GUYS I'M LATE IF I MISS MY FLIGHT IT'S YOUR FAULT

I'm sorry if there are any errors. I've had no time to write, but I really, really, wanted to post something before I left. There's a bunch of stuff missing, I haven't even had the chance to reread it, but I had to post!

Enjoy! I'll fix anything weird/wrong when I get back.

See you in August!

We ran through the now open doors, the numbers blurring past. Area 27, area 25, area 22, area 20, 19, 18-

"Hey!" I yelled at the figure standing by the pod entrance in area 17. One of the previous crewmembers – Ashton? – now wore a red helmet with a thin, square, polaroid filter through which he saw.

"That's enough!" The Doctor yelled and finally, the figure turned to us. "What do you want?" He demanded. "Why this ship? Tell me."

The figure responded in a guttural growl, and in a move so swift and violent, turned and punched the keypad he'd been working on.

"Jettinson activated." Echoed the computer.

Even as my breath accelerated and I fought down the panic and the fear I felt for Martha, the Doctor's voice remained calm.

"Come on. Let's see you."

I blinked, stepping away from the Doctor. His voice was eerily hypnotizing, and I worried he was caught up with the anomaly in front of him, and had forgotten Martha. Not possible. Or was it?

The thing that was once Ashton approached the Doctor, step by step, until he was nose to nose with the Time Lord.

"I want to know what you really are." The Doctor breathed.

Ashton's hand rose ever so slowly until it reached his visor. I held my breath. The Doctor was an idiot. Ah, hell. A stupid, senseless, idiot.

And then, suddenly, Ashton flinched back in pain, doubling over as he groaned. Surprised, we merely stayed stock-still. He then straightened up, and calmly walked past the Doctor, his shoulder pushing past the Time Lord, before continuing down the corridor.

"Airlock sealed." The computer said.

The Doctor ran to the intercom, pressing a button before warning the Captain. "Ashton's heading in your direction. He's been infected, just like Korwin!"

"Korwin's dead, Doctor." Came Scannell's serious reply.

The computer spoke up again. "Airlock decompression completed. Jettinson pod."

I rushed to the small window connecting to the pod, the Doctor coming to a stop behind me. Martha's face peered out at me, her face clammy with tear tracks and sweat as she yelled and hit the glass.

"Doctor!" I saw her mouth the words.

"No, no, no, no." I muttered, my heart getting stuck somewhere in my throat as something in my stomach clenched painfully. "Martha." I gasped.

"I'll save you!" The Doctor yelled.

Her mouth moved, a soundless Doctor!

"I'll save you!" The Doctor repeated.

Her mouth moved again, but I didn't catch what she said. I blinked my tears furiously away.

"I'll save you!" The Doctor cried, one last time.

The pod launched, and I watched as it slowly drifted away, Martha's face becoming smaller and smaller.

The sob finally climbed out of my throat even as I tried pushing it back. "Doctor, oh God, we failed her."

A hand on my shoulder turned me sharply around. The Doctor bent forward until his eyes were level with mine, piercing and determined.

"No. We still have time. Hear that? We will save her." He rushed towards the intercom, leaving me surprised and speechless. "Scannell!" He yelled. "I need a spacesuit in area seventeen now!"

"What for?" Scannell asked.

"Just get down here!" The Doctor yelled.

"What are you going to do?" I asked.

"I'm going to bring the pod back."

"How?"

"There's a magnetic lock on the ship's exterior. If I can boost it, the magnetic force should pull the pod back."

I blinked. "You're planning on going out there?"

His eyes flickered to mine, and then away. "Yes."

A laugh forced itself out my throat. It was dry and devoid of humor. "No way in hell, Doctor."

He turned to look at me, surprised. "What?"

"You're not going out there."

His eyebrows lowered and his eyes changed, until I had an angry Time Lord glaring at me. "Yes, I am. I will save Martha, Kylie. Even if you don't seem to care."

"Of course I care, Doctor!" I spat out. "But you're not going out there. It's suicide!"

"Well, what do you suggest then?" He growled, stepping closer. "What other brilliant idea do you have, Osirien?"

I winced. "Doctor, you go out there, you die out there, and we're all done for, do you understand? You are the only hope this ship's got. You die, everyone in this ship dies, got that?"

"I'm still not hearing any other ideas." He snarled.

"Let me do it."

Expressions danced across his features, almost too fast to catch. "No."

"Yes."

The walls were up again. Nothing could be read from his stony expression. "You will not."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't be an idiot, Doctor. I'm not doing this to play the hero. I'm not doing this to prove anything. I'm doing this because it's the logical thing to do. I get Martha back, you get us, this whole ship, to safety."

He bared his teeth. "And if you die out there?"

I shrugged. "Then I die. Very few will miss me." At least, I hoped the Doctor and Martha would. "But I will do anything to get Martha back first. And," I continued, trying to talk over the Doctor's retort. "I have the Timepiece. I'm a difficult woman to kill, Doctor. If I don't survive that, then no one else could have."

He growled before turning sharply around. One of his hands ran through his head as he paced.

"Doctor." Scannell gasped as he finally reached us, carrying the orange spacesuit. "The spacesuit."

I stepped forward. "Here, I'll take-"

"Kylie."

I looked at him, his voice a physical pull I couldn't resist.

"Doctor?" I replied.

Our eyes locked and held, and I felt as if he scanned my innermost thoughts, my very being, with chocolate brown eyes.

"If you're going to do this," he finally said, his voice oddly quiet. "You have to promise me you will be careful, and you will come back."

I exhaled, relieved. "Of course."

"I will never forgive myself if you both die on me."

"Neither of us will."

He nodded, if a tad reluctant. "Go on then."

I took the spacesuit from Scannell, and began putting it on.

Scannell was looking at us, surprised. "I can't let you do this."

"You're wasting your breath, Scannell." The Doctor said dryly, looking at me as if committing me into memory. Ye of little faith. "You're not going to stop her."

"You want to open an airlock in flight on a ship spinning into the sun. No one can survive that."

I grinned at him. "Oh, just you watch."

He turned to me. "You open that airlock, it's suicide. This close to the sun, the shields will barely protect you."

"I'm not human, Scannell. I can survive this."

He blinked, surprised.

The Doctor nodded. "If she can boost the magnetic lock on the ship's exterior, it should remagnetise the pod. While she's out there, you have got to get the rest of those doors open. We need those auxiliary engines. I'll stay here and… make sure everything goes to plan."

Scannell still didn't agree. "Doctor, Kylie, will you listen! They're too far away. It's too late!"

The Doctor shook his head. "We're not going to lose her."

I fit the helmet over my head, giving the Doctor thumbs up. "Ready!"

I walked into the airlock, stopping when the Doctor's hand locked on my shoulder.

"Kylie-"

I stopped him. "No. No goodbyes."

He hesitated, but nodded. "Alright. Good luck."

I took my position, sent the Doctor one last look, and sealed the doors.

"Decompression initiated." The computer announced. "Impact in twelve fifty five."

I took one last breath and opened the last door. I was immediately assaulted by the heat and the currents. Shuddering, I fought my way out the doorway, clutching it by the hand as I stretched myself, trying to reach the magnetic lock and the mechanism.

I gritted my teeth, pain beginning to slip through my limbs, my fingers just merely brushing the button. Taking a big breath, I reached.

The button pressed down easily and I breathed out in relief. Now, I just had to pull the lever.

"Come on, come on," I muttered to myself. The level was even further away, and I was just merely hanging from the doorway. The pain was increasing from breath to breath, slowly burning through my body. It reached my head, where a headache started to tear through my mind.

"Kylie?" The Doctor's voice logged into the helmet's intercom.

"I can't reach," I gasped. "Ah, hell. I can't."

"Come on, Kylie. Don't give up now."

His voice sent a new wave of strength through my body. I would not give up on Martha.

With a growl, I stretched until I was just merely hanging by my fingertips from the doorway. My other hand brushed the lever, and with a groan, I successfully took hold of it.

"You can do it. Come on, you can."

My arms shook, and I was afraid I was going to lose hold of the lever. With a final grunt, I pulled down.

I groaned. "Doctor, I did it."

I could hear the grin on his voice alone. "Yeah, you did. Come on inside."

I climbed back into the doorway, panting and grinning as I did. Martha was going to be safe. I glanced back, finally taking a good look at the sun that was all the cause of our problems.

It was a mistake.

The huge mass that was the sun loomed before me, red, orange, and yellow twisting in a complicated mess. It was almost hypnotizing. I couldn't tear my eyes away. I wasn't aware of the pain anymore. My head didn't hurt. My body didn't ache. I was completely enthralled in the body before me.

And then, I felt it. Something was fighting its way in, messing around my mind, trying to find a way to use it. The sun was not just a mere star.

"It's alive," I gasped.

And suddenly I understood. Understood the boiling anger inside the being. The Captain was not an innocent woman. No, she'd done terrible things.

"Kylie? Get in, and close the airlock now! The pod's coming your way!"

I blinked, and gasped in relief when the strange sensation disappeared as I closed my eyes. Deciding it was better that way, and momentarily ripped from my stupor, I stumbled inside, clumsily closing the airlock behind me.

Away from the sun's influence, my body caught up to me, the pain returning full force. It was even worse. The headache was not even a headache anymore. My head was simply burning right now. From the inside.

Burn with me.

"Kylie? Hey! Look at me! What's wrong? Kylie!"

"Kylie? Oh, God. Is she alright?"

I gasped, turning around until my forehead was against the floor. It even felt cool against my burning brow. It was strange. I didn't even know how I'd ended up on the floor. How I'd taken off my helmet.

Something shook my form.

"What's wrong?"

"Doctor." I gasped, opening my eyes for a split second. I groaned, closing them again when my head burned even worse.

"Why did her eyes shine like that?"

Cool hands touched my brow. "Keep your eyes closed, Kylie."

"It's alive, Doctor." I gasped.

"What?"

I shuddered. "The Captain. Her fault."

"Riley, get down to area ten and help Scannell with the doors." I dimly heard the Captain ordering. "Go!"

"Kylie?" The Doctor's voice was soft. "What do you mean?"

"She mined that sun. Stripped its surface for cheap fuel. Didn't scan for life."

"I don't understand!" She exclaimed.

Martha spoke up. "Doctor, what is she talking about?"

"The sun is alive," He repeated. "A living organism. They scooped out its heart and used it for fuel."

I moaned, my hands over my head, trying to stop the burning. "It's screaming!"

"What do you mean?" The Captain pestered. "How can a sun be alive? Why is she saying that?"

"It's in me." I whimpered. "It's living in me."

Burn with me.

"Oh, my God." The Captain gasped.

Hands, so deliciously cool, slid over my face and neck.

"Humans!" The Doctor growled. "You grab whatever's nearest and bleed it dry! You should have scanned!"

"It takes too long." The Captain tried. "We'd be caught. Fusion scoops are illegal."

Long arms slid underneath my shoulders and legs. "Come on! Stasis chamber. We've got to freeze it out. It's killing her! The closer we get to the sun, the stronger it gets! Med-Centre, quickly!"

My hands fisted around the Doctor's shirt, and a half sob, half scream ripped from my throat.

Burn with me.

My back was suddenly placed against a solid object as he lowered me down, the Doctor detaching my hands from his shirt. I shuddered, the brief feeling of safety he provided leaving me.

"Martha?" I heard him ask.

"I can do it!"

"Doctor?" I groaned. "Where are you?"

"Shh, it's all right. I'm here." Cool hands touched the sides of my head. "We're going to try something, okay? It's going to hurt."

I groaned. "Can't hurt worse than this."

He remained quiet, and that scared me more than anything.

"I'm scared." I admitted.

"You're going to get through this. I promise you."

I would've laughed, but I could only whimper. "Don't promise me that. I don't know if the Timepiece will survive the stasis chamber."

"You're not going in the stasis chamber."

"What?"

I heard him take a breath over the sound of my pants. Coolness settled against my forehead, and I realized his forehead was suddenly against mine. "I'm sorry."

If the pain was agonizing before, now, it was excruciating. I writhed under his hold, my scream only rivaled with his. Something was ripping through my head, a battle of wills I could not participate in.

When I opened my eyes again, the pain was gone.

It was all a blur. My eyes could not focus on anything, and the world was mute. I laid still, trying to make sense of the situation.

I couldn't be dead, could I?

In a blink, my eyesight was sharp again and the universe exploded with noise. I sat up with a gasp, wildly looking around.

Martha was scrambling around the stasis chamber, the Captain looking on, seemingly distressed.

The Doctor was in pain.

He was in the stasis chamber, groaning and shaking, his eyes closed as his body shook.

"Ten seconds. That's all I'll be able to take. No more." He moaned. "Martha!"

"Yeah?"

"It's burning me up. I can't control it. If you don't get rid of it, I could kill you." He growled. "I could kill you all." He whimpered. "I'm scared."

I'm scared. The Doctor was scared.

Something broke inside me. I climbed to my feet, my legs wobbling beneath me. I didn't understand what was happening. Why the Doctor suddenly had the thing inside him. How I no longer had it. But he was in pain, he was scared, and that's all that mattered.

I reached him, Martha giving me a wild look, panic across her features. Her voice, however, was calm.

"Just stay calm," she said. "You saved me, now I return the favor. Just believe in me."

His hands were gripping the table beneath him. I took one of them, placing my hand in his and squeeze back as he clung to me. "We're both here, Doctor." I rasped. "You're going to be okay, I promise."

"Kylie," He gasped. "Don't promise me that."

"I promise."

He moaned, trembling. "It's burning through me. Then what'll happen?"

"That's enough!" Martha ordered. "We've got you."

"There's this process," He gasped. "This thing that happens if I'm about to die."

Martha shook her head. "Shush. Quiet now. Because that is not going to happen. Are you ready?"

A beat of silence. "No."

Martha pulled down the joystick and the Doctor was rolled completely into the chamber, my hand still clasped in his. A second later, she turned on the machine.

The Doctor screamed.

Screamed, and screamed, and screamed.

It was the worst sound in the world.

My hand was shaking in his, pain shuddering through me. But it was nothing compared to before. Nothing to what the Doctor was going through. So, I ignored it.

A moment later, the lights were suddenly dimmed and the stasis chamber whirred to a stop.

"No!" The Doctor exclaimed. "Martha, you can't stop it! Not yet."

"What happened?" Martha asked, bewildered.

The Captain winced. "Power's been cut in Engineering."

"But who's down there?"

The Captain shook her head. "Leave it to me."

She ran off, just as the Computer's speakers turned on. "Impact in four forty seven."

It didn't take long until the frost covering the Doctor started to melt. I exchanged a worried look with Martha.

"Come on." She muttered. "You're defrosting."

"Martha, listen!" The Doctor said. "I've only got a moment. You've got to go!"

Martha's eyes widened. "No way."

He groaned. "Get to the front. Vent the engines. Sun particles in the fuel, get rid of them."

"I'm not leaving you."

"You've got to give back what they took. Take Kylie with you."

"Doctor!" We both exclaimed.

"Please go!"

Martha hesitated, looking at me. Go, I mouthed, I'll stay.

"I'll be back for you." She finally promised, before rushing out.

The Doctor's hand squeezed mine. "You stubborn girl," he muttered, before screaming.

I winced, knowing there wasn't anything I could do.

"Impact in two seventeen. Primary engines critical." The computer announced.

"Listen," he gasped. "There's this process. It's called regeneration. It will happen, if I die. I come back. New face, new body, but it'll be me."

I patted his knee. "Yeah, that's not happening." I paused. "Wait, how many bodies have you had?"

"Tenth." He whimpered. "I'm on my tenth."

I blinked, looking him in amazement, pity churning in my stomach. "You've died nine times?"

His only response was another scream. He ripped his hand from mine as he clutched his stomach. Before I could even react, he rolled off, landing on the ground with another scream.

"Doctor!" I cried, rushing around the table to reach him.

"Repeat." The computer warned. "Primary engines critical. Survival estimate projection zero percent."

"Kylie," he grunted as I kneeled beside him. "I can't fight it."

I pushed his damp hair away from his face. His face turned towards my hand as he leaned his forehead against it, probably relieved with the slightly cooler temperature of my skin.

"Get away from me." He muttered. "Kylie! Go. I'll kill you if I don't. Can't fight it." He whimpered, before suddenly his voice changed, his eyes flickered open for a mere second, a blinding white light briefly blinding me. "Give it back or burn with me."

I blinked. Ah, hell.

I stood up, slowly stepping away as he grunted, his eyes flickering open once again, before quickly shutting close.

"Burn with me, Kylie."

"Impact in one twenty one."

My back hit the wall as I watched the Doctor wearily.

"Life support systems reaching critical. Repeat. Life support systems reaching critical. Impact in one oh six."

I winced. Could it get worse?

"Collision alert. Collision alert."

I almost groaned. It could.

"Collision alert. Fifty-eight seconds to fatal impact."

The Doctor's eyes fully opened, the blinding white light lighting up the room as he stared at the ceiling.

"Come on, Martha." I muttered under my breath. "You can do it."

The computer piped up once again. "Feel dump in progress. Fuel dump in progress."

I held my breath. Come ooon.

The Doctor grunted, and I watched as the light in his eyes slowly died.

"Impact averted." The computer announced. "Impact averted. Impact averted."

I breathed out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding, and my shoulder slumped over in relief.

"Doctor?" I tried.

"Kylie." He gasped.

I grinned. "Doctor!"

I rushed over to him, kneeling beside him. I framed his face with my hands, laughing.

"We did it!" I exclaimed. "Told you!"

He groaned, sitting up with my help. "We did. Martha did!"

I laughed again. "Yeah, she did."

A laugh escaped him, a nervous titter that I had never heard the Doctor do. Widening my eyes, I laughed even harder.

It was nice to be alive.