The transport rocked as it set down by the large space liner. Tegan had seen large spaceships in her life and travels with the Doctor and she barely gave it a glance. Peri, however, had only been traveling with the Doctor a little while when they had been separated from him. When the girl twisted to watch the huge, bulking form of the ship, Tegan actually felt a smile tug at her lips. Once, she had been as in awe of the Universe as Peri was, but her four years traveling with the Doctor and the year that she had been separated from him, had made her a more jaded, less awe-struck woman. Indeed, she was approaching her twenty-sixth birthday. Or at least she thought she was. She had lost track. Somehow, it wasn't important any more.

The others in the transport stared at the sign of off-world life as the transport set down. The only thing that amazed her was the sight of the incredible mix of alien life about the landing legs. She saw more Draconians and Ice Warriors; she remembered them. There were other races she had never seen before and she found herself rising to stand next to Peri, gaping, as the transport powered down near the large silver ship.

"Do you know what they are?" Peri whispered, leaning into her friend.

"I know that the large clawed ones are Ice Warriors and the other blue guys are Draconians," Tegan replied. "But I don't have a bloody clue what the others are. Hell's teeth, it looks like this is the UN of the alien world."

"Yeaha regular melting pot," Peri agreed with a grin. The grin faltered as she looked about at the rest of their band.

Tegan nodded. "Yeah, I don't feel much like celebrating either. I wonder what those other races are" her voice drifted off as she caught a glimpse of a hulking silver man by the landing gear of the spaceship." Good God! Cybermen!"

T'ruk joined her at the door of the transport. "Yes, the Cybermen recently joined our cause."

"Those overgrown galactic bullies are fighting with you? They don't play nice at all," Tegan warned quietly. "I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them and that isn't far at all"

The Draconian commander nodded knowingly. "They are known for their relentless fighting abilities and their scorn for other humanoid races, but they have realized that their cause could only be won by joining forces with us. The General's forces are incredibly large."

"Admitting defeat," Tegan groused, "has never been Cybermen's strength." They walked down the ramp and towards the larger ship. When they drew close to the excessively tall metal men, she shivered and Peri laid her hand against her back. Tegan supposed she looked strange: in the last year, she hadn't much shivered about anything.

"Bad memories?" Peri pressed as they walked into the shadow of the ship.

"The worst," Tegan replied.

Together they boarded the large ship not quite prisoners, but not quite guests.

**

The inside of the ship was no more welcoming than the exterior had been. It was a little grander than Tegan had been anticipating, but it did indeed look like a warship. The sleek silver walls looked thick and business like, the hull streamlined. Humanoids and others marched through its interior like a parade ground. Peri edged closer to her as they entered the main corridor of the ship. She extended her arm around her shoulders to give her support as well to cover up her own uneasiness.

She felt as though she was walking through arches of Rome. The soaring architecture as they neared the main conference room of the ship made her feel small and trivial. She had never seen so many people, so many beings together in one place. The sound was deafening. They entered the room from the back and were nearly overwhelmed by the incredible, rising shout that sounded more like a living being than inanimate sound. It grew and grew, threatening to capsize her mind, overwhelm her hearing, and swamp her completely. Peri and she clung to each other as they were lead into the heart of the crowd by the Draconian guard. They passed squat powerfully bodied aliens, Cybermen, humans, Draconians and Ice Warriors as they neared the stage.

Every being was in formation. Every line was straight as an arrow. Uniforms and bodies had seen action, but they were as neat as possible on each soldier.

Then as loud and as deafening as the sound had gotten, it suddenly cut off into equally overwhelming silence.

It was then that Tegan glanced to the stage to see the humanoid who had been speaking, who was apparently the Supreme Coordinator of the Intergalactic Forces.

And when she did, she felt like her breath had been stolen out of her chest. With a gaping mouth and wide eyes, she bent in half as if in pain. Peri, concerned, bent over with her, wrapping her arm about Tegan's shoulders. "What is it, Tegan? What's the matter?"

Tegan gasped and felt like she had been punched in the stomach. All she could do was point to the stage. Supremo had concluded his speech and was walking from the stage. His black uniform fit his slim body impeccably, and his blond hair was short, and almost impossibly groomed. From the distance, they couldn't see the color of the leader's eyes, but Tegan knew his eyes would be blue.

"Good grief," Peri breathed. "It's the Doctor."

**

Tegan felt out of her body as she was led through the rest of the ranks toward the side door. Sound tunneled about her, her sight narrowed until all she could see was directly in front of her. She couldn't feel her feet, couldn't feel her hands. She only knew she was moving. Peri was chattering along side her, smiling. And when the last door was passed, when the aching yawning room that held what felt like half of the Universe was behind them, she started to feel as though she couldn't walk.

He stood at the far side of the room, talking with two other officers. Even from their far off vantage point, she could see that he had lost weight and gained muscle. His skin had tanned, darkened; his thighs were more muscular; his shoulders and arms more powerful. She squinted and shook her head. He hadn't regenerated; he hadn't died. And it was clear he didn't know that Peri or she were there.

The Doctor was talking with his men, pointing to what looked like a star chart. Tegan wanted to know only one thing. She turned to T'ruk and nodded. "He's Supremo?"

"The Supreme Coordinator, yes," the Draconian replied.

Tegan swallowed and barely suppressed the urge to run toward him. She had missed him. Had missed his smiles, his calming voice, and his friendship. She had missed his warmth, his acidic humor, even his frowns. She had missed his cool hands; she had missed his gentle embraces, the few kisses they had shared. And she had missed the thought that they would ever be lovers again.

T'ruk announced that he had brought the leaders of the Sylvana Fighting Force and the Doctor lifted his head to greet them. And he stopped. It looked like he stopped breathing, swallowing, everything

Peri took off next to Tegan and ran to the Doctor, her arms thrown wide. The Time Lord, although definitely embarrassed by Peri's enthusiasm, caught the girl in a friendly embrace. Tegan couldn't hear what Peri was saying or what the Doctor was saying in return. Her ears rang, her throat tightened. She couldn't talk. Couldn't move. And then the Doctor walked down the room toward her. Peri walked behind him, smiling widely. She felt like she was watching a movie. No anger, no happiness, just blank understanding that the Doctor wasn't dead.

"Tegan?!" the Doctor nearly shouted, his voice tight, almost as if he hadn't used it happily in a while and the strain was threatening to break it.

"Doc?" she whispered. He was still several feet from her when she felt the world start to spin. She never felt his arms catch her as she slipped to the ground.

**

"Elevate her arm."

Tegan heard the Doctor's voice next to her and felt his signature cool hands on hers.

"Sirwe have physicians who can see to her."

"And we have two thousand wounded that need them," the Doctor replied. "It looks horrible, but her wound is a simple entry and exit wound of a projectile. I need the searer and the synthetic skin," he muttered. Apparently, no one moved because she heard his characteristic, impatient sigh. "Immediately would be nice."

Several other masculine voices responded and she heard several pairs of feet run off.

"Woman is injured?"

The question was asked in a rough, almost hesitant, barely understandable tone.

"Yes, yes, she is, Trock."

"Woman is your woman?"

The Doctor sighed. "In a manner of speaking, Trock. I have affection for her. She's a friend. Pad her shoulderput your jacket next to her armthat's it, thank you."

"You have two women?"

"Have two women? Heavens no, Trock. Peri is a very young woman. She is under my protection. I don't have her the way you are stating." Tegan felt him prod at her wound but couldn't respond. She felt too weak to do so.

"But this one? I should protect her like I do you, Supreme?"

She sensed the Doctor was smiling and heard a small, quiet chuckle. "Well, not quite. I don't think you should follow her into the bathroom, but in other things, yes."

"Young and fit, Supremo. She will bear good pups for you."

Tegan felt the Doctor hesitate and then his fingers checked her pulse. "Yes, Trock. That she would. But Tegan is not my mate. She will bear me no pups. Ah, thank you, gentlemen. T'ruk? You have medical experience in the field, do you not? Good, hold her head and shoulder still, please." She then felt his cool breath near her face, on her cheek. "Tegan? Tegan, can you hear me?"

She tried to open her mouth and answer him, but all that came out was a squeak. Her throat felt like it was on fire and her arm throbbed. After a few more prodding sentences, she managed to blink open her eyes. His blue, warm eyes were just above hers. "Ah, there you are, Tegan. Wonderful that you could join us. You have a projectile wound in your left shoulder. I'm going to sear it closed and put on the synthetic skin. You did this once for me, remember? But apparently the wound is a little infected. I'll have to drain it first. That's why you feel so weak. Just relax, but stay with me. I know it'll hurt"

"I know," she whispered.

The smile he gave her reminded her that somewhere in that uniform clad Warlord, her friend remained.

He nodded to the Draconian over her shoulder and she felt the blue man's hand close over her ears to hold her steady. She couldn't stand staring at the ceiling, so she stared at the Doctor and watched him bite his lip and concentrate on her wound. Eventually, as he poked and prodded her wound, she closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing. It seemed to stem her pain. And somehow, she supposed, she fell asleep.

**

"Morning, Tegan."

She blinked her eyes and turned to look at Peri. The girl was in new clothes, a black pantsuit and was clean. When Peri was sure she was conscious and would remain that way, she moved her chair over and picked up her hand. "We were worried about you. Apparently the fact that we'd been wet for weeks and underfed led to an infection settling in your wound pretty darn quickly. But you're fine now. The Doc cleared out the wound and bandaged you up like a boy scout."

"Where are we?"

"On board the Doc's command ship. Imagine: that sweet cricketer is a warlord now. He's the Supremo we've been hearing so much about lately." Peri shook her head. "Pretty messed up if you ask me. I would think it would be just about anybody else in the Universe but him. But, boy, am I glad we found him again."

Tegan nodded. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Just the night, maybe eight hours," Peri responded. "But I suppose you want to go see him, don't you? I think you should sleep more and get something hot to eat."

"Hell yes, I want to see him," Tegan growled. "Are you going to help me or"

"I'll help you," Peri laughed. "I've learned better than to keep the Scourge down. Besides, the temporary government leader on Sylvana has named you the on board liaison for military talks between Sylvana and the Intergalactic Forces."

That made Tegan laugh as well. She weakly sat up and rubbed at her injured shoulder. "What on Earth
Sylvana doesn't have a military, Peri. And it didn't have a standing government, either. Who is the temp leader?"

"Johan."

"He's alive?" Tegan was ecstatic.

"Apparently he was very injured, and after we all left, he played dead to avoid being taken as a prisoner and when the Intergalactic Forces took over, he helped to lead them to the main camp"

"That's wonderful," Tegan nearly shouted. A few tears of happiness leaked from her eyes. "I can't think of a better person to do that, but mea liaison? A military liaison?"

"He's united most of the small guerrilla groups. And you're the main liaison. He wants to give support to the Intergalactic forces, but knows you won't over promise what Sylvana has to offer." Peri smiled and leaned forward to take her hand. "I know what you and Johan meant to each other, Tegan. I'm happy for you. We'll have to get you down to see him."

Tegan nodded. "Wonderful. Does he know who we are to the Doctoror Supremo?"

"No," Peri shrugged. "I didn't think to tell him. It didn't seem important at the time." She looked over her shoulder. "You should see what he sent to you to wear to have meetings in"

Tegan groaned. "I'm very afraid"

"The Scourge afraid?" Peri laughed. "That'll be the day."

"Let me talk to him before you put me in any monkey suit, all right?" Tegan barked. "Do we have something like what you're wearing?"

Peri smiled and held up an identical pantsuit to her own. "Let's get you into it."

**

Tegan slowly made her way down the corridor. So far, she had been stopped by two large Ogrons, or at least that was what T'ruk had called them. They had wanted to know if she was the Supremo's woman. She didn't quite know how to answer the question and had nodded in agreement. "I'm a friend of his, yes."

T'ruk had pointed the direction as the large being broke off to walk down another corridor, making his excuses. "I must see to my men and make plans for the planet fall on our next target. If I might take your leave, Tegan of Sylvania? Supremo is waiting for your presence. He is in his conference room at the end of the corridor."

Only another pair of Ogrons barred her way into the conference room. As soon as they recognized her, they parted and she found herself in another smaller, yet infinitely formal room. Somehow, the room was filled with dark wood, paneling and books upon books upon books. It looked like a transplanted room from the TARDIS, she thought. Or her father's study at home. As soon as she opened the door, she became the center of attention of the two men inside. One she knew.

The Doctor sat behind a large glass and wood desk, surrounded by star charts and compilations of papers with Lord knew what on it. The room was fairly dark; the only light in the room shone down on his head like a spotlight. His blond hair had grown darker in the last year, but it still fell in fine wisps about his brow. And when his gaze lifted, she found she felt warm and protected again. He rose as did the man he was talking to and they both faced her. The other man was wearing an ornate uniform, quite different from the clothes that the Doctor wore. He was a full head shorter and a little heavier than her friend. He looked older too, but Tegan knew better than to assume age by appearance after being around the Doctor for as long as she had. He had dark brown hair and a piercing gaze.

"Tegan," the Doctor said, happily. He rounded the desk and approached her. When he drew within a couple of feet of her, he stopped, suddenly undecided about his direction and action. "Your arm?"

"Better," she said her voice hoarse. She caressed her elbow with one hand. Her own voice sounded small and almost childlike to her ears as she continued. "I thought you were dead."

The other man laughed and rose. "Supreme Commander? I think you should spend a little time with your friendTegan, is it? It's wonderful to meet you, dear. Shall I order a meeting tomorrow with your Commanders?"

"That sounds excellent, Vidal," the Doctor replied, his eyes not leaving Tegan. "Have the meeting start at 0700 standard, please."

"As you wish, Supremo," Vidal responded and rose. Before Tegan even knew he was going to leave, the man had left through a side door.

And the Doctor was staring at her.

"Where have you been?" she asked quietly. "Rabbits, I thought you were dead."

"I assure you, Tegan," he replied, his voice equally quiet. "I am quite alive and very much well."

"You took your time finding us," she stated, fighting her urge to embrace him.

"The Universe is a rather large place," the Doctor stated, his voice just a tad bit louder than a whisper. "I was trying to find you; this was the easiest way to comb the largest space possible for you, for Peri."

She tilted her head to the side, lifting her good hand to rub at her hair. She had left it down from her ponytail and her head ached. His head inclined, as if to make his eyes more shadowed, softer. Unable and quite unwilling to continue with the distance as it was, both physically and emotionally, she took the last two steps to him. His arms were already open.

He gently held her, his arm avoiding her injury. Her cheek lay against his cool linen shirt and cooler body underneath. She expected his arms to hold her loosely, but she was surprised by the sheer force of his embrace. There were no words said, she couldn't talk. It had been so long since she had smelled his familiar scent and felt his cool skin. She didn't want to talk, she just wanted to hold him and be held.

"I'm quite taken with you, Tegan." She had felt his arms about her then too. They had been dancing at a restaurant in London. She wore a simple black dress; he wore a simple suit.
"That's quite the ringing endorsement, there, Doc"
"I'm not good with talking about these things, Tegan."
"No, and I'm not much better at it, mouth on legs or not."
His arms had tightened and she had pressed against his cool body: legs to legs, torso to torso, chest to chest. As the song drew to an end and they ended their dance, he had tilted her head back with a finger under her chin. He hadn't kissed her but his eyes were so tender and sweet that she felt like melting. How she had fallen for him so soundly was beyond her comprehension.

She closed her eyes and let this dark, strange man that was her friend hold her tightly, hearing the words from the past washing over her.