NOTE: Are we all having fun yet? Giggle. I have to say I love you Whovians, you are always up for a challenge! And this story is certainly that! All time jumpy and characters that you know and love acting all bonkers and not to mention getting shot by Dalek and what not. I've been purposefully mysterious and somewhat deceitful on this one one to give you guys more of a fun ride, which is why the Doctor hasn't been sharing with Amy or River what it is he's up to (also he's also notoriously stubborn about asking for help in these situations). I'm enjoying this whole 'mystery' genera. Unlike my usual writing style I actually have a 'plan' for the first half of this novel...I'll come up with a plan for the second half later.

In that spirit, enjoy this next piece of the puzzle! If you figure out what's been going on, awesome, if you're still confused, don't worry answers will trickle in. ;)

Chapter Eight

Standing on the balcony Ithican looked out over the city that lay in the crescent of the bay with a vacant stare. The sun had set a while ago and the moon was just starting to rise over the calm ocean. Life in the city had flourished and prospered, he just wished he could say the same about his own household. The past twenty years had aged him emotionally far more than the previous two hundred thousand. Now that night had fallen once again his stomach was twisting in fear.

With a heavy heart Ithican wandered the empty halls of the palace towards the far East Wing. He came to a guarded door that was opened for him by one of the two men standing watch. There was a wooden door that was followed by a set of metal bars, both of which needed to be opened with keys to gain access to the East Wing. Ithican hated the prison like set up, but it was the only way to ensure that his son didn't wander off.

Entering the long hallway that lead towards the main rooms Ithican looked at the walls and shook his head sadly. Ever inch of space that his son could reach of the walls and floor were covered in intricate chalk markings. The habit of drawing the circular patterns had started when he was about three years old and it had progressively gotten worse over the years. Now it was a full blown obsession. Ithican had insisted once that the chalk be taken away from him but it had only ended in his son tearing open his own arm so that he could splash the symbols up on the walls in blood.

Ithican reached the bedroom and slowly pushed the door open. Looking in at the scene his eyes brightened with tears. Aleena had fallen asleep with a children's book open in her lap sitting in a plush chair from sheer exhaustion. The years had aged her greatly as well and her once pristine hair was now streaked with gray. Ithican turned his attention to his son who was sitting in the corner with a broken piece of chalk scratching out the same set of unusual connected circles into the wall. Even though he couldn't read it Ithican recognized the symbols as being Gallifreyan. He and Aleena never talked about how their son had come to know the ancient writing when he couldn't even spell his own name in Minyan script.

Once just a boy he had grown into young man in the confines of the palace walls. He was tragically lean and ivory pale from his life in captivity, but anytime he was taken outside he would just sit in the grass and hug his knees to his chest, waiting to be taken back inside to his drawing. The only activity he seemed to enjoy was chalking out the symbols. His midnight hair fell in messy locks just past the tips of his ears from his mother cutting it as he tended to scream when anyone other than herself or Ithican approached.

Ithican walked up and knelt down next to his son who continued to repeat the same set of complicated interconnecting circles. Ithican reached out and gently pressed the back of his hand against his son's cheek. He stopped his rote scribbling on the wall and turned to face Ithican but he kept his eyes down cast. Ithican found his son's inability to make eye contact with him heartbreaking, in all the years the only person he would look at directly was Aleena.

"What's going on inside that head of yours?" Ithican asked desperately. "I would give you anything. I just want you to be happy...but I don't know what you want."

Remaining silent Ithican's son just continued to stare at at the floor. Ithican sighed and reached down and took his hand in his own. His son never fought being moved and would peacefully go anywhere that he was lead. Ithican took him over to the bed and guided him to sit down. A flash of apprehension flashed over his son's features for a moment. Ithican hated to see him frightened and ran his hand through his hair.

"You're okay, no one is going to hurt you." Ithican assured as he took a rag from the night stand and cleaned the chalk dust from his son's hands. "I promise, you are safe. Your mother and I would never let anyone hurt you."

Ithican's son shifted his weight anxiously. He reached up and scratched at his chest compulsively. Ithican stopped him from messing with the area. He pulled on his son's v-neck collar to take a look at his skin to make sure that the marks weren't getting worse. He had been born with the purple spiral pattern on his chest that the doctors had dismissed as a birthmark. Aleena and Ithican knew it was something more, but it had not changed over the years other than growing in proportion with him. It had only been in the last month that he had started to scratch at it.

"Does that mark cause you pain?"

Ithican didn't expect his son to answer, he never did. He had never uttered a single word in his entire life, nor did he ever nod or shake his head. That never stopped his parents from trying to elicit a response. Giving in Ithican pushed on his shoulder to encourage him to lay down and he did as asked. After pulling the covers over him Ithican leaned in and kissed his forehead. Ithican's son sighed and nestled into the bed to get more comfortable.

"I love you." Ithican whispered.

Getting no response still hurt after all these years, but it didn't keep Ithican from meaning his words. He went over to Aleena and took the book off her lap. She kept reading to him in hopes that it would one day get his attention. Ithican took Aleena's hand and gave it a kiss to wake her. Aleena fluttered her eyes open and smiled.

"Ithican, what are you doing here?"

"Bedtime."

"I'll stay tonight." Aleena muttered.

"It's my turn."

"I know, but it's a full moon, he always does worse on full moons. Something about the golden light."

"Okay, we'll both stay." Ithican offered.

"No, go get some sleep. Please."

"Are you sure?"

"I know you had a long day setting up Tarin and his wife as our successors."

"Tarin has already taken up most of my roles, and they have four children, a good healthy line to keep our traditions alive."

"I'm sorry I was too frightened to ever try baring more children to keep your line alive."

"Hush, it's not your fault."

"I don't know why the Doctor never came to help us."

"Nothing can be done about it now." Ithican leaned in and kissed his wife. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Aleena watched Ithican leave before she got up and went into the bathroom to collect a pail of water and the cloth that she kept in there. Bringing them both back into the bedroom she began the nightly task of removing the chalk from the smooth stone walls. She knew the script was a message of some sort from inside her son's locked mind, but she had no way to decipher it. By the time she was done the once clear bucket of water was a murky white with the chalk dust.

Pouring the water out Aleena went to the desk and opened a new pack of chalk for the next day and laid it out on the table. Her son was never distressed to see his work removed, but the first thing he would look for would be a way to start again. She had tried just leaving the chalk markings up, but then he would just start to go over the drawings again once he ran out of space and the dust quickly started to build up.

With everything set for the next day Aleena went over to the balcony. She looked up at the golden moon and sighed. Reaching into the front of her dress she pulled out the necklace that held the sonic crystal. She pulled the crystal from its pendant and held it in her palm. Closing her eyes she briefly called to the Doctor for help. Her son had just turned twenty-one and not a single night had gone by that she hadn't prayed for help. Although she had to admit that now it was just part of her ritual, she didn't actually expect him to arrive.

Before Aleena could place the crystal back in its pendant her son cried out in his sleep. His nightmares had become more intense as time had passed to the point where they didn't dare leave him alone any more. Aleena had feared that tonight would be particularly bad, he had been more agitated all day and kept scratching at his the birthmark splashed across his chest.

Aleena rushed back into the bedroom where her son was fighting with the sheets. She placed the sonic crystal down on the night stand so that she could help untangle him from the twisted sheets. He had his arms trapped under his pillow above his head as he thrashed and screamed again. Aleena sought out his wrists and brought them down to his sides before she pressed her hand against his forehead in an attempt to sooth him. His skin was already slick with sweat and in the golden full moonlight it almost seemed to glow. For a moment Aleena could almost swear that his chest under his shirt did glow.

Dismissing the idea Aleena worked to sooth her panicking son. It was always best if she could ease his fears without waking him. If he woke from one of these episodes he could end up crying in her arms for hours before being able to fall asleep again. As he cried out again Aleena realized that she wasn't going to be able to stop nightmare without waking him tonight. Thrashing even though he was free of the sheets he arched his back and screamed in agony.

"Wake up, Sweetie."

Aleena's words got through and her son gasped sharply as he snapped his eyes open. Once again the moonlight played a strange trick that caused his eyes to look to Aleen like they had a golden glitter to them. Panting for breath her son looked around the room as if he'd never seen it before. Without looking to Aleena for consolation he broke down into a bitter weeping. When Aleena sat on the edge of the bed he sought out her lap and wrapped his arms around her. Aleena embraced him tightly while she gently rocked him. She closed her eyes against her tears as she felt her son's twin hearts pounding in his chest as he continued to sob.

"I told you, Doctor...I *told* you I wouldn't be able to raise a Time Lord..."