Author's Note:

Good afternoon! Thanks very much to the following people for encouraging me with their reviews during my writer's block - EZDEL2, MountainLord-92, sailormajinmoon, SawManiac211, gallifrey calls now, Guest, Push To Shove, irishartemis, The Wicked Heart, Geraldine, MayFairy, Ahsilaa, doctordiva23, Aietradaea the Barnacled Submarine, Imorgen, CookieCakeMonster, Lost Moon, Theta'sWorstNightmare, XXXMariellaXXX, Beautifulspace, silentnight, Marzipan, Guest and Kuroshitsujilover01.

To Guest: Thanks so much for saying you can't see any of my writer's block in my writing, I appreciate that very much, because it's been a bit of a struggle to push through it lately. your compliments lifted my heart and made me smile :)

To Geraldine: Thanks for the review - it was nice to have the chance to write the Master for a while, I'd been missing him.

To Lost Moon: Yes, Tejana is beginning to trust the Master, at least when it comes to her own safety. When it comes to everyone else's safety, maybe not quite so much, LOL. Thanks as always!

To Beautifulspace: Congrats on your 'A' in Physics, that's awesome! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! Thanks very much for the review :)

To silentnight: Oh yay, thanks for reading "Return to the Valiant" again, I'm really pleased you liked it enough for another read :) Never give up on a happy ending though, even in my stories ;)

To Marzipan: Aah, but there is a bit more to it than that, as you will see as you keep reading. Very glad you love my Master, because I do too \O/

To Guest: Thank you so much - after a lot of blood, sweat and tears, here is the update. Hopefully the next one won't take so long.

And lastly, big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to sailormajinmoon, hope you had a great one :)

This chapter didn't end where I was hoping, but it's a pretty long one...hopefully that makes up for the delay in posting. **Puppy dog eyes**

- CHAPTER TWENTY THREE -

"I saw loneliness...I looked into time and space and all I could see were the long, cold spaces between the stars. I listened to the song of the Universe and all I could hear was a hymn of alienation and solitude...the emptiness never, ever went away. Until now. When I'm with him, I don't feel it. I feel...whole."

-Tejana, So Many Things Should Have Been Different

Tejana gathered the broken fragments of the timey-wimey detector into her hands, a wave of weary despair washing through her. The Master had released her from the dreamworld, but his message was very clear. By leaving her the necklace, he was showing her that his plans for her to become Lady Oakdown here on Gallifrey had not changed; by smashing the rhondium sensor, he was making sure that she knew he had no intention of helping her travel back through the cracks.

Her fingers tightened on the mangled device in her hands, hardly even noticing the pain of the sharp, broken edges slicing into her palm. All she could think of was the terrible silver mists inside the crack and the desolate cries of the little human boy who had been sucked into oblivion. She had been speaking the absolute truth when she had told the Master she was frightened. The cracks scared her more than she ever wanted to admit. Jumping back inside one was the last thing she ever wanted to do, especially now that she understood how risky it really was; how incredibly lucky she was to have survived the first time. Just the thought of doing it again, this time without his protection and guidance...the fear rose up inside her until it nearly choked her. Was she insane even to try? Yes, the cracks were all linked together, she had seen that for herself. And yes, they all led back to a single point in the space/time continuum, apparently an exploding TARDIS in her own time – so, in theory, she should be able to retrace her path back there. In theory. But time had been damaged so badly, cracks within cracks, refracting into a billion different realities. Without the Master's help, how would she ever find her way through the infinite tangle of possibilities? Just one wrong step, and she could end up lost anywhere in time and space; or, even worse, consigned to oblivion like that poor little boy. And even if by some miracle she did make it back, the Chaos-Master would simply continue to drain her life-energy until she was nothing more than a dried-up husk, unable to help the Doctor or anyone else.

Overwhelmed by the enormity of the task in front of her, she drew up her knees and rested her aching head on them. Perhaps the Master was right. What could she possibly do to change things? Perhaps she should just give up and allow him to do whatever he thought was best. They could have a fresh start here on Gallifrey. They could have a home and a family, a place to be together, a place to belong. Working together, they could change it all, make everything better. No Daleks. No Time War. No resurrection of Rassilon. Instead, the Master would be President of Gallifrey, and after that, supreme ruler of the Universe – but would that really be so bad? Surely, if she ruled beside him, she could influence him to use his power for good instead of evil?

No. A violent shudder crept up from the base of her spine as she thrust away the alluring daydream, forcing herself to see past the temptation to the cold, hard truth. What was she thinking? Of course it would be bad. As much as she now loved the Master, she knew him far too well to doubt that if he even got a taste of that much power, he would be well beyond her influence or anybody else's. The urge to dominate was far too deeply ingrained in his nature. It would end up being exactly like The Year That Never Was, only on a much grander scale. Despite all her wishful thinking, that path led only to destruction, even more surely than any of the others she had facing her.

She opened her tightly-clenched hand and looked down at the shattered timey-wimey detector, the pieces now stained with blood from a deep laceration on her palm. She swallowed hard. Even though he had refused to help, her decision had to remain unchanged. When midnight came, somehow she had to find the courage to jump into that crack alone and let fate take its course. There was no other option.

Soft, amber dawn light was filtering into the room through the small, high window. It seemed the entire night had passed while she had been inside the Master's dreamworld. Her eyes strayed over to the bed on the other side of the room. The coverlet was unwrinkled and immaculate. Either Dyoni was up and about very early, or the bed had not been slept in at all. Tejana was surprised to feel a slight pang of regret. She and Dyoni were worlds apart in attitude and experience, and she often found the constant presence of the other girl to be irritating. But right now, facing the almost certain probability of her own death, looming over her no matter which way she turned, she could have done with a friendly face.

She closed her eyes again, sharpening all her senses, hoping for some trace of the Master nearby. Even if he was furiously angry with her, she couldn't help longing for the comfort of his presence. However, if he was there, she couldn't feel him. She was all on her own.

Stiffly, she got to her feet, her hearts heavy with loneliness, and washed and dressed herself in her black uniform, knowing it was the last time she would ever have to put it on. Staring into the mirror, she twisted her hair neatly up on top of her head and secured it with a large clip. Her face was as pale as porcelain, her green eyes dark and shadowed with dread. She looked much more like someone getting ready for a funeral, rather than someone looking forward to a ball. The Master's Otherstide gift glinted like fire around her neck, reflecting the shimmering amber light streaming in from the window. She took the beautiful pendant in her fingers and studied it in the mirror, tracing the delicately engraved branches of the oak tree. Lady Tejana Oakdown, she thought sadly to herself, with a stab of yearning. Raising the pendant to her lips, she kissed it, and then concealed it beneath the high neckline of her servant's gown. She hated to think how many awkward questions would arise if a Shabogan serving girl was seen wearing the ancient symbol of Oakdown around her neck.

Taking a deep breath, trying to gather her courage to face the day, she left the room and made her way down to the kitchen. She was not late, but the enormous room was already bustling with activity, even though the sun had barely risen and the Ball was still hours and hours away. Food preparation had already begun, with all kinds of delicacies being skilfully assembled by the white-garbed cooks; while hundreds and hundreds of gleaming glasses and piles of shining dinnerware were being methodically loaded into the transmat cabinets by the other kitchen staff, to be transported up to the ballroom.

In direct contrast to her own anxious mood, the atmosphere around her was merry and light-hearted. Smiling faces were everywhere, while shouts of "Happy Otherstide!" rang out across the busy room, interspersed with cheerful snatches of song. Tejana gazed around in surprise. Otherstide was essentially a Time Lord festival, honouring one of the original founders of Time Lord society, the mysterious, legendary figure known as "the Other". She had never dreamed that, down below the Citadel, the servants were emulating their Time Lord masters and were celebrating it in their own way. In all her time at the Academy, the idea of wishing any of them a "Happy Otherstide" had never even occurred to her. To her shame, it was just another example of how little she had understood the lives of the people who had worked so hard to make her comfortable.

She was about to slip unobtrusively in with the other workers, when a young male steward waylaid her. Even amid the frantic hustle and bustle, it appeared her arrival had not gone unnoticed.

"Fionnula wants to see you immediately," the man said.

At the far end of the room, Tejana could see the Head Housemaid seated at a desk in the small alcove that served her as an office, her brow furrowed as she pored over the complicated task lists that were scrolling across her data terminal. Keeping one eye vigilantly on the screen, she was making decisions, rapping out orders to her waiting staff and resolving any problems put before her with a steamroller-like efficiency that was almost frightening. Tejana watched her in fascination, uncannily reminded of the battle commanders in the War Room during the Time War.

Like all the other Time Lords, she had always taken the Otherstide Ball for granted, enjoying the annual celebration as a rare chance to let her hair down, without concerning herself over how much work it took to organise an event so enormous and so complicated. Now that she thought about it, she realised it had to be a huge undertaking. But Fionnula seemed to have it well in hand; her manner was as calm, confident and assured as always. She had her duty to do and nothing on Gallifrey was going to prevent her from doing it. Despite their differences, Tejana was impressed. She couldn't help feeling that the Time War might have gone very differently if the Time Lords had recruited someone like Fionnula as a strategical commander from the very beginning, instead of relying on incompetent, doddering old fools like Castellan Annos to defeat the Daleks.

Nodding her acknowledgement to the steward, she began to walk across the crowded room. The closer she got to the alcove, the faster her hearts began to beat, as she wondered if Fionnula meant to instantly dismiss her, in punishment for her impulsive outburst from the night before. Even though she was dreading the jump back into the crack, being thrown out of the Citadel before she could even reach it would certainly not improve matters. Many of the other servants stopped work to stare at her as she passed by, and she could hear a tide of whispering swelling behind her back. But nobody greeted her and most refused even to meet her gaze, their eyes skittering back to their tasks as soon as she looked at them, as if her unprecedented radical behaviour was some sort of disease they were reluctant to catch.

Tejana's lips quirked in a faint, bitter smile. No doubt this was the reason for Dyoni's unexpected absence from their room this morning. It seemed 'Kat' had gone overnight from minor celebrity to persona non grata, and no-one wanted to associate with her. Their pitying glances made her feel like she was walking along death row, heading for her execution. Dead woman walking...dead woman walking here... The idea was ridiculous, and she tried hard to see the funny side of it. But somehow, the attempt at humour fell flat, and left her feeling lonelier and more isolated than ever. Dead woman walking indeed...if only they knew...

All at once, she wished the crack would open up right in front of her, here and now, so that she could jump into it and just get it over with. Anything had to be better than hours of waiting around like this, with her own anxieties gradually "doing her head in", as Owen used to say, back in her Torchwood days.

But it appeared that waiting around was the one thing she was destined to do today. Once she reached Fionnula's desk, the Head Housemaid didn't even bother to look up, continuing with her work as if Tejana wasn't even there, even though Tejana knew quite well she had seen her approaching. It was an obvious tactic of psychological intimidation, an attempt to ensure that the disgraced servant girl knew her place, by keeping her in a prolonged state of apprehension. The only problem was, Tejana had been intimidated by the very best in her time and she wasn't bothered in the least.

"You asked to see me, ma'am?" she queried coolly.

Forced to acknowledge her presence, Fionnula glared at her. "You will not speak until you are spoken to, Kat."

Tejana felt a flash of anger at the contemptuous tone, but managed to keep her face smooth and expressionless. This time she had no intention of losing her temper, regardless of what happened. All she needed from this woman was just one more day of grace and then none of it would matter any more. "Yes, ma'am."

Even so, as she stood without moving for ten minutes, her hidden frustration continued to mount, despite her best intentions. With everything else she had going on, the tension inside her was drawn as tight as a bow-string, ready to snap. Putting up with this nonsense just seemed to be the final straw. At last, just as she felt she couldn't hold it in any longer, Fionnula dismissed the hovering assistants and sent them about their business. Once they were alone, the Head Housemaid finally deigned to address her again.

"Very well, now I will deal with you, Kat," she said, sitting back in her chair. "I'm sure you already realise that I can't allow the incident that occurred at the evening meal yesterday to pass unpunished. Inciting rebellion against the Time Lords is a very serious matter indeed."

"I wasn't inciting rebellion," Tejana replied curtly. "Ma'am. I was saying that if the plebeian classes on Gallifrey don't defend themselves, then no-one else will."

"Silence!" Fionnula snapped. "I will hear no more treasonous talk. Fortunately for you, due to the Otherstide celebrations, I am already short-staffed. For that reason alone, I will not dismiss you outright as you deserve. You will not be permitted to serve at the Ball, however, but will remain in the kitchen to assist where required. You may consider yourself on probation for the rest of the day, and tomorrow I will decide whether or not you will be permitted to retain your position. I suggest you use that time to rethink your attitude!"

Tejana started in dismay at these words. So she was permitted to stay within the Citadel, but she wouldn't be present at the Ball. A flood of disappointment rushed through her, catching her by surprise. After all, it shouldn't matter a jot to her whether or not she went to the Ball. She should be relieved that her plans to get to the crack had not been ruined. It would be much easier to slip away to the Adytum at midnight now she would be working in the kitchen.

But no matter how hard she tried to convince herself, she knew that it did matter, for one very simple reason. Lord Oakdown had given instructions that young Koschei was to remain in the Infirmary until the evening festivities. If she didn't serve at the Ball, she wouldn't get to see him one last time before she left. And, as much as she hated to admit it, she wanted to see him very, very much.

Oh, stop it, you idiot! she told herself, incredulous at the realisation. How much more bloody complicated did she want her life to get? Surely she couldn't have been stupid enough to go and fall in love with her life-mate's younger self as well?

But the truth was, she had...at least a little bit. It wasn't just a physical attraction, although that had definitely played a part too. The Master had been right when he said she would belong to him always now, no matter which incarnation he was in. Young Koschei had always been a part of him - the part that was more gentle and kind, less arrogant and ruthless and power-hungry, more naïve and vulnerable. The person he had been before the drums had completely poisoned his life, before he had been taken over by hatred and rage and an insatiable thirst for revenge. How could she not love that? Now it seemed she wasn't even going to get the chance to say goodbye to him, before the crack wiped all memory of 'Kat' from his mind. And, like it or not, that hurt.

"Kat?" Fionnula said icily. "Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

Lost in her disturbing thoughts of Koschei, Tejana hardly even heard. "Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am," she replied in a preoccupied voice, giving the woman a wooden curtsey. "I will certainly do as you say. Thank you, ma'am."

Without waiting to be dismissed, she turned away, intending to head back out into the organised chaos of the kitchen, badly needing some space to get her head sorted.

"Kat!" This time, Fionnula's voice was sharp and commanding.

Sighing inwardly, just wanting to get the interview over with, Tejana turned back again. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Why did you come here?"

Tejana blinked, unsure what the Head Housemaid meant. "I beg your pardon?"

Fionnula gave her a shrewd, appraising look. "I asked why you came here, to serve at the Academy," she repeated. "The reasons were plain enough for all the other Shabogan girls I've trained previously. They wanted to make something of themselves, to leave their filthy shacks and hovels behind them and to move up in the world. As much as they might secretly despise the Time Lords, they were all grateful for the chance to shake the dust of Low Town off their feet. The one thing they all had in common was that they would do anything...anything at all...to hold on to their positions. But you...I don't understand you at all. You walk as if you bow to no-one. You talk as if you are used to being listened to. You work hard, and never shirk, but the tasks themselves are foreign to you, as though you've never done them before. You treat your position with a casualness bordering on disdain. Whatever you were before you came here, it wasn't a servant. And if you didn't come here to improve your lot in life, like all the others, then why are you here?"

"I came here," Tejana said curtly. "Because I had no choice in the matter. It wasn't my idea or my preference. And that's all there is to it."

An expression of weary frustration passed over Fionnula's face at the enigmatic answer. "As you will, then. You may keep your reasons to yourself. I can't make you confide in me. But, believe it or not, Kat, I'm trying to help you. As Head Housemaid, it's my job to train you to be the best servant you can be. And if you want to last any time at all here, speaking out publicly against the Time Lords isn't the way to do it."

Despite the heavy burden of her own problems, Tejana couldn't help feeling a flash of admiration, as she suddenly realised she had been very wrong about Fionnula. From their first disastrous meeting, she had dismissed the Head Housemaid as a cold, self-important, autocratic bitch. But slowly she was coming to understand that Fionnula was just somebody who was trying to do a tough job to the best of her ability. She really did care about each and every one of her staff and, as their leader, did her best to shield them from the unpredictable whims of the Time Lords they served, no easy proposition with psychopaths like Anzor wandering around unchecked. Even now, although she was neck deep in the preparations for the Otherstide Ball, a mammoth task which must be driving her nearly to distraction, she still made sure she took the time to counsel what she thought was a foolish young servant girl heedlessly bent on self-destruction.

Tejana knew she should walk away without saying anything further. She had done so much harm to the time-line already, just by being here. But somehow, after all she had been through, she just couldn't let it go. Fionnula deserved to know the truth about the people that she served so faithfully.

"Believe it or not, Fionnula, I was actually trying to help you," she said gently. "The Time Lords aren't gods, no matter what they like to think. One day...one day, all of this..." She gestured around her at the bustling kitchen. "...the Academy, the Citadel, even the Mountains of Solace and Solitude themselves...it's all going to fall into nothingness, because of their greed and corruption. The Shining World of the Seven Systems will crumble into dust and scatter to the four corners of the Universe. And your wonderful Time Lords will be no more. Even their name will just be a whisper on the wind, no longer remembered by anyone."

Fionnula gasped in shock at the heretical words. "You sound...you sound as if you know this will happen. Is this some sort of Shabogan mysticism?" she sputtered.

"It will happen," Tejana replied, her voice soft with sorrow. "Not in your lifetime, or in your children's, or even your children's children's. But it is coming. So don't idolise the Time Lords, Fionnula. Don't teach your children to worship them, because they're not worth it. And don't let them make you afraid. You have so many amazing people working here and they deserve so much more than that. They should be respected for what they do. Being a good servant doesn't have to mean being a terrified slave. The Time Lords need to know that."

Fionnula was staring at her as if she had never seen her before. "I don't..." she began hesitantly.

But before the Head Housemaid could complete the sentence, another steward rushed up, nearly foaming at the mouth in panic, gabbling frantically about the Scendle Academy sending over an extra fifty unexpected guests, and the moment was lost.

"We will finish this discussion tomorrow, Kat," Fionnula said distractedly, turning back to her data screen. "Be about your work now."

Tomorrow will be too late for both of us, Tejana thought sadly. By then you won't even remember I ever existed...just like Theta won't...and neither will Koschei...

"Yes, ma'am," she responded, giving another deep and graceful curtsey, determined that one Time Lord at least would grant Fionnula the respect she deserved. "Goodbye."

And with that, she slipped away into the seething crowd.

For the next few hours, Tejana was kept very busy indeed. Fionnula hadn't been joking when she had said she would have to 'assist where required'. It seemed everyone had a job for her to do, from helping with the food preparation, to cleaning up various messes around the kitchen, making up the guest quarters for the unexpected Scendles, and generally running a thousand errands for people who were too busy to go themselves. The list of things to be done for the Ball seemed never-ending. If she hadn't witnessed Fionnula's general-like approach to organising it all, Tejana would have scoffed at the idea of it ever being done.

All in all, she didn't object to being so busy – it helped to keep her mind off things. She was hoping to be assigned to breakfast duty, so that she might be able to snatch a few words with Theta. But she wasn't allowed to go up to the Refectory. Fionnula seemed to be determined to keep her right away from any direct contact with the Time Lords. Tejana wasn't sure if this was an attempt to punish her or to protect her. She had a sneaking suspicion it might be the latter. If any of the senior Time Lords came to hear of her impassioned outburst the previous night, Fionnula would have no choice but to instantly dismiss her from the Academy. Tejana guessed the Head Housemaid was keeping her out of harm's way until she worked out how best to deal with the situation.

A small, wry smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Little did Fionnula know, but 'Kat' was one problem she would not have to sort out. This time tomorrow, no-one would remember a fiery, disrespectful little red-headed servant girl, or any of the things she had said. It would be as if she had never existed, all over again. As much as Tejana loathed being a servant, the thought was not a pleasant one. She had made a place for herself here – and any place was better than none at all.

It will work out, she told herself stubbornly. It has to!

She had just emerged from the service transmat tubes in the Great Hall, carrying an armload of sweet-smelling flowers for the guest quarters, when she heard someone calling her name. Looking around, she saw it was Millennia. The blue-haired girl hastened towards her with a big smile.

"Kat!" she cried again.

Tejana curtsied as best as she could with her burden of flowers. "My Lady."

"I just wanted to tell you that you were right!" Millennia bubbled, her face alight with happiness.

"Right, my Lady? About what?"

"About the aria I was composing as an Otherstide gift for Lord Rallon!" Millennia replied. "You said he would be able to tell from the music how I feel about him, and he definitely did!" Her eyes sparkled brilliantly. "He's officially asked me to marry him!"

Tejana forced herself to smile, knowing that Millennia and Rallon would never have the chance to marry before death overtook them both. "That's...wonderful," she faltered. "I'm really pleased for you."

Millennia did an exultant little spin on the spot, her hands clasped to her hearts. "Oh, I'm so happy, Kat, I think I might burst. I don't think there could be a single person on Gallifrey more happy than I am right now."

"Probably not, my Lady," Tejana agreed quietly, averting her eyes from the beautiful, vibrant face before her. "My congratulations to you both."

"Thank you, Kat," Millennia said. "When I saw you there, I just had to share my news with you! And now I must go...I have a million things to do before the Ball. And by the look of those flowers, so must you!"

Saying this, she twirled away again, so light on her feet with happiness that she was almost dancing.

"Wait!" Tejana cried.

Millennia turned back with an inquiring look. Knowing the other girl probably wouldn't approve of her question, Tejana took a deep breath and asked it anyway: "Do you know where Lord Theta is?"

Sure enough, the exuberant light in Millennia's eyes drained away, to be replaced by a grave expression as she retraced her steps back towards where Tejana was standing.

"Yes, I do," she answered. "But I'm not sure I should tell you, Kat. This day is difficult enough for him as it is."

Tejana frowned, not certain she understood. Difficult for him how, exactly? Because of what had happened to Koschei in Low Town? Or for some other reason she hadn't picked up on? What was Millennia talking about?

Seeing her bewilderment, Millennia gave her a pitying glance. "Oh, Kat, hasn't he told you? About Melana of House Firestone?"

She thinks I'm in love with Theta, Tejana realised. Or at least in lust with him. A deluded servant girl obsessed with one of her betters. She thinks I'll be hurt and jealous about my own mother!

"His promised bride?" she replied brightly. "Yes, he told me. What of it?"

"Tonight, at the Otherstide Ball, their betrothal becomes formal. After that, their forthcoming marriage will be set in stone and there will be no going back."

Tejana felt a twist of pain as it suddenly became clear to her what this was all about. "And Lord Theta...finds this hard?" she asked huskily.

"Oh, yes, so very hard, Kat!" Misinterpreting her dismay, Millennia took her hand and squeezed it comfortingly. "He doesn't want to do it. But he must. He really, really must. Do you understand?"

Unshed tears burnt in Tejana's eyes. "Yes, my Lady. I understand, better than you think."

Millennia gazed at her keenly for a few moments, before saying, "Then I will tell you where he is. He has gone to the Atrium in the North Wing. He wanted to be on his own for a while, to try to come to terms with it all, I think. But perhaps some time with you will make him smile again. Just...be careful, Kat. For both your sakes. I would hate to see either one of you hurt."

You don't understand, Tejana thought sadly, remembering her savage argument with the Doctor over her pregnancy back in the Underhenge. Hurting each other is what my father and I will always do best.

The Atrium in the North Wing was the furthest point of the Academy, the only place where the buildings actually butted right up against the enormous crystal Dome that enclosed the Citadel of the Time Lords.

The room wasn't large, but it was spectacular, with the transparent, curved surface of the Dome actually forming the outer wall, giving a heart-stopping view out over the Lethe Valley and the smooth, sparkling river below. As Tejana entered, sliding the door quietly shut behind her, she realised it was raining. A summer storm had blown up from the Ocean, the dark, swirling clouds converging and bursting on the peaks of Mount Cadon, crowding across the twin suns and dimming their amber light. Big fat drops of water spattered musically down on to the exterior of the Dome and slid away like tears. A powerful roll of thunder cracked overhead, travelling from some hidden eyrie behind the mountains, and forked lightning speared jaggedly across the sky.

As Millennia had predicted, Theta was there alone. There were no lessons today, since Otherstide was an official holiday, and everyone else was busy preparing for the Ball. He was leaning with his curly blonde head against the cool crystal surface of the Dome, looking out at the tempest sweeping up from the sea, his shoulders slumped in despair.

There was something about the raw anguish on his face that made Tejana want to turn around and slip away unseen. Although the Doctor hadn't tried to hide the fact that his marriage to her mother had been one of convenience for both families, he had never told her just how much it had torn his soul to go through with it all those years ago. All at once, she felt like she was trespassing somewhere unbearably private.

But before she could leave, he looked up and saw her. "Kat." His voice was slightly hoarse and she saw that his eyes were red, as though he had been crying.

And instead of turning away, she found herself drawing nearer, suddenly understanding that he felt just as lonely and abandoned as she did right now.

"Theta," she greeted him softly.

He looked out towards the burgeoning storm; at the dark, sullen clouds boiling towards them down the steep, majestic mountainside.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked, his voice strangely bitter. "The storm? So wild and free." His fists clenched convulsively against the crystal surface. "Everything I'm not. Everything I can never be."

Thunder rolled again and Tejana caught her breath at his words as she looked at him, the lightning flashing behind his head like a crown of silver thorns. Oh gods, he was so very young. Little did he know that, centuries from now, the Daleks would name him 'the Oncoming Storm'; that of all the tempests that had ever been, he would be the one to strike fear into their cold, merciless, non-existent hearts.

You will be...fire and ice and rage...like the night and the storm in the heart of the sun...ancient and forever, burning at the centre of Time, watching the turn of the Universe...

She put her hand gently on his arm. "Maybe...one day...you will," she said hesitantly. "Your marriage...it doesn't have to mean the end of everything."

"No." He shook his head, his eyes wild and red-rimmed. "No. I can feel it, more and more every day, the hope just draining away. Like a steel trap, closing in on me...crushing the life out of me." He ran his hand through his hair in a jerky motion, tousling it even more than it already was. "She loves me, you know...Melana. We hardly even know each other, but every time we meet, all I can see in her eyes is this...blind adoration, as if I'm everything she's ever wanted. She's got this dream in her head that we're going to live happily ever after. And I'm going to hurt her, Kat. I don't want to, because she's a nice enough girl and none of this is her fault. But I will, because I can't help it...because I'll never be able to love her the way she wants me to. This isn't the life that I wanted and it never will be!"

Tejana could hardly answer. She was too busy fighting back the tears that threatened to pour down her cheeks. From the little the Doctor had told her about his relationship with Melana, she had always assumed that both her parents were equally indifferent to each other at the time of their marriage, both of them entering into the pre-arranged contract with no illusions or expectations. She had never for one moment suspected that her mother had real feelings for her father. The knowledge hurt her more than she had ever thought possible.

"Oh, Theta..." she whispered, trying not to imagine Melana's heartbreak over the unequal partnership and the overwhelming guilt he must have felt towards her. Had they ever found any contentment together? Even just a little, perhaps when she was conceived? She hoped so, with both her hearts; praying she had not been born out of such unhappiness, that somehow she had brought her parents some joy. "I'm so sorry."

Theta closed his eyes and drew in a harsh, shuddering breath, obviously trying to get his emotions under control. Then his hand came up reassuringly to cover hers on his arm. "Nah, I'm the one that's sorry," he said gruffly. "You don't need to hear about my stupid problems. You've got enough on your plate with that crack arriving tonight. Were you looking for me for any particular reason? There's nothing wrong, is there?"

She shook her head, drawing much-needed strength of her own from the warmth of his touch. "No, nothing's wrong. I just wanted to tell you that I'm not allowed to serve at the Ball tonight. So I'll be going to the Adytum directly from the kitchen."

"Not allowed to serve at the Ball? Why not?"

She pulled a face. "I said some things I shouldn't have at the evening meal last night and got myself in trouble. Story of my life, really."

Theta laughed, the tense lines of his face easing a little. "You're really not too good at this servant thing, are you?"

"No, I'm really not," she agreed with a smile. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know, in case you were worried when I wasn't there. And..." Her voice trailed away.

"And?"

"And, if you can't get away from the Ball at midnight, because of your own responsibilities towards my...towards Melana...I'll understand."

It cost her a lot to say it. The idea of going down into the dark, claustrophobic tunnels beneath the Citadel and facing the horror of the crack alone, without Theta to keep her company and to bolster her courage, was almost unbearable. But if her presence here on Gallifrey disrupted his official betrothal to her mother, if for any reason the marriage did not take place, all possibility of restoring her timeline would be irretrievably lost.

His hand tightened on hers and his blue gaze was serious as he looked down at her. "Not a chance. I might not know exactly who you are, Kat, but I do know that I care about you very much. There's no way I'm going to let you do this alone. I'll be there."

Tears sparkled in her eyes at the determination in his tone, so typical of the Doctor. "Thank you, Theta."

He put his arm around her in a comforting hug and, for a few moments, there was nothing but the muted sound of the rain hissing against the Dome and the low rumble of thunder as they looked out over the misty valley together, both of them lost in their own bleak thoughts.

Then he turned his head to her and asked, "Do you love the father of your baby, Kat?"

Tejana had a sudden vision of the Master, standing in the elegant summer-house on the Oakdown estate, dressed in his Gallifreyan clothing, smiling at her, his eyes dark with desire. Sinfully beautiful, she thought, with a sharp stab of pain.

"Oh, yes," she said to Theta in a husky voice. "So very much."

"And does he love you?"

She hesitated for a moment, before replying, "Yes, I believe he does."

He gave her a lop-sided grin that was somehow a bit forlorn. "I'm glad one of us is getting the relationship thing right."

Getting it right...? A small bubble of incredulous laughter threatened in the back of her throat. The very idea of the Doctor saying that her relationship with the Master was "getting it right" seemed so ridiculously funny.

Somehow she managed to force back the hysterical giggles. "I wish it was that simple," she said unsteadily.

"Are you really sure you're doing the right thing by jumping back into the crack?" he asked, touching his fingers softly to her cheek. "Do you really think that you'll find him again?"

She sighed. "I have to believe it. I can't stay here. This isn't my place."

"Maybe I should jump into the crack with you," he said, his hand dropping away from her face as he turned to stare moodily back out at the swirling storm. "Change my destiny. I have nothing to lose."

Alarm swept through her hearts, terrified that he might mean it. "You have everything to lose!" she cried. "This might not be my place, but it is yours, at least for now. This is where you're supposed to be. The Universe is all about balance! That's what the dances of Otherstide are supposed to be for - to teach the young Time Lords the importance of universal harmony. Disturb the balance by jumping into a temporal aberration like that crack and there's no telling the harm you can do." Her tone softened at the mule-like stubbornness on his boyish face. "You know I won't let you do it, Theta. Besides, your friends need you here. Koschei needs you."

"Koschei's the heir of Oakdown," Theta muttered. "He doesn't need anyone but himself."

"He needs you more than you'll ever know, even if he won't admit it," she said sadly. "History is already writing itself around the pair of you, even as we speak. Once I jump into the crack, I won't be a part of it any more, because no-one here will remember me. But to preserve the balance you have to let it all unfold the way it needs to be."

"You know a lot more about my future than you're telling me, don't you, Kat? And not just mine, but Koschei's as well." Theta studied her upturned face keenly. "Are you ever going to tell me who you are?"

Tejana quickly averted her eyes from the piercing blue gaze, just in case he saw more than she wanted him to. Spoilers, she reflected wryly, thinking of River and suddenly understanding how hard it must have been for the archaeologist not to say something she shouldn't back in the Library. There were still hours to go until midnight, still so much potential for everything to go wrong. As much as she wished she could tell Theta the truth, she couldn't afford to take the risk that it would change something vital.

"Right now, I'm Fionnula's errand girl," she hedged, avoiding the question by pulling herself away from him. "And I have to go."

He gave her a shadow of his usual cheeky grin. "Hey, it was worth a try. Very well, then, I'll see you in the kitchen just before midnight, Kat."

She turned back and looked at him, knowing she would always remember him like this, his tall figure outlined against the lightning-laced storm boiling across the Gallifreyan mountain peaks rising behind him.

You're my father, she thought emotionally, the only one I'll ever need or want, however difficult things get between us. I would never change a second of the time we'll have together. You and I...throughout the whole of Time and Space...we're gonna be fantastic, brilliant...magnificent!

"Yeah," she said. "See you then."