A/N: The end is near people, The end of Season Three for one and of my story. Just one more chapter, I think and that will be it. Also I caught a few errors in my last chapter, so I tweaked my last chapter a bit and re-updated it. Minor things really, like the date between when Ms. Lai went missing and the group taking in the parts from the Time Scoop. Even though it was good the way it was, I don't like a lot of obvious errors staring straight at me. Please R/R.

XXX

Chapter Twenty One: East or West, Home is Best

The Doctor set the time, the year 4566, and the place Mala'shi, the home of the Mala'shraian race. The TARDIS dematerialized leaving Ms. Lai and Mr. Wilden in 1869 Cardiff. Mr. Wilden smiled, "I wonder if we will be in time for the rocket launch."

"That's 1969, you moron…" Ms. Lai said angrily.

Mr. Wilden frowned and then said, "You listen here missy. I know a lot more than you think. It's 1869 and a man has at least some authority over a woman. And it's time I demonstrate it." He suddenly grabbed Ms. Lai by the arm forcefully and dragged her along. "Charles what are you doing?"

"If we're going to live in 1869, then I am the one that's going to make sure we're going to survive it, because frankly my dear….I am the only confident you have now and by God I am not going to let you screw up our chances here. "

"Charles, you've gone mad….stark raving mad."

"I am not mad, my dear. I am furious and if we're going to survive, you're going to call me Mr. Wilden and you my dear are going to be Mrs. Wilden."

"You'd think I'd ever let you…."

"You want to live on your own. I doubt you'd last one day, without a husband. You need me, so either love me or hate me my dear; I am all you got…."

Ms. Lai began to cry as Mr. Wilden dragged her along Cardiff, "Shut up….you're making a scene…"

-0o0-

The TARDIS rematerialized in a field somewhere in Mala'shi. The Doctor opened the door and took a breath of air, "Smell that air…nothing quite like it."

Meanwhile beside the TARDIS huge looking stalks in the fields fluttered lightly, but there was no wind at all.

Martha stepped out, "It looks like a farmer's field…complete with rows and rows of boring ordinary plants."

"Martha be nice, you don't want to offend the plants."

"Offend the plants…right?"

Ry'kla smiled as she came out and she gently patted the stalks. She carefully peeled back the corner of one of a husk and peeked inside for a moment and then carefully placed it back.

Martha frowned not sure what Ry'kla was doing, "What is this place?"

"A nursery, Martha Jones, maybe I should sing a few Gallifreyan lullabies, they'd like that."

"You're not making any sense, Doctor. A nursery is a place where plants are grown. You don't sing to plants."

The Doctor grinned, "Martha Jones. These plants are different, they like music. Come to think of it, they might like hearing us talk and walking around. Nice quiet and comforting environment."

Suddenly a pair of hands came out of one of the stalks.

Martha screamed.

The Doctor frowned, "Martha Jones, hush…you'll scare them."

"Scare what?" Martha was alarmed, since when did hands come out of a plant?

Ry'kla watched intently and ever so carefully she placed her hands gently on the stalk and began to hum lightly.

Swiftly the pair of hands managed to pull the leaves back and an older looking Mala'shra emerged from the plant and collapsed on the ground, worn out by the effort.

The Doctor grinned, "Hello…."

The older Mala'shara looked up at the Doctor with curiousity and wonder in his eyes.

Martha shivered lightly, "Okay that was weird…"

Ry'kla chuckled lightly amused at Martha Jones's statement, "You humans are all alike. Everything to you is 'weird.' This is how my people start." Ry'kla took off her cloak and covered the newly 'born' Mala'shra.

Martha blinked, "You're telling me that your people grow out of the ground like a plant."

Ry'kla chuckled, "Yes…."

"That's impossible, no way could a person just….sprout out of the ground like that."

The Doctor laughed, "For Humans, Martha Jones …but for the Mala'shra its part of their genetic make up. It gives a whole new meaning to being called a sprout. Ry'kla, do you know where we are?"

"A family field…each family has a plot given to them to bear their offspring. But this could be one of many….I do not know which one."

The Doctor frowned, "Don't your people watch the fields so the offspring aren't left alone…"

Ry'kla nodded, "Yes, but this time of year is busy. There is food to gather as well…as new children."

Without too much of a warning, a middle aged looking woman came walking into the field, and she frowned looking at the Doctor, Ry'kla, and Martha Jones."

"Who are you? What are you doing in our field?"

Ry'kla looked at the woman, "Ta'lana is that you?"

Ta'lana blinked, "Who are you? And how do you know my name?"

Ry'kla suddenly squeezed the woman in an embrace, "It's me. It's your mother, Ry'kla. I am home. And this is Martha and the Doctor."

The Doctor waved and Martha smiled at the woman when they were introduced.

"You can't be….my mother died. She died forty five years ago."

"I was kidnapped. Taken far from here, the Doctor….he….saved me, and brought me home."

Ta'lana looked at the man in a trench coat and suit. "The stories…."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, "Yea, yea…stories." He then grinned, "I am so good; out of all the fields on Mala'shi I pick the one that has Ry'kla's family planted in it."

Martha shook her head, "That was luck, Doctor."

"Oh Martha, with me there's no such thing. See the TARDIS is telepathic. Ry'kla's people are telepathic as well. And she's brilliant, just like me. So she brought us here."

Ta'lana sighed, "But you died….we all knew it. When you didn't come home, we committed your memory to Mala. We mourned your loss for six years."

Martha blinked; she couldn't imagine that a race would mourn a person's death for that long, "Six years…."

The Doctor whispered to Martha, "Six is a number of completion for the Mala'shra. It's a sacred number. It's a bit like humans fascination with the number seven, but with the Mala'shra it's the number six."

Ry'kla sniffed lightly, "I know….and to me you were just as dead. I never thought I'd ever get home. But here I am. I know it may take a little while to get use to…but I have returned." She grasped Ta'lana's hand, "See….feel it, feel me with your mind….I have returned."

The Doctor said firmly, "Well it's time me and Martha should be on our way."

Ry'kla suddenly latched onto the Doctor's hand, "Please stay….stay and meet my family."

"I don't do families too well."

Ry'kla laughed, "That's absurd, Doctor."

"Well every time I meet a family. I either get yelled at or slapped. I really don't have a good track record. Besides, this is your family reunion not mine. You go ahead and enjoy it."

Ry'kla sighed and then hugged the Doctor, "Will I ever see you again?"

The Doctor grinned, "Maybe. Good bye little Ry'kla. I want you to do one thing for me."

"What's that?"

"Have a fantastic life."

Martha sighed, she really didn't know the Doctor that well yet, but she could tell that he was getting itchy and wanted to go. It didn't seem fair to leave all of a sudden, but it really wasn't wise to argue with the guy that was giving you a lift across space and time, "Good bye Ry'kla."

Ry'kla gave Martha a hug and said softly, "Thank you for freeing me." Martha smiled, "You're welcome." The two finally let go. And the Doctor said, "Come along, Martha."

The Doctor and Martha walked back to the TARDIS, he opened the door and both of them stepped inside, the Doctor smiled, "Now…to get you home Martha Jones."

Martha sighed; the Doctor had promised her one trip. Even though the Doctor had ended up bending their original agreement, he still was saying he needed to take her home. Yet he treated her like he needed her, and at times acted like she was going to be with him for awhile. Maybe he would change his mind because Martha had seen so much already and home was so ordinary.