Jamie's Residence: November 7th, 1987

"Aunty Eris?"

Rieka raised an eyebrow as she looked towards the young boy who was swinging off her arm, his eyes wide and pleading.

"Hrn?"

"Do you think we could get some ice-cream?" six-year-old Luka asked.

The red head's lip quirked in amusement as she turned to look at Luka's father. "What do you think, Jamie?" she asked, barely holding back her chuckle when Luka's pleading was joined in by another who had decided to try and hang off Jamie's arm with the same pleading expression.

"Please! Please!"

"Hmm, I don't know..." Jamie spoke slowly as he picked Luka's friend, Mickey Smith, up. "What did your mother say?" he asked the dark-skinned boy, though both he and Rieka already knew the answer.

Mickey's nose scrunched up. "Nana said I could if I was good," he all but whined, only to quickly tack on, "And I didn't get into trouble all week!" when Jamie just raised an eyebrow at him.

Rieka just shook her head at the pair as she lifted Luka up – which was becoming harder as the boy grew – and rested him against her hip. "How about this?" she said, drawing the boys attention. Bopping Luka on the nose, the red head continued with a smile, "If you both can behave and promise not to get any on your clothes, we can get some after the weeding."

"But aunty," Luka pouted.

"No buts, young man," Jamie scolded lightly, "We don't want you looking like a mess for Uncle Stuart and Aunty Sarah's big day, now do we?"

"But Aunty Eris can do that wavy thing," Mickey tried.

"I could," Rieka agreed, nodding slowly as if she was actually thinking about it. The boys' face's brightened and they shared a quick, hopeful glance, though their expressions faulted as she continued, "But if we get ice-cream now, we wouldn't be able to make it to the park before the wedding."

"But-" the boys begun together, only to be cut off by another voice coming from the other room.

"You boys' aren't trying to argue with your aunt, are you?"

The pair seemed to wilt as Jamie and Rieka placed them back onto their feet, the two adults sharing amused looks as Mickey and Luka turned to the voice.

"No mummy," Luka quickly said as he rushed over to his mother the moment she entered the room. Mary couldn't stop the smile that appeared on her face as she knelt down and opened her arms; just catching her son as he threw himself at her.

"Sure you aren't," the brunette said, her eyes twinkling as she ruffled her son's hair.

"We weren't," Mickey declared, his chest puffing out as he came to his friends defence.

Mary just shook her head as she approached Rieka and kissed the red head's cheek in welcome. "I really do thank you for this," she muttered quietly as she pulled away.

"It's the least I could do, Mary," the witch replied with a small smile of her own, though both Jamie and Mary could see the sadness that she tried to hide. Rieka looked to Jamie, "Your mother was probably one of my closest friends, Jamie. And as much as I want to go..."

"I know," he told her softly, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder, "And I know that she will understand."

"Now, come on you two," Mary said as she turned to the two boys, giving Rieka a moment to recompose herself, "You two need to get ready, otherwise there will be no park to go along with that ice-cream."

Mickey and Luka were quick to run out of the room, the latter practically dragging the former along as Mary followed after as they excitedly talked between themselves.

Rieka's smile grew more true as she watched the trio leave. "Thick as thieves, those two," she muttered as she glanced at Jamie, "Sometimes I worry as to what exactly we might be releasing upon the world."

Jamie chuckled, "Can't be any worse than that Potter and Weasel you use to tell me stories about," he remarked, causing the red head to snort.

"Oh, Merlin," she gasped, "Please, I don't want any nightmares!"

The pair broke down into laughter as the earlier tension they were feeling slowly melted away.

"I really can't thank you enough for taking Luka with you today," Jamie spoke after they managed to catch their breath, and Rieka peered at him. "I know that he should be ther-"

"Jamie," the red head cut him off gently, "I highly doubt that Nancy would want her grandson to see her in the state she is in," she told him as she turned her gaze back to where Luka had run of with his friend and mother when she could hear giggling coming from the other room as Mary tried to get the pair ready. "And he's still a child. Luka will understand when he is older why you didn't take him. For now... let him grow up first."

Jamie stared at Rieka for a moment before he finally agreed.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Rieka suddenly said before she too, dashed out of the room, leaving a very flummoxed Jamie behind. She returned not moments later, holding out something to the man. "Could you give this to Nancy for me?" she asked.

Looking at the letter curiously, Jamie's eyes widened ever so slightly when he noticed a faint, red hue coming from within the envelope, and without skipping a beat, accepted the letter from the red head.

"It's not a solution," Rieka explained, seeing his expression, "Alzheimer's isn't something I would wish upon anyone, let alone someone I consider family, but the letter might give you a few more lucid memories with your mother."

Jamie's eyebrows jumped up to his hairline as his eyes darted from the letter to Rieka.

"I would... I'd suggest giving it to her while you're alone, however," the red head added as an afterthought, "Otherwise, well..." she shrugged, "There'd be a lot of questions."

"Thank you." Jamie swallowed around the lump that had appeared in his throat as his eyes moved back to the letter. He stared at it for a moment before pocketing it away into his coat, looking back to the red head who had been in his life for his entire life.

Without giving her any warning, Jamie suddenly pulled her into a hug and caused her to stiffen in surprise.

"Really. Thank you, Aunty."

Rieka's expression softened at the title, her body relaxing as she hugged the man back. Jamie rarely called her aunty anymore, although she could understand why.

"You're welcome, Jamie."


"Now, no telling your parents," Rieka said firmly as she handed two double-scooped ice-cream cones over to two eager boys.

She shook her head in fond amusement as the pair cheered at each other before taking their cones off her – only to end up wearing them. She knew that their parents didn't mind, having already made sure to ask before getting the boys their treat. She chuckled as she turned back to the shop owner, who raised an amused eyebrow in response to her words.

"Aunt's secret," Rieka tapped the side of her nose before paying for the confectionary, causing the man to chuckle as they left.

"Can we still go play at the playground afterwards?" Luka asked as they left the shop.

"Yeah, can we?" Mickey joined in as he tried to eat his ice-cream and hold Rieka's hand at the same time; only to succeed in wearing more than what actually made it into his mouth. "I want to play on the swing."

"You'll both need to finish quickly, then," Rieka told them as they headed in the direction of St Pauls Church. "You don't want the other children knowing you had ice-cream, do you?" she raised an eyebrow as she looked to the boys melting treats, knowing that she'd end up doing the wavy thing – Mickey's words – before they got to the park.

Luka and Mickey exchanged looks that could almost be akin to horror before they both tried to finish their ice-creams as quickly as possible, and Rieka was rather thankful that she had her magic, seeing how much of a mess the pair were making on their new suits. I can see why they're always so stressed when eating out... she thought, thinking how difficult her day would have been without her magic.

Suddenly, the red head stopped as the hairs on the back of her neck raised. A chill chased its way down her spine and her eyes narrowed as they darted around; searching for whatever – or whoever – could have been causing the sensation.

"Aunt Eris, is everything all right?" Luka questioned when he noticed that his aunty had stopped walking.

His voice snapped the witch from her thoughts and she managed a smile as she looked down to the boys, whom were both watching her with similar, worried expressions. "Yeah, she lied, raising an eyebrow when she noticed the state of their clothes, "But you two aren't. How is it supposed to be a secret ice-cream if you're displaying it all over your clothes?"

The boys looked guiltily down at the ice-cream covered clothes, seeing that she was right. But not a moment later, the mess was gone.

"What mess?" Mickey asked cheekily when they caught on to what had happened, and Luka just grinned at Rieka.

"Oh, come on you two," the red head huffed with a fond shake of her head, "Otherwise there really will be no time for the swing."

That had the boys moving again, although Rieka frowned as she glanced behind them.

She couldn't shake off the feeling that they were being watched.


Rieka looked up from her sketchbook, her pencil hovering over the page as she watched Mickey tried to catch Luka as the two boys ran through the playground, a small smile upon her lips.

"Luka! Slow down!" the younger boy shouted as Luka managed to evade Mickey's attempts of capture once more.

Movement beside Rieka had her glancing to her left as someone sat down, though she was quick flip her sketchbook closed and look back to the boys when she realised who it was; tucking the pencil she had been holding back into the case beside her.

"How do you make it seem so easy?" Odessa Smith questioned after a while, a tired sigh escaping her lips as she watched her over-energetic son enjoy himself as he chased after his best friend.

Silver-grey eyes darted to the woman, though Rieka had to bit her tongue to stop herself from saying what she truly wanted to say to Mickey's mother. She really had no idea why Odessa stayed with her husband. Anyone could see that the woman was unhappy, but the witch felt as though it wasn't her place to tell another how to live their life. And Odessa was old enough to make her own decisions.

It wasn't as though Rieka could really relate to what Mickey's mother was going through, anyhow.

She had never been in a relationship before.

"It is always simpler to believe that it looks easier for someone else," the red head said instead as she watched Luka climb up the slide, "Luka is far more of a handful than he appeared, and is just as stubborn as his father. Add his mother's temper, and it's almost like a tornado has landed when he throws a tantrum."

Odessa looked at Rieka with a dubious expression, and the witch sighed when she saw it. It was one she had received quite often through the years as she helped Nancy raise Jamie.

"But you make it look like you've been doing it for decades," the woman stated, and Rieka had to stop herself from telling Odessa that she had been. The woman's next words had the red head frowning, however. "And yet, I don't believe you have your own children."

"No," Rieka confirmed with a sigh as she moved her sketchbook from her lap. She didn't think she was going to get much more sketching in today. "I don't."

"Have you thought about having your own one day?" Odessa questioned curiously as she watched the red head.

Rieka couldn't stop the snort that escaped her. "I believe it takes two to tango," she remarked, only for her face to warm at the memory of what had been said during the Blitz. Closing her eyes tightly, feeling as though she wanted to go back into the past and kick herself, Rieka silently cursed her past-self's naivety as her embarrassment grew as more memories flittered across her mind.

How can one get sex from dancing...

The red head almost groaned as her own words played back in her mind, and Odessa – taking her expression for something else entirely – smiled.

"But you do have your eye on someone," the woman observed, almost making Rieka choke on nothing but air as the red head's eyes suddenly snapped back to her.

"Wha-why would you think that?" the witch sputtered, feeling her cheeks flush even warmer. She didn't need a mirror to know that she was probably as red as a tomato.

"I can see it in your eyes," Odessa explained as she looked back to watch the children. Her expression turned somewhat wistful, "The way you look at them. The longing that appears in your eyes."

"Oh, no, no, no," Rieka quickly backtracked. She was not having this conversation. "I am quite happy with just being an aunt," she stated rather quickly, "And besides, I highly doubt that there really could be anyone out there for me."

And it was true.

Sure Rieka may have Jamie, Mary, and Luka in her life. But they were their own family, no matter how close they were now. She knew that one day they would either move on with their own lives, or die. And if the pain she was experiencing at losing Nancy was anything to learn from, Rieka didn't believe she wanted to experience the same thing with someone she may actually come to love.

But the witch was happy with how her life was. She didn't even believe she was ready to start even thinking of looking for a man.

Odessa just quirked an eyebrow, not quite believing Rieka. "If you say so," she said before she got up and headed towards her son. Though she paused and glanced back to the still-blushing red head. "There's someone out there for everyone, Eris. You just have to look," she told the witch before continuing on her way.

Rieka watched her walk over to Mickey and Luka before she begun to push Mickey on the swing. Her eyebrows furrowed as she absentmindedly ran a finger over the back of her hand; tracing the mark that had once marred the skin where the nanogenes had once affected her. A warmth grew in the pit of her stomach when her thoughts turned to the only person who had managed to turn her head, but the witch was quick to shake herself from where her mind was heading.

No, she scolded herself as she retrieved her sketchbook and flipped it open to the page she had been working on, How many times have you done the exact same thing? Stop assuming that just because he was concerned, that it actually meant something. He's a doctor. He was concerned, nothing more.

Shoulders sagging, Rieka traced a finger over the drawing she had almost completed. She couldn't help but wish that the face her finger was tracing was someone else's, but she knew how much of an impossibility that would be. No matter how much that memory had her returning to her music so much more than she ever had in the past.

And besides, she let out a heavy breath as her eyes closed, Why would he stay here when he has all of time and space to travel?

"Aunty Eris!"

Luka's scream had Rieka's eyes snapping open, her head jerking up. She barely had enough time to roll out of the way as she saw something diving towards her out of her peripheral vision, and her mind cleared of all previous thoughts as she got to her feet; sending a blast of red energy towards the creature as it shook itself off.

But much to Rieka's horror, her spell had done little to the creature. If anything, her attack had only seemed to annoy it.

"Luka! Get Mickey to the church!" she ordered as her gaze swept over the playground, realising that she and the two boys were to only people there. The older of the two boys wasted no time in complying, and was quick to drag Mickey along, knowing that it was always best to listen to his aunty.

Turning her gaze back to the creature, Rieka's eyes swirled red as they landed on her ruined sketchbook. She flung her hands forwards and an orb of red energy surrounded her as the creature tried to attack her once again. Though the witch's eyes widened in alarmed surprise as she watched another creature appear out of thin air and join the first as it continued to try and get through her shield.

She could hear screams coming from the direction of the church, and her mind narrowed in on one thing.

The boys!

Anger coursed through her veins, her shield unknowingly growing bigger as her magic came forth with her rage. The thought of these things harming anyone, but most of all Mickey and Luka, had Rieka's mind focused.

With the thought of her nephews in danger, the witch's magic seemed to react on its own as her protective fury overwhelmed her. She sent the creatures flying through the air as her shield exploded outwards, and her chest heaved, the air around her growing hazy as she stared down the creatures that were quick to recover.

"You won't have them," she all but growled as the two creatures launched themselves at her once again.

But the red head turned on her heel and – with an almighty crack – Rieka was gone.


"Luka, where's aunty?" Mickey questioned in a terrified whisper as his eyes darted around the now bustling church, his hand holding his friends tightly as they watched the adults scrambling around.

Though both boys were looking for one adult in particular.

"She'll be here soon," Luka tried to comfort the younger boy, although he couldn't help but worry about his aunty as well. More so after he had heard the screams coming from outside. He knew that his aunty had abilities, but those creatures had taken everyone else. The older boy's eyes flickered to the adults by the church entrance before shifting back to the trembling Mickey and he swallowed down his own fears. "You know that she can do anything."

He really didn't know who he was trying to reassure with those words.

"But they took my mummy!" Mickey exclaimed as tears filled his eyes, "What if they took her as well?!"

There was a crack behind the pair, making both boys jump and spin on the spot.

"They can try," Rieka said with a grin before letting out a huff of air when she suddenly found herself with two extra bodies trying to become one with hers. "Hey, I'm fine. Everything will be fine," she soothed the boys, wrapping her arms around them as they continued to cling to her. Though the red head had no idea how everything was supposed to be fine. She didn't even know what those creatures were – let alone where that had come from, or even why they were here.

"They took m-my mummy," Mickey sobbed as tears streamed down his face.

"Hey now, little Mouse," the witch said softly as she managed to crouch down to be more at the boys level. She looked between the pair, "You remember that story I told you?" she asked quietly as she wiped away Mickey's tears with a handkerchief, "The one about Luka's daddy?"

"Mickey sniffed, but nodded as Luka spoke up, "You and Nana stopped those bad bugs, didn't you?" and Rieka couldn't help but chuckle at what her nephew still referred to the nanogenes as.

Bad bugs indeed...

"No," she shook her head, "It was just your Nana who stopped them," she corrected, "But I-"

"They can't get in!"

A male's voice cut through the air and Rieka stood up, her eyes wide as they landed on the Doctor at the now closed doors of the church.

"Old windows and doors."

"Aunty, what is it?" Luka questioned as he tugged on the sleeve of her jacket, confused by the expression that was on her face and looked to where she was looking.

"Luka. Mickey," the red head said, and the boys looked to her in confusion when they noticed the change in her tone. "I want you both to stay right here. I need to speak with someone."

"But you can't go!" Mickey cried as he grabbed her hand, "What if the monsters come back?"

Over my dead body, the red head thought, though she knelt in front of Mickey as she removed one of her necklaces. "This will keep the monsters away," she told the boy softly, glancing at Luka as she showed them the pendant, "The wolf is a mighty protector, and it won't let any harm to those who carry this."

"What about the others?" Luka asked curiously as he looked at the necklace, never actually haven gotten to see his aunt's necklaces up close before.

"The snake is the wolf's friend, always there helping the wolf protect their friends together. Just like the phoenix. When you carry this, nothing will be able to harm you," she told the pair as she placed the necklace in Mickey's hands. Her eyes flashed as she did so, causing the pendant to glow a faint red as the boy held it, and he looked up to her with wide eyes.

"They like you," Rieka told him with a warm smile before she grasped his shoulder. "Now, I want you to stay here with Luka, okay?"

Mickey looked down to the necklace in his hand before he jerked a nod, and Luka grabbed his empty hand as if in agreement.

"I'll watch him until you get back," the older boy declared, trying to sound brave and it caused Rieka to smile.

"I won't be long," she told them before she headed off towards the Doctor – who was currently having an argument with Jackie Tyler.

"... unless I sort this out. Now, if you don't mind, I've waited a long time to say this. Jackie Tyler, do as I say. Go. And. Check. The. Doors!" the Doctor ordered, and Rieka watched with a raised eyebrow as the woman did just that. "Should have said that ages ago," the Time Lord muttered to himself as he turned around, only to stop short when his eyes landed on Rieka.

"I'm kind of afraid to ask how you know Jackie Tyler," the red head remarked rather casually, a small smirk on her lips even as her eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly at the shocked expression that once again seemed to greet her. "But after she had Rose, I think I was able to work out the rest."

"Aries, what are you doing here?" the Doctor asked, and Rieka's eyebrows knitted together even closer together at the name he called her. She had sworn that he had called her Aries when she had met him in the Blitz, but hearing it now seemed to confirm her suspicions.

"I should be asking you that," the witch replied with a frown, her thoughts turning to why the man was there to begin with. She could work out why he kept calling her Aries later.

"Eris," the groom, Stuart, approached the pair. He was looking at Rieka, and so was the Doctor, though the latter was looking to his Nesdra in confusion. "My dad was out there," he said, and the red head could hear the tremor in his voice. Though before she could say anything, the Doctor spoke up.

"You can mourn him later. Right now, we've got to concentrate on keeping ourselves alive."

"My dad had-"

"There's nothing I can do for him," the Doctor cut the man off, causing Rieka to shoot him a look.

"What's wrong, Stuart?" the witch asked as she turned her attention to the distressed groom, a little confused by the Doctor's attitude.

"He had this phone thing," the man explained as he showed her an old brick phone, "I can't get it to work. I just keep getting this voice..."

Curious, Rieka accepted the phone from Stuart and dialled a number. Though her eyebrows furrowed as she listened to the voice that came through the line.

"Watson, come here, we need you. Watson, come here, we need you."

"But... that's Alexander Bell," she said, rather baffled as she pulled the phone away from her ear. She glanced at the Doctor before she handed him the phone, getting him to listen as well.

"You're right," the Doctor stated, "That's the very first phone call." He handed the phone back to Stuart as he added, "I don't think the telephones' gonna be much use," before he glanced at Rieka, his eyebrows creasing slightly before he shook his head and went to moved off.

"But someone must call the police!" Stuart called after him, causing the Time Lord to pause.

"Police can't help you now. No-one can," the Doctor said, his voice travelling through the church, and Rieka couldn't help but frown, wondering what he was talking about. "Nothing in this universe can harm those things. Time has been damaged, and they've come to sterilise the wound," the Doctor continued as he turned to look at his companion, his eyes narrowing, "By consuming everything in sight."

"Is this because..." Rose trailed off; her voice shaky.

The red head looked between the Doctor and Rose as the former just continued to silently stare at his companion.

"Is this my fault?" the blonde continued, and Rieka grew curious as to what she could have done, noting that the expression that was on the Doctor's face clearly had her thinking that he felt that Rose was behind whatever had happened.

The Doctor walked passed his companion, allowing his silence to speak for him. Though Rieka was quick to follow him, needing answers.


"Doctor!" Rieka called as she grabbed the sleeve of his leather jacket when they entered the outer room of the church, causing him to come to a stop and turn to her. "What's going on? What are you doing here?" she questioned, trying to work out what was happening.

The Time Lord glanced around before leading the confused witch over to a window as he tried to figure out how to tell her what had happened. He was still trying to process what his Nesdra was even doing there, just having dropped her off... well, wherever the TARDIS had taken them. But he had rather hoped that after he realised what Rose had done, that Rieka would have been safe.

"Something happened," he told Rieka quietly, and the red head just raised an eyebrow at him.

"I figured that much," she deadpanned, letting his arm go with a frown and stepped back from the Doctor when she suddenly felt the urge to grab his hand at the sight of his troubled expression. "But I want to know exactly what has happened, because I have m-"

"Eris!"

Pete Tyler's urgent voice cut Rieka off, and she frowned, turning to the man. She missed the Doctor's eyebrows furrow in confusion once again.

"There's smoke coming from the city, but no sirens," the man continued as he reached them, "I... I don't think it's just us. I think those things are all over the place. Maybe the whole world."

"Look, Pete. This really isn't the best time," Rieka told the man as she turned back to the Doctor, only to see that something out of the window had caught his attention; his expression one of barely supressed dismay. Following his gaze, the red head's eyebrows flew upwards in alarm as she caught what appeared to be a beige car appearing from nowhere.

The car hit the brakes, its tyres screeching as it turned a corner, and the terrified driver threw a hand over his face as he – and the car – vanished.

"Was that a car?" Pete questioned when the same thing played out all over again.

"It's not important," the Doctor stated after a moment and Rieka glanced at him; finding that she didn't quite believe him. "Don't worry about it," he told Pete as he grabbed Rieka's hand and moved away from the man.

When they had gotten out of earshot, Rieka pulled her hand from the Doctor's. "I don't know what's going on, Doctor," she whispered harshly to the Time Lord, "But I don't believe for a second that a car that can disappear and reappear is unimportant. Now, tell me, please. What is going on?"

The Doctor's shoulder's slumped slightly, knowing that he wouldn't be able to keep what had happened from Rieka. Yet, he still hoped that she wouldn't be too angry with him when he told her. "Rose," the Doctor sighed before shaking his head, "I did something I shouldn't have... and it went wrong," he admitted, knowing that he really couldn't blame this all on Rose. He knew that he was just as in the wrong – if not more – than his blonde companion.

Rieka glanced towards the door that led to the main room of the church, watching as Pete left before she caught a glimpse of the older blonde. Her eyes widened when she realised something and turned back to the Doctor. "You shouldn't even be here," she hissed, "Rose should not be here. What were you thinking, bringing her to a place where there was already a version of herself?!"

"I was trying to do something nice – give her some closure," the Time Lord tried to explain, "I just didn't think she'd be stupid enough to do what she did."

Eyes narrowing, Rieka asked the Doctor to tell her exactly what had happened, and the Time Lord did. When he had finished, the red head was shaking as her emotions got the better of her; unable to believe that the Doctor would have done something so fundamentally idiotic not once – but twice.

"Aries?" the Doctor spoke rather tentatively when he noticed a breeze start to pick up around his Nesdra. He knew from past experiences that it meant that she was angry, though he couldn't blame her for feeling as such; knowing that he shouldn't have done what he had in the first place.

"You... Complete idiot!" Rieka exploded, slapping the Doctor's hand away when he tried to comfort her. She shook her head, taking another step away from the Time Lord and ignored how his face fell at her actions. "What in Merlin's name did you think she would do?! Give anyone the chance to see their father again-"

The red head broke off, her eyes closing as she shook her head.

"Aries, please," the Doctor tried to get her to understand as he took a step towards her, "I didn't think that she'd do-"

"That's your problem, Doctor," the red head snapped as she continued to back away from him, "You didn't think! You knew it was wrong, and yet you still brought her back. What did she do?! Bat her eyes with that puppy-dog expression, and you just couldn't resist?" she spat, unable to stop the words from spilling from her mouth as her anger grew.

"What?!" the Doctor exclaimed; horrified, "No!"

"Then what was it? Because I actually thought that you were someone I could trust!" Rieka shook her head again, her shoulders dropping as her anger seemed to leave her with the action, "But you're just like everyone else."

The Doctor froze at her words, feeling as though his hearts had shrivelled up inside his chest. Right then, he didn't care as to where his Nesdra was from in his timeline. He didn't care what she was or where she had come from. All that was running through his mind was that she had come to trust him...

And I had to do something utterly stupid and broke it, he thought angrily, wanting to kick himself for his stupidity.

The witch turned away from the Doctor, her thoughts going to Luka and Mickey as she tried to figure out if there was a way – anything – she could do to fix what the Doctor had done. She started heading back to where she had left the boys, only to be stopped when the Doctor grabbed her arm.

"Aries, please wait," he pleaded, needing to try and fix the wrong he had caused, but the red head spun to face him, her eyes flashing red.

"Don't touch me!" she snapped, and the Doctor was thrown backwards as her magic reacted to her will.

He was quick to scramble back to his feet, but when his eyes landed on where his Nesdra had been, Rieka was already gone.

"Aries," he breathed in dismay, never having wanted to hurt her.

She was the one person he had vowed that he never wanted to hurt – never wanted to upset – and now because of his stupid companion, the Doctor had succeeded in doing just that. And he knew that it was a useless and weak excuse to think that the only reason he had agreed to taking Rose to see her father was because it took his mind off that fact that his Nesdra hadn't agreed to continue travelling with them.

But it was the truth.

And now... now he had no idea as to how to go about fixing what he had done.