"Just a few more steps!" the Doctor urged Cara on as they approached his ship. Dodi watched, horrified, from the TARDIS door.

"Look out!" she cried as a Dalek dropped into the Doctor and Cara's path. But the Dalek didn't stay long. It was quickly swept aside by Cara's mind as she struggled to stay on her feet. The Dalek tumbled violently down the hill, screaming in protest and firing randomly. Cara and the Doctor fell into the TARDIS. Dodi slammed the door shut and the Doctor immediately primed the ship for launch. Cara flopped onto the bench, groaning as Dodi approached Cara cautiously.

"Better not get too close," Cara advised hoarsely, "it's started."

Dodi stepped back as the Doctor cast a worried glance at his Time Lord companion.

Cara managed a weak smile at him, "it's been fun, Doctor."

Dodi blinked between the two aliens, "aren't you, isn't she…coming back?"

"No way to tell for sure," the Doctor's voice was barely a whisper, "Dying in a time lock next to an overloading telepathic emitter is uncharted territory."

The TARDIS faded into nothingness, an entire swarm of Daleks taking its place on the hilltop. Within moments, they had reduced the tree, the hill, and most of the wrecked bronze ship to ashes.

The almost intangible swaying of the TARDIS as it hovered safely in the vortex soothed Cara. She gazed up at the ceiling of the TARDIS, admiring the structural arches and sweep of the walls. It was almost a startling thought that she was actually content. At peace with herself. Finally, she knew the answer to the riddles. She knew herself, knew who she was, and that was enough. The double-image that had plagued her vision since she'd landed on Gallifrey faded. Now she was one.

"Cara?" the somehow familiar female voice whimpered, wobbling toward her. A memory surfaced, clear and strong, but not overwhelming. Another life, another time, another ship like this one, another goodbye.

"Full circle," Cara mumbled.

"What?" Dodi asked.

Something clattered to the floor and pinged through the grating.

"Nothing happens," Cara whispered, "without a reason."

"Dodi, get back!" the Doctor warned the woman again, seeing the fiery glow blazing at Cara's fingertips. Dodi stepped back and stood with him, wondering at the wetness flickering in his gaze.

The glow from Cara's hands shot out her feet and head, engulfing her body in flame. The TARDIS sparked and shuddered, making banging sounds in the distance, but managing to hold itself mostly together in the control room where its passengers were.

For agonizingly long moments, Cara glowed stiffly. Every part of her felt as if it were on fire and being frozen off simultaneously. It had been the same the other times, too. Dying never got any easier.

Everything swirled around, shifting. Sounds became sharp and then muffled and then sharp again. The air smelled peculiarly like burnt bananas, then like nothing, then like bananas again. Colors danced, lights flashed, and the psychic energy of the living being surrounding Cara tingled through her. It seemed to be guiding her somewhere. A cloud of hope offered her an ironic hand and she took it without hesitation. It led her down a path lined with piles of silver leaves, toward a quiet glen. There stood the twisting chrome figure-eight emblem of her nightmares. But somehow, this time, it didn't seem so large.

The Doctor and Dodi leapt back in surprise as a fountain of flame came from Cara. It turned into a column, funneling down through the TARDIS grating and into the darkness under the floor. It twisted and fought like a wild thing, until at last it was spent. All was quiet and dark. For uncounted minutes, no one moved or spoke.

"Dodi?"

"What?"

"What are you doing here?"

Cara stood up and gave the other woman a questioning glance.

"Uh," Dodi blinked and stared.

"Uh oh," Cara tilted her head, "is it that bad? Be honest. After all, I've got to live an entire life looking like this, I should know what I'm up against."

"Uh," Dodi said again. The Doctor was already next to Cara, looking down at her. He scooped her into a hug and released her, grinning from ear to ear.

"You're okay!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah," Cara hugged him back and inspected her hands, "but am I okay and ugly? I mean, do I still have a nose?"

"Yes!" Dodi squeaked triumphantly.

Cara breathed a sigh of relief and fingered her hair, "what color is this? Brown? Blonde? Bronde? Is bronde a word?" She frowned, "funny, it looks exactly the same as my old hair."

"Cara," the Doctor started gently.

"What?"

"It is your old hair."

She raised her eyebrows, thinking about this, "oh."

All three looked down.

Below the floor, a small speck of silver glimmered in the green glow of the TARDIS.

Dodi started giggling uncontrollably, and the two Time Lords joined in, though none of them really knew what it was that was so funny.