If anyone is still with me after this, well your threshold for bullshit must be high. Still sorry.

The sun had set hours ago, but the path back to the village was still lit by the light of the red moon. The Doctor stopped just before the light of the village could illuminate him. Peering between the houses, he saw a huge bonfire had been erected and that the people were arming themselves. The looks on their faces clearly defined their intentions. They would lynch Andy in the morning, regardless of whether…it…was in her or not.

Deciding that enough had happened tonight, and that he didn't want to explain it to irate villagers who probably wouldn't listen anyway, the Doctor carefully edged his way around the town until he came to the tree line behind Matros' house. As quietly as he could, he walked into the trees. He could barely remember the way to Andy's clearing in the daylight; he knew there was no chance of finding it at night. But he followed the path to Andy's 'shack' and laid her down outside it. The second her skin touched the earth, the tendrils sprung up and attached themselves to her skin. She was bathed in the eerie glowing green light. Except that it wasn't so creepy anymore. Not now that the Doctor understood what accounted for Andy's impossibility. He tried to turn it all over in his mind.

A demi-goddess. Andy was a demi-goddess. But even as he looked at her, the Doctor couldn't place her in the same league as Gaia, let alone the same pantheon. She looked like an ordinary girl who was still growing. She just wasn't ready.

She had had to escape. Her parents had had to take her away, because somebody hadn't liked that fact that she would be the Magi. A Magi. The leader of an entire planet. Not democratically chosen, but by birth right. She had no choice in the matter. She had been given a cardboard cut-out and she was supposed to fit into it. And he was supposed to help her.

He could barely let himself think about that. He was supposed to groom the leader of a planet? He didn't really know anything about leading. Oh sure, he assumed control of whatever situation he found himself in and generally came out on top, maybe minus a few lives, but overall with good results. But the actual leading he gave to people who stayed, who could wait around and deal with the problems and not go running off as soon as their feet got itchy. He took people along because he sometimes got bored and needed to be reminded of just how big and brilliant the universe was. His Companions awe-struck faces always gave him that. And sometimes just so that he could show off. But if he took Andy, he'd have to deal with the responsibility of her education. He didn't want the responsibility. He didn't do well with responsibility. But then, he couldn't disobey a direct order from a goddess, could he?

Gaia scared him. He could admit that now. The way her eyes had pierced him, her complete aloofness, her confidence had intimidated him. He was old but she was at least a thousand times older than him. And even she could be hurt by love. He didn't like to think about that either. Because looking down at Andy, he could see himself taking her on, not just as a prodigy, but as a sort of daughter as well. And she'd have to leave. And it always hurt when they left.

The light around Andy's body suddenly began to fade. Looking up at the sky the Doctor saw that he had been musing about Andy and himself all night. He watched in fascination as the light seemed to retract into Andy's body and then the vines detached themselves. Her nostrils flared as she took a deep breath and then let it out in a long moan. Slowly her eyes opened. Looking confused she glanced about and then looked straight at him,

"Doctor?"

What was she doing in the grass near her shack? Surely she should be lying in that cave? And shouldn't she be dead? It had nearly taken her soul and even if it hadn't, that stalactite should have split her head in half. How had she survived that? And more to the point, how had the Doctor saved her?

"What did you do?" her mouth was dry and her entire body heavy. She had never felt more exhausted in her life, even after sleeping as deeply as she had. Seeing his flustered look she heard him reply,

"I didn't do anything. Don't you…remember?"

"I remember pain," she said flatly, trying to remember the truth, "Excruciating pain, first when it left me and the second when it tried to take my soul." Unconsciously she lifted her left arm up and then gasped at the scar she saw there.

"Oh gods!" she screamed, standing up in horror.

"No, no, Andy, it's OK, it's alright." the Doctor said, also jumping up with her.

"How can it be alright!" she yelled at him.

"It's an exit wound, Andy! It's gone! It can't hurt you anymore." The Doctor shouted back. That stopped Andy in her tracks. Staring down at her arm in horror she hardly dared believe it.

"You're sure?"

"Oh, I'm sure." Hardly able to believe that it had inscribed itself on her skin, Andy looked away in shame, "Hey, Andy, it's a scar of triumph, not disgrace. Nobody else in the universe bears that scar, because nobody has ever defeated it. You're special, Andy."

"Then you wear it," she spat, "It told me I would never be free of it. Now I know that's true. I'll never be able to look at this arm again and not flinch. I'll remember the pain every day for the rest of my life. Do you think I want that?" The Doctor stood in silence, apparently waiting for her to calm down.

"So you'll never forget how strong you are," she looked up at him sharply, "Andy, you've done something even I couldn't have done. Something nobody has ever done. It's a mark of honour, Andy, a tribute to your strength and your soul, which is entirely your own. Be proud of what you did, Andy. But never forget what it cost you." Breathing deeply, Andy began to calm down. She saw the truth in what he said, but all she could think was that the monster had branded itself into her flesh. She'd be haunted by it for the rest of her life.

"How did I get here?" she asked.

"I carried you." he replied.

"How did you move the stone?" her head was beginning to hurt, she sat back down again.

"I didn't. You did. Or at least your body did." She froze.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" fear rose in her again.

"Andy, breathe. It's gone, it's never coming back. But there is something else inside you." she couldn't contain herself anymore, she let out a sob. All of that pain, torture and she still wasn't free, "No, Andy. It's a good one. It's there to protect you, to save you. She stopped…it…from taking your soul. She doesn't mean you any harm!" At his words two emotions hit Andy hard; disbelief and confusion.

"It…spoke to you?"

"Yes," the Doctor suddenly looked like he was treading on dangerous ground, "She's from your planet," Andy's head shot up, her eyes full of disbelief, "She's there to protect you. And if you ever need her, she said that all you ever had to do was ask."

Andy could barely process this. There was another…entity inside her, but it was a good one? It was offering to help her? And was it truly from her planet? So many thoughts whirled through Andy's brain; she could barely think what to ask first.

"Does it know who I am?" The Doctor took a deep breath. Apparently that wasn't good news.

"Yes, she did." Trying to think what could have caused his reaction, her stumped brain asked the first thing that came to mind,

"Am I important?"

"Yes," came the instant answer. That made her pause. She was important! She was worth something after all! But it couldn't all be good; otherwise the Doctor would be happy. She decided to put that out of her head for now.

"Does it know where my parents are?" Hope rose in her chest.

"She didn't say," the Doctor said, slightly emphasising the 'she'. Her heart slowly crumpled. Well, that didn't mean She didn't know, it just mean that She hadn't said.

"Did She say anything else?" the Doctor smirked at Andy's over pronunciation of 'she' but replied all the same,

"Um…only that you were to come with me?" he phrased this as a question, as if worried about her reaction. Andy's eyes lit up and her spirits soared,

"I get to go with you!" she screeched, and launched herself at the Doctor. He caught her and held her tight, laughing slightly at her reaction.

"I take it you don't mind this idea then," he smirked as she pulled back. Too happy even for words, Andy simply shook her head.

It was at that moment that they were rather rudely interrupted.