A/N: I am SO sorry it has taken so long to get this story updated :( I can't believe it's been 7 years :'(

I won't go into all the details, all the things that happened in that time that kept me trying to update and get back online and then falling off again :/ Life is basically what it boils down to though. A lot of things happening and changing beyond the obvious thing that's happened the last year :/ Each time I felt like I got to a good place to get back and posting, something else would come up and just knock me down again :/

But early last year I got to a point where things seemed to be stabilizing and getting into something of a routine and I felt like I could really try to come back again. I've learned my lesson from other attempts, started very, very slow by posting only 2x a week and focusing on the stories I had left unfinished during that time, putting all other stories on pause, like this one. Then moved into trying to catch up/complete some series in the last few months of 2020.

Since things kept relatively smooth and on schedule last year, I tried to slowly bump up my posting to 3x a week this year. AND I'm trying to get the side stories (Spin-offs, Sequels, and AUs) back up and running.

But, again, it will be VERY slow going to start.

So what I will be doing with the side stories is I am going to post A chapter for 2 stories in a month. There are/will be 12 side stories, so 2 stories will have a new chapter each month and I'll rotate through them, and now it's An Ancient Observer! :D

I posted on tumblr the order of what stories I'll be updating each month. I'll be aiming to post a chapter around the 15th and 30th of a month. I'm so sorry this one was late :( I planned to have it up on the 30th but we got some heavy wind and rain in my area and I thought it'd be fine since it wasn't supposed to last long...and then we lost power :/ Luckily the general area wasn't as badly affected so the power company was out getting things sorted pretty quickly but it wasn't till late yesterday that I was able to post the chapter for my Big Bang Theory story and by then I was just too tired to edit this one :(

On that note, I'm going to continue to do the side stories 2x a month and not bump it up to 3 like I was originally hoping to be able to do :( I know it may seem very slow, because it will mean this story will only be updated 1 more time this year after this chapter, but after being on pause 7 years, something is better than nothing, right? ;)

For now, we're on An Ancient Observer but check out my tumblr's Upcoming Stories page for more of a schedule for the other side stories ;)

Now, onto the chapter!

~8~

Boom Town

Doggie is here! Doggie is here! Doggie is here!

…or at least he's going to be here soon! Any moment now and Sister is SO excited!

Thief and Big Face not quite so much. Boys, they always had to make things complicated, didn't they? Thief seemed to be put off by how excited Sister was when Flower told them she'd invited Doggie to stop by. Big Face then took any opportunity to tease my Thief about it.

He was quite irritating at times, Big Face. If he wasn't going to be so important to my Sister I'd have knocked him out the doors ages ago. I know it will only get harder the longer he's here (will be here?), he's going to change. I won't be able to stomach him, neither with Thief.

…can I stomach him now?

Do I even HAVE a stomach?

I know I have a heart, all TARDISes do, but a stomach? I have a kitchen. But that's for feeding the strays, and Sister when she wants a midnight snack, and Thief when he can't sleep and needs warmed milk. How did that phrase even come about? Did humans used to eat each other?

…they're a very odd species…

Either way, I can see Doggie getting closer, bringing a gift for Flower. It's a good thing my Thief takes such good care of me and thought to stop here so I could recharge, otherwise we would have missed Doggie, and then Sister would be so sad.

I would roll my eyes when there's a banging noise on my doors, Big Face quickly rushing over to pull them open, clearly not realizing it's Doggie he's talking to.

"Who the hell are you?" Big Face demands.

"What d'you mean, who the hell am I?" Doggie scoffs at him, "Who the hell are you?"

I love Doggie, he's got a spirit to him, a fight in him…if only he could SEE it for himself. But, no matter, I know Sister will take care of that. Ooh…her strays are my favorites! Pretty One and Doggie and Action Man. Thief always picks the same sort, strong, lovely, sassy. Sister…she looks more at the diamond in the roughs, as she calls them…has called them…will call them?

Aren't diamonds naturally rough? How does one find them 'in the rough?'

"Captain Jack Harkness," Big Face introduces, "Whatever you're selling, we're not buying."

I don't much care for that name, Captain Jack Harkness. Big Face suits him much better.

"Get out of my way!" Doggie growls and shoves past.

Ooh, I like him, I really do! Sister will choose well when she adopts him.

"Don't tell me, this must be Mickey," Big Face calls out, shutting my doors. Well at least he has manners, half the time I have to shut my own doors because Thief forgets to.

He's rather lucky I remember to lock the doors after him, too!

"Here comes trouble!" Thief shouts out, "How're you doing, Ricky boy?"

I do NOT like that name, Ricky. Poor other-Doggie, I wish Thief would stop calling him that, he's Doggie not other-Doggie. At least Sister can keep them straight…speaking of, where IS Sister? She should be here to greet Doggie, ooh he'll be so excited to meet her.

"It's Mickey!" Doggie huffs, before he moves over to Flower.

"Don't listen to him, he's winding you up," Flower warns him.

I think I've answered the question to whether I have ears, I've gotten very good at going deaf so I don't have to hear things. I love Big Face right now, but he can be a lot to take in, I've put them on mute a few times. I know that look in Doggie's eye, that smile on his face as he stands with Flower. It's the same look on Thief's face when he gazes at Sister, and then Big Face ruins everything by making Sister blush and scurry off and Thief gets all frowny face.

I don't want to hear it.

I don't need the answer to whether I have a stomach, whether I can be ill. When Thief flirts (flirted? will flirt?) with Sister it will be sweet and something to praise, but I don't care much if the humans do it.

I stop humming to myself when Sister FINALLY appears on my gantry, watching the humans interacting with a smile. Thief is staring again, ooh it is so fun when he does. If only he knew how often he would he would just forego looking at anything other than Sister. It was adorable to see her blush though! At least when Big Face isn't the cause of it.

"So, what're you doing in Cardiff?" Doggie asks them as Big Face moves over to him and Flower, "And who the hell's Jumping Jack Flash? I mean, I don't mind you hanging out with big-ears up there…"

"Oi!" Thief cries, as though he had any right to. Look at those things!

I'm pretty sure there's some sort of elephant reference for ears that big.

"Look in the mirror," Doggie shoots back.

Sister is doing her very best not to laugh, she is far too kind and polite to do so when another's appearance is being poked fun at.

"But this guy," Doggie continues, "I dunno, he's kinda..."

"Handsome?" Big Face offers.

"More like cheesy."

"Early 21st Century slang…is cheesy good or bad?"

"It's bad."

"But bad means good, isn't that right?"

Well! At least it isn't just me that gets the tenses confused, Big Face doesn't even know what words meant what in what time! Ha!

If I had physical eyes I would roll them at how Thief turns to Sister to ask her if she thinks he's handsome. I know Sister already admitted he's one of the 'great looking ones' which Thief has been preening about ever since.

It's actually quite sweet in an annoying way, how, when Sister isn't in the console room and Thief is alone, he positively beams and goes on and on about how 'Angel thinks I'm great looking!' He's so pleased Sister likes his outward casing.

I don't know why.

Time Lords regenerate into a lottery of appearances, the outer casing hardly matters. Though, I suppose, with how often people comment on Thief's ears and nose, to have someone compliment him is a likely change.

Ooh, if only he knew what's coming. Matchstick man with sticky uppy hair, floppy hair with no eyebrows and a giant forehead, old and angry Scottish eyebrows…and Sister will love all of him as he will her, especially her eyes.

…I wonder what hot chocolate tastes like…

"We just stopped off," Flower explains, "We need to refuel. Thing is, Cardiff's got this rift running through the middle of the city. It's invisible, but it's like an earthquake fault between different dimensions…"

"The rift was healed back in 1869…" Thief adds.

"Thanks to a girl named Gwyneth, 'cos these creatures called the Gelth, they were using the rift as a gateway but she saved the world and closed it."

"But closing a rift always leaves a scar," Big Face continues, "And that scar generates energy, harmless to the Human Race…"

"But perfect for the TARDIS," Thief beams, "So just park it here for a couple of days right on top of the scar and…"

"Open up the engines, soak up the radiation…"

"Like filling her up with petrol and off we go!" Flower smacks hands with Big Face.

Why do humans do that? Hit each other on the hand? It's odd. Does that mean a proper way of greeting one another involves violence? Hmmm…perhaps biting would be an acceptable form of greeting then...

"Into time!"

"And space!" Thief joins in as well.

"Whoo!"

Doggie's just staring at them by the time I pay attention again, "My God, have you seen yourselves? You all think you're so clever, don't you?"

I had to laugh at that, the sound coming out as a light hum that had Sister looking up at my rotor. Doggie is correct, they all thought they were so clever, trying to explain anything about me to a human. They should let Sister do it, she's marvelous at talking about me.

"Oh, I don't know," Sister speaks up as she makes her way down from the gantry, "I think they're rather annoying sometimes."

I hum in agreement with that, Thief always got ahead of himself, it would get him into so much trouble…

"You must be Mickey!" Sister suddenly pulls Doggie into a hug, which the man doesn't look like he knows how to react to. Isn't it customary for humans to hug when receiving a hug? He's just stood there like a Weeping Angel, just like a statue, "I'm the Angel, but you can just call me Angel."

"The Angel?" Doggie asks slowly, "What like the Doctor?"

Ooh, Doggie is so clever! If only he could see that! He worked out Sister's identity and species just from her name! How brilliant! I can't wait till Sister can work on him, build him up from the tiny puppy doggie he is to the big guard doggie he's meant to be.

"Exactly!" Sister cheers, releasing him and beaming, "Time Lady, very nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too."

I snort, which makes an odd grinding noise no one pays much attention to. I can't count how many times I'll hear that phrase from Sister, more times than there are stars in the sky I imagine.

"I got Rose to tell me all about you," Sister gushes, moving her arm through his and heading for the doors, "Did you really get captured by a Nestene Duplicate?"

I am laughing so hard it sounds like my gears are grinding, but my Thief's face is...just...so...funny! He's pouting and glaring and frowning at the door, at Doggie, all because my Sister left with him instead of Thief! Ooh, this is too funny. And endlessly sweet.

…and a little bit sad.

Why does everything have to be a bit sad?

I wish Sister could see his face right now, I wish she could know how much Thief will come to love her. Maybe if she knew earlier, it might stop the hurt later.

I wish I could shout out to my Sister not to go with Doggie, to not be so happy to hear his stories. I don't want her to be sad, ever, but if she's going to be sad later, what's the point of being happy now?

I suppose…because she will be sad later.

Yes, sister should be as happy as possible for as long as possible. The good will help her outweigh the bad. Sister will need as many good memories as I can manage…

Which does make this more complicated. If Sister goes with Thief now there's another face they'll see. Not as good a face as Big Face though, not as welcome, and she will hurt…well, she will hurt ME. But if Sister doesn't go with Thief…

Well, that's simply not an option.

I would rather hurt a thousand times than deprive Sister of a DATE with my Thief! Ooh, I can't wait to see it happen! Even if that strange green woman will be there, it'll be worth it for my Sister and my Thief to have their first ever date!

...the courting ritual, not the fruit.

Humans have such funny words.

I watch as Thief storms out of my console room, and I just know he's going to do everything he can to stay between Sister and Doggie, he rather likes having all Sister's attention on him and no one else.

Oh Thief.

~8~

I don't like the green woman.

She's mean and she makes Sister uncomfortable. I don't appreciate that she tried to blow up the planet with my Thief on it either, thank you very much.

She is right in one regard, though, I AM superb, but I still don't like her and I'm glad she finally left, even if Thief and Sister are stuck with her. They're finally on their date!

Oh, this is so exciting!

I'm so happy I don't even mind that Big Face is the one trying to make alterations to my controls and wiring. Sister would never have let him if she didn't think he could do it properly. If she thought Big Face could handle adapting an extrapolator to help reduce the time they'd be sitting on Earth with a fugitive Slitheen…then I trust her.

The sooner I can be rid of the green woman the better. She was so rude! Walking around, fiddling with my controls, making my Thief and Flower and Doggie feel so bad. Not Sister though, she saw right through Greenie and made Thief feel better. I knew she'd be perfect for Thief. She'll keep him safe and happy all throughout dinner with Greenie and her plots to try and kill my Thief.

Why, if I had hands I'd slap that woman…thing…Slitheen.

Ooh.

What…what is that pinching?

Oh, this is NOT going to be fun…

I let out a cry of pain as the extrapolator sparks next to Big Face and a surge goes through my system. It hurt, it really hurt, I can't help but shout, trying to expel the energy any way I can, drawing it to the rotor and trying to shoot it out the top of me into the sky.

I can feel the ground beneath me starting to rumble and shake and I know it's not me because Thief fixed me in place so I wouldn't wander off. Ha! HE'S the one who never knows how NOT to wander off. But all my systems and scanners are telling me it's the Rift opening beneath me.

Poor Big Face, I do feel bad for him. He's rushing about like a chicken with its head cut off…

Humans are SO gruesome in their sayings. Why on earth would a chicken do that? Why would someone LET it do that instead of ending its misery? It's barbaric.

…though still appropriate as Big Face is panicking rather badly. Sparks are flying out of my console and he is trying admirably to stop them, ripping the wires out of the extrapolator.

Don't worry, Big Face, I try to tell him, Sister's on her way with my Thief.

I'm even more angry with Greenie when Sister and Thief rush through my doors with her, flashing and blinking my lights in a warning for the thing to stay away from me. She's done enough. First making Thief sad, then toying with my systems, now interrupting Sister's date with Thief.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Thief shouts, rushing over to Big Face.

Sister! I gasp as she hurries over to me instead, trying to help, when a very painful zing through my systems seemed to jolt her as well and she falls to the ground, Oh, I'm so sorry Sister.

I should have realized this wouldn't just hurt me. My Sister has always been too connected to me and others like me. I wish I could comfort her, tell her this will be the only time it'll hurt but that would be a lie. I promise myself to try and keep that terrible year from happening, though I doubt there'll be much I can do. I can at least try to keep the full brunt of what happens to me happening to Sister. If I don't…she will die far faster and sooner than she ought to and Thief will be a mess.

It'll hurt her longer though, she'll suffer so much more but…she'll survive and be stronger for it.

I hate when the only choices are terrible ones, but I still have to choose.

"It just went crazy!" Big Face defends.

"It's the Rift! Time and space are ripping apart. The whole city's gonna disappear!"

I wince as a small explosion erupts from my console, just as Flower rushes through the doors, Thief and Big Face frantically trying to help me but I know they can't.

"It's the extrapolator! I've disconnected it but it's still feeding off the engine! It's USING the TARDIS, I can't stop it!"

"Never mind Cardiff, it's gonna rip open the planet!"

"What is it?" Flower calls over, "What's happening?!"

Despite all that's happening, I can't help but let out a sigh at that. I've never been so glad that Thief saw Flower for what she is, human, with all their failings and blessings and shortcomings and wonder. She would never be the right person for Thief, Sister would know what it was and what to do to stop it…but what's happening to me is happening to her now.

I hadn't expected it to be this strong so soon.

Sister had always been connected to me and my true sisters, but never to this extent before. Perhaps it was all the travel through the Vortex hurrying it along.

When Sister would repair me and my true sisters, it was always on Gallifrey, with perhaps a quick hop here and there to reset or test the repairs, nothing too extensive, nothing like what Thief did on a regular basis.

…this would make everything far more tricky.

"Oh, just little ME!" Greenie suddenly shouts, pulling my attention back.

Oh, that is odd, how one's thoughts can drift in the middle of things. I really should pay more attention, find a way to warn the Flower that Greenie is going to try and grab her and…

"Rose, run!" Sister calls out, seeming to know what would happen herself.

Neither of us were in time and Greenie grabs Flower with a green clawed arm, flinging her around threateningly, "One wrong move and she snaps like a promise."

"I might've known," Thief glares at her.

It's funny, one would think his nose and ears would make a glare look comical, but on Thief it certainly looks menacing.

…I wonder what Sister would look like if she glared at someone?

"I've had you bleating all night, poor baby, now shut it," Greenie speaks, "You, fly boy, put the extrapolator at my feet."

Big Face doesn't want to, but Flower is gasping for air so he steps forward with the extrapolator and puts it in front of her.

"Thank you. Just as I planned."

"I thought you needed to blow up the nuclear power station," Flower is trying to speak.

"Failing that, if I were to be...arrested, then anyone capable of tracking me down would have considerable technology of their own. Therefore, they would be captivated by the extrapolator. Especially a magpie mind like yours, Doctor. So the extrapolator was programmed to go to Plan B! To lock onto the nearest alien power source and open the rift."

I don't like the way she's staring at my console room.

"And what a power source it found...I'm back on schedule...thanks to you."

"The Rift's gonna convulse, she'll destroy the whole planet," Big Face warns.

I don't think he realizes how little Greenie cares about that.

But he IS doing one thing. He's distracting Greenie, which is perfect! It'll give Sister enough time to help me stop her.

"And you with it!" Greenie shouts, getting onto the extrapolator, "While I ride this board over the crest of the inferno all the way to freedom. Stand back...surf's up."

Come on, Sister, I whisper to her, moving my focus to my Heart, to the panel that houses it, Open me.

I see my Sister gasp, having fallen to her knees with her back to that same panel. She reaches out and puts her hand on it, turning to look over her shoulder up at the top.

Trust me, I murmur to her, I can help, but you have to help me do it.

If the Heart of a TARDIS opened at random, the Time Lords nearby would be quick to try and shut it, to call out instructions to others and I can't risk that. Sister knows what to do, she knows what I can do. If she could just keep Thief calm, keep him assured and patient…this can work.

Sister takes a deep breath, as though she understood the gentle hum I'm making, the pleading I am doing and, the next thing I know, the panel is opening and energy from my Heart is flooding the room.

"What's that light?" Flower asks, squinting at it.

"The Heart of the TARDIS," Sister replies, grabbing onto my console to help pull herself up, standing beside it, ready to close it when the time is right, oh Sister is brilliant like that, "TARDISes, they aren't just ships, they're alive. She's alive. And now…her soul is open."

I can see the look Sister is giving Thief, a calm look, telling him to trust her, trust ME. This isn't what normally happens when the Heart opens, he knows this. It should be a blast of energy destroying the threat to the ship…but Greenie is still standing.

Because Sister would be devastated to see me kill.

She fought so hard during the war, refused to turn my true sisters into War TARDISes, because we were too lovely and pure and amazing to be tainted with blood and destruction, for a box that brought joy and hope to now deliver nothing but devastation. She would never allow us to be warped like that.

I would never become that, I would never do that, for Sister.

I won't become what she wanted to protect us all from being.

"It's...so bright..." Greenie's staring now.

Good.

"Look at it, Margaret..." Thief urges her, seeming to understand what Sister's silently asking him.

"...beautiful..."

"Look inside, Blon Fel Fotch. Look at the light."

I show her what will happen now. I show her this second chance I am offering her. And I show her what will happen if she refuses it. I show her that I only do this because Sister would want her to have a second chance, Sister thinks everyone should have one if they've made a mistake they regret.

I doubt Greenie regrets anything, but I trust Sister, and if she feels Greenie should be given this…I'll do it for her.

When Greenie smiles, I know she's accepted the offer, "Thank you…" she whispers.

I let more of my Heart fill the room, till it's so bright everyone else has to look away.

When Greenie's skinsuit falls onto the extrapolator, Thief springs into action, rushing to my console and shouting to the others instructions for how to seal my Heart back up and shut everything down.

I let out a long sigh of relief when I feel my systems settling again. Well, that was uncomfortable.

"What happened to Margaret?" Flower asks.

"Must've got burnt up," Big Face shrugs, "Carried out her own death sentence."

But Sister knows the truth, she knows I would not kill the Greenie, "No," she says, moving to kneel before the skinsuit, "I don't think she's dead."

"Then, where'd she go?" Flower moves over to her.

"She looked into the Heart of the TARDIS," Thief reminds them as Sister reaches into the suit, "And even I don't know how strong that is. And the ship's telepathic, like I told you, Rose. Gets inside your head. Translates alien languages. Maybe the raw energy can translate all sorts of thoughts…"

Sister is beaming as she pulls an egg with a few tentacles on top out to hold up, "Here we go."

"She's an egg?" Flower's staring at it.

"Regressed to her childhood," Thief nods.

"She's an egg?" Big Face repeats.

Humans, they sound so much like parrots, don't they? I suppose that's why Thief always looks like they've dribbled on their shirts when he talks, if they can't even understand that Greenie has turned into an egg when it's right in front of them.

"She can start again!" Thief tells them, "Live her life from scratch. If we take her home, give her to a different family, tell 'em to bring her up properly, she might be alright!"

"Or she might be worse."

"That's her choice."

"She's an egg…" Flower repeats, yet again.

Is she malfunctioning? Do humans malfunction?

"She's an egg."

"I did say one way or another," Sister murmurs, when she suddenly looks around for something, "Hold on…where's Mickey?"

Yes, where HAS my Doggie got to? I was keeping track of him and Flower when they went off, but then I wasn't feeling well and there was too much else going on.

"Oh, my God," Flower gasps, "Mickey!" and runs out my doors.

Sister's frowning now. Ooh I hate it when she frowns, it always makes me feel like I want to cry…CAN I cry? Hmm, I suppose I could create rain in the room, simulate a storm, but then everything would be wet and that's a safety hazard waiting to happen.

Health and Safety! Second best team to Smith and Jones!

"Does she do that often?" Sister asks the others.

"Do what?" Thief hums.

"Leave Mickey and not even realize."

Even I can tell Thief's never realized Flower does that till now, "Yeah."

Sister looks even sadder to hear that.

Well, we'll just have to change things, won't we, Sister? I ask her, humming all around, We'll bring him onboard and we'll never let him wander off.

Lost Doggies are no fun.

~8~

I can't help humming happily, Sister is working on fixing the damage done by Greenie, while the other humans are off sleeping for the night now that Greenie's been dealt with. It's times like this that remind me of being home, having Sister tirelessly work to restore me, her humming to herself and wandering about, talking to me.

Thief is here though, so she's not likely to talk as much, but that's fine.

Because Thief is looking at her like she's wonderful (which she is) and like he can't take his eyes off her (which he shouldn't). (Not ever.) (Especially not for the Watery Woman or anyone else!)

"How's the damage?" Thief is asking.

"It may take a while," Sister admits, "But I'll have her fixed up no problem."

Well of course she will, she's brilliant!

Thief seems to think so too as he beams, "Fant...ahh...stic!" he looks like a roaring bear when he yawns like that.

Sister's amused, ushering him away, "Off to bed you."

"What about you?"

"I just want to fix this," Sister nods at a half-fused lever, "It's something you definitely want working."

"Of course," Thief nods, like he knows exactly why it should be working…before asking, "And it is…"

Oh, Thief. I'd shake my head at him if I had a head. He's so lucky I do most of the flying and he just runs around looking pretty. Not as pretty as the Pretty One, but regeneration, it's a lottery. It's a good thing he has Sister now.

"Emergency brake," Sister tells him with a laugh, "Shouldn't take me long. So, off you pop."

If I wasn't a multi-dimensional being who could see through all space and time, I would say I never thought I'd see the day where my Thief actually listened to someone and did as he was told. But I saw Sister coming miles, lightyears, and centuries away.

Thief just shakes his head, bemused, and leaves Sister to her work, which is just as well, we have things to do that don't require mucking up by Thief. He tries his best, bless him, but this…this is too important.

Because Greenie wasn't the only one who saw something in my Heart, Sister did too.

I watch as she works, waiting till Thief has left through the gantry door, before she sighs and makes her way over to the panel that holds my Heart. She holds out a hand, hesitating to place it on the panel so when she does I make sure it is warm and comforting, swirling beneath her touch, reassuring her.

It'll be alright, Sister, I try to tell her, a hum being all that comes out, What will be…and what must not, does not always mean it must happen the way we fear. WE can change it, we can save them.

Sister started to smile, I like to think she heard me and understood me, that she knew, no matter what happened next, I would be there for her, with her, I'd help her.

She cared so much about 'old pieces of junk' like me and my true sisters, she cares about everyone more than I've ever seen another Time Lord do, even my Thief. He gets angry at times, furious, blinded by hatred and anger and rage, he makes mistakes.

Anger is always the shortest distance to a mistake.

Sister…isn't. She's the calm to his storm, the light to his dark, the love to his hate, the peace to his war.

It's why she saw what would happen to Flower, to Thief, if she doesn't do what she is going to do. She has to stop Flower from accessing my Heart, or Flower will wilt and die and so many will be hurt and lost. She knows that Flower must not be able to take my Heart in.

…which means Sister must do so herself.

I watch as Sister pulls her hand away and kneels down, pulling a small cylindric object with notches carved into it from under one of the compartments. She looks at it for a long while and I know what she is thinking.

She MUST do this instead of Flower.

But if she does so…she will not survive.

There will be a regeneration, so soon after her first body.

I wish I could tell her it won't be HER regenerating, but I know my Sister. If I tell her it is my Thief who will instead of her, she will find another way to do this, and that path will lead to her burning out before he can save her. I will lose my Sister, and my Thief will be destroyed for he knows what she truly is to him even if he has not admitted it to himself yet.

My Sister would not be who she is if she did not try to save others at the risk of herself, without thought for herself.

I see the moment she decides what she will do, for she merely turns and gets to work.

A/N: I love how the TARDIS just gets off topic and off on a different train of thought :) And the tenses! I don't think that'll ever go away lol :) And her names for everyone :) Margaret being 'Greenie' to her and how angry she is that the Slitheen ruined her sister's date with the Doctor :)

I feel like, if the TARDIS had arms, she would have just smushed the Doctor and Angel together and said 'now kiss!' :)

It's sort of funny how she IS a ship and is also probably captain of the Thella ship too :)

Some notes on reviews...

I just have to start by saying I really am so sorry it took so long to get this story going again, and I'm sorry if I worried any of you with the lack of updates :( It's not discontinued or over, just went on a very unplanned hiatus :( But we're back and while it'll be slow going with updates, it'll at least be going ;)

I probably won't do a spin-off based on the AUs, no :( Mostly because the spin-offs are sort of for the main series and the AUs are just deviations of the main story so they might end up being more similar in some areas. That's not to say it's a firm 100 percent no, because I've thought that before and ended up with ideas for stories lol, but at the moment I don't have plans to do an AU of this story to follow an AU of the main series ;)

I'm glad you're enjoying seeing Thella grow from the TARDIS's POV :) I thought it would be an interesting take, given her knowledge of them both and of the future too :) Lol, her nicknames for everyone are just going to keep on coming so I'm very excited to see what she calls some other people ;)