Yaz had to admit, the Doctor had been right. As she worked her third shift of the week, she was happy to say that the memories that had resurfaced on the TARDIS weren't bothering her as much. Obviously, it would take time to adjust to them, but she was no longer withdrawn. Throwing herself into her police work had been the medicine she'd needed. She worked parking disputes, and admin tasks, but she didn't mind. She knew why. She knew she was going back to travelling, to her new life soon, and that filled her with the motivation she needed to continue with her work. Even work had seemed to become more exciting, with more cases opening up, such as missing persons.

The beauty of time travel is that Yaz could be gone for months, but her Earth life would remain paused, so she could pick up right where she had left off. It worked for the short term, but Yaz had started thinking about the long term. What happened if she came back at the wrong time? Or what about when she started ageing? Sure, she was young now, but she wouldn't always be. She didn't know how long she had with the Doctor, so it was important to keep up her home life. But on the other hand, she couldn't imagine herself giving up travelling voluntarily. She wanted to travel with the Doctor forever, although that all depended on whether the Doctor would want her for that long. They hadn't really discussed the future, any of them as a group. They had just enjoyed the present.

Well, Yaz was here in the present, her real present, and she could already feel the slow pull of real-time pulling slowly at her consciousness. She'd never noticed it before, how slow the slow path truly was. No wonder the Doctor kept travelling.

Since taking on her shifts, she hadn't seen the Doctor, or Ryan or Graham. Sure, it had only been four days, but when you are together pretty much 24/7, it feels really weird not to be with them. She especially missed the Doctor's company; her constant optimism and warmth. Thinking about the Doctor filled Yaz with a happiness she couldn't quite describe. She was still grappling with what her feelings meant, but the more she thought about the blonde woman, the more she seemed to be sealed into Yaz's heart. Thinking about what the Doctor was doing at that present moment, probably tinkering about the in the TARDIS, got Yaz through the dull tasks of her day. She thought she'd stop by the TARDIS tonight, maybe invite the Doctor to dinner with her family; properly this time.

Yaz grinned to herself, as she made her way to work. She pulled into the station, and headed for the locker room. She changed into her uniform, and put her personal possessions into her locker. She checked her phone one more time, but there were no messages. Well, it was still early. She paused, before deciding to call the TARDIS. Might as well ask the Doctor now if she wanted to come for dinner! The tone kept ringing, but there was no answer. Yaz hung up, a little bit deflated, and put her phone in the locker. The Doctor was probably busy, no biggie. But Yaz would have liked to have spoken to her, even if it was just for a minute.

She made her way through the corridors of the station, in search of Ramesh, her supervisor. They had a funny relationship, as Yaz was always pestering him for exciting tasks. She liked to think of him as her work brother, as he seemed to have a bit of soft spot for her and had taken her under his wing. In a way, he was the reason she had met the Doctor in the first place. If he hadn't assigned her Ryan's case, she might never have met her. So she was very grateful for Ramesh.

She was about to turn into his office, crack some joke in greeting, when she stopped in her tracks. There, sitting on the desk next to her supervisor, was the Doctor. Yaz's eyes widened in surprise, as the Doctor smiled up at her. However, she shook her head at Yaz, mimicking a zip across her mouth. Yaz understood; pretend not to know her. Easier said than done, Doctor. Luckily Ramesh hadn't noticed their interchange. He turned when he heard Yaz enter.

'Hi Yaz. Listen, bit of a surprise, but the Police Commissioner's office are going round doing random checks of all the northern stations. We've been selected, and as you're our newest officer, you've been chosen.' He turned to the Doctor, who was trying to pull her best official face. Yaz would have laughed if she hadn't been so confused. 'Yaz, this is Jane Smith.' The Doctor stuck her hand out for Yaz to shake.

'Hi Yaz, pleasure to meet you.' Yaz took the Doctor's hand and shook it. She could swear the Doctor squeezed her hand for a moment longer than necessary, before retracting it. She clapped her hands together in excitement. 'Right, so we'd best get started. Lots to evaluate!' Ramesh gave her the side eye but didn't pass comment. He raised his eyebrows at Yaz, conveying his thoughts. The Doctor didn't notice, as she bounded out of his office. Yaz smiled at him.

'Don't worry Ramesh, I'll be on my best behaviour.'

'Wouldn't expect anything less from you, Yaz.' She grinned at him, before turning to follow the Doctor. What an interesting day this was going to be!

Xxx

Once in the safety of her patrol car, Yaz pulled out of the station and set off on her rounds. The Doctor was in the passenger seat next to her, looking out of the window at the world around her. Yaz grinned to herself, but she was still totally confused. After a few minutes of silence, she finally interrupted the Doctor's thoughts.

'So, Jane, what kind of things are you assessing today?' The Doctor turned away from the window, looking up at Yaz, a mischievous smile on her face.

'Oh, y'know, police things.'

'What kind of police things?' Yaz countered.

'Police things, like… the blue lights and sirens.'

'I am not putting the sirens on.'

'Oh go on Yaz, please!'

Yaz threw a smile at the Doctor, who stuck her tongue out at the police officer.

'Not until there's a proper emergency, Jane.'

The Doctor pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

'You're no fun, PC Khan.'

'Am I going to get written up for misconduct?' Yaz joked. The Doctor mock-glared at her, looking like a small child.

'Yep, you're getting the worst rating the Police Commissioner can give out.'

'Oh, so you're blackmailing me now? Threatening a bad mark if I don't put the siren on?'

'And the lights.'

'Well Jane, how very unethical. I guess we'll both lose out.' They shared a look, and cracked up with laughter. The Doctor looked utterly ridiculous, as she slumped in her seat with her arms crossed over her chest. She grinned at Yaz. She smiled at her in return, before setting her eyes back on the road. She couldn't let herself get distracted by the Doctor, especially not when she was driving.

'Now, Doctor, not that I'm not pleased to see you, but… why are you here?'

'What do you mean?'

'Why are you pretending to be inspecting the station? Or in particular, me?'

The Doctor paused, deliberating over her answer. She chewed her lip in thought.

'I know you've only been back at work for a few days, but have you had much to do with the missing person's cases?' Yaz glanced at her in surprise, as she steered down another road.

'Yeah, but how do you know about those?' Since being back at work, there had been an unusual amount of missing people being reported into the station. It had been a change of work for Yaz, as more staff were needed to conduct enquiries for the reports. The Doctor shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

'I have my methods.'

'Your deductive methods?'

'If you like.' The Doctor hesitated, then said 'the TARDIS has been picking up incoming transmissions and I just noticed they seemed unusual. Thought it couldn't hurt to investigate.'

Yaz stayed quiet for a moment, taking in what the Doctor was saying. She nodded.

'So you've gone undercover?' Yaz enquired. She hoped the Doctor wouldn't get found out, but Yaz knew she couldn't stop her friend when people were in trouble. She would never begrudge the Doctor helping people. Even if it put Yaz's job at risk. The Doctor flashed the psychic paper in her periphery.

'Jane Smith, at your service. I used to go by John Smith, but I guess that had to change. Although maybe I could keep it up on other planets. Having said that, I quite like Jane Smith. Reminds me of a friend I once knew…'

'Doctor, you're babbling,' Yaz commented fondly. The Doctor smiled sheepishly, putting the psychic paper away.

'Sorry, y'know I'm a bit of a rambler.'

'I didn't say I minded.' Yaz flashed her another warm smile. 'I like your rambling,' she reassured the Doctor. She could sense the Doctor smiling back. There was a companionable silence for a couple of minutes, as Yaz cruised the streets, searching for conflicts and dangers.

'There was another reason I went undercover,' the Doctor confessed, voice just above a whisper. The gentle way the Doctor had announced that surprised Yaz.

'What's that?' She asked, matching the softness and tone of the Doctor's voice. The Doctor opened her mouth to answer, when she was interrupted by an incoming transmission.

'Yaz, Ramesh here. We need someone to go and interview a family of a missing person. You're in the area, can you go and do it? We're swamped back here.'

'Yeah of course, what's the address?'

Ramesh gave details over the intercom, and Yaz digested the information. They were literally a minute's drive away, so they were best placed to go and investigate. Ramesh thanked her and buzzed off the intercom. Yaz spun the wheel and turned down a new street.

'Looks like we're investigating after all,' Yaz confirmed to the Doctor. Yaz hadn't forgotten the conversation from before, but she had something more urgent to focus on now. She had to do her job.

'Yes we are. The dream team!' The Doctor exclaimed, a slight bounce in her seat. Yaz couldn't help but smile at the Doctor's enthusiasm.

Xxx

They pulled up the house in question. It reminded Yaz of Graham and Ryan's house a bit, with its terraced style and long path up to the front door. She turned to the Doctor fully now, ready to brief her.

'We're going to interview a couple; male, 37, and the woman is 34. The woman's dad has gone missing, 77, and they haven't seen him for two days. This isn't like him, according to the woman. Ready?' She asked the Doctor, already knowing the answer.

'Ready.'

Together, they made their way up the garden path. Yaz knocked on the door, whilst reaching into her pocket to receive her badge. She gestured for the Doctor to do the same with the psychic paper. The door opened to show a young woman. The woman herself was blonde, hair pulled back into a pony tail. She was wearing a dark tracksuit, contrasting against the paleness of her skin.

'Yeah, what do you want?' She asked bluntly, taking in Yaz's uniform. She vision flickered briefly over the Doctor. Yaz held up her badge, hoping to diffuse the unease that had built up in her stomach.

'Hello Trisha, my name's PC Khan, and this is Jane Smith. We're here to ask you a few questions about your Dad. You reported him missing a couple of days ago.' Recognition seemed to flicker on the woman's face, but she still seemed stand offish.

'Why'd you need to ask me questions?'

'Just to get a fuller picture of what happened. See if there's anything that could help us further with finding your dad.' Yaz paused. 'Do you have a few moments now?' Trisha nodded.

'Yeah come in. I don't have long though, so you'll have to be quick.' She let Yaz and the Doctor into her house, closing the front door behind them. She gestured to the living room. Yaz and the Doctor took a seat on the sofa, whilst the woman took a seat across from them in an armchair.

'Thank you for letting us in, we appreciate your time, Trisha. We just need to ask a few questions, then we'll get out of your hair.'

'Go ahead, but please be quick. I have somewhere I need to be soon.'

'Of course Trisha. Firstly, when did you last see your dad?'

'Couple of days ago.'

'And where did you see him?' Yaz asked, wanting to get to the bottom of this story. The young woman across from her didn't seem particularly bothered about her dad, which she found a little strange. She filed away her reaction for later, not wanting to judge the woman prematurely. People react in different ways in hard times, after all.

'He was here. He went out to get some milk and didn't come back.'

The Doctor leaned forward, resting on her elbows.

'What time of day was this?'

'Dunno, about 3pm. I've tried calling but there's no response.' Yaz made some notes in her pocket book, in case she'd need to refer to them later.

'Can you confirm who lives at this address?' Yaz questioned.

'Me, my husband and my Dad.' Trisha answered, seeming to be getting bored of the questions.

'Is your husband home now?' The Doctor inquired, glancing around at the small room. Trisha shook her head.

'Nope, just me. My husband is at work.' Yaz made more notes, then continued questioning.

'Who reported your dad missing? Was it you, Trisha?'

'Yeah, it was me. I get worried because he wonders around a lot. Got a touch of dementia, he has.'

'So, this isn't the first time he's gone missing?' The Doctor enquired. She was studying Trisha, Yaz could tell. So it wasn't just her reading something off about the young woman.

'Yeah, he's gone walkabout before, but not for this long. I just worry, what with him getting a bit old and all.' The way she was delivering her sentences was very monotonous for someone claiming to be worried. Yaz wanted nothing more than to confer with the Doctor, but that would raise suspicion. Luckily, the Doctor had other ideas.

'Do you mind if I use your loo?' The Doctor put on her best apologetic face. Yaz knew exactly what she was planning on doing; investigating from the inside. Trisha shrugged.

'Fine, but you'll have to use the one upstairs. Downstairs one is broken.'

The Doctor got up to leave the room. She glanced at Yaz briefly, winked, and left. She could hear the Doctor creaking up the stairs, footsteps echoing off the rough wood. Yaz turned back to Trisha, pocket book in hand.

'We'll be out of your hair soon Trisha. What was your Dad wearing, the last time you saw him?'

'Erm, jeans, white trainers, blue jacket.'

'Thanks Trisha. Does he have any tattoos, scars or birthmarks that might mark him out from other people?' Trisha shook her head.

'No, he doesn't. He's balding up top though.' Yaz noted it down. Trisha huffed, clearly having enough. Yaz asked a couple more questions, before Trisha interrupted.

'Look, I don't want to be rude, but are you done? Why am I getting questioned like I'm a criminal?' Yaz really didn't like this woman, but as a police officer, you had to be impartial.

'You're not on trial, Trisha. We just want to help you find your dad. That's all.' Yaz put away her pocket book, and made to stand up. 'Thank you for your time Trisha.' Just as she thought about getting the Doctor down, she heard a crash coming from upstairs.

Yaz turned to Trisha. Something felt really wrong.

'You said there was no one else home.'

'Well, that's clearly your friend, isn't it?'

The crash was followed by a scream; the Doctor's scream.

Yaz was up the stairs in a heartbeat. Trisha had made an attempt to tell her not to go, but it fell on deaf ears. Yaz took two steps at a time, coming to the landing.

'Doctor?' She called out, not sure where the scream had come from. She heard banging from what she assumed was the bathroom. The door was closed, so she crashed her shoulder against it. The door didn't budge, but she could hear a scuffle coming from the other side. This time, she threw her whole weight against the door and it banged open. Inside the small bathroom, was a large, greasy man holding the Doctor in a headlock. The Doctor had clearly attempted to get away from him, as he had reddening scratch marks up his arms.

'Yaz, stay back!' The Doctor warned her, eyes widening in fear for her friend. Looking closer, Yaz could see the man had some sort of syringe held at the Doctor's neck.

'Come any closer, and your friend gets it!' The thug told her menacingly. Yaz couldn't tell if there was anything in the syringe from this angle, but the needle still looked way too large. It could really do some damage. Yaz could hear Trisha pelting up the stairs after her. She knew that if Trisha got to the top of the stairs quick enough, she could block them both in with the huge man. That would leave Yaz defenceless.

Glancing back at the Doctor, Yaz made a snap decision. She pounced out of the bathroom and collided with Trisha. The other woman clearly hadn't expected Yaz to pull that move, as her arms went flailing. Yaz fell on top of her, and quickly pulled out her handcuffs. Within a flash, Trish was apprehended, as Yaz sat astride her. Yaz jumped up, shoving Trisha back down.

'Don't you move.' Trisha struggled against the handcuffs. She was lying awkwardly on her front, and her arms were handcuffed behind her back. She wouldn't be able to stand up without assistance.

Yaz was back in the bathroom within seconds. Trisha was down, but she had to deal with the bigger problem here. The man still held the Doctor firmly against his chest, but one of his arms had slipped to around her waist. The other hand held the syringe roughly at her throat.

'Come closer and I'll strike.' The Doctor's eyes were bulging, the lack of oxygen getting to her. She struggled against him, but he held her in place. He smirked. Yaz snapped back into negotiator mode.

'What do you want?' She asked, keeping her voice as neutral as possible. One of the lessons the Doctor had taught her, is that everything is negotiable. Everything in the universe wants something. The huge man held the syringe closer to the Doctor's skin.

'Power. Money.'

'And how are you going to get it?' The man gestured to the Doctor in his arms.

'Through this alien right here. Apparently she's quite valuable.' Yaz felt her blood run cold. Okay, so Trisha and her husband knew about aliens. And the Doctor. God knows what else they knew about. The Doctor struggled, but managed to speak.

'Nah, not me mate. Think there's been a big misunderstanding.' Yaz had to think fast. She had maybe minutes before a fight would go down. She could sense it.

'Yeah, she's right. She's not the alien, I am.' Yaz told him, urging him to drop the syringe. The Doctor looked at her stunned. She started to shake her head, protesting at what Yaz was trying to do.

'Yaz, don't…'

She ignored the Doctor in favour of keeping the man distracted.

'Come on sir, drop my friend. She has nothing to do with this. I'm the alien, take me instead.' Yaz could see the Doctor desperately struggling. The man looked between them, starting to get confused. Yaz could see her plan was maybe starting to work.

'How, how can I tell…' He was interrupted by Trisha thrashing around on the landing. She was calling out to him, distracting him.

'Ignore the police officer, the blonde one's the alien.' Another bang. 'I scanned her when she came in. Do it Daryl, get what you need!' At last, Yaz had a name. She could work better with convicts when she knew their name. Made it easier to reach them.

'Come on Daryl, drop the syringe. You don't need to do this.' She started to approach him gently, hands reaching out. 'Be the bigger man. Give me the syringe, and no harm will come to you.' She edged closer. He looked between her and the struggling Doctor. He looked confused. Yaz suspected he wasn't the brains of the operation. He held it lightly in his hands, clearly debating what to do with it. Trisha called out again.

'Daryl, the money! Think of the money!'

Yaz could pinpoint the exact moment he had changed his mind. His eyes flashed with certainty, the pound signs practically gleaming in them. His large fingers were shaking as he held the syringe. He drew his arm back, ready to pierce the Doctor's neck. Time slowed down, as Yaz watched the scene in horror. The Doctor looked at her, terrified.

Yaz wasn't sure when her feet started moving, but she felt herself pelting towards Daryl. She was closer now, so it was easier to reach him. The adrenaline coursed through her as she pushed away his arm with the syringe. Catching him by surprise, he let go of the Doctor momentarily. It was enough to dislodge the syringe away from her neck. Yaz attempted to restrain Daryl's arm behind his back, but he was a second too quick. The Doctor raced towards Yaz, but let out a yell of pain just before she made it. Daryl had lodged the syringe into her shoulder, missing her neck by centimetres. He stabbed it into her, letting it fill with blood.

The Doctor cried out, head drawn back in agony. Daryl ripped the syringe from her, causing the blood to drip out of the needle and onto her coat and the floor. The Doctor tumbled forward, losing her balance. Yaz caught her, just in time. He chanted out in glee.

'Trisha, Trisha, I've got it!' He looked up at the small bathroom ceiling and called out. 'Masters, we have retrieved the sample!' Before the Doctor and Yaz could react, Daryl was bathed in blue light. Yaz turned to see the same blue light was emanating from the corridor. Within seconds, the brute and his wife vanished from the small house. For a few stunned seconds, Yaz stared at the spot where the threat had just been standing. What the hell had just happened?

A groan from the Doctor brought her back to the present. Yaz was holding her up, but the Doctor's knees were buckling beneath her. Yaz helped her to the ground, kneeling with her.

'Doctor, Doctor are you alright?' Gritting her teeth, the Doctor shook her head. Her hand clutched her shoulder, trying to stop the flow of blood.

'He stabbed me. Took some of my blood.' She hissed in pain, trying to get a better look.

Yaz turned the Doctor in her arms to get a better look. The Doctor had her hand clamped around the wound, but Yaz could see the blood starting to pool around the edges of her fingers. She gasped, but snapped back into police officer mode.

'Doctor, you're still bleeding. I need to check to see if he's hit a major artery.' She tried to prize the Doctor's fingers away from the wound. Slowly, the Doctor obliged. Yaz peeled back the Doctor's now blood-soaked coat, and tried to pull her t-shirt to the side of her shoulder to gain a better view. There was a nasty gash where the syringe had gone in, but it appeared to be a shallow wound. The Doctor was watching her face intently.

'It's not deep, but it is still bleeding. I'm gonna need to patch you up.'

'Yaz, we need to go…'

'You're not going anywhere until I've cleaned you up.' The Doctor shut up, noting the concern on Yaz's face.

'Alright, Yaz,' she complied.

The police officer got to work on making a make-shift bandage from whatever she could find in the bathroom. Using a first aid kit found in the medicine cabinet, within a few minutes she had cleaned up the Doctor's wound and had covered it up. Gently, she pulled the Doctor's shirts over the wound, but insisted she take off her coat. The Doctor winced.

'I can't go to hospital…' she started to remind Yaz.

'I know you can't. Don't worry, I'll get you back to the TARDIS. Can you move? We need to get out of here now!' The Doctor nodded. Yaz helped her to her feet, as they made their way back to safety.

Xxx

It had been a hell of a day. Yaz didn't even know how to explain what had happened back at the station, so she gave Ramesh the abridged version. She'd lied to him about the Doctor going to hospital, but he didn't need to know. He gave her the next couple of days off to recuperate, and offered her the chance to speak to a counsellor. She waved him off, but took him up on the couple of days of respite.

Yaz found herself back in the TARDIS, coming to find the Doctor. Both she and the Doctor had agreed that they would tell Ryan and Graham the next day, as the Doctor needed to recuperate. Well, it was more Yaz instructing the Doctor she needed rest. The Doctor grumbled, but didn't resist.

Yaz close the TARDIS door behind her, and walked up the console to find the Doctor nursing her shoulder. The Doctor put on a good show when Yaz was around, but in the few seconds she thought she was alone, she was wincing in pain. Her expression changed when she caught sight of Yaz.

'Hello you,' she said softly, smiling warmly at her companion. Yaz couldn't help but reciprocate.

'Hey, how's the arm?' She asked, gesturing towards her shoulder.

'I've been through worse. What about you, are you okay? Yaz nodded in the affirmative.

'Work have given me a couple of days off.'

'Oh that's good. Give you the chance to recuperate.' The Doctor looked down at her feet. 'I'm sorry you had to go through that.'

Yaz hated it when the Doctor blamed herself. She moved forward, coming to stand next to the Doctor. She tugged gently on the Doctor's sleeve to get her attention. Turns out the Doctor had acquired multiple versions of her coat over her travels, so she had a new version of it on. The Doctor glanced up at her, peeking up from beneath her blonde fringe.

'Don't do that, Doctor. It wasn't your fault.' Yaz still had her hand on the Doctor's sleeve, fingers still clutching the material. The Doctor let her fingers move out from under her sleeve to capture Yaz's hand in hers.

'They knew me. They targeted you to get to me. I don't even know who they are.' Yaz let her hand clasp the Doctor's a little tighter.

'One thing at a time, Doctor. Focus on recovery, then we'll go and catch them. I want you in one piece, you got that?' Yaz chastised. The Doctor nodded.

'Yes, ma'am.'

There was a comfortable silence, where the Doctor let their hands gently sway between them. Yaz thought back through the events of the day. How her day had started off so brilliantly, with the Doctor tagging along on her shift. It had been going so great until they entered that house. She thought back to their conversation in the car, when she remembered something the Doctor had been going to say.

'Doctor, earlier, you were saying you had another reason for going undercover. What was it?' She asked, genuinely curious. The Doctor looked at her under long lashes, and blushed. The Time Lord was actually blushing!

'Oh that, erm, well… I…' she babbled, trying to come up with an answer. Yaz looked at her, inquisitive. Now she was definitely interested.

'Doctor?' She squeezed her hand, awaiting a response. The Doctor sighed, before squeezing back. She looked into Yaz's eyes, pupils dilating.

'I was missing you. Going undercover meant I could try and help those people, but it also meant I could hang out with you all day.' She paused, unsure of herself. 'I hope that wasn't creepy. I'm still learning about myself, and I don't know if that's proper etiquette.' Yaz's mouth fell open in shock. Had the Doctor just admitted to missing her? Not only that, but faking an identity just to spend time with her? The Doctor turned her head away, a little embarrassed. 'I'm sorry if that wasn't okay…' She was cut off by Yaz pulling her into a gentle hug, minding her injured shoulder.

'You're so daft Doctor, of course it was okay!' She felt the Doctor sigh out in relief, relaxing into Yaz's hold.

'Well that's a relief.'

'If it's any consolation… I was missing you too.' She felt the Doctor smile into her shoulder.

'Yeah?' She questioned softly. Yaz smiled to herself.

'Yeah.' She felt the Doctor bring her good arm to wrap around Yaz's waist, pulling her closer. Tomorrow they would have to think about the consequences of the day's events. Today, they could just enjoy being safe, and focus on one another.