DISCLAIMERS/NOTES

1. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

2. This is a femslash story. If you don't like that sort of thing, you won't like this.

PART 5

"Oh." The Doctor blinked several times, as her hearts sank. She continued being glared at incredulously. "Er… OK. Um… not, er, not the answer I was expectin', if I'm honest. Um… " Completely off-footed, she bit her lip. "May I ask why not?"

"You seriously asking us that?" came Najia's harsh reply.

"Are you serious?" Sonya snapped. "Whaddya mean no?"

"Stay out of this, Sonya," said Hakim. His younger daughter gave a daggered glare.

"You come into our lives," Najia began, "Lie to us… pretend to be something you're not… you're not even Human… "

The Doctor raised her hands in supplication. "I know it's a lot to take in, but… "

"I'm not finished yet," the mother interrupted. "You show us all this… you tell us that you've been taking Yaz away to… to other worlds, and you never thought to tell us before?"

The Doctor pursed her lips. "I'm tellin' you n… " At the look she got, she quickly went silent again.

"You've been putting our daughter in danger all this time," said Hakim. "You made her lie to us - her own family."

"What else have you exposed her to?" demanded Najia. "Giant spiders, alien hunters, space prisons, killer robots… what else has nearly killed her? How often have we nearly lost our little girl and we never would've known?!"

The Time Lady was at a loss for words. "I… I… "

"It's stressful enough that she's a police officer," Hakim explained. "Do you have any idea how worried we are for her safety everyday? And now we find out that she's been in danger from things not even from this world!" He shook his head.

The Doctor began to squirm. "Well, when you put it like… but… but you don't understand! Yaz has been brilliant every time! She… "

"That doesn't matter!" Najia suddenly screamed. "What matters is that she's safe! We barely allowed her to join the police, and now we find out this! This is insane! You're insane!"

"But… but… "

"And now you want to take her away from us forever! For how long will that even be?" The Khan matriarch looked like she was about to explode. "The things you say - they're crazy! Living police boxes! Thousands of years!"

"Hearts, plural!" noted Hakim.

"The rest of her life!" Najia continued. "What do you mean, her life? Are you immortal? Just what is Yaz to you? Something to pass the time for you? My daughter is not a toy to be discarded once she's old and grey!"

"No!" the Doctor finally rebutted. "That is absolutely not the case! I love Yaz more than I can possibly say! I… I… " Her internal panic began to slip out. "You don't understand… I've spent so long alone, and to finally find someone to share life with… "

"And how long will that be, Doctor?" Hakim asked. "How often have you put her in danger? How often will you continue to? That wound you have… you might be able to shrug it off, but if Yaz is hurt like that?" He took a moment to calm himself, and was not entirely successful. "How often has she nearly been killed?"

"No more than thirt… " The Doctor quickly stopped, then cleared her throat. "I mean… I'd die before I'd let anything happen to Yaz." She lifted her chin up in a futile attempt to regain control, sincere though her next words were. "I'd give up all my lives to keep her safe."

"There you go, you've done it again," sighed Najia. "Lives. Nothing you say makes sense. This might all be normal for you, but there's no way I'll allow my own daughter to be involved in this madness. It's… it's too much." She held her head and took a deep breath. "Just too much."

"But it's really not," insisted the alien. "You'll see, if we just go get Yaz and she can tell you how happy she is bein' with… "

"No," Hakim broke in. "Yaz isn't stepping foot in this… whatever this thing is anymore."

The Doctor's eyed widened, and her hearts skipped. "Wh… what?"

"You're never seeing her again," came the cold, simple words.

Now she began hyperventilating. "But… you don't understand… "

"No, you don't understand," said Najia. "She is our daughter. And we will not allow you to put her in constant danger, no matter what your intentions are."

When she spoke next, her words were desperate, pleading, and even surprising to herself. "I love her… more than I've ever loved anyone… "

"If you love her," Najia sighed, "if you truly want to keep her safe… you'll let her go. For her own good, you'll end this."

For what seemed hours, there was harsh silence.

Sonya finally broke the deadlock. "Don't listen to 'em! They're just upset!"

But the Doctor already knew. "No… they're right." Her voice was barely audible. "I… I have to… " Unable to finish the sentence, the Time Lady instead robotically returned to the console and keyed in coordinates. Eventually, the TARDIS rematerialised in Sheffield.

No words were said as the police box doors opened, revealing Park Hill outside. Arms around each other for emotional support, Hakim and Najia moved towards the exit, almost dragging a reticent Sonya with them. The younger sister continued glaring between her parents and the strange, wonderful woman in disbelief. Before the Khans left, Najia gave one last look to the alien. "We mean it, Doctor. Leave Yaz alone… please."

With that, they were gone. The Doctor remained rooted on the spot; not moving a muscle, just standing there, her entire body numb…

TO BE CONTINUED