Author's Notes: Lindisfarne (and Holy Island) is a real place, and descriptions of the castle, priory and general orientation of the island are based on memory and a bit of research. However, while I visited the island once in the past, I do not know any of the inhabitants. All characters appearing in this story are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Disclaimer: This story takes place within the Doctor Who universe. This story is a way of re-interpreting concepts and ideas already present in Doctor Who. All Doctor Who characters within belong to the BBC. All other characters are fictitious. This story is for fun and for sharing, but not for profit.


Chapter 7: Awakened to Time


The villagers streamed through the gate, heading for the glow in the ruins.

'General,' shouted Ten. 'I need to get in there!'

McIntyre nodded towards one of the soldiers and the man pushed Ten into the grounds and over the path, much too slowly for Ten's taste. After they reached the end of the path and the beginning of the last grassy section before the ruins, they found that the cultivated lawn was smooth enough for the wheelchair; however, the going was even slower. McIntyre gestured and the four soldiers immediately picked Ten and the wheelchair up again.

'Not exactly "charging to the rescue",' Ten muttered as they carried him over the grass and towards the ruins. He clung to the armrests and winced as he was rocked back and forth.

Martha stayed with Ten's entourage, but Rose ran ahead with McIntyre. When she reached the inner ruins, she saw that the villagers had stopped, hesitant now that they had the chance to attack.

Between them and the NATS, twenty feet away and almost directly under the Rainbow arch, stood a dark, hooded shape.

'Wait for the Doctor!' she shouted at them. There seemed something familiar about this being.

'Don't move, or we'll attack,' shouted George.

'I order you to stop!' boomed McIntyre.

Unfortunately, his words seemed to have the opposite effect. At the sound of their voices, the hooded being raised a hand towards its waist. Several of the villagers, including George, visibly gathered themselves to rush forward. A well-aimed rock came hurtling from the group and struck the being's midsection. Rose thought she saw a small flicker of light, perhaps a spark, at the point of impact. But she didn't wait to figure it out. She ran in front of the villagers.

'Don't hurt him!' she cried.

But before they had a chance to do anything further, a commanding voice rang out from behind the villagers. 'Stop!'

Rose craned her neck, trying to see past the crowd.. Behind them stood Reverend Milne. The villagers instantly obeyed him.

'What are you thinking?' the vicar asked gently as he came forward. 'There cannot be any violence here!'

'Vicar,' cried Mabel. 'Those things, the things that attacked me. They're right there.'

'And this being here has attacked you?'

Mabel blinked. 'No... but...'

By this time, Ten's group had arrived, clustered just outside the empty, arched entranceway. The vicar looked at them and saw Ten in his wheelchair.

'I'm glad to see you again,' the vicar said. 'Are you all right?'

'I'm fine,' said Ten. 'Vicar, you must let me approach. Violence won't solve anything!'

'I agree,' responded the vicar. 'All of you-let him go to them. Give him room.'

The villagers muttered, but they obediently stepped back. McIntyre frowned, but clearly considering the situation, he nodded to the four soldiers. However, before they had a chance to pick Ten up again, he shook his head. 'That's useless. Martha, did I see crutches?'

'You did.' She brought them forward and handed them to him. 'But be careful! I don't think I need to tell you you're not invincible... and it's going to hurt.'

Ten shrugged, but, wincing, he let Martha help him to his feet. Using the crutches and his good, right leg, he hobbled past McIntyre and into the ruins. As he passed by the vicar, the man laid his hand briefly on Ten's shoulder.

Rose stepped back to let him by, and the villagers stayed where they were, watching intently. Martha, McIntyre and the soldiers came up behind.

The NATS could clearly be seen now through the arch and amongst the tallest walls of the ruins. The familiar shimmer hovered, bright in the deepening twilight. Nearby stones were lit up softly by the glow.

Ten stopped about ten feet in front of the being. Rose noticed that he placed himself between the being and the group of villagers. For a moment, neither he nor the creature moved. Then he looked back towards her and put his hand out. 'Rose,' he said in a low voice. 'The screwdriver.'

She pulled it out of her pocket and threw it in an underarm swing, hoping that would seem less aggressive to the creature.

Ten caught it and held it up for the being to see. 'This is not a weapon,' he said slowly and clearly. He pressed his thumb to the controls and the tip glowed blue. Then he began to flash the light on and off in a series of patterns, too quickly for Rose to make out. But that gesture made a piece of the puzzle click into place. She had seen this before.

The creature watched, and when Ten had finished, it too brought out a device and responded, rapidly flicking on and off a light in an erratic staccato beat.

Ten responded with another brief volley of flashes, and then he pocketed the screwdriver. He looked over his shoulder and said firmly, 'Whatever happens next, do not interfere.'

And then, without waiting for anyone's response, and by swinging his crutches forward, he took a step towards the being. The being responded with its own step forward. Bit by bit, neither one moving at a faster rate than the other, they met in the middle.

The being took Ten's crutches from him and laid them on the ground. Ten merely waited, balancing on one foot. The being straightened and put its arms around Ten into what seemed like a hug. Ten wrapped his own arms around the dark form. But when the sleeves of the being drew back, everyone could see long claws with sharp tips ranged along Ten's spine. Gasps of horror could be heard, and not just from the villagers.

'It's all right,' Rose hissed. 'It's okay. It won't hurt him.' She held her breath, hoping that the vicar's presence would continue to be an effective barrier.

After a moment, the being withdrew, and Ten also let his arms fall to his sides. A moment later, the crutches were back under Ten's arms. However, the slow, measured backing-up proved to be a little more difficult for him. Nevertheless, the creature matched his slower pace and soon they were ten feet apart again.

Once more, the rapid-fire exchange of flashes spoke from screwdriver to device. Then, pocketing the signalling device, the creature unfastened something from a belt and threw it, with an underhand swing like Rose's, to Ten.

'That was good aim, whoever threw that rock,' Ten muttered, as he trained his screwdriver at the device and made it whirr. 'Unnecessary and uncalled for, but good aim.'

But as soon as he had pocketed the screwdriver, the General held out his hand. 'Doctor, that device. Over here.'

'Sorry,' said Ten brightly. 'Belongs to this chap over here.' He tossed it back to the being who promptly reattached it. 'There you are, my friend. Good travels!'

The being touched some control on the device and, amidst cries of wonderment from the onlookers, it vanished in a brief flash of multicoloured light.

'Doctor,' began McIntyre angrily, 'when I tell you to-'

'Just... just, just hold that thought, there, General,' said Ten, waggling his finger. 'One down and...' he peered through the arch, '...and, oh, a few hundred to go, I'd say. Won't be a tick.'

He immediately propelled himself forward, wielding his crutches busily. Behind her, Rose could hear the General muttering. She briefly wondered how long his patience with the Doctor would last.

But when Ten reached the arch, the NATS shot forward and enveloped him, pushing and jostling all around. As the crutches fell from him, he tumbled to the ground and immediately cried out.

'They're hurting him,' screamed Mabel, but Martha ran forward and faced them.

'No, they're not,' she shouted. 'That was his injuries. Leave him alone. That's what he wants.'

McIntyre gestured and the four marines moved to stand close to the villagers, forming a barrier between them and the NATS. The vicar joined the marines. Rose had stepped forward involuntarily when Ten fell, but she kept herself from rushing to his aid.

A hush fell over everyone. Throughout the commotion, neither Ten nor the NATS had paid anyone any attention. Instead, Ten half sat, half lay against the edge of the archway and the NATS covered his entire body, tightly clustered around him.

Rose peered at him. Through the glow and the jiggling NATS, she could see a look of wonder on his face in spite of the tightness of pain she could see around his eyes. Slowly, he stretched out his arms and moved his hands about, gazing raptly as the NATS swirled around, reclustered against his skin and glowed even brighter.

'It doesn't look like they're hurting him,' whispered Betty with a note of awe.

There was a rustle of people nodding or murmuring agreement, but no-one took their gaze off the tableau in front of them. The light of the NATS reached further now, illuminating the Rainbow arch high above and the walls around, and surrounding Ten and the NATS in a rich, ancient stone frame lit up by golden light.

'Beautiful,' breathed Martha.

Rose found herself nodding in agreement as her hands slowly unclenched. Ten's eyes were closed now, and his body was relaxed.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed when the cloud of NATS began to lessen and the glow diminish. Bit by bit, individual NATS winked out of existence until all were gone and Ten was left alone amongst the dark walls of the ruins.

She rushed forward, joined by Martha, and the vicar and McIntyre followed behind. The marines and the villagers clustered around. Rose knelt in front of Ten and she took his hands. When someone shone a torch down onto him and he opened his eyes, she saw a single tear run down his cheek.

'Doctor?' she asked softly.

He looked at her but didn't speak. His fingers tightened around hers.

'What happened, Doctor?' asked McIntyre. His strong voice startled everyone.

Ten shifted and Rose helped him sit more fully upright against the archway.

'Are you all right?' asked Martha. She too knelt in front of him, beside Rose.

Ten nodded. After a few deep breaths, he looked up and then started, as if realizing for the first time that he had a larger audience.

'I'm... I'm... yeah, I'm fine,' he said, nodding slowly.

Betty squatted down beside him. 'We were wrong, I think. Those things liked you.'

Ten looked at her and nodded again, but remained silent.

The vicar cleared his throat. 'Something profound has happened here. George, get his wheelchair, would you? We need to get him somewhere warm and out of this cool air.'

Martha looked up. 'Yeah. That's a good idea. Where can we go?'

Arthur spoke up. 'The pub is only a block away. There's a room at the back where we wouldn't be disturbed.'

'That will do,' said McIntyre. 'Show the way.'

George arrived with the wheelchair and he and Martha helped Ten into it. Ten remained uncharacteristically quiet as they wheeled him out of the ruins, through the graveyard and out onto the street. Except for Arthur and Betty who had gone ahead to warn the owner, everyone followed silently-not a single person split off to go elsewhere, and soon they were all in the back room of the pub. The soldiers were told off to guard the door.

Betty bustled about making tea, and she and the owner brought in several trays and cups for all. She made Ten's tea for him herself, claiming that she knew exactly how he liked it. Indeed, as soon as he held the hot cup in his hands and breathed in the steam, he seemed to collect himself.

'Right, then,' he said at last. 'They won't come back.'

A murmur shot through the room. 'How do you know?' asked George.

'They agreed not to.'

'"They" meaning the NATS?' asked McIntyre. 'Or the... the-'

'The Pilgrim?' finished Ten. 'Both.'

Rose smiled triumphantly and she saw Martha's face suddenly clear with understanding.

'How do you know they agreed not to?' McIntyre prodded. 'I mean, you used something like Morse Code with this... "Pilgrim".'

'Yeah, something like it,' agreed Ten. 'And the NATS just...' He tapped his temple.

'They spoke into your mind?' asked Arthur, sounding skeptical. 'What is this? Telepathy? I don't believe that. Those little bugs?'

'Yes, they did,' said Ten diffidently. 'Of course you wouldn't believe that. You lot decided that throwing rocks was a better way to communicate. Never seen them before? Let's attack them!' He leaned forward. 'That Pilgrim belongs to a race that reveres ancient places of worship throughout the galaxy. Doesn't matter the religion, doesn't matter the philosophy. They cherish holy places of all planets and all cultures. And you chucked a rock at it!'

'Oh my...' murmured the vicar. 'A true pilgrim. From space! What it must think of us.'

'Actually, it forgives you.' Ten leaned back in his chair. 'It forgives all of you. A very forgiving race, they are. They've met fear and violence before and are used to it in less-developed species. In fact, it was trying to herd the NATS away from Earth so that you'd be left in peace.'

Betty's eyes were round. 'All this time...' she whispered. 'It was trying to help us!'

'Er,' said Arthur. 'Less-developed species?'

'As for the NATS,' continued Ten, 'they are just drawn to old things-the older, the better. Minding their own business.' He took another sip of tea.

'They're aliens too?' asked George.

'Yep.' The pop of the 'p' sounded throughout the silent room.

'Cor!' whispered Mabel. 'Like all those things over London...'

'Not exactly,' said Ten carelessly. 'Well, not at all, really. But!' Here, several people jumped, startled. 'No need to worry. I've told them that Holy Island is off limits. Well, all of human-kind, for that matter. They understand. 'Sides-' He shrugged. 'Plenty of other old things in the universe to explore.'

McIntyre shifted his feet. 'So, the Pilgrims, who came for the holy places, also happen to be controlling the NATS who simply like old places?'

'Ehhh...' Ten screwed up his face at that. 'Er, I wouldn't say "controlling", exactly. But, yeah, that's pretty much it. Apparently they've had to guide the NATS away from things from time to time. Much like you might do with excitable children. They were concerned about the lot of you and didn't want you to be alarmed by the NATS'... exuberance.'

George leaned forward, planting his hands on the table. 'What was that Pilgrim doing to you when you fell?'

'It was trying to help me. It knew I had been hurt and it felt responsible because the NATS had... had... contributed to the problem.'

'So, that's... it,' said George. 'That's all.'

'Yep,' agreed Ten. 'That's it.'

'Hm,' muttered Arthur. He cleared his throat. 'Tell me, Doctor. Who are you that knows all these things? You talk blithely of aliens and galaxies, and you knew what code to use with the Pilgrim.'

'Oh, well...' Ten shrugged again. 'I'm just a fellow who listens. I get along by assuming that not everything new and different is a menace.'

'He's been a consultant for a long time,' said Rose quickly. 'He's met aliens before... when they've come to Earth,' she amended.

'And thus we have good cause to thank you,' said the vicar. 'I'm afraid we have not showed these visitors, or you, Doctor, any kindness.'

Several villagers shuffled their feet at this and looked anywhere but at Ten.

'Naah,' he said. 'I'm used to it. Besides, I've had some absolutely top-notch tea here!' Betty beamed at this. 'But, promise me one thing. No more rock throwing, yeah?'

'No, sir,' said a rather subdued voice from the back of the room.

'I believe I know what I shall preach about this coming Sunday,' said the vicar.

'Capital!' enthused Ten. 'You tend to your flock, Vicar, and we should... probably... leave.' He looked at McIntyre.

'I concur,' the general responded. 'We need to return to the base and conduct a further debriefing-you haven't told me everything I need to know-'

'Oh, do I have to?' Ten whined. He looked at Martha and she nodded, almost imperceptibly. 'Oh, all right then. If we must.' He looked decidedly disgruntled.

'What about our stuff at the castle,' asked Rose suddenly. 'It's all still there.'

George, Arthur and Betty looked at each other, then behind them at the rest of the group. As if reaching a consensus, they faced forward again.

'Er, you see,' said George, 'after all that's happened, we thought that... well, least we could do-'

'-though there's no reason why you'd want to, now-' interjected Arthur.

'-you could stay at the castle tonight,' finished Betty. 'And... maybe we could all have another vote tomorrow morning-'

'-We do need a caretaker at the castle-' said George.

'-and I for one would feel better if you stayed,' interrupted Mabel. 'Just in case any of those aliens return.'

A big grin spread across Ten's face. 'That's more like it! Though, I promise you, the aliens won't return.'

'Will the Doctor be okay?' asked Rose. 'Does he need to go back to the hospital tonight?'

'Oi! I'm right here,' Ten groused. 'You could ask me.'

'She has a point, Doctor,' said McIntyre.

Martha nodded. 'I'd prefer to have him back at the hospital, if only to make sure he toes the line and doesn't get himself in any more trouble-'

'Oi!'

'-but from a medical standpoint, I would have discharged anyone else who has reached the level of healing he's done. One night at the castle won't hurt; although... I would prescribe home care for a few days if he stays longer.'

'And it starts...' muttered Ten, sotto voce. 'My life as a human on Earth...'

'He still needs to be debriefed,' said McIntyre.

'Right, sir,' said Martha. 'But...sir...if I stay on here, I can provide the home care myself as well as debrief him. Certainly, as his physician, I do recommend that he not be kept up further tonight. He's been through more than enough for one evening.'

McIntyre pursed his lips and thought. Rose held her breath.

'All right,' he said at last, and Rose let her breath out, relieved. 'You will stay at the castle tonight to keep an eye on the Doctor. Tomorrow you will have to find a place to stay whether or not he continues as caretaker.'

'General?' Martha asked, confused.

'That's the condition, Doctor Jones. You will be helping debrief the villagers.'

'What-?' cried Mabel, and Arthur scowled.

'The events of tonight are not to be discussed with anyone, understand?' McIntyre looked at each person in the room. 'This is classified information and it needs to be contained. All you need to say to the others who live on Holy Island is that the case has been solved and that the unexplained events will not happen again. Do you understand me?'

'I doubt, General,' said the vicar, 'that anyone can stop us from talking amongst ourselves. We have all wondered about the NATS and the Pilgrim, and we are a close-knit community. Also, we know that the encounter with the NATS clearly affected the Doctor more than he's letting on.'

At this, Rose looked at Ten, but he resolutely kept his gaze downward. She noticed the General and Martha, too, giving a quick, sharp glance his way.

'However,' continued the vicar hastily, as if regretting having called attention to Ten. 'I do feel I speak for that community when I say that I don't think we'd share it with anyone who did not live on the island.'

'I think that's the best you're gonna get, General,' Ten murmured. 'I wouldn't push it any further.'

'Hmm.' McIntyre looked unhappy, but he nodded slowly. 'Very well, then. Jones, see to it that your patient is settled in at the castle. I will have a jeep sent to you by morning with your kit.'

'Could I have a car for the Doctor, sir?' asked Martha. 'He'd need an automatic, if possible. Oh, and a licence.'

'One automatic car and a licence for the Doctor,' responded the general. 'I'll see what I can do.' He sighed. 'Anything else?'

'Nope,' said Ten, visibly rousing himself. 'Happy as clams, we are.'

The General made what suspiciously sounded like a growling noise and then he turned on his heel and marched out the door. He could be heard barking orders to the marines outside.

'Time to get you to bed, mister,' muttered Martha to Ten, 'before we all get in trouble.'

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

It was midnight by the time Ten was settled into bed at the castle, propped up by pillows against the headboard. George had driven him, Rose and Martha out to the castle and helped him up the slope and through into the back rooms. He also brought the wheelchair from the boot of the car and wheeled it in before returning to the village.

Now, Rose sat cross-legged on the bed beside Ten, with Martha perched on the single bed facing them.

'Are you sure you don't want to sleep?' Rose asked. 'Aren't you tired?' She watched him closely. He had remained quiet all the way back to the castle, although she admitted to herself that that could easily be explained by his accident the night before.

'No,' he said. He stirred, looked at Rose and smiled briefly. 'Slept all day. In actual fact, I'd rather go stargazing. It's a clear night. Moon should go down soon.'

'Sorry,' said Martha. 'You're staying right here.'

He pouted at that, but then admitted, 'Bed's comfy.'

'It is!' agreed Rose. 'Much better than lying outside on some knobbly grass.'

'All right, then,' said Martha briskly. 'Comfy and wide awake. Good. That'll help me with finishing your official debriefing.'

'Now, wait a min-' began Ten.

'Do you want it hanging over your head?' she asked, waggling a pen at him. 'The General wants it by tomorrow noon, and if I don't get it in to him by then, he's likely to recall you and have you fully debriefed in front of a panel of UNIT brass. I've managed to avoid that so far for you. Don't cock it up now!'

'Yes, ma'am,' he said meekly.

Rose grinned. 'You're good.'

Martha grinned back. 'Have to be. The only way to manage him.'

'What?' He looked outraged.

'Question one,' Martha said, overriding him. 'Had you ever met these NATS before?'

'No,' was Ten's sulky response.

'Did they identify themselves to you?'

'Not by name,' he said quietly.

'What was their purpose in coming to Holy Island?'

He hesitated. 'To see old things.'

'That's it?' queried Martha. 'Are you sure?'

'Quite sure,' he said, crossing his arms.

'All right,' responded Martha, eyeing him a little dubiously. 'Have they ever come to Earth before or have they ever contacted anyone here?'

'Nope.'

'Will they honour their promise to you?'

'Human-kind off limits? Never return?' Ten shrugged. 'I don't see why they shouldn't.'

'And the Pilgrim? Have you ever met any of its kind before?'

'Nope.'

'What was that code you used to communicate with it?'

'A common code among spacefaring races. Like Morse code but not.'

'Can you teach it to UNIT personnel?'

'I could, but I won't.'

'Why not?'

'You're not a spacefaring race. Others make assumptions when that code is used and some would likely get angry at upstart planet-bound creatures presuming to misrepresent themselves. I don't want to have to start saving you lot every time you piss off some aliens passing by.'

Martha pursed her lips. 'All right. Just so you know, the general will want to grill you on that one.'

'I won't change my mind.'

'Noted. What does it call its race?'

'Just Pilgrim-in its language, of course.' Ten shifted, clearly restless. Rose laid her hand on his arm.

'Have they ever-'

'No contact, no human knows, won't return,' Ten interrupted. 'They're honourable beings. UNIT can relax. They won't invade, infiltrate, instigate, insult, insinuate, or inebriate.'

Martha blinked and then slowly grinned. 'Thanks. I'll make sure they know that.' She cocked her head to one side and asked, carefully, 'Is there anything else we ought to know about the NATS or the Pilgrims?'

He shook his head. His arms were still crossed resolutely. Rose looked at him and then at Martha.

Martha closed her folder, tucked the pen inside and stuffed it in her bag which she then threw on the floor. 'All done. Sorry about that. If the general has any more questions, I'm sure he'll tell me tomorrow.'

'I'm sure he will,' he said wryly.

Martha leaned forward, her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. 'And what about off the record?' she asked.

'Hmm?' He laid his head back against his pillows and closed his eyes.

'Doctor,' murmured Rose. 'There's more, isn't there.'

He opened one eye a crack and looked at her. He closed it and opened the other, this time looking at Martha. The message was obvious.

'I won't tell UNIT,' promised Martha. 'I won't lie-it would be easier if I could offer them something more, but I won't betray any confidences if they don't affect Earth in any way.'

He opened both his eyes and gazed at her for a moment, frowning slightly as if pondering the safety of continuing the subject. Rose looked at him and then at Martha who merely waited, relaxed and sincere.

'They came to see me,' he said at last.

'You?' asked Martha. 'You said they'd come to see old places.'

'Old things,' he corrected. 'I'm an old thing. Older than this castle... or the priory.'

'I suppose...' said Martha dubiously. 'So they didn't care about the priory or the castle at all, then.'

He shook his head. 'They did. That's why they appeared there. But it was me who drew them.'

Martha stood up and paced around. 'How is that possible? They started showing up a couple of weeks ago, long before you came.'

'Creatures of time,' Ten said softly. 'They came because they knew I would be there. The fact that I only came because of their presence caused by anticipating my arrival certainly created a paradox, but it's a closed loop now. Improbable, but not impossible.'

'Ah,' murmured Martha. 'One of those.'

'Why did they want to see you?' asked Rose, deciding to avoid the headache of a time paradox. 'You said you'd never met them before.'

'I hadn't,' said Ten. He gazed up at the ceiling, as if his mind were far away. 'I didn't know what they were until tonight. I felt it, though. I knew there was something... something just beyond my reach.'

Rose moved her hand up and down his arm, rubbing it gently. A thought suddenly came to her. 'It's something from home, isn't it. From Gallifrey?'

'Yeah,' he whispered. 'Well, sort of.' He turned his head to look at Martha. 'Do you remember when I told you about Gallifreyan children-when they were eight years old?'

Martha stopped pacing. 'Yeah. As if I could ever forget.'

Ten looked away. 'Sorry.'

She shook her head. 'No, I'm sorry. This has nothing to do with the Master, right?'

'Right,' he agreed and then he sighed. 'No. This is to do with me.'

'What is?' asked Rose. 'What are you talking about?'

Martha sat down on the end of Ten and Rose's bed. 'Looking into the Time Vortex... or... or the Untempered Schism.'

Ten looked at Rose then, his eyes wide and earnest. 'Eight-year-old children are made to look into the Schism just before they enter the Time Lord Academy. As I told Martha, some children look fully and become inspired. They... they accept what seems impossible and they become the most adept at seeing time. There are others who can't really handle it. They take one glimpse and run away. They still go into the Academy-it's an initiation, not a pass or fail. But they struggle with understanding time all their lives. And then there are those who are driven mad. Like the Master.'

Rose nodded slowly. 'Yeah... you said something about never having seen it properly as a child.'

'Yeah,' said Ten. 'Could never quite handle it. Muddled along with time well enough though. Maybe because I was never content just to passively watch other species and their time-lines.'

'So, what's this got to do with the NATS?' asked Martha. She leaned over, propping herself up with one arm.

'There was a story-quite common, really-that mothers and fathers would tell to their young children. "If you look into the vortex, and Time accepts you, you will see them. If you are one of the lucky, brave few, you will see them." We all hoped we'd see them when it came our turn.'

'The NATS,' whispered Rose.

'The NATS,' he said. 'I remember hoping, wanting to be one of the favoured ones. But I never saw them. I can only assume that's because I didn't look into the vortex properly.'

'Did the Master see them?' asked Martha slowly.

He looked at her somberly. 'I don't know. He never would say. None of them would. I never could quite decide whether sightings were kept secret, or whether they were just a myth. As the story went, only children newly awakened to Time would see them. Just the once. Perhaps they wanted it to be secret-to keep the mystery.'

'Were you terribly disappointed?' asked Rose.

'Yeah,' he admitted with a lopsided smile.

'So, why appear to you now?' asked Martha.

'Gallifrey's gone,' said Ten. 'The NATS miss being with Time Lords. They're not from Gallifrey, but they loved it, and they loved playing with the children. The more sensitive to time the children were, and that new, raw, untapped time awareness... it was like honey to the NATS.'

'And you looked into the Time Vortex two weeks ago,' said Rose, suddenly. 'You're like those children now. Newly awakened. Still getting used to it.'

Ten nodded, closing his eyes.

'They miss Gallifrey, but they found you,' she continued softly. 'And... and... you miss your home, but... maybe you found a bit of home through them.'

He nodded again, silently and a little jerkily, eyes still closed. On a sudden impulse, Rose wriggled under the covers and propped herself against Ten's pillows. She snuggled against him, laying her hand on his stomach. Soon his hand covered hers, clinging hard.

Martha leaned over and gently laid her hand on Ten's shoulder. 'I won't tell UNIT anything,' she promised. 'And now I think it's time to let you two sleep.'

She stood up, walked to the door and paused, her finger on the light switch. Rose smiled encouragingly at her when she saw her pause, and Martha nodded. She turned off the light and closed the door behind her. Rose heard her footsteps recede and then the sound of the living room door close in its turn.

In the dark, Rose raised her hand and found Ten's jawline. She stroked his cheek gently.

'I'm glad you found the NATS,' she whispered.

'Me too,' he murmured back. She felt him shifting slightly to turn a little towards her and she could feel his breath soft on her face. 'I didn't tell Martha everything.'

'Uh-oh,' said Rose teasingly, but her voice was gentle. 'What is it?'

'They've agreed to never appear to humans again, and to never return to Holy Island. However, there was no mention of other ancient places on Earth.'

'So...' she said, 'they're going to come and go in secret?'

'Only when I'm there.'

'Oh!' she murmured. She found his hand again and squeezed it. 'You'll like that. They'll be happy, yeah?'

'I think so.' He squeezed her hand back. 'I'm all that's left of the vortex children. Even Eleven doesn't have the attraction I do as he's still never looked right into the vortex. The NATS can't follow him in the TARDIS anyways. But they can find me in prehistoric places.'

'So... not old churches, right?' asked Rose. 'You mean like stone circles or barrows or something?'

'Yeah,' he responded and she could feel him nodding slightly. 'And not where people congregate. That's too risky.'

Rose grinned. 'Good thing you didn't tell Martha. UNIT would hate this.'

'Maybe one day,' he murmured. 'But not now with them breathing down her neck. Not fair to put her in that position.'

'No,' she agreed, soberly. 'But...' and her voice lightened. 'NATS... and you. Together! Maybe you don't feel so stuck on the ground now. You have some Time-Lord magic of your own now.'

'I do.' Rose could hear the happiness in his voice. 'I never imagined... just never...' And here his voice became serious, deep and soft. 'The NATS... and you. My Rose... I'm the luckiest being alive. I just never imagined... And when I'm back to normal, we'll make our own... er... Time-Lord-human magic. You just wait and see.'

'You'll never be normal, you goof,' whispered Rose. 'But that's the way I like it. And I'll be here. Always!'

And with that, she wrapped her arm over his chest and kissed him deeply, and he hummed softly in delight and contentment.

The End