Satellite Five: Floor 139

It was all their fault!

Or that was what Cathica kept telling herself as she made her way back to the lift that the Doctor, Rieka, and Rose had used.

She had slipped back and retrieved the code that the computer had given the Time Lord, telling herself that she was only doing it so she wouldn't get into trouble.

It had nothing to do with the fact that she was curious.

Or that things just didn't add up... and hadn't been for a long time.

No.

As she waited impatiently for the lift, Cathica told herself that she was only doing this so the infuriating trio upstairs didn't get her sacked.

So, it came as quite a surprise to the woman when the lift doors opened and her wide eyes fell upon the unconscious form of a woman with very familiar red hair.


Floor 500 Control Room

The Doctor and Rose had been restrained with manacles as the Editor continued to go on about his plans. Though the Time Lord didn't really mind, however. It gave him time to think.

"If we create a climate of fear... then it's easy to keep the borders closed," the Editor continued, "It's just a matter of emphasis. The right word in the right broadcast repeated often enough can destabilise an economy... invent an enemy... change a vote..."

"So, all the people on Earth are like, slaves," Rose cut in and causing the man to look at her.

"Well, now. There's an interesting point. Is a slave a slave if he doesn't know he's enslaved?" he enquired.

"Yes."

The Doctor's answer was short and clipped.

"Oh," the Editor pouted, almost as if he was upset by the Time Lord's answer, "I was hoping for a philosophical debate. Is that all I'm going to get? Yes?"

The Doctor just repeated his answer, not saying anything more.

"You're no fun," the Editor complained with a laugh.

"Let me out of these manacles, you'll find out how much fun I am," the Doctor threatened with a glare.

"Oh, he's tough, isn't he," the Editor remarked to Rose with a grin, "But, come on. Isn't it a great system? You've got to admire it, just a little bit," he continued as he moved to one of the monitors when something caught his eye.

"You can't hide something on this scale. Someone must've noticed," Rose said.

"From time to time, someone, yes," the man replied rather distractedly as his eyes narrowed on the image of Rieka in the spike room - talking - with the brunet. Though at the sight before him, a grin appeared on the Editor's face and he straightened, tapping the shoulders of a few of his drones as he approached the manacled duo. "But the computer system allows me to see inside their brain... I can see the smallest doubt, and crush it. And they just carry on, living their life. Strutting about downstairs and all over the surface of the Earth like they're so individual."

The Doctor's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he watched four of the drones leave the room, wondering where they were going. His hearts seized when his mind leapt straight to his Nesdra, knowing that he had told her that he was only going to retrieve Rose before meeting her downstairs.

"When, of course, they're not," the Editor continued, "They're just cattle. In that respect, the Jagrafess hasn't changed a thing."

"What about you?" Rose asked, "You're not a Jagra... uh... a..."

"Jagrafess," the Doctor supplied distractedly, only listening in with half and ear as his worry for Rieka continued to grow. He knew that it wouldn't have taken her long to realise that something was amiss, and having seen personally how she dealt with the situation at Downing Steet, the Time Lord also knew that there was a very high chance that his Nesdra was already on her way back upstairs.

He needed to get free.

"Jagrafess," Rose repeated, "You're not a Jagrafess. You're human."

The Editor shrugged, "Yeah, well simply being human doesn't pay well."

"But you couldn't have done this all on your own," the blonde continued.

"No," the man agreed, "I represent a consortium of banks. Money prefers a long-term investment. Also, the Jagrafess needed a little hand to, um... install himself."

"No wonder, a creature that size..." The Doctor shook his head before gesturing to the beast above them with it. "What's his lifespan?" he asked, hoping that if he kept the man talking, if Rieka had returned, she knew of the dangers.

Though every part of him hoped she was waiting for him in the TARDIS.

"Three thousand years," the Editor told them, and the Time Lord raised an eyebrow at how proud the man sounded.

"That's one hell of a metabolism generating all that heat," he remarked, "That's why Satellite Five's so hot. You pump it out of the creature; channel it downstairs – Jagrafess stays cool, stays alive. Satellite Five's one great big life support system."

"But that's why you're so dangerous. Knowledge is power, but you remain unknown," the Editor said with a small laugh before snapping his fingers.

The manacles restraining the Doctor and Rose suddenly emitted an electric shock, causing the blonde to cry out while the Doctor grimaced in pain.

"Who are you?" the Editor demanded.

The Time Lord looked to his companion before turning back to the Editor. "Leave her alone. I'm the Doctor, she's Rose Tyler, we're nothing, we're just wandering."

"Tell me who you are!" the man demanded again, "You... and your little red-headed companion."

"I just said!" the Doctor shouted, "And I don't know who you're talking about," he added, feeling his hearts pick up at the thought of this ape getting his hands on his Nesdra.

"She arrived with you both," the man stated, almost casually before turning serious, "So tell me, who is she? Who do you work for? Who sent you? Who knows about us? Who exactly..." he trailed off.

The Doctor looked at the Editor questionably, though the man only smiled.

"Maybe this might help jog your memory."

The Editor snapped his fingers and a projection appeared of Floor 500's spike room and the Doctor felt his hearts stop at the sight of Rieka unconscious, being supported by two frost-covered drones while a brunet man writhed and screamed as information was being torn from his mind.

"Ah, so you do know her," the Editor said smugly, seeing the Doctor's face pale.

"You let her go!" the Time Lord almost snarled as he tore his eyes away from the projection to glare at the Editor, the Oncoming Storm surfacing at the sight of his unconscious Nesdra. He really wanted to get out of the manacles now and show the human why so many species feared him.

"Oh, I don't think so," the man said with an uncaring shrug, "Although, I do wonder how those two," he nodded to the projection, "Know each other. I have tried for days to get that man to talk to me, give me information, but to no avail. But your little friend there," the projection focused on the unconscious red head, "She managed to get him to speak without even trying. Maybe you could tell me what they're saying."

Surprise and confusion flickered across the Doctor's face at that as he looked back to the projection as it changed, showing Rieka' and the man's conversation that had happened moments ago. Though his confusion only grew when he realised that he had no idea as to what they were talking about.

"What the hell?!" Rose suddenly exclaimed as the four drones they had seen leaving the control room entering the room behind Rieka, only for two to be thrown backwards by a blast from the red head, why the next was kicked away from her.

The moment she dropped to the floor; the Doctor was struggling in earnest to get free, his eyes locked on Rieka's unmoving form and not noticing the brunet in the spike chair doing the same thing before he was held down by the drones as he shouted, "Let me go!"

"Tell me," the Editor clicked his fingers and the projection changed back to showing Rieka still unconscious while the brunet continued to scream. "Can you all do that?" he asked as he approached the shackled pair, a dark gleam in his eyes that had the Doctor almost growling, "Or is it only her?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," the Time Lord spat, continuing in his struggle to get free. His hearts were pounding in his chest, and every part of his being was screaming to get to Rieka; to make sure she was okay.

"Ah, so it's only her, then." The Editor smirked as he went to touch Rose's face, although the blonde was quick to jerk her head away from his touch. "Too bad," he continued, letting his hand fall back to his side, "My masters would have been very interested in more than just one subject to study."

Before either the Doctor or Rose could say anything, a dark chuckle that sounded as though it came from nowhere and everywhere filled the air.

Your masters will be nothing but dust before they even lay a limb on her.

All three looked around in confusion before the Time Lord's eyes landed on the projection, when something else caught his attention. The brunet that had been screaming not moments earlier was now laying still in the chair. And much to the Doctor's disbelief, the blue stream of data and energy that had been streaming into his mind, trying to rip every tasty, hidden thought out of it was now starting to surround the man as it slowly changed to a warm yellow-gold, growing brighter and brighter until the projection flickered and faded.

"Doctor, what's happening?" Rose asked as her wide, frightened eyes darted around as a low, deep growl seemed to echo off the walls – though it hadn't come from the Jagrafess above.

He didn't get a chance to respond, as the next thing they heard was the Editor let out a strangled sound and both heads snapped in his direction.

"Impossible," the Time Lord exhaled as the Editor stood there, as if frozen like the drones around him, with an arm wrapped tightly around his throat. The brunet he had seen on the projection not seconds earlier was standing behind the Editor, and the Doctor watched transfixed as the man's golden-yellow eyes regarded him as he leaned towards the platinum blond's ear.

"As for yourself..." the words were but a murmur against the Editor's ear, but the Doctor heard them none the less, "I think it's time you learnt who the real masters were."

Without warning, the brunet's arm shifted, and for a single, lonely heartbeat, the Time Lord swore that the man was going to break the Editor's neck. But what the man did next surprised the Doctor.

He let the Editor go.

-0-

The brunet wanted to kill him.

There was no denying that.

But when black eyes met those of the Time Lord's blue as he leaned forwards to whisper into the Editor's ear, the brunet knew that he couldn't.

"As for yourself..." he told the quivering man in his grasp, his voice pitched low but knowingly loud enough for the Doctor to hear, "I think it's time you learnt who the real masters were."

The brunet let the Editor go, a sneer appearing on his face as he watched the man that had gleefully tortured and killed without remorse promptly collapse onto the ground; his eyes filled with fear as he stared up at him.

"You see," he continued, his voice clear and loud despite the beast above them growling. The brunet glanced at the Doctor and Rose, eyes scanning over the manacles that had them restrained before turning his back on all three and towards the drones that were still working. "You people always believe that because you are smarter," a hand landed on the first drone's head and his eyes flashed golden-yellow.

The drone slumped in their seat.

"More advanced." He did the same to the next one, and the trio watched on with wide eyes. "Complex." Though when he reached Suki, he frowned, not laying a hand on her. Instead, he turned back to the Editor. "That nothing can touch-"

"Who are you?" the Editor cut in; his eyes wide and terrified, but the brunet continued as if he hadn't heard him.

"-you. But you always fail to understand that power," His smile was dark as his eyes glowed, and the room around him started to steam, "Always comes with a price."

"Doctor! What's happening?" Rose almost shouted as an alarm suddenly sounded.

"What are you doing?!" the Time Lord shouted at the brunet as he felt the temperature continue to rise, and the ice around the room begun to melt.

He ignored them once more as he grabbed the Editor who had been scrambling to get away. Pulling the platinum blond to his feet, the brunet looked the man directly into his eyes. "You wanted to know what I know?" he asked menacingly, but continued on without giving the man a chance to say anything, "I know that what I'm about to do will hurt..." he let the man go and grabbed his face, placing his fingers strategically on each side, "And you... are going to scream."

Every monitor in the room shattered as a wave of power exploded from the brunet, and the Editor screamed as the man tore through his mind, giving him every little titbit of information he had once tried to force from the brunet. The entire satellite shuddered and alarms sounded on every floor; the people running and screaming amongst the chaos the brunet had created.

It was only when the Jagrafess above the group let out a ground-shaking roar did the Doctor break out of his shock. He heard Rose call his name and immediately snapped into action as he felt the manacles release him. Grabbing her hand and pulling her from the room, the Doctor stated, "He's raising the temperature in the room, venting the heat upwards," rather unnecessarily as they went, "The Jagrafess needs to stay cool and now it's sitting on top of a volcano."

"So are we!" Rose shrieked.

"And that's why we're leaving!"

Rose followed after the Doctor, giving the brunet one last glance over her shoulder as she did so. She jumped when there was a small explosion nearby, frowning as she watched the Doctor disappear into another room. Before she had a chance to follow, he was already rushing back out, a worried expression on his face.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Ari-"

"She's downstairs," a voice from behind Rose made her jump, and she turned to see the brunet.

"How d-"

"Trust me or not, but we don't have time," he cut the Doctor off again before heading towards the lift.


Satellite Five: Floor 139

Rieka was jolted awake when she felt something cold being placed against the back of her head, and she lurched forwards in the seat she was sitting in and promptly threw up as her pounding head decided that movement was not the best thing to do. When she was done, she leaned back into the seat, accepting a wet cloth that was being held out to her as someone looked at the mess she had created with a raised eyebrow.

"Wha- what happened?" she asked as she closed her eyes, trying to will her headache away, though panic overwhelmed her as memories of what had occurred in Floor 500's spike room hit her like the Hogwarts Express. Rieka jumped in surprise when she felt someone rest a hand on her shoulder, her eyes snapping open when she recalled what had first awoken her, though before she could move away from the person, they spoke.

"Easy does it," the owner of the hand murmured, and the red head turned her head, wincing slightly at the throbbing the movement caused, and spotted a curly-haired blonde behind her, "You hit your head pretty hard."

"No," Rieka corrected, starting to shake her head, though was quick to stop with a wince. "Someone knocked me out," she corrected.

"A drone, yes, sorry about that," the blonde remarked.

"I didn't have tim..." Rieka trailed off as her mind caught up to her; her eyes narrowing on the woman. "How did you know that?" she questioned.

"Spoilers," the blonde smiled,

"Aries!" someone shouted before Rieka could say anything else, and she turned towards the familiar voice.

"Doctor?" she questioned as the Time Lord approached, flanked by Rose and an unfamiliar brunet, "What happened?"

"It doesn't matter," the brunet cut in before the Doctor could say anything as he moved passed the trio, though the Time Lord didn't mind as he made sure that Rieka was okay; his eyes narrowing when he noticed that there was a slight bump where she had been hit.

"But..."

"I should have made sure you got back to the TARDIS before I went up there," the Doctor muttered as he found that aside from the slight bump, there was nothing else wrong with his Nesdra. He let out a relieved breath, feeling that his hearts were finally able to calm with that knowledge.

"None of us knew what was happening up there," Rieka reminded him as she carefully looked around, her head still throbbing. A frown tugged at her lips when she realised that she couldn't locate the curly-haired blonde that had been there when she had awoken.

"Yes, and look at where that got you," the Doctor shot back, angry with himself for not listening to her when she had spoken of her worries. She was his Nesdra! He was supposed to be the one who kept her safe and well, not chasing after his wayward companion.

His comment only had Rieka's eyebrows furrowing as she looked to him, however. Rose just rolled her eyes as she turned away from the pair, once again feeling forgotten now that they were back with the red head. Her eyes landed on the brunet as he disappeared in the direction she knew that the TARDIS was in and frowned.

"How are you feeling?" the Doctor changed the subject, knowing that he wasn't angry with Rieka.

The witch studied him for a moment. She could see it again... that concern. And it confused her. "Bit of a headache," she finally said, "But I'll be fine."

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"You can't go!"

The pair, along with Rose, turned to see Cathica standing there. The woman's face darkened with embarrassment.

"I, uh, mean, you'll have to stay and explain it. I don't even know what happened," she said.

"I'm sure you'll think of something," the Doctor told her as he helped Rieka stand. He didn't want her out of his sight until they were safely back onto the TARDIS. "The Human Race should accelerate. All back to normal."

Cathica frowned, not quite believing him, but reluctantly sighed. "What about your friend?" she asked, looking in the direction she had seen the brunet wander off in. She wasn't to sure where the blonde had gone, though wasn't too sure if they knew her since she had only appeared after she had found Rieka.

The Doctor and Rieka followed her gaze to where the brunet had gone, and the Doctor frowned. "I'm not sure," he admitted, knowing that he had spoken the truth. He looked to his Nesdra to see if she was ready to go before they headed off towards the TARDIS, his arm around her shoulders as Rose trailed behind.

-0-

"-kothar. You'll see me again, one day. Just make sure to keep them safe," the trio heard the brunet say as they approached the TARDIS, watching as he dropped his hand from the side of the blue box and turned to face them. "I guess this is where we say goodbye."

"Who are you?" the Doctor asked, getting straight to the point. Though his question only had the man smirking.

"Ah, now that is a question I have been hearing a lot lately," he replied with a shake of his head, "But you..." he glanced between the Doctor and Rieka, purposely ignoring Rose as an unknown expression flickered across his eyes. "You two can call me... Ly," he said, his smirk softening a fraction.

"Ly," the Doctor repeated the man's name at the same time Rieka stated, "I know you, don't I?" causing both males to pause and look at her. "I... I don't know where from, but I know you," she continued when the brunet's smirk returned, a knowing look in his eyes.

"There are many people that we meet in our lives," the brunet didn't deny her words as he tilted his head at the Doctor and Rieka. Though he didn't confirm them, either. "And you two... I have heard many great things." Ly's gaze settled on the Doctor who was regarding him with a frown, though it was quick to dart to Rose when the blonde let out a scoff at the thought of Rieka having done anything great. "Something you'd like to add?" he enquired with a raised eyebrow.

When she didn't say anything, the brunet continued, "Let me give you some advice, Rose Tyler," he said, his smirk growing as her eyes widened in surprise, "Oh yes, I know exactly who you are. If I were you, which I am thankful to be not, I would be more concerned about the way you ditched your boyfriend to travel the stars and carelessly flirt with someone who could have made this entire day even worse than when you decided you knew best and set a Dalek loose." Something flickered across the man's face, "But then again, you're only human."

The word was spat as if it had left a bad taste upon his tongue, and before Rose could say anything to defend herself, he continued on, "Just imagine if the Editor had managed to figure out who you three really were? What do you think would have happened to any of you?"

Rose looked to the Doctor and was rather surprised that although he was frowning at the brunet, he didn't correct the man. She didn't know why it felt as though the man was blaming her for what happened, and she was annoyed that – just like Rieka – the man seemed to be able to turn the Doctor against her.

With a huff, she pushed passed the man and unlocked the TARDIS before disappearing inside. She missed him rolling his eyes as he brushed down the sleeve she had touched with his hand before he looked back to the waiting witch and Time Lord.

"Rieka," the Doctor said after the TARDIS door had closed behind Rose. He looked to his Nesdra, dropping his arm from around her shoulders and grabbing her hand. "Do you think you can give me a moment?" he asked, glancing towards Ly.

The red head frowned, her eyes going between the pair. Did she want to? Well, of course not. The man knew her, knew her name. She had so many questions, but... "Yeah, okay," she replied with a small smile. She couldn't say what it was, but there was something in the way that the brunet was looking at her told her that her questions would have to wait. And if there was one thing that Rieka was used to doing, it was waiting.

The two men watched the red head slip inside the TARDIS, the Doctor giving her hand a squeeze in thanks before she did so. The moment the door swung closed behind her, the Doctor looked to the brunet.

"How?"

"How, what?" Ly questioned, his smirk returning as he continued, "How I managed to stop the Editor... or how am I here?" The Time Lord scowled, and it caused the brunet to chuckle. "Some answers, I find myself surprised to admit, have to be found by living through the questioned. And you can trust me when I say that I've done a fair amount of living these last few years."

"But-" the Doctor begun, only for Ly to cut him off.

"Doctor, I can only tell you that I was only here to find the truth behind a question I have had for far too long," the smirk was gone from his face, his expression turning serious, "And I am ashamed to admit that I was too narrow-sighted to realise that the hatred I once harboured towards people for a slight done during the time of war was not worth losing everything I held dear to me.

Ly looked away as his eyebrows creased slightly, missing the Doctor's expression turn startled at his admission.

"What was the question?" the Doctor asked after a silence had fallen over the pair. It seemed to bring the brunet out of whatever thoughts he had lost himself to as he turned his head back to the Doctor. There was another pause however, and the Doctor begun to feel as though the man wouldn't respond.

"Whether you could be trusted."

The moment the words were out of the brunet's mouth, he turned on his heel and begun to walk away, clearing stating that he thought the conversation was done. The Doctor, on the other hand, had another idea altogether and stopped Ly by grabbing the man's arm, though he immediately let go when the man stiffened.

"Sorry," Ly apologised as he let out a breath and cleared his throat before he turned to look back to the Time Lord, tucking his hands into his jacket pockets, "Old habits haven't quite been broken yet."

The Time Lord nodded in understanding, although there was a frown in his face. "Ly, what you did upstairs..." He trailed off, unsure if he should question what he had seen. He wasn't even too sure if Ly was what he thought he was, and wondered if he, as a Time Lord, really had the right to ask.

"Do you really want to know?" he asked, though continued before the Doctor could respond, "Because let me ask you this: Do you think that the universe is really ready to know what you saw?" His gaze shifted to the humans around them, his nose wrinkling slightly, "One day, they may be ready to know, Doctor," he looked back to the Time Lord, "But I don't believe that today is that day. Is it?"

The Doctor frowned.

Ly inclined his head, "Take care of her, Doctor," he said before moving off to leave.

"Ly," the Doctor called, causing the brunet to stop, "Who are you?" he asked.

The man turned, a knowing smirk appearing on his lips. "You know who I am, Doctor," he said before disappearing into the crowd.

The Doctor watched him go, confused as to how he should know the man. With a sigh, he turned to his ship and opened the door. Though he paused before stepping inside, his head turning in the direction the brunet had gone.

"I'm sorry, Ly," he muttered before stepping inside, closing the door behind him.

-0-

The brunet paused when he heard the sound of the TARDIS and looked back in the direction he had come.

"I'm sorry, Doctor. I wish I could tell you," he murmured.

"You know you can't tell him," someone said from behind him, and the brunet turned.

"We both know that, River," he stated with a scowl. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, drop the act, Ly," the curly-haired blonde rolled her eyes, "You know exactly why I'm here."

"Do I?" the brunet spat sarcastically, "Because as far as I see it, you just can't leave things well enough alone! You had no right to bring me back here," the brunet took a step towards the blonde, "And the moment I can figure out how to change wha-"

He was cut off when River's hand collided with his cheek.

"Don't you dare!" the blonde hissed through clenched teeth, her eyes shining with unshed tears. Ly glowered at her, but otherwise stayed silent as he placed a hand against his slowly reddening cheek. "Don't you bloody dare say that! You have no idea what I had to do-" a sob caught her words, but River managed to swallow it down. "I gave you a chance to fix something you almost destroyed!"

"I didn't want to fix it!" Ly exclaimed, his eyes flashing as he glared at River, "Did you ever think that I would have preferred to have stayed dead?!"

"W-what?" The blonde deflated, her eyes growing wide and Ly sneered.

"Everyone thinks that they always know what's best for me, don't they River?" he snarled, but before she could reply, he turned on his heel and disappeared almost instantly amongst the crowd.

"Ly," the blonde breathed.


TARDIS: Control Room

Oblivious to the conversation about to transpire outside, Rieka frowned as she closed the TARDIS door behind her. She didn't even have to look at Rose to know that the blonde was glaring at her, and the witch had no clue as to why Rose always seemed to have disliked her very presence. It was getting rather tiresome, if the red head was honest.

She felt that the blonde's attitude was almost akin to the way that Potter and his mate Weasley always acted towards her father, and there had been many moments where Rieka had wanted to hex them for their blatant disrespect to not only her father, but a Professor of Hogwarts. But even back then she had known that it wouldn't have ended well at all. Though Rieka would admit, in her own mind that is, that her regard towards Granger had shifted slightly in the way that the witch always scolded the two boys at their lack of respect towards any figure of authority.

Even if Rieka knew her father could be an arse at time.

Rose, however...

Rieka sighed as she looked to the blonde, unsurprised to find that she was, in fact, shooting her a dirty look before the blonde decided to leave the console room; heading through a doorway that the red head guessed led further into the ship.

She really did wonder just how big the ship was, considering the outer shell was tiny. Far smaller on the outside, Rieka thought with an amused smile.

There was a warm hum that rung through the air, and the buzzing in the back of Rieka's mind grew, causing the red head to glance at the console.

"Something you'd like to add?" she asked, feeling a little foolish talking to the ship like it was something alive. But she also knew that in some way, the TARDIS was sentient – however possible that was. And it didn't hurt that she got a small bit of comfort as she did talk with the ship, recalling the same way she use to talk with the many portraits that hung in the many halls of Hogwarts. Or even the castle itself.

Rieka had known from the first time she stepped into its halls that Hogwarts was sentient. And although the castle never spoke, or hummed for that matter, Rieka knew that it was alive in some manner. Whatever magic the Founders had imbued into the stone while building the castle had somehow created a place that was alive. Whether it was because of the ley-lines that passed through the grounds where the castle stood, or the very magic the Founders used, but either way, they had managed to create a truly sentient castle.

But the TARDIS was not made of magic. Nor was it made of stone. As far as Rieka could tell, the ship was an advanced, technological marvel that was both sentient and telepathic. The witch was unsure if the telepathic part was because Time Lord's themselves were, but it didn't explain how the ship was also sentient. There were no leys, no magic, nothing that would give something the ability to become sentient, and that revelation baffled and amazed Rieka.

The lights flashed and the buzzing flared, drawing Rieka's attention and her eyebrow raised when the lights leading out of the console room flickered. She gave the console a quick glance, wondering what the ship wanted her to do, though her only response was the lights flickering once more.

"I, um..." the red head frowned, glancing towards the doors that led outside. The witch felt that even though she may have gone on a trip with the Doctor, she should wait for him before she started exploring his ship. The last thing she wanted to do was accidently do or touch something she shouldn't, and was quite happy to wait for a tour.

The buzzing in her mind grew and the red head could have sworn she felt – no, saw - someone roll their eyes in her head before there was a scent in the air that had her stomach growling immediately. Unable to help it, Rieka felt herself flush with embarrassment and shot the rotor a half-hearted glare. "That's playing dirty," she grumbled.

Her reply was an amused hum in the air as the lights flickered once more. The buzzing in her mind dimmed, even as Rieka's frown deepened; still unsure.

"Hey!" the witch suddenly exclaimed when the console room was plunged into darkness, the lights having gone out and leaving only the faint glow from the time rotor as another hum filled the air. "Okay, okay," she stated as she flicked her wrist, producing a small, glowing orb of red light that hovered just above her palm. Using it as a torch, she made her way towards the corridor that led to the rest of the ship – which was coincidently the only place with the lights still on.

"Bloody bossy ship," Rieka muttered as she entered the corridor, dispelling the orb as she shot a glare back to the console when the moment she left the room, the lights all blinked back on. The red head couldn't help but roll her eyes, however, her lip tugging upwards when she felt the buzzing in her mind turn almost amused as she followed those delicious scents that the ship had first tempted her with; silently marvelling at just how large the ship was as she passed corridor after corridor.

By the time she had turned down the fourth corridor, Rieka was thankful when she stumbled across the kitchen, though was quite surprised to see it looked, well... ordinary. As she checked the room over, she silently wondered if the ship, or the Doctor himself, had something to do with why it seemed like the room was pulled directly from a catalogue from a random point during the end of the twentieth century, only to dismiss the thought with a careless shrug when she found the origin of that scent she had been following.

And the moment Rieka opened the over, her stomach decided to make itself known as it growled. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of the plate being kept warm inside. It was almost like a mini feast, full of roasted carrots, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, corn, and a few generous slices of when she thought to be lamb.

The scents were making her mouth water.

"Now this is what I'd call 'fine cuisine'," she muttered as she pulled the plate out, earning herself another amused hum from the ship. She glanced towards the ceiling as she closed the oven door, unsure really as to where she should look when she wanted to talk with the ship as she asked, "Did you make this?"

The silence she received, even in her mind, was all the answer Rieka needed and she raised an eyebrow as she placed the plate on the table that was situated in the middle of the room. Once again, the witch shrugged before she turned around and headed to the bench she had seen some promising containers of tea and coffee on.

However, when she picked up the one for tea and gave the contents a sniff, her nose wrinkled and she shook her head; quickly replacing the lid. "Gods, no. Why is it so hard to find a good tea blend?" she muttered under her breath as she returned the container. It wasn't that she was picky – okay, maybe when she came to her tea – but the stuff that was marketed as 'tea' she found at cafes and supermarkets never seemed to be able to come close to the blend her father use to make – no matter how hard she tried to recreate it.

Unbeknownst to Rieka, the door to the kitchen slid open silently as the Doctor approached in the corridor outside. He came to a pause inside the doorway as he watched her open a few cupboards as she continued searching for something, pulling out packets of things before shaking her head and returning them. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed a small, dark brown tin appear on the table in front of the plate of food already sitting there, and he glanced towards his Nesdra before stepping into the room and picked up the tin. He gave it a curious once over before opening it.

"There's got to be something I can mix together," the red head muttered as she closed the door to the cupboard she had been looking through before moving onto the next one, still oblivious to the Time Lord behind her.

The Doctor looked curiously at the dried leaves inside the tin and gave them a sniff; his eyebrows shooting upwards when the aroma coming from the leaves was something he had never come across before. He glanced at the wall of his ship and then Rieka as he placed the lid back onto the tin, clearing his throat when he was done.

Rieka jumped, spinning on the spot the moment she realised she wasn't alone with a hand placed against her chest. "Merlin, Doctor!" she breathed, feeling her heart pounding under her hand. Normally people wouldn't have been able to sneak up on her like that, but Rieka had found herself so engrossed in her search for a suitable cup of tea to go with such a mouth-watering meal that she hadn't even heard the Doctor enter the room.

He looked a little sheepish, and she guessed that it hadn't been his intention to scare her as he tugged on his ear with his empty hand. "Sorry, but I..." he held the tin out to her, "Is this what you're looking for?" he enquired.

Rieka blinked as she lowered her hand, her eyebrows furrowing as she looked at the tin he was holding out, ignoring the buzz of amusement she could feel in the back of her mind. "I, um, thanks?" she said as she stepped around the table and accepted the tin off him. The Doctor watched her curiously as she opened the tin and gave the contents a sniff; his hearts skipping a beat at the sight of her eyes going wide, her expression turning to disbelief as she realised that the tea inside the tin was the exact same blend her father use to make.

"By Salazar..." The witch trailed off, rather at a loss for words as she looked to the Doctor in astonishment, "Where did you get this?" she asked.

"Well, I-" the Doctor begun, only to freeze when he suddenly found himself being pulled into a hug by his Nesdra with a quick, "Thank you," before she dashed back over to the counter where the kettle was.

"You have no idea how hard this blend is to make. You just have to try some, Doctor," she continued as she quickly filled the kettle with water, not even noticing that the Doctor hadn't moved since she had hugged him; frozen on the spot, the tips of his ears pink as his blue eyes followed her. "My father always kept his tea recipe hidden from me, always telling me that I'd have to figure it out myself." Rieka let out a huff as she grabbed two cups from a cupboard as the kettle boiled, "But I could never get my blend to come out anywhere near the same as his. I think I almost got close a few times, but there always seemed to be something missing, and I could never work out what it was."

The Doctor watched as his Nesdra continued to ramble, surprised by how animated she had become over a tin of tea. Though even he could admit that if it tasted anywhere close to how it smelled, he was going to be getting a very good cup of tea. A part of him revelled in the fact that he was behind the excitement and eagerness he could hear in her voice, while another questioned what had happened to her. She was far different compared to who he met in 2005, although he could still see the similarities.

"... I was almost to the point of giving up, knowing how hard some of the ingredients are to come by in th..." Rieka trailed off, her lips pursing as she poured the boiled water into a teapot before she shook her head and added the tea.

A frown was quick to appear on the Doctor's lips and he took a step towards his Nesdra when he noticed the shift in her mood, wondering what was wrong before she quickly spun around, causing him to pause.

"How did you get this?" she asked as she handed him back the tin, trying to move away from where her thoughts had been taking her. It did her no good to dredge them up again.

"I... I didn't," the Time Lord admitted as a line appeared between his brows at the change in her tone. He had never seen her so animated and excited before and wanted to know what had put a damper on her mood.

"Well, whoever did, I really want to thank them," Rieka stated, keeping her tone light as she moved towards a cupboard where she had seen the plates and pulled one out. "It has been ages since I've had some top quality tea, and if it tastes anywhere close to how it smells, I know it'll have been well worth the wait."

Rieka placed the plate on the counter before she turned to the table and retrieved the plate of food, taking it to the counter as well. The Doctor watched as she opened a draw and pulled out some cutlery and divided the food between the two plates evenly, raising an eyebrow as Rieka placed both plates onto the table with the cutlery before moving to the teapot and poured two cups of tea; a small, wistful smile appearing on her lips as she got a strong whiff of the steaming, aromatic liquid.

Though when she turned back to the table, she came to a stop, finding that the Doctor was still standing there, an odd expression on his face as he watched her.

"What?" she asked as she placed the cups onto the table, her eyebrows furrowing as she looked down at herself before glancing behind her; wondering if she may have missed something. When she didn't see anything amiss, the red head looked back to the Doctor, who's only response to her question was to look at the table, and she followed his gaze.

It took the witch a moment to realise what she had done during her rambling, and immediately flushed; embarrassed. "Oh, I didn't, I... oh, Merlin," she stumbled over her words, something which the Doctor didn't think he'd ever see, as she tried to figure out what to say. She'd gotten so lost in her excitement, that she had done what she always did when Jamie or Mary popped around for a visit. "I'm sorry. I didn't even realise. I shouldn't have even..."

Rieka moved to grab the plates, but the Doctor was quick to stop her by grabbing her hand. His action caused the red head to jump, however, her head snapping in his direction and a worried look flickered across his face at how jumpy his Nesdra had become.

"It's okay," he said quietly as he let her hand go, "I was just surprised, that's all. It's been quite a while since someone's made me dinner." He looked to the plates before back to his flustered Nesdra, hoping to help ease her nerves as he asked, "Did you make this yourself?" as he grabbed one of the cups of tea and sat down in front of one of the plates.

Shaking her head in the negative, not trusting herself to speak, Rieka observed the Doctor carefully. It had been almost second nature for her to plate up another plate of food if there was someone else with her at meal time, but it was the rambling that had her pausing. She had been so ecstatic about finally finding a blend of tea that reminded her off home, and she had almost said too much; revealed too much. And Rieka always knew where that line of conversation would go. What topic would be brought up next.

Losing her father.

Even after almost ninety years, the pain of losing Severus was as fresh as if it had happened yesterday, and the witch wondered if the pai would ever fade. She had lost people she had known since arriving in this universe; people she had considered friends, comrades – people she had known for but the briefest of moments. She lost them all to the finality that was death even as she lived on, never seeming to age. Never growing older in body, but in spirit alone.

Even knowing that she was losing Nancy, someone she had known for over forty years, was nothing compared to the loss and heartbreak she had felt on that horrible, war-riddled, fateful day when she had lost her father in the shambled remains of the Shrieking Shack. She could still see the look in his obsidian gaze as he lay there in an ever-growing pool of his own blood as she tried desperately to heal him – praying to any deity out there to just give him a second chance. To give her enough energy and strength to save him.

But it hadn't been enough.

Severus Snape had died, sending her away to a universe where she had known no-one. To a world where magic didn't exist. He had sent her away for her to be happy, to survive, and Rieka had tried. She had tried so hard to follow his wish, but she couldn't help but think that what was the point of living without the one whom had meant so much to her.

The one who had saved her life so many times.

He had given her a family, even if it had been just the two of them with a close family friend. He had given her a life she had never once thought possible. One of magic, safety, security, but most of all, love. It didn't matter to Rieka that others could never see what she did. It didn't matter that others could never know the truth, and not the façade they had built around her since the day Severus had adopted her in a way not only to protect her, but Severus as well.

And everything had been running smoothly until Dumbledore had ordered her father to kill him and ripped her entire life apart.