A/N: I was meant to upload this several hours ago, but I got distracted, as usual. Sorry to my dear friend who was waiting for this chapter.
Kari felt a pair of arms around as she slowly opened her eyes. Her vision blurred slightly as she blinked several times to try to clear them and focus on what was beside her. When everything finally came into focus, she was faced with the Doctor, gazing at her and gently stoking her hair.
"Hey." He said to her softly.
She smiled at him a little. "Hi." Kari whispered, trying to fully pull herself out of the long, deep sleep she had been in.
"How you feeling?" He asked, not breaking his gaze on her.
"Better. Much better." She told him, before shifting over in the bed and moving as close to him as she could. She put her arms around him, resting her head against his chest, listening to his hearts beating. Without realising it, she let a few tears escape from her tired eyes.
"Hey, what's the matter?" The Doctor asked her, instantly knowing that she was crying somehow.
"No… nothing. I just…" She stuttered, before choking a little on a sob that was caught in her throat. "I was scared. I kept calling to you, but you couldn't hear me. And then… then something happened and…"
He could see she was struggling, that she didn't really know how to explain what had happened or how so was feeling. "Shush, come on, Kari. It's okay now, I'm here, I will always be here." He whispered to her, trying to calm her down and reassure her.
"I'm sorry." She mumbled, pulling herself away from him a little. "I don't know why you put up me with." Kari told him, wiping away the tears as best she could with the back of her hand.
"Hey now, I don't put up with you. Don't ever say that, Kari. You mean everything to me, and you should know that by now." He told her calmly, taking a tight hold of one of her hands. He knew just how stubborn she could be, and how she would tend to blame herself for things when there really was no need.
Kari looked up at him, seeing the looking on his face and the worry in his eyes. "You mean everything to me too, Theta." She whispered, moving a little closer to him again.
The Doctor couldn't help but smile as she used his nickname. Every time she called him that, it just made him happy. "Now come on, I promised Kalerrah that you would go and visit him the moment you were feeling better." He told her, kissing the top of her head.
Kari just looked up at him. "Not yet." She told him, edging a little closer, closing the small gap that was still between them.
He frowned at her, wondering why she didn't want to go and see the child that she had protected, that she had helped to escape, the child she had saved. "Why not, Kari?" He asked her softly.
"Because…" Kari whispered, gazing at the Doctor and biting her lower lip slightly. "There's something I need to do first." She held her gaze as she leaned in closer, putting a hand on the side of the Doctor's face.
It seemed like he knew exactly what Kari was going to do, and the nervous look in her eyes said it all as well. He moved both of his hands, placing them on her warm cheeks, before closing the gap between their faces and kissing her softly on the lips.
Kari's arms slid around her neck, as her hearts pounded in her chest. She had never imagined she would meet the Doctor, travel the stars with him, and fall in love with him. But she had, and now she was ready to finally admit it. Her life had changed so much, and now she was ready to accept it, and make the most of what she had been given.
Eventually, the pair broke apart, Kari was blushing furiously, using her long hair to try and hide her face from the Doctor. If she had been looking, she would have seen the smile on his face, a smile that showed just how happy he was.
"Okay, now I'm ready." Kari mumbled, trying to pull herself back together once more. Sure the Doctor had kissed her before, such as on the Byzantium, at the hospital where they had met Martha, but those times had been different. This time she had wanted to kiss him, because she had finally realised what she had with him and how much he meant to her.
The Doctor chuckled a little at her awkwardness. "Well, maybe you should go and have a nice hot bath before we go anywhere. I'm sure you will feel even better after having one." He suggested, watching as she peeked out from under her hair.
"Uh, yeah, okay." She muttered, hoping that the redness in her cheeks would hurry up and fade. But that was when it happened, the headache she had been waiting for started. "Or maybe not…" she said, letting out a sigh as her hands started to glow.
"Oh, Kari." The Doctor said, giving her a quick hug. "I'll see you soon, yeah?"
She nodded at him. "Guess I won't be going to see Kalerrah any time soon." She mumbled, before being completely taken over by the golden light.
Kari waited until the pain finally started to subside. She had just spent so long with one Doctor that she had almost forgotten that she would end up being pulled through the whole of time and space. She had been so happy there, with her bow tie wearing Doctor, and now she had been pulled away from him.
When she finally dared to open her eyes, she found she was in exactly the same place as she had been before. Only the Doctor wasn't there with her. "I guess I had better go and find him then." She muttered to herself, pushing herself off the bed.
Just as she reached the door it swung open and her bow tie wearing Doctor stood there, shocked. "Kari? What are you doing in here?" He asked, sounding a little nervous.
"Uh, nothing. I was just about to come and find you." Replied, wondering why he was so nervous. "I've, uh, only just got here."
He studied her carefully. "You've only just got here?"
"Yes. I was with you, then got pulled through time and space. You know, that's what usually happens to me, how I normally travel." She told him, still curious as to why he was acting so weird.
He seemed to let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, right. Good."
Kari frowned at him. "Good? Why is it good?" She asked, folding her arms across her chest. Something was going in, she knew it was.
"Spoilers." He told her, a glint finally appearing in his eyes. "So, where have you just been?"
"Karleon. Where have you just been?" She noticed the Doctor's face soften the moment she said where she had just been.
Without warning, he took hold of her, pulled her up against him as he reached down and kissed her, taking her completely by surprise. Not that Kari was going to complain, after everything that had just happened, after realising how much she needed and wanted the Doctor, she was not going to push him away from her.
"And what was that for?" Kari asked, trying once more to hide her blushing cheeks with her hair.
Only the Doctor was having none of it, and gently lifted her head up with a hand under her chin. "Does there have to be a reason?" He asked her softly.
Kari just smiled at him, ignoring the tint on her cheeks. "No, I guess not. Now, are you going to tell me what you've been up to? Or am I going to have to guess?" She asked him resting herself against him as they began to walk out of his room and down one of the many corridors of the TARDIS.
An even bigger smile took over his face. "I think I'm going to let you work it out. It's always more fun that way."
Kari just shook her head at him. "Really? Fun? For who exactly?" She asked, giving him a look that showed that she did not approve of the way he was behaving.
"For both of us. I get to see you use your brilliant mind, and you get to be brilliant." He said, kissing the top of her head.
"Hmm, you're up to something, aren't you?" Kari asked, bumping at him with her hip as they walked.
He stopped in his tracks, making Kari stop as well. "Why do you always think that I'm up to something?" The Doctor protested.
Kari just looked at him. "Because usually, you are up to something." She replied to him, before reaching up and giving him a peck on the lips. "But do you know what? That's what makes you, you."
A smile crept onto the Doctor's face. "And you wouldn't want me any other way, would you?" He asked her, reaching down a little.
Kari couldn't help but smile as well. "Definitely not." She said, before closing the gap and kissing him once more. Kari was certain about how she was feeling now, and now she was planning on finding the right time to tell the Doctor.
"Come on, Amy and Rory will be glad to see you." The Doctor told her as they once again broke away. He took a tight hold of her hand, and led her out of his room and down the corridor.
Both of them had smiles on their faces as they strolled into the console room. "Guess who I found hiding?" The Doctor called, pulling Kari into the room.
Amy and Rory looked over at her, both smiling, but both sending cautious glances to the Doctor, which didn't go unnoticed by Kari. "Okay, spill. What the hell is going on and why are the lot of you acting weird?" She asked, folding her arms in front of her chest to prove the point that she was not happy.
"Weird? Who's acting weird?" The Doctor said, bouncing around the console.
"You three are." Kari replied, before turning to look at the Doctor. "You were very nervous and slightly scared when you saw me." She said, before spinning and looking at the couple leaning against the railings. "And you two, usually I at least get a hello from someone, all you did was smile before looking over at him." Kari pointed to the Doctor. "So spill, now."
"I was just surprised to see you in…" The Doctor had to stop, he didn't want Amy and Rory to know Kari tended to spend a lot of time in his room. "Well, to just walk straight into you."
Kari just looked at him, studying his every move, trying to work out if he was telling the truth or not. "You better not be lying to me, Doctor. You know what I get like when I'm angry." She warned him.
She looked over at the Ponds. "And what's your excuse then?" The both shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. "Nothing?"
Amy let out a sigh, before walking over to Kari. "I'm sorry." She said, before wrapping her arms around her. "I was distracted. So much has happened recently."
Kari had no idea what she was talking about, she had no idea where they were all up to. "It's fine. Just don't do it again. It's been a rough few days for me as well, you know what with being kidnapped and meeting a dragon and everything." Kari rambled as Amy let her go.
"So, that's where you've just come from?" Amy asked her, sounding a little sad.
Kari nodded at her. "Yeah, but I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't have stayed there for a little bit longer. Seriously, what has gotten into the three of you?" They all just looked at her like she was crazy. "Right, fine. I'm going to get some tea. I'll be back in a while." She said, before storming out of the room.
Kari knew there really was no need to get so worked up, but something just felt wrong. The whole atmosphere in the TARDIS felt wrong, and she didn't like it.
"I… er, better go and make sure she's okay." The Doctor said, before quickly walking out of the room as well, following Kari to the kitchen.
Amy and Rory both stood there. "I don't think I can do this, Rory." Amy said, turning to him, almost in tears. "I have to tell her."
Rory put his hands on her shoulders. "Amy, you can't. River warned both of us what would happen if we did. We can't tell her anything."
"But I just look at her, and I remember it all. There has to be something we can do. Kari knows something is wrong." Amy protested, struggling to hold back the tears that were forming.
The man let out a sigh as he wrapped his arms around the red haired woman. "I know. I thought about it when I saw her as well. We have to do what River said, Amy, we have to carry on as if nothing happened."
While he continued to comfort her in the console room, the Doctor had finally managed to catch up with Kari as she started to make some tea. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked her, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.
It took Kari by surprise slightly, but she just let out a sigh as she grabbed another mug and placed it on the counter with her own. "Nothing. I just don't believe a word that any of you are saying to me, that's all." She said, casually.
"Okay, you want to know why I was nervous when I saw you?" The Doctor asked, spinning her around so that she was facing him. Kari just gave him a look that told him to get on with it or leave her alone. "The last time I saw you, some horrible things were said."
Kari frowned at him. "What do you mean, horrible things?" She asked, wondering what he was getting at.
"I'm not going to go into it, but I thought you were in there, packing up your things and leaving." That was the moment that Kari saw it, such sadness and emotion in the Doctor's eyes.
"Doctor, every time I leave you, it is not by choice. Well, except that one time, back on Earth, but you deserved that one." She said, thinking back to how she had walked away from him after saving Jack.
"You're right, I did deserve that. And I don't deserve you. You've stood by me through everything, you have done so much for me." He told her, making her wonder if everything really was okay. She had never really seen him get like that before, and it was worrying her.
"And you have no idea how much you have done for me." Kari told him, trying to pull him out of the pit he seemed to be heading for. "You could have anyone in the whole of time and space, and yet you stick with me. You've always been there for me, Doctor, every time."
They both just gazed at each other, Kari still trying to work out what was wrong, and the Doctor trying to work out how he was feeling. "I miss you so much when you're gone." He told her, wrapping him arms around her so tightly.
"Yeah, well, maybe it's time to run a few more tests and try to stop all this stupid jumping that happens." Kari told him, trying to breath through the crushing hug he was giving her. "I'm really not overly fond of the pain that comes with it you know."
The Doctor chuckled slightly, releasing his grip on her a little so that she could actually breathe. "I'm so sorry, Kari." He whispered to her.
That just made her frown a little. "What for this time?" She asked, trying to get a better look at his face.
There was a sad look, his old eyes showing the most sadness. "Spoilers." He told her, before looking away.
Kari wasn't really sure she liked what was going on. She was just getting even more confused now. All that she could work out was that something seemed to happen in her future, their past, something that the Doctor is sorry for and that has made her favourite Ponds a little nervous around her.
"So come on, are you going to tell me what you lot have been up to yet? Or at least give me a clue as to what is going on?" Kari asked, sitting down at the table with her steaming mug of tea.
The Doctor sat himself down beside her, his own tea in his hands. "Well, we've been to America." He told her, before taking a sip of his drink.
Kari nodded at him. "Okay, spaceman and a little girl. How long ago was that now?"
"Not too long, had a few adventures since then." He told her, watching her closely.
Kari let out a sigh as she put her mug back down on the table. "Okay, so whatever it was happened between America and now. I guess I just have to wait and see what happens next to work out exactly when it happened."
The Doctor frowned at her, slightly worried about how quickly she was working things out. "Kari, it's nothing to worry about. I promise you, everything is just fine." He insisted.
She just looked at him, wondering if everything really was just fine. "Right, if you say so."
He put down his mug and took hold of both of her hands. "I mean it, Kari. Everything is fine, there is nothing for you to worry about."
"I still think you're all keeping something from me. I know you and I know my friends, Doctor, so believe me when I tell you this, I will work it out." Kari warned him.
Once again he let out a sigh. "Kari, I promise you, I have told you the truth. Some things were said the last time I saw you, you were angry with me and I was angry with you. Amy and Rory were scared and you just disappeared."
Kari could tell that he really was telling the truth, even though she was still finding it a little odd that they would even have an argument. The only Doctor she had really fought with was the one with the leather jacket, in his ninth regeneration. "Okay. But since that hasn't happened for me yet, can we just forget all about it?" She asked him hopefully.
The Doctor couldn't help but smile at her. "Of course we can. Anything for you, my beautiful, brilliant Kari." She smiled back at him, before taking her hands back and reaching for her mug. "So, how long have you had that for now?" He asked, lightly touching the ring on her finger.
"A while, I guess. It spent more time in my pocket than it has on my hand." Kari admitted to him. "I wasn't exactly sure about what it actually meant when you gave it to me. Actually, I didn't even open it until you had left."
"And what about now?" The Doctor asked her.
Kari just grinned at him. "Well, that is for me to know, and for you to work out all by yourself."
He pouted at her a little, knowing what she was doing. "This is because I wouldn't tell you where we're up to, isn't it?" Kari just smirked some more behind her mug. "See, I knew it, you're just being awkward now."
"Doctor, I'm always awkward, it just comes naturally to me." Kari told him, quickly draining the rest of her tea. "Anyway, since we have both decided to be awkward, what are we going to do now?"
"Well, we could go and take the Ponds somewhere amazing." He suggested, making sure he finished his drink just as quickly as Kari had. "Or we could disappear for a few hours, give the married couple some time alone?"
"Disappear and do what, exactly." Kari asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
"What ever you like. We can go to the library, watch a few movies, go for a swim." He suggested.
"You know, we never did finish that Harry Potter marathon." She told him, thinking back to the last time the pair of them just relaxed and watched some films. Kari had ended up falling asleep in the Doctor's arms on the sofa that night, and woken up in her bed with him beside her.
"Kari?" The Doctor called, waving a hand in front of her face. "You okay?" There was a concerned look on his face as he looked at her.
She shook her head a little, dragging herself out of the memories from that day. "Yeah, sorry. Drifted for a little then. Anyway, like I said, finish off the Harry Potter marathon?" She suggested.
The Doctor just beamed at her. "Brilliant. I hope you remember what one we were up to, because I don't." He said, making her roller her eyes at him.
"Yes, of course I remember. I was watching it in my head if you recall correctly. Now, before we go and get settled, we need popcorn." She told him, jumping out of her chair and rummaging through the cupboards.
A little while later, the pair of them were cuddled up on the sofa, a rather large bowl of popcorn sitting there with them. Although Kari was happy, she couldn't stop thinking about how many things were being kept from her. It seemed like they all had even more secrets than ever before.
Since they were after America, Amy and Rory would be keeping a big secret, a very big secret. They had seen the Doctor die, and possibly Kari as well, if she wanted to believe what River had said. But she wasn't worried about that, that wasn't really a secret, because she already knew about it. Kari was more worried about what the Doctor was keeping from her.
It was a few hours later when the pair was finally found by the married couple that had been searching for them. But Kari and the Doctor were completely unaware that they were even being watched.
"So, this is where they have been hiding the whole time." Amy whispered to Rory as they peeked through the gap they had created. "Why do you think they just disappeared on us?"
Rory let out a sigh. He wasn't happy that his wife had been so persistent in finding the missing Time Lord and Lady, he was quite happy to just spend some time with her for a change. "Maybe they just wanted to spend a little time alone, Amy. That is what couples do."
"They look happy, don't they?" Her tone had suddenly changed, and there was a slight hint of sadness.
"That's probably because they are. This is Kari before all of that happened."
They both backed up and away from the door. "Do you think they will sort things out? The Doctor and the Kari that just left? Do you think everything will be okay?" Amy asked him, a nervous look on her face.
Rory let out a sigh as he wrapped his arms around his worried wife. "Of course they will. We've seen them both in the future, we know they sort everything out. The Doctor and Kari fight, but they always make up in the end." He assured her. "Now come on, let's leave them alone. They deserve to spend some time together without all the running around and having to save the universe."
Amy nodded at him, and they both made their way back to their own room, leaving their friends alone. Amy couldn't help but worry about them, because of everything that had happened. There was so much she wanted to tell Kari, but she knew that she couldn't, and that was hard for her.
A/N: I know this chapter may seem boring, and completely insignificant, but believe me, there is a lot going on that this chapter is going to bring up.
Anyway, I hope you guys liked it, especially my lovely friend (Yes, you know who you are).
We have a fantastic episode coming up next, full of twists and surprises, and… maybe a little more kissing… Who knows? Oh wait, I do. I hope you didn't mind the little bit of fluff, I thought it was time that Kari started to sort her feelings out.
Right, time for me to stop wittering on. You know how much I love your reviews, so please, review.
Pippa.