"So. Where do you want to go first?" the Doctor asked, glancing at Rose with anticipation glimmering in his eyes. "The entirety of Time and Space awaits before you," he intoned dramatically.
She laughed faintly, eyes dancing over the console room, pausing curiously at the steps that led further into the TARDIS before returning to him. "I don't know," she shrugged helplessly. "I don't - where do we even start?"
Lyssa opened her mouth, about to gently hint at something along the lines of Rose's first trip, then paused, considering the faint bags appearing under the blonde's eyes. It had been close to night back in Rose's time, and she had to be coming off an adrenaline high to boot. She was probably exhausted, or would be soon, and would doubtless appreciate at least a mild break before being tossed into facing the end of her planet.
Which... actually, there should definitely be a break in between, if just so that she could check her journal and see if there was a way to make it less horrendous for the other girl. It'd been fun to watch back in her old world, but, as with so many other things, in person it had to be horrific. And that was without the knowledge that the Doctor, consciously or unconsciously, was likely trying to help her understand his own experience on some level.
Which was a whole separate issue all on its own to consider.
Therapy. One of these days, she was going to enroll every single one of them in therapy, and it was probably going to fix everything.
"Well, the Doctor mentioned some of the amazing things we've seen," she spoke up, refocusing on the matter at hand. "The universe is a big place, filled with loads of amazing things. You've seen the dangerous. Why not take a look at the beautiful as well? And who knows, maybe we can even find a place that won't immediately try to kill us," she laughed.
Rose latched onto the suggestion gratefully. "Yeah, let's do that." She gave the Doctor a challenging look. "Not so sure about the danger-free part though. Every time I've seen you two, somethin' has tried to kill us."
He scoffed. "Correlation does not equal causation, I'll have you know. And, I'll add, you were in danger even before we got involved."
"Well, technically, we were already there when she came down at Henrik's," Lyssa pointed out. He shot her a dirty look and she grinned. "But also technically, Rose did get into trouble all on her own. So, clearly the only winner here is me." They both scoffed at that, and she feigned hurt. "What, you don't believe me?"
"You fell into a vat of toxic paint just last week because you wandered into an unmarked construction zone," the Doctor reminded her.
She waved him off. "It washed right out. And I didn't get super powers out of it, so it doesn't count."
"One, that's not how it works, and two, no, you just gave me gray hair and a new fear of paint," he muttered. "Right." He raised his voice. "Somethin' beautiful?" he repeated, giving Rose a grin. "I've got just the place in mind," he announced, pulling a switch.
Rose scrambled for the console as the ship began to shake, holding on tight. "Is it always like this?" she called out over the noise.
"What, brilliant?" the Doctor asked.
"Chaotic?" Lyssa countered dryly as the shaking eased.
"Both," Rose laughed.
"Oh, yes," he grinned as they landed with one last jolt. "And isn't it fantastic?" He nodded at the doors. "We've arrived, want to take a look?" he offered to Rose. "Just... don't step outside. We're in space at the moment. Be a bit hard to get you back once you go floatin' off."
She glanced at the doors, then hesitantly back at them. He and Lyssa urged her on with matching smiles, and she slowly stepped forward until she was resting one hand lightly on the door. "Can I... if it's space outside, is it safe?" she questioned, turning back once more. "What about the air?" She paused, wrinkling her brow. "Actually, if you're an alien, do you even need air?"
"Much as he likes to tout about being physiologically superior, he definitely still needs air, just the same as you and me," Lyssa assured her with an amused smile. "Plus, even if he didn't, he's regularly got air-breathing passengers aboard, so he'd have to keep it oxygenated anyway. And as for outside, the TARDIS will extend an atmospheric shell around us, which keeps the air in, and the space debris out."
Rose nodded slowly. "Right." She turned back and drew a deep breath, then pulled both the doors open at once and gasped as starlight glittered in.
Unable to suppress her curiosity, Lyssa joined her, glancing outside and feeling an awed smile instinctively curve her lips up. "The Milky Way," she murmured, recognizing it immediately. "We're located near one of those tiny dots on one of the outer arms," she pointed, recalling the Doctor explaining the same thing to her a long time ago. "And that tiny dot is actually our sun."
"It's so beautiful," Rose breathed.
"It is," Lyssa agreed softly, eyes tracing over the twinkling lights in the distance. Even though she'd seen it dozens of times before, she had yet to grow tired of it, regularly asking the Doctor to take her back. They could sit in a companionable silence in the open doorway for hours, just watching the slow revolution of the galaxy that was home to them both.
Pulling back a little to let Rose fully enjoy the experience on her own, she moved to stand by the Doctor. "Starting off close to home?" she asked idly.
He shrugged, folding his arms together. "Why not? Helps ease her into it, and gives you a different perspective - seein' things from the other side." He paused. "And it's home to one of the most amazin' species I know." He waited a beat then shot her a grin. "The Time Lords, obviously."
She rolled her eyes. "Right. Where were you located, again? Right by the big glowy thing smack in the center, so you wouldn't get lost? At least we put a little effort into blending in."
"Well, we didn't want to risk anyone callin' us shy and demure," he pointed out, lips twitchin.
"Yes, there was a real possibility of that happening," she said dryly. "Because you yourself are so reserved and hesitant about drawing attention. I've seen the scarf. And that coat," she shook her head.
"There's no need to speak of past mistakes," he informed her airily.
"Wait. You're from the Milky Way too?" Rose asked, attention finally drawn away from the glittery stars and looking at them with wide eyes.
Lyssa startled guiltily, having momentarily forgotten about the girl.
The Doctor nodded. "It's a big galaxy. Plenty of space for various life forms. You've got more than a few in your own solar system. I'm from closer to the center, 'bout as close as you can get without bein' in it, actually. "
Rose paused, brow furrowing. "Isn't there a black hole there?" she asked hesitantly. "I remember readin' somethin' about that."
He scoffed. "Black holes are children's play."
"As are lethal radiation levels," Lyssa said in amusement, recalling Ten's antics in the X-Ray Ward of Martha's hospital.
"Lethal for a human," he reminded her. "We've got sturdier systems than you lot."
"'Sturdier systems,'" she mocked him under her breath. "Probably a self-defense mechanism due to a propensity to go flinging yourself into incredibly dangerous situations."
"I don't know what you're talkin' about," he sniffed. "The only danger I get into is from chasin' after wayward companions or you. Actually, mostly you, come to think of it." He raised an eyebrow at her.
"I'm sorry, which one of us picked a fight with an octopus two weeks ago?" she countered. "And then who had to wade in to help? I was picking seaweed out of my hair for three hours afterward!"
"You looked lovely with a bit of green in your hair, actually."
She gave him a flat look. "Thank you. That was exactly what I was thinking."
Rose snickered. "Blokes are the same across the galaxy, apparently," she remarked with a raised eyebrow before stifling a yawn.
Right. She was probably exhausted.
"Rose, I'm sorry, you must be absolutely wiped," she apologized, ignoring the Doctor's rather hilarious look of offense. "If you want, I can show you to your room?" she offered.
"I get a room?" Rose blinked uncertainly.
"Of course," Lyssa smiled. "We've all got to sleep some time, and if you don't, you end up falling asleep face first in the middle of the Queen's ceremonial speech and almost sparking an intergalactic war. Again."
"It wasn't because I was tired," the Doctor defended himself. "Just bored to tears. It was a self-defense mechanism."
"Oh, is that what the snoring sound was? Self-defense?" she teased him. "Here, Rose. Time for us all to sleep, I think. Follow me." She jerked her head at the stairs before trotting up them, hearing Rose follow more slowly after her. The TARDIS led her down several hallways, clearly delighting in Rose's awe the further into the ship they want, before stopping her in front of a door painted a simple white - like a canvas waiting to be painted. She nodded her head at it and waited expectantly.
Rose reached out and placed a hand on the knob before hesitantly twisting and pushing it open. The door opened to reveal what Lyssa recognized as the foundation of what her room would later become - elegant, graceful, overflowing with pink; but lacking the personal touches Rose would add through her time with them.
"This is mine?" Rose gasped, stepping into the room, her feet sinking into the soft carpet. "It's gorgeous!"
Lyssa smiled as the TARDIS preened in their bond. "Of course it is. The TARDIS made it just for you."
Rose stopped mid-spin to look back at her. "Wait. Made it... for me?"
Lyssa nodded. "The TARDIS is far more than just a regular ship. She makes everyone's rooms special for them. The nicer they are, the more she likes you." She glanced at the massive bed covered in pillows and a cozy looking comforter and grinned. "I'd say she definitely likes you."
"But..." Rose looked around at all the splendor. "This room is amazin'. I've never even been in a room this nice before. And she made it just for me? I've only just met you!"
Lyssa shrugged. "The TARDIS... works differently than we do. Something about being a time machine, I imagine. She's usually pretty good at spotting who'll be a good fit aboard." Not always, unfortunately, as poor Clara came to mind, earning a disdainful hum from the ship, and she sent a reproving nudge in return.
Rose suppressed another yawn, even as she continued her exploration, and Lyssa shook her head. "But I'm keeping you awake. Sorry. There should be pajamas in your size in that dresser," she pointed. "And a bathroom in that door over there, with everything you need. When you wake up in the morning, just follow the lighted hallway. The TARDIS will take you to the kitchen, and you can get breakfast there."
Rose nodded, looking slightly overwhelmed again. "Right. Thanks," she said faintly.
Lyssa bit her lip. "If you need anything, just ask the TARDIS to grab us, and she'll let us know," she offered as she turned to leave. "Night, Rose." The other girl called a goodbye after her as she pulled the door shut. She paused for a moment outside, then reluctantly continued on her way. She was still a stranger to Rose, and as excited and willing as the girl might have been to travel with them, she probably needed some time alone to process. She just hoped Rose would actually be able to sleep, and not be too overwhelmed or anxious.
"Keep an eye on her, old girl?" she requested, and smiled at the affirming hum she got in return. "Thanks. You're the best," she said fondly, and laughed when the ship once again hummed in affirmation. She patted the walls and set off for her own room, planning on grabbing her journal before rejoining the Doctor in the console room to update it while he worked.
Well. In theory.
Realistically she'd probably just end up dangling her feet out the doorway watching the Milky Way until he gave up on fixing a particularly stubborn cog and joined her.
She wouldn't have it any other way.
xXx
"So, what do you think so far?" Lyssa asked a bleary-eyed Rose the next morning as they sat in the kitchen.
Rose stared down into her mug of tea and took a long drink, then eyed it consideringly. "Well, for bein' alien, the tea tastes normal. An' that was my biggest concern," she grinned.
Lyssa laughed. "The Doctor specifically gets his tea from England. Says it just doesn't taste the same anywhere else." She lowered her voice. "If you ask me, he just got addicted the first time he came to Earth and hasn't been able to kick the habit since."
Rose shrugged. "Hardly a bad habit to have. We do have good tea."
Lyssa snorted. "I suppose you would know," she said dryly, playing idly with her own half-empty mug as she searched for a way to bring the topic up. She'd talked it over with the Doctor the previous night, and though he'd been reluctant to agree, she'd managed to win him over in the end - it was hardly a topic they could avoid for long, after all. It would come up eventually, and better to control how Rose learned about than to be taken by surprise. Finally she decided to just bite the bullet and drew in a breath, hands tightening around her mug. "There is something I wanted to tell you," she started slowly. "Because it's something you deserve to know."
Rose eyed her warily. "All right," she straightened. "What is it?"
"I wasn't lying when I said I was from Earth. I was born there, to human parents." She paused, biting her lip. "But I'm not fully human anymore."
Rose furrowed her brow. "So... you're an alien, too?"
Lyssa shook her head. "I'm not from outer space," she reminded the other girl in amusement. "But... my biology has changed a little bit. So I'm more like... human plus a bit of extra. And that little bit extra means sometimes weird things happen around me."
"What do you mean?" Rose asked slowly.
"Well, for example, every so often, I start to glow," she said wryly, and Rose let out a startled laugh. "It's true. I'm my own personal nightlight." She smiled. "That's the most obvious one."
"I s'pose it'd be hard to miss that one," Rose nodded thoughtfully. "Does it do anythin' else?"
Lyssa sighed. "Well, that's the other big thing I wanted to talk to you about. Because the answer is yes. It does. Not anything harmful," she hastened to add. "It doesn't hurt me, and it's not dangerous to you or anyone else around me. Unless you're playing hide and seek in the dark, I suppose," she added with a brief flash of humor. "But the flash of light always means I'm about to leave. Like literally disappear. I basically get... pulled to a different time, and then am stuck there until I jump again."
"Are you all right?" Rose asked in concern, and Lyssa offered her a smile.
"I always travel to somewhere near the Doctor, so it's not an issue. The only potential issue for you is that because I jump randomly through time, I may look different the next time you see me."
"Because it might have been a while since the last time you saw me?" Rose tried to follow along.
"Sometimes," Lyssa conceded. "But... it's also possible that you'll meet a younger version of myself. Because I've been jumping through time for a while now, and so sometimes I meet the Doctor or our friends out of order." She paused. "And usually you can tell by looking at me if I'm older or younger. And I'm always wearing this necklace," she lifted her chain to show Rose. "But I didn't always have the charms. So if I've got no charms, or only one or two, I'm younger than I am here."
"And if you've got more, you're older," Rose surmised.
"Well, I don't know if I'm going to get more, but I'm going to go with yes," Lyssa laughed. "You know, you're taking this awfully well. I don't think I would have, when I first met the Doctor." She paused, recalling her shocked dismay - before she promptly fainted in the Doctor's arms. "Actually, I definitely didn't take it this well," she grimaced.
"Well, it's not like I'm the one about to be jumping through time," Rose pointed out, draining her mug. "An' I already knew the Doctor was an alien, and this ship is alien," she nodded at the walls. "My boyfriend got replaced with a plastic duplicate. My mum almost got killed by shop mannequins. The Earth almost got destroyed by a talking blob of lava," she laughed incredulously. "I s'pose this is just one more thing to add to the list. It's not all that shockin' in the long run."
"You know what, that's valid," Lyssa agreed. "You've had an extremely chaotic past few days." She paused. "Oh, I guess one final thing to be aware of is that if you meet a younger me, you can't talk about what you've done with my older selves."
"I can't?" Rose furrowed her brow. "Oh, because you haven't done it yet?"
Lyssa nodded. "For all that it seems like sometimes we go blundering in like a bull in a china shop, Time is rather delicate. We try to avoid paradoxes. Like if you were to tell my younger self that I shouldn't go to London, because I would be in danger from the Nestene, and I didn't... then I never would have met you."
"And I wouldn't have come with you to tell you not to go to London," Rose finished. "That's both complicated and ridiculously easy to understand, all at once."
"That's traveling with the Doctor," Lyssa laughed. "See, you've already got the basics down. You're going to be great at this."
Rose flushed, getting up to rinse her mug in the sink. "Where do you think we're goin' today?" she asked, wiping her hands dry on her jeans.
Lyssa hummed as she got up to place her own empty mug in the sink. "Well, it's your first trip, so your choice," she informed the girl as they left the kitchen and headed for the console room. "Just remember, we've got a time machine, so we can go anywhere, anywhen."
"That narrows it down, thanks," Rose rolled her eyes with a laugh.
"Well, if it helps," Lyssa confided as they rounded a corner, "he likes to show off. And so does the TARDIS. So feel free to just ask him for something impressive and let him do all the work."
Rose snorted, glancing over at her, then faltered. "Your hands!" she exclaimed.
Lyssa raised a hand and sighed when she saw the expected glow. "Typical," she muttered as it began twining its way up her arms. "This is the jumping I was talking about," she told the other girl. "I'm not sure if another version of me will jump back in time for your first adventure aboard, but if not, I hope you have fun."
Rose nodded slowly, wide eyes fixed on the glow. "How long will it be before you - or, some version, I guess, jumps back?" she asked, finally raising her eyes to meet Lyssa's.
She bit her lip and shrugged. "Barring extreme circumstances, I think it's only a few weeks at the absolute most. Usually it's within a day or two, sometimes less. I imagine I'll show up for your adventure today, I'm usually there for those."
"Will you know me, if it's an earlier version?" Rose asked uncertainly. "We only just met."
Lyssa smiled, resting a glowing hand on her arm. "I'm fairly certain it will be a later version, but even if it's not, I promise, I'll know who you are. I may not know the details about how we met, but I'll know you." She lowered her voice confidingly. "I met a later version of you shortly after I first started jumping. One way or another, we'll always be friends," she promised her. "Now, I think I'll be leaving any minute now, so could you tell the Doctor I said goodbye?"
Rose nodded, still looking uncertain, though she returned the hug Lyssa gave her.
"I'll see you around," Lyssa said as she pulled back, gold washing over her vision. She gave the girl one last smile before she vanished, the scenery fading into the rippling colors of Time Vortex. She was only there for a few moments before it began to change once again. She blinked, and it was gone entirely, replaced with the familiar grating of the console room floor beneath her feet.
Very familiar, actually, considering she'd been staring at a variation of it approximately one minute earlier.
Maybe she hadn't actually jumped anywhere, and just moved five minutes into the future with Nine and Rose. It hadn't happened yet, but there was always a first time for everything.
And then Martha Jones walked in, wearing her familiar maroon jacket, hair up in a ponytail. "Lyssa!" she exclaimed in surprise. "When did you get here?"
"Martha, hello!" Lyssa grinned, greeting the brunette with a hug. "I just popped in, actually. It's good to see you again! Though... I suppose for you, you probably saw me just a little bit ago?"
"Last night, yeah," Martha admitted with a smile. "You were gone by the time I woke up. But it's always good to see a friendly face again." She lowered her voice. "Especially because, between you and me, it'll be so much easier to be around him now that you're here."
Lyssa frowned as she pulled back. "What do you mean? The Doctor? Has he been rude, or something?" she asked uncertainly.
"N- well, no more than usual," Martha amended with a fond roll of her eyes. "He's still happy, still got banned from the kitchen by the TARDIS after he tried to experiment on the toaster three times in an hour - still acting mostly like himself. He's just... a little sadder when you're not here. Do you know how hard it is to deal with him like that?" she gave Lyssa a look of fond exasperation. "He's like a forlorn puppy. I just want to pat him on the head and tell him everything's going to be okay."
Lyssa's hand flew up to cover her mouth as a strangled snort slipped out. "What?" she choked out. "A puppy?"
Martha nodded, expression dead serious. "I'm not joking. He gets those big, sad eyes, and I just... I had a puppy growing up that did the same thing whenever I had to leave. It just tugs on your heartstrings a little."
Well, if Martha had kept her crush on the Doctor from the show, it was well and truly dead by now.
"Martha? Who are you talking to?" the Tenth Doctor called, sonic screwdriver and... unidentifiable thing... in his hands as he wandered into the console room, wearing his familiar blue suit. "I told you not to talk to the whisps if you see them, it only encourages them."
"Encourages them to do what?" Lyssa asked, instinctively glancing around for anything that seemed out of place and finding nothing.
His head shot up. "Lyssa!" he grinned, whole demeanor lighting up. He shoved whatever he was fiddling with into his pocket and darted over to pull her into a hug. "It's been far too long since I've seen you."
"See? Puppy," Martha mouthed over his shoulders, and Lyssa had to stifle another snort, shaking her head at the girl.
"Did someone say puppies?" he asked, perking his head up curiously as he reluctantly pulled away to stand beside her.
Martha just gestured to him meaningfully with a flat expression.
"We were just talking about puppies while we waited for you to appear," Lyssa waved him off. "But now that you're here, I suppose we should match up," she added before he could ask any clarifying questions. "I'm guessing it's a bit early on," she muttered, eyeing Martha's outfit, which the girl had basically worn until the Doctor finally got around to accepting her as a proper companion.
"Early for what?" he frowned.
She shrugged. "You'll find out later. But I will say that the last time I saw the two of you was..." she trailed off, thinking. "Some point in your future," she concluded vaguely, realizing she didn't actually know for sure where they were. "It's been... wow, it's been almost a year for me," she realized in surprise. "I feel old now," she muttered.
"We were just in New York, in the 1920s," Martha spoke up with a glance at the Doctor. "There were Daleks experimenting on humans."
"Ah," Lyssa grimaced, recalling that episode with a wrinkle of her nose. She wasn't looking forward to that one.
"Where did you just come from?" the Doctor asked, glancing at her necklace with an odd expression.
She followed his gaze down, picking up her new green charm with a smile. "Your past self, with Rose and the Nestene Consciousness. Which I still need to follow up on," she muttered absently before refocusing. "Also where I got this," she added, letting it drop to dangle back against her collarbone.
"Is that a TARDIS key?" Martha asked curiously, taking a closer look.
Lyssa nodded, cheeks heating under the Doctor's gaze. "It's more symbolic than necessity, I don't really need it to get in, but..." She turned slightly, meeting his gaze as she said honestly, "it means everything to me."
He studied her intently for a moment before finally turning to the console. "I'm glad you like it," he said simply, giving her a small smile. "Now, then. Lyssa's here, so let's be off!" he announced, tapping in a rapid series of commands and twirling his hand over the gyrosphere. "There we go..." he muttered as the ship took off. "And... done!" he landed them with a flourish. "Perfect landing," he announced cockily, "which isn't always easy in such a tight spot."
"You should be used to tight spots by now," Martha pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "Where are we?" she glanced at the door excitedly.
"The end of the line," the Doctor told her, lacking his usual enthusiasm. "No place like it."
Lyssa frowned, concerned by both his demeanor and the phrase. End of the line... was that Utopia, with Jack and the Master? She shuddered, nowhere near ready for that one. She missed Jack, but she hated that that was what his reunion with the Doctor had to be like.
Not noticing, Martha surged towards the doors, pausing to look back once she got there. The Doctor nodded her on, and she eagerly pulled them open, only for her shoulders to sag as she slowly stepped out. "Home. You took me home?" she turned back to him.
"In fact, the morning after we left, so you've only been gone about 12 hours," the Doctor said, resting a hand on Lyssa's back as he escorted her out into the limited space of Martha's apartment, ignoring her questioning glance. "No time at all, really."
"Yeah, could've been much worse," Lyssa muttered, struggling to follow. She didn't remember this. Why was he doing this? He'd ended up dropping off the Ponds at one point, because he feared what losing them would do to him, but she didn't think he'd ever gotten quite that close to Martha, much as he did truly care about her.
"But... all the stuff we've done - Shakespeare, New New York, old New York?" Martha shook her head, eyes wide with hurt and disappointment.
"Yep! All in one night, relatively speaking," he nodded, pretending not to notice as he glanced through Martha's decorations. "Books, CDs, dishes..." He gave her a bland smile. "So! Back in one night, as you were promised."
"This is it?" Martha stated blankly.
He took a deep breath, glancing at Lyssa, who remained silent, not wanting to help him out of this one. "Yeah. We should, um..." One hand raised to rub awkwardly at the back of his neck.
A shrill ringing mercifully cut him off and Martha shook her head. "Sorry," she muttered, sending it to voicemail with the press of a button while Lyssa tried not to stare at the technology that had been outdated long before she first met the Doctor.
"Martha, are you there?" an older woman said, sounding slightly irritated. "Pick it up, will you?"
"Mum," Martha realized with a grimace. "It'll wait."
"All right then, pretend that you're out if you like," her mother continued, exasperation growing, and Martha's eyes widened before she exchanged a guilty grin with the others. "I was only calling to say that your sister's on TV. On the news of all things. Just thought you might be interested. She's got a new job, PR for some research lab."
"What?" Martha exclaimed, startled, cutting off the rest of the message. She lunged for the remote and flicked it on, cycling through several channels until she landed on what looked to be a press conference, where a young black woman with similar features was standing behind a very old white man in front of a podium. "How could Tish end up on the news?"
"...With the push of a single button, I will change what it means to be human!" the old man announced to loud applause and the flash of cameras.
Well. Lyssa definitely remembered that. She hummed thoughtfully, wishing she had her journal on hand to check.
Martha waited a beat longer, but when it seemed like her sister wasn't going to say anything, she clicked the TV off. "Sorry. You were saying we should..." she turned back to the Doctor, pasting on a polite smile.
"Yes, yes, we should," he nodded, looking just as uncomfortable as her. "One trip, we said. As a thank you."
"Yeah. I suppose things just kind of... escalated," she forced a laugh.
"Mmm, seems to happen to us a lot," he grimaced.
Martha drew a deep breath and gathered her dignity. "Thank you both, for everything," she said with far more grace than Lyssa would have been able to manage in that situation.
He nodded, visibly grateful to be done with the conversation. "It was our pleasure," he told her genuinely as he pushed open the TARDIS door.
Lyssa rolled her eyes and stepped forward to wrap the other girl up in a hug. "We'll see you soon," she promised her, not bothering to lower her voice. "You're too fantastic for us to be able to handle anything without you."
Martha blinked at her as she pulled away, confused, but a small, pleased smile gracing her face. "Bye," she waved uncertainly as Lyssa stepped back to join the Doctor in the TARDIS.
"What did you mean, we'll see her again soon?" he asked curiously, sending them off as soon as the door was shut.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said airily. "What possible reason could I have for wanting to see our friend again?"
He frowned, stabilizing the ship before walking slowly over to her and taking her hands in his. "It was time to say goodbye," he told her gently. "We promised her a trip as a thank you for her help in the hospital. Things ended up going a little further than we had planned, but it's not fair to any of us to keep drawing it out."
She pursed her lips, unwilling to point out the obvious solution of just taking her on as a permanent companion if he wasn't quite ready for it yet. Losing Rose had been incredibly hard on them both, and while she was able to see Rose again through her jumps, the Doctor was not. "I suppose," she said reluctantly. "But..." she eyed him speculatively. If she recalled her episodes right, this was shortly before the Family of Blood arc. Which meant that she didn't know if they were dating or not from his perspective - because he'd refused to tell her - but they were so close to that event that he had to be interested in her at the very least.
But it also meant he didn't know if she was dating him or not. And that had potential.
"Well, I won't tell you how," she decided, lips curling up into a smile as she stepped a little closer to him, still clutching his hands. "But I will say that at some point in the future, you are going to be very, very grateful for Martha's assistance," she informed him.
Martha's assistance, of course, involving locking them in a closet until they actually communicated.
It had been surprisingly effective.
He eyed her, thumb tracing idly over her ring. "Do I want to know?" he murmured, raising an eyebrow.
She gave him a grin, her tongue pressed between her teeth. "No spoilers, Doctor, sorry," she told him unapologetically. "But yes, something tells me you would be very, very interested in knowing. But I'm fairly certain that there's something else you might need to know first."
His eyes traced over her face, lips parted slightly. "And what's that?" he asked quietly.
She stood up on her tiptoes and leaned closer to him, smirking when she heard his breath hitch. Placing her mouth by his ear, she whispered, "What does it mean, that he's going to change what it means to be human?"
He stiffened, hands tightening slightly around hers as she dropped back down. He looked torn for a moment, cheeks flushed and eyes distant before abruptly refocusing on her. "The man on the TV!" he exclaimed, eyes widening. Dropping her hands, he spun back around to the console and set the ship off once more. They landed a moment later and he darted for the doors, pulling them open to reveal a startled Martha. "No, I'm sorry. Did he say he was going to change what it means to be human?"
xXx
"So, Martha, what's your mom like?" Lyssa asked as they searched through the TARDIS wardrobe for outfits later that day. As Martha had a standing invitation, the Doctor and Lyssa planned on joining as her 'plus-twos' to give them access to investigate. However, as it would be a formal event, formal attire was required - although given what she knew about this adventure, it would also need to be something she could easily run in.
Which ruled out the six inch bedazzled heels resting innocently on a shelf, as if they weren't a death trap just waiting to happen. She eyed them warily, half-expecting them to leap off the shelf and try to trip her just for looking at them.
Martha paused her rifling through the rows of dresses to look at her. "I dunno, she's my mum, I guess," she shrugged. "Worked hard to take care of us kids growing up. Loves reading a good mystery but rarely had the time, what with looking after us and all. Why?"
"No reason," Lyssa waved her off, avoiding her gaze. "I was just thinking... your mom is probably going to be there tonight, and she'll probably be curious about who we are. Trust me - we're going to want to have our stories straight."
"Oh, you're right," Martha realized with a grimace. "Mum's been protective ever since Dad left. She'll latch onto any inconsistencies in a heartbeat."
"Well, clearly, the Doctor is in reality Dr. John Smith," Lyssa giggled. "And he's, uh... what's a fancy medical degree that sounds impressive?"
"Doctor of medicine?" Martha suggested dryly, taking out a deep blue dress that sparkled and holding it up against herself in front of the floor length mirror before crinkling her nose and putting it back.
"Nah, that's your thing," Lyssa shook her head. "How about... ooh! He can be a medical engineer! That'll give him an excuse to be interested in the equipment tonight," she decided, vaguely recalling the futuristic-looking cylinder that had been used in the episode. "And obviously you guys met at the hospital, where he was so impressed with your brilliance that he's considering trying to hire you for his super fancy medical job that he totally works for."
"Right," Martha raised an eyebrow. "And I never brought it up before because...?"
"Because... you weren't sure you were gonna get the offer, and didn't want to raise anyone's hopes?" Lyssa tried.
"All right. Say it works," Martha decided, pulling out a knee-length purple dress that shimmered in the light. "What about you?"
"Me? Oh, I'm just there to look fabulous," she said airily, exchanging a giggle with the other girl before sobering. "Really, though, I don't have any sort of higher training, so I can't pretend to be rich or famous or anything. We'll just say that I was visiting a friend at the hospital while you were working, and we struck up an unlikely friendship."
"Well, if I really do want to get this mysterious job that Dr. Smith is offering, maybe I'm trying to do it by cozying up with his... special friend," Martha waggled her eyebrows at her meaningfully. "Get her to put in a good word for me."
"Martha!" Lyssa clutched a hand to her chest in shock. "You're planning on using our deeply cherished friendship for your own personal gain? How could you!"
"It's a cutthroat world out there, my friend," Martha shook her head solemnly before they both dissolved into giggles. "It's all right. We can have Dr. John Smith and his girlfriend, who I happened to run into at work, and became unlikely friends with. Obviously I invited the two of you along to get into your good graces. Or maybe as a thank you for the Doctor's help with something." She shrugged. "We don't have to dig too deep. It's not like Mum's going to really push at it, especially since it'll only be for tonight. I can easily come up with something later, if I have to."
"Right..." Lyssa trailed off, trying not to think of her mother all too easily becoming entangled with the Master's henchmen. "Well, it never hurts to have a backstory." She gave the other girl a weak smile. "Especially since the last time the Doctor met a friend's mother, she slapped him." She paused. "Well. The first time they were introduced, that is. The real first time they met, she hit on him."
"Wait, what?" Martha froze halfway down the row, staring at her with wide eyes.
Lyssa grinned, setting aside the dress she had been eyeing. "Oh, Martha. Let me tell you the tale of Jackie Tyler."
xXx
"I knew there was a reason not to cut my hair short," Lyssa muttered triumphantly as she slid another bobby pin into place, tentatively securing the half-braid she'd spent a very aggravating twenty minutes on. "And it's because the occasions to show it off are delightful."
Also it would have taken approximately three years to get it back to the same length it was now, and she didn't have the patience for that.
"Fairy-girl, is there a reason you told Martha about Jackie?" the Doctor whined as he appeared in the open doorway to her bedroom. "I walked past her in the hallway and she just looked at me and started laughing. It was bad enough with whatever happened with Queen Elizabeth and Shakespeare, but now this too?"
Inspiration struck.
Lyssa paused and spun on the chair she'd tugged in front of her mirror to look at him. "I'm in -" she glanced down at herself, "sweatpants and a t-shirt," she breathed, trying to look as beautiful as one can halfway through getting ready for a formal event while also sprawled ungracefully across a chair.
He paused, an uncertain expression flitting across his face. "Yes?" he drew out the word.
"There's a strange man in my bedroom," she continued in the same tone, batting her eyelashes obnoxiously until she could hardly see.
"I don't - you know who I - what are you doing?" he asked warily.
"Well, anything could happen," she purred in as close as an approximation to Jackie as she could muster, twining a curl flirtatiously around her finger. He froze, a myriad of expressions appearing and disappearing too fast for her to read until she couldn't control it anymore and burst into a fit of laughter.
"What?" he said faintly, staring at her.
"I'm practicing my flirting!" she told him brightly. "And I'm using Jackie as my inspiration. What did you think?"
"What?" he said again, even fainter.
She shrugged, keeping her eyes wide and innocent. "Well, we're going to a party tonight, right?" she said, spinning in her chair to face the mirror again and pretending to return her attention to her hair while keeping an eye on his reflection - which showed him still staring at her. "I figure there's going to be lots of guys who know what's going on there. What better way to get information from them than by getting them to let their guards down?" she asked rhetorically.
"Especially that Lazarus guy - I checked my notes, and from what I remember, he's kind of creepy and would be totally susceptible to that. And I remember Jackie hitting on you back when we first met Rose, so I figured, why not copy her? But obviously, you gotta practice first." She paused, tapping one finger against her chin thoughtfully. "Although that might clash with our cover story of you being my boyfriend."
He twitched, hand tightening on the doorframe.
"It was Martha's idea, by the way," she told him, biting her lip to keep from laughing when he drew in a sharp breath through his nose. "I told her we'd need some sort of backstory for why we know her in case anyone asks. Which is actually important, so make sure you stick with it," she warned him.
"She mentioned something of the sort when I saw her," he muttered, voice strained. "Once she got done laughing."
"Oh, good!" she exclaimed brightly as she slid one last pin into place and checked that her non-pinned curls looked right. "Then I don't have to explain it all to you." Deciding her hair was as good as she could make it, she stood up from her chair and turned to face him. His eyes were tight around the corners and she honestly felt a little bad for her joke as she walked towards him. Deciding to have a slight bit of mercy, she paused by his still form and reached a hand up to cup his cheek, giving him a genuine smile when his eyes immediately raised up to hers, softening even when she could tell he was still exasperated.
"I'm just teasing," she promised him.
"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow, hand coming up to catch hers when she started to pull it away.
She nodded, smiling slightly. "For starters, I can't flirt to save my life. The last time I actually tried, I think I ended up legitimately traumatizing him," she recalled with a guilty grimace. He looked a little concerned at that, which... was valid. "But really, though. I'm not interested in anyone there. I've already got my eye on a very special man."
"Do you now," he straightened, voice deepening slightly.
"I care about him a great deal," she confirmed, trying and failing to keep her cheeks from flushing as she met his gaze. "I just wish I could tell him..." she trailed off with a wistful sigh.
"Then why don't you?" he asked quietly, eyes searching hers. "I'm sure he'd be more than willing to listen."
"Oh, you know, the usual," she shrugged lightly. "Time travel - I don't know if he's at that point yet or not." His hand twitched slightly around hers and she bit her lip to keep from laughing. "But, you know, what can you do? Anyway, I've got to finish getting ready, and so do you," she switched topics. "And I still need to pick out shoes for tonight, too. I'll see you later, Doctor!" she told him brightly, standing on her tiptoes to brush a faint kiss against his cheek then dropping back down to the ground and speed-walking down the hallway before he could respond.
She put a hand to her mouth to cover her bright grin as she walked, hearing a long, exasperated exhale behind her. That had been fun.
xXx
"Oh, black tie," the Doctor muttered, fiddling with cuffs on his sleeves as they walked down the street, clad in black suit and bow tie. "Whenever I wear this, something bad happens."
"As opposed to all the other times something bad happens?" Lyssa raised an eyebrow, biting back a grin. "What about me?" she glanced down at the emerald green cocktail dress she'd chosen, the material swishing about her knees as she walked. "I've never worn this dress before, but I bet you twenty bucks things are still going to go dreadfully wrong at some point."
"Nonsense," he dismissed, sliding her arm through his. "That has nothing to do with you. You look lovely, by the way," he added, giving her an appreciative glance that had her cheeks flushing.
"Yeah, I'm going to have to agree on that one - disaster happens when you two are around no matter the outfit," Martha teased, the purple dress she had chosen to wear shimmering in the dim light of the streets. "Anyway, I think it suits you. In a..." she tilted her head to the side, considering him. "James Bond kind of way," she decided with a nod.
"James Bond?" he repeated, frowning at first before seeming to decide he liked it and nodding in approval. "Really?"
"Why not?" Lyssa shrugged. "Dashing, debonair man with an air of mystery who likes to show up and save the day at the last minute before vanishing into the sunset?"
"I think that's more Westerns," Martha pointed out.
"Well, both seem to fit," the Doctor said, straightening his bowtie with a smirk. "I do multitask quite brilliantly, after all." He glanced up at the illuminated building ahead of them. "Lazarus Laboratories," he read from the sign, eyes flickering with interest. "I don't hear any mad cackling coming from inside, are we sure this is the right place?"
"Well, you're about as close to a mad scientist as we can get, and you don't cackle," Lyssa reminded him. "Except for that time you had a bad reaction to the atmosphere on that one planet."
He sniffed. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"I'm sure you don't," she hummed disbelievingly as they walked up the stairs into a very impressive looking reception room, filled with guests wearing formal attire and party food. "But it's okay, I have pictures."
"Pictures?" he frowned, narrowing his eyes at her. "And where did those come from, I wonder?"
"Oh, look, treats!" she exclaimed brightly as a waiter passed by, carrying a gleaming silver tray covered in tiny bites of food that probably cost more than a week's wages. "And... I'm guessing that's one of the stars of the show," she trailed off, eyeing a large white cylinder-esque capsule in the center of the room, surrounded by four pillars on all sides. "Anyone else have a bad feeling about this, or is that just me?" she joked, trying to ignore the heavy weight in her stomach.
"Just you, what could possibly go wrong?" Martha rolled her eyes with a quiet laugh. She turned as the young woman from the press conference strolled up to them, wearing a classy black dress and a lovely smile. "Tish!" she exclaimed, hugging her sister.
"You look great!" Tish told her, pulling back to examine her sister. "So, what do you think?" she asked, looking around the room with an air of pride. "Impressive, isn't it?"
"Very," Martha nodded.
"And two nights out in a row for you, that's dangerously close to a social life," her sister ribbed her.
"I know, I keep this up, and I'll end up in all the gossip columns," Martha said, widening her eyes exaggeratedly.
"You might, actually," Tish informed her. "Keep an eye out for photographers. And Mum, she's coming too, even dragging Leo along with her."
"Leo, in black tie?" Martha said in disbelief. "That I must see."
Tish turned to Lyssa and the Doctor with a polite smile. "And who are your -" She stopped, eyes widening. "Miss James! I- I'm sorry, I didn't think you were going to make it tonight," she stammered, offering a hand. "I'm Letitia Jones, Head of PR for Lazarus Laboratories," she introduced herself. "I... didn't know you knew Martha," she said slowly, looking sideways at her sister.
Lyssa hesitantly took it, exchanging a disconcerted glance with the Doctor. "It's good to meet you," she said with an awkward smile. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Tish, what are you talking about?" Martha said with a frown.
Tish gave Lyssa another polite smile before withdrawing a few steps, grabbing her sister by the elbow and pulling her back with her. "That's Alexis James," she hissed, thankfully not noticing Lyssa flinching at the names. "She's the Acquisitions Director for the Oracle Network. They're huge in the medical and science industry. Why didn't you tell me you knew her?"
"Uh..." Martha looked just as taken aback as Lyssa felt. "She..."
"She probably didn't even think about it," Lyssa interposed, affixing her own polite smile to her face and scrambling desperately to fix the shambles of their background story. "We met as friends, not through work, and I try to keep my work life separate. We met at the hospital where she works, while I was visiting a friend, and struck up our own friendship. It was just a coincidence that we both ended up being invited here tonight, but when we found out, we decided to attend together."
"Oh. Well... that's... good for you, Martha, you needed friends to get you out more," Tish said slowly. She turned to the Doctor, who had been watching with a raised eyebrow. "I'm so sorry, I didn't catch your name?" she said awkwardly, glancing at her sister once more.
"I'm the Doctor," he told her cheerfully, shaking her hand and ignoring her flustered look.
"Is he with you?" she asked Martha uncertainly, glancing at her clipboard.
Martha shook her head immediately. "Definitely not," she confirmed. "He's Ly- Alexis's plus one, actually."
Lyssa nodded when Tish turned to her. "He's a biomedical engineer from WHO, I figured something like this would be right up his alley," she said with a calm smile, as if this was completely true.
"She gets me the best gifts," the Doctor agreed in a confiding tone, slinging an arm over her shoulders. "It's our anniversary tomorrow, now I'm going to be scrambling to get her something better." He sighed. "Any suggestions would be appreciated," he joked.
"Oh. Er, congratulations," Tish told them awkwardly. "I didn't know you were married?" she addressed Lyssa.
Lyssa shook her head, cheeks heating up. "Just dating," she smiled. "And like I said, I prefer to not mix my work life with my personal life, so I'm not surprised you haven't heard."
"So, this Lazarus bloke, he's your boss?" the Doctor cut in, addressing Tish.
"Professor Lazarus, yes," she nodded, drawing a breath and visibly grateful the conversation was back to a topic she knew how to handle. "I'm part of his executive staff. I put this event together," she smiled proudly.
"So, do you know what the professor's going to be doing tonight?" he asked, peering at the cylinder. "That looks like it might be a sonic micro-field manipulator."
Tish raised an eyebrow. "You were right," she told Lyssa dryly. "Definitely right up his alley." She turned to her sister. "I've got to get back to work now, I'll catch up with you later," she told her, touching her arm in parting before disappearing into the crowd once more.
Martha turned to Lyssa as soon as she was out of hearing range. "Alexis James?" she raised an eyebrow. "Is there anything you want to tell me?" she asked, only half-joking.
"Trust me, I was as surprised as you were," Lyssa held her hands up in the air. "I have no idea what's going on. And now I'm sincerely hoping that someone with that name who looks a lot like me doesn't show up tonight, or else things are about to get seriously complicated."
"Okay, but then why'd you go along with it if you didn't know what she was talking about?" Martha frowned.
Lyssa grimaced. "Well, on a lighter note, it's a great background story that makes us stand out less than claiming to be your plus twos. On a heavier note... both those names are very personal to me - and the Doctor," she added, exchanging a glance with him. "As is the term 'Oracle.' Given the reputation that title has, combined with the two names..." She shook her head. "It's too much to be a coincidence. Especially given that this Alexis James person is supposed to look like me, enough that your sister thought I was her." She shrugged. "And, with time travel in the mix... who's to say that one of us wasn't involved in creating the backstory?"
"Yeah, but... the Oracle Network is a real business," Martha pointed out. "They're very prominent in their field. We hear about them all the time at the hospital. Wouldn't they notice if a high level position suddenly got acquired by someone who'd never worked there?"
"Spend enough time with the right people, and you can get some good contacts, who would be more than willing to provide an alibi - or in this case, perhaps a cover story and credentials," the Doctor told her. "I've used UNIT more than once, and because of my history with them, they've been willing to back me up." He frowned. "But this is an awful lot of coincidences - too many for me to comfortably ignore. Something tells me we might have to check them out after this."
"Martha?" an older black woman in a golden dress cut off any response she might have made, approaching them with a young black man in a suit and tie beside her.
"Mum!" Martha exclaimed, immediately distracted and sounding faintly tearful as she turned and wrapped her up in a big hug.
Lyssa bit her lip as she watched her mother slowly return the embrace with a startled expression. She'd checked her journal after learning about which adventure they'd be facing, and this was the pivotal first impression. While she had a feeling Francine would still be approached by the Master's people, maybe she could at least keep her from being so hostile to the Doctor.
Because even she had to admit that the way it had been handled in the show would have made any mother suspicious, particularly if you were already an overprotective parent... Although Francine had also been a little too ready to believe the worst of the Doctor.
"No, I didn't go home alone last night, Mum, I went with my friends," Martha told her mother, indicating the Doctor and Lyssa. "Guys, this is my mother, Francine Jones," she said with a nervous smile. "And my brother, Leo."
"And... who are your friends?" Francine asked with a cool smile as she pulled away from her daughter's unsatisfying answers, eyeing the two of them.
"I'm - Alexis James," Lyssa introduced herself, holding out a hand with what she hoped was an inviting smile. "I met your daughter at the hospital when I was visiting a friend. Her compassion really meant a lot to me when I was having a rough day, and I stopped by later to thank her." She shrugged. "We just kind of hit it off as friends from there. And then it turns out we both got invited tonight, and I decided to bring my boyfriend along as my plus one," she indicated the Doctor. "It's the sort of thing he'd love to see."
"Yes, she'll make an excellent doctor some day," Francine said, smile warming slightly as she shook her hand. "And you?" she asked, turning to him.
"I'm the Doctor," he said genially, shaking her hand and then Leo's. "Also met Martha at the hospital, we were both working at the time. Had a situation come up, and I was quite impressed by her brilliance and cool head under pressure. And then Alexis mentioned her, and we realized we shared the same friend," he explained.
"Doctor What?" she pressed, narrowing her eyes with interest.
"John Smith, he's a biomedical engineer," Martha interposed hastily. "We just call him Doctor for short, 'cause he's a massive science geek who loves to learn and would probably have a dozen doctorates if he could."
"They're not wrong," he admitted with a cheerful smile. "I do love to learn. I must say, it's lovely to meet you, Mrs. Jones," he said enthusiastically. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Have you? What have you heard, then?" she said archly.
He hesitated, then smiled slightly. "That you love your daughter very much," he said quietly, and she blinked, taken aback. "Also that you love mystery novels," he continued in a brighter tone. "And if you haven't read it already, may I recommend Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd? Alexis and I read it together and absolutely loved it. Very clever mystery."
"Oh. Well, um, thank you," she said slowly. "I'll... have to take that under consideration."
The sound of tapping on glass interrupted the conversation, and they all turned to see the old man from earlier standing on a raised platform by the cylinder, holding a half-full wine glass and a fork, which he quickly handed off to a waiting staff member. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Professor Richard Lazarus, and tonight, I am going to perform a miracle," he announced proudly. "It is, I believe, the most important advance since Rutherford split the atom, the biggest leap since Armstrong stood on the moon. Tonight, you will watch and wonder," he said mysteriously. "And tomorrow... you will awaken to a world which has been changed forever."
Lyssa reluctantly clapped politely with the rest of the crowd as he stepped down from the platform, leaning heavily on the railings. Two female technicians stepped behind an array of instruments as he opened the door and stepped into the cabinet. He closed the door behind him, and the four pillars began to individually spin with a high-pitched whirring sound, looking like something that came from Star Trek. A pale blue light that seemed like water emanated from the top, splashing down but disappearing before it hit the ground.
The pillars sped up, turning into blurs of white and gray, and she tensed as one of the lights on the instrument panel began to flash red, emitting a sharp blaring. The technicians exchanged worried glances, hands flying over the instruments as the crowd began to murmur. But all their efforts seemed to be for naught as the klaxon continued to blare, increasing in frequency. One of the panels exploded into sparks, and a technician fell back with a cry, clutching her arm.
"Something's gone wrong," the Doctor muttered, tensing. "It's overloading," he realized, springing forward. He hurled himself over to the other side of the instrument panel, sonic practically flying into his hand from his pocket as he nudged aside the remaining technician and set to work, ignoring the sparks and smoke.
Unable to vault in a knee-length dress, Lyssa hurried through the opening off to the side and crouched beside the injured technician, whose arm was sporting a nasty burn. "Come on, let's get you out of here," she muttered, eyeing the damaged panels warily. "You need medical attention for that arm."
Placing her arms underneath the other woman's, she carefully heaved her into the air, wincing apologetically when she whimpered at the movement. Avoiding the Doctor as best as she could, she steered the older woman around him and over to one of tables, resting her arm on the surface. "All right, you just stay here," she told her gently. "My friend is training to be a doctor, I'll have her come take a look at you in a moment, all right?"
The other woman nodded slowly, wincing at a fresh wave of pain. "Thank you," she whispered quietly, voice breaking slightly.
"Somebody stop him!" an elderly woman demanded as the Doctor worked, drawing Lyssa's attention away. "Get him away from those controls!"
"If this thing goes off, it'll take the whole building out with it," he retorted through gritted teeth, not looking up. "Is that what you want?" He jammed his sonic into a port then reached over to a large wire and yanked at it until it came out. The siren abruptly cut out and he glanced up, watching the pillars tensely, and breathed out a sigh of relief when they began to slow. He removed his sonic from the socket, slipping it back into his pocket. "Get him out of there!" he barked, leaping back over the panel.
Martha hurried up to the cylinder as soon as the pillars stopped moving, working together with him to heave the door open. They staggered back as smoke billowed out, and through it emerged Lazarus - decades younger, his hair now thick and blond, his skin free of wrinkles. Cameras flashed as he touched his face with an expression of wonder.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he called, stepping fully out of the machine and into the limelight. "I am Richard Lazarus. I am 76 years old... and I am reborn!" he proclaimed, throwing his hands open wide to thunderous applause.
"Hmph," Lyssa crossed her arms, unimpressed.
xXx
"Will she be all right?" Lyssa asked as Martha stepped away from the injured technician, giving her a warm smile as another staff member escorted her away, still supporting her burned arm.
"She should be fine, so long as she visits her doctor and follows directions," Martha said, watching her go with a concerned expression. "It's second-degree, so it could be worse, but it's big enough that I want her to get it properly checked out. She said one of the other staff can take her tonight."
"It's going to sound callous, but I'm more worried about Lazarus," the Doctor muttered, watching the man who was smiling and taking pictures with various members of the crowd, looking completely healthy for a man who had been hobbling a few hours earlier. Someone called to him and he winced before covering his expression with a smile and raising his wine glass to them.
Martha followed his gaze. "Is it really him, though?" she asked in a lowered voice. "I mean, it can't be. It's got to be a trick."
"Oh, it's not a trick," he sighed. "I wish it were."
"What just happened, then?" she frowned.
His jaw clenched. "He just changed what it means to be human.
A/N: Hi, it's me, the perpetually late author who shows up randomly to drop a 10k chapter on your doorstep and then flee. Things have been crazy, but are now mildly less crazy. Hopefully I can start updating semi-regularly again, in the meantime, thank you all so much for your understanding and patience!
Regarding the location of Gallifrey, multiple Doctors have confirmed it's located in the Milky Way. The exact location varies, but it's typically said to be somewhere around the center of our galaxy. Also, I may have been pushing it. but the idea of the Doctor working for WHO was just too hilarious to pass up. (Fun fact: In World War Z, Peter Capaldi plays a doctor from WHO which I think is the greatest thing ever)
I hope you all had a happy and blessed Easter spent with loved ones! And because it's Easter (or thereabouts), I decided to include lots of Easter eggs for you guys to find. Happy hunting! ;)
Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to everyone who's reviewed! I loved getting all your comments, and they really helped motivate me to finish this monster of a chapter :D
Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)
General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa