A/N: So, there are a few twists and turns in this chapter that I hope no one anticipated. I also hope that everyone likes it. I was really nervous about posting this chapter, so I hope it's alright. Thanks again go to grapejuice101 for giving me an idea for Diana's dream in this chapter and for letting me rant about my ridiculous ideas.

Also, I'm still trying to get back into the swing of decent writing since I'm feeling a little out of it. So I hope the writing's okay.

Upon waking, I found that I was alone in my room and the Doctor was nowhere to be found. I had conveniently forgotten what I had whispered to the Doctor as I fell asleep the previous night, but still remembered the lovely evening I had spent with him and Martha. I stayed in bed a few minutes longer and gazed at the ceiling with a giddy smile as I thought over how much I had loved our evening of stargazing.

I finally decided that I should get out of bed and take a bath. Martha had insisted that I have a pair of crutches or some kind of walking aide in my room in case either of them was unavailable to help me walk, so I grabbed the crutches and hobbled out of bed. The TARDIS had also moved my bathroom so it was connected to my bedroom, so I was able to get in without very much trouble.

I started running the bath water, letting it get to a warm enough degree, and then shed my clothes and lowered myself into the tub. I propped my injured leg up on the edge of the tub and rested my head against the wall with a sigh. After a few minutes, I slowly moved my injured leg so it was resting in the water. The water helped to relax my muscles and soothe the ache in my leg.

After soaking for a while, I quickly scrubbed myself clean and carefully got out of the bath. I grabbed my bathrobe, which was hanging on the door, and put it on before sitting down on the edge of the tub again. I ran a comb through my hair and let it air dry, then hobbled back to my room. The TARDIS, being her ever-helpful self, had materialized a set of clean clothes and a fresh bandage for my leg on my bed.

"Thanks, Sexy," I praised as I sat down on the edge of my bed.

Once I was dressed, I grabbed my phone from my bedside table and stuffed it into my pocket. Then I put on my glasses and decided to head for the console room, where I would most likely find the Doctor. But I noticed as I walked through the hallway that the TARDIS looked different than I remembered, yet there was still something vaguely familiar about the dark hues of the walls.

"Which one am I with?" I wondered as I looked around. "Twelve and Eleven had dark console rooms and hallways, but they weren't like this…"

When I hobbled into the console room, I saw a man standing by the console with his back to me. The poor lighting meant that I couldn't discern many details about his clothes or head, so I thought at first that it was Twelve. Looking around, I saw that the console room had changed drastically. The stairs, second level, bookcases and chalkboards had all disappeared and everything was in dark colors. The roundels were reminiscent of his earlier incarnations and were a dark gray color. The walls and console were black and the time rotor was the only thing that looked like Twelve's old console room.

"Theta?" I asked softly, my voice trembling slightly. "I-Is that you?"

The man bowed his head and sighed, then suddenly straightened and turned around to face me. My breath caught in my throat when his face was illuminated and I recognized who he was.

"I thought I told you," he began with a dangerous glint in his eyes, "I do not want to be called by that name."

My heart sank to my stomach and I felt almost sick. The cold, hateful look in the Valeyard's eyes seemed to reach into my very soul and put out any glimmer of hope I had for him. We stared wordlessly at one another for what felt like an eternity, the only sounds being my labored breathing and the heavy beating of my heart.

The Valeyard suddenly took a step forward and in a panic, I stumbled backwards. My foot caught on one of my crutches and it fell out from under me, causing me to loose my balance and almost fall back. I desperately grabbed for the railing beside the door and clung desperately to it as my crutches clattered to the ground.

A cruel smile spread across the Valeyard's face. He shook his head and seemed to be laughing. I stared incredulously at the Time Lord as he turned away from me and faced the console again.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I snapped, hoping my anger would hide my hurt.

"I am merely amused, my dear."

I pulled myself to a standing position, my injured leg dangling helplessly in the air as I leaned against the railing. "About what?" I asked breathlessly.

"Do you remember what you said to me before you fell asleep?"

"What?"

The Valeyard turned to face me again with a cynical smile that sent shiver up my spine. "Before you left, I took you to your room and placed you in your bed and when I did you whispered something to me. Do you recall what it was?"

I shook my head in confusion. "I-I don't… I didn't say anything. I just asked you to stay with me-"

"You said three words. Can you guess what they were?"

I furrowed my brows and tried to think back to the previous night. I thought over what had happened when the Doctor took me to my room and then I remembered. My eyes shot back to the Valeyard and my jaw fell open in shock.

"You do remember. Good. Then you see why I am amused."

"No, I-I don't," I answered with a shake of my head. "I don't understand at all. Are you… angry with me? For saying that?"

"I am amused, Diana, because you said that you loved me. And yet when you see me as this, as the Valeyard, you cower in fear. Is that the proof of your love?"

He didn't wait for me to answer, but turned away again and began walking around the console. He typed something out on the scanner keyboard, then flipped a few dials. I watched in silence, my heart heavy with guilt.

"What are you doing?" I asked in a terrified, shaking voice.

"I do not want you here, Diana."

I gripped the railing tighter and felt my heart race in anticipation. "So what are you doing?" When the Valeyard was silent, I repeated my question frantically. "Theta, what are you doing?"

"I'm throwing you out!" he yelled, his face contorted in anger.

The TARDIS let out a low, growling sound and then a long screeching of metal grinding against metal. The ship suddenly lurched to one side and the wheezed. I was thrown hard against the railing and only barely managed to keep my balance. The lights in the console room suddenly went out and the room went dark.

"Doctor!"

The lights then blinked back on as the console erupted into a flurry of sparks. The Valeyard let out a pained cry and his arms flew up to shield his face. I limped forward, whimpering when a jolt of pain shot up through my injured leg.

"Are you alright?" I asked worriedly.

"Yes," he snarled.

"What happened?"

The Valeyard shook his head and began typing at the keyboard again. He was frantically pushing at various buttons on the console, but the TARDIS wasn't responding at all. She let out another low growl before finally guttering and then falling silent.

"This worthless machine refuses to respond to anything," the Valeyard said angrily.

"Why?"

"If I knew, then the problem would be solved and you would no longer be here."

I watched as the Valeyard continued working at console, his brows furrowed in frustration. I slowly gathered my crutches and placed them under my arms, then cautiously walked over to the console. My eyes flitted between the console and the Valeyard's face. He was becoming more frustrated with each passing moment.

"I-Is there anything I can do to help?"

The Valeyard stopped what he was doing and looked up at me. He had a neutral expression when he looked into my eyes and nodded. "Yes."

"What is it?" I asked with a hopeful smile.

"You can get out of my sight!"

His exclamation felt like a knife right to my heart. I stammered incoherently for a few moments as I tried to think of something to say, but finally fell silent when I realized that there was nothing I could say to him. I nodded and bowed my head when I felt tears sting in my eyes.

I turned around and started towards the door. I could feel the Valeyard's eyes on me as I retreated for the safety of my bedroom, but said nothing. Anything I might say would just be a victory for the Time Lord because it would be obvious how much he had hurt me.

It was hard to keep my tears at bay, but I forced myself to do so until I was back in my room. I knew that the Valeyard most likely wanted to hurt me, like he had the last time I had met him, but that didn't make the hurt in my heart any less painful. So when I reached my room, I hobbled over to my bed and collapsed onto it with a sob.

The memory of the previous evening I had spent with Twelve ran through my mind and I recalled the three little words I had whispered through my sleepy haze. I had meant them with all my heart when I said them and I still loved him, even if he was now the Valeyard and a cruel, terrible man.

Suddenly, my phone started ringing in my back pocket. I inhaled sharply when the sound started echoing loudly throughout the room. I sniffled and pushed myself into a sitting position, then pulled my phone out of my pocket and answered it.

"H-Hello?" I answered with a stuffy, shaky voice.

"Is something the matter?" a woman's familiar voice asked.

I sniffled again and shook my head once. "No, I'm fine," I answered hesitantly. "Sorry, who's this? A lot's going on right now and I'm a little distracted."

"It's me. Missy. Have we met yet, dear?"

"Missy! Sorry, I-I didn't recognize you at first. And yes, we have."

Missy laughed on the other end and I could almost picture her twirling a lock of her hair around her finger. "Excellent. I was afraid I'd called you too early in our timeline."

I smiled slightly through the tears drying on my cheeks. "No, you're fine."

"Tell me, dear, were you crying when I called?"

"How did you know?"

"I always know with you." There was a moment of silence before Missy spoke again. "Why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

I shook my head. "No, it's fine. I'll be fine."

"Diana, you can't lie to me. I know something's wrong. You'll feel better if you talk about it."

I sighed and looked around the room as I considered my answer. "I don't know," I admitted. "I don't want to bother you-"

"You won't."

I glanced at the bedroom door, knowing that the Valeyard was just a short walk away. At the thought a tiny gasp fell past my lips and the tears started to form again. I bowed my head and ran a hand under my runny nose.

"It's the Doctor," I whispered as the tears began rolling down my cheeks. "Well, it's not though… It's the Valeyard. I-I ended up with the Valeyard."

Missy made a small humming sound. "He's not too pleased to see you, I suppose?"

"No," I sobbed. "See, before him I was with the Doctor. It was… There's a lot to explain."

"Then explain, dear. I'm not going anywhere."

I used my free hand to wipe away the tears from my cheeks. "I was with an earlier version of the Doctor, his tenth incarnation, and it was right before he regenerated. The Master… The Master was there and he had just been brought back to life after dying a few years ago. But something had gone wrong with his resurrection and he was dying again but he also had these strange powers like super strength and this weird electricity that he could make come out of his hands. We were trying to help him, but there were other people looking for the Master too. When we found the Master, he tried to hurt the Doctor and… kidnap me, I think. He even kissed me. He forced the drums into my head, forced me to listen to them… I hear them in my dreams now."

Missy's voice had changed somehow when she spoke again, though I didn't know why or what the new tone in her voice meant. "I'm sorry, dear," she said slowly. She seemed almost distant when she responded. "About the drums, I-… I didn't know they haunted you like that."

"Yeah…" I shook my head in an attempt to remove the memory from my mind. I sighed lightly and continued. "Well, after that these people were after the Master and they sent some kind of soldiers after him. When they kidnapped the Master, they had to keep the Doctor and I from saving him so they had snipers shooting at us. I got shot in the leg and then knocked unconscious as the Doctor and I were running away."

"You were shot?" Missy exclaimed.

"In the leg. But it's not too bad now. See when I woke up after being knocked out, I had left the Tenth Doctor behind and was with the one you travel with, the Twelfth. Apparently I had appeared in the console room badly injured and unconscious and the Doctor didn't know how to take care of my properly. So he had to find someone to help take care of me."

"And who did he find?"

"Martha Jones. She's a doctor. She used to travel with the Doctor back in his tenth incarnation."

"Yes," Missy answered, "he's mentioned her. Go on, dear."

I leaned back on the bed so I was lying down and m head was resting comfortably on the pillow. "She helped me get better and they both looked after me while I was unconscious. At first they thought I might be permanently injured, but after a few days of rest and exercises to strengthen my leg Martha said that I'd probably be fine."

Missy let out a relieved breath into the phone and I smiled at her concern. "That is a relief. Although, if I may ask, what does all this have to do with the Valeyard?"

I quickly explained what had happened between the Doctor and I the last week as well as the previous night, and then I explained my meeting with the Valeyard himself. "The Valeyard terrifies me. I do love him because he's still the Doctor, but he's terrifying a-and cruel and he thinks that because I'm scared of him it means I don't love him a-a-and now he wants to throw me out of the TARDIS! I-I don't know what to do," I finished weakly.

"Do you really love him?" Missy asked.

I nodded and sniffled once more. "Yeah, I… I think I do. That's why it hurts so much that he wants me gone. For as long as I've known him, he's always looked after me and cared for me even when I didn't know him at all. And now he hates me."

"Oh, I doubt he hates you, dear."

"He would've thrown me out of the TARDIS had been working properly!" I exclaimed. "Missy, I don't know what to do. I do love the Doctor and I hope that there's still a part of him somewhere inside the Valeyard, so I want to help him. But I don't want to get hurt either."

"Is that how you feel about the Master?"

That question made me pause for a moment. I sighed heavily and close my eyes as I considered my answer. "I don't know. I don't know how I feel about him. Although, I guess it's really similar. The Master is a madman. He's insane and cruel and power hungry. He hurt me, he hurt my friends, people I consider my family. But at the same time… I do want to help him. The drums aren't his fault," I explained with another sigh. "I've heard those drums and they nearly drive me crazy every night. The drums are driving him mad and it's not because of anything he's done, it's because of Rassilon. It's terrible that he's suffering from the drums every moment of every day and I want to help him if I can, but I don't want him to use me as a science experiment again either."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a long time, almost a full minute. I knew Missy was still there because I could just make out the sound of her breathing. I waited patiently for her to respond, although I was confused why she suddenly seemed hesitant to talk.

"Do you hate him after what he's done to you?"

"I thought I did at first," I answered. "But now? Seeing him like that, insane and dying and desperate for someone to take the drums away, made me realize just how much he's hurting. I don't like him, but I don't think I hate him either."

Again, Missy didn't respond right away. She seemed to be lost in thought and I was worried that maybe something was wrong.

"Missy? A-Are you okay?" I asked worriedly.

"Oh, yes, dear. I'm feeling lovely," the woman answered cheerily.

I skeptically raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? You seem sort of distracted or something."

Missy chuckled lightly. "I am a bit distracted," she admitted.

"There's nothing wrong, is there?"

"No, no, dear. Don't go getting your knickers in a twist."

I smiled and laughed a little at the expression. "Sorry. I'm just in a state right now, I guess," I sighed.

"I'm sure everything will work out perfectly, dear. Trust me."

I turned my head and glanced at the bedroom door again. I chewed nervously on my bottom lip as I thought about the Valeyard and what he had said. "I do," I mumbled absently. Thinking about the Valeyard had only made the tears come back again. "Look, Missy, I need to go. I, um… I need to be alone right now."

"Would you be a dear and call me later? When you're feeling better, of course."

"Why?"

"Because I want to make sure that my darling Diana is alright," the woman answered smoothly.

I could feel my cheeks flush at the endearing term; it was odd to have one of the Doctor's companions flirting with me, but she knew that I was serious about the Doctor and that was what mattered.

"Thanks," I finally replied. "Later then."

"Goodbye, dear."

"Bye."

After the call ended, I tossed my phone onto the mattress and let out another heavy sigh. I had only been up for about an hour and already my day was looking like one of the worst yet. The TARDIS seemed to sense how upset I was because she hummed softly, almost worriedly, and dimmed the lights.

"Bad day, huh, old girl?"

The ship hummed again and my phone suddenly buzzed. I leaned over to grab the phone and look at the message I'd received. It was from the TARDIS and read: I am truly sorry, my Wolf. I hoped that by refusing to answer the Valeyard's demands, he might realize his mistake and how much he needs you. Unfortunately my Thief is different now than he was before.

"It's not your fault," I told the ship. "It's him."

My phone buzzed again with a new message that read: He masks his emotions with hate and rage and cruelty, feelings he once tried to suppress.

"Do you know what happened to make him like this? Was it his regeneration? Was it something I did? I-Is that why he seems to hate me so much?"

The TARDIS whirred thoughtfully before sending me another message: Spoilers.

"Oh, come on," I grumbled. "Can't you tell me something? Anything? I want to understand why he is the way he is now. If I can understand just a little, maybe I can help him."

The TARDIS hummed again as my phone buzzed in my hands again. I looked back down at the screen of my phone to read the text: The Valeyard is an amalgamation of the Doctor's darker thoughts and feelings. He is cold and distanced and cruel now because of hurts he has suffered in the past. I cannot tell you anything else without spoiling your future and his past.

I nodded and turned over onto my side, curling into a ball with my phone held in front of my face. "I understand," I sighed in disappointment. "No spoilers."

Despite the fact that I was hungry and restless, I refused to leave my room for hours and hours. I was terrified of accidentally running into the Valeyard and having to confront him or listen to him shout at me again. So instead I tried to busy myself with writing in my journal, rereading my journal, and messing around with my phone. But after a long couple of hours, my stomach was grumbling and aching.

"It'll be just my luck to run right into him," I muttered to myself as I hobbled out of my room on my crutches.

I managed to make it to the kitchen and fix myself a quick meal without meeting the Valeyard again. I quickly cleaned up afterwards and headed back to my room as fast as I could manage with my crutches. Right as I turned a corner, my left crutch slid across the floor and fell out from under me much like it had earlier in the console room. I fell with a shout and landed on my hip right on top of the fallen crutch, making me cry out again.

Tears sprang to my eyes as pain travelled throughout my hip and leg. I threw my head back and took in a sharp, gasping breath as the pain slowly subsided. I bit down on my lip to keep from letting out another cry as a twinge of pain shot up my injured leg as well.

At the end of the corridor, a silhouette appeared in the darkened lighting in an open doorway. I knew the Valeyard was watching, but decided to ignore him since I knew the only thing he would say to me would be some cruel jibe. I slowly maneuvered myself off the crutch and turned so my weight was balanced on my other hip.

"Oh, good God," I whispered painfully. I whimpered as my hip stung and already felt bruised.

Wielding as much self-control as I could muster, I reached out for the wall and used it to pull myself up. It was extremely difficult because searing pain shot up my hip if I put weight on my left leg, but it was almost impossible to put any weight on my right leg seeing as it was still healing from the gunshot.

Once I was standing, I braced myself against the wall and bent over to grab my crutches. I managed to grab one and used it to steady myself before I attempted to grab the other. After a few minutes of struggling to stay upright, I grabbed hold of my second crutch and balanced myself between the two. However, walking was a slight problem because my good leg was now extremely sore when I put any weight on it.

"Will you help me?" I asked softly, almost afraid to raise my voice above a whisper.

The Valeyard scoffed. "Why would I do that?"

"Because I need you."

I felt my heart sink when the Valeyard shook his head. "I don't care-"

"Please. Theta, just this once. I won't bother you again."

The Time Lord watched me in silence from the doorway. I was afraid that he would just leave me there to struggle back to my bedroom and ultimately, I was right. He turned his back on me and was about to leave before he hesitated. I watched him hopefully, wondering if maybe he had changed his mind, and then looked away when he finally walked off.

I stood there staring at the floor in disappointment, refusing to cry or show that I was hurting. I gritted my teeth and walked down the opposite end of the hallway towards my room. Once in my room, I threw my crutches down and threw myself onto the bed. I didn't cry, even though I wanted to, and instead just curled into a ball and stared at the wall.

The TARDIS hummed worriedly and my phone began buzzing again, but I didn't feel like answering it. I needed some time to myself to just be alone with my thoughts. After a few minutes of silent fuming, I sat up and limped over to my desk where my journal was sitting. It felt good to write out what I was feeling and to at least work the anger and hurt out of my system. I took up pages and pages just writing about my concern for and confusion towards the Valeyard, and reflecting about my last night with Twelve.

I spent the rest of the day switching between practicing my leg exercises and either reading or writing. I didn't want to venture out into the TARDIS again in case I had another embarrassing accident that the Valeyard wouldn't help me with. But after a little while, I decided to go back to sleep and I hoped that I would end up somewhere else the next day.

I was standing in the abandoned yard just outside of London. It was nighttime and heaps of rubbish piled dozens of feet into the air. There was a small clearing in the yard and across the clearing was the Master, his hands crackling with blue electricity. His eyes were crazed and shining in the moonlight.

"Diana, Diana, my Diana," he whispered.

I tried to move, tried to turn and run away, but my legs were stuck. In the blink of an eye, the Master was right in front of me and his hands were cupping my face. I froze and stared up at the Time Lord in fear.

Then he was kissing me and the rhythmic beating of the drums had returned. My eyes were wide open and I tried to scream and fight back, but my entire body was stuck and refused to move. The yard suddenly disappeared and I was back in Stangmoor Prison, a place I hadn't seen in my dreams for weeks. The Master finally pulled back and his faced morphed into the bearded appearance of his earliest incarnation.

"Never disobey your Master," he said in Harold Saxon's voice. He leaned over and stuck a needle into my arm as his skull flashed see through, momentarily flashing to look like Saxon's face. "Never disobey your Master."

He kept repeating that phrase as he stuck needle after needle into my body. I cried out in terror and desperately screamed the Doctor's name. Then the Master turned back into his Harold Saxon self and ripped the needles out of my arm.

"Nothing can help me but you!" he exclaimed with a maniacal laugh.

"No!" I screamed.

I woke up gasping for air, my throat sore and rough from my screaming. The bedroom door was open and someone was standing in the doorway, watching me in silence. I let out a shuddering breath and looked right at the person.

"Theta?" I asked softly, my voice cracking. "Is that you?"

The person shifted so I could see their face in the light from outside, but there was no response to my question.

"Theta, please," I begged. "It was the Master."

Silence.

"Please," I sobbed. "I need you."

The Valeyard shifted and leaned towards me, his arm extending slightly in my direction. His eyes held no emotion, just curiosity. He took one step forward and hope flared to life in my chest. But the movement seemed to be unconscious because when he realized what he had done, he growled and turned on his heel. The door slammed shut behind him and I was left in the darkness of my room.

I fell back onto my side, wrapping my sheets around me as I curled into a ball and buried my head in my pillow. The TARDIS hummed softly and turned the lights on so they were just bright enough to cast light shadows across the room. I closed my eyes and let myself cry silently.

I didn't sleep well the rest of the night, or whatever time it was in the ship. When I did eventually doze off, I would wake up shortly after because the drums would start to echo in my mind. Even when I was awake, I could faintly hear the drums echoing like the Doctor's heartsbeat in my ears.

I turned onto my back and stared up at the ceiling. "What happened?" I wondered aloud as my thoughts strayed once again to the Valeyard. "What happened to you? What did I do to make you hate me?"

The TARDIS whirred gently, the lights flashing for a moment as if to catch my attention. I glanced around the room and sighed, offering the ceiling an awkward half smile.

"Can't sleep either, huh?" I asked with a slight laugh. "Yeah… I don't think I'll be sleeping well for a while."

The ship hummed worriedly and dimmed the lights slightly.

"I'm fine. I just thought I was done with these dreams already. I haven't dreamt about the Master in a few days now…" I exhaled heavily through my nose and closed my eyes. "I guess I'm just upset about the Valeyard."

The tone of the TARDIS's hum changed and although I wasn't entirely sure, I thought she was asking if there was anything she could do for me.

"Just help me out so I don't run into him so often, okay? I don't think I can handle that right now."

I let out a long yawn and stretched my arms over my head. "Hey, do you think you could put on some music for me? Just until I fall asleep again?"

The ship whirred gently and began playing some soft piano music that helped me drift off to sleep almost immediately.

Fate didn't seem to be on my side then because I remained with the Valeyard for another week. The TARDIS did manage to help me avoid the Valeyard when I was feeling down, but I did run into him at least twice every day. He was his usual cold self, either ignoring me or muttering a cruel remark whenever we met.

The pool, to my great surprise, was still in the TARDIS and I spent a lot of my time there doing some of my exercises or just relaxing. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that the library still remained and I spent a lot of time there as well.

One day while I was looking through the library, I came across a book that I had never expected to see: "The History of the Time War". At first I just stared incredulously at it, but then a feeling of intense curiosity overcame me. I knew what Clara saw when she read that book and I was curious if I would find the Doctor's name in there.

Hesitantly, I stepped forward with an arm outstretched. My fingertips brushed against the cover of the book and the TARDIS let out a low growl. I glanced up at the ceiling in surprise, not expecting the ship to reprimand me.

"Just a quick look can't hurt, right?" I wondered as I fingered the corner of the book.

The ship whirred in response, but I ignored her. I was curious and it was likely that I wouldn't see the book again unless I was with Clara when she discovered it herself. I stepped forward so I was standing in front of the podium the book had been placed on and I opened the cover.

The pages were covered in Gallifreyan dialect that I couldn't read, but slowly the symbols started to shimmer and ripple into English words. I guessed that the TARDIS was reluctant to translate the book, but was letting me read it for some unknown reason.

The first page showed a picture of Gallifrey, its surface orange and burning, and an image of a Dalek battle ship. The first chapter of the book explained what the Time War was and the two main races that were involved in it. According to the book, the Time War started when the Daleks' hatred of the Time Lords was fully realized and they decided to eliminate the other race from the universe. Rumors were started that the Daleks started the war soon after the Doctor went to Skaro and failed to stop the creation of the Daleks from happening. The Daleks waged war across the time vortex, destroying planets and innocent races with terrible weapons en route to Gallifrey.

I was absorbed and fascinated with the book, reading as much as I could as quickly as possible. A few chapters in I saw mention of the Master, which sparked my curiosity even farther. But before I could even read past his name a hand shot into my line of vision and slammed the book shut.

I jumped back with a gasp, my bad leg wobbling slightly as I tried to balance against my single crutch. The Valeyard was standing just to my left with a furious expression. His hand was still resting on top of the book as he glared at me.

"What do you think you're doing?"

I could almost feel the color drain from my face. "I-I was just looking," I stammered nervously. "I wasn't even looking for that, I was just looking around for something to read and I just found it. I didn't read very much."

"This book is not meant to be read."

"Then why is it here?" I asked before I could stop myself.

The Valeyard narrowed his eyes at me and sneered. "Leave."

I looked away and hobbled over to the nearby sofa, where some of my things were resting. I quickly gathered up my phone and journal, as well as a few extra books that I had picked out earlier, and held them close to my chest. I glanced back at the Valeyard and felt my fear fade slightly when I saw the hurt expression on his face as he stared at the book.

"H-How long were you there?" I asked hesitantly.

His face hardened and he then looked away so I couldn't see his face any more. "I asked you to go."

"Theta, I'm sorry," I tried. "I didn't mean to upset you. I was just curious."

"Go!"

I jumped and started for the library doors, but the movement jolted the books pressed against my chest and most of them tumbled out onto the floor. "I'm sorry!" I yelped as I fell to my knees to pick the books up. I gathered them into my arms and awkwardly got back to my feet, sparing glances at the Valeyard. "I-I'm sorry. I'm going."

He remained silent as I hurried for the door, struggling to keep the books steady in my arms. I dropped one book and exclaimed another apology in the hopes that it would keep the Valeyard from being more frustrated.

"For Rassilon's sake, woman, just leave it!" he snapped.

I squeaked in alarm and scurried out of the library, the remaining books pressed against my chest as I rushed for the comfort of my bedroom. I set my things down on my desk and then flopped down onto my bed with a heavy sigh. The TARDIS hummed worriedly, as she did every time I was alone.

"That could've been worse," I mused. "At least he didn't insult me this time. All in all, not a bad day."

The ship made a sound that could only be interpreted as "You need to set your standards for a good day higher".

The next few days passed mostly uneventfully with the Valeyard and I only meeting a handful of times, to my great relief. I was lying on my bed and reading after seven days onboard the Valeyard's TARDIS when my phone suddenly started reading.

I leaned over to grab my phone and answered it with a tired, "Hello?"

"Come to the console room," the Valeyard ordered before ending the connection.

Startled and a bit confused, I glanced at my phone and wondered if maybe I was dreaming. Had the Valeyard really just willingly made contact with me without insulting me in some way? It seemed almost too good to be true.

Hoping against hope, I grabbed my one crutch and headed for the console room. I tried to think up a good reason why the Valeyard would need me in the console room of all places, or why he would even need me at all? I tried to lift my spirits by suggesting to myself a few ridiculous ideas that not even Eleven would have come up with for needing my presence.

All my silly ideas faded away when I stepped into the console room and saw the Valeyard standing in front of the open TARDIS doors. The vortex was whizzing past the ship outside and his coat was being torn at by the time winds. A bad feeling settled in my stomach and I started to quietly back out of the room.

"Come here," the Time Lord requested politely, his back still facing me.

I shook my head slowly. "I'd rather not," I admitted.

"It wasn't a question, Diana. Come here."

"I don't want to."

"Come. Here," he repeated firmly.

The TARDIS wheezed angrily and the ship suddenly threw itself to the side. The sudden movement made me stumble to the side and lose my balance, making me drops my crutch. The Valeyard growled in frustration and rushed across the console room towards me. He grabbed me by the shoulders as I started to fall and pulled me closer to him.

"Theta?"

The ship lurched to the other, making us both stumble forward a few steps. But the Valeyard seemed determined not to let the TARDIS get the better of him. He pushed me towards the doors with a hard shove and flipped a lever on the console as he walked by it.

I started to turn around as I gained my balance, but the Valeyard was right behind me and he pushed me back again. My bad leg wobbled beneath me and almost gave out, but I was saved from falling when I grabbed onto the edge of the open doors. The Valeyard's frustrated expression suddenly turned into a smile and a shiver ran down my spine.

"Theta, what-"

The Valeyard's arm suddenly shot out and he grabbed me by the front of my shirt. With one hand still gripping the door, my other grasped at his wrist to keep my balance steady. I saw the crazed look in his eyes and for a moment, I felt as if I was looking into the eyes of the Master. Then I realized what he meant to do.

"Theta, wait. Please."

"The TARDIS is working again," he told me, "which means she follows my instructions now. And now I can be rid of you."

He used his free hand to rip my hold off of the door and then he pushed me into the doorway. The time winds were tearing at my hair and my feet were dancing along the edge of the TARDIS. He was still gripping me by the shirt when he chuckled and gave me one final push. I grabbed wildly at his arm, at the doors, at anything that would keep me grounded, but I was too slow and the vortex was too fast. It sucked me out of the ship and I flew backwards with a shout.

"Theta!"

The Valeyard merely smiled and closed the doors. The light on top of the TARDIS started to flash on and off and then the ship materialized with a wheeze. I spread my arms out, trying to grab at the edges of the vortex as if it would keep me from spinning endlessly through space, but my fingers passed right through it.

The sound of my beloved home materializing echoed around me and I closed my eyes against the swirling colors of the vortex. I begged for sleep to come and take me away so I wouldn't have to stare endlessly at my new prison for an unknown length of time. The hope that had been building in my heart that week was shattered and in that moment, I never wanted to see the Valeyard again.

A/N: I wanted to let everyone know that I'm planning on posting chapters of some of the requested episodes like 'An Unearthly Child', 'The Ribos Operation', and 'The Angels Take Manhattan' pretty soon. Other than that, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and don't forget to review!