It was late at night when the Master woke her up. Judging by the moon light shinning into her cell, Kayla figured it was probably about midnight.
She had screamed when he shook her and had grabbed his hand, nearly breaking it as she twisted it had he not flipped hers around and done the same, though he didn't break the bone, just made her gasp out and force her to tilt her head up to look up at his face.
He had clearly only recently woken up as well; his hair was still disheveled and their were pillow lines and his face. Still, he smirked at her and said in a soft voice, "Let's see how loyal you are."
He had thrown her some clothes, telling her to meet him up at the bridge in ten minutes. Every minute late would mean another death to her father. He had then stormed out, leaving her to try and slip the clothes on as quickly as possible, uncomfortably aware that the clothes were nicely made and fit her perfectly.
She looked down, realizing it was a black sweatshirt and black jeans. The sweatshirt had a little front pocket with 'KH' sown into it. She shuddered.
He had dressed her up like a doll.
She did like the shoes though, they were sturdy, black boots that had a steel toe. Good for kicking Time Lords in painful places.
She pulled her hair back into a tight, high ponytail, and ran to the bridge with only 30 seconds to spare. She only just had time to look as if she had been waiting there for several minutes, barely getting her breathing in control, when the Master had walked in.
"Good," he commented.
The rest of their time, which was spent walking from the bridge to the spheres, was in silence. Kayla walked uncomfortably behind the Master, acutely aware that this was only allowed because he knew that, should she try to kill him, the spheres would kill her just easily. And, he had gleefully informed her, if he died than the spheres had been ordered to destroy the TARDIS, which would not only kill all of Earth, but likely a majority of the rest of the universe.
So Kayla didn't do anything to him, as much as she wanted to. She, instead, was a silent ghost that didn't try to claw his eyes out when he turned and smiled at her, who didn't break his hand – and all the rest of the bones in his body – when he grabbed her forearm and dragged her into a plane that flew them down to Earth.
When the plan had landed, Kayla walked behind the Master, silent, as he led her to a row of homes fairly close to the airport they had landed in. Had it been normal times, had Earth not been under the control of a psychopath, these would have been considered cheap housing, and anyone who could wouldn't live in them.
But now the houses were where everyone lived. They would sleep there and then leave to go build parts for rockets every single day.
"Martha. Martha Jo-hones," the Master called, starting to walk down the rows of houses. The spheres started to circle around him. He paused and looked back at Kayla, nodding for her to follow. She bowed her head and did so, wincing as she realized that her friend would see her obeying this man.
"I can see you!" The Master nearly sang in a high-pitched voice. "Out you come, little girl. Come and meet your master." There was, of course, no response. The Master shook his head and pouted. "Anybody? Nobody? No? Nothing?" He huffed and turned to Kayla. "Pick any house and use one of these bombs on my command," he ordered, his hand outstretched with a sphere in it.
Kayla took the sphere and palmed it, feeling the heat waving off it. She bit her lip, hoping that the Master wouldn't say her name when he tried to taunt Martha out with the threat of the bombs. But he did.
"Even Kayla agrees with me, Martha. And if you don't come out then she'll blow up a house. I'll give the order unless you surrender. Ask yourself—what would the Doctor do?"
The words did the trick, something Kayla was grateful for. But any joy fell when she saw the betrayed and pained look on Martha's face as she looked over to her when she walked out. The expression changed to one of anger and she sent Kayla a glare before she turned her attention to the Master, her head held high.
"On yes!" the Master cheered, clapping. "Oh, very well done! Good girl! He trained you well." He held up a hand, pausing Martha. "Bag. Give me the bag. No, stay there. Just throw it." Glaring, Martha took her pack off and threw it at the Master's feet. He stepped to the side and waved his hand at Kayla, causing the brunette to step forwards. Martha frowned as she saw him pass off some little object.
"Destroy it," he ordered. Kayla raised the laser screwdriver and fired at the bag, causing it to burst into flames and ruin anything that had been inside of it.
The Master smirked. "Now, kill her."
Kayla tilted her head, making a shiver run up Martha's spine. She could see this cold, calculating look in Kayla's eyes, and the way the brunette was staring at her made her feel like a piece of meat. It shouldn't have come as a surprise, for it was clear what side Kayla was truly on, when Martha saw the laser screwdriver pointed at her face. She closed her eyes, prepared…
"No!" the scream made everyone jump. A man in scruffy clothes that Martha recognized as Tom ran into the street, a gun in his hand that he was pointing at Kayla.
There was a shot from the laser screwdriver still in Kayla's hand and Martha could only watch in horror as Tom fell, murdered by Kayla.
The Master laughed, giving Kayla an appreciative look. "I can see this partnership will work out splendidly," he remarked. Kayla held out the laser screwdriver wordlessly, but the Master shook his head. "It's yours, I have extras."
He stepped in front of Kayla, forcing Martha to glare at him. He took out from his pocket a laser screwdriver and pointed it at her, about to kill her. Martha tilted her head up and her eyes closed once more when the Master made a thoughtful humming noise.
"But you…when you die, the Doctor should be witness, hm?" He nodded, inhaling deeply. "Almost dawn, Martha. And planet Earth marches to war."
"Citizens of Earth, rejoice and observe."
The conference room door opened, making Kayla stiffen. After they had arrived back from Earth, Martha in tow, Kayla had been ordered to the room to wait and observe. The Master had wanted her to try and find people who would make a deal with him, like she had done, but she hadn't done that. She had watched the Doctor instead, just like how he had watched her back. It took a great deal of effort to not grab her Bonded and run to the TARDIS and try to fix it, but that wasn't what their plan was.
When the Jones family came in and gave her deep, loathing looks, Kayla winced. It seemed that word had gotten around about her deal with the Master, and by the way they glared at her they were not pleased. But she hardly knew them, she didn't care what they thought of her.
When Jack came in and refused to even look at her, Kayla felt sick. She looked over at him helplessly, begging him with every fiber of her being to see that she did not want this role, that she was trying to con the Master like they used to do. She looked over at the Doctor, hoping he could somehow get across to Jack, but he shook his head, and Kayla's bowed hers.
It was all part of the plan, the modified one they had made when she stayed, for her to be there, to make sure that the Master didn't kill Martha until the right time. She just wished everyone else had been told as well.
And now the Master had stepped into the room, Lucy trailing behind him in a low-cut, deep red ballgown. The Master didn't pay her any attention, allowing her to wander aimlessly around the room while he took his place on the highest position in the conference room, up two steps. He smirked down at them, taking in the little band of prisoners, guards, and Kayla.
Thankfully, he didn't have time to gloat at them, because the door opened again and two guards escorted Martha Jones into the room. She stepped forwards alone, approaching the Master with the guards trailing behind her.
A movement caught Kayla's eyes and she looked over at Jack, seeing him take a small step towards Martha, but the guard next to him moved his gun subtly, making the immortal man step back into position.
"Your teleport device," the Master ordered to Martha, motioning to the ground in front of him. "In case your thought I'd forgotten."
Martha reached into her pocket and threw it at him. He kicked it to the side, not wanting to put himself in the vulnerable position that bending would.
He took out his laser screwdriver, palming it as he said his next order: "And now…kneel." Martha did so, making the Master smirk. "Down below, the fleet is ready to launch. Two hundred thousand ships set to burn across the universe," he reminded.
Turing slightly, he hit the comm. link, turning it on. "Are we ready?" He asked.
"The fleet awaits your signal. Rejoice!" the reply came from a man, his voice shaking.
The Master nodded and turned to Martha. "Three minutes to align the black hole converters. Counting down!" At his words, a clock on the wall started to count down the seconds. The Master shivered. "I never could resist a ticking clock," he admitted. He turned to another comm. and spoke into that as well. "My children, are you ready?"
The reply came from the billions and billions of spheres that were floating above Earth in preparation. "We will fly and blaze and slice! We will fly and blaze and slice!"
Very, very pleased, the Master turned to address Martha and the rest of the room. "At zero, to mark this day, the child, Martha Jones, will die. Ha, my first blood. Ha, any last words? No?" He shook his head and looked over at the Doctor in his cage. "Such a disappointment, this one. Kayla would have cursed me in at least two different languages while trying to kill me." He paused, and then smiled. "Did I forget to mention that she killed for me last night. Some stupid human trying to play hero and she just killed him." He gave Kayla a smile that made her skin crawl. "Very loyal to herself, she is."
When there was no response, he huffed and turned his attention back to Martha. "Bow your head. And so it falls to me, the Master of all, to establish from this day, a new order of Time Lords! From this day forward-" he paused, frowning as Martha started to laugh. "What? What's so funny?"
"A gun?" Martha asked, starting to laugh even more.
"What about it?" the Master asked, shaking his head.
"A gun in four parts?" Martha pressed, starting to smile.
"Yes, and I destroyed it," the Master pointed out slowly, wondering if Martha had gone insane.
"A gun in four parts scattered across the world? I mean, come on. Did you really believe that?"
The Master stared and then looked at Kayla, only to see her smiling, beaming really. "What does she mean?" he snapped.
Kayla just smirked at him. "As if the Doctor would ever ask anyone to kill."
The Master frowned, looking over to see the man blinking at him. Kayla did have a point there, it was very unlike him. "Oh, well, it doesn't matter. I've got her exactly where I want her," he said quickly, motioning at her position in front of him.
Martha just shook her head. "But I knew what Professor Docherty would do. The Resistance knew about her son. I told her about the gun, so she'd get me here. At the right time."
"Oh," the Master frowned, starting to appear worried by the extent that Martha had gone to get there. But he quickly shook his head. "But you're still gonna die!"
"Don't you wanna know what I was doing? Travelling the world?" Martha asked.
The Master nodded. "Tell me," he ordered.
"I told a story, that's all. No weapons, just words. I did just what the Doctor said. I went across the continents all on my own. And everywhere I went, I found the people, and I told them my story. I told them about the Doctor. And I told them to pass it on, to spread the word so that everyone would know about the Doctor."
The Master shook his head, sneering. "Faith and hope? Is that all?" he asked, incredulous. The gun idea had actually been good, had actually made him scared. This story hour plan with Martha Jones just made him want to laugh.
"No, 'cause I gave them an instruction. Just as the Doctor said," the Martha corrected, getting to her feet. "I told them that if everyone thinks of one word, at one specific time—"
"Nothing will happen! Is that your weapon?! Prayer?!" the Master interrupted, looking around the room to see all the prisoners just smiling at Martha, clearly knowing what she was talking about. Even Kayla had a small smile on her face, something that made the Master grow even angrier. She had tricked him, she had to have.
"Right across the world. One word, just one thought, at one moment…but with 15 satellites!" Martha finished, not letting the Master's interruption stop her.
The Master blinked. "What?"
"The Archangel Network," Kayla supplied.
Martha nodded, her eyes flickering briefly to the Time Lady. She clearly hadn't given up any details about the actual plan, but she had worked with the Master, had killed Tom – she took a deep breath. She couldn't focus on that now, she had to focus on the Master.
"A telepathic field binding the whole human race together, with all of them, every single person on Earth, thinking the same thing at the same time. And that word…is Doctor."
As the countdown hit zero, a glow formed around the Doctor, so bright that it blocked him from view. The Master turned, whirling around to see the light and shook his head. "Stop it. No, no, no, no, you don't!" He commanded fruitlessly, trying not hear everyone around him say Doctor. "Do-" he started to yell, wanting the man to just stop everything.
"Stop this right now! Stop it!" the Master yelled, a pleading note entering his voice as the light that surrounded the Doctor broke him from his cage and started to age him down, turning him back into the old man he had been for a majority of the year.
"I've had a whole year to tune myself into the psychic network and integrate with its matrices," the Doctor said, his voice sounding the same as it had been when he was young. "You made a mistake cutting Kayla and I off, it only allowed me to focus on the network more."
The Master shook his head, denying what the Doctor was saying. "I order you to stop!" he yelled, though he didn't really know who he was ordering.
No one stopped, not even Lucy. The Doctor returned to his familiar, young face and hit the ground. "The one thing you can't do. Stop them thinking." The Master shook his head numbly in response, ignoring the mocking laughter from Martha and Jack and Kayla. He winced when the Doctor levitated upwards. "Tell me the human race is degenerate now when they can do this."
The Master flinched back as the Doctor started towards him. "No!" he cried out, sending a laser at the Doctor that was easily deflected.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," the Doctor said in a soft voice.
The Master growled. "Then I'll kill him!" He shouted. He pointed his laser screwdriver at Martha and her family, who had only just reunited, but the Doctor just waved his hand and the screwdriver went flying. Now unarmed, the Master shook his head frantically. "You can't do this! You can't do—It's not fair!"
"And you know what happens now," the Doctor pointed out.
"No!" the Master shook his head as the Doctor floated towards him, backing him down the stairs. "No! No! No!"
"You wouldn't listen."
"No!"
"Because you know what I'm going to say."
Stuck in a corner, the Master fell to the ground, shaking, and the curled up. He whimpered as the Doctor landed, walked over to him, and wrapped his arms around him to pull him into a hug. "I forgive you."
"My children!" the Master gasped out.
The Doctor looked over at Jack, frowning when he saw him not next to his daughter like he should have been. "Captain! The paradox machine!" He warned.
Jack nodded. "You men! With me!" he called to the guards, and then frowned, looking over at Kayla. "You stay here!" he barked the order.
The Doctor shook his head, seeing Kayla's expression break. He beckoned her over, trying to give a small smile as she walked over to him. But then her eyes widened and she cried out, "No!" She jumped forwards, grabbing the Doctor's arm just as the Master used the vortex manipulator to take them off the ship.
They appeared on a rocky cliff, well away from the Valiant. They could hear the nearby shipyards' alarms ringing.
The Master turned, facing the Bonded couple. He held out his arms. "Now it ends, Doctor and Kayla. Now it ends."
Kayla shook her head. "We've got control of the Valiant. You can't launch."
"Oh, but I've got this," the Master held up a small device. "Black hole converter inside every ship. If I can't have this world, Doctor and Kayla, then neither can you two. We shall stand upon this Earth, together, as it burns!"
"You'll kill yourself for Earth?" Kayla asked, shocked that the Master would even go that far.
The Doctor nodded. "Weapon after weapon after weapon. All you do is talk and talk and talk. But over all these years…and all these disasters, I've always had the greatest secret of them all. I know you. Explode those ships, you kill yourself. That's the one thing you can never do." The Doctor held up out his hand, smiling as the Master smacked the device into it.
The Earth shook violently, causing the trio to fall to the ground. Seeing a chance, Kayla tried to reach out for the vortex manipulator, but the Master slapped her hand away, very much like a child would. The two grappled for the item, but the Doctor eventually just grabbed both of their wrists and they were sent back to the Valiant.
They arrived just in time for the ship to rock violently as well. The Doctor, holding onto Kayla tightly, grabbed Martha's hand to help her stabilize before she could fall over. The two had just enough time to share a quick smile before the Doctor yelled out: "Everyone down! Time is reversing!"
Getting to the floor, the Doctor beamed over at Kayla, who was pressed up against him, only on her back. He saw the look on Kayla's face, the way she had her hand on her stomach, and he smiled. They would have their son back.
When the ship stopped shaking, the Doctor was the first to get up. He ran to the controls and looked at them. "The paradox is broken. We've reverted back, one year and one day. Two minutes past 8:00 in the morning."
He looked over at Kayla, expecting to see her get to her feet slowly, heavily pregnant. Instead, his hearts broke as she faced him, her stomach…flat.
He ran towards her and took the blocker off her forearm. He could feel the mental link reach out but not wanting to wait for it to set up, he placed his fingers on Kayla's forehead and closed his eyes.
'Doctor…he's not…he's not here'
'I know Kayla. I know.'
It had been a risk factor in the plan. Having a paradox in place weakened time, made it more likely to make mistakes. Because there hadn't been a time tot when they had gone back, time had literally forgotten him.
'Our child, Doctor,' Kayla whispered mentally, her body starting to shake as she started to sob. He moved his hands from her head to hug her tightly, wincing as he could hear her sob into his jacket.
The rest of the room didn't move. When Jack returned, he took in the two hugging and stayed back. He looked for the Master only to see his head bowed, actually looking upset at the couple. As if he felt Jack's gaze, the Master looked over at him. "Does it surprise you, Captain, that even I mourn time tots?"
Jack blinked, not even noticing that this was the first time that the Master had addressed him with anything other than 'freak.' He looked over at Kayla, seeing her step away from the Doctor, rubbing at her eyes furiously. She placed her hand on her stomach for a fraction of a second, and then she stiffened, turning to the Master.
"You didn't run," she pointed out in a low voice.
The Master nodded, his expression solemn. "I uphold Gallifrey traditions," he stated.
Kayla closed her eyes, composing herself. "Thank you," she said in a soft voice. She looked over at the Doctor, knowing he wanted to deal with him how he saw fit. She couldn't even think about calming the others down from killing him, so she took a step back and watched.
The Jones family was glaring at the Master, ready to rip him apart, but Jack was keeping an eye on them while the Doctor calmed them. She turned to look at the rest of the room and frowned, seeing Lucy just staring blankly at the Master. And then she raised a black object in her hand…
It took Kayla too long for her to realize that Lucy was holding a gun. By the time she had, it was too late. Lucy already fired the gun and the bullet would hit the Doctor. She ran, though. She ran as fast as she could and jumped...
Pain hit her, making her cry out. She had been shot a couple of times at the Time Agency, but nothing had felt like this. It felt like everything was on fire, like all her nerve endings were working. She vaguely heard the Doctor shout for them to move back, and then she felt the Doctor's hand slide into hers.
'I'm here for you Kayla.'
Those words rang in her mind as she, like a star, regenerated in waves of golden light. She was only conscious long enough to see the Doctor staring down at her, feel him push her hair away from her face, and then she passed out.
Kayla woke in the TARDIS feeling it hum as it flew through the vortex. She looked around the familiar bedroom slowly, taking in everything with new eyes. She felt a small smile break out as she saw the Doctor sitting in a chair next to her bed, his head propped up by his hand as he slept. She felt the mental link tug at him, making him slowly start to wake up. When he actually took in that she was awake, the Doctor's eyes widened. He sat up in the chair.
'Kayla,' he greeted.
'Doctor,' Kayla replied back in the same way. She frowned, hearing the change in her mental voice. It was lighter, softer than her old voice had been. It sounded like bells.
Getting up from the chair, the Doctor sat down on the bed next to her and took her hand. 'Your beautiful,' he informed her.
'Show me,' Kayla requested.
Nodding, the Doctor sent an image of herself to her. Her hair was black, her eyes were brown, and even when smiling her face held a sense of sadness to her. But she could hear the Doctor's opinions on each of those items.
'I don't look like Jack' Kayla pointed out. It was the only thing she could think to say. In her last body she looked like her father, but now they looked nothing alike.
'He said you looked like your mother,' the Doctor informed her. 'He's been nagging to see if you're awake. So has Martha.'
'They forgive me?'
'Of course they forgive you, Kayla. They understand you were trying to make sure the Master didn't kill Martha.'
'Where is the Master?'
The Doctor looked down at his hands, not answering for a long time. "Clive Jones, Martha's father, killed him. I was trying to get you in the TARDIS and Jack was trying to explain what had happened and he just shot him. The Master refused to regenerate. I gave him his burial last night."
Kayla took the Doctor's hand and squeezed it. "I am glad you were able to do that," she said in a soft voice.
The Doctor frowned. "Jack and Martha don't see it like that."
Kayla shrugged. "They're only human," she pointed out. She knew, by the expression the Doctor's face, that that wasn't what he was expecting to here from her, but it was the only reason she could come up with.
Hating to see him look at her with evident concern, likely wondering how much the Master's disdain of humans had rubbed off on her, she rushed to put in, "Not that that's a bad thing. Humans are capable of many wonderful things, but humans also refuse to see the obvious. The Master was a close friend of yours, almost like a brother. Despite everything he's done, his passing deserves some sort of marking just for that."
The Doctor nodded slowly and leaned in to give Kayla a kiss when she pulled back. "What's wrong?" he asked in a soft voice.
"Being around you, Doctor…it hurts."
The Doctor frowned. "That might be an effect from the blocker-"
"No, not like that," Kayla interrupted with a shake of her head. "Your appearance, your attitude, everything about you is a walking reminder of what we could have had. I…it hurts too much."
"Too much?" the Doctor asked, his voice breaking.
Kayla could see through the mental link that he had guessed where this conversation was going, and the pain he was connecting it with made tears start to roll down Kayla's cheeks. "I'm sorry Doctor," she said. It was all she could think of to say, now that he could see clearly that he was correct in his assumption.
He pulled away from her, looking down at the blanket of the bed. "Will you block the mental link off?"
Kayla shook her head. "I promise I won't."
The Doctor nodded slowly. "Would you be okay with talking? I'm sure there's someway we can arrange to speak with one another."
Kayla nodded. "I won't cut you out, Doctor. I just need time to heal, to process everything. I mourned our child for a year with the hope he would be here when I returned only to get that hope shattered. It's quite a lot to deal with."
The Doctor looked down at his hands. "I understand," he said after a long pause. "I wish it wasn't like this but I understand."
"And you'll still have Martha to come with you," Kayla pointed out. "She's a good person, she'll keep you grounded." The 'without me' that Kayla didn't say hung in the air.
For a very long time, the two sat like that. They were close together, Kayla holding the Doctor's hand, but it was clear to any outside perspective that they were as distant as anyone could be. They were almost like strangers.
Finally, the Doctor got to his feet to inform Jack of the situation. He left Kayla to pull on some clothes and to…to pack. Kayla watched him go, biting her lip to keep from speaking. She knew, logically, that she had made the right decision. Being around the Doctor was making her feel the pain all over again and while she knew that some would have decided to stay with their partner, to share the pain, Kayla didn't want to do that.
Pain always did things to her, made her go down dark paths. It was a left over from the Time Agency. Their belief that pain could be used to hurt others, to power you through unimageable acts, had stayed with Kayla. The last time she had felt pain like this, Jack had been and he had pulled her back until she was the woman that the Doctor fell in love with. She knew that, if she stayed with the Doctor, she would end up hurting him. He could never bear others' pain and seeing her at the peak would be horrible.
There was also the part of her that was deeply disgusted by the darkness. Having the Doctor see that, to know that the few times she had gotten angry were nothing compared to what was coming, made her want to cower in shame. But Jack had already seen it, already knew what lengths she could go to.
Still, it was hard to watch the Doctor go. She forced herself to be numb to it, to only express the emotions she felt to Jack. Instead, she focused the task at hand. Packing clothes that fit her new style and body. It was stupid, frivolous and the perfect distraction.
She finally settled on a light red top and black jeans. She paused when she saw the boots she had picked up. They were the ones that the Master had given her. She didn't know why, perhaps to have a reminder with her, but Kayla put the boots on. She tried to smile into the mirror in front of her, but it came out as small and sad.
She found a clip in a pocket of the jeans and she used that to pull her hair back, keeping it pinned away from her face and up.
The rest of the packing was easy, the TARDIS helping by offering clothes that would fit the style she had now. Her suitcase was soon packed and she rolled it down the hallway and into the console room. Jack and Martha looked over at her while the Doctor seemed too focused on the console to notice her.
Martha walked over first. She seemed surprised when Kayla drew her into a hug, but she returned it all the same. "Thank you, Martha. What you've done has been more than any companion could have."
Martha pulled away and tried to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. "It was nothing compared-"
"No, Martha," Kayla cut in quickly. "It was everything."
Martha couldn't help but smile. The Doctor hadn't mentioned it to her once, choosing to push it behind him. While that was very him, it still made her feel appreciated when Kayla thanked her, when she acknowledged all she had done.
"Now I have to ask you one last thing," Kayla said in a soft voice. "I'm leaving with Jack and…the Doctor will be alone if you leave. Stay with him, just until he finds another companion."
Martha nodded slowly. "I will," she promised.
She turned to walk back to the console and gave a smile to the Doctor, one that he returned, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.
Jack walked over, taking Kayla's new form in. The two stared each other, daring the other to make the first move. Finally, Jack smiled. "You conned the Master."
"It was the Doctor's idea originally," Kayla said with a shrug. "I tweaked it a bit."
The TARIDS shook, cutting off what Jack was going to say. They had landed. The Doctor walked to the doors and pushed them open to reveal the Pierhead Building in Cardiff. He ushered everyone out, closing the door behind them.
The foursome took in the view. People were walking about, families with children and dogs. Everything was normal and safe. It was a change, a welcomed and happy one though, from the Master's rule.
"Time was, every single one of these people knew your name. Now they've all forgotten you," Martha pointed out.
"Good," the Doctor said with a firm nod.
As if noticing a shift in the air, Martha and Jack took several steps away from the Doctor and Kayla, giving the Bonded couple some privacy. Kayla stepped forwards hesitantly and then hugged the Doctor tightly.
'Thank you for letting me do this, Doctor.'
'It'll help you, Kayla. Why wouldn't I say yes?'
Kayla smiled at the Doctor. Of course it wouldn't cross his mind to be selfish, to make her stay. If it made her happy, he would allow her to do anything. Even if what made her happy hurt him.
'Jack and I will rig up some sort of way we can call the TARDIS. We'll both be able to see each other.' Kayla promised, stepping away from her Bonded.
'I'll stay on Earth so you can contact me with the mental link for when it's set up.'
Kayla nodded. She looked back to Jack and Martha, who were doing their best to not look over at the couple. She took another step back and looked up at the Doctor. "I promise I'll see you soon," she said aloud.
The Doctor gave Kayla a small smile. "I look forward to it."
He watched as Kayla ran to her father, not noticing Martha come up next to him. He watched, feeling so very alone, as Kayla and Jack walked off into Cardiff away from the TARDIS and away from the Doctor.
I am so, so sorry. I cried when I wrote the last line because it became so real. Not only have I finally finished this book, but I have finished it by separating Kayla and the Doctor.
I hope the reason why makes sense. When Kayla lost Lucy it led her down a dark path that Jack dragged her out of kicking in screaming. You guys will see what I mean in the next book, which takes place in series 2 of Torchwood. I like the idea of that series and series 4 of Doctor Who running parallel to each other.
Don't worry, though. Kayla and the Doctor will video chat and occasionally pop over in each other's episodes. Even if the Doctor isn't there, Kayla will still be in contact with him.
But it's going to be a wait until you guys get to read it :(. I'm going to finish Susan, then Amy, and then try to write Dezi and the Ronan/OC along with Kayla. I will, of course, post a notice as a chapter as well as my tumblr: ultramasterdoctor. I also have, as a treat and a thank you for sticking with me, the cover of the next book on my tumblr.
You guys will next see Kayla Hark in...
Away From the Doctor