An Eternity Among The Stars

by seasidewriter1

Waking up in the Doctor Who world after a serious car crash, Selene finds herself being invited to travel with the Doctor and his companions. Together they all protect the earth from the dangers it faces as well as saving other worlds and time periods. But as time goes on, how strong will the relationship between the two become? Will they fall in love? starts with 10 *Doctor/OC*

21. Human Nature

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, any of the characters, places or alien species; those belong to their respective owners. I only own my OC Selene.

21. Human Nature

"Get down!" the Doctor had shouted as the trio of time travelers collapsed into the TARDIS, falling flat onto their stomachs as a green laser beam shot through the open doors and hit the console with a zap! The Time Lord kicked the door shut with his foot before scrambling up to his feet unsteadily, grabbing Martha by the shoulders. "Did they see you?"

"I don't know!" she exclaimed, sounding frazzled.

"But did they see you!?"

"I was too busy running!"

"Martha, it's important, did they see your face?"

"No, they couldn't have!"

The Doctor spun around and helped Selene up, holding her waist gently before clasping her face between his hands.

"Did they see you?" he asked in a hushed voice. She shook her head and placed both her hands over his, meeting his gaze with a worried gaze and a frown.

"No, you were behind me, blocking me from view," she assured him.

"You're sure?" Selene nodded and licked her dry lips. The Doctor let out a long breath and pulled back, spinning towards the console.

"Off we go!" He pushed down one of the levers and the TARDIS was off… but not before one of the monitors began to blare out a warning. The Doctor growled as he yanked it towards him, reading the Circular Gallifreyan flashing on the screen. "They're following us."

"How can they do that, you've got a time machine?" Martha asked as she and Selene joined him at the controls. Selene was rubbing at one of her knees, which stung from the impact of hitting the floor so hard.

"Stolen technology! They got a Time Agent's Vortex Manipulator. They can follow us wherever we go, right across the universe. They're never going to stop…" The Doctor ran a hand over the top of his head, flattening out the typical spikiness of his hair. A look of stark realization crossed his face. "Unless… I'll have to do it. Martha, Selene, you both trust me, don't you?"

"Of course we do," Selene confirmed.

"Always," Martha agreed.

"'Cause it all depends on you."

"What does? What are we supposed to do?" Martha asked as the Doctor sifted around for something underneath the console. He held up a silver fob watch with a rushed look on his face.

"Take this watch 'cause my life depends on it. This watch, Martha, Selene, this watch is me," he told them before moving off towards the pilot's seat. Martha nodded, looking back at Selene, who looked as though she'd just taken three rounds of an advanced math course she didn't understand.

"Right, okay, gotcha." A pause. "No, hold on, I think we're both completely lost."

"Wait…" Selene said softly, running around the other side of the console, grabbing onto the Doctor's arm. He looked down at her and recognized a look of understanding. "The fob watch… it's you." The Doctor nodded solemnly.

"Yes."

"I'm still lost!" Martha said, waving a hand with a confused look on her face.

"Those creatures are hunters. They can sniff out anyone, and me being a Time Lord, well, I'm unique. They can track me across the whole of time and space," the Doctor explained.

"And the good news is?"

"They can smell me, they haven't seen me. And their life span'll be running out, so we hide. Wait for them to die."

"But they can track us down."

"That's why I've got to do it. I have to stop being a Time Lord. I'm going to become human," the Doctor said, pressing a button. Something that looked like a headset of some sort lowered from the ceiling. There were four circular pieces on either side of it, each meant to clamp onto the side of one's head. The Time Lord gave it a slightly excited look that still held an air of worry. "Never thought I'd use this. All the times I've wondered…"

"What does it do?" Martha asked with a sense of morbid curiosity.

"Chameleon Arch. Rewrites my biology. Literally changes every single cell in my body. I've set it to human." He clicked the fob watch onto the front circular panel and began to fasten it in.

"Now, the TARDIS will take care of everything. Invent a life story for me, find me a setting and integrate me. Can't do the same for either of you, you'll just have to improvise. I should have just enough residual awareness to let you in," he told them, slipping onto the pilot's seat and pulling on the headset.

"But, hold on. If you're going to rewrite every single cell, isn't it going to hurt?" Martha asked with concern. The Doctor gave a little smirk.

"Oh yeah. It hurts." There was a brief period of time as he sent Martha and Selene on various errands around the TARDIS, grabbing this and that so he had time to record some… instructions. Once they both returned, he looked over to Selene who had been silently leaning against the console, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. "Selene, I need you to press the blue button just by your left hand." He sensed her hesitation as she looked down at it. She remembered what the watch was and must have remembered just how painful the process was going to be. "Selene… you have to do it. I'll give you a count down, alright? Alright. One… two…" Just as he said 'three,' Selene clamped her eyes shut and pressed down the button, listening with pain in her chest as his voice dissolved into cries of agony.

Herefordshire, November 1913

It was a nice quiet day Herefordshire. The skies were blanketed in soft grey clouds that threatened no rain and the temperature was pleasant. It wasn't too warm that anyone would dread to be outside and it wasn't so cold that one might need to bundle up in two jumpers and a thick coat. John Smith would have prefered to be on a walk, enjoying the country air as he usually did after a long day of work, but there he was, cooped up in his room as he flipped through the pages of a well-read school book. All he wanted to do for the remainder of the evening was read leisurely or write in his journal with a cup of nice warm tea ready for him on his side table. But as a school teacher, his work had to come first, especially when he'd gotten ahead of schedule with his lessons. The boys had sped through their last unit and were ready for the next, hence why he was skimming through at least two dozen books trying to find the right one. The quiet ticking of the clock would have been relaxing but it seemed to remind him the minutes of the day were slipping away like sand through one's fingers.

Knock-knock.

"Excuse me, Mr. Smith?" questioned a familiar female voice. John quickly looked towards the door and saw the face of his lovely secretary, Selene Thomas. "You seemed to have forgotten a book up in the classroom."

"Which one?"

"Um…" Selene tilted her head to read the spine of the book as she stepped inside. "The Battle of Waterloo." A smile spread across John's face as he snapped his book shut and set it aside, rising from his seat on the sofa.

"Excellent! That was just the book I was searching for," he told her, walking across the room to accept it graciously from her extended hand. He patted its cover fondly and chuckled. "You're a saint, Miss Thomas."

John found he'd grown to quite enjoy Selene's presence. He was the only teacher at the Farringham School For Boys to actually have an assistant and she was a unique woman indeed. For starters, she was, in fact, American and the best candidate when he was looking for someone to assist him with organizing his lessons and papers and what not. She was fond of travel, one of the many reasons she had for moving to England, and he enjoyed swapping stories of previous travels with her. But above all that, she was kind and sweet; many of the school's pupils offered her smiles and said 'good morning' or 'good evening' to her when they passed by or when she dropped off forgotten papers. Though she did admit that some liked to give her a hard time for being American, she faced it with a smile. Her entire presence just seemed to be light and happy and, not to mention, it made him smile. But there was something he felt that often confused him in the slightest. He'd known her for only a few months, but he felt as though he'd known her for so much longer and that, regardless of the situation, he would always feel the same about her.

"Wouldn't want to leave the boys without any work to do, now would we?" Selene laughed softly, pushing a hairpin back into place. John laughed as well raising his eyebrows quickly in amusement.

"The work does them good. Though I can't say the stress of planning out their work does me any good…"

The next thing he knew, the book was taken from his hands, the coarse threads binding the cover sliding against his fingers. He looked up in bewilderment, realizing that Selene had taken the book from him and set it on the sofa.

"Then take a break. I'll pour you some tea." She grabbed his china cup off the small side table and walked over to the table where his tea tray sat.

While pouring the tea, Selene briefly glanced over her shoulder at John, who was smiling to himself as he sat back down. Everything she did now felt so average, so normal; she would organize his books, help collect papers, help log the grades, and stay late to clean up the classroom. The first few weeks had felt so odd. She often stumbled over the wrong vernacular and fidgeted in the unfamiliar clothing, but she soon got used to it; she became accustomed of calling all the students and teachers 'sir' because her station required it, but she still had to often remind herself of the manners of the time. Thanks to having enough residual awareness, the Doctor—now known as the very human teacher John Smith—had been able to some how fit both Selene and Martha into John's history. Martha had been a family maid. Selene had been the most qualified woman to be his secretary. Neither role was particularly glamorous, but they'd gotten used to it. And that's what they'd been doing for a good few months—act as normally as any human would in nineteen thirteen.

"Here you are; some good, relaxing tea," she said, turning around and handing him the cup and saucer again. He smiled at her and accepted the cup.

"Thank you, Miss Thomas," he told her, sipping at the liquid. Selene laughed quietly and looked off to the side for a moment. She still hadn't gotten used to his familiar voice calling her 'Miss Thomas.' She moved off towards the window and glanced outside, hoing that what she was about to say wouldn't go against propriety.

"You know, you can feel free to call me Selene if you'd like. I believe we've known each other long enough to be on a first name basis… even if it's only when no one else is around," Selene finally said, rearranging a few flowers in one of the vases in front of the window. John felt himself smile and looked at her back as he did so.

"I do believe you've mentioned this before."

"A few times, actually; I think you were so caught up in grading work and what not to have registered the comment though, Mr. Smith." He spotted a soft smile on her face, and felt one of his own rise to his face.

"Well, if I'm to call you Selene, then I insist you call me John," he said as he picked his book back up to read. Looking at him over her shoulder, Selene couldn't help the large grin that finally worked her lips upward.

"Of course, John. I'll leave you to your reading then. Don't go too hard on the boys though, they do need to sleep. Tiredness will hardly encourage them to speak up in class."

Watching as she flicked some lint off the skirt of her pale green dress, John flipped the book open and forced his eyes to the page, starting back on the path of education instead of conversing with the beautiful woman exiting the room.

After shutting the door to John's rooms, Selene leaned back against the oaken slab and sighed gently through her nose. Of course, just as she finally admitted to herself just how much she cared for the Doctor, they were thrown into a hellish situation that called for him to change his biology and his memories to make him someone other than himself. Though, it was quite funny how often he seemed to peek through in John's personality. His eyes would always brighten at the mention of an adventure and he still talked rapidly about whatever interested him the most. It was so strange to think that the sporadic, spikey haired, adventure loving Time Lord was the same person as the mild mannered, shy yet stern teacher.

Selene spent the rest of her evening cleaning up John's classroom, pushing in chairs and repiling the books into straighter columns, and eventually washing down the chalkboard so it would be nice and clean for the next morning. As she dragged the damp cloth over the black surface, she hummed quietly to herself gently musing about the calmness of life at the countryside school; the village near by was quiet, the forest was a great place for walks and spots to read in the cool quietness of autumn. The only thing that wasn't so calm and relaxing was the fact that the boys were all being taught how to fight. How to shoot guns and hit targets, all in preparation for the possibility of war… because the first World War was most certainly approaching.

John opened the door to the classroom rather quickly, muttering lesson plans under his breath as he entered, not expecting to see anyone inside. He made a startled sound when he spotted Selene at the board, washing off the strokes of white chalk left there from earlier in the day.

"M-Miss Thomas!" he stuttered out when she turned around, immediately retreating back to formalities seeing as his heart had jumped at the unexpected presence of another person. What worsened the situation––or perhaps it made it better––was the fact that Selene had let down her hair, so it tumbled about her shoulders in soft curls, framing her face beautifully. He never would outwardly admit it, but he loved it when she wore her hair down. "I–I mean… S-Selene, I didn't expect you to be here this late." She smiled and shrugged, setting the cloth down on the corner of his desk.

"How else do you think the board gets clean?" she laughed. "Besides, I was just about done. I would have thought you'd be settling in for the night by this time." John stuttered out a few words, his head still feeling rather frazzled.

"I, um, uh… I, uh… I've lost my grade book and thought it might be, uh, up here," John explained. Selene pulled one of the desk drawers open and removed the leather bound ledger and scooped up her jacket, crossing the room to pass it off to him.

"What would you do without me?" Selene teased. He chuckled as he took the ledger in both hands, shaking his head.

"Lose absolutely everything?" John asked with a smile. Selene laughed softly and then placed a comforting hand on his arm and moved her thumb up and down soothingly. He looked at her with raised eyebrows and a soft gaze, lips parting slightly as though he might like to say something as he stared at the gentle, caring look on her face.

"Get some sleep. You look exhausted, John," she said quietly. Giving his arm a squeeze she smiled again and moved towards the stairs. "Goodnight." John moved towards the door, opening his mouth to say something, maybe ask her to the town dance that was to take place in a few days, but he stopped himself from saying anything foolish like he was sure he would. He sighed and leaned up against the doorframe, watching as she moved down the steps and disappeared from his sight.

"Goodnight."

OOOO

The next day began as every other one typically did. John donned his black professor's gown and mortar board and ascended to his classroom with books in hand, ready to carry out the day's lesson. Martha went about the chores she was set to do around the school with her friend Jenny at her side. Selene sat in John's rooms to organize books and papers, running records to the headmaster when needed. The Union Jack was raised up the flagpole outside of the school and the students all attended a morning assembly.

By the time mid-morning rolled about, Martha and Jenny were set up by the stairs, scrubbing at the floor with boar hair brushes. John breezed past them, causing Martha to look up with a smile in order to quickly say,

"Morning, sir."

"Yes, hi," he said distractedly, immediately hanging a sharp right in order to jog up the stairs. Martha watched him with a slightly wistful look on her face, something that caused Jenny to scoff slightly.

"Head in the clouds, that one. Don't know why you're so sweet on him," she said as she pushed and pulled at the brush in her hand. Martha shrugged innocently and turned back to her work as well.

"He's just kind to me, that's all. Not everyone's that considerate what with me being––"

"A Londoner?"

"Exactly," Martha said with a slight smirk. That wasn't exactly what she meant, but she supposed that was a factor as well. "Good ol' London town!" As they both laughed, two students stopped just before them, peering down their noses. They were dressed to the school's standard uniform, in perfectly pressed black jackets and pinstriped trousers. Their hair was impeccably done and they both had a rather nasty reputation.

"Er, now then, you two. You're not paid to have fun, are you?" asked Baines, the taller of the two. "Put a little backbone into it."

"Yes, sir, sorry, sir," Jenny replied, directing her eyes to the floor after agreeing.

"You there, what's your name again?" asked Hutchinson, the second boy.

"Martha, sir. Martha Jones," she replied gently with a faint smile.

"Tell me then, Jones, with hands like those, how can you tell when something's clean?" At his friend's snide comment, Baines began to laugh, the two chuckling as they continued to pass into the next corridor without sparing the two women another glance.

"That's very funny, sir," Martha murmured with a shake of her head.

"Careful now, don't answer back," Jenny warned gently as they began to scrub at the floor again.

"I'd answer back with my bucket over his head."

Selene, who had been in just the next hall over, began following the two boys, clasping the books she was holding to her stomach.

"Mister Baines, Mister Hutchinson," she called out with a rather unamused voice. Both young men, still smirking and chuckling, turned around and stared at her with rather blasé looks.

"Yes, what is it?" Baines drawled.

"I don't approve of what either you have just said to Martha and Jenny," she told them sternly. Hutchinson scoffed.

"Your opinion on the matter means nothing to us. You're just a secretary," he scoffed. "And they're just maids."

"Both of you are smart boys, I would hope that you might actually start acting like it. So perhaps you should tuck away your attitude and start behaving like gentlemen." Baines chuckled snarkily and stepped forward so he nearly stood nose-to-nose with American. His eyes slipped over her in a snarky up-and-down sort of manner, an eyebrow quirking as his gaze settled on hers. There was a sharp sort of way that cold mornings smelled like, a scent that cut into the nose and made one's eyes water, and as Selene stood there in staring match with Baines, she realized that was what the young man smelled like. He smelled like the cold.

"What would you know of gentlemen?" He smirked, a cruel light glinting in his ice cold blue eyes. "Why should we waste our time with someone below our station? And a silly Yank at that. The weak trying to defend the weak, isn't it amusing, Hutchinson?" In the blink of an eye, Baines' hand quickly knocked at her own, sending the books she'd been carrying sprawling to the floor. He smirked wider, the expression drawing up his long, fine-featured face. "Oh dear. You should see about cleaning that up, shouldn't you? Oh, and be a dear and let Mr. Smith know that our class work is sitting on his desk. Come along, Hutchinson. We have work to do."

As the boys strode off, once again chuckling, Selene shut her eyes and huffed out a breath she'd held merely so she wouldn't punch the slick-haired boy in the stomach. She smoothly sank to her knees and began to pick up the fallen books and the papers and pages that had flown out from inside of them.

"Here, let me help," insisted a passer-by. Selene looked up to see a sweet-faced boy by the name of Timothy Latimer. She knew him from John's classes and from around campus; he was a very kind young man and a very smart one as well. Unfortunately, it would seem he had fallen prey to the ever present trap of cruel older boys who exploited his knowledge for their own good.

"Thank you, Timothy," she said as Latimer knelt down and began helping. He snatched up pieces of paper and straightened them out, passing them to her once everything picked up. "That's very kind of you."

"Of course, Miss Thomas," he told her as they both rose to their feet again, watching as Baines and Hutchinson snorted at them from the end of the hall.

"They're very cruel young men, aren't they?" she asked softly, almost as though talking to herself. Latimer swallowed thickly and cast his gaze to the floor, quietly agreeing with her wholeheartedly. "By the way, Timothy, Mr. Smith has a book for you. You never stay around much after class so he never gets a chance to give it to you. Stop by his office at any time and he or I will be there."

"Thank you, Miss. I'll be sure to that, Miss."

"Now hurry off to class, you don't want to get a tardy, do you?"

"No, Miss. Have a good day, Miss," Latimer told her before running off in the opposite direction, skirting around any other boys he met in the hall.

OOOO

"Ah, Miss Thomas," said Matron Redfern. Selene slowly stopped walking and looked up with wide eyes, surprised that she'd been sought out by the head nurse. The woman clad in a perfectly starched nurse's uniform strode up to her and smiled gently. "I was hoping you might keep an eye on Mr. Smith for me."

"W-why, has something happened?" Selene asked slowly, feeling fear grip at her heart.

"He took a fall down the stairs, I'm afraid. It should just be a bump, but he'd do well with some tea and company. If anything seems to be off…" the Matron trailed off. Selene quickly nodded, making her way towards John's rooms with quick feet

"You'll be the first to know!" she called out over her shoulder. She trotted down the steps and quickly rapped on the door, pushing it open before she had permission to enter. John was seated in his arm chair by the window, wincing as he gently probed at the back of his head with his fingers.

"I've just had a run in with the Matron; she told me you took a fall down the stairs?" she asked, shutting the door with her boot-clad foot. John offered a smile and dropped his hand to rest in his lap.

"I was being clumsy and wasn't watching where I was walking."

"You're not injured are you?"

"Just a bump," he assured. Selene placed a hand on her stomach and let out a sigh of relief, falling to sit on the sofa.

"Oh, thank god…" she murmured gently, shutting her eyes for a brief moment. With still not remembering a thing pertaining to the show, her knowledge of his tumble down the stairs had been completely lost to her. When she'd been told John––the Doctor––was injured, she thought anyone standing too close to her would have heard how fast and hard her heart had been beating. John watched her for a moment, feeling touched by the look of concern that crinkled her brow and pulled down at her lips. She then looked over at him and managed a smile. "What would we have done with one of the best teachers in Herefordshire out of commission?"

"Hardly one of the best," John chuckled. She laughed at his comment with relief washing over her face. She absentmindedly rubbed at one of her knees, which brought back a strange memory of a dream he'd had the previous night…

He had seen Selene, dressed in strange blue trousers and form-fitting jumper stumble over her own feet and fall, bashing her knee against the ground. He remembered helping her up and holding her face between his hands in concern as a peculiar pounding echoed in his ears.

Selene stared at him, eyeing the furrow of his brow and the thoughtfulness in his eyes, a look she'd seen on his dozens of times before, and she just had to wonder… what was he think back?

"John, are you sure you're okay?" she asked.

"Hm?" he hummed, brows shooting up and lips pursing as he was drawn from thought. "Oh, yes, just… stolen by the fairies for a moment. Thinking about dreams… Have… have I ever told you of my fantastical dreams?"

"Um… no. No, I don't think you have," Selene said slowly. She remembered Martha had mentioned something about John saying he'd had some strange dreams. A smile, so mischievous and happy that it was almost one of the Doctor's smiles, slipped onto the teacher's face and he moved so he sat beside her on the sofa. He either didn't notice how close he actually sat to her, or was disregarding the manners of the time entirely, because his knee bumped against hers and she could practically feel his breath gently brushing over her face as he hurried to speak with her in his excitement.

"In these dreams, I am a man who does the most amazing things. He's a traveler you see, traversing not only this Earth but other worlds, other times, as easily as if taking a motor vehicle to the next town over. He does it with such ease and everything outlandish and strange is normal for him. The Doctor, he's called… And one of the strangest things about these dreams is not only am I this Doctor man… You and Martha are his traveling companions. Intriguing isn't it?" As he explained, he seemed as though he were happy to tell someone. His grin was impossibly large and excitement glittered in his warm brown eyes, a joyous look that made her smile as well.

The excitement he talked with, though… it was a reminder that he was the Doctor. That the Doctor was still there, he was just… human and going by the name of John. He had the same twinkling brown eyes and the same fluffy hair and the same faint smell of peppermint…

Forcing her thought process from the road it so often went down, Selene smiled a bit wider.

"Me, traveling the whole of time and space? I think my desire to travel has been quelled since I came over here," she laughed and looked at her clasped hands, which rested on her lap. John smiled a bit and spotted the way her eyes lit up at the mention of traveling.

"I think quite the opposite—you always jump at the chance to go for a walk even if it is to town or just some unexplored pathway through miles and miles of fields. But, time and space is all just a silly, fantastical dream, don't you think?" He and Selene shared a laugh as she nodded.

"Yes, yes, completely silly. Though, it would make for a good story," Selene decided to quietly muse, leaning back into the cool leather. John's face lit up.

"I must show you my journal!" he insisted, beginning to rise to his feet. Selene quickly rose and shook her head.

"No, no, no! John, sit down, you'll faint if you stand too fast," she told him, placing both hands onto his shoulders. "Tell me where it is and I'll grab it for you." John stared up at her for a moment before clearing his throat and nodding to his desk.

"It's, um, the leather bound book on my desk."

Selene retrieved the book and sat back down beside him, feeling him inch closer as he watched her open the journal. The inside cover read: A Journal of Impossible Things. Turning the page, she saw the smudged up sketch of the TARDIS console room, surrounded by quickly scrawled words that John had written. Little tid-bits of memories, ideas, dreams… There was a drawing of the Sonic Screwdriver and a Dalek. She smiled and glanced over at him.

"These are all quite interesting. And very well drawn," Selene praised, catching familiar words and images that had been sketched in pen and charcoal. He chuckled and leaned a bit closer to see what she was looking at.

"It's become quite the hobby," he told her. On the next page there was an image of an Auton, which was labeled 'Plastic Men.' Selene couldn't help but smile and chuckle at the face of one of the Pompadour Clockwork Men.

"That would be terrifying to come up against, that would," she laughed, tapping the picture. "Says that they're… run by gears and clocks…" John nodded and watched emotions and reactions flit over her face. Her heart tightened at the sketch of a very familiar face. Rose. "And there are the faces of many pretty girls here."

"Oh, no, no, no. She's just an invention. This character––Rose, I call her, Rose. Seems to disappear later on." Selene hummed sadly and flipped another page to come face-to-face with a squadron of Cybermen. On another page there was the inky image of Prince Hal, holding a delicate looking hand to his smiling lips; Selene bit back a smile when she saw a few question marks were drawn around the phrase 'is he really that charming?'

"Ah! That's the box. The blue box," John pointed out a vaguely TARDIS shaped blotch on the page next to Hal's. It's always there, um… like a––like a magic carpet. This funny little box that transports me to faraway places."

"Sounds magnificent."

"Mm! I sometimes think how magical life would be if stories like this were true," he mused with a gentle smile, the two of them staring at the faces of previous regenerations. "It's just a dream, though." Selene briefly glimpsed a page or two with images of the pocket watch but then something else caught her eye. She flipped forward three pages and stared down at an image that looked strikingly like her, dressed in what looked to be the dress she'd worn to Lazarus Laboratories. John stuttered a bit and gently closed the book, not offering up any explanation. "And it's, um… it's quite funny, when I dream I am the man I mentioned earlier––the Doctor––I often dream… feel… that I have two hearts."

"Two hearts?" Selene asked, still smiling from flipping through the journal, which was like a visual walk down memory lane. John hummed his response."Surely you're human." John chuckled and pressed two fingers against the pulse point on his neck. After a moment, he smiled.

"One heart beat. Go on, check," he insisted.

"John––"

"Go on, I won't bite. I promise." He smiled at her brightly. Returning the smile, she turned towards him, reaching out to take his pulse. His skin was warm beneath her fingers, and she could feel the steady beat… of a singular heat. Meeting his familiar eyes and his small, adorable smile, she found it that one heart beat for him was odd.

"Your verdict?" John inquired, his jaw gently moving down and brushing against her fingers as he spoke. Smiling, Selene dropped her hand.

"One heart. You, Mr. John Smith, are human," she told him. "I don't know what the school would do if they discovered one of their teachers had two hearts." She had a teasing glint in her eyes and a smile on her lips as she looked down.

She felt a warm hand gently take hers; she looked up to see John drawing her hand towards himself, a slight smile on his face. Her heart began to beat faster as John's fingers shifted against her skin, resting over the inside of her wrist.

"What about you?" he teased in a quiet voice. His fingers pressed just slightly harder against her wrist, the two locking eyes as he took her pulse. "One very steady, very lovely heartbeat."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Suddenly noticing just how close they were seated to each other, John blushed and let her take her hand back, stuttering as he tried to come up with a reason why he'd suddenly acted as boldly as he did. Sitting so close to her, holding her hand… when had he been so forward of a man? Selene noticed how flustered he was, but couldn't help but smile, a look that eased his skittishness.

"I'll go to the kitchens to grab us some tea; and maybe when I get back you can tell me more about these dreams you've written about," she told him, standing once again. John found himself smiling as he finally calmed his racing mind.

"Yes, I think that would be lovely."

OOOO

"So how has he been?" Martha asked as she and Selene made their way towards the local pub. The night air was chilly and nipped at their cheeks, but it wasn't as bad as other nights they'd encountered. The worst they had ever been caught in was a rather nasty rainstorm that rendered them both drenched and freezing, leaving them with nasty colds that took at least a week or so to get rid of. Selene shrugged slightly and shoved her glove-clad hands into her coat pockets, hoping to warm them up some more. "You know, what with the tumble he took?"

"The fall hasn't seemed to affect him… but he has been telling me about his dreams. You know… the ones where he's, well, himself. And then he showed me his journal, his 'Journal of Impossible Things,'" Selene said.

"Yeah, he showed that to the Matron too," Martha said, remembered the journal. The American woman sighed again and tucked hair behind her ear with a troubled look on her face.

"I know, and that's what's beginning to worry me. I mean… from what I can currently recall, he's supposed to give it to her so she could read through it. But, look," she extracted the journal from the inside of her coat and quickly thumbed through the pages, "I have it. Me! A-and that means things that are supposed to have happened have been completely erased from existence and… I don't know how that could further change things…"

Martha, after giving the book a strange look, nudged her friend with her elbow, smiling slightly as she was cast a worried glance.

"Don't worry about it. Everything has gone fine so far, right? So what a few things have changed? Maybe, if anything, nothing bad'll happen if anything bad was meant to happen," she tried to soothe, linking their arms together. "And we'll be gone in a week or two, so all we have to worry about right now is whether or not we'll get frostbite on our noses." Selene snorted and slipped the book back into her coat, raising a hand to rub at her nose, which was turning pink and going numb. She supposed that Martha was right, but that nagging feeling in her stomach was still present and still made her wish she had some sort of transcript for all of the episodes on her. But, alas, as the Doctor had told her not too long ago, some things were meant to happen… and her forgetting was just one of those things.

The pub was small and quaint with a thatched roof and windows that glowed with warm light; outside, at a wooden table sat Jenny, who was rubbing her gloved hands together and glancing down the dirt road. Selene smiled and raised a hand to wave.

"Evening, Jenny!" she called out as they approached. The curly haired woman grinned and returned the wave as her light laughter tumbled into the cool air.

"Evening, Selene! I was beginning to think neither of you were going to show up!" Jenny laughed.

"Nah, we'd never leave you waiting out in the cold." As Selene sat herself down, Martha nodded to the pub door, saying she'd get them their drinks. Once Martha disappeared inside, Jenny looked at Selene curiously, leaning her chin into her palm.

"You know, Selene, you're a pretty well-to-do person; you've got a quality job and respect and all that. Why do you spend your time with the likes of Martha and I? You could be associating yourself with people like Mr. Smith. You know––the upper-class," Jenny said with honest curiosity. When the other woman blinked at her in surprise, she was quick to add something else on. "Not that I mean to offend you, or anything of the sorts."

"You didn't offend me, I was just… caught off guard, I guess," Selene assured her, fixing the hat that sat atop her head. "Well, I enjoy your company more than I think I'd enjoy the company of most upper-class people. Besides, John seems to be one of the only professors at the school I can properly tolerate. I'm not as well-to-do as you probably think I am. I barely made enough money to keep my own apartment back in the United States… I guess I was just lucky enough to snag a good job… all thanks to John Smith…"

"Oh, no. You've gone all mooney eyed for the bloke too, haven't you? I don't understand what you and Martha see in that man; he's got funny hair and he's skinny as a bean-pole. Not to mention, he always seems like his head's been shoved in the clouds!" Jenny laughed. Selene looked down at her hands as a quiet chuckle left her throat.

"Yeah… but I like that about him I suppose." Jenny stared at the American, noticing the sweet smile on her lips and the nearly dreamy sort of look in her eyes. She'd seen Martha with a very similar longing look on her face whenever the skinny professor passed by, but with Selene… there was something different, something… dare Jenny even think it… deeper. More… loving.

"Oh, dear… you've fallen in deep, haven't you?" Jenny questioned softly with a slight shake of her head. Selene sighed, her breath appearing in a white cloud that dissipated into the night, staring off into the dark.

"I think I have…"

"Ooh, it's freezing out here!" Martha exclaimed as she stepped out of the pub, holding all three pints precariously. "Why can't we drink inside the pub?"

"Now don't be ridiculous; both of you do gets these notions! It's all very well, those Suffragettes, but that's London. That's miles away!" Jenny laughed, accepting a pint as Martha sat down. Sliding the other pint to her friend, Martha let out a slight sigh.

"But don't you just want to scream sometimes, having to bow and scrape and behave? Don't you just want to tell them?" she inquired as the other two women sipped at their drinks. Jenny, who was––unknowingly––the only woman truly accustomed to the manners of the 1910's, shrugged.

"I don't know," she admitted. "Things must be different in your countries." Martha gave a slight snort and shared a look with Selene, who let her eyebrows jump up towards her hairline as she took another sip of her drink.

"Yeah, well, they are. Thank god we're not staying…"

"You keep saying that," Jenny pointed out, brows furrowing.

"One more month…" Selene murmured thoughtfully, looking off into the woods. Martha gave a wistful smile, thinking of the places they'd go, the planets and alien races they'd see and meet… oh, how wonderful it would be to hear the whirr of the TARDIS engines again! They'd be off tilting and swirling through the time continuum on their next big adventure, leaving the quaint countryside behind them for good.

"Then we'll be as free as the wind… I wish you could come with us, Jenny, you'd love it."

Selene drifted off into thought at that moment, her gaze lost in the darkness of night, her mind fixated on what might happen after their month was up. They would have to get John to open the watch, restore his true memories, and let him become the Doctor again… and that was going to be hard. John Smith had certainly become his own man, no longer a character that the Doctor seemed to be playing. She'd become used to his mannerisms, the way he walked, talked, laughed… It was all John. But his smile… his expressions… the excitement that crossed his face… that was all the Doctor. It was almost as though John was acknowledging there was this different part of him, but he would forget about it immediately after noticing it. And while it pained her to know she'd soon have to leave John behind… she knew she would get the Doctor back.

A bright flash in the sky interrupted her thoughts. Selene's head snapped up, her eyes catching a light that sparked in the night before it disappeared after only a moment; she was on her feet in a matter of seconds in a reflex reaction.

"Did you see that?" Martha asked Jenny in awe.

"See what?"

"That light…" Selene murmured. "In the sky it just… flashed and arced… and now its gone." Jenny turned slightly and tilted her head upward, eyes tracing the stars for the light both her friends had said they'd seen.

"Martha, Selene, there's nothing there," she told them. Selene shook her head.

"No, there was definitely something there," she reiterated firmly, eyes still locked on the sky. From the corner of her eye, she saw someone rush out of the woods from a thin dirt road; turning her head, she spotted Matron Joan Redfern come stumbling along with a panicked look on her face.

"Matron? Are you alright?" Martha asked in concern. Joan stopped beside their table, catching her breath.

"Did you see that? There was something in the woods! That… light."

"Anything wrong, ladies? Far too cold to be standing around in the dark," John commented, stepping out of the pub. Selene glanced over her shoulder and briefly caught his gaze. He stuttered for a moment, smoothing out a wrinkle in his coat distractedly as he tried to form a proper sentence; she smiled at him briefly before Joan let out a sharp gasp.

"There, there! Look, in the sky!" she exclaimed, pointing up to the stars. A streak of light burned across the sky, captivating everyone's attention.

"Oh, that's beautiful," Jenny remarked. Then the light flickered out and dissolved into darkness, no evidence it had ever been there.

"All gone. Commonly known as a meteorite. It's just rocks falling to the ground, that's all," John said easily, as though the fact had been resting on the tip of his tongue all night. A still frightened looking Joan shook her head adamantly and pointed into the forest.

"I-it came down in the woods!" she insisted. John gave a slight chuckle and shook his head.

"No, no, no. They always look close, when actually they're miles off. Nothing left but a cinder. Now, I should escort you back to the school. Ladies?" he nodded down the road with an expectant look. Joan nodded her agreement, but Martha shook her head.

"No, we're fine, thanks," she answered for the remaining three. John nodded once and looked back to Selene again.

"Then I shall bid you goodnight." The teacher and the nurse began their walk back towards the school and Martha kept her eyes on the trees. "Jenny, where was that? On the horizon, where the light was headed?"

"That's Cooper's Field." With that knowledge, Martha took off. "You can't just run off! You'll break a leg!" With an exasperated sigh, Jenny followed and left Selene to do the same, hiking up the hem of her skirt to try and run properly.

The forest was dark and cold and nearly impossible to see anything ten feet in front of you… and it took Selene a good ten minutes to realize that she had lost both Martha and Jenny. She leaned up against a tree and narrowed her eyes to peer into the darkness. There was nothing but smatterings of fog, broken tree limbs, and dead leaves; she would be insanely lucky to find her friends at that time of night. So, turning back, she carefully began to navigate her way back to the road, the laces on her boots catching on sticks every now and again. By the time she reached the road again, she felt utterly exhausted; she leaned against a tree trunk and let her eyes fall shut, feeling the day catch up with her. And then, she laughed. Compared to what the Doctor, Selene, and Martha typically did in a day, sitting down and organizing school work was nothing and yet she felt as though she'd just run a mile with a Dalek chasing her.

By the time she made it back to the school grounds, her feet ached, the boots she was wearing having pinched her toes the entire day. The school was dark and imposing against the backdrop of the night sky, making it appear as a massive, lurking shadow. Selene turned down the path that would lead her to the staff dormitory building, finding that she was suddenly looking forward to a good night's rest under her warm, woolen blankets.

"Miss Thomas!" called out John's voice. Surprised, she turned to see him jogging down the path. He was still adorned with his gloves, coat, scarf, and hat, and it appeared he'd just started out of the school building.

"John, what have I told you about formalities?" she asked, managing a short laugh. Returning her laughter with a nervous chuckle and the flash of a smile, he stopped beside her.

"Right, yes. Of course. Forgive me, Selene, it slipped my mind."

"How's the Matron, is she feeling well?"

"Yes, I've just left her actually. She was a tad shaken up over that falling star for some reason. Can't say I know why, though. I was just, um… just about to head back towards the pub to see if you were still there, reiterate my offer to walk you back to the grounds… but it… appears you've already done that yourself," he said sheepishly, ducking his head. "Though I would be honored if you would allow me to walk you the rest of the way." Smiling, Selene nodded her consent; he offered her his right arm in a gentlemanly manner, watching as she placed her glove-clad hand in the crook of his arm. How small it looked… how delicate… "So… where has Miss Jones popped off to? I would have expected to have seen you walking back with her."

"Oh, she ran off to go look for something; Jenny followed. I tried to, but lost track of them pretty quickly. I decided it would probably be best just to return here rather than get hopelessly lost in the woods," Selene explained as they began to walk again. She laughed to herself. "Who knows how long it would have taken for someone to realize I was gone."

John looked down at her with a slight pinch between his brows, catching a tone of self-consciousness in her tone. He reached out his left hand with a sense of slight hesitance, slowly placing it atop Selene's in what he hoped was a comforting, reassuring way.

"I would have noticed nearly immediately. Your presence is something I've grown accustomed to, something that I greatly enjoy. I would have a search party sent out for you as soon as humanly possible," he told her.

"It would be great practice for the lads, wouldn't it?" she teased, making the situation light-hearted. John chuckled again, keeping his hand clasped over hers.

"I suppose it might. But don't go disappearing just to give them the opportunity, you hear me? I know how much you care for them, but you'd be no use to them if you were truly lost," John pointed out. Selene laughed and then nodded to the stone building that she called home.

"Thank you for walking me back, it was very kind of you, John." She drew her arm back to her side carefully, smiling at him sweetly. And then, just like the other evening, she placed her hand on his arm and said, "Get some rest." Then she turned and began to tug off her gloves, disappearing through the creaky wooden door.

OOOO

The next morning Martha grabbed her bicycle and made her way to an old, abandoned barn on the edge of town. Popping inside, she stared at the blue phone box that sat amongst piles of hay and straw. The fit her key into the lock and pushed the door open, stepping into the console room. It was noiseless. Dark. Cold. The only lights that were active were the ones that switched on for emergency lighting after they'd landed; they were dim and barely illuminated the whole of the room. The cables above the console creaked slightly as the door fell shut, the movement jostling them from where they rested.

"Hello," Martha said, smiling as though she were talking to an old friend. Then, her brows furrowed as she realized what she'd done. "I'm talking to a machine…" Shaking her head, Martha made her way to the console, pulling off her gloves and tucking them into her pocket as she pressed a button next to a screen. It buzzed to life, showing the Doctor's face. His brows were pinched and his mouth was hanging open as he tapped at the camera lense.

"This working?" He looked into the lense, and, thus, looked through the screen at Martha. "Martha, Selene, before I change, here's a list of instructions for when I'm human. One: don't let me hurt anyone. We can't have that, but you know what humans are like. Two: don't worry about the TARDIS. I'll put it on emergency power so they can't detect it. Just… let it hide away. Four––no, wait a minute… Three! No getting involved in big historic events. Four. Both of you. Don't let me abandon either of you. And fi––" Martha jammed down a button with a frustrated sigh. The recording began to fast forward.

"But there was a meteor, a shooting star! What am I supposed to do then?" she questioned the screen. She lifted her finger to allow the recording to resume.

"And twenty three. If anything goes wrong, if they find us, Martha, then you know what to do. Open the watch. Everything I am is kept safe in there. Now, I've put a perception filter on it so the human me won't think anything of it. To him, it's just a watch. But don't open it unless you have to. Because once it's open, then the Family will be able to find me. It's all down to you, Martha. Your choice. Oh, and thank you." The recording stopped as the Doctor smiled sweetly, a genuine thank you shining in his eyes. Again, Martha sighed and shook her head.

"I wish you'd come back…"

OOOO

There was a knock at John's study door, which was quickly answered by aforementioned man. In the doorway stood Latimer, looking rather attentive as usual.

"Miss Thomas told me to come and collect a book, sir," he said.

"Good lad, yes. Yes!" John pointed to him and then stepped back into the study, recalling the book. "'The Definitive Account of Mafeking' by Atchison-Price. Where did I put it?" he murmured to himself, beginning a search. He turned towards Latimer slightly, a very teacher-like look on his face. "And I wanted a word. Your marks aren't quite good enough."

"I'm top ten in my class, sir," Latimer pointed out from where he stood, just by the fireplace. Sifting through some more books, John gave him another look.

"Now, be honest, Timothy. You should be the very top. You're a clever boy, you seem to be hiding it. Where did Selene put that book? And I know why." He crossed into the little book alcove he had, leaving Latimer alone in his study. "Keeping your head low avoids the mockery of your classmates. Miss Thomas worries for you, you should know. But no man should hide himself, don't you think?"

"Yes… sir…" Latimer said with a bit of delay. There was whispering… some very faint, cluttered whispering.

"You're clever, be proud of it."

Latimer's eyes landed on a silver pocket watch on the mantel piece, and he heard a very distinct, yet faint, whisper.

Time Lord…

"Use it."

Latimer reached out and picked up the watch, a crease appearing between his eyebrows as he looked down at what he held.

The time is coming, Time Lord.

Right, Timothy! Hide yourself!

The secret lies within. I'm trapped. I'm caged inside the cogs.

Pressing the top of the time piece, the watch's cover flipped open, revealing the watch face. A stream of golden light burst through and shone onto the young man's face and into his wide eyes.

Dark but waiting. Always right.

Latimer quickly snapped the watch shut as John reentered the room. He pushed it into his pocket and tried to quickly compose himself.

"Fascinating details about the siege. Really quite remarkable," John said, looking up. He caught an odd look on his student's face. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, sir. Fine, sir."

"Right then. Good. And remember––use that brain of yours." He held out the book, which Latimer grasped, again hearing a surge of whispers.

Power of a Time Lord.

Looking up at his professor's furrowed brows, a surge of images flashed through his head. They were all of a man who looked exactly like Mr. Smith, with the same quirk of his brows, the same serious look… but he wielded some sort of whirring, glowing contraption.

"You're really not looking yourself, old chap," John commented with worry. "Anything bothering you, or…"

"No, sir," Latimer said fainting, eyes flicking about the other man's person. "Thank you, sir." With that he quickly left, shutting the door behind him with strange thoughts flying through his head.

OOOO

Selene was sitting on a short stone wall reading a book she'd snuck out of John's study, taking a break from transferring marks between ledgers. She was wearing only her coat, letting the cool wind brush over her neck and bite at her heard stuttered volleys of gunfire across the lawn, meaning that the boys were out at target practice, a course that was led by a very stern-faced John. They had a row of machine guns set up behind a wall of sandbags and a canvas tent was also set up to put as much realism into the practice as possible. Every now and again there was a sort of pinging sound as a bullet struck the tin buckets that served as their target's heads; glancing up, she saw the headmaster speaking with the students in a short cease-fire. Then the shots started up again, which drew her eyes back to the page she was reading over. Soon the first World War would be upon the world… soon the sounds of gunfire and screams would become those boys' future, their reality… and it made Selene's stomach twist unpleasantly.

Again the gunfire stopped, and when Selene looked up for a second time, she saw Latimer being hauled away by his classmates, their fists tight in his jacket. She knew what that meant. They were going to beat him as a form of punishment. John had given them a consenting nod before he turned away, striding towards the patio where the Matron stood. They exchanged a few words before she turned away holding a hand to her mouth, walking away brusquely. John stared after her before getting the sense he was being watched from elsewhere. Turning his head, he made eye contact with Selene, whose lips were pulled downwards with disapproval. He started towards her, but she snapped her book shut and walked away.

After lessons were over for the day, John had sought out Selene and asked her to accompany him on a walk into town; once she agreed, they donned their outerwear and started out. He asked her of her decidedly saddened mood earlier, to which she decided to reply truthfully.

"I wish that you wouldn't approve of beatings as punishment," she said as they walked down the street. It wasn't a half bad day for a walk. The wind was cold, but the air was of a generally mild nature; it was also a good day for outdoor work, something that two local workmen appreciated greatly. They were both hoisting a rope to lift a piano up to the second floor of a building, listening to the precarious creaking of the hemp.

"Do you not believe that they should be disciplined?" he questioned. Selene made a face and sighed.

"Well… not in the way that you're doing it. It's so… militaristic. A simple washing down of all the school chalkboards would do them just as well. Plus, it's incredibly tedious and boring, they'd certainly learn their lesson. They seem to take… amusement out of shooting guns, at killing… the thought of war shouldn't be fun," she said. John clasped his hands behind his back and gave a single nod.

"Well, Great Britain is at peace, long may it reign," he said softly.

"But even you have to notice that there's something brewing; you've even written about it in your journal!" Selene reminded, lifting the leather bound book she held. "Nineteen-fourteen."

"That was just a dream."

"But there are often truth behind dreams. You wrote of a shadow that stretched over the whole world…"

"Well then, we can be thankful it's not true. And I'll admit mankind doesn't need warfare and bloodshed to prove itself. Everyday life can provide honour and valour, and let's hope that–that from now on this, this country can find its heroes in smaller places," John told her as they paused in their walking. A woman on a bicycle pedaled past, giving the bell on her bike a ring. John's eyes suddenly caught sight of the dangling piano… noticed the fraying of the rope, heard the slow snapping sound it was giving off. Then his gaze was drawn towards a woman pushing a baby pram… and she was walking towards the piano unknowing of the danger it held. "In the most…" A child stood near them, tossing a heavy cricket ball up and down with a happy smile on his face, glad for the good weather. The rope frayed more. The piano dropped a bit. "Ordinary of… of deeds!"

In a reflex reaction, John lurched forward and snatched the cricket ball out of the air, flung his arm backwards, and hurled it through the air. The ball hit its mark, smashing into the scaffolding up against the Ironmonger building, causing it to fall. It hit a set of planks that then launched a brick, which knocked over a milk churn that sprawled across the ground in front of the pram. The woman gasped and stopped just as the piano plummeted through the air, smashing into the ground with a thud and dozens of dissonant chords.

John stared in awe at what he had just done, watching as everyone immediately surged forward to ask the mother and child if they were alright. Selene was grinning. It would seem that, when danger was present, the Doctor would always be there, no matter who he was.

"Lucky…" he commented, still in awe at what he had done. Selene shook her head with a grin.

"That was not luck, John. Not in the least bit!" she told him with a smile. Suddenly, John turned and looked down at her, looking tense in the shoulders.

"Miss Thomas, might I ask you to the village dance this evening, as my guest?" he asked in a surge of confidence. Selene stared up at him with shock written on her face. But an irrepressible smile appeared on her face as her cheeks colored a bright pink.

"Of course, I–I would be honored to accompany such an… extraordinary man!" she agreed. The two laughed together as John offered his arm, the two still grinning at the moment that had just passed.

OOOO

The skies had cleared, allowing sun to grace the rest of their walk, taking the scenic route back towards the school, passing through and beside countless fields, stepping over muddy puddles as they walked arm-in-arm. There was something in the back of Selene's head that told her that this was all not according to what was supposed to happen, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She was having a genuinely good time.

"So, is the Doctor a man you aspire to be? I think I've gotten it all worked out now," she said with a slightly cheeky smile. "Saving the world with a cricket ball in hand." John laughed and shook his head.

"Well, I discovered a talent, that's certainly true," he chuckled.

"And he's quite the charmer."

"The devil. But I do have to protest there, Selene, that is hardly me!" John laughed.

"I might have to beg to differ," she giggled. John glanced out across the field and spotted a rather sad looking scarecrow.

"That scarecrow's all skewed," he commented. He changed directions and began walking towards it, leaving Selene on the edge of the road. She stared at the straw man for a moment, stomach twisting uneasily. He turned back and looked at her curiously. "C'mon. It'll only be a moment, I promise you."

She followed and watched as he began to tie it's arm back up, and decided to distract herself from her uneasy feeling with conversation.

"So, John, your journal is filled with fantastic drawings. Where did you learn to draw?"

"Gallifrey," he responded immediately. Selene blinked at him with wide eyes but forced herself to keep talking through her surprise.

"Is that in Ireland? I'm afraid I'm not well versed with town names," she said with a soft smile. He looked at her with a crease forming between his brows.

"Yes, it must be, yes."

"But you aren't Irish."

"Not at all, no. My father, Sidney, was a watchmaker from Nottingham. And my mother, Verity was––well, she was a nurse," he said as he adjusted the scarecrow's head. Selene smiled and tucked some hair behind her ear.

"They do say they make great wives," she commented, mind drifting back to Nurse Redfern, whom she was sure was the one John was supposed to have asked to the dance.

"Really? Well, I always thought that someone very well versed with… books and writing would make a great wife," he suddenly admitted. She glanced up at him with wide eyes and a slightly slackened jaw, watching as he gave an awkward smile. Why had he gone and said that? "Well, my work is done." He nodded to the scarecrow. "What do you think?"

"Marvelous, if not still frightening," Selene admitted, standing beside him to take a look at it. John grinned and looked down at her with a cheeky gleam in his eye.

"Are you frightened of it?"

"Well… yes. Look at it's eyes, they're so… lifeless," she said, eyeing it wearily. John placed a hand on her back in a comforting manner.

"Of course they are. It's only made of straw, Selene, I promise you. Shall we continue our walk?"

They continued down the road as the warm sun hit their faces, the two chatting about this and that as they usually did. Eventually Selene just smiled brightly and gestured to their surroundings.

"Oh, I'll never get over how beautiful it is here," Selene sighed happily as they crested a hill. She stared out over the expanse of rolling green farmland before them and the clouds that kissed the horizon; she smiled over at John. "I suppose you're used to it, having grown up around it, but there's nothing like this in America. The only thing that comes close it maybe New England in autumn, when all of the leaves turn brilliant colors." He returned the smile as they continued onwards.

"I take it you've been enjoying your time here, then," he commented, clasping both hands behind his back.

"Most definitely; I moved here to stay and I'm sticking to that choice. Besides, who would organize your books for you the rest of your life?" she laughed, smiling brightly. Then it fell as she blushed and realized what she just said… 'the rest of his life'... that sounded awfully forward. "I mean… for as long as I'm under your employment."

John found himself smiling at what she'd initially said. The rest of his life… that sounded rather lovely, actually. They came across a ditch in the road that had gathered water from the most recent rainfall to form a large puddle; the only way over the muddy pool was a sizable rock on the side of the road.

"I think I'm rather partial to have you around for a very long time, Selene. I remember when I first employed you," John said as he carefully stepped up onto the rock. "You arrived in a rented motor-vehicle with two bags and a wool coat, claiming that was all you had brought with you on your travels." He hopped off the rock and onto the muddy ground on the other side; John smiled at her broadly, holding out his hands to help her over. "I was so intrigued by you, so curious; and that curiosity hasn't died. You are just so… phenomenal to be around and I find myself enthralled to be in your presence." Selene laughed and stepped up onto the rock, taking her hands as she wobbled unsteadily.

"Really? I'm so average, how enthralled could you be?" she asked. Once she balanced atop the rock, she placed both hands on his shoulders to gain leverage in order to step down. John's hands fell to hold her waist, surprising her when he swung her up and over the puddle, setting her back down on non-muddy ground with a smile on his face.

"Average? You're not average, Selene, you're anything but," he told her softly. A tiny smile quirked up one corner of her mouth.

"Really?" she asked just as quietly. He nodded, smile becoming gentle.

"Yes. You are completely unaverage in the best way possible."

They both remained quiet after that, gazes locked and smiles on their lips. Neither realized they hadn't released their grasp on the other. John's eyes drifted down to her lips in a smooth, natural movement. Ever so slowly, his head began to drop and move closer to hers. Selene's heart began to race as she felt his breath pass through his parted lips and skim across her face. He was going to kiss her… he really was. She had enough instinctive feelings to understand that John was supposed to fall for Matron, not stumble heel over heel for her. The only way she could imagine her current situation to possibly be happening was if there was enough residual feelings or memories from the Doctor's mind to sway the situation. But that would have to mean… But that couldn't be right…

As John's lips gently came into contact with hers, he knew that moment right then knocked away whatever was left of their professional relationship. And frankly… if this went well… he would be completely fine with that. Selene's eyes immediately fell shut and she relaxed into him instinctually. It was a firm, solid, truthful kiss that made her mind go quiet and hyperfocus on the feel of his lips. One of her hands slipped across his shoulder to caress his cheek, which drew him just a little bit closer. She couldn't believe what was actually happening. She was kissing him. Kissing the Doctor. Well, kissing John Smith, but John Smith was the Doctor just as much as the Doctor was John Smith. And it was fantastic. Absolutely… fantastic. It was a kiss she only thought she would ever have in her dreams, and yet there she was.

John drew back with a pleasantly dazed look on his face, as though she had been one to kiss him; but, in truth, he was dazed by the fact he'd actually kissed her. He stared at her as though she were the most wonderful thing he'd ever gazed upon. A smile drew his lips up as he murmured,

"I've never, uhm…" His voice trailed off, unsure of how to finish the thought that had flitted through his mind. A soft smile appeared on Selene's face as her fingers, which were gloved in soft wool, slipped to the back of his neck, drawing him back in for another kiss. Their lips met for a second time and John's arms slipped around her waist, a hand sliding up her back gently; the brim of his hat bumped against Selene's forehead, and promptly knocked it off. John ignored the loss its loss for a moment before he felt Selene giggling. He drew back and smiled at her, resting his forehead against hers. "What?"

"It appears you've lost your hat, John," she laughed, running her fingers gently through his hair. He chuckled and gave a slight nod, brushing their noses together.

"It appears so." He drew away and bent over, picking it back up and replacing it. Taking her hand in his with a much more confident air about him, he nodded down the road. "I suppose it's back to school then." Selene laughed gently and tightened her grip around his fingers, nodding her agreement.

"I suppose so."

OOOO

When they arrived back at the school, they stepped back into his office and shed their coats and scarves and gloves, settling in for a relaxed evening till Selene would have to depart in order for them both to get ready for the dance. Taking up his journal, John passed it between both of his hands, thinking something over. Selene had seated herself on the sofa, tucking hair behind her ear.

"Would you… would you mind if I sketched you?" he inquired. Selene looked up at him in surprise, blinking a few times as she attempted for form an answer. She laughed a bit and arched an eyebrow.

"You've already done that," she reminded, nodding to the leather journal. Looking down at his feet he laughed self-consciously, shaking his head.

"I want to… um… sketch you properly. Not some fuzzy image of what I saw in a dream. But what I see right now. Right here," John amended. He looked up at her with a soft look that she hadn't seen on his familiar face for a while. "Please." Shifting where she sat, Selene smiled and nodded.

"Of course."

"Fantastic! Just… just sit there." John quickly snatched up some pens and pencils, sitting himself down in the arm chair just in front of the window. He looked up at her and shot her a bright smile before he flipped to a blank page and began to work. They sat in silence for god knew how long, the ticking of the clock the only thing they listened to. Selene would send him a glance every now and then, beginning to play with her fingers to expel any sort of extraneous energy she had.

John began to smooth his thumb across the page at varying places, making Selene turn towards him curiously.

"Might I see it?" she questioned. He nodded enthusiastically and stood, moving to sit beside here. He held out the journal so she could take it.

"Here."

Accepting the journal, Selene tucked more hair behind her ear as she glanced down at the brand new sketch. It was good. Very good. In fact, it was almost photograph quality good. The pencil strokes were careful and precise, leaving no mark where it didn't belong. The image made her look soft and gentle. The shadows were dark, but the light was hitting her face perfectly. She looked… beautiful. Offering a little laugh, Selene looked over at John.

"This is… amazing. You did an amazing job. But surely you've done me too much justice, John," she said, gently touching the picture. Snorting and then giving a deep, hearty laugh, John shook his head in disbelief.

"What on god's green earth are you saying, Selene? This," he tapped the page, "right here is how I see you. This is the beauty I look upon every day and… I never say anything about it. I try to pluck up the courage to say or do something, but I never can…" Selene stared at him, noting the near regretful look plastered across his face. Shutting the journal and placing it on the cushion to her right, she turned to face the teacher and took one of his hands in one of hers. He looked over at her with a questioning gaze, jumping slightly when her free hand was placed on his cheek.

"Well, do you know what you've just done?" she asked quietly with a gentle smile. "You said something. You did something; three somethings, actually, if you count what happened in town and on the walk home." John's mouth dropped open in order to speak, but no words came out as his lips attempted to form them. "Though I would think that many would frown upon it. A teacher making to have a relationship with his secretary?" John shook his head and placed his hand on her cheek, mirroring the gesture she'd made towards him moments before.

"Well, that's not fair at all," he told her.

Skimming his thumb along the curve of Selene's cheek, John leaned forward and let their lips meet, eyes falling shut at the blissful feeling. She softly returned the kiss, letting her hand slip down to rest on the curve of his neck. There was a quiet thrill that ran down John's spine as her fingers laced themselves through the hair on the nape of his neck, her fingernails gently scratching at his skin. Until that afternoon, he'd never kissed anyone; he wasn't sure if he was doing something wrong as he placed a hand on her waist, or as he drew back momentarily before kissing her again. But she wasn't moving away, she wasn't shifting awkwardly, so he figured he must be doing something right.

The door was flung open and urgent footsteps found their way inside; John drew back with an annoyed look on his face, not sparing Martha a glance as she suddenly froze.

"Martha, what have I told you about entering unannounced?" he questioned sternly. Martha gaped at the two on the sofa for a moment, feeling her heart skip a beat or two. Selene met her gaze and saw some unreadable sort of expression in her friend's eyes. Spinning on her heel, she ran out, shutting the door behind her. But there was no knock. No reentrance. Selene heard John sigh and she took the distraction to rise to her feet, straightening out her dress.

"I think that it might be about time for me to pop off and get ready for the dance," Selene said, glancing towards the door. John gave her a puppy dog eyed look that made her smile as he rose, smoothing out his vest.

"You–you don't have to go," he told her, reaching out to take her hand. He ran his thumb over her knuckles softly. She laughed gently and placed his hand back at his side as she backed towards the door.

"I do, though. Especially if you want to find the proper suit to wear."

"I–I'll see you tonight, then?" His face was hopeful, a look that matched the tone of his voice. She nodded with a smile and made her way towards the door, casting him a look as she exited the study.

Selene stood outside the door for a moment, inhaling deeply as everything suddenly began to sink in. Something drastic had changed. Something very, very drastic; through the euphoric daze her mind had been in for the last hour and a half, she realized that such a drastic change could have a very large affect on what could happen… whatever that may be. She exited the school and jogged back towards the lodging house, pushing into Martha's room to wait for her return.

When she did come back, not but a half hour later, Selene stopped pacing and made direct eye contact as she let out a steadying breath.

"Martha, I need to talk to you; and it's going to be awkward because I know about your feelings for the Doctor, but I really need to just… talk. John's kissed me. He's asked me to the town dance. While that is utterly fantastic, it could also be utterly event changing. If my memory serves me correctly, then he was supposed to ask Matron Redfern to the dance. What if I've messed everything up and everyone ends up dying? Martha, what if––" Selene's rant was cut off as Martha quickly crossed the room and took Selene by the shoulders with a serious look on her face.

"You're always worrying about that. You shouldn't be. If it's happened, it was probably meant to, whether you think it is or not. So… just… have a good evening, yeah? If anything looks like it's gonna go wrong, we'll find each other. We always do, don't we?" she encouraged. She gave a slightly disheartened smile and nodded to the door. "You should go get ready." Selene offered a thankful smile and wound her arms around her friend's shoulders, squeezing her tightly.

"Thank you…" she murmured before moving off towards the door. Martha watched her leave and placed a hand on the back of a chair, gently sighing to herself. She supposed she should have seen it coming… what with the Doctor and Selene always flirting. Always exchanging glances. But, still… she couldn't help but feel a bit of an ache in her chest as the door shut on the other side of the room.

OOOO

There was a knock on John's study door, something that he quickly moved across the room to answer. On the other side of the door stood Selene, who was wearing a beautiful red party dress with gold brocade adorning the chest. Her hair was done up with god knew how many pins, keeping all of the curls in place. Grinning he let her step inside, taking her hand once the door was shut, gesturing for her to make a slow turn. Laughing, Selene did as he silently asked, letting him view the dress from every angle.

"You look wonderful," he complimented as she came to face him again, grasping her other hand. With a blush rising to her cheeks, she squeezed his fingers and smiled, nodding to his tweed jacket and his brown bowtie.

"As do you. But, um… your bow tie is crooked," she pointed out with a chuckle. She pulled her hands out of his and brought them up to the piece of neckwear, straightening it out. As he watched her, John thought back to one of those dreams he had… the ones about the Doctor. The strange man had been done up in a tuxedo and there, before him, was Selene in a glittering gown, fixing his tie. How odd it was it seemed to be happening again. But, this time, it was real. "There we go."

"All better," he agreed with a bright smile. "But I must warn you… I'm not certain that I can dance…" Selene leaned forward and gave a conspiratorial wink.

"Don't worry. I'm not all that good at dancing anyway."

"However, I am certain of one thing…" His voice trailed off, but he grasped both of her hands, pulling her just closer. John pressed his lips to her forehead gently, eyes falling shut. He pressed a second kiss to her cheek before placing one on her lips for a third time that day. And, like the last two, Selene melted into him, wanting nothing more than to have that moment last forever and ever. John placed both hands on her waist, following instinct rather than trying to make conscious decision. Then, very much like the last time, the door was flung open and Martha sprinted inside.

"They've found us!" she declared as the two drew back. Selene opened her mouth to speak, but John beat her to it.

"Martha, I've warned you," he told her sternly.

"They've found us, and I've seen them. They look like people, like us, like normal. I'm sorry, but you've got to open the watch. Where is it?" She began searching the cluttered mantelpiece, moving this and that… it should have been there. It should have been right there! "Oh, my god… where's it gone? Selene, where's the watch?"

"It was there this morning, I swear that I saw it when I brought down the ledgers…" Selene murmured, looking to the fireplace. John placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle 'let me handle this' sort of look.

"What are you talking about?" he asked Martha.

"You had a watch. A fob watch. Right there," she said, pointing to where it had been since the moment they'd arrived.

"Did I?" he asked in confusion, brows creasing. "I don't remember; and even if I did, I don't see what concern it is of yours." Martha groaned in frustration, stamping her food lightly, an action that caused John to put himself in front of Selene slightly, almost as though he feared Martha might be on the verge of a break down. Perhaps to him, the very human John Smith, it actually seemed that way.

"John––" Selene began, but was again cut off by someone.

"But we need it. Right, Selene? Oh, my God, Doctor, we're hiding from aliens, and they've got Jenny and they've possessed her or copied her or something, and you've got to tell me, where's the watch?" Martha rambled with worry plain in her eyes and panic clear on her face. A sudden, knowing look crossed John's face as he slowly nodded, his posture relaxing some.

"Oh, I see." He turned back to Selene for a moment. "Cultural differences." Back to Martha. "It must be so confusing to you." John reached down and picked his journal up off the table and placed his palm on it. He stood before Martha and lowered his voice as though talking to a child. "Martha… this is what we call a story."

"Oh, you complete––" Martha cut herself off and waved a finger at the whole of John's person. "This is not you. This is nineteen-thirteen." John's brows rose as he nodded.

"Good. This is nineteen thirteen."

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I'm going to have to snap you out of this." Martha's hand shot back, and whipped forward, hitting John's cheek with a resounding smack.

"Martha!" Selene gasped as he stumbled back, brows furrowed and mouth open as he pressed his palm to his stinging cheek. She quickly jogged forward and gently took hold of her wrist. "We need to go about this more gently; trying to force him out of it won't do any good. Even if it worked, we don't know what damage it could cause." Shaking off Selene's grasp she pushed past her with a disbelieving shake of her head.

"Wake up!" she shouted at John. "You're coming back to the TARDIS with me. Both of you!" She grabbed onto John's arms as he gaped down at her in anger.

"How dare––how dare you! I'm not going anywhere with an insane servant, and neither is Selene!" He managed to wrestle himself out of her grasp and take hold of her arm. "Martha, you are dismissed, you will leave these premises immediately. Now, get out!" he said as he managed to force her out of the door, locking it behind her. With a heavy sigh, he turned back to Selene who watched the whole incident with wide eyes; she felt as though she'd done something wrong. She had decided to stick with playing the part, not to try and help Martha… "The nerve of it, the absolute cheek! You think I'm a fantasist! What about her?" Selene shifted uncomfortably and then placed a hand on the mantelpiece where the watch had once sat.

"You see, that's the funny thing, though, John. You did have a watch. It's sat right here for weeks. Don't you remember?" she told him, in hopes of beginning to jog his memory. He stared at the fireplace with a distant look on his face. A crease appeared between his brows as he thought. Well… yes. There had been one there… yes. It had been there.

OOOO

By the time they'd made it to town, night had fallen and the air was cool. The village hall was all lit up and chattering voices drifted out of the open door. Latimer had watched as John and Selene passed through the door, the flash of a memory that was not his appearing in his mind. He saw that man, the Doctor man, and Selene arm-in-arm as they walked down a darkened street wearing party clothes that belonged in a different time… a time in the future. Then then, in the blink of an eye, they were back in the village hall.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please take your partners for the waltz!"

"Oh, good, something that I actually kind of know how to do," Selene laughed to herself. John grinned and placed one hand on her waist before taking one of hers in his own. As the village band began to play, everyone began to dance, including John and Selene. He took the lead and began to move effortlessly across the floor, almost as though it were second nature. "You lied to me, Mr. Smith. You do know how to dance!"

"I surprise myself," he chuckled. Then as he gained confidence and held his chin slightly higher, they bumped into another couple. "Sorry." Selene and John both laughed, moving farther away from those they'd just run into. By the time the dance finished, a giddy looking John said that he would fetch some refreshments, leaving Selene to find a table to sit at. She tapped fingers against the tabletop, feeling nervousness seep through her body, as she thought about the missing fob watch.

"Where's he gone?" Martha asked, slipping into the seat beside her. Selene pointed towards the refreshments table and then leaned towards her with a regretful look on her face.

"I'm sorry I didn't help earlier. I… I should have helped," Selene said. Martha let a brief smile flicker over her face.

"It's alright. But we really need to get him to remember; if we don't this entire village… it'll… well… nothing good will come of it," Martha said softly. She patted her pocket. "I've got something that might help."

"Oh, now really, Martha," sighed an exasperated John as he returned with two drinks. He set them on the table and gave off another stern look. "This is getting out of hand. I must insist that you leave." He gestured towards the door with an expectant face, but she merely rose to her feet and withdrew the Sonic Screwdriver from her pocket. She held it up between them, drawing his attention to the object; it held a strange air of familiarity for him. It gave him an odd feeling he couldn't shake…

"Do you know what this is? Name it. Go on, name it," Martha insisted. Selene rose to her feet and stood just behind Martha.

"Can you name it, John? What is it called?" she asked gently as he accepted it from Martha's grasp.

"You're not John Smith. You're called the Doctor. The man in your journal, he's real. He's you."

There was a crash as a portly man in a tan coat, once a farmer named Clark, shoved over a coat stand. Everyone jumped and gasped, noticing that he, along with Baines and Jenny, all toted some sort of strange looking gun.

"There will be silence! All of you!" A series of scarecrows sloppily marched in, blocking the one exit. "I said there will be silence!"

"Mr. Clark! What's going on?" demanded one of the men from the village. Turning, Clark raised his laser gun and aimed, vaporising the man with a beam of green energy. Women screamed and men gaped, the room dissolving into commotion again. Martha turned to John urgently and said,

"Mr. Smith, everything I told you, just forget it. Don't say anything." She took the Sonic back and pocketed it as people buzzed about.

"We asked for silence!" Baines shouted. Martha bent her head in seeming submission, eyes cast to the floor. John's hand stretched back and took hold of Selene's, squeezing her steady fingers with his trembling ones. "Now, then. We have a few questions for Mr. Smith."

"No, better than that. The teacher––he's the Doctor," said little Lucy Cartwright, who was carrying a red balloon. "I heard them talking."

"You took human form," drawled Baine's with a crooked smile.

"Of course I'm human!" exclaimed John. "I was born human, as were you, Baines! And Jenny, and you, Mr. Clark! What is going on? This is madness!"

"Oo, and a human brain, too––simple, thick, and dull."

"But he's no good like this," Jenny said with a snarl on her lips and a tilt of her head.

"We need a Time Lord," Mr. Clark stated.

"Easily done," Baines said, stepping forward. He raised his gun and pointed it at John, who immediately released Selene's hand and took a shocked step back, eyes wide. "Change back."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said shakily.

"Change back!"

"I–I literally do not know!"

Martha screamed as Jenny looped an arm around her neck and held her laser gun to her temple.

"Get off me!" she shouted.

"She's your friend, isn't she?" Jenny asked with a tilt of the head. "Doesn't this scare you enough to change back?"

"I don't know what you mean!" John cried again, becoming more desperate. A look crossed Jenny's face as her eyes slid towards Baines.

"The maid told me about Smith and his secretary. That woman there," she said nodding to Selene, whose eyes widened.

"Then let's have you!" Clark decided on, grasping her wrist and drawing her forward. Selene walked easily, not stumbling over her feet, not even when she was spun around and held to the man's chest. But she did flinch slightly when the gun was leveled at her head. Baines smirked again.

"Have you enjoyed it, Doctor, being human? Has it taught you wonderful things? Are you richer, better, wiser, hm? Then lets see you answer this––which one of them do you want us to kill?" he questioned. "Maid or secretary? Your friend or your lover?" Baines grinned evilly and arched one dark brow. "Your choice."

To Be Continued…

Afterword: There we have it! The chapter I have been looking forward to writing most, and my holiday gift to you all! Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate it! I hope you all enjoyed, 'cause I've been working on this for a couple of months in order to get it all right. :)

Review replies!

grapejuice101: Here's the finished chapter! I finally finished it. I hope you enjoyed it and liked reading it all put together! Thanks again!

dream lighting: It will certainlly be interesting when Rose comes back to see her reaction to this all; and I will be doing those episodes, once I get to them :) Hope you enjoyed! Thanks again!

NicoleR85: Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and the way that John/Doctor and Selene interacted. And Joan wasn't much of a problem… though we will see her a bit more next chapter. Hope you keep on reading! thanks again!

Squidtastik: Thank you! I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!

ShadowTeir: Martha may have interrupted them kissing last time, but she didn't do it successfully here. Well, she did, but not before the first one actually happened! I hope you enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thanks again!

Snowflake888: You're welcome for updating! And here's a new one for your enjoyment :) hope it was satisfactory! Thanks again!

: I hope that the wait for this chap was worth it! A lot of it was me just finally getting out ideas I've been having for… since the beginning of this fic XD Thanks again!

Neeky-chan: I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! And I'm glad that you've been enjoying the story so far! Thanks again and have a lovely day!

The Yoshinator: Luckily for you, you won't have to slap Redfern, will you? ;D I hope you enjoyed the chapter, my friend! Thanks again!
acrossdimensions: I absolutely loved your idea! It was one that helped get me through the writers block for that episode :) And you read my mind on John falling for Selene. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!

TheMagentaColor: I'm so excited that I could get this up so you could squeal and jump around in your chair XD I was doing just that as I was writing it XD And I hope it was as awesome as you thought it would be. And I hope that the next chap will be equally as awesome and that Blink will be too, 'cause, ya know, I got plans for it :) Thanks again! Hope you enjoyed!

Momochan77: Still so very glad that Selene isn't flat, that's always my worry. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!

dreaming of mermaids: I'm so glad that my story gives you something to look forward to to get through the day/the week; I feel the same when I get to write the chapters for all of my readers, so I'm glad to know that it helps keep people going. I'm super glad you enjoyed the last two chapters and hope this one was satisfactory as well. I can't wait to write more and can't wait for you to read it :) Thanks again!

ash: Sorry about torturing you with waiting! School is hell and killed my free time. But here it is! Hope you enjoyed!
PrincessMagic: Glad you liked it! Thanks again!

Kam74: Hopefully now that you've read the chapter you understand what I meant by you're going to explode with joy! :D HUZZAH, they finally kissed! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!

Kayla: First off, I'm impressed that you read the whole of the story in one day! Secondly, it makes me indescribably happy that you feel like Selene is an actual character from the show! That's one of my ultimate goals is to have her fit in so well that it seems seamless (or mostly seamless) and that she interacts with the characters well. Thanks again, hope you enjoyed!
bebe wolf: I have an ENTIRE chapter dedicated to the Doctor getting jealous. Hope you'll stick around to read it :) Thanks again!
time-twilight: It would certainly be interesting if that happened. I hop ethat you stick around to read more! Thanks again!

yume: I'm seriously impressed you read it in one go––I think I've tried to do it a few times, and I never get far, mostly because I get distracted by little things I think I could change XD But I'm super happy you enjoy the Selene/Doctor moments; and I hope you enjoyed the John/Selene ones in this one. I loved writing 'em! Thanks again!
SparrowLillies: ! To hear they're your OTP makes me SOO happy! There will be some serious Selene/Doctor make-out sessions in the future, I promise. Like. A lot of them. I even have some planned out for Matt Smith's season, I kid you not. Hope you keep on reading! Thanks again!

name to long: I'm very glad that you've been enjoying the story! And I'm very happy that it's got a good romance story line; annnnnd Happy late birthday! I hope that it was good one, even though I'm super seriously late on saying it :) Thanks again, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

FeralFauna: *peaks out from behind computer* sorry about not updating quickly! Hope that the chapter made up for it! Also, I'd love to know how you picture Selene looking, I just didn't get the link/picutre you tried posting. Thanks again!

And thank you to those who added this to their favorites/follows, it means a lot to me!

So, I hope you all enjoyed the rollercoaster of this chapter and will stick around for the next one! I'm also gonna take a moment to seriously thank you all so, so very much. Especially those of you who have been with this story since the very beginning. I was looking at how many people follow this story and was just utterly amazed at the number. I cannot seriously believe that many people read this! You all make me so happy and so motivated to keep on writing :) Thank you all so much!

~Mary