The first thing I saw when I woke up was a man's silhouette against a bright light. Blinking a few times in confusion, I started to sit up and immediately fell back when my arms were restrained by something. I looked down and saw that I had been wrapped in a plaid blanket. Still feeling lethargic after waking up moments ago, I slowly pulled my arms out from beneath the blanket and finally sat up. The Doctor was standing a few feet away from me, using a long stick to draw something in the sand.

Sand? I thought incredulously. Wait, what?

I looked around my surroundings wildly and found that the Doctor, Clara, and myself were on a beach. Behind us was a long stretch of ground covered in small rocks and pebbles and in front of us was the ocean, framed by the sand and a pink and purple sky.

Wait a second, where are we? Where's the-

"Sleep well?" the Doctor asked.

I nodded hesitantly. "Yeah… Um, where are we?"

"Pebble Beach," he replied.

I furrowed my brows in confusion. "This doesn't look like Earth."

"This is Space Pebble Beach. Far away from Earth."

"How did we get here?"

"I'll explain once Clara wakes up," the Doctor said, still focusing on whatever he was drawing in the sand.

"Is she okay?" I asked, glancing worriedly at the schoolteacher lying unconscious beside me.

The Doctor smiled briefly and nodded. "She'll be fine. She's just sleeping now. No damage from the train or the mummy whatsoever."

"What about me?"

The Doctor froze for a split second. "What about you?" he wondered.

"Is there-… Do I have any… damage?"

Closing his eyes, the Doctor sighed and bowed his head. He looked both pained and sad, and I noticed then that his hands were shaking slightly.

"What's wrong? Doctor, what is it?" When the Time Lord didn't respond, I felt my throat tighten in fear. "Doctor?"

"I'm sorry," he breathed, his voice cracking. The Doctor shook his head and finally opened his eyes again, but didn't look at me. Instead he stared at the figures he had drawn in the sand. "I didn't know. I should have known, I should have realized what I'd done to you, but I didn't."

"Doctor, what are you talking about?" I asked fearfully.

"It's my fault," he said as he finally looked at me. "The mummy went after you because of me."

I unconsciously gripped the blanket tighter. "What do you mean?"

"The mummy sensed mental traumas as well as physical ones. I thought it would go after Maisie because of what had happened to her, the trauma of losing her grandmother. But I didn't think about you," he said shamefully. "I didn't think about all the trauma you've endured because of me, because of what I've done to you, and I almost lost you because of that."

The Doctor inhaled sharply all of a sudden and he grimaced, pressing his free hand against his temple. I got to my feet and was by his side in a matter of seconds, gazing worriedly up at him as he groaned painfully. I gently touched his arm and moved my other hand to rest on top of his.

"What is it?" I questioned worriedly.

The Doctor looked down at me, his eyes already beginning to water with unshed tears. He forced a smile before suddenly pulling out of my partial embrace and looking down at the ground, continuing drawing in the sand with his stick.

"Hello again, Clara," he said casually. "Sleep well?"

I turned around to see that Clara had woken up and was sitting upright, a blanket identical to mine still wrapped around her torso. "Weren't we just on a train?" she questioned, looking around in confusion.

The Doctor shrugged, all traces of pain or sadness gone from his face. "Oh, that was ages ago."

"And?"

"And what?" Clara shook her head in confusion as the Doctor continued casually drawing in the sand. "Oh, and we got off the train. I got the teleporter to work, eventually. Beamed everyone into the TARDIS. No casualties, just a bevy of sleeping beauties," the Time Lord said as he glanced at me momentarily. He looked back at Clara and continued his explanation. "I tried hacking Gus from the TARDIS, find out who set this all up. He really didn't like that. Set off some fail-safe thing. Blew up the train."

"Blew up the train?" Clara and I exclaimed in unison.

The Doctor shrugged. "Blew up the train," he repeated in confirmation. "But we got away. Then I dropped everyone off at the nearest civilized planet, which happened to be here," he continued as he gestured to the city that stood in the distance. "You two seemed happy asleep, so I just left you."

Clara smiled. "So you saved everyone," she said.

The Doctor was silent for a few moments. "No, I just saved you two and I let everyone else suffocate." He grinned. "Ha, ha, ha, ha." Clara merely hummed in response. "Yeah, this is just my cover story."

Clara chewed thoughtful on her bottom lip. "So, when you lied to Maisie, when you made me lie to Maisie-"

"I couldn't risk Gus finding out my plan and stopping me," the Doctor interjected.

"So you were pretending to be heartless."

The Doctor stared silently at Clara for a few long seconds. Finally, he said, "Would you like to think that about me? Would that make it easier? I didn't know if I could save her. I couldn't save Quell, I couldn't save Moorhouse. There was a good chance that she'd die too. At which point," he continued as he walked over to Clara and sat down on a large rock beside her, "I would have just moved onto the next, and the next, until I beat it. Sometimes the only choices you have are bad ones. But you still have to choose." The Doctor looked at me as he spoke and I realized that those words were meant for me and for what he had done all those years ago. He sighed then and closed his eyes for a moment. "But that wasn't the case. Diana was targeted instead and I had to save her. There wasn't any other option once I realized that. I wasn't going to lose her."

"So everyone's alright?" Clara asked.

The Doctor nodded. "Everyone's alright," he repeated. "And I think it's time we went back to the TARDIS, don't you?"

Clara nodded in agreement and unwrapped the blanket from around her shoulders. The Doctor immediately got to his feet and extended his hand to Clara, helping her stand. The moment she turned away from him, however, his face contorted painfully and his hands balled into fists at his side. His name fell past my lips as I reached worriedly for his arm, but he immediately pulled away from me and his pained expression melted away. Clara looked over her shoulder at us in confusion, but looked away when she saw that the Doctor was apparently fine.

I stood frozen in front of the Doctor, watching as Clara pick up the blanket she had been resting on and the Doctor picked up my blanket. He handed the blanket to me without even looking at me and turned towards Clara with a partial smile. Confused and deeply hurt by the fact that the Doctor didn't even want to look at me, let alone speak to me, I wrapped the blanket around my shoulders and stormed off towards the TARDIS. The wind was cold and gentle, but I hardly felt it as I scrambled over the rocks and pebbles that littered the way back to the ship.

Is this because of what I said before? I wondered. I just wanted him to understand because he made me feel like I was wrong for being angry. But can't he at least look at me or talk to me?

When I reached the TARDIS, the ship hummed softly at me. I rested my hand on the doors and they fell open at my touch. Knowing that the Doctor and Clara were far behind me, I let the tears that had started welling in my eyes flow freely down my cheeks. However, I had hardly taken a few steps into the ship when a man's voice drifted up from below the console.

"Doctor? Is that you?"

I recognized the voice as Perkin's and ran across the room, dashing through the open doorway that led to the rest of the ship. Perkins called my name in confusion, but I ignored him and hurried to my bedroom so I could have some time to myself. I threw myself onto my bed with the plaid blanket still around my shoulders, my legs dangling over the edge as I lay on my stomach.

The TARDIS whirred again, the bedroom lights dimming slightly as I cried softly. I suddenly felt something reaching out for me, a presence somehow trying to enter my mind. I sat up, alarmed and looked around the room as if I expected someone to be there with me, reaching out for me. The TARDIS hummed and gentle, soothing music began playing in the room as the lights dimmed so low that it was nearly dark. My eyes began to droop and I suddenly felt very woozy. The room began to spin as my arms gave out beneath me and I collapsed on the bed in a deep sleep.

My eyes fluttered open seconds later to reveal Idris sitting beside me, a sad smile on her face. She reached out and gently brushed her knuckles against my cheek. "My darling Wolf," she said, "I've missed you. We haven't spoken properly in so long." She pulled her hand back and watched as I sat up. "I am sorry for that trick of mine, but I didn't have any other way to communicate with you."

I looked down at my body, sprawled out across the bed, and then back at Idris. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"The Alkonirens are famous through all of time and space for their music. Listening to their songs can cause any creature, humanoid or not, to fall unconscious within seconds." Idris shook her head and reached for my hand, her fingers gently wrapping around mine. "But that does not matter. I know what you're thinking."

"Wh- What I'm thinking?" I echoed in confusion. "How?"

Idris smiled. "You have yet to realize how strong our bond is. I sometimes can tell what you're thinking without you even saying a word. But that's not what I need to talk to you about." Idris' smile faltered and she lowered her eyes, her hair falling from her shoulder to partially cover her face. "I don't think you even realized it, but you thought it."

"Thought what? What are you talking about?"

"You want to leave. Like our Impossible Girl did once." Idris tightened her grip on my hand and looked straight into my eyes. "Change your mind. Give our Thief another chance."

"Idris-"

"I know he hurt you. I remember. I felt your pain as if it were mine. You cried and you screamed and begged and I cried with you. I saw what happened after you left and I cried for her. But there is nothing you can do to change what happened."

I nodded in understanding. "I know. And I know the Doctor did what he had to- what he thought he had to. I know he had an impossible choice. But that doesn't make it okay."

Idris suddenly gripped my other hand and pulled me close. "Please, Diana," she pleaded. "Stay. Give him another chance. He nearly lost you today and he was terrified, more terrified than you were because for nearly two thousand years you have been the one thing in the universe to keep him grounded. His trust in me has wavered before and so has my trust in him. But never for you. He needs you."

I stared wide eyed at Idris, unsure of what to say or how to even react. I eventually looked away from her intense blue gray eyes and closed mine as I gathered my thoughts.

"I love him. And one day I'll forgive him for what he did to me and to Rose and to Donna. But right now, I can't. It isn't even because of Donna, even if I'm still angry about that. It's the way he lied to me. He gave me hope and he made me happy and he made me think that everything was gonna be okay for once. And then he shoved me inside the TARDIS without even saying goodbye," I said, finally breaking down as tears began welling in my eyes again. "It's like- It's like he was okay with it, like it wasn't a big deal to just send me away knowing that he would never see me again. Didn't he want to stay with me? With Naya?"

"Of course he did. You know he did," Idris assured me. "But he was looking after you-"

"I don't need him to look after me! I don't need him to decide what's best for me!" I shook my head in frustration. "All I wanted was to be with him and he just threw me away without so much as a goodbye." I sniffled as a few tears began slowly rolling down my cheeks. "We could have found a way. It wouldn't have been perfect, but we could've made something work so that he could see me sometimes. Or the kids. So that he wouldn't have to be alone."

Letting my face fall into my hands, I let out a heavy sigh and waited for my tears to subside. A few minutes later, I wiped the remaining tears from my cheeks. Idris looked sadly at me and I found it difficult to look her in the eye after my breakdown.

"What- What the Doctor said earlier, about mental trauma?" I asked hesitantly. "What did he mean?"

The sad expression on Idris' face suddenly dropped and she looked worriedly at me. "Perhaps it's best if I let the Doctor explain," she said, leaning forward and pressing a golden kiss to my lips.

I woke with a gasp, pushing myself into a sitting position. I glanced quickly around the room only to find myself alone, no Doctor, no Idris, and no Clara. I warily reached up to brush my fingers against my face and found that there was no trace of any tears. With another sigh, I fell back onto the bed again and stared at the ceiling. The TARDIS hummed softly and I turned over onto my stomach to stare wordlessly at the comforter instead.

The door to my room suddenly opened and I looked over my shoulder to see the Doctor standing in the doorway. He held my gaze for only a few seconds before quickly looking down. I sat up a little and looked expectantly at him as I waited for an explanation.

"I think we need to talk," he said lowly. "May I come in?"

I nodded. "Yes."

The Doctor ran his hand down the side of his face, his brows drawn together in thought as he stepped inside my room. "I think," he began, "that I need to explain myself. But before I do, I need you to know how sorry I am."

"For what?"

"For everything. For lying, for Donna, for everything that happened on that damn train. Diana, I have never been more sorry in all my lives because… because I finally understand."

"Understand?" I echoed.

"Yes," he answered with a nod. "You see, when I scanned your brain and made you focus on all the fear and grief and pain, I was copying your memories. Every thought, every feeling, every single memory from the day of your birth until now was absorbed by that scanner. And when I forced the information into my mind, the mummy thought I was you."

"Because you had all my feelings and memories inside you," I added.

"Yes." The Doctor stared worriedly at me, his fingers tapping anxiously against his palms. "I felt every emotion, relived every moment of your life. I finally understand." The Time Lord laughed humorlessly and shook his head, seemingly frustrated with himself. "You were right. You're always right, Diana, always. All that humanity you've got stuffed inside yourself, all that love and caring and determination and you're always right."

I flashed the Time Lord a slightly confused expression. "Doctor?"

"I was so self righteous. I always have been. But you were right," he said as he looked very seriously at me. "What I did to Donna was-… You're right, I took that decision away from her and I took away what was most important to her. It wasn't my decision to make and perhaps I was wrong, but I don't regret what I did. I hope you can understand that."

After a few moments, I gave the Doctor a hesitant nod. "I understand," I said simply.

"Good." The Doctor glanced down at his fingers as they twitched nervously.

"What you said on the beach about the mummy," I said suddenly, not daring to even make eye contact with the Time Lord. "You said it sensed mental trauma. That's why it went after Captain Quell and Professor Moorhouse. And why you thought it was going to go after Maisie. You said that you didn't think about my trauma… What did you mean?"

The Doctor sighed and when I finally gathered the courage to look into his eyes, I saw that they were glassy and slightly red rimmed. "You've been fighting it for so long, I don't think you ever noticed. And you were so good at hiding it that I didn't even realize-"

"What?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly. "What didn't I notice?"

"Post-traumatic stress. After the Master tortured you, you had nightmares for months. Forced entry to your mind via the Master when he made you hear the drums in his head. That alone caused enough trauma to make you hear the drums for weeks after. Depression after being separated from your family, your home universe, and everything that you have ever known. Losing your daughter, your boyfriend, being lied to, being emotionally manipulated by the Valeyard- by me. Having to kill yourself to escape the Weeping Angels, watching me kill an innocent boy with no one around to comfort you, being trapped on an alien planet and having to learn how to fight just to stay alive. And I repaid you by abandoning you." The Doctor knelt in front of me, his hands resting lightly on my knees as he gazed up at me. I didn't realize until he brushed the back of his hand against my cheek that I was crying. "This is what I've done to you. The mummy went after you because of me. This was my fault. And you've been so brave. You pushed past the pain and made yourself carry on even though your heart was breaking." With a gentle and loving smile, the Doctor cupped my face in his hand. "And I have never been more proud of you."

I closed my eyes, forcing myself to stop crying as I leaned into the Doctor's touch. His hand on my cheek was gentle and comforting as I began to understand that everything the Time Lord has said was true.

"But you can't keep doing this," he said.

A sob worked its way from my throat as I nodded in agreement. "I know," I whispered tearfully.

"I think-"

"I need a break," I interjected, my words clumped together as they rushed past my lips.

My eyes flew open and I was met with the Doctor's intense gaze. His thumb rubbed gently against my cheekbone as he flashed me a tiny, barely sincere smile. "I think so too," he said. softly. "And I know exactly who can look after you."

Some time later, after I'd recovered from my breakdown and changed into a more comfortable outfit, I was standing in the console room with my phone clutched nervously in my hands. The Doctor had returned it to me before leaving me to gather my thoughts. We had both agreed that I needed a break from both our travels and our relationship for my own good. So once the Time Lord had left, I began packing a bag with spare clothes and a few important possessions.

Standing in the console room and waiting for the TARDIS to land only took a few moments, but to me it felt like an eternity. I fiddled absently with the strap of the backpack that was slung over my shoulder and mentally reviewed all the things inside. With a final groan, the TARDIS landed and the time rotor halted its vertical motion.

The Doctor didn't look at me as his attention was fixed on one of the screens. "The TARDIS was able to pinpoint, give or take a day or two, the date in your personal timeline. December 15th, or 16th," he explained as he leaned against the console. "Earth, 2007, December 16th, sometime early in the morning," he continued.

"Thanks," I said a little awkwardly.

The Doctor nodded, but said nothing. Not wanting to make our goodbye anymore awkward or painful for either of us, I turned and quickly headed for the doors. My fingers had just brushed against the wood of the doors when the Doctor suddenly spoke up from across the console room.

"If you ever need me, you can always call," he told me. "I'll come."

I paused, staring at the doors as I tried to think of an appropriate response. Turning to look over my shoulder, I smiled partially at the Time Lord and nodded. "I will," I said.

"Be careful."

"You too."

The doors opened with a single push and I stepped outside, squinting against the bright sunlight. I recognized my surroundings immediately, recalling a happier time when I had last seen the city with a previous Doctor and our friends. Roald Dahl Plass stood before me and I smiled a little when I realized that I was going to see Jack again.

My smile faded, however, when the TARDIS doors shut behind me and the ship let out a wheeze. I whirled around to look at the ship and watched as she began to dematerialize. I wondered if the Doctor could see me, if he was watching me or if he was already searching for Clara to take her on a new adventure. Just a few seconds later, the space where the ship had once stood was empty and I was left on my own.

Adjusting the backpack strap on my shoulder, I turned around to face the large tower that marked the entrance to the Hub. I walked across the pavement to the base of the tower, wondering how I could get the team's attention. I wasn't sure where the tourist entrance was or which cement block was the invisible elevator that would take me directly into the Hub, but I hoped that if I walked around a little that I would find a way into the base.

After walking around the square for a while, I wandered back towards the tower and sat down on the base of the tower with a sigh. A voice calling my name suddenly echoed across the square. Startled and more than a little confused, I began looking around for the source of the voice. All the way across the square and close to the water's edge was a young man, the person calling my name. I jumped to my feet and gasped when I recognized him as my son, Alistair. I immediately raced across the square and threw myself into Alistair's arms the moment I reached him, burying my face in his chest like I had so long ago by the shores of Lake Silencio.

"Is everything okay?" Alistair asked as we pulled apart. "We saw the TARDIS leave on the monitors. Why didn't you come in?"

"I don't know how," I admitted. "I've never been to the Hub before."

Alistair rose his eyebrows in surprise. "Never?"

I shook my head. "No," I answered, "but I was wondering… Well, where's Jack? I need to ask him something."

Alistair lowered his head. "Jack's not here," he told me.

"What?"

"He's been gone for almost a year now. What did you need to ask him?"

I sighed. "I, uh… I need a place to stay," I mumbled. "I-I really don't want to talk about it, but the Doctor seemed to think that it would be okay for me to stay here."

Alistair smiled and gently took my hands in his. "Of course it is. And you don't have to explain anything if you don't want to," he assured me. Dropping one of my hands, Alistair guided me back to the tower and made me stand on one of the cement blocks beside him. The block jolted and I grabbed his arm to steady myself as we slowly began to sink into the ground. "Mum, it's my pleasure to welcome you to Torchwood Three."

A/N: Sorry this chapter is a little late, but I hope you all enjoyed it! Please don't forget to leave a review!