Dawn was just beginning to break over the city streets when the TARDIS rematerialized in the alley. Almost as soon as it landed, the door swung open and Cassie and Kendra walked outside, laughing and talking excitedly. The Doctor followed just behind, closing and locking the door behind him with a satisfied grin on his face.

"I hope that you found our little excursion to be enjoyable," the Doctor said.

"It was...amazing!" Kendra exclaimed. "Just...just incredible!" Cassie simply smiled and nodded in agreement.

"I'm glad you thought so," the Doctor replied. "Now, we should be going. I'm sure Cassie is eager to see to her father, am I right?"

"Yeah," Cassie told him. "I'm not sure what I'm going to tell him. There's no way he'd ever believe it." She paused. "I'm not even really sure if I believe it."

"You don't have to say anything you feel uncomfortable with," the Doctor assured her. "But he is your father, and he does have a right to know what you're doing."

Cassie nodded and tried to think about what she was going to say when she saw him. Even so, whenever her mind wandered back to where she had just been, she couldn't keep the smile off her face. She would never forget the TARDIS floor coming to a stop, the noise of the machinery dying down, and the Doctor simply gesturing towards the door with that knowing smile on his face. Cassie had opened the door, then, and could hardly believe it when she saw the glittering purple sand, the brilliant jade ocean, and the soft ruby sky, the very same beach the Doctor had shown her in her mind just hours before! Slowly, she and Kendra had stepped out onto the sand and looked around. Not a single building, nor even another soul, was in sight. It was a paradise completely untouched by civilization.

After a few moments, the Doctor had stepped out behind them and proudly explained that they were on the Amethyst Sands of Arcadia, a region preserved for its beauty by the planet's benevolent rulers for thousands of years. The waiting list for those wishing to visit the Sands was years long, as attendance was restricted to a few months of the year and in limited numbers to reduce the impact. An entire caste of Arcadians lovingly tended the beaches and forests all year round, removing even the most microscopic traces of pollution and visitation with almost religious devotion.

It had been well past mid-morning and Cassie had begun to feel the tropical heat through her winter clothing. Just as she had shrugged off her jacket, though, the Doctor had ushered them back inside the TARDIS and directed them toward a wardrobe for something "a bit more comfortable". There were hundreds of different swimsuits and summer wear available, in a wide variety of styles and fabrics, many of which Cassie had never seen before and others she was certain could not be found on Earth. Interestingly, though, they all appeared to be her size. Cassie wondered if the Doctor had somehow conjured all of these clothes from nowhere just for her, or if he simply kept rooms filled with the same dizzying selection of attire all in different sizes for whomever happened to come along. Eventually, she had selected a simple one-piece swimsuit and a lightweight cotton dress, along with a pair of sandals, and headed back outside. Kendra was already there, jogging towards the surf, while the Doctor stood some distance away. He had taken off his jacket and boots, standing barefoot in the sand with his sleeves and cuffs rolled up. A large easel and canvas were set up in front of him, and next to him Cassie saw a small bag filled with brushes and painting supplies. She had walked towards him, but he gently shooed her away as he had set about sharpening a thick charcoal pencil.

She and Kendra had swam for hours, first in one place, and then another as they came back onto the beach and ran off to try another spot. A small island surrounded by reefs stood a short distance away from the shoreline, so they had swam out to it, using it as a base as they dived down beneath the surface to explore the coral. The water didn't sting her eyes as much as Cassie thought it would, and there was no sediment blocking her view, so she could get up close and investigate the reef with almost perfect clarity. Large schools of tiny multicolored fish had swam past them, brushing against their arms and legs as they passed, and the reefs themselves were almost crystalline, seeming to glow with their own inner light.

Finally, she and Kendra had emerged from the water and headed back toward the TARDIS. The late afternoon sun was beginning to descend toward the distant horizon of the ocean, reflecting off the water in a jeweled landscape. The Doctor was sitting on a large blanket next to a picnic basket, polishing an apple against his shirt as they walked up the beach toward him. The painting and all of his supplies were nowhere in sight. He had gestured toward a place on the blanket and the girls collapsed onto it, the exhaustion of the day and most of the previous night finally hitting home. He then had opened up the basket and revealed an entire banquet filling it up to the brim: Thick, cold roast beef sandwiches, fried chicken, bunches of grapes, apples, and chilled sodas and bottled water perspiring with condensation. They had dug in eagerly before finally sitting back to watch the sunset. Even as the sun dipped below the horizon, the sky had lit up with stars of such glittering intensity that it seemed as though someone had taken great handfuls of diamonds and strewn them about on an inky canvas. They had been so clear and so bright that Cassie had closed her eyes for just a moment to shield them from the glare.

When she had opened them again, she was inside TARDIS, in the Doctor's arms as he carried her across the control room. His grip was firm and she had felt so light and comfortable that she couldn't bring herself to offer any protest. It reminded her of the times her father had carried her to bed the exact same way when she was little, so much so that she had closed her eyes and pretended drift off again so she could savour that feeling. Moments later, the Doctor had eased her into an overstuffed lounge chair, slipping off her sandals before lifting her legs onto a cushioned footrest and draping his jacket over her. Peeking through a cracked eyelid, she saw the Doctor head back outside and carry Kendra back in in the exact same way, setting her in another chair near the fireplace. The Doctor had stopped then, looking at each of them in turn with a kind of sad smile on his face before finally turning toward the control console. Almost immediately she felt the TARDIS lurch into motion, though after that first movement the floor was perfectly smooth. The mechanical wheezing and groaning from the console itself also seemed less violent than before, as though the Doctor had decided to make their return trip nice and easy. For awhile Cassie had tried to stay awake, afraid to miss something even more interesting, but the muted rhythmic wheezing, the low droning hum of the console, and the fire's warm crackling conspired against her, and her eyelids eased closed as though dragged by lead weights.

She had been awakened by the floor lurching into place again. The wheezing sounds were gone, so she guessed that they had landed. Several feet away, Kendra had sat up and stretched in her chair, looking around.

"Home sweet home," the Doctor had said simply. Still half-asleep, wondering if the whole trip had been a dream or if she were dreaming still, she and Kendra had padded off to the wardrobe to change. Cassie was only somewhat surprised to find her clothes neatly folded in a small pile, everything pressed and laundered. Unfolding her pants, though, she saw that the worn and threadbare cuffs had been repaired. She looked closer at them, and at a spot on the right hip where she knew there had been a small tear, but that was gone, too. Not just stitched or mended, but made like new as if the damage had never been. Smiling just a little at the bit of magic at work, she pulled on her clothes and headed back to the control room where the Doctor had ushered her and Kendra outside, into the exact same alley where they had left from. The sun was rising, but her breath still fogged in the morning air, such a stark difference from a few hours ago that she shivered and zipped up her jacket to her neck.

"But what am I supposed to tell my parents?" Kendra asked. "They'll kill me for running out in the middle of the night like that."

"Well, we can't have that, can we?" the Doctor replied. He reached inside his pocket and pulled out the psychic paper billfold, handing it over. "Just use this. Mind you, using it to get girls out of trouble with their parents isn't something I make a habit of, but I don't like the idea of someone being grounded for showing initiative. It would make me a hypocrite."

"Thanks," Kendra said brightly, pocketing the billfold. Her face faltered. "What should I make it say, though?"

"You're a clever girl, Kendra," the Doctor answered, patting her on the shoulder. "I'm sure you'll think of something. We'll be along in awhile after Cassie here pays a visit with her father."

"Sure," Kendra said. She stepped forward and stood on her toes to give the Doctor a quick kiss on the cheek before wrapping him in a hug. "Thank you so much for taking us there. It was the most beautiful place I've ever seen."

The Doctor laughed. "It was my pleasure."

Kendra waved goodbye to the Doctor and Cassie before heading off down the road. Once she was out of sight, the Doctor gestured for Cassie to step back inside the TARDIS.

"Aren't we going to the hospital?" Cassie asked.

"Oh, yes. We're just taking a shortcut, is all," the Doctor answered, maneuvering switches and dials into position.

A thought occurred to Cassie. "Couldn't we have just taken Kendra back home directly? Maybe a few minutes after she left?"

"Absolutely. But crossing timelines like that is usually more trouble than it's worth. Besides, a little adversity would do her some good. Builds character, exercises the imagination, that sort of thing," the Doctor said, grinning.

"That's just mean," Cassie told him, though she couldn't help but smile herself. Despite the psychic paper and whatever excuse Kendra gleaned from it, the resulting conversation with her parents was bound to be less than pleasant.

The Doctor threw a lever and sent the TARDIS into motion with the now-familiar wheezing and groaning of its engines. A few moments later, he triggered another control and Cassie felt the TARIDS settle into place. Cassie stepped outside and was attacked almost immediately by a tangle of collapsing mops and brooms.

"You landed us in a janitor's closet," Cassie complained after tossing the mess aside.

"Well, I couldn't very well land in the lobby, now could I?" the Doctor replied, stepping out beside her. "Tell you what. Next time you can pick the landing spot and deal with all the questions."

"'Next time'? You mean...you want me to come with you?"

The Doctor was quiet for a long moment. "That's entirely up to you."

"What do you mean?"

"Out of all the people I've ever met, only a very few have all the qualities I look for in a traveling companion: Cleverness, an appreciation for new experiences, and a sense of responsibility, just to name a few. You have all of those gifts, and I would be honored to have you, but it's not a decision that I can make for you. Do you understand?"

Cassie nodded. "I think so."

"Do you want to come with me?" the Doctor asked her.

Cassie thought about it. There were so many reasons for either side of that decision. She didn't want to leave behind her friends and family, especially after what just happened. And yet, the thought of doing home and doing nothing didn't appeal to her at all. For the past few years, home had meant abuse and hardship. All in all, Cassie didn't want to go home but she didn't want to stay here.

"Can I have awhile to think about it?" she asked.

The Doctor nodded, giving her comforting smile. "All the time you need."

They found a nurse's station which quickly directed them to Kyle's room down the hall. Cassie knocked gently on the door and stepped inside while the Doctor took a seat on a bench just outside. Kyle was asleep, with various cords and tubes running across his body, each connected to a separate device. Sammy was there, sitting in a chair at his dad's bedside. He looked up at Cassie as she entered and stood, running over and hugging her tightly before finally letting go.

"How is he?" Cassie asked quietly.

"I dunno," Sammy replied. "The doctor said it wasn't as bad as it could've been, but he said that they'd probably have to operate or something later on."

Cassie took a look at the clipboard posted against the wall, which held all of the patient's diagnoses and vital signs. She had gone very well in her medical terminology courses, but much of the jargon was still beyond her. Most of what she could gather was that he had several broken ribs, a great deal of internal bruising and trauma, and possibly a damaged kidney, which was most likely what they'd be operating on to investigate further.

"Hey there, kiddo," came a weak voice from behind her.

Cassie turned and saw her dad awake and looking at her with bloodshot eyes. Despite the swelling across his face, he managed a small smile and beckoned her closer.

"I'm sorry, daddy, I didn't mean to wake you up," Cassie apologized as she moved to her father's side.

"That's all right. Can't really sleep with all these machines here, anyway. Too much damn beeping."

"Well," Cassie said, laughing a bit through welling tears. "If they stopped beeping, you'd probably be getting more sleep than you bargained for, right?"

"Yeah, you got a point there," Kyle admitted. Nearby, Sammy stifled a yawn. Cassie realized that he must have been awake all night watching over their dad. Kyle tilted his head toward Sammy. "Hey, kid, why don't you go get yourself a soda while I talk to your sister for a minute, okay?"

"Sure, dad," Sammy said reluctantly, giving him and Cassie one last glance before stepping outside.

"How are you feeling?" Cassie asked.

"Like I just got ran over by a bulldozer," Kyle told her. "Twice."

They both sat in quiet for almost a minute before Cassie finally asked, "Why did you do it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean...," Cassie trailed off, not quite knowing how to explain. "I mean you could've ran, or something. You didn't have to stay there and fight like you did."

"Yeah," Kyle said in a husky voice. "Yeah, I did."

Kyle lifted a trembling hand toward Cassie and rested it on top of her own.

"Listen," he began, sounding uncomfortable. "I haven't been the best...hell, I haven't been a good father at all since your mom died. Ever since then I just didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to take your mom's place, and with my leg busted up, I could barely handle taking care of myself. I didn't know how to be a dad on my own, so I started treating you guys like my old platoon, just shouting and giving orders to get things done." Tears were welling up in his eyes.

"Dad, you don't have to-"

"Yeah, I do. Just listen, okay? The worst thing..." he trailed off, sighing heavily before finally continuing. "The worst thing was what I did to you. I just missed your mom so much and, you know, you look so much like her when she was younger. I get to drinking a lot and somewhere in my head things start getting mixed up. I bet there's been a few times when you've been pretty afraid of me, huh?"

Cassie trembled, not knowing how to answer and not trusting herself to speak. Kyle simply nodded.

"Yeah, I know it. The worst part of what I did is that you had to start taking care of your deadbeat dad instead of the other way around. Taking on all that responsibility, probably being tired and scared and angry all the time trying to keep things normal. I'm just so-" he broke off, choking back a sudden sob. "I'm so sorry that you had to do all that," he pressed on as tears fell down his face.

Cassie stood and leaned forward in a tight embrace. Both of Kyle's arms, heedless of the needles and tubes, reached out and pulled her close, as if she might fly away. They stayed that way in quiet for a long time before Kyle finally let her go, reaching for a nearby box of tissues and handing them to his daughter.

"The docs say it's gonna be awhile before I get out of here. A lot of tests and stuff they want to run, just to be safe," Kyle said, louder and more confident than he had been. More tired, also, as if confessing what he had done had taken every bit of his strength to accomplish.

"I looked at your chart," Cassie replied, grateful for the chance to talk about something more mundane, father to daughter. "It says that they want to do another operation to look at one of your kidneys for damage."

Kyle grunted. "All the damage I've done to my own kidneys, a little thing like bruises won't hurt them none."

"Dad..." Cassie began.

"What is it?"

"It's just...the man who helped me earlier..."

"What about him?" Kyle asked.

"Well...he's a traveler and he wants me to go with him," she blurted out. "It's a scholarship travel program that he's accepted me to."

"A science teacher with a ray gun wants to take you around the world? This just keeps getting better," Kyle chuckled ruefully.

"It's just that-"

"You don't want to leave me alone, right?"

"That's part of it, yeah," Cassie nodded.

"It sounds to me like there's a bit more to Mr. Smith than you're telling me, right?" Kyle pressed.

Cassie nodded hesitantly.

"I suppose I can understand that." Kyle sighed. "Listen, the past few years you've missed out on a lot because of me. A girl with brains like yours, you could be applying for all kinds of scholarships by now, getting read to go to some fancy college across the country. Now, when I get out of here, things are gonna be different. Better, I promise. But I think you've given up enough because of me and if this is something you want to do, then you should do it."

Cassie was stunned. "Don't you want to know more about who he is?"

"A man's gotta have some secrets, I figure. He saved my life and yours. That buys a lot of trust, in my book. If he has his secrets, I'm betting there's a good reason for it, and a good reason you're keeping them for him, am I right? Now, when you want to tell me about it, I'll listen, but as long as he keeps my little girl safe, he's a good man by me."

Cassie leaned down to hug him again. "Thank you, daddy."

A nurse poked her head in through the open door. "Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Jacobs, but the doctor will be here in just a minute for your checkup."

"That's just fine, thank you," Kyle replied. To Cassie, he said, "You better get going. Some crackpot's gonna come in poking and prodding and there's no reason for both of us to be bored to tears because of it."

"Okay, daddy. Goodbye," she said, lingering a moment by the door.

"Goodbye, hon. Take care, now," Kyle answered.

Cassie stepped back into the hallway and was surprised to see Sammy sitting on the bench just outside. The Doctor was sitting next to him, talking quietly with a hand on his shoulder. She didn't hear what he was saying, but when he stopped she could see Sammy's head nodding slowly. Sammy stood and headed off toward the vending machines while the Doctor rose and turned to Cassie.

"What were you two talking about?" Cassie asked, curious.

"Nothing much," the Doctor replied. "Just told him some things I thought he needed to hear."

"Doctor?"

He turned to look at her. "Yes?"

"I'd like to come with you."

He didn't answer right away, only looked her in the eye for several long moments before finally replying, "Okay."

A minute later, Sammy came back with not one soda, but three, two of which he handed to his sister and the Doctor. They talked for awhile after that, mostly about practical matters. Cassie told him that she was going to be leaving on a scholarship trip, and since Dad wouldn't be out of the hospital for at least a week, Sammy needed a place to stay. Sammy protested, saying he was old enough to take care of himself for awhile, but relented when Cassie pointed out that their grocery situation was already low and as much as he wanted to, he couldn't afford to be eating fast food or pizza every day. Sammy finally relented and said that he would call around and see if he could stay with one of his friends for the time being. The Doctor shifted in place, looking like he wanted to say something, but kept quiet. As they spoke, a white-coated doctor and a pair of assistants slipped into Kyle's room. Cassie told Sammy that they'd probably be there for quite awhile and that he should go home, take a nap, and pack a bag or two. Sammy bristled at the suggestion that he needed a nap, but grudgingly nodded. To Cassie's amazement, he stepped forward and hugged her tightly, something he hadn't done in years. Over his head, she glanced at the Doctor, who simply looked on with a small smile. After a moment, he let go, gave a somewhat sheepish grin, and headed off.

"What exactly did you tell him?" Cassie asked as Sammy walked away, having acted more like the brother he'd been before their mother died then in all the years since.

"Like I said," the Doctor answered, putting a hand to her back and steering her back toward the broom cupboard where they'd left the TARDIS. "Just some things he needed to hear."

Cassie stepped outside the TARDIS and saw that they had landed just down the block from Kendra's house. She set out that way at once, while the Doctor kept a safe distance behind, obviously respectful of Kendra's parents' wishes that he not show himself again.

As she walked up the driveway, Kendra came out the front door and headed down to meet her.

"So how did it go?" Cassie asked.

"Pretty well, I think," Kendra admitted. "They were still pretty upset, but it probably wasn't as bad as it could have been."

"What did you end up telling them?" the Doctor asked, coming up from behind.

"The truth, mostly," Kendra shrugged. "You went off running, I followed, and found your place broken into."

"And they believed that?" Cassie asked.

"They did when I showed them the police report." Kendra grinned, reaching into her pocket and brandishing the psychic paper billfold.

"Well done. Glad to see you make good use of it," the Doctor said, reaching out and taking back the billfold.

"Are you sure I can't hold onto that for awhile?" Kendra asked. "It's almost the end of the semester and I bet I could make a really good report card out of that."

"A young lady as smart as you are shouldn't need psychic paper to get good grades," the Doctor chided. Kendra laughed at that.

"Anyway," the Doctor said, something in his voice capturing the girls' full attention.

"Kendra, you and Cassie have seen who I am and what I do. The outing to the Amethyst Sands was just a small sample of what I'm capable of giving you. You're both intelligent, clever, resourceful, and have a craving for something beyond the ordinary. Cassie has already accepted the chance to be a companion on my travels and I'm here to offer you the same opportunity."

Kendra was quiet for a long moment. "What would I tell my parents, though?"

"As much of the truth as you're comfortable with," the Doctor told her. "True, you could leave now and I could have you back five minutes from now, but they're the ones responsible for your safety, and I can't be the one to take that choice from them."

"Is what you do dangerous?" Kendra asked.

"I won't lie to you," he replied. "Oftentimes it can be. The universe has as many terrors as it does wonders and sometimes they can be one and the same. I can tell you that I would do everything in my power to keep you both safe, but I'll also tell you...that there have been times when that hasn't been enough."

"I don't know," Kendra said. "I mean, I want to. It sounds really exciting and all that, but...having to leave home and everything here behind. I don't know if I could..." she trailed off, uncertain.

The Doctor put both hands on her shoulders and kneeled down, looking into her eyes. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, Kendra. You don't want to leave your family and friends. There's nothing wrong with that. Traveling like I do isn't the kind of life suited for everyone."

"I'm sorry," Kendra said.

"Don't be. There have been people who've traveled with me who jumped at the opportunity at first but came to regret it. They were spoiled for normal life and couldn't adjust when the time came for them to come home. I'm glad that you're wise enough to know what you would be giving up by leaving."

Kendra grinned at that. "First time someone's ever called me wise."

"It's true," the Doctor told her. "It's a very mature decision for your age. And besides, it's not as though I won't come back once in awhile. Traveling in the long term may be a bit much to ask, but you won't say no to the occasional day trip, I think."

"Definitely not."

"Splendid!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Just a couple more things to take care of. Right now Cassie's younger brother is in need of a place to stay until his father returns from the hospital. I don't suppose you can ask if he can stay here for the time being?"

"Yeah," Kendra replied. "I don't think Mom and Dad will have any problem with that."

Beside the Doctor, Cassie slapped a hand to her face. "Why didn't I think of asking that?"

"And since you'll be staying behind..." the Doctor trailed off, closing his eyes in concentration.

Softly at first, then louder, Cassie heard the groaning of the TARDIS engine materializing. The Doctor stood calmly at her side, not at all concerned. She looked back down the block at where they left the TARDIS and there is was still, right where they left it. A light caught her eye and she looked up. There! In Kendra's bedroom window she saw the strobing pale blue light from the TARDIS's police box facade as it landed. A few moments later, the light began strobing again as the groaning engines activated once more, this time fading into the distance.

"Doctor, that was the TARDIS," Cassie told him, immediately feeling foolish for stating the obvious.

"Yes, yes it was," he replied, looking rather satisfied with himself.

"But how could it be there and over there at the same time? I thought you said you couldn't do that," Kendra remarked.

"Only if doing so results in the disruption of cause and effect," the Doctor explained, sounding like a lecturing professor as he did so. "The problem with encountering your own future self is that doing so will lead to you making decisions that you wouldn't otherwise have made. As those decisions can affect your future self, the circumstances of you meeting that same future self can change, which again will result in you making different decisions based on that meeting. And so on and so on. It's called a paradox and it can be a very serious breach of the laws of time travel."

Cassie pondered this for a moment. "Then that was your future self? Why was it there then?"

"Because before it appeared, I made the very firm decision that when we leave, the very first thing I'll do is materialize the TARDIS in Kendra's bedroom and then depart. Because I made the decision before my future self appeared, and there was no other interaction between the future me and the present me, none of my future decisions will be altered. The time line continues on unaltered."

"Isn't that dangerous, though?" Cassie asked.

"It can be." The Doctor nodded. "Only if you don't know what you're doing. The laws of time are ironclad and have existed for thousands of millennia for the preservation of the proper destiny of the universe. They cannot be broken at any time or for any reason, except in the most dire of emergencies." He grinned. "Or cheap tricks."

"But why did you appear in my bedroom in the first place?" Kendra asked.

"Since you won't be coming with us, I thought it only fair to give you something to remember this experience by."

"A present?" Kendra's face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. "You gave me a present?"

"I will give you a present," the Doctor corrected. "And yes, I did."

"Oh, thank you!" Kendra exclaimed, standing on her tiptoes to give the Doctor a kiss on the cheek. "Whatever it is, I'll love it!"

"I know you will." The Doctor smiled down at her before turning to face Cassie. "And now I'm afraid it's time to say goodbye."

Cassie nodded slowly. It was going to be weird, not having Kendra with her. She was her best friend; they'd done almost everything together since grade school and now they were going to be apart. She felt her eyes begin to sting when Kendra walked up and put her arms around her, leaning forward and touching her forehead to hers.

"I'm gonna miss you," Cassie admitted.

"Me, too," Kendra replied. "But you know why you want to leave, right?

"Yeah." Cassie nodded slightly. The idea of home had been a burden for the past three years. It had just been a place to sleep and keep her stuff, no more personal to her than the locker she used at school. With her dad's drunkenness and her brother's delinquency, it had been a place to be avoided. Home wasn't a place where she felt safe, but even so, it was a place she was tethered to. Anchored to, trying to do the best she could but always knowing it wasn't enough. And even after the epiphany her dad had experienced, it would still be a long time before she got used to the idea of home being a home again. Someday, she knew she would miss it, miss her dad and her brother enough to finally come back, but for now she wanted to be on her own, to see and experience the things she never would have had a chance to otherwise. To be away.

"It's not like you'll be away forever," Kendra continued. "It'll be like summer camp or something, but with a big blue box."

Cassie laughed, feeling better already.

"I'll take lots of pictures for you for when I get back," Cassie promised.

"Yeah, you better," Kendra teased. She pulled Cassie close and, despite what she had said, Cassie felt a tear run down the back of her neck before she finally let go and stepped back.

The Doctor stepped in, nearly picking Kendra up off the ground in a tight bear hug. "Goodbye, Kendra."

"Bye, Doctor. Thanks for everything," she whispered back before he finally set her down.

The three of them simply looked at each other for a long moment before the Doctor turned and led Cassie back towards the waiting TARDIS. Kendra waited on the driveway, watching them leave.

The Doctor was just beginning to unlock the TARDIS door when Cassie heard Kendra shout at her, "Try not to think about how those pants make his package look!"

To her horror, that was the first thing she visualized. "Gross!" she shouted back. Several houses away, Kendra only laughed and waved. The Doctor wisely said nothing, though Cassie caught the smirk on his face just fine.

"Go ahead and have a seat," the Doctor said, gesturing to one of the many lounge chairs while he headed to the control console. "We just have to make our quick side trip, first." He threw back a lever and the ground shuddered as the TARDIS was sent into motion.

Outside, Kendra watched as the TARDIS flashed and wheezed, fading in and out of sight before vanishing completely. Only then did she start back inside the house. Her step hurried when she remembered that the Doctor had left something behind for her.

Kendra rushed into her bedroom and saw a long, narrow package resting on her bed, wrapped with paper and twine. She undid the knots and carefully unwrapped it, revealing a large painting. It only took her a few moments to realize that it was the very same painting the Doctor was working on during their visit to the Amethyst Sands. It had a classical look to it, painted in oils and masterfully done, portraying a landscape with the same purple beaches, jade waters, and ruby sky that they had visited only hours before. A small island with lush foliage was visible in the distance, and there, tiny but distinctive, were two girls, one with black hair and the other with blond, splashing each other in the surf. The entire canvas as bound in an ornately carved wooden frame just as intricate as the painting itself. And in the corner, in tiny script, still glistening as though added only minutes ago:

To Kendra

From The Doctor

"You Are Always Welcome"

END OF ACT ONE