Disclaimer: i only own Catharien, nothing else, oh well maybe the plotline! i can't stand that 10 died, i cried.

Chapter Thirteen New Face, New Problems.

Catharine looked at herself in the mirror; she had a well rounded face with soft but noticably high cheekbones. Her eyes had stayed the same color but her hair was now bright brown-red almost scarlet in color. She walked out and hoped that the Doctor was still making tea. She wanted to find a new outfit, something that fit her new personality. When she got into the wardrobe she saw many different types of clothing but instantly a black leather trench coat caught her eye. She took it off the rack and continued looking. She found a pair of black cargo pants and a bright pink tank top. Catharine looked around to make sure that the Doctor wasn't around then changed into her new outfit. When she walked into the kitchen the Doctor looked back at her then at his tea. "I see you're adjusting well enough, however I never imagined you wearing pink."

"I thought a change was in order for me." She said while touching his shoulder lightly. "Who was that woman, the weeping one?" Catharine felt him start to slouch under her touch. That was when she realized that she was only three inches shorter than him.

"The one that looked up was…my mother." He whispered. "The other one was probably the Master's." He could barely talk to her.

"Doctor, I'm sorry." She wrapped her arms around him from behind and put her chin on his shoulder. "I wish there was something I could do."

'Don't we all.' A harsh familiar voice said in her head. When she let go of the Doctor she spun around to see the Master, wearing his black hoodie and black pants.

"I thought you died!" She shouted at him. The Doctor turned around, not seeing what she was, and put a hand on her shoulder. "You died, you vanished!"

'If only,' The Master said sarcastically. 'Really, you're so much more stupid than either him or I.' He took a step closer and reached out to touch her. When he did his hand made contact but at the same time didn't. She couldn't physically feel him but in her mind she could. 'I want you to deliver a message to the Doctor.' He looked at the Doctor and forced the telepathic pathways to link between Catharine and him. "You owe me one." He said before vanishing once more. Catharine dropped to the ground and started rocking back and forth.

"Doctor, did you, did you see him?" She finally asked after stopping the rocking motion.

"Yeah," He knelt down beside her and wrapped his arms around her. "Everything will be fine though."

"All right," She relaxed into his arms and felt herself drifting off to sleep ever so slightly. He could feel her mind drifting and with a smile picked her up and carried her back to her room. After pulling the sheets back and placing her in her bed she reached out and grabbed his hand. "You need someone with you didn't you?"

"What do you—?"

"Stay with me," She whispered out, her eyes were slightly crossed and slowly growing heavy. He chuckled then nodded his head. He slipped under the sheets and pulled her close to him. He hadn't expected her to relax the way she did but she had fallen limp in his arms. He could tell that she was still alive, due to the soft but ragged breathing she had and her hearts beating. That was when he drew the conclusion of what the Master had been hearing all that time. The four beats were those of a Time Lord's hearts.

When Catharine woke back up the Doctor was asleep, he head resting against her chest. She smiled to herself then realized he was holding her tightly with not only his arms but his legs as well. She bit her lower lip and fought the blush that was forming as well as the quickening pace of her hearts. Normally she wouldn't have minded this from most men whom she didn't care for but the Doctor, she cared too much for him. "Doctor, wake up please." She gently poked at the back of his head. When that didn't work she resorted to stroking his head. He startled awake and spluttered at the compromising position he was in. He got off the bed and she quickly rolled over. "Thank you for finally waking up." She whispered, knowing that he would leave before anything happened; before he decided to open his mouth to apologize.

He walked out rubbing the back of his head and finally his face. 'What have I gotten myself into?'He thought while walking to his room. 'She's sweet, young…way too young…and she is Jack's kid, sort of. My great grandson raised her for crying out loud, not to mention she's got the Master's DNA as the basis of her own…and now that she's regenerated…' He hit his forehead to keep himself from thinking about that anymore. He was afraid, for the first time, of a female. Ok well maybe not the first time, but it sure was close enough. "DAMN IT I LOVE HER!" He shouted then slumped onto the bed.

He didn't realize that Catharine had gotten out of bed and started to walk to the kitchen when he shouted. The shout made her jump and slip on something. She landed on her face and groaned in pain. When she looked at her feet she began to remember why the Doctor had told her to wear shoes while in the Tardis, the grates had slit the bottom of her right foot open. "Doctor," she called out weakly. Her voice didn't even carry back to her room let alone his. Still getting used to her telepathic powers she reached out her mind. 'Doctor…help…me.' She managed to say but he still didn't come. 'Help…cut…bleeding…badly…help.' She closed her eyes and tried not to smell the blood that was pouring out of her body fast. Her hearts were beating rapidly with the adrenalin rush that she had and that wasn't helping her situation.

The Doctor had first thought that it was part of his imagination that he had heard her voice in his head until the cut and bleeding part. He got out of bed and rushed towards her room. He saw her lying there, halfway between her room and the kitchen. He could also see that she was bleeding badly. He could barely hear her breathing anymore. He wrapped her foot up with the bed sheet from her room then carried her to the closest medical area. When he put her down she startled awake. "I got your message, and it looks like just in time." He said with a minor joking manor; trying to lighten the mood. "It looks like it needs stitches."

"That's fine," she said weakly. "Just hurry, I don't like this." He nodded his head and pulled out his medical kit. Surprisingly he still had it, after all this time. He had expected to never need to use it but judging by the fact that this regeneration of Catharine was klutzy he might want to have it at hand all the time now. He numbed the area then went about stitching the laceration. After he was done he cleaned up her foot ever so gently then wrapped it in guaze. She grumbled to herself the whole time and finally wiggled her toes. "Thanks," She hopped off the table and onto the ground. Limping she walked back to her room and found her shoes. When she was done with that she walked back out to the control room.

"Doctor, I heard what you had said." She kept repeating to herself on the way. She wanted to confront him about it but grew fearful that if she confronted him that he would grow angry and possibly cold to her. When she entered he looked up at her from the screen. "Doctor, could we…could we talk?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. They were alone, in the Tardis, floating in space and she felt too uncomfortable to talk without asking permission? That was odd to him. "Sure Catharine, but you didn't need to ask."

"You shouted that you loved a girl…that was why I fell actually…" Her nose scrunched up at the thought and memory of her recent injury.

'Great, you're the reason why she fell,' he thought bitterly to himself. "Yeah, sorry about that, let me guess you want to know who I was talking about."

She nodded her head, her face held the same innocent look that she had in most of her memories from when she was a child.

"You," The Doctor said quickly and bluntly.

"Me, but…why?" She looked exceedingly perplexed.

"I-I…" Words escaped him and he shrugged.

Catharine's memories were brought back to when they kissed under the mistletoe; she wanted a life, something that had been taken away from her when the war had broken out during her time but given back to her when the Master made her a Time Lord. "He was a genius." She said with a chuckle.

"Who was?"

"The Master, in the end, his insanity did some good." She laughed then put full weight on her right foot. She yelped then started hopping around like crazy. "Ow, Ow, Ow…this hurts like hell!" She sat down in the captain's chair and held her foot lightly. "Looks like I'm grounded to the Tardis for a while."

"What makes you think I wouldn't travel without you?" He asked sitting next to her.

"Wouldn't want to make you suffer for my mistakes…" She looked at him then shrugged. "Besides, the universe still needs saving at every turn."

"You're right but—"

"No buts, now get this Tardis moving…or else." She waved her index finger in his face then grinned sadistically.

a/n: next chapter is the last one, review please.