A/N: This chapter is dedicated to the memory of Kate O'Mara, a beautiful and talented actress actress and an incredible person.

There is also a very interesting sort-of surprise in store for all of you. And some Jo being adorable. I just love her. There are also some fluffles and stuff and I'm sorry if it's to much. From the Doctor's perspective, it makes sense... You'll see.

The majority of this was written on the wattpad app, so I apologize now for any mistakes.

Three breathed into my hair, his arms tight and comforting around my waist and shoulders. I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my face in the curve of his neck. A headache was starting in my temples, but I didn't think anything about it.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. Little tired."

The Doctor cupped the back of my head in his hands and slowly pulled away. He gazed down at me with a gentle and worried expression on his face. The hint of a smile worked it way onto his face and he leaned forward to press a kiss to my forehead.

"The effects of the vortex will probably start soon," he muttered. "We're not far from your room. I'll walk with you."

"Okay."

He dropped his arms and reached for my left hand. I took it with a smile and let him lead me down the hallway. We had been walking for only a few minutes when I decided to speak again.

"So, timeline," I began a little awkwardly. "Where are we?"

The Doctor quickly looked down at the ground. "You wouldn't happen to remember when I tried to force you to not get a job, would you?"

"I do," I answered with a nod.

He glanced over at me, tightening his grip on my hand. "I'm sorry. You do know that, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"Diana," he said as he pulled on my hand and stopped walking, his voice shaking a little, "I am so sorry. I promise I won't ever stop you from getting something as simple as a job again. And I won't ever again hurt you the way I did."

I nodded. "Thank you."

"I truly am sorry. I swear it."

"I believe you."

The Doctor brought his arms up and gently cradled my face in his hands. I smiled and put my hands over his. He sighed and asked, "What can I do? How can I make it up to you?"

"Just don't do it again," I answered. I thought about what Twelve had said to me before I left and I said, "I've forgiven you. You made a mistake, Doctor, and I know you can't fix it, but I forgive you. I have to. I don't want us to fight anymore because it makes me sad and I hate it. So yes, I forgive you."

"Even though I hurt you?"

"Yes! Of course." I sighed and looked away from his eyes to gather my thoughts. "I need to be mature about this, not try and get back at you for it. Y'know? And I didn't realize it at first because I was angry and stubborn and I just want you to be hurt like I was, but... you were just looking after me."

"That's all I ever want to do, Diana. Look after you because I love you."

I felt my eyes widen at the Doctor's declaration. I quickly looked back up into his eyes in surprise. His lips were curved upwards slightly and he had hope in his eyes. My heart skipped a beat and my head felt like it was spinning.

Love? Love... He what?

"I thought after we fought that I might not see you again," he finally said. "After two years of being married, I was so terrified that I had lost you. And I had no way of going after you to apologize. I had to hope that you would come back to me."

Oh, God, I mentally gasped. He thinks I'm married to him right now.

"But you did. You came back and..." The Doctor's sad and worried expression turned into a wide smile. "I've never been so happy."

I nodded and gave him my most reassuring smile. I tried to think of something to say that wouldn't make him suspect I was lying and all I could think of was, "Two years?"

He laughed and nodded. "It's been on and off for you, but for me it's been two years. The others think that we've only been married for about a month, but they don't know that you use your powers to make the TARDIS leave and come back again."

"A month?" I repeated.

"Give or take a few days, of course."

I nodded absently and said, "Of course."

Married. Two years? I don't even know if I love him right now, forget the fact that I could be married to him. I looked back into the Doctor's eyes and smiled a little. He smiled back and gently pulled me forward into a simple kiss. I can't tell him. He's so happy to see me and if he knows that I'm not married... He'll probably feel embarrassed and disappointed and I can't do that to him... Oh no. What if he wants to do-...?

I pushed my hands against the Doctor's chest and pulled away. He gave me a confused look and gently reached for my arm. "What's wrong?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Vortex," I lied. "I-I don't feel good."

"I'm sorry, my dear. I didn't know."

"It's fine," I assured him. "I just need to rest."

The Doctor nodded in understanding. "Do you want me to stay with you?"

"No! Er, no... Sorry. I'm not myself right now."

I ran a hand through my hair, then turned and ran off in search of my bedroom. I felt embarrassed, nervous and ridiculous and wanted the safety of my room where I could write out my feelings in my journal. The TARDIS could tell how distressed I was and helped guide me to my room.

As soon as I entered the room, I fell onto the bed with a heavy sigh. I turned onto my back and stared up at the ceiling in silence. Thoughts of fear and excitement were racing through my mind as I thought the idea of marriage over.

I'm only eighteen, I told myself. I can't let myself get in a relationship like that when I'm only eighteen. If my mother were here, she'd probably kill me... Now that I think about it, everything about my relationship with the Doctor screams inappropriate. He's old, if you want to be technical, and he never stays in one spot. He's dangerous and takes people in and out of his home all the time. He's stubborn and he ran away from home at a relatively young age. Not to mention the fact that I live with him... Oh my God, I live with a centuries-old man and I'm not even married to him! What would my mother do to me if she ever found that out?

The TARDIS hummed softly and dimmed the lights a little. I grunted and climbed off of my bed, stumbling to my desk and pulling my journal out of the top drawer. I sat down at the cushioned swivel chair and started writing, pouring out every emotion and concern I was feeling onto the pages. I wrote about my eternally confused feelings for the Doctor, every word we had said to one another to make up for our fight, my worries about the future of our relationship, and the heartbreaking realization that Susan was my future daughter.

"There's this new device called the Keller machine and I'm very interested in it. It's all the way in Prison Stangmoor, however, so the drive will be a little long. No more than an hour with gold old Bessie," the Doctor explained with a smile.

After I had fallen asleep the previous night and written to my heart's content in my journal, the Doctor asked me to sit with him in his laboratory while he worked on an experiment. I sat next to him on his lab bench and watched as he worked with chemicals, test tubes, and a microscope.

So, I'll be seeing the Master again, I realized as I watched him set a test tube down. Not sure how I feel about that.

"Don't you need a UNIT pass to get in?" I asked.

The Doctor nodded. "Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I don't have one."

"Don't you?"

I shook my head. "Nope. I don't even have my psychic paper anymore. Oh, and that reminds me that I have to give River her clothes back. And find my psychic paper."

"Who?"

Realizing my mistake, I waved my hand dismissively and smiled. "Spoilers. Spoilers, spoilers. Sorry."

"I'll speak with Lethbridge-Stewart for you."

Jo suddenly bounded into the laboratory, her eyes wide and bright. She was wearing a floral skirt and a white blouse and her hair was down and brushing against her cheekbones. She smiled at me and waved as she walked up to the Doctor and I.

"I heard you explaining to Diana about that machine. The Keller machine, wasn't it?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yes, Jo. I was telling Diana because I'd like her to come with me to watch the demonstration."

"Oh please, Doctor, can I come, too?"

"Jo, I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"But I'd love to come with you," she pleaded.

The Doctor shook his head. "I would ask that you didn't."

"But I'm your assistant!"

I put a hand on the Doctor's arm, drawing his attention. He looked away from Jo to gaze at me. I smiled and nodded in silent encouragement of Jo's request.

"Diana," he tried with a slight pout, "she doesn't need to come."

My smile faded and I roughly smacked his chest with the back of my hand. "She's your assistant and you need to treat her better."

"But-"

"On this I will not negotiate," I said firmly, putting my hands on my waist and raising an eyebrow in a silent dare to the Time Lord to defy me. "Jo's my friend and I don't appreciate the way you've been treating her."

The Doctor stared at me in confusion. "I haven't been treating her like anything," he said slowly.

"Let's just say that in my universe where I watched you on t.v., I was never happy with you for being so short tempered with Jo. You've been unnecessarily rude to her because she accidentally messes things up."

"Diana," Jo started softly behind me, "really. It's fine."

"No. Let me finish." I sighed and lowered my hands from my waist. "God knows that we've been through all sorts of crap together, Doctor, and I get angry with people pretty easily sometimes and you can be pretty stubborn yourself, but you should be more tolerant of her when she makes mistakes. She's just trying to be helpful."

The Doctor stared into my eyes in silence for a minute. He finally looked away and sighed. "You're right." Then he stepped past me and took Jo's hands in his. "I've been terribly rude to you."

Jo nodded a little. "Yes, you have."

"Could you forgive me, Jo? And perhaps we could try again?"

"I'd like that."

I smiled proudly at the pair and felt my heart pound heavier in my chest when the Doctor looked back at me with an almost shy smile. I nodded at him and he nodded in return. Jo smiled pleasantly at me, then surprised the Doctor by pulling him into a hug. The Time Lord's surprised expression made me laugh.

It felt amazing to laugh after all the tears spent between the Doctor and I. I was proud of him for apologizing to Jo and I was glad that we had finally made the motives behind our actions known.

And what are you going to do about the fact that he's married to you? a voice asked in my mind.

Nothing.

You can't ignore it forever, the voice said. If he loves you and he's married to you, then you can't avoid the subject.

It's not important. I watched Jo and the Doctor start speaking and sighed lightly. We have to deal with the Master first.

The voice scoffed. You don't have the choice of ignoring your feelings.

If I address it, I started mentally, then I have to think about how I feel about him and I don't want to do that.

Why's that?

Just leave me alone, I snapped mentally.

The Doctor called Alistair about ny UNIT pass and the Brigadier stopped by the laboratory about ten minutes later to give me my UNIT pass. Afterwards, the Doctor instructed Jo and I to change our clothes to something more suitable. I brought Jo into the TARDIS with me and showed her the wardrobe where the ship and I helped her find an appropriate outfit to wear to a prison. She changed out of her floral skirt and white blouse into corduroy pants, a black long-sleeved shirt, and a leather jacket that was the same color as her pants.

Then she helped me find a nice outfit to wear. I changed out of my dusty and dirty clothes from my adventure with Seven and placed them in a hamper the TARDIS had provided for our cloths. Jo picked out a nice black, v-neck shirt for me and a black leather jacket and I found a nice pair of dark blue jeans that made my stomach look a little smaller. After I changed into my new clothes, Jo and I went searching for shoes. I found a pair of black converse that fit perfectly and put them on over a pair of white socks.

While Jo was still looking for shoes, I found a rack of scarves. I picked a dark purple scarf with silver streaks of thread running through it and pulled it off of the rack. As I tied it around m neck, my fingers brushed against the chain that was attached to my pendant. I smiled and cupped it in my palm for a moment and sighed in relief, glad that the Doctor and I were done fighting.

Jo and I finished dressing and decided to wait for the Doctor outside of the TARDIS. He came out a few minutes after us in his same outfit and then led us to the parking lot. He pointed to Bessie and gestured for us to get in. Jo refused to let me sit in the back seat.

"I know you want to sit next to him," she'd whispered in my ear, "and I can't bear to part you. And it's such a long drive."

"Jo, it's just a few inches farther away."

"I won't hear of it."

In the end, I had the seat next to the Doctor and Jo had the backseat. Of course, I didn't mind at all and was more than willing to sit next to the Time Lord for an extended period of time. The Doctor didn't seem to mind either. Throughout the drive, he was constantly looking over at me when he thought I wasn't paying attention and I did the same to him.

"So, how are you doing, Jo?" I asked, turning in the car to look back at the blonde.

She smiled sweetly at me. "Alright, thanks."

"How do you like being this clot's assistant?"

"It's interesting, definitely."

The Doctor scoffed. " 'Interesting'? I am a scientific genius, not a clot."

"Wrong," I retorted with a smirk. "You are a colossal clot with a degree in cheese making."

"Cheese making?" Jo repeated incredulously, laughing at the look on the Doctor's face.

"Yes," I answered. "Isn't that just terribly impressive?"

"I am a scientist."

"But mostly a clot."

"Diana, I am not a clot!"

I turned around so I was facing the correct direction again and stretched my arms out on either side of me. I shook my head so that my hair caught the wind and blew around. Then I tilted my head back to rest on the seat. "You're a ruffle wearing clot with a degree in cheese making and I think it's hilarious," I admitted with a shy laugh.

The Doctor looked down at me, staring at me with narrowed eyes. "I would prefer it if we talked about something else," he told me. I noticed that his cheeks were slightly pink and couldn't help but laugh. "What is so funny?" he asked through his teeth.

"You're embarrassed," I teased.

"I am never embarrassed."

"You are. Aww. Jo, look! He's blushing!"

He looked back at the road and started pouting. "I am not blushing," he muttered.

I pushed myself closer to him and rested my head on his shoulder. "If it makes you feel any better, I think it's cute," I whispered in his ear.

The car suddenly swerved to the opposite side of the road. Jo and I screamed and I grabbed hold of the Doctor's shoulders, clinging to his body for dear life. He yanked on the steering wheel and swerved back into our original lane.

"Is everyone alright?"

I kept my arms around the Doctor's shoulders and torso, my heart still pounding from the fear of Bessie crashing. Jo squeaked a little and mumbled incoherently.

"Diana?" I nodded silently in response. "Perhaps you could let go of me?"

"You planning on crashing into something anytime soon?" I asked.

"Not unless you plan to say something like that again."

"Say what?" Jo asked.

"Nothing, Jo," I mumbled as I pulled away from the Doctor and leaned against the car door. "Don't worry about it."

Oh, my God. I can't believe I even said that to him, I thought. I just made a total fool out of myself.

The three of us sat in awkward silence for a few miles until Jo suggested that I sing to help pass the time. "Oh, I don't know," I said. "I don't really know any songs that you do, Jo. Unless they're hymns or Beatles songs."

"Oh, sing something by The Beatles!"

The Doctor smirked and glanced at me. "Yes, please do, Diana," he said in a playful tone.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that a challenge, Doctor?" He shrugged and continued to stare straight ahead. "Fine. I'll sing for you and I'll knock your socks off."

"I'm sure."

The rest of the car ride was spent with Jo and I singing and the Doctor joining in sometimes. He had a remarkably deep singing voice that made me smile and I secretly found it very attractive. When we ran out of Beatles songs to sing, I started singing songs from my own time and the Doctor, to my great surprise, knew a few of them. I was having the time of my life with my two friends and wished desperately that we didn't have to fight the Master that day.

But as the prison appeared on the horizon, I knew that we had to stop him or else he might actually succeed at taking over the Earth. I wanted to run away from the machine and from its creator, take Jo and the Doctor with me, and never leave the TARDIS again. But I also knew that the Doctor wouldn't want me to be cowardly, especially if the Master and the fate of the world was involved.

"It looks like Dracula's castle," Jo commented as the Doctor parked Bessie on the drawbridge that led to the prison.

The Doctor smiled and looked back at her. "Well, you're right about the castle bit. It used to be a fortress in the Middle Ages."

He moved to get out of the car and I quickly grabbed his elbow. "Don't forget your pass, silly," I said playfully.

Jo handed the pass to him and he thanked her. Then he looked back at me and gave me a playful wink. I blushed and looked down at the seat with a smile.

"Oh, Diana," she said dreamily.

"What?"

Jo smiled knowingly and gestured with a nod of her head to the Doctor, but didn't say anything. I felt my blush deepen and I looked back down at my hands.

The Doctor looked over his shoulder at us. "Smile, you two."

Jo raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You're on camera."

The Doctor smiled and started waving at the camera with both hands. Jo looked over at me and started giggling when a guard came through the previously locked doors and stood in front of the Doctor.

The Doctor noticed the guard and laughed in embarrassment. "Oh, good morning. Er, observers from UNIT. My admission pass." He looked back at us and Jo and I held up our own passes.

The guard nodded. "Right. Passes checked and satisfactory. Right, open the gates."

"Abandon hope all ye who enter here," the Doctor whispered with a smile as he climbed back into the car.

I nodded and looked up at the stone walls that towered above us as we drove in. Once the Doctor parked Bessie, he helped Jo and I out. Then he marched off with his cape fluttering dramatically in the wind behind him. I rushed to his side and reached for his hand. He glanced over at me and smiled.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I just really don't like the machine."

He looked forward and pressed his lips together. "You know what will happen?"

"Most of it. I'm assuming some the events will change now that I'm here."

"Well, don't tell me anything."

I raised an eyebrow. "Nothing?"

"No."

"If you say so."

Jo was walking on the other side of the Doctor and didn't say anything. I looked over at her and smiled when I caught her gaze. She smiled a little and brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"You okay, Jo?"

"Oh, I'm fine," she answered.

We had to show our passes to another guard once we entered the castle. As soon as they were approved, we were escorted through the prison and into a room called the Process Theatre. Since we had arrived slightly early, there were still a few empty seats available. The Doctor grabbed my hand again and pulled me with him to the front row where there were three empty chairs. I sat in the middle chair, the Doctor on my right and Jo on my left.

I felt completely unsettled being in the prison, mostly because of what I knew was going to happen to the Doctor and Jo, but also because of the loud noises and shouts the prisoners were making. I made sure no one was looking before I grabbed the Doctor's hand beneath his cape and squeezed it. He looked over at me and smiled.

"Yes, my dear?"

"Nothing," I answered with a smile. "The prisoners just unsettle me."

"Don't worry about them."

"And the machine makes me feel a little uneasy."

He nodded. "Yes, I feel the same."

I saw two guards start to close the doors to the room, so I tugged on the Doctor's hand. "Promise me," I said when he gave me a curious expression. "Promise me you'll be careful. I can't warn you against anything, but just... be careful."

"I promise."

"Sorry about the noise, ladies and gentlemen," announced a middle aged gentleman. "Just a temporary disturbance."

Jo scoffed. "Temporary disturbance?" she asked softly. "It sounds like a full-scale riot."

"Morbid lot of sensation seekers," the Doctor said, gesturing to the reporters and other nameless people in the room with us.

"Then why did you insist on coming here?"

"Scientific curiosity, my dear."

Jo smiled. "Oh, yes."

The Doctor stared at the machine placed in the center of the room for a few seconds. He shook his head and then looked over at Jo and I. "Something's been worrying me about this Keller process ever since I first heard of it," he told us. We all looked up when three men entered the room. "Ah, the curtain is about to go up."

"Keep them quiet," said one man.

The man he spoke to nodded and said, "All right, chief," then left.

Another man nodded in the direction of his audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, good morning," he said in a polite tone.

The Doctor smiled and said a loud, "Good morning," in response. I laughed and ducked my head and the Doctor playfully nudged his arm against mine. "Are you laughing at me?" he asked softly.

"Shh," I answered with another laugh.

"May I introduce Professor Kettering," the man said, "who will explain the process you're about to see demonstrated."

Professor Kettering nodded at us and took a step fprqard as he started speaking. "Well, as you're no doubt aware, we no longer execute our hardened criminals and killers. Modern society has progressed far beyond that primitive form of retribution. Today, science-"

"It all depends what you mean by progress, doesn't it?" the Doctor whispered in my ear.

I smiled and bowed my head so the Professor wouldn't see my expression.

"Science has abolished the hangman's noose and substituted this infallible method. Professor Emil Keller-"

"People who talk about infallibility are usually on very shaky ground, I think," the Doctor added, just loud enough for Kettering to hear.

Kettering glared at the Doctor and continued. "For the benefit of the less sophisticated members of my audience," he said with a look at the Doctor, who made a sarcastic expression, "I will explain in very simple terms. Professor Emil Keller, the inventor of this process, discovered that anti-social behaviour was governed by certain negative or evil impulses. Now this machine, the Keller machine, extracts these impulses and leaves a rational, well-balanced individual.

"It doesn't."

Jo leaned over to stare at the Doctor. "What?" she asked.

"May I be permitted to continue?" Kettering asked.

The Doctor shrugged and gestured for him to do so. "Oh, yes. Yes, please do."

"Thank you." I looked back at the Doctor and suppressed my giggles. He grinned and reached for my hand. "The condemned man is placed here after being tranquillised, with his head under this dome. A series of probes are attached to his skull so as to connect with the neural circuits. The extraction process is controlled here. The negative impulses are stored in that reservoir box there."

"Where do they go after that?" the Doctor asked, releasing my hand.

"Nowhere, sir. I repeat, they are stored in the box."

"Which is now full of these negative or evil impulses."

Kettering shook his head. "Not full. The indicator registers only sixty five percent at this time. The machine has been used very successfully in Switzerland. A hundred and twelve cases have been processed to date and today we shall witness the one hundred and thirteenth." He nodded to another man. "Thank you, Doctor Summers."

Barnham was then wheeled into the room on a gurney. He was mumbling incoherently and was wearing a hospital gown. A man I assumed was Doctor Summers put a hand on Barnham arm and helped him up.

"Come on, old chap. Up you get."

Once Barnham had been seated in the chair and a metal hat was placed on his head, Kettering continued. "When the process is completed," he said, "the negative impulses that made this man a criminal will have been removed. He will take his place as a useful, if lowly, member of society. Are you ready, Doctor Summers?"

"Yes."

Kettering started finding with the switches on the control panel that was connected to the actual machine.

"Let the sentence of the Court been carried out," said the man who had first introduced Kettering.

All of the lights suddenly turned off, except for one that was just above Barnham. The machine turned on and Barnham screamed. I grabbed the Doctor's arm and he quickly turned my face away as the screams grew louder.

"I knew there was something evil about that machine," the Doctor muttered.

"Won't somebody help him?" I asked.

The Doctor put a hand on the back of my neck. "Just block him out," he instructed.

"It's horrible," I breathed into his neck.

"I know. Just block the sound out."

The scientists and doctors were speaking to one another, but I blocked them out as well. The Doctor rested his forehead on top of my head and sighed. He put his other hand on my arm, which had curled around his waist, and pulled me closer.

"Theta," I whimpered.

"It's alright."

I heard more shouting and talking and refused to listen to it. I kept my eyes shut and shuddered against the Doctor as Barnham's screams died out. Then, what felt like centuries later, the Doctor patted my back and told me it was alright to open my eyes.

I sat up a little, my arm still around the Time Lord's waist, and looked around the room. The lights had turned on and a doctor was checking Barnham's neck for a pulse.

"Well?" asked the man who had introduced the professor.

"A minor malfunction," Kettering announced. "The machine compensated. The process is completed satisfactorily."

The Doctor scoffed at this. "Satisfactorily be blowed."

The professor ignored him and continued speaking. "The subject will be taken away to recuperate and within an hour or two he will be perfectly normal."

The Doctor curled his lip. "I admire your confidence, sir," he said in a disgusted and sarcastic tone.

Kettering stared straight at the Doctor and thanked him, ignoring the jibe hidden in his words. "That is all, gentlemen."

The other observers started to stand up and leave, murmuring to one another and not seeming to understand what had just happened. The Doctor, who was still angry and very frustrated, stood up and marched across the room to speak with Kettering. Jo and I leapt to our feet and hurried after him.

"I take it everything was all right, Mister Kettering?"

"Yes, of course, Governor," Kettering responded to the man with a single nod.

The Doctor placed his hands on his waist and asked firmly, "Then would you kindly explain, sir, that unfortunate man's reaction?"

Kettering looked the Time Lord up and down. "Merely an excess of negative particles. The machine overreacted."

"In other words, you don't know," the Doctor retorted in an annoyed tone.

"May I ask who you are, sir?"

The Governor nodded. "The Doctor is Scientific Advisor to UNIT, Mister Kettering," he explained to the professor.

"UNIT?"

"United Nations Intelligence Taskforce."

The professor made a slightly interested sound in his throat. "How interesting. Although I fail to see what concern it is-"

"UNIT, sir," the Doctor interrupted angrily, "was set up to deal with new and unusual menaces to mankind. And in my view, this machine of yours is just that!" Then he looked back at Jo and I and sighed. "Diana, Jo."

He walked out of the room and Jo and I followed close behind. The others that had come to the prison to watch us had already left and the three of us were the only ones in the hall other than the guards.

"Doctor?" Jo asked in a soft voice. "What are you going to do?"

"I've got to get to UNIT and tell them about this machine," the Doctor answered as we started walking down to another hallway that led to an exit. "But I can't just leave it here without protection. Someone could get hurt."

I chewed on my lower lip for a moment as I considered how I could help. I grabbed the Doctor's sleeve and smiled a little nervously at him, making him stop walking to look at me. "I have an idea. You and Jo could leave and try to tell the Brigadier about the machine. Then I could stay here and look after everything. I already know what's going to happen, so I can make sure everything goes the way it's supposed to."

The Doctor nodded after a moment. "Yes, I suppose that's not a bad idea," he said slowly. "But I don't know that I feel comfortable leaving you here."

"Look, I know the truth about that machine and what it's capable of. I can stay out of harm's way."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded. "I'm sure. If I can help in any way or do something productive instead of being my usual self and being scared, then I'll do it."

"I don't want you getting hurt."

"I won't."

"Can you promise that?" He stared seriously at me and brought his hands up to clasp mine. "Can you honestly promise that? I trust you, Diana, and I don't want to repeat the fight we've already had, but I won't let you put yourself in danger when I haven't a single clue how to help you should something happen."

"Maybe I could stay behind?" Jo asked. "You don't want Diana getting hurt and you're already worried enough with the machine on your mind. If I stay, then you don't have to worry about her."

"But Jo," I tried, "what about you?"

"Oh, I'll be fine," she said with a wave of her hand.

Before any of us could offer up another idea, the sound of shouting started ringing through the halls. The Doctor grabbed my hand in alarm and took off running towards the source of the noise. The shouting was coming from the Process Theatre and about a dozen guards were running into the room as it came into view.

That man, I realized as we watched the guards, Kettering, Doctor Summers, and another younger looking man enter the room. He's dead now.

"What's going on?" the Doctor asked.

I put a hand on his chest and kept him from walking any closer to the room. "The machine," I explained. "You told me not to tell you anything and I didn't. Honestly, I forgot... Somebody just died because of that machine, Doctor, and we have to do something before anyone else gets killed. But I don't want you to go near it right now. It's dangerous."

The Doctor pushed past me without a word, his mouth drawn firm in determination. I looked back at Jo and quickly lowered my head. She put a hand on my arm and smiled warmly at me, but all I could feel was guilt.

I did nothing to save Jabe or that man who sacrificed himself for Four, I mentally accused myself. There are so many innocent people out there that have died and I can't even help one of them.

"Don't blame yourself."

"I could have stopped it. If I had just tried to remember, I could have kept him from dying. He was innocent."

"Diana, don't-"

"I feel terrible," I admitted, closing my eyes as tears started to form. "Jo, I-... I knew it was going to happen and I forgot. Who forgets about something like that?"

Jo shook her head and put her other hand on my other arm. "You've been through a lot lately. It's easy for it to slip your mind."

I opened my eyes and looked straight into the woman's eyes. "But Jo, he was a person. Just a normal person. He probably had a family and friends and-"

"There's nothing you can do now. Yes, it's horrible that he's dead, but there's nothing you can do to fix it. You have to move on."

The Doctor came up behind me and let out a deep breath. "The young man's dead. The guards aren't letting me in at the moment."

Jo nodded, then looked back at me. "Could you comfort her?" she asked.

"Jo!" I protested. "It's fine-"

"She feels guilty."

The Doctor stepped around Jo and gazed down at me. Jo took a few steps back to give him room and to give us space. The Doctor slowly tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and caught my chin in his hand when I started to look away.

"This isn't your fault," he told me.

"Sure it isn't," I muttered, feeling my heart pound almost painful against my chest. "I did this before, you know. In your future. I could've saved someone, but I was too busy thinking everything wasn't real to care."

"Listen to me. I would never lie to you, Diana. This is not your fault. I asked you not to tell me anything that was going to happen and you respected that."

"But it's more than that! I forgot it was even going to happen!" I shook my head in frustration. "How could I do that? How sick is that?"

"This is just guilt that's been building up," the Doctor assured me. "You've been angry and afraid and very probably under a fair amount of stress. All your emotions are becoming stronger right now because of our fight and now that it's over, you're more sensitive."

"So I'm normally insensitive to the fact that somebody just died?" I asked in confusion.

"No. Of course not."

"But-"

"Just believe me. If nothing else, believe what I have to say. You respected my wishes and told me nothing. Yes, you forgot that a man was going to die, but I know for a fact that you save many lives in your future. You have a good heart, Diana. You are not a bad person."

I tore my eyes away from his in embarrassment. I knew I was acting like an emotional wreck and that I needed to act like a mature adult, but it was difficult. I wanted to wallow in my guilt and my self pity, much like I had when I was younger. It was a weakness of mine that I had always struggled with.

"If it makes you feel any better, you can give your condolences to the family once this is over," the Doctor suggested.

His idea brought me out of my thoughts. I looked back into his eyes and he smiled reassuringly at me. He reached for my right hand and gently ran his thumb across the side of my wrist. His other hand fell from my chin and hovered awkwardly between us. Jo took a nervous step towards me and gave me a smile.

"I'll go with you, if you'd like," she said.

I nodded and bowed my head, smiling a little. "Sorry, guys. I just... Emotional wreck and all," I said jokingly. "Let's... go and, uh, talk to the professor and try to talk them out of using that psychotic machine."

The Doctor pressed a kiss to my forehead and took my left hand in his right. Then he directed me inside the Process Theatre with Jo right behind me. The sight that greeted us when we entered the room troubled me so much that I gasped and stopped in my tracks.

For what felt like the first time, the sight of a dead person truly affected me. Realizing that all life had left that person's body and that no living creature would ever be exactly like him again made me feel sick to my stomach. After all the death I had ever watched on the television or seen with the Doctor, places like the Library and the Ark and Stonehenge coming to the forefront of my mind, seeing the man lie on his back with a terrified expression on his face caused horror to spark in my heart.

"What's wrong?" the Doctor whispered in my ear, putting a hand on the small of my back and staring at me with concern.

I shook my head, unable to respond for a few moments. "Why have I never reacted like this before? To death?"

"I don't know."

The governor suddenly came bursting into the room, startling me and causing me to jump. "What happened?" he asked the younger man who had entered the room before us with Kettering and the guards.

"I don't know, sir," the young man answered. "I was coming along the corridor and I heard him screaming."

"Is he dead?" Jo asked.

Doctor Summers looked up at her, then glanced over at me with a pitying expression. "Yes, he's dead."

"Probably a heart attack," Kettering suggested. "Delayed shock from seeing the process."

"It's the machine," I snapped.

The Doctor hushed me as the three men looked over at me in surprise. Kettering raised an eyebrow and gave me a patronizing, yet skeptical, smile. Doctor Summers appeared indifferent and confused by my outburst, and the governor appeared mildly amused.

"I beg your pardon, young lady," the governor started, "but this discussion is for men of science and medicine only. And you are neither."

I bristled at the rude comment and glared at the governor with disgust and anger. "Maybe not, but I'm still a person and I deserve to be treated like one. I'm telling you that the machine killed him. It made him hallucinate and the vision killed him. And the vision was of rats."

The governor scoffed at me and shook his head. "Doctor, was it?" he asked, ignoring me to address the Time Lord. "Keep her under control. She doesn't know what she's saying."

"My wife," the Doctor spat in response, "is a remarkable and intelligent woman. I don't 'keep her under control'. If she says something, you should listen to her. And if you are stupid enough to ignore her, then listen to me. An immediate investigation into that man's past medical history and a post mortem will tell you exactly what you need to know about his death."

The three men were shocked into silence by the Doctor's response and for a few minutes could do nothing but stutter incoherently and stare. I found myself frozen in shock to hear the Doctor address me as his wife to someone other than myself. Jo was watching me and, after a few seconds of observing me, she smacked the Doctor's chest and gestured to me with with a nod of her head. Before either of them could say anything, however, Doctor Summers cleared his throat and lowered his gaze to the floor. He nodded and looked to his left at the governor.

"Yes, a good idea," he muttered. "I'll, uh, see to it right away. Get a stretcher, will you?"

Doctor Summers left immediately after giving his order, but Kettering, the governor, and the young man stayed behind. Jo grabbed the Doctor's arm and pulled him to the side, her back facing the other men so that they couldn't hear her. I followed and looped my arm around the Doctor's elbow, hiding our arms in the folds of his cloak. I pushed the thought of the Doctor's comment away from my attention.

Out of sight, out of mind, I reasoned with myself.

"Doctor? Did you see his face?" she asked in a rush. "He looks terrified. And those marks, like-"

"Bites and scratches?" He nodded. "Yes, I know."

"Look, I think we'd better get on to the Brigadier," she told him.

"Yes, I agree, Jo, but not just yet. Let me get that post mortem first. It'll give me more to go on."

Jo sighed and nodded. "All right." She paused, then added, "Anyway, I don't think he'd thank us for disturbing him right now."

"Hmm?"

"He did tell you all about it, Doctor."

"All about what?" the Time Lord asked in annoyed confusion.

"Today's the first ever World Peace Conference. UNIT's handling all the security arrangements."

The Doctor ran a hand through his gray hair and sighed. "How could I have forgotten that?" he asked.

I smiled and put a hand on his wrist, ignoring the fact that I was still trying to wrap my mind around being the Doctor's wife. "You're preoccupied," I said. "It's only natural. Don't worry about it."

Jo nodded, then let out a gasp. "I have an idea. I'd like to go talk to that Doctor Summers and see what he discovered about that man, maybe check on Barnham."

The Doctor looked over at me and nodded. "Yes, I suppose that's not a bad idea."

"Go ahead, Jo," I encouraged. "We'll wait here for you."

The doors suddenly creaked open and Professor Kettering walked into the room. I jumped away from the Doctor on instinct and pulled my hand away from his. Then I noticed that the governor and the younger man had left and I wondered where they had gone and where Kettering had left for, then returned so quickly. Glancing past Kettering, I saw that the body had been removed and let out a sigh of relief.

Kettering nodded at us and said, "Doctor, miss." It was obvious by the way he looked at me that the Doctor's comment about my being his wife disturbed the professor, but I tried not to let it bother me. "I thought you would have left by now."

The Doctor took a deep breath and placed his hands on his waist. I bit back a smile at his stubborn demeanor and watched with amusement and admiration as he scolded the professor on the dangers of the machine. Listening to the concern and determination in the Doctor's voice reminded me of why I had always loved him back home: his dedication to saving innocent lives and always trying to do the right thing, even when no one would listen to him.

Their argument lasted for a while and no matter how valid a point the Doctor came up with, Professor Kettering always shot him down.

"At least listen to me, professor," the Doctor pleaded. "For the sake of the people who work here. This machine is dangerous."

"I assure you, Doctor," Kettering replied, "that the Keller machine is perfectly safe."

"It is a danger to everyone in this facility, not to mention to anyone who it may be used on."

"There is no threat from this machine."

"How can you possibly still be convinced this Keller process is working normally?" the Doctor demanded.

"Why shouldn't it be working normally? I mean, you've just seen Barnham."

The Doctor scoffed. "Yes. Yes, I've seen him."

I felt a surge of anger rise up inside my chest at the professor's ignorance. The Doctor felt me tense up next to him and he put a hand on my arm. I bit my tongue and said nothing, not wanting to look like a fool or say the wrong thing like I already had.

Kettering shook his head. "Look, Emil Keller himself installed it here. I worked closely with him. I know every facet of the process."

"Yes, I know. But I still don't like it."

At that moment, the governor came back into the room. "What?" he asked loudly.

The Doctor gave the man an exasperated look and said, "Interfering with the mind, Governor. It's a dangerous business."

Kettering furrowed his brows. "Well, it's hardly your concern, is it?" he asked.

"Professor Kettering, it is everyone's concern!" the Doctor shouted in frustration.

Jo and Doctor Summers walked through the doors across the room, halting the conversation. The governor smiled upon seeing Doctor Summers and approached him with open arms.

"Ah, Doctor Summers. Any news for us?"

Summers sighed. "I've got the post mortem report."

"Well?" Kettering asked impatiently.

"The deceased's name was Arthur Linwood, a medical student in his final year," Summers explained.

The Doctor nodded, his patience running thin. "Yes, yes, yes, but what did he die of?"

"Heart failure."

Kettering gave the Doctor a patronizing expression and said, "Watching the process was too much for him."

Doctor Summers shook his head in disagreement. "But he didn't have a weak heart, Mister Kettering."

Beside me, the Doctor rubbed a hand along his chin as he thought. "Anything in his medical history?" he asked.

"Yes, I called his hospital. He suffered from a fear of certain animals."

I tapped my finger against the Doctor's arm, nodding only slightly when he glanced back at me. He understood what I was trying to say and looked back at Summers, appearing somewhat pleased. "Which ones?"

Summers hesitated for a moment. "Well, apparently, in the laboratory he was absolutely terrified of-"

"Rats?"

"Well... Yes," Summers answered, surprised that the Doctor knew the answer.

"Tell me, these marks on his face on his face and neck, these bites and scratches, could they have been caused by rats?"

"Certainly they could, yes," Summers responded.

"But there are no rats in this room," the governor interjected. "There's none in the entire prison."

"Yet all the indications are that he was attacked by a hoard of them, and the shock killed him," Doctor Summers told the governor in a firm voice.

Kettering shook his head. "You must be mistaken."

"But Linwood is dead," the Doctor added.

"Because of heart failure!"

"No, Professor Kettering, because of this machine."

"I tell you that man's death had nothing to do with this machine," Kettering countered, "and if you were a scientist you'd understand that instead of listening to a young girl that you call your wife."

"Young girl- If I were a scientist?" The Doctor pressed his lips together in frustration and nearly shouted, "Let me tell you, sir, that I am a scientist, and I have been for several thousand-." Realizing his mistake, the Doctor stopped himself and looked over at Jo and I, his cheeks already turning a light pink color. "Diana, Jo."

"The man's mad," Kettering muttered as the Doctor left.

"Actually," I began in an angry tone, "he's the most brilliant man I've ever met. He is the greatest scientist in the universe and he's ten times as intelligent as you. So maybe you should do as he says and show him some respect so no one else gets hurt!"

I turned and stomped out of the room after the Doctor. He was waiting for me outside, his cheeks already a brighter red. When he saw me, he smiled a little and shook his head.

"You didn't have to defend me," he muttered with a sigh.

"Of course I did. That professor is driving me insane! Mocking you and treating you as if you aren't the greatest scientist on the planet. And I want to rip that patronizing smile of the governor's face."

The Doctor smiled and grabbed my hand. "Diana, my dear. It's alright."

I sighed and looked over my shoulder at the doors just as Jo stepped through them. "They're all idiots. They should listen to you and then maybe nobody would get hurt."

He gently cupped my chin and turned my head. "I don't want you to worry about that. We'll go back to see the Brigadier and tell him what's happened and then we can get rid of that infernal machine."

"Before we go, could I see Barnham?" I asked. "I want to make sure he's okay. And at least he won't be rude to either of us."

"Of course." The Doctor smiled and gently ran his thumb across my chin. "Whatever you want."

Professor Kettering had stayed in the Process Theatre after Jo, Doctor Summers, and the governor left the room. I spoke to Summers as he walked to the hospital room and asked about visiting Barnham. After explaining that I was worried about him and hoping to see how he was doing, Summers relented and let me see Barnham.

"Doctor?"

"Hmm?"

I looped my arm around the Time Lord's elbow and stayed by his side as Doctor Summers led us through the prison. "I have a bad feeling. I think something's supposed to happen, that someone else is supposed to die, but I don't know who."

"No." He shook his head firmly. "Don't tell me."

"But we can stop it."

"No."

"Saving one person's life isn't going to rip the universe apart, Doctor." Even if that's sort of what happened with Rose, I reminded myself.

"It is always a possibility," he told me. "With the machine already as unstable as it is, I don't think that upsetting the balance of the universe any more would be a good idea."

"But this is life and death!" I shout-whispered.

"I know, my dear, and you know better than anyone that I wish I could stop it. But it happened in your world for a reason. If it is changed, so many other things could change as well. The repercussions could be dangerous, if not deadly."

I stared at the floor in silence as we followed Doctor Summers. I knew that the Doctor was just trying to do what was safe for everyone and that I was trying to keep fate from happening, but I still felt extremely guilty for the other man's death. The Doctor seemed to understand that despite my silence and he put an arm around my waist as we walked.

"Please don't be angry with me," he whispered.

I shook my head. "No, I... I know you're right. You're looking our for the rest of the universe, not just one person." I remembered Rose and her father and all the terrible things that happened when she tried to keep him from dying. "I guess you're right."

"I am sorry."

"I know. It's not your fault... It's not anybody's fault."

In my back pocket, my phone beeped and vibrated simultaneously. I quickly pulled it out of my pocket and opened the new text message that had been sent to me. The TARDIS had sent me a message with a great amount of ease, despite the long distance between us.

The message read: I know you're thinking about Rose and Pete Tyler. There are people that you are destined to save, people that should have been saved in your world that you will have a chance to save here, but this is not one of those times.

"What is it?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh, my," Jo exclaimed in awe behind me. "What's that?"

"This?" I asked, holding up my phone.

"Yes."

"It's my cell phone. The Doctor gave it to me."

Jo smiled. "It looks like a sheet of metal or plastic or something. How is it a phone?"

I looked back at the Doctor and laughed a little. "I'll explain later, Jo. The Doctor can take you to the twenty-first century and I'll teach you all about iPhones."

The Doctor waited until Jo had fallen back into step behind us to repeat his question about the text. "The TARDIS sent me a text," I explained in a soft voice. "How can she do that when she's so far away?"

"Telepathic connection."

"Telepathic connection?" I repeated. "How?"

The Doctor gave me a curious look. "You've always had it, Diana."

"Excuse me," Doctor Summers interrupted. "This is the hospital ward here in the prison. As you can see."

The Doctor and I looked around and saw that we had indeed arrived at the hospital ward. Doctor Summers opened the door for us and invited us in. He gestured to Barnham, who was sleeping on a bed in the first room, and asked us to be silent while he woke the man up. I grabbed a chair and placed it next to the bed where Barnham was resting, then sat down and watched Barnham wake up. His eyes opened and he looked around wildly for a few seconds before he saw me and Jo and the Doctor standing behind me.

"Who are you?" he asked.

I smiled kindly at him. "I'm Diana. These are my friends Jo and the Doctor. We came to see you."

" 'm sorry, but do I know you?"

"No. But I wanted to see you. You've had a bit of a traumatic experience."

"I don' remember much."

"That's alright." I looked back at the Doctor and he nodded. "Do you remember your name?"

"Sure do. George Patrick Barnham." He laughed and continued, "I sure am glad I can remember tha' much."

"Do you mind if I call you George?"

George shook his head with a smile. "No, of course not, miss." Then he let out a loud yawn and his eyes slid closed for a moment. " 'm sorry, miss. 'm awfully tired."

I smiled and gently patted his hand. "Why don't you sleep a little bit, George? I'm sure you'll feel a lot better once you wake up."

"Thanks, miss." He looked past me at Jo, then back at me. "Will you and your friend be back here when I wake up?"

Jo smiled. "We'll try," she said sweetly.

Barnham fell asleep almost immediately. Not even a second after his eyes closed, my phone beeped. I pulled it out of my pocket and read the text the TARDIS had sent me.

It read: I know you will feel guilty for letting that man die, but his death his vital. If he does not die, no one will take the situation of the machine seriously. Do not blame the Doctor or yourself for any of this for this is all the Master's doing.

I slumped in my seat after reading the text. Tears were forming in my eyes because I knew that there was nothing I could do. The TARDIS knew nearly everything about the Doctor and she knew what had to happen. She always made sure that what is supposed to happen would happen.

My response was: But won't his death be my fault because I don't try to stop it?

The TARDIS sent me a reassuring answer: All that is to take place is the fault of the Master. He created the machine and so every death at the hands of the machine is on his conscience, not yours. Remember that you will all stop him and know that it cannot happen without you.

"Something wrong?" the Doctor asked.

I quickly locked my phone so that the screen turned off and looked over my shoulder. "No. Just good ol' sexy, " I answered casually.

Doctor Summers came up to the other side of the bed and started listening to Barnham's heartbeat. An alarm suddenly started blaring throughout the prison. Jo jumped and squealed in surprise, Doctor Summers looked up and ran into an adjoining room, and I let out a loud gasp and reached wildly for the Doctor's hand. He put one arm around Jo's shoulders and put the other around my waist once I stood up.

"What's going on, Doctor?" Jo asked.

Doctor Summers ran back into the room, a startled and worried look on his face. "There's a riot. The prisoners are rioting," he explained frantically.

The Doctor, Jo, and I followed Doctor Summers into the Process Theatre, the riot still happening all around us. As soon as we entered the room, however, we saw the governor already waiting with a few guards. Lying behind him on the floor was Professor Kettering, dead.

Doctor Summers stepped forward to observe the body. I stayed back and buried my head in the Doctor's chest. He put a hand on my back and whispered soothing words in my ear as I tried to calm myself.

"It's alright, Diana," the Doctor whispered. "It's alright. It's not your fault."

I took a deep breath. "You might have to remind me of that again," I muttered lowly so the governor and Doctor Summers couldn't hear me. I looked up and pulled out of the Doctor's arms. "Once or twice."

"Dead," the governor said with a shake of his head. "Do you know how it happened, Roland?"

Doctor Summers stood up and shook his head in amazement. "I'm not sure. It's incredible, really."

"Oh, come on, man," the Doctor urged impatiently, "come on."

"From the position of the body, tinge of the skin..."

The Doctor gestured with his hands for the man to continue. "Well?"

Doctor Summers sighed. "All the symptoms are consistent with death by drowning."

"But that's ridiculous!" the governor scoffed.

"Like the rats?" the Doctor asked sarcastically.

"Shall I go and check on his medical record?" Doctor Summers asked.

"Yes, a good idea," the Doctor said with a nod. "How long would you say he'd been dead?"

Summers stopped walking a few feet away from the doors."Oh, a matter of minutes, five at the outside," he responded before leaving.

Jo tugged on the Doctor's sleeve and said, "That must have been about the time the riot started."

He nodded. "Yes, exactly."

"Are you suggesting there's some connection?" the governor asked incredulously.

The Doctor set his jaw in frustration. "This machine has the power to affect men's minds, Governor, and it's growing stronger," he said firmly.

The governor, however, didn't take anything the Doctor said very seriously. "Oh, come now, Doctor. It's only a machine."

"Yes, maybe, but nevertheless it's dangerous and it should be destroyed now!"

"Well, I've no authority to do that. I'll report your recommendations to the Home Office but they'll have to decide."

The governor left immediately after, obviously not very worried about the threat the machine posed. The Doctor looked back at Jo and I and shook his head. I could see anger in his eyes and frustration was very clearly written across his face.

"I wonder how many deaths it'll take to convince them?" he wondered.

"Are we going to wait for him in here?" Jo asked.

The Doctor nodded. "Yes, I suppose so."

"Well," she started slowly, "I fell sort of... uneasy being in here. After everything that's happened..."

"Oh." He looked down at me and nodded again. "Let's stand outside, then, Jo."

We stood outside of the Theatre for what felt like ages. The Doctor stayed in one spot, leaning against the wall with his hand under his chin in silent pondering, while Jo and I sat on the metal steps that led up to the second level of the prison. Jo and I entertained ourselves by telling jokes in one another's ear until the governor finally appeared.

"Ah, Governor," the Doctor started, pushing off of the wall to approach him. "I was wondering-"

"I'm sorry, Doctor," the governor told us as he walked into the Process Theatre. We followed him in and all gathered in a semi-circle. "That's my final word. I'll suspend further use of the Keller process, I'll put this room out of bounds. But that's all I can do without higher authority."

"Yes. Yes, all right," the Doctor sighed. "Well, I'd better make this machine safe."

"Can I help?" Jo asked.

The Doctor shook his head. "On my own, Jo."

"Is that wise?" the governor questioned.

The Doctor shrugged with a half smile. "Perhaps not."

Jo smiled. "Well then-"

"But I prefer to work that way," he instructed Jo. "Tell me, how long has this machine been installed?"

The governor thought for a moment before answering. "Nearly a year. Emil Keller came over from Switzerland to supervise the installation."

"I see," the Doctor answered lowly. "Did he have an assistant?"

"Mmm hmm. A rather attractive Chinese girl."

Once the governor left, the Doctor asked Jo to get a report on Professor Kettering from Doctor Summers and give it to the governor. Once she left, I stayed behind and watched the Doctor inspect the control panel that was connected to the Keller machine. I watched him in silence for a few minutes, smiling when he stripped off his black coat and dropped it on the floor.

"Would you like me to hang that up for you?" I asked.

The Doctor looked over his shoulder at me. "I'm sorry?"

"Your coat," I said, pointing to it. "Do you want me to hang it up for you?"

"Oh." He smiled and nodded. "Yes, thank you, my dear."

I walked across the room and bent over to grab the coat. I walked back across the room to where the coat stand was and hung the coat up on one of the hooks. "I know you told Jo that you, uh, like working alone, but... Well, I don't want to bother you, but would you mind if I stayed?" I asked a little nervously, turning around and clasping my hands behind my back.

He looked over his shoulder at me, a genuine smile on his face. "Of course I wouldn't," he assured me.

"Is there... anything I could do to help?" I asked as I slowly walked back towards him.

"No." The Doctor looked back at the control panel and ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. "I still have to discover what half of these switches do."

I sat down on the floor next to him, crossing my legs Indian style and readjusting the waist of my jeans so they didn't dig into my stomach. The Doctor gazed at me with a smile for a few moments before turning his attention back to the control panel.

It was fascinating to watch him work, different from simply watching it on a t.v. or imagining it in a book. He had a habit of pursing his lips when it took him longer than usual to figure out something and would sometimes make little noises in the back of his throat if something frustrated him, much like I often did. He also tended to run a hand through his very curly hair if he got stuck on a problem.

About ten minutes after the Doctor first started working on the control panel, a riot started up again throughout the prison. In the middle of the riot, the machine turned itself on. I grabbed the Doctor's arm as the machine started to vibrate and flash its lights.

"Doctor," I said in a worried voice. "The machine."

My head suddenly started pounding as I watched the machine. I saw visions start to appear in front of my eyes. First, I saw a Dalek and a Cyberman start to approach me and I cried out in fear. Then they disappeared and were replaced by a pool of water that quickly surrounded me. Something was wrapped around my ankle and was pulling me beneath the surface. I screamed, but only inhaled a large amount of water. I started coughing and began inhaling more and more water until I finally passed out.

I woke up coughing, water pouring from my mouth and down the side of my face. I turned from my position on my back to my side and began heaving up water.

"Diana, are you alright?"

I looked up and saw Jo sitting in front of me. I tried to speak, but only coughed up more water. She put a hand on my shoulder and supported me when I collapsed.

"Where's... the Doctor," I croaked as I continued coughing. "Doctor..."

The Doctor appeared next to me, his hands brushing my hair away from my face. I grabbed onto his arms and pulled myself up. He put both his hands on my cheeks and pulled me into a kiss that made my head spin. I pushed away from him, turning my head to the side so I wouldn't cough on him.

"Diana, look at me," he breathed. I let out a small cough and glanced back at him. "Are you alright? Can you breath alright?"

"Yeah... Water-"

"You swallowed a very large amount of water. You almost drowned."

"Machine?" I asked in a hoarse voice.

"Yes. But it's off. It can't hurt you again. Do you understand?"

I nodded as tears started to roll down my cheeks. The Doctor shook his head and pressed my head against his torso, his hands running through my hair in an effort to calm me.

"Do you know... what happened?" I asked in a raspy voice. "It's... important."

"The machine caused a hallucination," he answered. "If it hadn't been for Jo, we both might have died. She distracted it."

I nodded. "I told you I had a bad feeling about that thing," I breathed with a smile.

The doors to the room suddenly flew open, startling me. I looked over my shoulder to see Yates run in. Jo jumped to her feet and stared at him in confusion.

"Mike? What are you doing here?" she asked.

Yates gave the Doctor a sideways glance. "The Brigadier's orders. I'm afraid, Doctor, you've got to come back to London with me." Then Mike noticed my awkward position in the Time Lord's arms and rushed forward in concern. "Goodness! Diana, what happened?"

"As you see, Yates, I can't possibly leave Stangmoor. Not with Diana like this or with the machine the way it is."

"You've got to, Doctor. Look, you can bring Diana with you-"

"I'm telling you I'm not leaving," the Doctor insisted.

I tugged weakly on the Doctor's shirt and looked up at him. "I'll come with you. Jo can stay here, like we planned."

"I'm not leaving, Diana."

I sighed and shook my head. "Help me stand."

"Diana-"

"I need to stand up. Please."

The Doctor relented and brought me to my feet with a little help from Mike and Jo. I leaned against the Doctor's shoulder once I was standing and buried my face in his neck. Jo rested a hand on my arm, then started to soothingly rub my back.

"I'm sorry, Doctor, but you have to come. We can bring Diana with us and whatever's wrong, we have doctors that can look after her. But you're coming back with me, even if I have to use force."

Mike grabbed the Doctor's arm with the intention of pulling him along, but the Doctor spun his arm around and pushed Mike's arm to the side so he could press two fingers just below the captain's collarbone. Mike froze, unable to move or fight back against the Doctor. I stumbled away from the Doctor after his sudden movements and leaned against Jo instead.

The Doctor stared at Mike with an amused expression. "Venusian Karate. I think you'll find that a lot harder than you imagine, young man," he said as he pulled his hand back.

Mike rubbed a hand againat his sore skin and sighed. "Look, Doctor, he really does need you! Things are going very badly at the peace conference. The Chinese delegate's dead and we think he's been murdered."

"Murdered?" The Doctor looked at Jo and I and sighed. "Yes, all right, Captain Yates. I'll come with you."

"Thank you," Mike responded, relieved.

Jo helped me lean against the Doctor for support. "I'll say here and look after things for you, Doctor. Just like we agreed." She smiled at me and ran her hand along my arm. "You should get Diana looked at and make sure she's alright. A UNIT hospital would be better than a prison hospital."

"Doctor," Mike started, "I could take Diana with me right now and you could catch up with us-"

"No, that won't be necessary," the Doctor replied. He glanced down at me and brushed some hair away from my face. Then he looked at Jo and said, "Look, Jo, for once in your young life, do you think you could do exactly as I ask?"

Jo nodded. "Yes, of course."

"Now go and see the Governor," the Time Lord instructed. "Tell him to lock and bar that door. No one is to enter this room. No one. Do you understand?"

"Just leave everything to me."

"Yes. Yes, I'm rather afraid I'll have to. Try and keep out of trouble, will you?"

Jo smiled sweetly and nodded. "Yes, Doctor."

I smiled weakly at Jo. "Be careful," I croaked. "I want you to be very, very... careful."

"I will. Don't worry about me. You just get better."

The Doctor looked down at me and tightened his arm around my waist. "Can you walk?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Just peachy," I muttered. "I'm just really tired. But I can probably walk. Don't... Don't worry."

With almost no effort whatsoever, the Doctor bent his knees to place a hand under my legs and then picked me up. I gasped and clung to his shoulders, worried that he would drop me. Jo took a step back and Mike stared at us in surprise.

"Come along, Captain Yates," the Doctor said casually, as if he hadn't just swept me off my feet. "What are you waiting for?"

Too tired and traumatized to argue about being picked up, I let my head fall against the Doctor's shoulder. My eyes fluttered open and closed as the Doctor started walking towards the doors. Mike went in front of us and Jo stayed behind in the Process Theatre.

I was starting to fall asleep with my head resting in the curve of the Doctor's neck and shoulder when Jo suddenly called after us. She gave Mike the Doctor's coat that he had left behind, then said another short farewell to us.

The Doctor hurried outside and placed me in Bessie's front seat, refusing almost violently to Mike's suggestion that I ride in the UNIT vehicle the captain had arrived in. Then he made me put his coat on and tightened my scarf around my neck so I wouldn't be as cold.

"Why don't you sleep while I drive?" he suggested, placing a hand on my cheek. "It will help you heal faster."

"It will?"

"Yes. You're my special girl," he said with a smile. "You always seem to heal quickly from near death situations."

"Why?"

The Doctor smiled a little sadly and said, "Spoilers. Now sleep."

I woke with a start and looked around wildly, momentarily disoriented and confused. The Doctor was sitting next to me and was looking between me and something in front of him.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Just outside of London."

I put a hand to my forehead and let out a breath. "Wha-...? What woke me up?"

"Just a bump poor old Bessie had to deal with." The Doctor glanced back at me and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry it woke you."

"How long have I been asleep?"

"One hour, eleven minutes, and twenty-five seconds. If you'd like me to be precise."

I shook my head and sat up a little straighter. Looking down, I saw that I was wearing the Doctor's black coat and smiled. the confusion that had clouded my mind when I first woke up had already disappeared and I remembered why I was in Bessie in the first place.

"I feel better," I murmured. "I mean, I don't feel like I just almost drowned."

The Doctor glanced over at me again. "I told you. Sleeping would help you heal."

"You're not going to take me to a hospital, are you?" I wondered. "I don't need one, do I? I mean, I don't really want to go and we have a lot more important things to worry about like, you know, the Chinese delegate."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Before we make any serious decisions, I need to check your lungs. But if you're healed and you're not in danger of getting sick, then no."

"Aren't we going inside?" I asked with a smile.

The Doctor shook his head. "Not just yet. I still have to check your lungs and make sure there's not water in them."

"But we're parked behind UNIT HQ. The Brigadier's waiting for us."

"And I'm not letting you go anywhere until I listen to your lungs."

"Alright," I sighed.

He smiled and got out of the car, then opened the back door to grab a small black, metal box from beneath the seat. I raised an eyebrow and laughed a little when the Doctor sat in the driver's seat again. He opened the box, which revealed a collection of medical instruments including a stethoscope.

"Emergency doctor's kit?" I asked sarcastically.

"Don't tease me."

The Doctor slipped the stethoscope into his ears and held the small metal circle (that I was sure had a more technical name, even though I didn't know what it was) in his right hand, cupping it in his left to warm it up a little.

"Could you turn around, my dear?"

I nodded. "Sure."

I turned around in my seat and straightened my back. The Doctor put a hand on my shoulder and pressed the stethoscope to my back. He instructed me to take a deep breath and I did so. He moved the stethoscope to the other side of my back and I took another deep breath.

"I don't hear anything," he told me. "Turn around."

I turned to face him again and smiled a little awkwardly. The Doctor raised a hand to my neck, his fingers curling slightly in midair. He looked into my eyes and paused.

"May I?" he asked, gesturing to his coat.

I nodded wordlessly and let him unbutton the coat. Once it was completely unbuttoned, the Doctor pushed the coat off of my shoulders and moved his hands to my scarf. I let him untie it and set it on the seat between us.

Then he pressed the stethoscope to my torso just a few inches below my breasts. The touch was awkward and gentle and made me feel more nervous than I had ever felt before. I took a deep breath as instructed, then did so again when the Doctor moved the instrument to the other side of my torso.

"I don't hear anything at all. I do believe you are completely healed and out of danger."

"That's good," I breathed, bowing my head as I felt my cheeks flush.

I reached for my scarf and started to wrap it around my neck when the Doctor put a hand on my wrist. Startled and a little nervous, I looked up with a half smile. My heart was pounding heavily in my chest and the sound was echoing in my ears.

"I was so afraid," the Doctor began. "When Jo came in and I was able to understand what was happening, I... I saw you. I thought you were dead. You weren't breathing and your face was so pale... I thought I'd lost you."

I shook my head. "I'm fine now, Doctor."

"I never meant for that to happen. If I had known, I would have protected you."

"I know. It's alright. Really."

The Doctor sighed and lifted a hand to my cheek. He gazed into my eyes for a few moments before leaning in to kiss me. I didn't move, only tilted my head back a little so the kiss wasn't as awkward.

I wanted to return the kiss, show how grateful I was to him for trying to save me and let myself enjoy the moment like I had with his other incarnations, but I was also scared. I knew that he loved me and was married to me and as flattered as I was and as desperately as I wanted it, I was terrified of admitting any sort of feelings for him. I was afraid of being hurt again, of being lied to again, and that there was a possibility that he wasn't real and everything I had ever felt for him was just a dream.

Mike, who had been waiting for the Doctor and I by his car, led us inside UNIT HQ where he told us the Brigadier was waiting. Mike led the way up the stairs and the Doctor and I followed. We were just outside of Alistair office when we heard raised voices.

"Dismissed, Sergeant," I heard Alistair snap on the other side of the door. "Just get out of my sight."

We entered the room just as Benton rushed past us. I tried to grab his arm to stop him, but he just charged past me. The Doctor and I looked back at the Brigadier, who appeared very cranky.

"I see you're in your usual sweet affable mood, Brigadier," the Doctor commented with a smirk.

Alistair looked up at us and set his jaw. "When you've quite finished grinning like a Cheshire cat, Captain Yates!"

Mike nodded once. "Sir."

I patted the Doctor's shoulder and gestured with my head to the departing Yates. He nodded in understanding and I left after Mike. He told me that Benton had left already, so I hurried down the stairs to try and catch up to him.

"John?" I called once I reached the sidewalk outside. "Benton!"

He was just a little ways down the street, but stopped and turned around when he heard me. "Diana?"

I jogged over to him and put a hand on his arm. "Hey, are you okay? I heard Alistair shouting at you."

"It's nothing. I just made a fool of myself."

"John, I know what happened. And it's not your fault. Okay?"

"How do you know that?" he asked.

I smiled and answered, "I just do. Don't listen to Alistair. He's just stressed out right now and he took it out on you."

"It's alright," he assured me. "I'm pretty sure I fainted."

Knowing that John wouldn't listen to anything else once his mind was made up, I nodded. "I'll see you later, then. Be careful. Promise?"

"I promise," he said with a laugh.

I turned and started walking back to the building when something caught my eye. I glanced across the street and saw a yellow tent and a man kneeling next to some sort of electrical box. Panic stuck my heart when the man stood up and looked at me. I knew who was hiding inside the costume and I immediately ran all the way back into the building, not stopping until I reached the second floor.

Yates jumped to his feet when I bounded inside, breathing heavily. I assured him that I was fine and knocked on the Brigadier's door. He called for me to come in, so I turned the door knob and stepped inside the office.

"Oh, Diana," the Doctor said casually. "You're back. I was just asking the Brigadier what he could about that wretched machine that nearly killed us."

Alistair rolled his eyes. "It's a machine, Doctor. It can't kill people."

"Actually, it can. I almost drowned because of that thing."

"Drowned?" Alistair repeated. "How?"

I looked at the Doctor and raised an eyebrow, silently asking if I could tell Alistair everything. He nodded and gestured for me to stand next to him.

"Well, the machine is... sentient, I think. The person who created it did it so he would have a powerful tool to control people with. It gets into your head and... feeds on your fear. It makes you think that your greatest fear is real and you hallucinate about it and because you think it's real, it can kill you. Like one of my greatest fears is drowning and I recently nearly drowned trying to escape from someone. The machine picks up that fear and makes you think it's real."

Alistair looked back at the doctor in surprise. "Is that true, Doctor? Can it really do all that?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid so, Brigadier."

"Well then. It seems I have to, don't I?" the Brigadier said with a shake of his head.

"You'll back up my report to the Home Office calling for a complete ban on the Keller process?" the Doctor asked.

Alistair nodded. "Yes."

"And you'll get in touch with the Home Secretary and make sure that he takes some action?"

"Yes, Doctor, and if that doesn't do any good, I personally will go down to Stangmoor and blow the blasted machine up myself." The Brigadier smiled and asked, "Now, are you or are you not going to help me with this case?"

The Doctor leaned back in his chair and grinned. "My dear Lethbridge Stewart, your word is my command. You know that you only have to ask."

"Thank you," Alistair said as he stood up and grabbed a briefcase by his feet.

"Well, where on earth do you think you're going?" the Doctor asked.

Alistair smiled. "We are going to see the new Chinese delegate, Mister Fu Peng."

"Fu Peng?" the Doctor repeated. "He must be Hokien."

Alistair gave him a strange look. "No, no, no, Doctor. He's Chinese. Now, come along. You as well, Diana."

Mike looked up from his desk when we exited the office. "Excuse me," he started.

"Later!" Alistair snapped as he started down the stairs.

The Doctor and I laughed and he gave Mike a reassuring smile. "Yes, it's going to be one of those days. Cheshire cat, Captain Yates, Cheshire cat."

"Doctor!" the Brigadier called from the stairs. "Miss Scott!"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" the Doctor grumbled. "We're coming."

The Doctor and I followed Alistair out of the building. Just across the street was a small park where a group of children were playing. I looked across the park where a black car was parked and felt a shiver go down my spine when I remembered who was in that car. The Doctor noticed me shiver and quickly put an arm around my shoulders.

"Cold?" he asked.

I smiled up at him and nodded. "A little, yes. But it's alright."

He smiled in return and reached for the zipper of my jacket with his free arm. I laughed when he pulled his arm away from my shoulders and tried to connect the two parts of the zipper, failing after five minutes of trying. I pushed his hands away and easily zipped the jacket up.

"For being a brilliant scientist, that was a little sad," I teased.

"You were moving too much," he protested.

Alistair looked over his shoulder at us and sighed. "Would it be possible for the two of you not be so domestic?" he asked. "I can't have you making eyes at one another in front of the Chinese delegate."

"Lethbridge-Stewart, we do not 'make eyes at one another'," the Doctor protested.

"Well could you at least not be so obvious? I know you're newly married, but-"

The Doctor exhaled dramatically and brought his chin to his chest while Alastair was speaking. Then he interrupted him in a sarcastic tone with, "Diana and I will not 'make eyes at one another' in front of the delegate and we will try ever so hard not to be domestic. Are you happy?"

"Yes. Quite."

I was a little winded from the long walk from UNIT HQ to the Chinese Delegation and tried to hide it, but the Doctor noticed easily. He put an arm around my waist and put his mouth close to my ear. I smiled a little and leaned against him slightly.

"In through your nose and out through your mouth, my dear," he suggested. "I'm helps."

I felt my cheeks flush and I nodded in an effort to distract from the color they were turning. "Sorry," I mumbled. "I've never really been in shape and lots of walking... Not my strong suit."

The Doctor pressed a kiss to me cheek and laughed softly. "It's alright. I prefer you the way you are already."

"Domestics," the Brigadier reminded us as he opened the door to the delegate's visiting room.

The delegate was reading a newspaper when we first entered and was clearly ignoring us.

"Oh, Mister Fu Peng?" the Brigadier started politely. "I'm Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart of UNIT command. I'm in charge of all security arrangements. And this is our scientific advisor and his assistant."

The Doctor started speaking in the man's native tongue, but to my surprise the language was immediately translated to English in my mind. "This unworthy person welcomes you and delights in your safe arrival," the Doctor said with a bow to the delegate.

I copied his movements and bowed respectfully to the man, keeping my eyes lowered. The delegate stood up from his seat and smiled. His answer was in his native tongue, but once again I heard the response in English.

"Thank you for your courtesy and welcome. It is I who am delighted to meet such a charming person in this barbaric country." The delegate paused and I could tell that he was speaking in English when he continued. "It is rare to meet a westerner who knows my language."

"Oh, thank you," the Doctor replied happily. "Actually I fear my Hokien is somewhat rusty."

"On the contrary, it is excellent."

"Well, it's many years since I've had a chance to use it," the Doctor said casually. Another man entered the room with a chair and placed it in front of the Doctor. "You don't mind if my... assistant sits, do you?"

The delegate looked at me and observed me for a moment. I smiled politely and then quickly lowered my gaze, hoping to appear respectful. "She may," the delegate finally said.

"Thank you very much, sir," I said as I moved to sit in the chair.

The delegate stared at me in shock. "She speaks Hokien?" he asked incredulously.

Surprised, I looked up at the Doctor. He smiled at me and winked before nodding. "Ah, yes. She has traveled with me many places and is gifted with languages. Speaking of travel, I remember once having a conversation with Tse-Tung."

"Tse-Tung?" the delegate repeated in shock. "But that is the personal name of our chairman, Mao Tse-Tung."

"He himself gave me leave to use it," the Doctor assured him with a smile.

Alistair sighed In frustration. "Yes, if we could just discuss the immediate problem-"

"You will take some tea?" the delegate asked.

"I would be honored and delighted," the Doctor answered with a charismatic grin.

I nodded. "As would I, sir."

The delegate smiled and said, "Tang pei lai. Sing-sen."

I immediately wondered why the TARDIS didn't translate, but didn't focus on it for long because the delegate asked us to stand and follow him into the next room. I looked back at Alistair and smiled apologetically. He only sighed and sat down in my chair, a resigned look on his face.

"I am pleasantly surprised that you both speak Hokien," Fu Peng said as he sat down.

The Doctor offered me his hand as I approached my chair and helped me sit, even though it wasn't necessary. "As I said before, my assistant and I travel together," he replied with a smile. "We have seen a great many things and know a great many languages. It is a requirement in working for UNIT."

Fu Peng nodded. "I see. That is very impressive."

"Thank you."

I gave the Doctor a smile as he sat down beside me. The man who had earlier brought in the chair then brought in a tray with a teapot and three cups. Fu Peng poured the Doctor and I a cup of tea and handed it to us. I held my cup in my hands and let the warmth soak into my fingers.

"Why do you not drink?" the delegate asked of me.

Startled and embarrassed, I gripped the cup tighter in my hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be disrespectful," I said worriedly. "I've just never had tea before."

"Never had tea?" he asked incredulously.

I shook my head. "No, sir. You see, I'm from America and we don't usually drink tea there. At least, not where I lived." I looked at the Doctor with an lost terrified expression. "I'm really, very sorry, sir."

The Doctor and Fu Peng, as the delegate had asked us to call him, conversed easily and happily during our time together. I would only speak if one of the two men spoke directly to me due to the fact that I wasn't sure what to say and I didn't want to accidentally say something disrespectful. I knew the Chinese, as well as many other cultures, found respect and honor very important and so I said as little as possible.

"Why does your assistant speak so little?" Fu Peng asked after a long while.

The Doctor looked at me and smiled fondly. "Diana is a little timid, Mister Fu Peng. And she is also afraid of saying something to offend you, I believe."

I nodded and smiled a little awkwardly. "Do forgive me, sir. I'm usually more talkative, but I get extremely shy around strangers."

"It is nothing you should be sorry for," Fu Peng assured me. "I admire your desire to be respectful of me. Many of your people do not think as such."

"They should," I answered quickly. "And they will in time."

The get-together was soon over and Fu Peng walked us back into the main room, still speaking in Hokien. He suggested that the Doctor and I visit him again for a meal and the Doctor eagerly agreed.

"I should be delighted to dine with you soon," the Doctor said with a low bow.

The Brigadier jumped to his feet and said, "Yes, well, there are a few questions that I should like to ask, Mister Fu Peng."

Ignoring him, Fu Peng started rattling off dishes he would serve the Doctor and I when we next met. I smiled and looked at the Doctor, who seemed as amused as I did.

"What did he say?" Alistair asked.

"Dried squid and stewed jellyfish, my dear fellow. For our dinner." The Doctor gestured that I bow and we did so simultaneously. "Beng ahn, my dear Peng-san."

Fu Peng smiled and bowed. "Cheng lu. Till our next meeting then, my dear Sing-sen."

Alistair took a step forward. "I really must insist on asking-"

The Doctor chuckled and opened the door for me. "Come along, my dear fellow. We've got a great deal of work to do, you know," he said, letting the door close behind us.

I immediately grabbed his hand as we walked down the hall, the sensation feeling natural and wonderfully pleasant. The Brigadier came stomping out of the room shortly after and he completely ignored us on the walk back to HQ.

Once we were all siting in Alistair's office, however, he started listening to us again. The Doctor told him about the information on the first Chinese delegate's death he had learned from Fu Peng and explained his concern that the Keller machine was to blame.

"Are you're seriously suggesting there's a connection?" Alistair asked incredulously.

The Doctor nodded. "Another mysterious death with unexplained marks on the face and body? There's got to be."

"But this Keller machine of yours is miles away."

"Excuse me, sir," Mike interrupted as he entered the Brigadier's office. "We're about ready for off, sir, if you'll just okay the movement order and route plans."

"Off for another little trip, Captain Yates?" the Doctor teased.

Yates shook his head as he handed a clipboard to the Brigadier. "Not exactly, Doctor. We're moving the Thunderbolt."

"The what?"

"The Thunderbolt. It's a nuclear powered missile with a warhead full of nerve gas."

"I thought they'd outlawed those things," the Doctor responded.

"Oh yes, they have." Alistair looked up from the clipboard with a serious expression. "This one's on its way to the naval dockyard. They're going to dump it at the bottom of the ocean."

The Doctor gave him a skeptical look and said, "With the peace conference going on it's not the most tactful time to be trundling rockets about, is it?"

"Why would you even have something like that?" I asked. "Isn't nerve gas really dangerous or something?"

"If one is poisoned by it and isn't removed, then it can lead to asphyxiation," the Doctor explained.

My eyes widened in surprise and I looked to Alistair for confirmation. "Is that true?"

"I see you're taking Benton," he said, ignoring my horrified reaction as he spoke to Yates instead.

"If it's okay with you, sir," Mike answered.

I looked back at the Doctor and repeated my question. "Doctor, why do they have that?"

The Doctor lowered his gaze. "Wars. It's a weapon and UNIT is a military force."

"Well, he somehow managed to lose a Chinese girl in broad daylight," Alistair said in response to Mike's unheard question.

This caught the Doctor's attention and he sat a little taller in his chair. "Chinese girl? What Chinese girl?" he asked quickly.

"All right, Yates," the Brigadier said dismissively, "carry on. Good luck."

Mike smiled and said, "Oh, thank you, sir," before leaving.

"Brigadier, what Chinese girl?" the Doctor repeated in frustration.

Alistair finally looked the Doctor in the eyes and acknowledged his frantic questions. "Well, Captain Chin Lee, the General's aide. I thought she was implicated so I had her followed. Benton lost her."

The Doctor nodded. "That's it then. That's the link."

"What is?" Alistair asked.

"When Emil Keller installed his machine at Stangmoor prison, he had a Chinese girl with him as an assistant."

"It could be coincidence."

"Coincidence, my foot."

"Trust me, Alistair," I added in a serious tone. "It's not a coincidence."

The Doctor exhaled heavily. "You'd better put out a general alert for that Chinese girl, Brigadier. She's got to be found and quick!"

"Alright, Doctor. You call Stangmoor Prison and I'll try and find that girl."

"What about me?" I asked.

The Doctor and Alistair looked at each other, panicked expressions on their faces. Alistair sighed and looked down at his desk. "Well, did you want to help?"

"If it means I have to call strangers on the phone and talk like a civilized human being instead of an awkward teenager, then prefferably not because I'm extremely not good at that. But I'll do anything else you need."

"Is this going to end the same way as it did last time?"

I shook my head in confusion. "Is what going to what?"

The Doctor put a hand over mine and shook his head. "No, Brigadier. Diana can do whatever she likes."

"Very well," Alistair said. "You can drive, can't you?"

"Yes."

"I'd like you to take a car and visit all the places that Chinese girl has been seen today, as well as any place she has visited in the last week. She could be in hiding."

I nodded, not letting on that I knew exactly where she was. "Is there a list?" I asked.

"Yes. Just a moment."

While Alistair called for Yates to find the list and bring it in, the Doctor gestured for me to come closer. I did as requested and smiled up at him. "Yes?"

"You'll be alright?" he asked. "On your own?"

"I should be. I can be very violent when I'm angry," I joked.

"Just promise me that you'll be careful."

"Of course I promise. If something happens to me, then who'll be around to tease you and make sure you stay out of trouble?"

The Doctor took both of my hands in his, ignoring the annoyed look the Brigadier gave him, and gently kissed them. "Be back as soon as possible. I don't care what the Brigadier says."

I sighed. "Doctor-"

"Once it gets dark, come back here immediately."

"Doctor-"

"I want you back here as soon as possible. You need to stay safe."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "Doctor, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself." I gave him a teasing smile and added, "Now can I go to work, sweetie?"

His cheeks flushed red and I laughed, pulling my hands away and resisting the urge to hug him goodbye. Yates had already come and gone, but the Doctor and I were too involved in each other to notice, and had left the list of locations for me to check. I quickly looked over the paper and folded it, then stuffed it into my front pocket.

"Do you have a map of the city?"

"There should be one in the car," the Brigadier answered.

"Okay." I checked that my phone was still in my back pocket and headed for the door. "Don't have too much fun without me."

The Doctor and Alistair both looked down at the desk, appearing uninterested despite their simultaneous, "Be careful."

"I will," I responed. "Don't worry."

With a final glance at the two men that I had truly come to love over the past few months, I opened the door and started for the stairs. I was halfway down the first flight when a young man called my name from the floor above. I stopped and looked behind me to see a young man standing at the top. He had short brown hair, hazel eyes, silver-rimmed glasses, and a face that looked strangely familiar. He was wearing a uniform like Mike's and John's, but with different decorations.

"Sorry," I said. "Were you calling me?"

"Yes." He started down the stairs after me and stopped at the step just above the one I was standing on. "You're Diana Scott, correct?"

"Yes. And you are?"

"Alistair Smith, Lieutenant."

"Nice to meet you," I said with a genuine smile. "Um, I'm really sorry, but I sort of have to go. The Brigadier gave me a job-"

"I'm coming with you."

"Oh. O-Okay. Can I ask why?" I asked slowly.

"I'm a friend of the Brigadier's and the Doctor's. I know they want you to stay safe, so I'm going to come with you."

I shrugged. "That's fine. I wouldn't mind some company."

"Good. This way."

He brushed past me and hurried down the stairs. I jumped down the steps after him and followed him outside. We walked to the end of the block and then took a right down the side. There was an alley behind the rows of buildings where five jeeps and five cars were parked.

"Um, are you driving or-?"

Alistair glanced back at me and nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Oh, you don't have to call me ma'am. Just Diana is fine."

"Could I call you Miss Scott instead?"

I smiled. "Whatever you're comfortable with, Lieutenant."

The corner of his mouth turned up a little. "You can call me Alistair if you'd like. I don't mind."

"Alright."

He chose a black car that looked very indiscreet and opened the door for me. I thanked him and sat in the passenger seat, then pulled the seat belt over my chest. He ran around the car and jumped into the driver's seat.

"So," he started in a small voice after he started the car. "Where are we going first?"

Alistair Smith and I got along very well. He was a gentleman and treated me with great respect and kindness. I was relieved to discover that he wasn't a wild driver and was very cautious on the road.

"We've only got two more places to check," I told him.

"Fantastic," he answered, his accent changing into a slightly Northern tone.

I looked up from the list and stared at Alistair in surprise. He slowly looked over at me, a shy smile on his face. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No. Sorry. You just, uh, sounded a lot like someone I know. A friend of mine."

"I see."

I folded the paper up and held it in my hands, crossing my legs and staring out the windshield. "So, how long have you worked for UNIT?"

Alistair shrugged. "Not long. A few years now." He glanced at me with a smile. "You?"

"Well... Alistair, I should tell you something. I, uh, don't live normally like you do. You know the Doctor?"

"Yes."

"Well, I travel with him. And the thing is, he's an alien with a spaceship that can travel in time and space." I paused and laughed a little nervously. "I know it sounds crazy, but-"

"Miss Scott, I work for UNIT. There isn't much that surprises me anymore."

"True."

"But, please. Go on."

"Okay. So, spaceship that travels through time. Well, I don't know why this happens to me, but I think it has something to do with the fact that I travel through time so often. Sometimes I move through time without a spaceship. I don't know how I do it or how to control it. It just happens." I looked down at my hands and sighed. "The point of telling you this is that I've been employed by UNIT for three days. But that's in my own personal time. Here on Earth, it's probably been about a week or two."

Alistair stayed silent for a moment before saying, "Well, that's... fascinating."

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's not. It's all real."

Alistair turned his head and looked at me with a kind and genuine smile. "I belive you, Miss Scott. I really do."

"It was nice meeting you, Alistair."

The young man smiled and nodded at me "It was a pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Scott. I hope we see each other soon."

"I'd like that." I remembered the Doctor's instructions that I return as soon as possible and I couldn't help but wish I was with him already. I looked up at the building Alistair had parked behind and saw, through the window, a handful of UNIT personnel walking around. "Um, I kind of... have to go."

"So do I."

"See you 'round," I said with a smile and a farewell wave, turning to walk around the building.

The sun was close to setting and I was glad I had gone out with Alistair. He was great company and didn't think I was crazy after I told him all my stories about my travels with the Doctor. As I walked up the stairs, I smiled and hoped that I did see the young man again.

I knocked on the Brigadier's door once I reached it and he called for me to enter. I pushed the doors open to see the Doctor leaning over the table with a phone pressed against his ear and the Brigadier looking through some papers. They both looked up at me as I entered and smiled.

"Back early?" Alistair asked.

"Yeah. I was with Lieutenant Smith and we managed to ask around about the girl. She was nowhere to be found." I gestured to the Doctor, who was still on the phone, and smiled. "What's he doing?"

"I have been attempting to call Stangmore Prison for hours now. I don't understand what's keeping them."

I walked over to the Doctor and playfully ruffled his hair. He made a face at me and I laughed. "There's probably something holding them up," I said casually, thinking about Jo and hoping that she was doing alright.

"Perhaps."

Alistair picked up his own phone and quickly dialed a long number. He sighed and tapped his fingers against the desk as he waited. He suddenly started talking very rapidly and I didn't try to listen to him. I found a chair across the room and dragged it to the Doctor's side, placing it next to him and moving so that I was straddling it.

"How are you?" I asked, folding my arms on the back of the chair and resting my chin on top of them.

"Frustrated. What could possibly be taking so long?"

"I don't know."

The Doctor looked up at the Brigadier, making sure that he wasn't watching us, and put a hand on my knee. I smiled and he ran his fingers along my knee. I shivered when the movement tickled and held back my giggles. He looked from my eyes to my leg and asked, "Who did you say was with you?"

"Lieutenant Smith."

"Alistair Smith?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"He's a very respectable young man."

"I thought so, too."

"I'm glad you weren't by yourself," he admitted softly. "I was worried about you the entire time."

I smiled and shook my head. "You didn't have to be."

The Doctor shook his head and looked down at my leg again, running his fingertips slowly along my knee. I shivered again and held back a laugh. "You don't mind, do you?" he asked.

"Mind what?"

"This."

I glanced down at his hand and smiled again. "No."

I wonder why he's acting so different, I thought. He's so much more worrisome and clingy. Sort of like he doesn't want me out of his sight.

Well he is married to you, I reminded myself. And you did almost die.

And it's my fault that I didn't tell him I'm not. I know. I just couldn't bear to disappoint him. He was so relieved to see me and I didn't want to make him feel worse than he already did.

"Are you feeling alright?" the Doctor asked. "You've had quite the day."

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. But I'll be glad when I can go back to the TARDIS and take a nap. And a shower." I noticed then how silent the other end of the Doctor's phone was. "Is nobody on the other end of the line?" I asked.

He sighed heavily and shook his head. "I have absolutely no idea, but it's getting ridiculous."

"I'm sorry." He shook his head again and ran a hand through his hair. I smiled and boldly reached a hand up to play with a strand of his hair. "You must be bored."

"Terribly."

"You should watch a movie after this or you could read a book. You need something relaxing."

Behind me, the Brigadier let out a sigh. "Can't the two of you take the domestics elsewhere?" he asked.

The Doctor didn't answer, only made a face and went back to running his fingers along my leg. A few minutes later, Corporal Bell came in and pulled the curtains over the large window. I hadn't noticed it at first, but the sun had already set and twilight was in full effect.

"Look, operator, I've been waiting some considerable time now for my call to Stangmoor prison," the Doctor said in exasperation once someone came back onto the other end of the line.

Alistair nodded as he listened to the person on the other end of the phone line. "All right, keep looking," he said. "Yes, let me know as soon as you hear anything."

"Yes, all right, yes. I'll hang on," the Doctor sighed. He looked up at me again and shook his head. "There's some trouble there with the lines."

Alistair's phone rang again and he answered it almost immediately. "Lethbridge-Stewart? What? No, don't arrest her. I'll deal with this myself." He hung up and the Doctor and I looked up at him expectantly. "Message from one of my agents. Chin Lee's turned up again."

The Doctor and I looked up. "Chin Lee?" the Time Lord asked. "Where?"

The Brigadier got to his feet. "She's just been seen entering the Chinese delegate's suite."