We left with him screaming out for Cassandra. My legs moved my body to a back door. Opening it, I saw that the other side was more infected. "We're trapped! What am I going to do?"

"Well, for starters, you're going to leave that body. That psychograft is banned on every civilized planet. You're compressing Cerys to death."

"But I've got nowhere to go. My original skin's dead."

"Not my problem. You can float as atoms in the air. Now, get out." He pointed the sonic at me. "Give her back to me."

"You asked for it." I felt air enter my lungs and her leave.

I stumbled back a bit, grabbing my head. "Ouch. Where is she?"

"Oh, my. This is different."

"Cassandra?" Rose asked.

"Goodness me, I'm a man. Yum. So many parts. And hardly used. Oh, oh, two hearts! Oh, baby, I'm beating out a samba!"

"Get the hell out of him," I spat.

"Oo, he's slim, and a little bit foxy. You've thought so too. I've been inside your head. You've been looking. You like it." I glowered at her for a moment before turning my attention to the door that had just opened. "What do we do? What would he do? The Doctor, what the hell would he do?"

"There's a ladder. We go up."

"Out of the way." She pushed past us and started to climb up, with me going in last.

"If you get out of the Doctor's body, he can think of something."

"Yap, yap, yap. God, it was tedious inside your head. All that darkness, all those emotions."

"If you don't get out of him, Cass-" I looked down to see that Matron Casp had gotten ahold of my ankle. "Let go."

"All our good work. All that healing. The good name of the Sisterhood. You have destroyed everything."

"Go and play with a ball of string," Cassandra snapped at the Matron.

"Everywhere, disease. This is the human world. Sickness!" I watched as one of the infected grabbed her, infecting her as well. She released me, falling to her death, leaving behind her screams.

"Move!"

"Now what do we do?"

"Use the sonic."

Cassandra pulled out the sonic screwdriver. "You mean this thing?"

"Yes!"

"Well, I don't know how. That Doctor's hidden away all his thoughts."

I groaned, hating what I was about to say. "Come back into me."

"Hold on tight." I felt her energy pass into me. "Oh, chavtastic again. Open it!"

"Not till you get out of her."

"Doctor, just open the door. We need you."

"The blonde's right. We need the Doctor."

"I order you to leave her!"

The energy left me. "No matter how difficult the situation, there is no need to shout."

"He told you to leave me, didn't he? He's such an idiot at times. Get out of him though, seriously."

"But I can't go into you, he simply refuses. He's so rude."

"I know, but you can't get into Rose either. Find another way," I reasoned, looking down at the infected.

"Oh, I am so going to regret this." Cassandra's energy left the Doctor and went into the infected woman that was almost within arm's reach. "Oh, sweet Lord. I look disgusting."

The Doctor opened the lift doors and helped us out, pulling me into a hug. "I'm glad you're alright." I nodded, noticing we were in Ward 26 waiting room.

"No, you don't," I heard Cassandra say before I felt her energy reenter me. The force of the impact pushed me to the floor.

"That was your last warning, Cassandra!"

"Inside her head. They're so alone. They keep reaching out, just to hold us. All their lives and they've never been touched." The Doctor's expression softened a bit before he held out his hand, helping me up.

A woman in a black business suit, with glasses and blonde hair done up in a bun lunged at us with a metal stand. "We're safe! We're safe! We're safe! We're clean! We're clean! Look, look."

"Show me your skin."

"Look, clean. Look, if we'd been touched, we'd be dead. So how's it going up here? What's the status?"

"There's nothing but silence from the other wards. I think we're the only ones left. And I've been trying to override the quarantine. If I can trip a signal over to New New York, they can send a private executive squad."

"You can't do that. If they forced entry, they'd break quarantine."

"I am not dying here."

"We can't let a single particle of disease get out. There are ten million people in that city. They'd all be at risk. Now, turn that off!"

"Not if it gets me out."

"All right, fine. So I have to stop you lot as well. Suits me. Cerys, Rose, novice Hame, everyone! Excuse me, your Grace. Get me intravenous solutions for every single disease. Move it!" We all scrambled to get drip bags while the Doctor retrieved a long piece of heavy rope. He then started to hang the solutions around his body. "How's that? Will that do?"

"I don't know. Will it do for what?" He opened the lift doors. "The lifts aren't working."

"Not moving. Different thing. Here we go." He put the sonic between his teeth and started to run.

"But you're not going to-" He jumped and grabbed the lift cable. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going down! Come on!" He attached a small round piece to the cable.

"Not in a million years."

"I need another pair of hands. What do you think? If you're so desperate to stay alive, why don't you live a little?"

"What about me?"

"Of course you're coming, Rose." She ran and jumped.

"Seal the door!"

Cassandra had my body trapped with the approaching infected. "No!" She jumped and landed on the Doctor's back. "You're completely mad. I can see why she likes you, even if that isn't the only reason."

"Going down!" The wheel began to take us down. I heard myself scream for a bit before we came to a stop. He dropped down on top of the lift. "Well, that's one way to lose weight."

"Now, listen. When I say so, both of you hold of that lever."

"There's still a quarantine down there, we can't"

"Hold that lever! I'm cooking up a cocktail. I know a bit about medicine myself." I watched as he poured the contents of the IV bags into the disinfectant tank. "Now, that lever's going to resist. But keep it in position. Hold onto it with everything you've got."

"What about you?"

"I've got an appointment. The Doctor is in," he said before he dropped down into the lift. I watched as he opened the door with his sonic. "I' m in here! Come on!"

"Don't tell them."

"Pull that lever!" Rose and I both pulled the lever, holding it with all we could muster. "Come and get me. Come on! I'm in here!"

"Commence stage one disinfection."

"Hurry up! Come on!" He was silent for a bit. "Come on, come on." The lift was then filled with a few of the infected. After the water had hit them, they walked out. "All they want to do is pass it on. Pass it on!"

"Pass on what? Pass on what?"

"Pass it on!" Rose and I released the lever and she jumped down, with me following.

"What did they pass on? Did you kill them? All of them?"

"No. That's your way of doing things. I'm the Doctor and I cured them." A woman came over and hugged him.

"That's right. Hey, there we go, sweetheart. Go to him. Go on, that's it. That's it. It's a new sub-species, Cassandra. A brand new form of life. New humans! Look at them. Look! Grown by cats, kept in the dark, fed by tubes, but completely, completely alive. You can't deny them, because you helped create them. The human race just keeps on going, keeps on changing. Life will out! Ha!"

Time had quickly passed and the quarantine was lifted. The three of us were back in Ward 26.

"This is the NNYPD. Please step away from the shuttles."

"All staff will present themselves to the officers for immediate arrest. I repeat, immediate arrest. All new life forms will be catalogued and taken into care. All visitors to the hospital will be required to make a statement to the NNYPD."

The only person left in the ward was the Face of Boe. "The Face of Boe!" We ran over to him. "You were supposed to be dying."

"There are better things to do today. Dying can wait."

"Oh, I hate telepathy. Just what I need, a head full of big face."

"Shh!"

"I have grown tired with the universe, Doctor, but you have taught me to look at it anew."

He walked over, crouching down. "There are legends, you know, saying that you're millions of years old."

"There are? That would be impossible."

"Wouldn't it just. I got the impression there was something you wanted to tell me."

"A great secret."

"So the legend says."

"It can wait."

"Oh, does it have to?"

"We shall meet again, Doctor, for the third time, for the last time, and the truth shall be told. Until that day." The Face of Boe beamed away.

"That is enigmatic. That, that is, that is textbook enigmatic." He stood, turned and faced me. "And now for you."

"But everything's happy. Everything's fine. Can't you just leave me?"

"You've lived long enough. Leave that body and end it, Cassandra."

"I don't want to die."

"No one does."

"Help me."

"I can't."

"Mistress!"

"Oh, you're alive."

"I kept myself safe for you, mistress."

"A body. And not just that, a volunteer."

"Don't you dare. He's got a life of his own."

"But I worship the mistress. I welcome her."

"You can't, Cassandra, you-" he was cut off as Cassandra transferred from me to Chip. I fell into the Doctor's arms. "Oh! You all right?" I pushed away, trying to stand on my own but almost fell. "Whoa! Okay?"

"Fine."

"Welcome back." He smiled at me and kept his arm around my waist. I glanced at Rose to see that she was looking away, frowning.

"Oh, sweet Lord. I'm a walking doodle."

"You can't stay in there. I'm sorry, Cassandra, but that's not fair. I can take you to the city. They can build you a skin tank and you can stand trial for what you've done."

"Well, that would be rather dramatic. Possibly my finest hour, and certainly my finest hat," she touched her hat, smiling, "but I'm afraid we don't have time. Poor little Chip is only a half-life, and he's been through so much. His heart is racing so. He's failing. I don't think he's going to last…" She fell to her knees. The Doctor let go of me and rushed to her side, helping her up.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I'm dying, but that's fine."

"I can take you to the city."

"No, you won't. Everything's new on this planet. There's no place for Chip and me anymore. You're right, Doctor. It's time to die, and that's good."

We helped her up. "Come on. There's one last thing I can do."

We all went to the Tardis, with me supporting Cassandra. The Doctor was moving around the console, and Rose had gone off to her room. When we landed, I could hear the sounds of a party, and a woman talking. I released her, knowing she could manage the short distance. "Thank you."

"Just go. And don't look back." I nodded and we watched her go, walking up to herself. She said some things and then collapsed, dead.

Closing the Tardis door behind him, he returned to the console. I remained in my spot, stuck between wanting to go to the library and staying with him. Making my decision, I turned to go to the library when my face hit something hard. I stepped back, catching a glimpse of what I had bumped into, I saw a familiar pin striped suit. Mumbling an apology, I stepped aside and started to walk away. As I did so, I felt him grab my arm. I struggled a bit but his grip remained. "Let go of me."

"I just want to talk."

"And I said let me go." Fear overwhelmed me as I began to relive the nightmare. The Doctor had disappeared and was replaced with the visage of the man. Thinking of all he'd done, my fear became rage and before I could even realized what I was doing, I began to hit him. "This is all your fault! You kidnapped me, you filthy perverted monster! You took me away from him. I can't hear him. I can't even feel him! I need him and you separated us! Are you happy? You murdered me and destroyed any life I could have with him. I hate you! I'll kill you for what you've done."

As I brought my hand down to strike him again, he caught it, pulling me into his arms. I struggled to get out of them, barely hearing him call my name. "Cerys! Cerys it's me. It's the Doctor."

"Doctor?" I croaked.

"Yes, it's me. You're safe."

My anger dissipated into hysteria as I sobbed uncontrollably into his chest before I pushed myself away. "Doctor. No! He can't know about me! He'll hate me!"

"Why would I hate you?"

"I was weak. They broke me, made me do things. He'll never forgive me."

"Of course I will. I'll always forgive you."

"No! Especially once he finds out. He mustn't know," I begged.

"I mustn't know what?"

"Stop that! You aren't him, you aren't the Doctor."

"Yes I am. We've been travelling together."

"Travelling? He hasn't travelled since-" I stopped, a crippling headache starting up. I shut my eyes grimacing.

"What is it? What's wrong?" I heard the man ask. I didn't answer, I couldn't answer. Letting out a small cry, I felt myself fade.

Hey, so I've finally updated... a day or so late. Sorry about that. Things have been a bit busy since I went on holiday. But with that said... thanks for all the reviews. Totally appreciate it.

NicoleR85: Definitely feel the same about OCs taking the crap given. I tend to make female characters not take crap from anyone. The thing is, since it's so early in the story, so maybe it'll seem like she's taking it at the moment but it won't seem that way later one :)

dream lighting: The Doctor will most likely have a moment of clarity sooner or later.

I'm-a-Klaus-addict: Thanks. My whole reason for it being Cerys was because she was the main speaker to Cassandra. It was definitely an opportunity for a Doctor-Cerys kiss without it being so. At first I was going to make it one book but I'm not too sure because while it would be a lot easier to make it one book, I do like the breakdown. But there is a strong possibility it'll be one book. My main way of breaking it down was to do it by companion... two companions per book. But only time will tell.

Lizzybug2000: Thanks. Cassandra actually does say something to the Doctor pertaining to certain things. It'll be up in the next chapter.

yellowroseofthenw: Welcome to the story. Yeah, to be honest, I hate when stories jump straight into the romance. Nothing is ever like that works out. Besides, it's been done multiple times and unless done properly, they can suck. But thanks for the review.