Waking up and feeling Theta's arms protectively embracing her, her head tucked under his chin, her cheek against his chest, was a feeling more pleasant than any Aliya could imagine. It felt safe; soft and warm, just like him.

She smiled contently without opening her eyes, and snuggled back into his chest. After a while, she shifted without waking him so that she could look at him.

He was still fast asleep, but he held her as if he were aware of it, one hand at her hip and the other wrapped around her torso. It was his face that she couldn't look away from, however. In sleep, he was so completely innocent, so peaceful and quiet. So much younger, even though he never seemed old to begin with. He was adorable, and she couldn't help but wonder if he knew it. Perhaps that was where his enormous ego came from.

Aliya smiled to herself and lightly ran her fingers up his arm, kissing his chin. After a few minutes Theta's breathing shifted a little, his facial features also changing as Aliya wondered what he was dreaming about.

"Ali…I…" He trailed off, and made a slightly strange noise that Aliya couldn't interpret. How was she involved in his dream? "No, that's cheating…" His murmured sleeptalking was becoming both more amusing and baffling, but the young blonde woman was certainly finding it interesting. He then said her name again, slightly differently, and she felt him stir. He was waking up.

"Theta," she said, biting her tongue a little as she smiled at him cheekily, her hand coming up to his face, "Theta!"

His hands immediately shifted to tighten around her hips and pull her closer while his eyes blearily opened. She giggled, a little surprised at the forward action, and felt her cheeks flush when she felt a certain part of his body pressing against her.

Well. That was interesting.

"Theta," she said, more gently.

His eyes finally focused, and he seemed to wake up properly, blinking up at her only to immediately look between them, to where his hips were pressing against hers, to where she could feel him. His cheeks turned crimson.

"Oh Rassilon, Ali, I'm so sorry, I'm so new to this, it keeps doing this, it's ridiculous," he said, plainly mortified, trying to wriggle away only for her to gently hold him just enough to discourage him from moving.

"You don't need to apologise," she told him, feeling strange about being the one that was more experienced in these matters. She let her hand stroke over his hair and she smiled at him softly. "It's not a bad thing and it's my understanding that controlling it takes practice."

"If you're sure," he mumbled.

"It's a compliment, really," Aliya said, kissing him. "It's... it's nice, knowing I'm wanted like that. That I'm the reason for it. Although, I'm now wondering if I should be the one apologising. Is it uncomfortable?"

"Er," he said, flushing again.

Her fingers combed through the hair by his right ear. "You can tell me."

"A little," he admitted, "but it's a strange sort of discomfort. Don't worry about me, it'll go away soon enough, though I should probably sit away from you, it's probably not helping."

Aliya considered her options, if she wanted to do what she was about to offer. She looked over his face, so adorably worried and embarrassed, and she felt her heart swell. "Do you want me to help you with it? You know waiting for it to go away isn't the only way to deal with it."

"Of course I know that," he replied, cheeks still burning, "but I've never - it always seemed so - hang on, are you saying what I think you're-"

"I know that doing it yourself has no appeal," she said, "apparently that's not the case for a lot of humanoid species, but it's certainly true of ours. So... I'm offering to help."

"You don't have to do that."

"I know." She kissed his collarbone. "I'm offering because I want to."

"I've never-"

"I know. I guessed. It isn't difficult to tell." Aliya kissed him softly on the lips. "Can I touch you? I don't want you to touch me, not in this way, not right now. I don't think I'll be ready to be touched like that again for a while. But I want to do this for you."

Theta considered her words, eyes softening, and then darkening a little as he licked his lips. "If you're sure, then... yes. I would... I would like that a lot, I think."

Aliya kissed him again, and she let her hand slide down his body and into his undergarments. He shivered at her touch, hips bucking automatically into her hand and letting out a funny little noise that she instantly saved to her memory as being incredibly endearing.

She was gentle, touching him, knowing it was the first time anyone had done so.

"Is this okay?" she asked quietly. His eyes had drifted shut, but they opened to look at her, and he kissed her eagerly, mouth soft and sweet against hers, and when he pulled away, his eyes were so warm she thought her heart might burst.

"It feels... really good. It's really something," he said, voice low. "There's not really words."

"I know."

Slowly, the sensation built in him, and his hips pressed against her hand a little more urgently, his body shaking. "Aliya, I'm-"

"It's okay," she murmured to him, "I know. Just relax and give into it, I've got you." He nodded a fraction, eyes falling shut, and he tried to say something to her, but within ten seconds he had fallen over the edge, gasping against her neck.

"Oh," was all he said. "That was... wow. Just... wow."

Aliya smiled, glad he seemed to be more than satisfied. "Good?"

He laughed nervously. "I don't think 'good' even begins to cover it. That was wonderful. Thank you. You didn't have to do that, and now you're, er-" He looked down as she withdrew her hand from his undergarments, and blushed.

"It's fine," she said, getting up and moving into the bathroom to wash her hands. "You can get clean in here, if you like."

"That sounds good."


The note arrived while the Deca – minus Koschei and plus Aliya – were studying in the library, for a primitive histories exam coming up that would span across ten hours.

Aliya, at that moment light-hearted, beamed at the young messenger in thanks before she recognised the seal on the letter. The girl's stomach abruptly seemed to fall into her feet as her hands shakily unfolded the piece of paper, her eyes then taking in the circles written in her father's hand.

"Ali? What is it?"

When she didn't reply, Theta prised the paper from her fingers and read the words on it. His own face drained of colour a little, but he hid it when his best friend looked at him with fear in her eyes.

"What should I say to him?" The quiet whisper of her voice made his heart pang a little and he grabbed her hand immediately, squeezing it.

"Either the truth," he answered slowly, "or whatever it is that he wants to hear. I can't make these decisions for you, Ali, you're a grown woman, or close enough."

"Will you come with me up to the transmat? I always feel so nervous going to House Arpexia, even if technically it's my home," Aliya kept a tight hold on his fingers as he nodded and they rose from the table dismissing themselves.

"A home is a place you feel safe and comfortable and happy," Theta said as they walked towards the Academy's transmat bay, "and for you, Arpexia is none of those things. I think the Academy is your home, at least right now."

He kissed her forehead when they reached the transmat that would take her to Arpexia. Feeling a little stronger, Aliya took a deep breath and stepped into the transmat.


It felt as if it had been many centuries since Aliya had walked the halls of Arpexia. Everything was as spotless and shiny as she remembered - she detested it with every fibre of her being. The door that led off into her own childhood home was only a few metres away, and when she reached it she took in several deep breaths before pushing it open.

Her mother, the Botanist, was standing in the grand entrance hall, and smiled warmly upon seeing her. The woman had the same curly blonde hair that her daughter did, as she was still in the regeneration she had conceived Aliya in, but her hair was darker and her face was more lined. Aliya had gained many of her facial features from her father anyway.

"Vora," the older Gallifreyan used her old affectionate name for her daughter before hugging her, "It's been years, you must visit us more often."

"Father never gives me much incentive to," Aliya replied stiffly as she hugged her mother back. "Is he very angry?"

"Not without reason, you have been thoughtless, Vora," the Botanist said sadly with slight accusation in her tone, "Such actions as the ones Cardinal Borusa informed us of are not ones which can go without consequences."

"So having a close friend is a crime now?" Aliya demanded, upset, "he's from Lungbarrow, surely that is a good thing?"

Before the Botanist could reply, a door opened and the Advocate's commanding voice interrupted them.

"At least you have not lost your ability to listen to the summons of your father," the man said, and when Aliya looked at him, he merely gestured for her to enter his study, though he shook his head when the Botanist tried follow. "You aren't needed, Botanist, I'm perfectly capable of doing this myself."

The Botanist looked at Aliya with a slightly sad expression, before turning away as the doors of the study shut, leaving Aliya alone with her father. Turning his stern and calculating gaze onto her, the Advocate prepared himself to talk while Aliya prepared herself to listen, or at least pretend to.

"Cardinal Borusa has informed me that you were caught fraternising with that Lungbarrow boy," he began. "What has he been calling himself? Sigma?"

"Yes, Theta Sigma, father," Aliya said.

"Stupid name," came the comment before he continued, "but regardless, I will not have my daughter, an Arpexian young lady, fooling around like a childish trollop!" She flinched at the harsh words and ducked her head, only to anger him further. "Look at me when I'm talking to you, Aliyanadevoralundar!"

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

"You are not to spend any more time with this Theta Sigma, do you hear?"

"I'm afraid that simply isn't possible, father," Aliya said firmly, doing her best to gather her strength.

"You obeyed my command to stay away from that Oakdown boy, it simply took you a while, you shall obey me on this matter also," the Advocate said in a forceful tone, but Aliya shook her head fiercely, her eyes burning with determination.

"I severed my ties with Koschei of Oakdown for my own reasons, not yours!" she retorted. "I shall not allow you to dictate how I live my life or who I spend my time with."

"Watch your tongue, young lady, and you shall heed my orders, as my daughter!" the Advocate yelled, with obvious irritation and anger at her impertinence.

Aliya did her best to fight back the urge to cower before him and submit, and though her hands trembled, she stood her crowd as she locked eyes with him. "I am done heeding your orders!"

He had stuck her across the face before she had even noticed him raising his hand.

"How dare you act with such grandeur? You are an ignorant, and blatantly disrespectful child!" His bellowing made every part of her want to curl up in a ball and cry, but she knew that she could show no weakness, or she would have no chance of prevailing in the escalating argument.

Not really sure how to respond any other way, all she could come up with was something that Theta would say. "Thank you!" she retorted hotly.

"Do not mock me, daughter!"

"Oh, and while I'm at it, I have no intentions of marrying the Defender! Someone else can create the needed tie between Arpexia and Heartshaven," Aliya spat, and she swore that a vein popped in her father's neck.

"You will marry him when you graduate, and you have no say in the matter," the Advocate's voice got dangerously low and furious, and he reached his hand out to seize her head, clearly aiming for her temple, "And before you think of refusing me again-"

"Don't you dare," Aliya seethed, jerking out of his reach, horror curling in her gut. "Don't you dare touch my mind without my permission, Father. I'd report you in less than a span, you'd be arrested within a day, don't think for one second I would allow that. And the fact that you would even try says, more horrid things about what kind of person you are than anything I could ever do."

He was pale, both with alarm and with anger. "You would never-"

"Try me," Aliya told him, flatly. It was actually a bluff, if only because to allow an Evidence Extractor into her mind to prove the invasion had occurred would possibly open them into seeing what had happened with Koschei, and that was a shame she could never bear to let become known by anyone else, ever. But of course, her father didn't know that.

"Get out of my sight," the Advocate spat in disgust, as he narrowed his eyes at her. "You dishonour this House."

Forcing herself to her feet, Aliya lifted her chin defiantly as she met his solemn grey eyes once more. "I do both gladly, if this is what honour means to you or anyone else." With that, she stormed out of the room, muttering a goodbye to her mother who was waiting outside worriedly.

Leaving Arpexia had never been more overdue.


Pacing was something that grew tedious very quickly, Theta Sigma decided. After pacing, he tried just sitting, then standing, before finding pacing was still the most interesting of the three, not that it was saying much.

Just when he was sure he was going to go mad from lack of something happening, the transmat flared up to reveal an ever so slightly dishevelled, upset Aliya. Upon seeing him she catapulted herself into his arms without hesitation, crying for what looked like not the first time that day. Theta felt anger rise in him when he spotted a flowering bruise on her cheek, but he said nothing on it, and merely hugged her tightly.

"Let's get you back to your room," he murmured, and she nodded silently and let him lead her back there. Once they had arrived, he gently took out her hair and got a cloth to dab on her face where she had obviously been struck by something – or more likely someone, and he had a fair idea of who it would have been, as it would be an almost direct repeat of a previous event.

"I stood up to him," Aliya said after a while when they were sitting in the middle of her bed, their legs on either side of each other and palms on the other's chest, "Properly, for the first time ever."

"I'm proud of you," Theta smiled and pushed her hair back, "The girl I met all those decades ago never would have done that."

"You're making me a braver person, it's as simple as that." She hugged him again. "Stay again, tonight. Every night, please…I don't ever want to have to sleep without you next to me."

The boy laughed lovingly and kissed her. "I'm glad you asked, because I don't ever want to sleep without you next to me either."

Aliya's face lit up, as if she weren't able to believe just how lucky and privileged she was to have him and his affection, and she kissed him again several times, pausing in between to laugh with relief and elation. Their lips parted, but Theta kept his forehead resting against hers gently, and they sat there, holding each other's head, nose to nose. Both of them felt their eyes drooping shut as the partial mental link formed, and they basked in the sensation of the other's presence in their mind.

"You've been imagining me without a shirt on," Theta said after reading some of the thoughts that had recently been at the foreground of her mind, and he felt her cheeks grow warm beneath her palms.

"You've been imagining me with nothing on!" Aliya spluttered indignantly, and he laughed, his breath hitting her parted lips.

"To be fair, you can't exactly claim that you haven't been encouraging me in that particular area," he said, and they both laughed, still too shy to be able to even allude to the brief sexual encounters they had been partaking in whenever Theta's body got too excited, which wasn't too often, but starting to become a more regular occurrence.

Aliya's body, on occasion, got a bit excited too, which was unbearable, because she couldn't quite handle the idea of being touched in that way yet, but she found herself wanting it desperately all the same.

"... you don't mind, do you?"

She blinked at him. "Mind what?"

"That I've been thinking about you. Like that."

"Of course not," she said, surprised, "given the nature of our relationship, and what we've been doing lately, it's perfectly natural. Why in the world would it bother me, Theta?"

"I don't know. Because I want to touch you, and I know that's not what you want."

"I do want that," Aliya assured him, and he looked at her with surprise. She took his hands and moved them from her temples, breaking the connection and instead moving them to rest on her waist. "Sometimes I want you to touch me so much I nearly go out of my mind. But a part of me still wants to run away screaming at the very idea. And when you do touch me, I want it to be wonderful, and to not be thinking about anything else."

He kissed her. "I understand."

They shifted so that she was lying in the crook of his arm, her head on his chest contently.

"When that does happen, I'll take a whole day," he said, tilting his head down to look at her seriously. "We'll skip class and I'll spend the whole day making you feel as good as you've made me feel."

Aliya laughed. "You don't have to do that, Theta."

"But I want to."

"Still. You're ridiculous."

"Proudly."

"You're the most ridiculous person I've ever met. And the kindest, and the most arrogant," Aliya said after a while, her hands fiddling with his fingers. "And one of the most brilliant, too, because your brain is wired so differently, and it's fascinating."

"Is there a reason you're saying a whole lot of very nice things about me?"

"Yes!"

"Oh, alright."

"You see, none of that is new information," she continues, "but recently I realised something else. That it's all those things, and so many other little things, that mean that these days I seem to quite terribly in love with you."

His reaction was immediate, but strange. He laughed. "Of course you are. I love you too, Ali, it's just taken you a long time to realise it because you're stupid."

"Oh," she said, blushing.

"Can I show you something?"

"Of course."

He got up and pulled her to her feet, before leading her out of the room.

Twisting through corridors, running because it was fun and against the rules, and laughing because they could, Theta and Aliya headed for the archive libraries. They barged through the different sets of doors until they reached Theta's personal favorite, the Earth archive. The door banged shut behind them as the boy yanked his younger friend over to the hexagonal controls in the middle of the room, which were currently projecting a beautiful blue, green and white image of the planet.

"Now, one of the best things about Earth is the music, Ali! And even better, the dancing!" he told her, arms going everywhere in his enthusiasm. "And one of my favorites is the waltz. My surprise is that I'm going to teach you."

"You want me to dance with you?" Aliya echoed only for him to nod. As they had danced before, the idea shouldn't have seemed so strange, but the casual way they had been dancing amongst their peers was incredibly different and far less intimate than a dance for two in an empty room.

"Yes, I really do, please," Theta said with a huge grin from over his shoulder, as his fingers danced over the controls and music began to come out of the speakers around the walls of the room. From what she knew of music, she recognised three beats in a bar, the first one always strong.

"This is pretty..." Aliya murmured, and before she knew it Theta had snatched her up, his arms around her waist. "Now, to warn you, I'm not the most coordinated person."

"This will be as easy as breathing by the time I'm done with you," the boy assured her, "Now, put your hand on my shoulder, and take my hand." She did as he instructed until their hands were clasped, his other at her waist and hers on his shoulder. "Now just step in time with the music...one two three, one two three..."

Letting herself be led by his confident feet, Aliya tried to get a feel for the moves with little success. Being the supportive friend he was, laughing at her was apparently the only plausible option he could see.

"Okay, try this instead." His arm snaked around to get a firm hold of her lower back before lifting her up so that her feet rested on top of his. "Now you can get a feel for the movements without having to think about it too much."

This time when they moved, Aliya just let him practically carry her, feeling supported by his arm at her back. Also, she preferred it because they were a lot closer than before and she could rest her head against his chest.

"Let's just dance like this all the time," she murmured, and instead of the laugh she expected, Theta merely held her tighter.

"I know. It's gentle." They slowly spun around, not going anywhere but not caring in the least.

"And warm," Aliya added as she wound her arms around him more, letting his body heat transfer through to her a little.

"And soft." Theta's nose was in her hair, and his hand was slowly stroking her back through the material of her dress. When she flicked her eyes up to look at him, she blushed a little. After planting a light kiss on the rounded tip of her nose, Theta lifted her off his feet and held her at arms length, before laughing at her disheartened expression.

"What was that for?"

"Because while that kind of dancing is really nice, doing faster ones with more complicated steps are much more fun," Theta said, and put their hands back into the traditional places of the other's body, "And if you like, I could always put the moves into your head, then you would pick them up faster."

Aliya nodded and shut her eyes as he lowered his forehead to hers, fingers flying to sit at her temples. A flow of information flooded through the opened link and the steps and feel of the dance was suddenly in her head, waiting to be used.

Although taken by surprise a little when the psychic link was suddenly broken, Aliya immediately grinned at him when he opened his eyes. Clearly pleased at her sudden enthusiasm, he mirrored her grin and abruptly pulled her into the much quicker dance, casually changing the music on the controls as they went past.

The new song was faster but catchier, and it was impossible for them to not laugh with elation as they stepped in almost perfect time, if only because the less experienced of the two kept her eyes on her feet. Theta, however, was having none of it.

"Ali, stop looking at your feet and keep your eyes on the dashing dude in front of you," he pretended to scold without modesty, and she cocked an eyebrow at him when she lifted her gaze.

"Dude?" she repeated with confusion, and he chuckled before lifting their joined hands above their heads and giving her a twirl around, making her giggle.

"It's an Earth term...it means that I'm incredibly awesome," he told her with pride in his eyes, and she laughed.

"If you say so..." At her words, he pretended to be insulted and gave her another lot of spins until she was deliriously dizzy. "Oh gosh, no, Theta stop!"

Theta chuckled and stopped her, pulling her back into the dance. Again, they moved with matched precision around the room with agile feet. Aliya began to see his point; once the moves were learnt, this type of dancing was incredibly fun.

"What do you know, Miss Arpexia doesn't have two left feet after all," Theta boy said, and a look of confusion passed over his partner's face.

"Two left feet? Well of course I don't, I have a right one and a left one, just like everyone does!" She was so baffled, and was sure that he could see it, because he was eyeing her with endearment and leaned forward to kiss her nose again, laughing at her.

"It's another Earth term, Ali, it's a term they use for bad dancers, because obviously if someone were to have two left feet, then they wouldn't be a good dancer," He explained, and she frowned a little, not entirely convinced.

"These humans say strange things," Was all she said in the end.

"Yes, but they are almost definitely a lot kinder and a lot less stuffy than Time Lords," Theta pointed out, and she pondered his point.

"But they don't even usually live for a century, they wouldn't have much time to become pompous, I suppose," Aliya said logically, and tried to imagine fitting a whole lifetime into less than a hundred years, only to fail.

"And that's what I want to find out, someday." She watched as his eyes travelled to the hologram behind her, his gaze distant and mind clearly momentarily gone from their conversation. "Because I am going to run away and see the whole universe and no one is going to stop me."

Aliya frowned again, seeing just how serious he was and not being sure that she liked it. "Years back, you said that you would explain that to me when I was older. I'm older now, Theta, and I think that I want to understand."

Their movements had slowed and Theta brought them to a halt as he regarded her seriously, his hand still holding hers. "Okay. It might take a while, though." He led her out of the archive by the hand, and up through the dormitory area, until they were at his room. They went inside and Theta flopped down on the bed with ease while Aliya sat on the edge, watching him with indecision.

"So, you want to leave Gallifrey someday, is that it?" she asked, and he nodded earnestly.

"What is there for me here, after I graduate? Can you imagine me working in an office or a lab, doing one mundane task for my whole life?" While the questions were supposed to be simply and rhetorical, they simply made Aliya frown a little.

"It's what all the rest of us are going to be doing," she muttered under her breath, before looking up at him and bringing her voice back up to normal volume, "but no, I suppose I can't. You're not exactly a typical Gallifreyan."

Theta beamed, clearly believing to have her understanding and approval. "Imagine it, though, Ali! There is a whole universe out there, just waiting to be explored. So any planets, people, creatures…how can I ignore all of that and be confined to one planet when I could see so many more?"

The blonde girl in front of him shifted so that she was properly facing him and searched his face for answers that didn't help her in the slightest.

"Are you really so discontent here?" Her whisper made his huge grin falter a little, and his hand came up to cup her cheek as his eyes bored into hers, searching.

"No…but the older I get, the more I begin to feel like a caged animal. Animals aren't made to be caged, they should be free, don't you think?" Theta asked, his large, dark green eyes more serious than before, but equally passionate in the words he was saying.

She had to force herself to laugh at the analogy, simply because she wasn't sure what her alternative reaction might have been. "Which animal would you be? A Flubble?" Her teasing made him smirk and he began tickling her relentlessly.

"Again, you belittle me, Aliyanadevoralundar!" he declared, as she collapsed onto the bed on her side, fruitlessly trying to deflect his hands.

"My father calls me Aliyanadevoralundar, please don't, stick to Ali or Aliya," she gasped as he continued to torture her. All at once, he stopped to continue his metaphor about caged animals, and she propped herself up on her elbow to regard him with fond amusement.

"If I were an animal, I would be a wild horse, running through fields and mountains for miles, my mane billowing in the breeze…" He trailed off dreamily, and she couldn't resist reaching her free hand up to ruffle his long hair.

"Well, you've certainly got the mane part right!" She giggled as he swatted her away, mock glaring as he patted his hair back down vainly. "But honestly, did you really just use the word 'billowing' in conversational speech? Who does that anymore?"

"Me!" Theta protested indignantly. "You youngster types wouldn't understand."

"Youngster?" she near shrieked before calming a fraction and narrowing her eyes. "Fine, two can play that game…old man!"

The tickling war started up again as he pounced on her. "I. Am. Not. Old!" They rolled around on his bed in a giggling, squealing mass, loving every second of it, "I'm only about 200 years older."

"So don't call me youngster."

"So don't call me old."

"I won't."

"Good!"

"Yeah, it is!"

"Oh, shut up."