Death of the Doctor

Sarah Jane Smith ran out of her house with her son's friends Rani and Clyde after having been alerted by her computer Mr. Smith that there were armed soldiers outside, "Stop right there!" she called, marching over to the soldiers in red caps, "I'm not having soldiers on my property."

"Everything ok?" Rani's father called from across the street.

"Yes fine," Sarah Jane waved to him, "They're just leaving."

"Miss Smith, my name is Colonel Tia Karim representing the Unified Intelligence Taskforce," a brunette woman stepped forward, "If I could have a word in private…"

"No, no, no, you're not getting any closer," Sarah Jane held up her hand, stopping the woman, "Just tell me, what do you want?"

Tia took a breath before nodding, "I'm sorry, but it's my solemn duty to inform you that your friend, the Doctor, is dead."

"Don't be stupid," Clyde shook his head.

"He can't be!" Rani exclaimed.

Sarah Jane stood there, stone-faced, as Tia continued, "Last Sunday, at 1700 hours, the body of a Time Lord was returned to the Earth. UNIT scientists have checked the DNA results and it's definitely him. I'm sorry Miss Smith for your loss. Sorry for the whole wide world because he's gone. The Doctor's gone. He's dead."

~8~

They were standing in the attic, Sarah Jane looking out the window as Clyde and Rani sat behind her, Tia explaining what had happened, "The Doctor was found 10,000 light-years away by a race called the Shansheeth," Tia said, "They sent us this…" she held up a smooth sort of stone, "It's called an Epitaph Stone. It's a recording device the equivalent to a death notice," she handed it over to Sarah Jane, "The Shansheeth are what you might call 'intergalactic undertakers.'"

"Oh, come on," Sarah Jane scoffed, "This is ridiculous. There's no such thing."

Mr. Smith spoke up, "Sarah Jane, I can confirm the Shansheeth are known throughout the Universe as the carers of the dead. It is said they troll the battlefields of outer space, looking for heroes to bring home."

"Yeah?" Sarah Jane turned to half glare at the computer, stepping towards it, "Well that's quite enough from you, thanks. Just…shut up. Thanks," she dropped the stone into a little tray beneath the monitor, sliding it in to be scanned.

Mr. Smith brought up a projection of a rather large, vulture-like creature with what seemed like human hands, "I bring condolences from the Claw Shansheeth of the Fifteenth Funeral Fleet upon this terrible day…" the projection began when Sarah Jane paused it.

"Well, as if we can trust that thing, just look at him!" she remarked.

"Hey that's not fair, since when did we judge by appearances?" Rani argued.

"Since this lot started lying!"

"Ok, look," Rani got up and walked over to her, "I hope this is all a big mistake, I really do. But for the Doctor's sake we've got to find the facts. Which means we stop and listen."

"Yeah," Sarah Jane nodded, listening.

"Thanks," Rani smiled before turning back at Mr. Smith, "Mr. Smith."

The projection started playing again, "The Shansheeth did journey to the Wastelands of the Crimson Heart whereupon we found the body of the last Time Lord. Witnesses say that he perished saving the lives of 500 children from the Scarlet Monstrosity."

"Sounds like him," Clyde commented.

"The Doctor's home world is long since lost but legends talk of his love for the Earth, therefore the Shansheeth will return the Doctor to the human race. Oh weep for him, peoples of the Earth, mourn his loss. For the Universe feels darker tonight."

And then it was over.

Rani looked over at Sarah Jane, "So what do you think?"

She shook her head, glancing at Tia, "And what about Evy?"

"I'm sorry, who?" Tia asked.

Sarah Jane narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "His Link, the female Time Lord, the last Time Lady. What about her?"

Tia frowned, "The reports don't mention her. None of the witnesses claimed to have seen anyone with the Doctor when he arrived."

Sarah Jane just nodded and turned away.

"UNIT will take charge of the funeral in conjunction with the Shansheeth," Tia informed them, "We'll be using UNIT Base 5 which is located inside Mount Snowden. We can arrange transport and accommodation for all of you."

"Thank you," Sarah Jane said.

"Then you will come?"

"Oh yes," Sarah Jane turned to face her, "Nothing's going to make me miss this. I'll be there."

~8~

That night Sarah Jane sat in her attic, talking to her son on the video chat, "I always thought, if ever the Doctor dies, somehow I'd just feel it. Wherever he is, far away on some distant star or lost in the depths of the Dark Ages, I'll know…" she swiveled in the chair to look at him, "But I didn't. I didn't feel a thing."

"I know mum," Luke began, "But that doesn't actually mean anything."

"Or maybe it does though, because I don't think he's dead. He can't be. I'm gonna go to that funeral but only to find out what's going on. 'Cos I think the Doctor's still alive. This whole thing just doesn't make sense. There are parts that just don't fit…"

"Like what?"

"Tia didn't even know who Evy was. According to her, there were witnesses, yet no one saw Evy. You met her Luke, do you really think she would ever leave the Doctor or not find a way to be there as he died?"

Luke frowned, thinking of the sort of woman Evy was when last they met, "No…no, I don't."

She nodded, "He just can't be dead."

~8~

Sarah Jane, Rani, and Clyde were walking through UNIT headquarters, Tia leading them through hallway after hallway, "And we've allocated bedrooms," she was saying, "The funeral will take place at 900 hours tomorrow so that gives you time to acclimatize. The doors to the funeral wing will be sealed at 2100 hours. This is still a working military base so you'll only have access to the specified areas."

"That's nice," Sarah Jane commented, "Bring us all this way to tell us we're not trusted."

"So who else is coming?" Rani asked, trying to make up for Sarah Jane's lack of warmth.

"Well, it's all been a bit of a rush," Tia commented, "The Brigadier's stranded in Peru and Miss Shaw can't make it back from moon base until Sunday."

Sarah Jane's eyes narrowed. Yet another thing that didn't make sense.

"You've got a moon base?" Clyde asked, "Oh man, I am running out of reactions."

They turned a corner, coming to a T intersection, when Rani stopped short, noticing something to their right, "You've got Graske?" Rani gaped at the short alien standing by a ladder, "What are you doing with Graske?"

"I knew it," Sarah Jane cut in, "I said there was something going on."

Tia frowned, "Sorry? What's the problem?"

"We've met Graske before and believe me they're trouble," Clyde replied.

"Oh! They're not Graske, they're Groske."

"Groske very different," a little blue Groske walked past them, "Groske are blue. Hate Graske. Graske make me stamp my feet," he then stamped his feet as he walked on.

"The Groske were stranded on Earth in 2006. We took them in and they've been earning their keep as workmen."

"Groske build rocket for funeral. Come and see! Come and see," he waved them on, leading them down the hall to the left, into a rather large silo.

"Rocket X15 will take the Doctor's body into space sealed inside a lead-lined coffin," Tia commented, "Then he'll be set free, in death as in life."

"Very poetic," Sarah Jane snapped, not at all thinking it was so.

"I think it's beautiful," Rani chimed in, looking up, "Just what he deserves."

"What about the TARDIS?" Sarah Jane turned to the woman.

"There was no sign of it," Tia sighed, before stating solemnly, "The body was found all alone."

Sarah Jane's jaw tensed, and another thing that didn't make sense, quite a few things.

Clyde whistled, looking at it, "Blimey though. Not a bad way to go. That's a real proper rocket!"

"Boy smells," the Groske said suddenly.

"Oh, thanks a bunch ya short little titch," Clyde glared at him.

"Clyde!" Rani scolded, "Of all the things for you to laugh at, height?"

"Yeah," the Groske looked up at him, "You smelly-bad-smell boy."

"You blue-bluey-blueness," Clyde tried to retort.

"Anyway," Tia cut in, "This area's about to be sealed off as part of the curfew, I can take you to your bedrooms, then the Shansheeth are holding a Gathering of Remembrance."

Tia walked out of the room, Sarah Jane and Rani following. Clyde moved to do so as well, wanting to get one small warning to the Groske, "Just watch it you…"

"But you see…" the Groske pointed to Clyde's hand which had started glowing in the palm with what looked like the TARDIS's Artron Energy, "So bright, you smell of time."

"What do you mean?"

"They are coming," was all the Groske said before he walked out.

Clyde looked back at his hand, which was normal again, before walking out as well.

~8~

"I don't know what they're planning," Sarah Jane said as they got their rooms sorted, waiting till the Remembrance began, "But I'm going to find out."

"Sarah Ja…" Rani began.

But Sarah Jane cut her off, "Didn't either of you notice the facts that didn't check?" they looked at her. She sighed, sitting down on the edge of a bed, "First off, they couldn't find any other friends of the Doctor?"

"Well, it did happen a bit suddenly."

"Martha Jones. She used to work for UNIT, you can't tell me they couldn't contact her. And she had the numbers for that woman, Donna Noble. And Torchwood! Captain Jack should be here as well. They had the means to find all these different people and they didn't."

"Maybe they were busy," Clyde remarked.

"Too busy to help the Doctor? Never," Clyde and Rani shared a look, "And it's not just that."

Rani sighed and sat down as well, "What else?"

"He was found alone. You've both met Evy, I've told you about their Link, she could never, ever leave the Doctor's side."

"Maybe she was helping the kids and didn't make it back," Clyde suggested.

Sarah Jane shook her head, "Tia said no one saw her. And that has to be a lie. She wouldn't just up and leave him. She couldn't. And if he died, she would feel it. She would be at his side in an instant."

"Maybe she got captured," Rani shrugged.

"Rani there's another part of the Link. If one dies before the other…it literally destroys them. If that happened, Evy wouldn't let go of him. They would literally have to pry him from her cold dead fingers to get his body here. So where is she?"

"Maybe…maybe she died," Clyde said quietly, "Maybe she died as well, and they just…didn't find her body."

"The ultimate undertakers couldn't find a body?" she scoffed, "I'm telling you something…"

"Are you ready for the ceremony?" Tia asked, opening the door a bit and poking her head in, "It's due to start any minute."

"Yes, of course," Sarah Jane stood up, giving a meaningful look at the others before walking out.

Clyde sighed and looked over at Rani, "This is going to be harder than we thought, isn't it?"

Rani could only nod.

~8~

The Remembrance Ceremony had been beautiful, but rather empty. There were one or two soldiers around, Sarah Jane, Rani, and Clyde. They all sat down as one of the Shansheeth played the harp, allowing them to all think back on their memories of the Doctor. They were interrupted, though, by the appearance of an older blonde woman and her grandson, who turned out to be none other than another former companion to the Doctor, Jo Jones nee Grant.

Sarah Jane and Jo had both got to talking and suddenly, they were both dead set to believe the Doctor was alive. They were now in the bedroom, planning on making a list on who could have faked the Doctor's death and why. It was all too much for the kids who quickly made their way out to the corridors.

"It's tragic," Rani commented, "He's dead and they just can't face it."

"Never met the Doctor," Santiago, Jo's grandson, replied, "Always wanted to but too late."

"Wish he was here right now," Clyde said, looking down at his hand which had started sparking during the ceremony.

"Yeah, me too," Rani sighed.

Clyde stopped, "No, I really wish he was here right now 'cos then he could explain this!" he held up his hand to show it, glowing with energy again.

"Clyde!" Rani gasped, turning to see it, "It's happening again!"

"I know! But I couldn't say anything, not inside UNIT, they'd lock me up and dissect me."

"Hold on," Santiago shook his head, "What do you mean 'it's happening again?'"

Clyde and Rani shared a look before she nodded and Clyde began to explain it, "Last time we met the Doctor, it was at Sarah Jane's wedding, he showed up with this girl…"

"Evy," Rani cut in, "She's the Doctor's Link."

Santiago's eyes widened, "His Link! Really?"

"You know about that?"

Santiago nodded, "My whole family was brought up on stories of the Doctor. Gran told us all about what a Link was…always said the Doctor didn't think he'd find his…guess he did."

"Actually she found him," Rani smiled. She still love hearing about that.

"Anyway," Clyde cut in, getting back to point, "We got stuck in this time loop thing and the TARDIS, the Doctor's time machine, kept phasing in and out of reality. But I touched it and got zapped with this, Artron Energy they said. It was part of the TARDIS."

"Whoa!" Santiago breathed, "And you thought my life was good."

"Smellly getting closer!" the Groske called from down the hall.

Clyde spun around, holding up his non-glowing hand, "What do you know about this stuff?" he demanded.

"Closer and closer!" was all the Groske said, before running off.

"Oi!" Clyde shouted as they ran after him, "Come back here blue boy!" they turned down a few halls till they saw him trying to climb into the vents. They ran over, Clyde looking over at Rani, "You coming?"

"Yeah," Rani nodded, getting ready to get in but turned to Santiago, "Oh honestly we're fine, we do this sort of thing all the time."

"Hey my grandmother's handcuffed herself to Robert McGarby," Santiago called as Rani entered the vent as well, "I'm loving it."

"Oi!" Clyde called in the vent, "Groskey! Where are you?"

"Clyde keep it down!" Rani ordered, "This is a top secret military place, they might shoot us dead. Oh and I kind of promised my dad I'd be in bed by half ten."

Clyde rolled his eyes as they continued down the vents, he paused when he heard the Shansheeth talking, "Such excellent and sorrowful memories…" a Shansheeth was saying as a harp was strummed.

Clyde crept over to the end of the vent, looking through it.

"What have we stopped for?" Santiago asked.

"Hush," Clyde called.

"Clyde, I'm staring at your bum!" Rani whined a bit.

"No seriously. Shh."

He turned back to see three Shansheeth standing around, "The women are named Smith, Sarah Jane, and Jones, Josephine," the first Shansheeth stated, "We must drain their minds."

"What of their bodies?" a second one asked.

"They will die. Fortunately there are excellent undertakers at hand."

"Guys, back up," Clyde told them urgently, "We have to get out of here…" his eyes widened as he saw his hand sparking, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" he looked up to see the Shansheeth had noticed him, "Back up, back up, back up!"

"We are witnessed!"

"There's no room to turn around," Santiago called.

"Go backwards!" Rani ordered, "Shuffle!"

"Faster, shuffle for your lives!" Clyde called as the Shansheeth pulled down the vent cover to see them. They shuffled as fast as they could, managing to get out of the vent the way they came, "We've got to get out of here ok?"

"Ok," Rani agreed. They turned and ran back to get Sarah Jane and Jo, to get out of there. They passed another hall just as Sarah Jane and Jo ran into them.

"There you are!" Sarah Jane cried.

"Sarah Jane, it's the Shansheeth," Clyde ran back over to them, "They're lying through their beaks. They want you and Jo! This whole thing's a trap."

"I knew it!" Sarah Jane exclaimed.

"If they're lying that means the Doctor's still alive!" Jo reasoned.

"Yes!" Sarah Jane turned and high-fived Jo.

"Course I'm still alive Jo, I'd have thought that was obvious," Clyde said, but it wasn't his voice speaking, "Catch up."

"I beg your pardon?" Jo asked.

"Clyde is that you?" Sarah Jane turned to him.

"Course it's not, it's me!" Clyde answered, "I'm using Clyde as a receiver. I've keyed into his residual Artron Energy to organize a very complicated biological swap across 10,000 light-years hold on…"

Suddenly Clyde was shocked with energy.

"That wasn't me," Clyde looked up, alarmed, "That wasn't me speaking. I'm getting…" his eyes widened as he held up his hands, one now white, "That's not my hand. It's…my hand's not white."

He was shocked again, twisting and turning, a floppy-haired man in a tweed jacket and bow-tie appearing in his place on and off, "Sorry Clyde," the man apologized.

Clyde was back.

Then the man, "But…"

Clyde.

"This…" the man.

Clyde.

"Space…" the man

Clyde.

"Is…" the man.

Clyde.

"Taken!"

And suddenly another man in a bow-tie was standing where Clyde was, "Good…so, gosh that was different, hello everyone."

"Who are you?" Rani asked, but the man just looked at her, "Where's Clyde?"

"Come on Rani," he replied, "Use your brain. Clyde and I have swapped places. Yes, I'm where he was, so he's where I was, which means…"

"He's in a lot of trouble," another voice said from down the hall. Everyone looked over to see a blonde haired woman, dressed in a gray jacket and matching pants, which were tucked into black boots, and a light blue shirt, striding down the hall, her attention focused on him and she did not look happy, "And so are you," she walked right up to him and poked him in the chest, "Next time you want to do something like that can you at the very least give me a bit of warning as to where you're trying to go? Do you have any idea how hard it is to track you down through time and space and then pinpoint your location using this?" she held up her arm to reveal a crude Vortex Manipulator, "It's not easy!"

"No, I know it's not," he agreed, holding up his hands in surrender, knowing she was angry, she hadn't breathed through any of that.

"Really?" she raised an eyebrow, "How hard is it? Hmm?"

"Um…nearly impossible," he answered, she nodded, about to speak, but he cut in, "But all that nearly impossible business, it doesn't really apply to you does it? You're just amazing."

She pointed her finger right in his face and he actually looked a bit scared, "Flattery will get you nowhere mister. When this is all over we're going to have a very serious discussion. I was trying to ask you something important!"

"What?" he frowned, concerned.

"We don't really have time for that, now do we? We have to help Clyde."

At the mention of Clyde Rani jolted, "You bring him back…whoever you are!"

"No, no Rani don't you see?" Sarah Jane interrupted, "It's you, isn't it? You've done it again? The both of you?" she looked at the woman, "Evy?" who nodded, and then at the man, "Doctor?"

"Hello Sarah Jane," he grinned.

"That's the Doctor?" Rani stared at him.

"What Doctor?" Jo asked, "The Doctor? My Doctor?"

"Well…he can change his face," Sarah Jane said.

"I know, but into a baby's?"

"Imagine it from my point of view," the Doctor said, "The last time I saw you Jo Grant you were what? 21? 22? It's like someone's baked you."

Sarah Jane smiled wider as she stepped between the Doctor and Evy, putting her arm around Evy's shoulders and moving her before Jo, "And this is Evy," she introduced, "The Doctor's Link!"

Jo's eyes widened, "His Link! He's found her?!"

"Right," Evy nodded, "I'd forgotten you actually used to tell your companions about the Link," she looked over at the Doctor, who looked back bashfully.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Jo gushed, hugging the woman to her and Evy couldn't help but smile.

"Everyone!" Santiago called, "Meanwhile…"

Three Shansheeth appeared down the hall, stalking towards them.

The Doctor grew serious, striding through the humans and straight over to the Shansheeth, Evy following after, "Ah, yes, the Claw Shansheeth of the Fifteenth Funeral Fleet, I've been looking for you!" he called, "Have you been telling people I'm dead?"

"I apologize, the death notice was released a little too soon…" the head Shansheeth spoke, "Though I can rectify this immediately!" he threw out his hand, firing a red beam of energy straight at the Doctor.

He didn't have any time to react…but Evy did.

He jumped back, only to see the energy beam striking what seemed to be an invisible wall. The head Shansheeth looked stunned, turning to his two others nodding at them to fire as well. Evy flinched, stumbling back as they all fired.

The Doctor reached out, grabbing her, silently offering her his strength as she fought to keep the wall up with her powers.

Apparently the Shansheeth could tell she was weakening as well, whether from the strain on her face or the blood that had started dripping from her nose, but the main Shansheeth laughed.

But suddenly…they were both gone, disappearing in a flash of Artron Energy.

They reappeared on another planet, the Crimson Heart. Evy collapsed to her knees, the Doctor immediately on his knees before her, wiping the blood from her nose and examining her. He rested his forehead against hers in thanks, she hadn't strained herself as much as she had on Midnight, but she had still strained herself. He always got nervous when she did things like that. She would be a bit tired and have a bit of headache for a while, but she was fine overall. He looked over at a contraption Evy had made which was not moving fast enough and back to Evy, "Can we use the Manipulator?"

She shook her head, "No…the energy fried it."

He looked over at the contraption, shaking it, "Faster, faster, faster!" it started whirring again, he looked over at Evy, "Wait here…" he walked over, kissing her quickly, "Rest, I'll be right back."

She nodded, not liking not going with him, but with the running they were sure to be doing in the base right now…she'd only slow them down.

The Doctor gave her a smile before he disappeared, reappearing on Earth, running behind Rani, Santiago, Jo, and Sarah Jane and into another room. Sarah Jane stopped at the door, looking stunned as the Doctor ran through instead of Clyde, "Come along Smith!" he shouted, running, as she followed after. They ran down another hall, the Doctor leading them towards a room, "In, in, in, in, in, in, in!"

"I'm sorry, is there a problem?" Tia asked, walking over to them.

The Doctor slammed the door in her face, opening it up quickly, "Sorry, I was…slamming it," and then he slammed it again, turning around, "Right, now we need to lock it, come on use the sonic lipstick."

Sarah Jane looked up at him, "Haven't you got the sonic screwdriver?"

"They took it."

Sarah Jane shook her head and went to lock the door as Jo stepped up, "Wow!" she smiled, "They do sonic lipsticks now?"

"Well, we're running out of time. I need you Sarah and you Jo…" he took their hands.

"Need us for what?"

"Remember the old days when I'd go zooming off to far away worlds?" he asked, and they appeared on the planet. The Doctor looked over to see Evy sitting beside the device, it starting to power down, "No, no, no, no…"

"We need to get it working properly," Evy told him.

"Where are we?" Sarah Jane looked up at the red sky with Jo.

"The Waste Land of the Crimson Heart," Evy called, smiling, "Earth's behind you and to the left…" she nodded back over her shoulder as they turned to look.

"Bit of a long walk," the Doctor commented, looking up at Sarah Jane, "Sonic please?"

"Wow," Jo breathed, looking around, "Oh, so many years since I was on another planet."

"Me too," Sarah Jane agreed, both of them looking back the way Evy nodded.

The Doctor stood up, laughing, happy, about to put his hands on their shoulder, before crouching down to help Evy with the device.

~8~

"There…" Evy pointed to a part of the device. The Doctor was holding a wire, ready to attach it as Sarah Jane soniced it, "…and there…"

"Did it hurt?" she asked, looking at them.

"…and there…" Evy nodded to an area by the Doctor's hand.

"I mean the regeneration. Those last bodies of yours, were they ok in the end?"

Evy didn't answer right away. Her last incarnation, she was content to just be with the Doctor, she had given her life to be able to start their next journey together, equal, both going through it together. But she knew the Doctor. His last incarnation had been more attached to his body, had more of a will to go on and remain how he was than the previous ones. It had been hard on him. Really…the only comfort he had was the fact that he wasn't alone.

"It always hurts," the Doctor said quietly.

"…and there," Evy pointed as well.

Sarah Jane seemed to notice the tension and changed topic, "So how did you end up in this place?" she stood up, dusting off her hands as the Doctor helped Evy up.

"The Shansheeth lured this one to a 'mighty old battle field just begging to be explored,'" she mimicked the Doctor, fondly shaking her head at him. He'd begged her for four hours straight, constant 'pleases' till she agreed.

"'Cos we're travelling with Amy now and Rory," the Doctor continued.

"They got married," Evy smiled, "And after the Doctor's failed attempt at giving them a honeymoon, I found a lovely honeymoon planet for them."

He laughed, watching as Evy examined the device, fiddled with a few wires on the top, "Which isn't what you'd think. It's not a planet for a honeymoon, it's a planet on a honeymoon, it married an asteroid. And they nicked the TARDIS. The Shansheeth. Not Amy and Rory."

"Luckily there was all this wreckage, enough to build a…"

"Space wopping do-da thinga-ma-whatsit," the Doctor grinned.

"Why must you call it that?" Evy turned to face him, "It's an Intergalactic Molecular Streamer."

"I know," he smirked at her, "But it's so much more fun to say!"

Evy just shook her head.

"So you've got a married couple in the TARDIS?" Jo called over from where she was sitting on some debris.

"Mr. and Mrs. Pond," the Doctor laughed.

"I only left you because I got married."

Evy glanced up at the Doctor, this was something he had to do himself, so she turned to Sarah Jane, "…and there…"

"Did you think I was stupid?" Jo frowned, worried.

"Why do you say that?" the Doctor looked at her.

"Well…I was a bit dumb. Still am I suppose."

"Now what in the world would make you think that?" the Doctor walked over to her, "Ever, ever, ever?"

Jo sighed as the Doctor sat down next to her, "We'd been travelling down the Amazon for months and we'd reached a village in Cristalina and it was the only place for thousands of miles that had a telephone. So I called you. I just wanted to say hello. And they told me that you'd left, left UNIT, never came back. So I waited. I waited because you said you'd see me again. You did. I asked you and you said yes. You promised. So I thought, one day I'd hear that sound deep in the jungle, I'd hear that funny wheezing noise and a big blue box right in the middle of the rainforest. 'Cos, see, he wouldn't just leave, not forever. Not me. I waited my whole silly life…"

Evy smiled, she could relate to Jo, she knew how it felt to wait for the Doctor.

"Oh but you're an idiot," the Doctor told her.

"Well there we have it," Jo laughed, sniffling.

"No, no, no but don't you see?" he smiled at her, "How could I ever find you? You spent the past 40 years living in huts, climbing up trees, staring down barricades. You've done everything from flying kites on Kilimanjaro…" he looked over at Evy who smiled and nodded, "Sailing down the Yangtze in a tea chest. Not even the TARDIS could pin you down."

"Hold on…" Jo blinked, turning to him, shocked, "I did sail down the Yangtze in a tea chest. How did you know?"

"And that family. All seven kids, twelve grandchildren, thirteenth on his way, he's dyslexic but that'll be fine."

"Great swimmer," Evy called.

Jo looked between the two, stunned, before looking back over at the Doctor, "So you've been watching me, all this time?"

"No," he shook his head sadly, "Because you're right, I don't look back, I can't. But…" he glanced over at Evy, a soft smile on his face, thinking of the relationships she'd maintained with their past companions and friends, "Evy's slowly been changing my mind about that…which is something when you think about it," Jo laughed, so happy to see him happy now, "But, you know, the last time I was dying, Evy and I looked back on all of you, every single one, and…I was so proud."

"It really is you, isn't it?" Jo smiled.

The Doctor just smiled in return, "Hello!"

Suddenly a whistling noise rang out. They looked over to see Sarah Jane handing Evy back a whistle before standing up, "Sorry, but we've got that lot back at home with the Shansheeth."

"Yes, yes," the Doctor stood up and walked over to the device, "And uh…"

"It's your turn Jo," Evy smiled, "I smell black currant in your bag, buchu oil yes?"

"Handpicked in Mozambique," Jo smiled, handing it over.

"Just perfect!" Evy took it, opening the top of the device, "All these circuits need is connectivity."

"Wonderful!" the Doctor smiled at them all. All his girls, working together, "Little tiddly drops…that's it! What a team."

They all just looked at him a moment before laughing.

"There," Evy put the top back on, "That should work! Intergalactic molecular streaming with just a hint of black currant, that's a first for me."

"Oh, but what'll happen to Clyde?" Sarah Jane stopped them from activating the device again.

"Oh, no, no, no," the Doctor shook his head, "Evy fixed it, she's brilliant at that," he took Evy's hand, "All we needed was you two. Oil and sonic. Now we can go back and Clyde can stay where he is. Hold tight."

Sarah Jane and Jo grabbed onto the Doctor's hands while Evy just put her arms around his neck and they appeared in the hallway of UNIT, where they could hear shouts coming from the vents.

"Whoops!" the Doctor called as they ran to the vent cover, "Then again, maybe leaving Clyde in the same place wasn't such a good idea."

"Look out!" Sarah Jane called, "Stand back!" she flashed the sonic lipstick against the cover, breaking it off.

"Ah!" the Doctor grinned, "Ventilation shaft," he nudged Evy, "That takes me back…"

"Takes me forwards," Evy laughed, crawling in after the Doctor.

"Hurry up!" Santiago called, "They're going to boil us alive."

"Hold on, we're coming!" the Doctor shouted from the vent.

"Don't worry Santiago, I'm here!" Jo called behind them.

Suddenly there was a banging and the sound of struggling.

"Doctor!" Rani shouted.

The Doctor and Evy looked back, "Jo?" he called.

"Sarah?" Evy shouted.

"They're roasting us!" Clyde called.

"I'll get Sarah and Jo," Evy turned to him, already starting to shuffle back, "You help them!"

He nodded.

"Let us out!" Rani called.

The Doctor continued forward.

Evy shuffled back and was half pulled out of the vent and into the arms of a Shansheeth. The three birds led them, struggling, back to some sort of control room with two boards set up on either side of the room, one offline in the back, a spare, the coffin in the center of the room. Evy eyed the controls and the boards carefully.

"Oh Colonel!" Sarah Jane shouted, catching sight of Tia, "I didn't trust you from the moment I met you!"

Jo gasped, seeing the TARDIS in the back of the room, behind the control panel.

"Oh like I care," Tia sneered, "I've never met anyone so staggeringly pious in all my life. Now then…" she hit a button and the doors behind them slammed shut, "The chamber's sealed off. The Doctor would need half a ton of dynamite to get in that."

Evy snorted, "He doesn't need to get in."

"And why's that?"

"I'm here," Evy smirked.

"And you are?" Tia raised an eyebrow.

"I'm his Link."

"And a Link is what?"

Evy nearly laughed, that woman really hadn't done any research on them had she? Her mistake, "We can communicate telepathically," Evy told her, "He'll know everything that you're doing, everything in this room, every possible way in…it'll be like he's in the room with us."

Tia glared, "Put her in the machine!" she ordered, "And shut her down!"

Sarah Jane and Jo started to struggle, trying to help Evy who was led to the board in the back of the room and strapped in. Just before Tia hit a control, Evy winked at the two women before she was forced unconscious.

Jo looked back over at the controls, her eyes on the TARDIS.

Tia looked over her shoulder, seeing the women looking that way, "That's what this is all about. The TARDIS and you. Place them in the Memory Weave."

Sarah Jane made a mental note of the machine. When the Doctor came to rescue them, he'd need to know what he was facing now that Evy wasn't awake to tell him.

~8~

The Doctor was in the vents, at a small red device on the wall that was locking the kids in the room on the other side of a wall, he rubbed his head, "And…release!" he tweaked a wire and the button turned green. The door slid open and he came face-to-face with Clyde.

"Blimey!" the boy gasped, eyes widening, as he looked at the Doctor, "You really have changed faces, haven't you? I couldn't see you before I was too busy swapping. So that was Evy on that planet?"

"Oi!" Rani called, "We're still cooking back here."

"Where's my Gran?" Santiago asked.

"Right, yes, sorry, uh," the Doctor began, "She's in danger…along with Sarah Jane…and my Link…so we better…uh," he tried to turn around, "Can't turn round."

"You'll have to shuffle backwards," Clyde told him.

"Oh, yes, ok, thank you Clyde," he nodded, shuffling backwards as Clyde, Rani, Santiago, and the Groske followed him into the vent.

"Even your eyes are different!" Clyde commented, "It's weird 'cos I thought the eyes would stay the same…can you change color or are you always white?"

"No, I can be anything."

"And is there a limit? I mean, how many times can you change?"

The Doctor nearly rolled his eyes, growing exasperated, and threw out a number, "507."

"Oh…" Clyde nodded.

The Doctor suddenly stopped. His eyes looking down at the paneling as though seeing something through it, "We have to hurry," he told them, backing out faster. Something had happened, Evy's mind had been forced into unconsciousness.

~8~

"Hang on then, tell us," Sarah Jane called, "What exactly does this Memory Weave do?"

"'Cos I warn you darling, the memory's going at my age," Jo added.

"You need only remember one thing," the head Shansheeth stated.

"And what's that?" Sarah Jane asked.

"The TARDIS key."

"The Weave takes the memory out of your head," Tia told Sarah Jane, checking her restraints, "And makes it real. This device can build a physical key out of your thoughts."

"And then we will have access to the TARDIS. The most miraculous machine in creation will be ours."

"No…" Sarah Jane breathed.

No one noticed Evy twitch.

~8~

In the hall outside the vent, the Doctor stopped, both sensing Evy waking up as well as the machine starting, "It's started!" he shouted, running off down the hall.

"How do you know where they are?" Clyde called, following after him.

"Evy's with them. I'm just following the pull in my mind…"

~8~

"No!" Jo shouted, "You can't!" Tia tightened her restraints, "Ow!"

"We have seen so much of death," the head Shansheeth said, "The Shansheeth have presided over infinite funerals. We see the pain and the suffering again and again and again, but, with the TARDIS, we can stop this. We can intervene to prevent the loss of life in the universal scale."

"You want to stop death?" Sarah Jane gasped.

"It is a noble quest. To halt the endless, endless weeping."

"And change the whole of history! That's why creatures like you can't have time machines 'cos you'll wreck the entire Universe!"

"What did I say?" Tia sneered, "Pious."

"Oh yeah? Well I'd rather be pious than vile! What do you get out of this plan?"

"A bigger horizon Miss Smith. The Shansheeth can take me to the stars because there is nothing left for me here on Earth, not anymore. Accelerate the Weave!"

There was a sudden bang on the door, "Oh they've sealed it off!" they faintly heard the Doctor comment, "Jo, Sarah, can you hear me?"

"Doctor!" they shouted.

"Is Evy there? Is she alright?"

"She's unconscious," Jo called back.

"Oh no she's not," they could practically hear the grin in his voice.

They all looked over at Evy to see her awake and smiling at them.

"How?" Tia demanded, trying to get the board to shut her down again.

Evy just shook her head, "You should never have hooked me up. My mind works differently than theirs, and you've got the boards set for human. All you've done is help connect me to Sarah Jane and Jo's mind, I've been blocking the machine."

"They want the key!" Sarah Jane called to the Doctor, "They've got the TARDIS and a Memory Weave!"

"Too late," Tia glared, "Try to stop this! Full activation!"

Evy winced, trying to keep the machine from fully affecting Jo and Sarah Jane. It was hard enough to tap into the mind of one human, but to do two at the same time, even with the Memory Weave connecting them...it was difficult...

"Concentrate think of the key," the Shansheeth ordered.

"Try and find a way in!" the Doctor shouted to the kids.

"There's nothing!" Santiago called, "We're gonna need a bulldozer!"

"I've got the original here you can have it but let them go!"

"You let the Doctor inside this room and he will destroy us," Tia shouted, "Keep going!"

"Think of the TARDIS," the Shansheeth said again.

Evy focused, trying to project to Sarah Jane and Jo, get them to think only of the TARDIS and not the key…so far it was working…

"The key, remember," the Shansheeth called.

"Fight it Sarah Jane!" Jo called, "Try to think of something else."

"I can't!" Sarah Jane shook her head.

"Neither can I!"

"The memories coalesce!" the Shansheeth shouted. An orange light shot out of Sarah Jane and Jo's foreheads, merging in the air in the middle of the room, forming a little ball, the key vaguely forming in the middle, "The key! It takes shape."

Evy closed her eyes, 'I can't fight the machine any more!' she called to the Doctor, 'It's at full power…it's taxing to try and block just one memory, but the both of them…'

"Don't!" Jo shook her head, "Don't!"

'Why hasn't it gotten you?' he asked her, worried.

"I can't stop!" Sarah Jane gasped.

'My memories are too strongly guarded I suppose,' she guessed.

"What do we do Doctor?" Clyde asked, "What do we do?"

'…too strong…' the Doctor thought.

"Yes…" he breathed, "Because…the Shansheeth are making them remember."

"I know!" Clyde shouted.

"But don't you see…"

"I don't see anything!"

"We do the same. Opening comms.. Yes!" his voice echoed through the room, "Sarah, Jo, Evy! Can you hear me?"

"The key!" Sarah Jane shouted, "It's almost ready!"

"Listen to me all of you. I want you to remember."

"We are doing it," Jo said, "That's the trouble."

"No, no, no, I want you to remember everything. Every single day with me. Every single second."

"Brilliant!" Evy shouted.

"What's he doing?" Tia demanded.

"'Cos your memories are more powerful than anything else on this planet," he told them, "So think of them Sarah, remember them Jo. But properly, properly. Give the memory everything. Every planet, every face, every madman, every loss, every sunset, every scent, every terror, every joy, every Doctor. Every me."

"I remember," Sarah Jane cried as she thought back.

"No!" Tia shouted.

"Memory Weave overloading," the computer announced.

"I remember!" Jo smiled, remembering as well.

"We need that key!" Tia yelled, "What is happening?" the key disappeared, "What is happening?"

"Initial target lost," the computer announced.

"The device is overloading," the Shansheeth declared, "Too many memories. Too many!"

"You made the biggest mistake ever," the Doctor called to them.

"And what's that?" Tia spat.

"You hooked up a Time Lady with a mind more powerful than a human's. And with over 800 years of memories!" he spoke to the kids, "Come on! Come on! Tell them! Tell them!"

"Remember us Sarah Jane!" Clyde called, "Remember Maria and her dad. And all the stuff we did. Like the Gorgon."

"And the clones!" Rani added, "And the zodiac. And the Mona Lisa!"

"All of it!" Sarah Jane smiled, "All of it!"

"Just think Gran!" Santiago called, "All the countries you've been to!"

"Every country in the world," Jo laughed.

The Weave sparked.

'Evy…' the Doctor smiled, she was thinking about every memory of him, every memory she'd seen in his mind when she'd Linked to him.

"Weave starting self destruct," the computer announced.

Sarah Jane's restraints disengaged, "We've broke a circuit!"

"I can't get out!" Jo called. Sarah Jane pulled herself out and ran over to her friend.

"I've got you!" she called, glancing over at Evy who was getting out of her restraints well enough.

"Now we're in trouble," the Doctor said to the children, "The Weave's about to blow up…and we can't get them out."

"What?" Rani gasped.

"You can't escape!" the Shansheeth called, "We need the key!"

"Weave now entering detonation phase," the computer announced.

"I can't unseal the door!" Tia shouted as the controls sparked, "The power's gone!"

Sarah Jane, Jo, and Evy ran over to the door, Sarah Jane pulling out her lipstick but it was dead, "We've drained it…" she breathed, before banging on the door, "Doctor! Doctor! We can't get out!"

"I can't open it," the Doctor breathed on the other side of the door.

"No sonic screwdriver."

"They're inside the TARDIS."

"And we can't get in 'cos guess what. We stopped ourselves from getting the key…"

"But guess what!" Evy shouted, "You've got me!" she grabbed their arms and pulled them back to the TARDIS. She shoved one of the Shansheeth, who was tugging on the door, off to the side and ran her finger across the lock, unlocking it, never more thankful that the TARDIS seemed to like her well enough to never make her use a key. She quickly ushered them in, "Get in!" she glanced back at the door, "Doctor! Get back!" she shut the door behind her, locking it, and leading them over to the console, to duck down just incase.

Moments later there was a terrible jolt and the TARDIS rocked a bit, throwing them to ground. But then it settled down, the girls started laughing, hugging each other in happiness. Then there was the sound of a lock turning and the door flew open, the Doctor and kids running in, everyone hugging, happy to be safe once more.

~8~

The TARDIS appeared in Sarah Jane's attic, the kids all walking out, leaving the adults to talk amongst themselves, "Still the same old TARDIS," Jo smiled fondly, "Doesn't matter what's changed. Still smells the same…" she inhaled deeply, "Nope. Gotta say goodbye or else I'd stay with you forever."

"We'd love to have you," Evy told her, looking at her and Sarah Jane, "Both of you. You ever want another adventure, just give us a call," she tossed a small device over to them, like a small recorder, a communication device.

"Oh, I think I'm good for now," Jo replied, keeping the device regardless, "I probably couldn't keep up anymore. Get either of you into trouble with the Time Lords."

The Doctor tensed, Evy taking his hand as he cleared his throat, not really wanting to have to tell her about what happened to their people, "Yeah, we probably better go…you know me, stuff to do."

"It's daft though 'cos we were both saying," Sarah Jane began, "We had this theory that, if you ever die, we'd feel it somehow, we'd just know. That's silly, isn't it?"

"I don't know," he turned to them, "Maybe not, 'cos between you and me, if that day ever comes I think the whole Universe might just shiver," he was silent for a moment, before jolting at them, "Boo!"

Sarah Jane and Jo jumped, startled.

Evy shook her head as he laughed, "But seriously though, I think you would know," she stepped forward, taking each of their hands in her own, "The Doctor just...touches people's hearts and minds, he leaves an impression on you whether you know it or not, and when that impression disappears, you'd feel it. So yes, I think you'd know if that day ever came...which it won't," she smiled, "Not if I have anything to say about it."

Sarah Jane and Jo seemed reassured by her words, laughing and giving her a hug before hugging the Doctor once more and walking out. Watching as the TARDIS disappeared.

~8~

"So…what was it you wanted to ask me?" the Doctor asked as he dashed around to the other side of the console.

"It wasn't anything bad," she reassured him, sensing a hint of concern from him, "I just…" she sighed, "You once said that Arthur was a good name for a horse, yeah?"

"Yeah," he said slowly, not sure where that was coming from.

"Well, I just wanted to ask if you thought Arthur was a good name for a child."

"Oh yeah!" he smiled, "Excellent name. Got King Arthur, great man, interesting bloke, bit of a talker. Tends to ramble…oh!" he ran to the key pad, "I should introduce you! It's amazing how close the legends are to what actually happened…I mean, no Excalibur, no wizards unless you count yours truly, no Lady of the Lake, no…well…actually not much like the legends at all really. Great conversation though! Why do you ask?"

She shrugged, "I was just trying to think of names for our child."

"Well, I'd say we'd have to go with more Gallifreyan names," he rambled, "Tradition dictates males follow the father's family, so if it was a boy, it would be names something related to the Greek alphabet, but females follow the mother's, much more options for Sol system names though, but we don't exactly have to stick to that. I mean tradition is great and all but we could stray just a bit if we wan…" he stopped suddenly.

Evy turned around to lean on the console, sensing he had just realized something.

His head peeked around the side of the rotor, "Did…did you just say…our child?"

She smiled softly and walked along the console, her hand trailing the edge of it, thinking of the last time Sarah Jane had been in the control room, with Luke and Rani and Clyde, what she'd said to him about children in the TARDIS. That there would be, one day, one day very soon it seemed.

She came to a stop beside him. She reached out and took his hand in her own, bringing it to rest on her stomach, "Our child."

"Ou…our chi…chil…"

And then something happened that completely threw her.

The Doctor's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell backwards onto the floor of the TARDIS. Evy looked down at him, blinked, and then sighed. Here he was, the man who could look a Dalek in the eyestalk…out cold from just a bit of news.

"Well…that was unexpected."

A/N: Bit of a long A/N...

AHHH! Are you screaming? Doing a little happy dance? Laughing hysterically at the Doctor's Malcolm-like reaction? I know I am. Lol, this little development certainly changes quite a few things doesn't it? I know that the Professor and the Doctor in my Academic Series are trying for a child...and they will be trying...a lot, so much so that I'm not entirely sure (even in my outlines) whether or not it will happen. But I really wanted this to happen here with Evy and the Doctor, dealing with the Silence, while pregnant, and with the whole Lake Silencio thing, AND who River Song is to them...let's just say, IF they can make it through that, they'll be stronger than ever. But I'm not saying what will happen...you'll have to wait to find out :)

As for the names, I've made Time Lord families based on a patri/matriarchy, legacies are important. I take that as more of a lineage thing, like Liz 10 is the tenth Elizabeth and so on. Here the names for each family follow a similar pattern, girls following their mother, boys their father. I don't know how these categories for names would start, but I thought it would be cool, another tradition to add. As for the Master (Terrin, which is similar to Earth's Terra) I see it as, perhaps their father was named after an inhabited planet, like planets that can sustain life (ironic as the Master tends to try and destroy people's lives). It would just be an added bonus that it also hints at the mother's line of Sol system names. And when you think about it, Earth is the only planet with one moon, so it's almost like a sibling-like relationship there with the names too :)

I know that UNIT is fully aware that Evy exists, that they have records of her. But I wanted to give Sarah Jane another reason to be suspicious, I wanted something to really ring out as being off about this whole thing. I figure Tia, if she's just trying to get Sarah Jane and Jo there wouldn't care about anyone else who's with the Doctor, just doing whatever she needs to to get them there. And really, she'd expect Jo to come for the Doctor, Jo wouldn't know who Evy was. Speaking of, I really wanted to put in a little bit about the Link and how the Doctor used to tell his companions about it. I feel like, even then he had a subconscious tiny little hope he might one day find his Link, but after the war it was completely gone so he never talked about it.

Just a note on some reviews, thank you for pointing that out! I have no idea how I missed not writing Christmas there, I went back and fixed it so thanks! And, as for the Doctor in Series 7, well...the Professor's darkness can be much worse thant he Doctor's at times, having her being the Doctor's only permanent 'companion' wouldn't do much to quell his own darkness, in fact, it might just make it worse. As for Evy...we now know she's pregnant (squeal!). IF all goes well and she does have the baby, can you imagine how much worse the Doctor would be in terms of protecting the people he loves? I could see his darkness coming out in the form of doing whatever he can to protect his family :)

The next chapter will be an original chapter and will be the last one for this series, so keep an eye out for it :) And, since I'm not giving away what the next chapter is about, I'll give a few more 'next time' hints.

Next chapter...Evy's not the only one dealing with a child. Stories are shared from one generation to the next. Questions are asked and given excited answers. A family grows larger. But how will the Doctor deal with the idea of a baby once he has time to come to terms with the news?