The Doctor decided a few hours of rest and relaxation would not kill him.
The sunset over the beaches of Morocco was indeed a sight to behold.
Almost worthy of the Eye of Orion, he thought.
He settled into one of the two beach chairs he had pulled from the TARDIS. Perri had already left hers to get in the water. He opened the small cooler he had packed for them and removed a container of lemonade. As soon as he was comfortable, he flipped open the journal.
"Entry 15"
" A lot has happened since my last entry. The Mara finally resurfaced in me. The feeling of hate almost consumed me. It's dead now. Gone forever. The Doctor is being very hard on himself for not seeing how the encounter on Deva Loka had affected me. That subconsciously I was still possessed. Of course I never told him about making eye contact with the snake in the circle of mirrors. He's apologized over and over. I should have told him. I had every intention of leaving today. I even asked the Doctor to take me home. Just like old times huh? I can't even trust that I ever really wanted to come back. It could have been the Mara inside of me all along. It knew it could use me to get to Manussa and it did. But the Doctor was so kind to me. He held me. Physically and emotionally. Once again making me feel vulnerable and indestructible all at once. I'm sorry. I'm not making any sense. It will take a while for it all to really sink in. For my mind to heal. I'm still having awful dreams but I don't feel the anger anymore. So, instead of going home we wound up on an ancient spaceliner and that led to meeting the most famous of the Doctor's old friends. Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart himself. Oh how many stories I have listened too about the Brigadier. The Doctor seems to have utmost respect for him and I can understand why. He's one of the nicest men I've ever met." She stopped talking for a moment pondering her next few thoughts. "The Doctor was willing to give up his remaining lives to save me and Nyssa. He would have done it without a second thought. I thanked him for it afterwards. He tried not showing any emotion but I could see it in his eyes. And when our eyes met, I knew I would do the same for him. I would give my life so that this beautiful shining white knight could continue to kill the dragons. Rabbits! That is so sappy. But it's true. I don't really understand my feelings for him. I just know that now I can't imagine my life without him."
The Doctor smiled a sad smile. His own life had become strangely empty without her. He still couldn't fully understand what that meant. He was certainly more emotional than most Time Lords were. He could never detach himself fully. No matter how hard he tried. So eventually he stopped trying. Companions came and went and it seemed that they had all taken a little of him with them. Tegan had taken the most.
Peri was enjoying herself in the shallow waves. She had already accrued a small party of eager male admirers. He looked to an area of sand where two small children were playing. A small girl of about five, he would guess, and a boy not much larger than an infant were building sandcastles. The boy picked up the spade like a spoon and began to taste the sand. The Doctor smiled and then heard the voice of which he presumed to belong to their mother.
"No Michael! For pity's sake don't eat that!"
The Doctor almost fell out of his chair as a brilliant white flash and an incredible noise seemed to pierce his brain. He looked back at the children only to find them no longer there. He stood up and staggered to where they had been. There was no evidence they had ever been there. No bucket or spade or sand castles. The only disturbances in the sand were his own footprints.
Another assault on his mind sent him sprawling on the ground. Names flashed into his mind. Michael and...and Amy. Memories that were his and yet not.
"Something's not right," he said to himself.
He settled into one of the two beach chairs he had pulled from the TARDIS. Perri had already left hers to get in the water. He opened the small cooler he had packed for them and removed a container of lemonade. As soon as he was comfortable, he flipped open the journal.
"Entry 15"
" A lot has happened since my last entry. The Mara finally resurfaced in me. The feeling of hate almost consumed me. It's dead now. Gone forever. The Doctor is being very hard on himself for not seeing how the encounter on Deva Loka had affected me. That subconsciously I was still possessed. Of course I never told him about making eye contact with the snake in the circle of mirrors. He's apologized over and over. I should have told him. I had every intention of leaving today. I even asked the Doctor to take me home. Just like old times huh? I can't even trust that I ever really wanted to come back. It could have been the Mara inside of me all along. It knew it could use me to get to Manussa and it did. But the Doctor was so kind to me. He held me. Physically and emotionally. Once again making me feel vulnerable and indestructible all at once. I'm sorry. I'm not making any sense. It will take a while for it all to really sink in. For my mind to heal. I'm still having awful dreams but I don't feel the anger anymore. So, instead of going home we wound up on an ancient spaceliner and that led to meeting the most famous of the Doctor's old friends. Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart himself. Oh how many stories I have listened too about the Brigadier. The Doctor seems to have utmost respect for him and I can understand why. He's one of the nicest men I've ever met." She stopped talking for a moment pondering her next few thoughts. "The Doctor was willing to give up his remaining lives to save me and Nyssa. He would have done it without a second thought. I thanked him for it afterwards. He tried not showing any emotion but I could see it in his eyes. And when our eyes met, I knew I would do the same for him. I would give my life so that this beautiful shining white knight could continue to kill the dragons. Rabbits! That is so sappy. But it's true. I don't really understand my feelings for him. I just know that now I can't imagine my life without him."
The Doctor smiled a sad smile. His own life had become strangely empty without her. He still couldn't fully understand what that meant. He was certainly more emotional than most Time Lords were. He could never detach himself fully. No matter how hard he tried. So eventually he stopped trying. Companions came and went and it seemed that they had all taken a little of him with them. Tegan had taken the most.
Peri was enjoying herself in the shallow waves. She had already accrued a small party of eager male admirers. He looked to an area of sand where two small children were playing. A small girl of about five, he would guess, and a boy not much larger than an infant were building sandcastles. The boy picked up the spade like a spoon and began to taste the sand. The Doctor smiled and then heard the voice of which he presumed to belong to their mother.
"No Michael! For pity's sake don't eat that!"
The Doctor almost fell out of his chair as a brilliant white flash and an incredible noise seemed to pierce his brain. He looked back at the children only to find them no longer there. He stood up and staggered to where they had been. There was no evidence they had ever been there. No bucket or spade or sand castles. The only disturbances in the sand were his own footprints.
Another assault on his mind sent him sprawling on the ground. Names flashed into his mind. Michael and...and Amy. Memories that were his and yet not.
"Something's not right," he said to himself.