Previously...

The Doctor placed Rose's unconscious body onto the floor of the console room before making his way to the console to send the ship back into the vortex. His eyes continuously flickered over to Aries as she lay on the jump seat; Mickey mopping her forehead with a damp cloth the TARDIS had provided, and the pull to be at her side grew at the sight. Although he knew about the young man's association with his Nesdra, as well has having spent the last week beside Aries bed, helping not only his nerves, but also to quell the overwhelming instincts he held around her, it didn't stop the Doctor from wanting to be at her side.

And the Doctor knew that need would never fade.

The moment he had the TARDIS drifting in the vortex however, the Doctor was quick to make his way over to Aries' side. He could feel his regeneration already starting, but was holding it off for as long as he could; wanting to see that his Nesdra was fine and awake before he went and changed on her.

He didn't want to go without the chance to say goodbye.

Mickey handed him the cloth and gave the Time Lord some space as he moved to the side, allowing the Doctor to take over with caring for Aries. He was worried about his aunt, but knew that she was safe in the Doctor's hands.

The man in question nodded his thanks as he wiped the cloth gently over his Nesdra's face, unable to stop himself from tenderly brushing the back of his hand against her cheek. He glanced at Mickey, feeling a slight sense of déjà vu when he asked, "What happened?" But the feeling was quick to fade as the need to know how his Aries had ended up in harm's way again when she was supposed to be unconscious in the med bay pushed itself to the forefront of his mind.

The younger man swallowed as he wide-eyes darted to the Doctor, lingering on his unconscious girlfriend before finally meeting the Time Lord's blue gaze. He already knew that the man wasn't going to like what he was about to say, but spoke anyway. "I- Rose, she... uh, returned. Said that you sent her back. Th-there were these words – graffiti everywhere. Bad Wolf. And she got this crazy idea that it was a sign. A way back to... well, you." Mickey frowned as he continued, "Rose mentioned something about the talking with the ship, that Aries had managed to open its heart before, and I..." He looked away, his expression one of regret as he recalled what his aunty had said about having caused the ship pain. "I didn't know she was telepathic!" he stressed, shaking his head before looking back to the Doctor, "I didn't know it was hurting her. I tried to help her open it, but the chain snapped. Jackie came back with another vehicle she'd borrowed-"

"What about Aries?" the Doctor cut in, trying to keep his anger under control at hearing what his companion had tried to do as he placed the damp cloth onto the floor, not even noticing that it vanished the moment he did so. He had to remind himself that Mickey hadn't known what Rose could have done.

What Aries had succeeded in doing.

"Well, I don't know," the young man continued quickly, seeing the way the Doctor had tensed the more he spoke, "One moment she wasn't there, and the next she's in the console room yelling at Rose. Au-Aries was furious, and went to undo the chain. I was too busy arguing with Rose after she told me that Aries had been unconscious for a week. And when she'd undone the chain, Rose tried to stop her. But then there was this blinding light. I-it surrounded her before she stumbled and I tried to catch her. The next thing I knew was that the TARDIS had started moving, and Rose was just standing there, staring at the console with her eyes glowing gold."

Relief chased through the Doctor at hearing that the vortex had only touched Aries before having moved onto Rose, and as Mickey finished, he looked down to his Nesdra. "Oh, Aries," he breathed, brushing a lock of hair away from her face, moving to tuck it behind her ear, "Why would you do that?" he questioned quietly.

"I couldn't let you die," Aries' equally quiet voice mumbled as her eyes fluttered open, and the Doctor's hearts felt like they had stopped at the pained look he could see in her silver-grey eyes. "Believing that you were alone," she whispered.

The Doctor couldn't stop it. He winced as he turned his head away from Aries, moving his hand from his cheek as he continued to fight back against his regeneration.

"What is it?" Aries asked, her face scrunching up in confusion as she grabbed his hand. Though as she watched the Doctor's face contort in pain, her gaze dropped to the hand she was holding and a gasp escaped her. "No," she breathed, seeing his hand shimmer with a golden glow. She was quick to try and push herself from the seat, causing a wave of dizziness to hit her, but she pushed through it as she muttered, "No, no, no!"

"What is it?" Mickey asked as he moved to help steady his aunt, confused by her panicked expression as the glow in the Doctor's hand faded.

Tears gathered in Aries' eyes as she continued to shake her head, not wanting to believe what she had seen, or hear the Doctor's words as he explained – more for Mickey's sake – what he had done.

"I absorbed all the energy of the Time Vortex," he stated quietly, "And no one's supposed to do that."

"No!" Aries gasped, "Shenin was supposed to help me save you," she said as her eyes closed, this time turning her head away from the Doctor as a tear escaped. "It's all my fault," she whispered.

The Doctor placed his hand against Aries' cheek, gently cupping her face as he turned her head so that she was looking at him. With his thumb, he brushed away the tear before leaning forwards and placing a chaste kiss upon her forehead. "And you did save me," he murmured as he pulled away, causing Aries' to open her eyes and look at him in confusion. "Ever since I met yo-" He grimaced in pain and made to move his hand away from her cheek, unsure as to how long he could keep fighting against his regeneration without doing serious damage, but Aries' stopped him.

"Please," she begged as she placed her free hand on his cheek and looked into his blue eyes that were filled with so much pain and sorrow. "Don't go," Aries continued as another tear fell, "I can't lose you too."

Mickey's eyebrows furrowed as he looked between the pair, confused as to what was going on. He was also slightly alarmed by Aries' reaction to seeing the Doctor's glowing hand. She was acting as if the Time Lord was dying, though he wasn't sure as to how.

Smiling sadly at his Nesdra, the Doctor shook his head. "You know I can't stop it," he murmured before resting his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. A sudden urge overcame him when he inhaled her scent and he fought against it, knowing that it was just another part of their bond. And he wouldn't kiss her. He couldn't. Aries still didn't know about their bond; she didn't know what it would do to her – what it would mean. And the Doctor would never take that choice away from her. "But I will always be with you," he continued as his hand tightened around hers.

Aries closed her eyes in pain, knowing that the Doctor was right. And as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze in return as she swallowed, knowing that he was saying goodbye, Aries knew that there was no way of stopping him from regenerating. The alternative was by far more painful to even think of. She pulled away from the Doctor, wanting to look into his blue eyes once more as she managed a small – abet shaky – smile. "I'm gonna miss this face," she choked out, and her words had more tears falling.

The Doctor managed a small chuckle at her words as he wiped her tears away. Though he knew he needed room to regenerate and begun to pull away once more. Aries let her hand drop from his cheek, though the Doctor grabbed it and gave both of hers a squeeze, managing to draw out a small smile from her before he let them go and stepped back towards the console. He didn't want to accidently hurt her with what he was about to do.

"What's happening?" Mickey asked quietly as the Doctor's face creased in pain as he gripped the console tightly, his hands once again taking on a golden glow.

Before either the Doctor or Aries could reply, another voice spoke up that had all three heads turning to Rose.

"What happened?" the blonde asked as she sat up, a small frown playing on her lips after having seen Aries' and the Doctor' little interaction. She hadn't heard what they had been saying, but really hadn't liked how close they had gotten, and for a moment Rose had thought that the Doctor was going to kiss the red head!

"Don't you remember?" the Doctor asked, feeling both a little relieved and disappointed by her words.

Rose's frown deepened as she tried to recall what had occurred. "It's like there was this singing," she said, though her voice sounded uncertain.

"That's right," the Doctor stated with a grin, causing both Aries and Mickey to look at him. "I sang a song and the Daleks ran away," he added, winking at Aries and causing the red head to choke out a laugh the image his words had created in her mind.

"Is your singing really that bad?" she teased despite the situation, wiping away the tears that were still upon her cheeks.

Her question had Mickey snorting beside her.

"Oi!" the Doctor exclaimed in mock outrage, though the grin hadn't left his face and his eyes sparkled with mirth, "My singing is just..." He trailed off, realising that he wasn't sure how good his singing was. "Well, I think I would sing just fine," he huffed.

Aries snickered, which only succeeded in setting Mickey off, though the young man tried to cover his laughter with a cough. The Doctor just rolled his eyes at them. He couldn't help but feel happy at the expression that was on his Nesdra's face.

Anything, he thought, Was better than her tears.

"I was at home," Rose cut in with a frown, not liking how they were making light of her situation, "No I wasn't, I was in the TARDIS," she continued as she tried to figure out what happened. She turned to Aries, glaring at the red head, "You stopped me from saving him," she snapped before frowning as broken memories returned to her. "Then there was this light. I can't remember anything else."

Aries stood up from the seat, her previous humour gone the moment she noticed the Doctor's conditioning worsening. But the Time Lord shook his head at her, not wanting her to be close and possibly hurting her when he regenerated.

He smiled at her despite his pain before he said, "Aries. My Aries," and caused the witch in question to freeze in shock, her eyes widening at his declaration; not having missed the significance he had placed on the word 'my'. "There was so much I wanted to show you, so many places I wanted to take you. Like Barcelona. Not the city Barcelona, the planet Barcelona. I think you'd love it," he told her earnestly, "Fantastic place. They've got dogs with no noses. Imagine how many times a day you end up telling that joke, and it's still funny."

"It sounds wonderful," Aries told him with a sad smile.

Rose scowled at the red head. "Then, why can't we go?" she asked, turning back to the Doctor, rather annoyed that - once again - he seemed only focused on Aries.

"Maybe she will," the Doctor replied, barely glancing at his companion, "And maybe I will. But not like this," he continued, looking back to his Nesdra when he noticed Mickey move to help support her. For once, he didn't feel the spark of jealousy he had normally felt at the sight of the young man close to Aries, rather glad that there was someone who could help his Nesdra when he couldn't.

"You're not making any sense," Mickey stated, still confused as to what was going on. His aunty seemed to know, but that really didn't surprise him, knowing that she knew quite a lot of things others generally didn't.

"I might never make sense again," the Doctor replied, "I might have two heads, or no head. Imagine me with no head." He narrowed his eyes at his Nesdra playfully when she snorted. "And don't say that's an improvement," he told her before he continued with what he was saying, "But it's a bit dodgy, this process. You never know what you're going to end up with-"

"Doctor!" Rose exclaimed as the Time Lord suddenly doubled over in pain, and she rushed towards him.

"Stay away!" he shouted, holding up a hand as he backed away.

Mickey looked between his aunty and the Doctor in alarm, wanting to see if he could help the Time Lord. But seeing the tears running down Aries' face as she stared at the Doctor, but making no move to approach him, he stayed put. Noticing that although she was upset, Aries still made no attempt to try and help the Doctor told him that she knew what was happening, so he followed her lead and allowed her to lean against him if she needed to.

"Doctor, tell me what's going on," Rose demanded.

"He absorbed the Time Vortex."

It was Aries who spoke, her voice wavering as she continued, "No one's meant to do that. He's d-dying." Her voice cracked at the thought. Even though she knew that he'd be fine, that regenerating was just a part of who he was, the red head couldn't help but feel responsible at losing someone she truly cared for. As much as she knew he would still be the Doctor, Aries had learnt enough from both Alistair and Sarah that he would change in more ways than just his features.

He would become a completely new person.

"Can't you do something?" Rose asked the Doctor.

"Yeah, I'm doing it now," he replied, barely taking notice of his companion as he looked at his Nesdra, seeing the sadness in her expression and the tears rolling down her checks. He knew he shouldn't do it, but seeing her upset had him searching his mind for something he hadn't looked for before. As much as he had wanted to in the past, as much as he wanted to reach out to her mentally when she wasn't with him, he had never done so. But he couldn't go without letting her know about their link, even if he never got the chance to tell her what it was. "Time Lords have this little trick, it's a sort of way of cheating death," he continued absent-mindedly as he searched for their link, "Except it means I'm going to change, and I'm not going to see you again. Not like this. Not with this daft old face. And before I go-"

"Don't say that," Rose cut him off, causing the Doctor to look at her with a frown, not happy with her interruption.

He turned back to his Nesdra, a small smile making its way on his face as he felt it. "Aries," he said, having found what he was looking for, "Before I go, I just want to tell you, you were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic." Aries managed a small smile, remembering the words he had said to her so long ago. "And do you know what? So was I."

The trio watched the Doctor throw his head back as golden light burst from his body. They all had to shield their eyes, the light becoming too bright to look at, but Aries jumped, startled when she heard the Doctor's voice in her mind.

I'll never forget you, my Aries, my Nesdra.

Now...

When the light died down and vanished, Aries, Mickey, and Rose all slowly lowered their hands from their faces.

None of them noticed the centre of the crystal pendant that hung around Aries neck take on an amber glow before it too faded; a small crack appearing on the once unblemished surface to reveal a smooth, amber stone hidden within. And as the witch blinked as her eyes readjusted to the dimmer lighting, she froze at the sight of the man who now stood before her. She managed to calm her racing heart, reminding herself that she was in a different universe. That the man before her was not the same man she had once seen in her father's memory.

It's not Barty, she told herself, He's dead. The Dementor's took care of him. It's a different universe. There're bound to be people that look similar.

The newly regenerated Doctor grinned at his Nesdra, not noticing her started expression; nor her racing thoughts. "Hello," he said cheerfully before pausing to run his tongue over his teeth. "Ooo, new teeth. That's weird," he muttered to himself before refocusing back on Aries, "So, where was I?" he questioned her before his face lit up, "Oh, that's right. Barcelona," he remembered with a grin before dashing around the console, flicking a few switches before checking the scanner.

Finding that she could now stand on her own without Mickey's help, Aries took a few steps towards the console, her eyes tracking the newly regenerated Doctor as he worked effortlessly around it. Any previous thoughts she held of Barty Crouch Jr disappeared as she observed how he moved in such a familiar fashion to the man she had come to know and care for, and her heart felt lighter to see that he was okay, although she couldn't stop the guilt from churning in her gut at the knowledge that she hadn't truly saved him.

She never noticed the way Rose was also watching the Doctor, her expression almost terrified as she hid from the man half concealed by a pillar. Nor did the red head notice her nephew's surprised, though intrigued look as he too watched as the Time Lord continued to move around the console, flicking or pressing the occasional switch as he went.

"6 PM...Tuesday..." the man muttered as he turned a knob. "October...5006...On the way to Barcelona!" he exclaimed excitedly before he turned back to Aries, grinning as if he was extremely pleased with himself, "Now then...what do I look like?"

The red head raised an eyebrow, never having had someone ask her that question in the context that the Time Lord was implying. She knew he wasn't just referring to his clothes or hair, knowing that the Doctor honestly had no idea what he looked like.

Before she could say anything though, the Time Lord cut her off by holding up a hand as he quickly said, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No. Don't tell me."

She couldn't stop herself from snorting in amusement and was rewarded with a bright grin from the man. Mickey tried and failed to stop himself from snickering and he ended up slapping a hand over his mouth. Rose however, was looking quite bewildered by the entire situation.

"Let's see...two legs, two arms, two hands..." the Doctor continued as he begun to check himself over, almost as if he was going through a mental checklist. He circled his wrist before frowning, "Slight weakness in the dorsal tubercle." His hands flew up to his hair, which happened to be sticking up everywhere so unlike the wizard Aries had first thought him to be. "Hair!" he shouted, rather excited about that find, "I'm not bald!"

The smile that was growing on Aries' face couldn't be stopped as she watched the Doctor run his hands through his hair, looking extremely happy with his find. Mickey glanced at her and seeing that she smiling and not as alarmed as he was felt, found himself relaxing even more as the Time Lord continued to ramble. He was rather confused as to what had just happened, but he knew that his aunty would eventually explain everything.

His girlfriend on the other hand wasn't taking the Doctor's change well at all.

"Oh, oh! Big hair!" the Time Lord stated before feeling his sideburns, his voice becoming even more excited as he went, "Sideburns, I've got sideburns!" Though he frowned slightly in thought, "Or really bad skin," he mused before suddenly slapping his stomach, "Little bit thinner. That's weird. Give me time, I'll get used to it." He all of a sudden gasped, almost like he had made the most wonderful discovery in all of history, "I...have got...a mole. I can feel it..."

Distracted by the Doctor, and unnoticed by all, Rose had started to breathe heavily to the point of almost hyperventilating; her terror rising as each second passed.

"...between my shoulder blades, there's a mole," the Time Lord continued as he rotated his shoulders. "That's all right. Love the mole," he declared with a grin.

Aries couldn't hold it back any longer and burst out laughing. Her outburst caused the Doctor to stop what he was doing and grin at her, rather glad that she was no longer upset or crying. He was rather pleased with himself, having managed to get her to laugh and felt as though the sound was like music to his new ears. He straightened, ready to hear what his Nesdra thought about his new look, not even caring that his hair was rather ruffled and messy after running his hands through it. "What do you think?" he asked, quite hopeful that Aries liked what she saw.

She opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by Rose.

"Who are you?" the blonde questioned, her voice wavering as her emotions boiled over.

The Time Lord frowned as he turned to his companion, both annoyed and unimpressed by her interruption. "I'm the Doctor," he told her rather rudely. He didn't care what she thought, only what Aries did.

Rose, much to the Doctor's rising irritation, shook her head, not believing him. "No...where is he? Where's the Doctor?" she demanded, her voice rising as she continued, "What have you done with him?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes before glancing to Mickey and Aries; the latter frowning as she eyed the blonde; while the former looked confused, though seemed to be trying to work out what had happened.

"He is the Doctor, Rose," Aries told her firmly, "We all watched him change, right there in front of us," she stated, pointing to the spot the Time Lord had regenerated.

Rose glared at the red head, finding it unbelievable that she could think that the man before them was the Doctor. "You're lying," she stated, shaking her head, "I saw him sort of explode, and then you replaced him," she snapped before looking back to the Time Lord. "Like a... a teleport, or a transmat, or a body swap or something," she continued as she took a few steps towards the Time Lord. When she was at arm's length, she pushed him in the chest, "You're not fooling me."

Aries stiffened at her actions as the Doctor rocked back on his heels, almost as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Rose," Mickey spoke up, seeing the look on the Time Lord's face and felt it best to intervene before his girlfriend got herself into trouble. "You saw it. We all did. Aries isn't lying. He's the Doctor," he asserted. And even if he was still confused about how the Doctor had changed, he could accept that the Time Lord was still the same man, even if he did have a different face. It wasn't that far-fetched in the young man's eyes, seeing that his aunty hadn't aged at all since the day he had met her. And the young man also knew that if Aries was not alarmed at what was happening, he had no reason to be, knowing that she would never put anyone in danger.

The Doctor turned to look at Mickey in surprise, rather impressed by how well the young man was handling his sudden change. Though he admitted to himself that he really shouldn't have been.

He was Aries nephew after all.

"You're actually falling for this?!" Rose asked Mickey, rather astounded that her boyfriend would believe the man before her. She shook her head stubbornly as she turned back to the Doctor. "I've seen all sorts of things. Nanogenes...Gelth..." she narrowed her eyes, looking at the Doctor darkly, "Slitheen..."

The Time Lord just raised his eyebrows at the blonde, wondering how she could even think that he was a Slitheen. They weren't even considered dangerous.

Rose's eyes widened, "Oh, my God, are you a Slitheen?"

Aries snorted as she stepped up to the Doctor, surprising him slightly when he felt her rest a comforting hand on the middle of his back. "Of course he's not a Slitheen," she told the blonde, moving her hand from his back to grab his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze, "As I said, he changed, right in front of us. It's called regeneration. When a Time Lord is dying..." She trailed off and looked away as her lips pursed, the guilt coming back to her, knowing that it had been her fault that the Doctor had regenerated.

It was the Doctor who squeezed her hand this time, offering her a small smile when she looked at him and Aries swallowed as she buried her guilt and looked back to Rose. "They are able to regenerate. Every cell in their body changes. They may look different, but they're still the same person," she glanced at the man beside her, "He is still the Doctor," she finished with a small smile.

The Doctor grinned at his Nesdra and let her hand go. She didn't have a chance to miss it as he suddenly wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to his side and Aries ended up with a nose full of his scent.

It's changed slightly, she realised, suddenly understanding why her Amortentia had always confused her. It was never that the scent changed, but the person behind where that scent came from. There was still the distinct fragrance of old books, motor oil and time. But what had once been leather was fading, only to be replaced with something that reminded her of a storm.

It was like the smell of fresh rain and lightning.

Rose glared at Aries, not believing a word the red head was saying. He couldn't be the Doctor. He wouldn't go and change on me, she thought before her eyes narrowed. "You did this!" she suddenly shouted, causing Aries to jump in surprise at her sudden pitch. "Send him back. I'm warning you," she continued to shout as she took a threatening step towards Aries and the Doctor, "Send the Doctor back right now!"

The Time Lords demeanour changed instantly. He suddenly straightened and gently guided Aries behind him in one quick movement. "Enough!" he snapped, causing Rose to stop, her mouth hanging open in shock, "I have had enough of how you have been speaking to Aries. She had done nothing wrong to you and if you can't get it through that thick skull of yours and change you attitude, then you can go home!"

Mickey blinked in surprise. Well, I'll be damned, he thought. If there was one thing he truly knew about the Time Lord, it was that he was very - and he meant very - protective of Aries. Just seeing that action alone was enough for him to know, leaving no doubt in his mind, that this was the Doctor standing protectively in front of his aunt.

Though the woman in question was frowning, as well as feeling a little light-headed by the Doctor's sudden actions. Aries tried to move back to stand beside the Time Lord, but he wouldn't let her. She sighed, deciding that she didn't really have the energy to object and stayed put. The red head had no idea why, but it hadn't been the first time she had found herself staring at the Doctor's back as he 'protected' her from something. Her eyebrows furrowed as she thought about it and blinked as something hit her. Actually, he's always been rather protective, she reflected. But as she tried to work out why, it only caused her to sway on her feet as she begun to feel dizzy.

The Doctor continued to glare at his shocked companion until his attention was diverted when Mickey called out his Nesdra's name. He looked towards the young man in confusion, only to go rigid when he felt Aries lean heavily against his back before starting to fall. He managed to turn and catch her before she hit the floor, but grew distressed when he realised she was once again unconscious.

"Aries," he called as he brushed some of her red locks away from her pale face, trying to get her to wake, "Come on, Aries. Please. You need to wake up," he continued as Mickey quickly made his way over to them.

The Time Lord stiffened, his hand freezing against Aries' cheek as he heard Rose mutter, "Always Aries," bitterly under her breath. He glanced at the blonde; his eyes narrowed before making a decision.

Picking his Nesdra up, he made his way over to the jump seat and placed her carefully on it, making sure she was comfortable and not about to fall off. He couldn't help himself and ran the back of his fingers against her cheek tenderly, tucking some of her hair behind her ear before straightening and turned to Mickey. "Keep an eye on her, please," he said, placing his Nesdra in the young man's care while he dealt with his companion.

He turned his attention back to Rose, his eyes narrowing. "Let me make one thing clear, Rose Tyler," he begun as he made his way back over to the console, flicking a few switches and turned a knob, "You and I are never going to happen. I don't know how you got it into that small brain of yours that it would happen, as I have repeatedly told you it won't. You are my companion and nothing more," he finished as he pulled the lever, sending the TARDIS flying through the vortex.

His words had Mickey looking up from wiping Aries' forehead with another damp cloth the TARDIS had provided and found that he was surprised to hear that it hadn't been the first time that the Doctor had refused Rose's advances, though deep down he knew that it shouldn't have shocked him. The young man knew that he had been fooling himself in believing that the only reason Rose continued to travel with the Doctor was so that she could continue to experience what was out there, always ignoring that small voice in the back of his mind that it wasn't only the travels that had Rose running back to the TARDIS every time it appeared.

He swallowed heavily as he looked down to his aunt, feeling guilty by the way he had spoken to her in the past whenever she had tried to bring up Rose and his relationship. She had tried to warn him, but he had refused to listen, stupidly believing that since he had a girlfriend, whereas Aries had never seemed to take an interest in anyone, that he knew better. But now he realised that he had never been anything more than someone Rose fell back on when what she wanted didn't go her way.

"I really am an idiot, aren't I aunty," he murmured as he mopped Aries' forehead again.

"Wh-where are we going?" Rose asked tentatively as she moved to hold onto the console, not even noticing how smooth the flight was as she tried to ignore what the Doctor had just said. She knew it was Aries fault. If it wasn't for her, he wouldn't be like this, she reasoned.

The Doctor didn't even glance at her as he answered, his eyes on the scanner to make certain that he had gotten the date right. He wasn't in the mood for anything but dropping his companion off, and it seemed like the TARDIS was in complete agreement with his thoughts as he found the date was indeed correct. "You are going home. London, Powell Estate, 24th of December," he glanced at Rose, "Consider it a Christmas present," he told her before moving back around the console and towards the jump seat and his Nesdra.

Though before he got there, the Doctor suddenly gagged and doubled over, the TARDIS shuddering as if it was feeling whatever he was.

"Doctor!" Mickey exclaimed, and was about to get up and help the man, but the Doctor shook his head, causing him to pause.

"Stay with Aries," the Time Lord told him, knowing something had gone wrong with his regeneration. He needed someone to watch over his Nesdra and make sure she was okay; and right now the only person he trusted with her safely was Mickey. "Just stay wit-" he gagged again, this time more violently and begun to make retching noises.

Mickey hesitated for a millisecond before nodding and staying put. He didn't know if this was normal for the Doctor, but seeing that the Time Lord was wanting him of all people to watch over Aries, he was quick to realise it wasn't. He knew something was wrong, considering the last time he had been even slightly close to Aries, the looks that the Doctor had been giving him could have curdled milk.

Rose on the other hand cautiously edged around the console and towards the Doctor. "Er...are you alright?" she asked warily, unsure what was happening.

The Doctor gagged again, though this time a wisp of the Time Vortex issued from his mouth.

"What's that?" Mickey asked as he watched the golden energy disperse in the air. It looked vaguely like the same thing he had seen earlier when Aries had managed to open the panel of the console, only on a much smaller scale.

"Oh... the change is going a bit wrong and all," the Doctor managed to explain before retching again, falling to his knees as his face contorted in pain.

"Look...maybe we should go back," Rose suggested, "Let's go and find the others. They'd know what to do."

"No!" the Doctor almost shouted at the mention of Jack and Ly before he shook his head. "They're busy. They've got plenty to do rebuilding the Earth," he snapped. He didn't know fully what his 'companion' had done while the Time Vortex had been coursing through her, but whatever it was, it had been wrong. Something that should never have happened.

And as for Ly... well, the Doctor hoped he'd never see the 'blonde' again, questions be damned.

Suddenly a lever caught his eye.

"I haven't used this one in years!" he cried before almost launching himself at it and wrenched it upwards, causing the TARDIS to shudder violently and all four of them were all almost knocked off their feet.

"What are you doing?!" Rose screeched as Mickey held onto the jump seat, trying to make sure Aries was unharmed.

"Putting on a bit of speed!" the Time Lord shouted, his voice taking on a crazed tone, "That's it!" He turned more knobs while Rose tried to maintain her grip on the console while Mickey was using his body to cover Aries, trying to keep her on the chair. "My beautiful ship! Come on, faster!" he shouted, "That's a girl! Faster! Wanna break the time limit?!"

"Stop it!" Rose shrieked, both terrified and angry.

The Doctor just sneered at her as his hands paused atop the console, "Ah, don't be so dull...let's have a bit of fun! Let's rip through the vortex!"

"Doctor!"

A voice, both mentally and physically called out to him, and it had the Doctor freezing. He look over to where his Nesdra was, able to recognise her voice anywhere as he seemed to regain some composure; the surprise of Aries speaking to him mentally had him calming for the moment. "The regeneration's gone wrong," he tried to explain – to tell her why he was acting as he was, "I can't stop myself." He grimaced in pain, grabbing his head and doubled over again. "Ah, my head...!"

Violently springing to his feet, the crazed look having returned to his eyes, the Doctor suddenly exclaimed, "Faster! Let's open those engines!" before he dashed off around the console again.

Suddenly a bell rang through the ship, and both Rose and Mickey looked around, rather frightened as they tried to locate where it was coming from.

"What's that?" the blonde asked.

The Doctor's face appeared right next to Rose, causing her to jump in surprise. "We're gonna crash land!" he explained with glee before laughing maniacally.

"Well then, do something!" she shouted over the bell.

"Too late!" the Doctor continued, his voice rising hysterically, "Out of control!" he ran around the console, all the while giggling, "Oh, I love it! Hot dawg!"

"You're gonna kill us!" Mickey shouted, barely noticing Aries stir in the jump seat.

"Hold on tight, here we go!" the Doctor shouted, grinning wildly, "Christmas Eve...!"