone's eye out with that," he said with narrowed eyes, noticing that Aries had stiffened the moment the Sycorax had produced the whip, though he was relieved that she hadn't done anything in retaliation. The last thing he wanted was to bring any attention to Aries. Not after what he had just learnt.
"How dare!" the Sycorax leader roared.
Another Sycorax was quick to approach the Doctor with a club, but the Time Lord was even quicker to disarm the alien, breaking the weapon across his knee.
"You just can't get the staff," he scolded, pointing a finger at the leader as he continued, "Now, you, just wait. I'm busy." The Sycorax leader blinked in surprise as the Doctor turned away from him and went to his Nesdra. "Are you okay?" he asked her quietly.
Aries nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine," she answered, but the Doctor could see that her posture was still rigid and hadn't allowed the leader out of her line of sight. It reminded him that at some point in her life, Aries had once been a soldier and wasn't too certain how he felt about the thought. It wasn't that she had been one that troubled him, it was more to the point of what had led her to becoming one.
"You shouldn't have done that," he told her as he wrapped an arm around her waist and holding her close, feeling his hearts start to calm as he did so. The moment he had heard the Sycorax leader say that his Nesdra was going to die, he had felt as though he had been doused in ice-cold water. "I told you that the-"
"I know," Aries gently cut him off before resting her head on his shoulder, inhaling his scent deeply to help calm herself. "But I had to try," she muttered.
The Doctor felt himself smile at her words and kissed the top of her head. "And that's one thing I like about you, Aries," he murmured into her hair, not seeing her face flush a light red. He frowned at a sudden thought and pulled away from her. "You know, you never got to tell me what you think," he said as he moved to stand in front of her, straightening the dressing gown he was still wearing before running a hand through his hair. "Be honest, how do I look?" he questioned.
Aries furrowed her brows, her eyes glancing around as she wondering if he was serious. They were standing in the middle of a Sycorax ship, surrounded by the aliens, and he was asking her how he looked? But she couldn't stop herself from checking him out, feeling herself blush further, and knowing that she couldn't fully blame it on her embarrassment.
The Time Lord grinned when he noticed his Nesdra's cheeks turn a deeper shade of red and couldn't help but think that she looked rather cute when she blushed. It really brought out the red and gold flecks in her silver-grey eyes.
Feeling her cheeks warm further at the sight of the Doctor's grin, Aries stumbled over her words, "You...I, you look...I like it." Her eyes widened when she realised what she had just said and her face burned crimson. Aries quickly ducked her head, rather mortified at the fact she had just admitted that out loud.
Amongst the small group of humans, Mickey raised an eyebrow at his auntie's statement, rather surprised himself at what Aries had just said and glanced at Vera, who he saw just roll her eyes at the pair. Rose, however, was scowling darkly at the red head.
Amber eyes sparkling in amusement, the Doctor stepped back beside Aries and re-wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close once more. He couldn't help but think of how much an enigma his Nesdra was. She could stand before an army of Sycorax and hold her ground, but when it came to her own feelings and expressing them, she either closed herself off from them, or acted with such an innocence like she had never had a partner before.
His train of thought derailed suddenly, and he blinked in surprise at the thought and glanced at Aries, silently wondering if it could be true. It would explain why she hadn't known or picked up on his feelings or actions towards her when everyone else had seen them so clearly, but pushed the thought away, knowing it wasn't the time for such musings. "Am I ginger?" he asked her, deciding to take some of the attention away from what she had just admitted. He knew from earlier glimpses in the TARDIS that he wasn't, but if it helped her relax, he didn't care to play it off that he didn't know.
Aries, who had just managed to get her blush to fade, looked to the Doctor in confusion. Wh-what does having ginger hair have to do with anything? she asked herself as her eyes flickered up to his hair, which still somehow managed to look like he'd just been electrocuted. She tilted her head, her eyebrows creasing, "You're...it's brown," she told him, growing further confused when his face suddenly fell.
"I wanted to be ginger," the Doctor pouted "I've never been ginger."
"You..." Aries was perplexed, trying to work out why being ginger seemed to be such a big thing. "You could always dye it," she suggested slowly, unsure.
He looked to her and opened his mouth to say something before suddenly closed it. He frowned before pointing at her, "Why didn't you say anything before?" he asked her rudely.
The corner of Aries' lip curved downwards as she eyed the Doctor, trying to work him out. "I-I didn't know you wanted to be ginger before," she told him before letting out a huff, feeling as though she was going through an emotional roller-coaster, "So there's no need to be rude."
The Doctor blinked at her before looking to his finger, almost as if he was surprised to see what he was doing. "Oh, that was rude," he commented, "That's the sort of man I am now, am I? Rude and not ginger."
"And you weren't rude before?" Vera asked with a raised eyebrow, causing the pair to turn and look at her as Mickey snickered in amusement.
"I'm sorry," Harriet cut in, "Who is this?" she gestured to the Doctor.
Before either Aries or the Time Lord could respond, Mickey spoke up. "He's the Doctor," the young man told the Prime Minister with a grin, once again gaining a look of surprise from the man in question at how easily he seemed to have accepted the Time Lord's sudden change.
"But what happened to my Doctor?" the Prime Minister asked, looking at the small group, her expression confused, "Or is it a title that's passed on?"
"I'm him. I'm literally him," the Doctor told her, "Same man, new face. Well, new everything," he added, holding Aries just a little bit closer.
Harriet shook her head, not believing him. "But you can't be," she stated.
Unwrapping his arm from around Aries' waist, the Doctor stepped towards the Prime Minister, knowing that he'd need to convince her that he was still the same man she had met in Downing Street. "Harriet Jones, we were trapped in Downing Street and the one thing that scared you wasn't the aliens, it wasn't the war. It was the thought of you mother being on her own," he stated.
It did the trick as Harriet's eyes widened as she looked at him. "Oh, my god," she breathed, realising that somehow, this was still her Doctor.
The Time Lord grinned, seeing she now believed him. "Did you win the election?" he questioned, though he had a fair idea that she had.
"Landslide majority," the Prime Minister replied with her own grin.
"If I might interrupt," the Sycorax leader cut in.
"Yes, sorry," the Doctor said, though he didn't sound sorry at all as he turned to the alien. He returned back to Aries' side and held her close once more, not having forgotten that the leader had threatened his Nesdra. "Hello, big fellow."
"Who exactly are you?" the Sycorax asked.
With a disarming smile, the Doctor replied, "Well, that's the question."
"I demand to know who you are!" the leader roared.
The moment the Doctor felt Aries stiffen beside him, instinct took over and he moved her behind him as he roared back, matching the leader's tone, "I don't know!"
Aries frowned when she once again found herself staring at the Doctor's back. She huffed and rolled her eyes, even though she felt that familiar flutter in her stomach at his actions. She couldn't deny that she liked how he was always protective of her, having spent so long looking after herself, but at the same time it irritated her slightly. Deciding to ignore her irritation, she moved to stand by Mickey and Vera, the former grinning at her, to which she also chose to ignore.
"See, there's the thing," the Doctor continued, turning his head slightly when he felt Aries move behind him and noticed her walk over and stand by Mickey and Vera. Deciding that she was safe there, he turned his attention back to the Sycorax leader. "I'm the Doctor, but beyond that, I just don't know. I literally don't know who I am. It's all untested," he announced as he started to walk around, wanting to keep Aries in his field of vision. He didn't trust the aliens, not for a second. "Am I funny? Am I sarcastic? Sexy?" he winked at his Nesdra, who he noted obtained another pretty blush on her cheeks.
Vera couldn't help but roll her eyes at the sight of the Doctor flirting with Aries, but just raised an eyebrow when she noticed Rose glowering at the red head. "Just give it up, kid," she muttered to the blonde.
Rose's eyes snapped to the brunette and she glared. "I'm not a kid!" she exclaimed before freezing when she noticed that everyone was staring at her. She crossed her arms against her chest with a huff and looked away.
The Doctor raised an amused eyebrow at Vera before he turned back to the Sycorax leader as he continued his ramble as if there was never an interruption. "Right old misery? Life and soul? Right handed? Left handed? A gambler? A fighter? A coward? A traitor? A liar? A nervous wreck?" He was cut off once again when Vera spoke up, causing him to pout.
"Okay, Ly was definitely wrong, you could out-ramble Jackie," the brunette stated, causing Aries to look at her in surprise, but she didn't notice as she added almost absentmindedly, "And I thought the other one loved to ramble. Forgot how much you could talk."
The Time Lord glared at her, not liking that he was interrupted again, though his gaze was drawn to Aries when she snickered. She stopped when he raised an eyebrow at her, but he noticed her bite her lower lip as she tried to hold back another snicker. He was suddenly overwhelmed with the thought of how her lips would taste, but quickly looked away less his eyes betray his thoughts.
He knew that the sudden feeling was a symptom of having just regenerated. That it was only there because they hadn't fully started their bond. But he also knew that Aries wasn't ready, that she didn't even know about their connection. The Doctor had been both happy and sad when he had managed to close their mental link while she had been resting. He couldn't confirm it, but he was sure that it was because of the open connection between them that had put his Nesdra into the state she had been in earlier. And he had realised that despite her not knowing about their bond, she had, and he had no idea how, almost succeeded in closing herself off from their mental link after her confusion and alarm by its sudden presence.
The Doctor hadn't meant to put her at risk to the aftereffects of his regeneration, but he hadn't wanted to change on Aries without her knowing that there was some kind of connection between them. Afterwards, everything was...well, a little scrambled. It hadn't been one of his easiest regenerations, but he shouldn't have expected anything less after taking in the Time Vortex.
He didn't see Aries' eyebrows furrow the moment he quickly averted his gaze from her. She was unsure as to what would have caused his reaction and glanced at Mickey and Vera to see if they could shed some light on his reaction, only to find them both shaking their heads at the Time Lord, identically grins on their faces. But that only succeeded to confuse the red head further. She couldn't help but feel that she had missed something once again.
"Yes," the Doctor muttered as he tried to get control of his thoughts. "I've certainly got a gob," he continued as he looked around. Something caught his eye and he smiled, glad for the distraction. "And how am I going to react when I see this, a great big threatening button," he said as he ran up towards the pillar, "A great big threatening button which must not be pressed under any circumstances, am I right?" he asked, looking to the Sycorax leader. "Let me guess. It's some sort of control matrix, hmm? Hold on, what's feeding it?"
He opened the base of the pillar under the button and Aries' nose wrinkled in distaste, already knowing what was powering the matrix. Blood control was known as a favourite tactic the Sycorax used, seeing that it was a clean and efficient way to instil fear into people's hearts, more so when the fledgling civilisations they approached for conquest feared that their loved ones were going to die. It was a cruel thing to use, but the red head could admit that it was rather effective at getting people to surrender without the mess of an all out war.
"And what have we got here?" the Time Lord continued as he dipped the tip of his finger into the crimson liquid. "Blood?" he asked before licking his finger, making Aries pull a disgusted face while she wondered why he would have done that. "Yeah, definitely blood," the Doctor confirmed, pulling a similar face as his Nesdra as he wiped his finger on the pyjamas. "Human blood. A Positive, with a dash of iron. Ah, but that means blood control," his face lit up at his find, "Blood control! Oh, I haven't seen blood control in years. You're controlling the A Positives."
"How is he delighted by that?" Mickey whispered to Aries, his expression confused.
The red head glanced at her nephew. "Think of it as voodoo, Mouse," she muttered, causing Mickey to pull a face.
The Doctor suddenly turned serious, drawing the pairs attention back to him. "Which leaves us with one big, stinking problem. Because I really don't know who I am. I don't even know when to stop. So if I see a great big threatening button which should never, ever, ever be pressed, then I just want to do this," he exclaimed before slamming his hand down on the button.
"No!" Harriet and Rose yelled simultaneously.
"You killed them!" Harriet's aide accused.
"What do you think, big fellow?" the Doctor asked the Sycorax leader, "Are they dead?"
The Sycorax leader was tense as he answered, his words tight. "We allow them to live."
"Allow?" Aries suddenly spat as she took a step forwards, her expression furious. She paused, however, when a hand landed on her shoulder and squeezed slightly as the Doctor quickly cut in.
"You have no choice."
The red head glanced behind her to see Vera there, the brunette shaking her head slightly. Out of the corner of her eye, Aries also noticed that Rose was watching her with a frown before looking away with a huff.
"I mean, that's all blood control is," the Doctor continued as he started to walk around again, making sure that the Sycorax' attention was on him and not Aries. He didn't want their attention on her at all as it would only put her in danger, and that was the last thing he wanted. "A cheap bit of voodoo. Scares the pants off you, but that's as far as it goes. It's like hypnosis. You can hypnotize someone to walk like a chicken or sing like Elvis. You can't hypnotize them to death. Survival instinct's too strong."
"Blood control was just one form of conquest," the Sycorax leader declared, "I can summon the armada and take this world by force."
"Well, yeah, you could, yeah, you could do that, of course you could," the Doctor conceded, nodding slowly. "But why?" he questioned as he gestured to the humans as he continued to move around, "Look at these people. These human beings."
Well, that's a lot better than stupid apes, the thought came unbidden in Aries' mind and she had to bite her tongue less she laugh.
"Consider their potential. From the day they arrived on the planet and blinkingly stepped into the sun, there's more to see than can ever be seen. More to do-"
"Doc," Vera cut in with a grin, causing the Time Lord to spin around and look at her, his expression crossed between confused and exasperated. "That's the Lion King," she pointed out.
"Oh," the Doctor blinked as his eyebrows furrowed. "So it is," he murmured. He shook his head and focused back on the Sycorax, ignoring Mickey's muffled snort of amusement. "But the point still stands," he told the leader, "Leave them alone!"
"Or what?" the Sycorax leader asked, and Aries had the distinct impression that if he could, he would have raised an eyebrow.
"Or," the Doctor responded before taking a sword from a nearby Sycorax and ran to stand before his ship. He turned to face the leader, his expression firm, "I challenge you."
Aries felt as though the wind had been knocked from her at his declaration, her eyes going wide as he took a step towards the Doctor, not even noticing the Sycorax around her erupt into laughter at the Time Lord's challenge. She was stopped when Vera grabbed her arm and she spun to the woman, pulling her arm from the brunettes grasp. Her eyes narrowed and her mouth was opening to say something, but she paused when she noticed the look on Vera's face.
"He's already instigated the challenge," the brunette whispered softly, "You know what will happen if he retracts it now."
Aries swallowed as she looked back to the Doctor, only to notice he was watching her. She knew what would happen and bit the bottom of her lip, feeling helpless. But she pushed her feelings away and nodded, taking a step away from the Time Lord. Rules were rules and she would follow them...for now.
The Doctor shot his Nesdra a cheeky grin and winked, hoping to calm not only her, but himself as well. He looked back to the Sycorax leader and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, that struck a chord," he remarked as the laughter died down, "Am I right that the sanctified rules of combat still apply?"
"You stand as this world's champion?" the leader questioned, his gaze flickering to Aries.
The Doctor's eyes narrowed and shifted his hold on the sword as he removed the dressing gown, causing the leader to focus back on him. Barely managing a cheery voice, he replied, "Thank you. I have no idea who I am, but you just summed me up." He tossed the dressing gown to Aries, who caught it as he continued, "So do you accept my challenge? Or are you just a cranak pel casecree salvak?"
Aries choked on her breath at the insult, knowing that was what it was. To insult a Sycorax didn't seem to be someone one should do, but the Doctor's words worked as it pushed the leader to come to a decision. Though Aries couldn't stop herself from worrying over the Doctor, however. She knew that the moment he had challenged the leader, it would be a fight to the death.
"For the planet?" the Sycorax leader placed his terms, his eyes narrowed on the Time Lord as he drew his sword and knelt before the Doctor.
"For the planet," the Doctor agreed as he copied the aliens movements.
Not moments later, there was the ringing of steel hitting steel as the sword fight begun. Aries couldn't help but hold the dressing gown tightly as she watched on. She didn't have a lot of experience with swords, but she could clearly tell that the Sycorax leader was the better swordsman.
She winced when the Doctor barely managed to deflect an attack from the alien and her hands curled around the gown, her knuckles growing white.
"Look out!" Rose shouted as the Doctor barely managed to block another swing, sparks appearing where the swords connected.
"Oh, yeah, that helps," he snapped sarcastically, "Wouldn't have thought of that otherwise, thanks."
The Sycorax leader continued to hold the upper hand as he forced the Doctor to retreat down a tunnel.
"Bit of fresh air?" the Time Lord questioned as he hit a button beside a door that led outside.
The small group of humans and some of the Sycorax followed the pair out into the daylight, onto the spaceships hull as they continued to clash swords.
Aries felt her heart pounding in her chest as she watched the Doctor being driven back, closer to the edge of the hull before the hilt of the Sycorax' sword connected with his nose. It took everything in her power to stay rooted to the spot, vaguely aware of feeling Vera holding her arm in case she moved. She knew what would happen if anyone tried to intervene and had never felt so powerless in her life.
"Stay back!" the Doctor yelled the moment Mickey and Rose took a step forwards, causing the pair to freeze. "Invalidate the challenge and he wins the planet."
It was only seconds later that the Sycorax leader managed to knock the Doctor down before slashing at his sword hand and Aries gasped in shock as the Doctor's hand, along with the sword he had been holding, fell to the earth below.
No one noticed Vera's shoulders relax ever so slightly after it happened.
"You cut my hand off!" the Doctor whined as he watched it fall.
"Ya! Sycorax!" the leader declared triumphantly.
"And now I know what sort of man I am," the Doctor said as he stood up, "I'm lucky. Because quite by chance, I'm still within the first fifteen hours of my regeneration cycle, which means I've got just enough residual energy to do this."
Aries' inhaled sharply as her eyes widened, along with everyone else's, as the Doctor's missing hand grew back before their very eyes. The worry she previously held faded as her mind kicked into overdrive as she watched it happen, wondering how he was doing it.
She actually didn't know much about Time Lord's and their regenerations. Only what she had seen and been told by Alistair and Sarah, which seemed, as of this moment, didn't even scratch the surface. She had known that they could change faces, bodies, along with their personalities, still holding some traits of the previous. But growing a new hand...that was something new and unexpected.
"Witchcraft," the Sycorax leader proclaimed in surprise.
The Doctor shot him a grin. "Time Lord," he corrected.
"Doctor!" Rose shouted as she threw him another sword.
The Doctor caught it and twirled it in his newly grown hand. "Oh, so I'm still the Doctor, then?" he asked before noticing Aries watching him with that familiar expression on her face.
"No arguments from me!" Rose told him with an expression that had the Doctor rolling his eyes, barely glancing at her.
His attention was on his Nesdra as she watched him twirl the sword in his hand, and he couldn't help but grin at her when her gaze finally met his. "What to know the best bit?" he asked, turning back to the Sycorax leader, missing Vera rolling her eyes. "This new hand?" he continued, his voice taking on a Texan accent, "It's a fighting hand!"
The sword fight resumed, and Aries could admit that the Doctor had been correct. Either he had been faking his skills from the start, or regrowing his hand had indeed improved what skills he had. She watched on as he managed to disarm the leader, and with the hilts of both blades, hit the alien in the abdomen; twice.
The Sycorax leader fell onto his back, right on the edge of the hull, overlooking London. The Time Lord was quick to point the tip of his sword at the leader's throat as he declared in a serious tone, "I win."
"Then kill me," the leader spat, glaring at the Doctor.
The Doctor didn't move as he replied, "I'll spare your life if you take this Champion's command. Leave this planet, and never return. What do you say?"
"Yes," the Sycorax leader bit out.
"Swear it on the blood of your species," the Doctor demanded as his eyes narrowed, the point of his sword moving closer to the alien's throat.
"I swear," the Sycorax leader stated.
Like a switch had been flipped, the Doctor suddenly grinned as he pulled his sword from the leader's throat. "There we are then," he said, sounding almost cheerful, "Thanks for that. Cheers, big fellow," he continued as he stuck the sword into the ground beside the Sycorax and turned to the small group that had been watching him.
"Bravo!" Harriet cheered as she, Mickey and Rose approached the Doctor.
"That says it all. Bravo!" Rose repeated with a grin, but it dropped when the Doctor didn't even take any notice of her. In fact, he walked right passed the trio.
"You okay?" he asked his Nesdra the moment he reached her.
Aries looked at him with a slight frown before helping him back into the dressing gown. "I don't know whether to hit you or hug you," she muttered, "That was absolutely stupid, what you did."
The Time Lord gave her a sheepish grin before sighing and pulled her to his side, kissing her temple. It probably wasn't the smartest thing he'd ever done, but he'd rather him be injured than her.
"Tell you what," Vera spoke up, causing the pair to look at her quizzically. "I'll hit him and you can hug him," she said with a smirk.
"Oi!" the Doctor protested, more so when he noticed that his Nesdra looked to be actually considering it. He pouted as her before putting his free hand inside the pocket of his dressing gown, only to blink in surprise. "What's this?" he asked, pulling out a satsuma, looking at it with furrowed brows, "Why is there a satsuma in my dressing gown?" he asked, perplexed.
Vera snorted at his baffled expression. "That's not your dressing gown," she told him.
The Doctor went to ask what she meant, only to be interrupted when the Sycorax leader got up behind them and grabbed the sword from beside him and rushed towards the trio with a roar. The Time Lord didn't even blink as he threw the piece of fruit at a control panel on the side of the spaceships hull, causing a hatch to open and the leader to fall.
"No second chances," he said seriously, holding Aries closer, "I'm that sort of man."
It was only moments later that found the small group of humans and the Doctor, Aries, and Vera standing back inside the Sycorax ship in front of the TARDIS.
"By the ancient rites of combat, I forbid you to scavenge here for the rest of time," the Doctor told the Sycorax before them, his arm still wrapped around Aries' waist, "And when you go back to the stars and tell others of this planet. When you tell them of its riches, it's people, its potential. When you talk of Earth, then make sure you tell them this. It is defended."
The group, along with the TARDIS were suddenly beamed away.
Down on a street below the spaceship, the group reappeared.
"Where are we?" Rose questioned as she looked around, trying to take her mind off the fact that the Doctor had just ignored her since he had defeated the alien.
"We're just off Bloxom Road," Mickey told her with a grin, his excitement bubbling over, "We're just around the corner, we did it!" he cheered.
"Wait a minute," the Doctor said as he and Aries watched the spaceship as it powered up and turned in the air above, "Wait a minute." He grinned at his Nesdra when he felt her relax against him as the spaceship begun to fly away.
"Go on, my son!" Mickey shouted excitedly, "Oh, yeah!"
Rose jumped on his back, equally excited as she shouted "Yeah! Don't come back!"
"It is defended!" the young man yelled before stiffening in surprise when Rose hugged him, though she took no notice as she quickly ran off and gave Harriet's aide a hug as well. Mickey frowned slightly, but shrugged it off.
"My Doctor," Harriet said as she approached the Doctor and Aries.
The Time Lord unwrapped his arm from around Aries' waist as he stepped towards the Prime Minister, though the red head didn't seem to notice as her eyes found Vera. The brunette was frowning at Harriet's aide before she glanced down to her vortex manipulator.
"Prime Minister," the Doctor replied before the two shared a quick hug.
"Absolutely the same man," Harriet stated with a smile as she watched the Doctor step back beside Aries and, once again wrapping his arm around her waist; the red head glancing at him with a small smile. If she had thought that there was something going on between the pair when they had last met, the sight before her only cemented the idea. "Are there many more out there?" she questioned, looking back up to the departing ship.
"Oh, not just the Sycorax. Hundreds of species. Thousands of them," the Doctor informed Harriet, "And the human race is drawing attention to itself. Every day you're sending out probes, and messages, and signals. This planet is noisy. You're getting noticed more and more. You'd better get use to it."
Aries frowned at the Doctor's words as she looked back to watch Vera, her own words that she had told the Doctor what felt like decades ago playing in her mind. It was true that the planet was noisy, and she couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive about just how noticed Earth was becoming. She knew that the Doctor was telling the truth, as well as knowing that most aliens would, just like the Sycorax, find the Earth to be easy pickings.
She was brought from her pondering when Jackie Tyler came rushing over to them, calling out to her daughter.
"Mum!" Rose exclaimed before hugging her mother tightly.
"Oh, talking of trouble," the Doctor muttered, causing Aries to glance at him.
"She's not that bad," the red head told him, only for the Doctor to raise an eyebrow at her. She held his gaze for a moment longer before sighing, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "Okay, she can be a little overbearing at times," she conceded, knowing that she was telling the truth. If there was one thing she hadn't missed after causing everyone to forget her, it was Jackie Tyler. The older blonde had this imperious need to mother anyone around her and Aries had almost always felt overwhelmed in her presence.
Vera watched the group with mixed feelings, though her gaze slid to Alex, Harriet's aide, when he received a phone call and stepped away to answer it. She glanced down to her manipulator once again, wondering when she was to be leaving, though knowing she couldn't leave yet. She couldn't leave the Doctor in possession of one of her daggers, and she was finding herself enjoying the time she was spending with Aries and this version of the Time Lord. But she also missed her own time and was also somewhat uncomfortable with seeing the Doctor with his Nesdra, especially this regeneration.
She looked back up as the group hugged, smiling slightly as she noticed Aries stiffen in surprise before the Doctor grabbed the red head's hand and she slowly relaxed. She really was a different person, the brunette mused as she thought about the woman she knew. They seemed so different, but so similar at the same time. Though I guess some things never truly change, she continued, thinking back to seeing Aries standing before the Sycorax.
"Are you feeling better?" Jackie asked Aries after they pulled away. She had been worried about the red head ever since she had seen her unconscious the night before.
"Yeah, just needed some rest," Aries replied with a small nod.
Jackie smiled, relieved that the young woman was feeling better. She turned to her daughter and frowned. "You left me," she stated.
"It wasn't my fault!" Rose exclaimed, glancing at Aries.
"Don't even think of blaming her, Rose," Jackie retorted, her frown deepening in disapproval. She hadn't been blind or deaf to the conversations last night, even more so after the Doctor had taken Aries to his ship to make sure she was okay. She had heard Rose continually complain about the red head, to the point that Mickey had disappeared not long after the Doctor.
The red head in question was about to speak up, to tell Jackie that it had been her fault for them leaving, but froze when she felt a large shift of energy in the air. Not a moment later, five beams of green energy shot into the sky before joining to create one larger beam, heading straight for the departing Sycorax ship and destroying it. A gasp let her lips as she watched the ship explode.
"What is that?" Rose questioned in horror, "What's happening?"
Aries snapped out of her shock and turned to Harriet, her eyes narrowing on the woman. "You had no right," she told the Prime Minister coldly.
"That was murder," the Doctor added, his voice equally as cold.
"I have every right," Harriet replied, staring at Aries before turning her gaze on the Doctor, "That was defence. It's adapted from alien technology. A ship that fell to Earth ten years ago."
Aries frowned at that. There was something about the date, but she couldn't work out what.
"They were leaving," Vera spoke up, coming to stand beside Aries and the Doctor.
"You said yourself, Doctor," Harriet continued to defend herself, "They'd go back to the stars and tell others about the Earth."
"You had no right to make that order!" Aries snapped, taking a step towards the Prime Minister.
Harriet didn't react to Aries' tone as she continued, "The moment they were leaving, the State of Emergency fell, along with your position, Commander."
Aries' jaw clenched as she glared at Harriet, her anger starting to bubble over. How dare she, she all but growled in her mind, feeling her body start to shake as her hand closed into a tight fist.
Vera and the Doctor were quick to pull the irate red head back the moment they noticed an unnatural breeze pick up around the group, the Time Lord successfully drawing the Prime Minister's attention back to him as he stepped in front of Aries as Vera tried to calm her down.
"I'm sorry, Doctor, but you're not here all the time," Harriet told him, trying to keep her fear of Aries from showing. She had seen before what the young woman could do, and she'd rather not face her. "You come and go. It happened today. Mister Llewellyn and the Major, they were murdered. They died right in front of me, and where were you. Nowhere to be found. In which case we have to defend ourselves."
Vera continued to whisper to Aries, trying to get her to calm down as she watched the Doctor and Harriet. She had to admit that she'd like to see Aries take a piece out of the woman, but knew that it would only cause the red head more harm than good. It was the one thing that made Aries the unique person she was. She always tried to resolve situations with the least amount of conflict, but when she grew angry, her control tended to slip.
"Britain's Golden Age," the Doctor mocked distastefully.
"It comes with a price."
"I gave them the wrong warning. I should've told them to run as fast as they can, run and hide because the monsters are coming," the Doctor bit out, "The human race."
"Those are the people I represent. I did it on their behalf," Harriet said, still standing by her decision.
"Then I should have stopped you," the Doctor said with a glare.
"What does that make you, Doctor?" Harriet asked him, "Another alien threat?"
Vera grabbed Aries' arm when the red head tried to step towards the Prime Minister, seeing her anger grow at the sound of Harriet's threat. The brunette wanted to call the Prime Minister an idiot for threatening the Doctor in front of Aries, knowing that the red head was barely in control, but decided against it. If anything, she knew the Doctor would be able to stop Aries if she saw red. He was the only one Vera knew who could.
"Don't challenge me, Harriet Jones," the Doctor told the woman before him coldly, "Because I'm a completely new man. I could bring down your government with a single word."
"You're the most remarkable man I've ever met, but I don't think you're quite capable of that," Harriet countered.
"Six!"
The word was all but hissed out as Aries glared at the woman, brushing off Vera's hold on her arm. The Doctor glanced at his Nesdra worriedly and quickly grabbed her hand, running small circles on the back of it with his thumb as Vera stepped up to Aries' other side in case she had to intervene.
"Not a single word," Aries continued, her eyes narrowed on the Prime Minister, "Just six."
"I don't think so," Harriet replied, though her tone was full of uncertainty.
"Six words," Aries stared at Harriet, her gaze never wavering, though she was slowly feeling calmer, unable to not focus on the feel of the Doctor's thumb running over her hand.
"Stop it!" Harriet almost shouted.
"Six," the red head repeated, holding the other woman's gaze for a moment longer before giving the Doctor's hand a squeeze and moved towards Alex. The Doctor followed beside her, not letting her hand go and not wanting to leave her side and Aries removed the aide's earpiece. She stared directly at Harriet as she whispered in the man's ear, "Don't you think she looks tired."
Handing the man his earpiece back, both Aries and the Doctor turned and walked away, Vera following them and leaving Harriet alone, yelling between them and a confused Alex.
It was on the way back to the TARDIS when the Time Lord heard his Nesdra let out a heavy breath. He felt her stiffen slightly as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze but pretended not to notice as he quietly murmured to her, "You did the right thing."
Aries glanced at the Doctor, her lips drawing downwards into a frown before she sighed when he squeezed her hand again. "I had thought..." she trailed off, shaking her head.
"Hey," the Doctor said quietly as he let her hand go and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, holding her close, "People change. Sometimes, not for the better."
Frowning once again, Aries looked up to the sky where the Sycorax ship had been. Her mind drifted back to what she had done that caused the Doctor to regenerate, and as much as she wanted to believe him that it had been his choice, it had been her decision that led to the Heart of the TARDIS being opened. That she had been the one who was too selfish to let him go, and she still felt guilty for what had transpired afterwards.
Turning to look back to the Doctor, Aries asked him quietly; uncertain, "And what about you?"
He smiled softly at her, his arm tightening ever so slightly around her shoulders. "Why don't we find out together," he said before placing a kiss against her temple.
Neither noticed Rose staring fiercely at them, nor Vera nudging Mickey before he passed the brunette five pounds, though both were smiling at the pair.