oOo

The Doctor looked out at the beach. Nyssa, Tegan, Tyrel and John were frolicking--yes, definitely frolicking--in the surf, and it brought a brief smile to his face as Peri joined them with a shout of welcome. A host of the villagers had searched unsuccessfully for the Master's body, while he'd taken Kyris to his TARDIS for medical treatment, and to fine-tune the sensors to search for a unique bio-signature that would indicate the presence of the Sacred One. One hour later, boom, the baby had been restored, the grateful citizens had begun what he suspected would be a night-long celebration, and he'd managed to slip away and rejoin his companions in a quiet little celebration of their own.

Well, most of them. He frowned. Ace and Kyris had left after retrieving their key from Tyrel, neither one wanting to dampen the others' moods. "It was wonderful to get to meet you," Kyris had said in a wistful tone. "But Ace and I, we're not likely to be good company for a while." He'd awkwardly hugged his father one-handedly, then hurried after Ace, who had already started trudging to the TARDIS, the key clenched in her fist like a weapon, the expression on her face grim.

The Doctor felt sorrow clog his throat, then cleared it uncomfortably. They were his future and his past, all mixed up together, but they had given him Susan, however, unwillingly, and although he would never express it to them, he was grateful for his time with his granddaughter.

The frown deepened as his thoughts led him down darker paths yet. He could feel grateful to Ace and Kyris, but not to the Master. Never to the Master. His part in all of this was, frankly, unforgivable. He'd paid yet again with his life, but like the proverbial bad penny, the Doctor sensed that he would show back up some day to disrupt the lives of innocent beings.

One of those innocent beings was raising and lowering her son into the water, smiling blissfully as he kicked and laughed. If John had any of the Trakenite empathic abilities, as Nyssa had assured the Doctor he had, then he was the happiest baby in the universe right now, surrounded by loved ones and the absolute center of attention.

Shaking off his thoughts, he approached the water's edge, clearing his throat uncomfortably. Peri noticed him first and nudged Tegan, who lifted John protectively when she saw the Doctor's somber expression. "What is it? What's wrong?" she demanded. Tyrel and Nyssa moved closer, protectively, and the Doctor allowed himself a private smile in recognition of their solicitude.

"Kyris and Ace have left," he announced, after considering exactly how to express the news. Nothing but the bald truth would do, he finally decided. "They weren't in the proper mood for celebration, and asked me to say good-bye to you for them."

He'd done exactly what he hadn't wanted to do; utterly destroyed the mood. But as soon as he made an appearance, someone would have asked about the other two, and delaying that appearance would have led to a search party. All of which would have ended the same way. A pity, but there was nothing to be done about.

Tegan was still holding John, who was squirming in her arms and pointing at the water, babbling incoherently but insistently. The Doctor cleared his throat again. "Tegan, your son appears to be in the mood for more splashing."

"And yours is gone without you getting a chance to know him," she replied without thinking. Her eyes widened in consternation as she realized what she'd said, and she started to stammer an apology that he cut off with a quick smile and raised hand.

"So he is," was all he said. He looked at the group of them, ankle-deep in the warm tropical waters, and his smile widened. "One other bit of news; I promised the Elders that we would remain until morning and a formal leave-taking ceremony." They had been quite insistent, and he had agreed without consulting any of his current companions on the matter, knowing that as long as Tegan had her son and no threat of the Master, she wouldn't care where she was. Or so he assumed; he shot her a questioning glance. "That is, if you don't mind?"

She shook her head, a quick smile of her own forming at the unexpected solicitude in his voice. The Doctor didn't usually ask permission, and he hadn't this time, not really, but it was nice to be consulted, even after the fact. Funny what a difference a baby made...Her attention returned to her son. "This is the only home John remembers; I think I can give him one more night here before you take us back to Terminus." As if in response to her words, John stopped squirming and let out a prodigious yawn. "Tired already, little man?" She looked back at the Doctor, her grin distinctly mischievous this time. "Does the TARDIS have a nursery?"

Everyone was gazing at him with interest; he responded with as much dignity as possible under the circumstances. "Yes, as a matter of fact, it does. I daresay as soon as we bring John on board, the room will make itself available to us."

"If you don't mind, Tyrel and I are going for a walk," Nyssa announced, taking her husband's hand in hers. "We may not be back to the TARDIS for some time."

"Take as long as you like," the Doctor replied. "There are no dangerous predators on this particular island."

"You should take a blanket," Peri put in. "In case you want to lie down and look at the moon or something." She held her eyes innocently wide, then turned back to the Doctor. "Do you think anyone would mind if I went back to the village? They said something about dancing and a feast, didn't they? Or was that for tomorrow?"

"No, dancing and feasting takes place tonight. And we're all welcome to join in," he added, although he suspected none of the others were eager to take the villagers up on the offer.

Peri grinned eagerly. "Don't wait up for me, then. I have my key!" She headed off without another word or a look back.

Nyssa, meanwhile, had hurried into the TARDIS and retrieved a blanket from the Wardrobe Room. Giving Tegan a quick peck on the cheek, she and Tyrel turned and strolled down the beach, hand in hand, her head resting on his shoulder. The sun was setting, and for the first time Tegan allowed herself to notice how spectacular a sunset it was. John nestled closer, resting his head on her shoulder, eyes drooping and thumb firmly in mouth. "I supposed you'd better show me that nursery," she murmured, flashing a grin at the Doctor.

He grinned back before sweeping one arm forward in an "after you" gesture.