4. Party Time!

Crystelle's special friends are gathering at her bungalow for a party. She has invited almost all the same friends as her previous party. Just special friends. She has asked Devyon to say nothing of his involvement in her laboratory, and she has asked her friends not to tell the Doctor about her DNA adventure.

Crystelle has ordered a large takeaway to be delivered from the BeestThorne restaurant.

Crystelle activates the pager. It flashes and bleeps twice. She is requested to type in a reason for the activation. She types Party. Will that be enough to bring the Doctor? She has never used a pager before, so she didn't have time to think up any better or more alluring reason to put.

The party is well under way when the Doctor arrives with Ommera. Crystelle greets them in her hallway. "Wow, I'm so glad you came. It's wonderful to see you both."
"Wonderful to see you," Ommera says. Ommera hugs Crystelle.
"Lovely to see you," the Doctor says. The Doctor isn't a great huggy person, Crystelle knows that. Sometimes he indulges - when he knows just what you're thinking and feeling.
"I've so much to tell you," Crystelle says.
"Spaceship Flight course going ok?" the Doctor asks.
"Yes. I've passed all my ground crew experience. Ommera, I'd love to catch up with you, first, if I may."
The Doctor goes through to the party, leaving the girls to talk. He recognises all of the people from Crystelle's last party that he was at, plus one or two. They recognise him and greet him well.

Crystelle takes Ommera through into one of the bedrooms to chat.
"We've been busy, too," Ommera says.
"Are you still getting on with the Doctor?"
"Yes, but no closer," Ommera confides.

"I'd like to make the Doctor an offer, but I have to check with you first," Crystelle confides. "My offer is that he has a holiday, here, with you, while I possibly do his job facing the Universe."
Ommera coughs and splutters. She is so surprised! And amused! "What, you do his job? You were so afraid to carry on with us not long ago."
"Can I let you into a secret. Promise me that you won't tell the Doctor," Crystelle asks.
"Okay, but it had better be good," Ommera says. Ommera doesn't like secrets. She loves to be open with everything. True, it doesn't always happen that way!
"I can regenerate," Crystelle confides.
Ommera doesn't believe her. "Never!"
"I took a whole copy of the entire Gallifreyan library and I've found a first step on the way to having Time Lord style regeneration." Crystelle produces a pill bottle. There is one pill in it. "This is what I'm producing. You take the tablet, and when you need it, you can self-heal. Just once. It isn't a full regeneration like the Doctor described to me, but it's a good start."
Ommera takes the pill bottle and shakes it; the single tablet rattles. "Are you telling me that if I take that tablet I can self-heal like the Doctor has done sometimes?"
"Yes," Crystelle grins.
"No side effects?" Ommera really needs to know.
"None. All my friends have taken one," Crystelle says.
Ommera opens the bottle and takes the tablet straight away. This is an opportunity too good to miss. "Well, thank you. How did you make that?"
"Really don't tell the Doctor," Crystelle says. "I built my own DNA laboratory." She feels very proud of this.

Just then there is a disturbance from the dining room. One of Crystelle's friends races through. "Joe's sliced his hand."

Crystelle and Ommera go through to the dining room.

Then the familiar yellow mist swirls surround Joe's hand showing his regeneration. All is well.

But the Doctor has seen it. "Crystelle. What just happened there?"
Her friends all fall silent. They aren't going to split on her.
Crystelle will have to tell the Doctor something of what she has been doing. "I have something to tell you, Doctor. Can you come through to the other room?"
The Doctor and Crystelle go through to one of her bedrooms for privacy.

"I want to offer you and Ommera time off for a holiday," Crystelle says. She is using this as a distraction, but she knows the Doctor won't have forgotten about the yellow swirls.
"That's very thoughtful of you, but what happened just then?"
"There's a new healing balm available just now. It looks useful," Crystelle says. True, there had been, but it wasn't in use and it wasn't relevant.
The Doctor knows what he saw, and he knows what his sonic screwdriver showed! But he doesn't want to press Crystelle too much or to embarrass her.
"Okay," the Doctor says. He smiles and makes light of it. He knows Crystelle will tell him sometime.
"One thing I really wanted was for you to spend time with Ommera," Crystelle says, coming back to her offer. "You really like her, and she really likes you. You could have time to settle down with Ommera and have a family. I want you to have that time. Can I have a go at defending what you have defended?"
The Doctor doesn't believe it. He wants to gently dissuade her. He smiles. "You couldn't do that. Besides, you were so fearful when you left us."
"I've grown a lot more confident since then."
"Yes, I can sense that," the Doctor says. "It's a lovely thought from one of my favourite people, but..."
Crystelle interrupts. "But I might manage for a short time?"
The Doctor really can't take her up on this offer. It just isn't credible. He smiles and shakes his head.

"Will you stay the night?" Crystelle asks. "You could sleep in the spare bedroom and Ommera could sleep in mine. I can go on the settee."
The Doctor agrees. This much is ok.

"I would love to travel with you again some time," Crystelle says. "I'd love to go in the Tardis. Is that Okay?"
"Okay, that's fine," the Doctor agrees. He had been sad to see Crystelle go, but he could easily see why she had left when she had been so scared.

But what has the Doctor said Okay to? "I'd love to go in the Tardis?"

After most of her friends have gone home, Devyon stays while Crystelle settles Ommera and the Doctor in separate rooms for the night.
Crystelle asks Devyon to sleep on the settee but to let her out quietly and pretend that she has let him out.

The moment Crystelle is out of her bungalow, she runs to the Tardis, parked as usual in the Park at the end of her road. She is glad to find that the Tardis door still opens to her touch. She runs to the Tardis Console. "I love you, Tardis".
Crystelle presses the Voice Control button...

What is Crystelle planning to do? Does Crystelle have a plan? What will the Doctor say about the yellow swirls?