Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who
A/N: Once again, sorry for the long wait. My muse kept giving me ideas unrelated to this story, or even Doctor Who in general (shock, horror!). Still, it's not like my updates were ever regular to begin with, right?
The Woman Who Lived – Part One
"Did I do the right thing?" the Doctor asked Romana, for perhaps the hundredth time, as the two of them sat in bed. Romana sighed and bookmarked the page of the novel she was reading, and looked over at him with a sad smile.
"It's hard to say, dear" she replied, "I told you, there's no way to judge how this will turn out unless we meet Ashildr again".
"I was trying to help her" he sighed, rubbing at his temples, "I usually end, save or ruin a person's life, not all three at once…or very rarely, at any rate".
Romana shook her head at her husband's self-deprecation and firmly told him, "You didn't end her life, dear, you saved her. As for ruining her life…well, yes, this will probably change her, but it's up to Ashildr herself whether she changes for the better or the worse…just like it is with everyone".
"Yes, but what if I was wrong?" he demanded fretfully, "About all of it…what if I didn't choose this face for a reason. What if me looking like Caecilius is just a coincidence?"
"It was probably subconscious, but it's a bit of a stretch to call it a coincidence" Romana pointed out, "Besides, it's been known for us to regenerate into bodies that copy ones from our past. I mean, look at what happened the first time I regenerated".
"I remember…you spent ages showing off choosing different bodies, some of which were very strange I might add. What?" he asked, finally noticing Romana's unamused eyebrow raise.
She shook her head and explained, "Yes, but look at the body I settled on eventually. It was a double of Princess Astra".
"Princess who?" the Doctor asked obliviously. Once again, Romana gave him a long suffering look and answered, "She was the sixth piece of the Key to Time. Of course when you broke it apart again, she was restored to normal…" she chuckled lightly as she recalled, "You were the one who wanted me to change bodies, you said I had no right to assume the form of another person".
The Doctor suddenly looked very sheepish. "I never said anything like that" he lied vehemently.
"No? Must be my imagination" Romana said teasingly, before leaning over and giving him a kiss. "Now stop worrying. What's done is done…and if you don't mind, I'm going to get back to reading" she decided, cracking open the novel once more. She didn't get very far before a hand cupped around her cheek and pulled her into another, slower kiss. She didn't get much reading done that night after all.
/
The Doctor poked his head out of the TARDIS doors, seeing but not really noticing the forest they'd landed in. The co-ordinates said they were in a forest, so he knew it wasn't like with Maebh and the floating lights. Then he stepped out, shutting the door behind him, and strode off, fiddling with a gizmo in his hands. Moments later, the door was opened again by Flavia, who strode after him with the Corsair in tow. "Doctor, what are you doing?"
"Shh!"
"Don't you shush me"-
"Warm" the Doctor muttered to himself, ignoring her, peering at the red lights blinking on stalks on his contraption.
"Forget it, Flavia, he's on a mission" the Corsair shook his head.
An amber light came on the device's compass. "Warmer" the Doctor muttered, dodging a tree without looking up and following the direction of the arrow. Flavia and the Corsair exchanged an exasperated glance and followed after him.
"Doctor, what are you looking for, exactly?"
"I told you, something important and dangerous. Possibly, maybe…"
"You didn't tell us anything! You just showed up in the console room with that thing and walked off" Flavia huffed. They came upon a road running through the forest, where a carriage had been stopped in its tracks by a lone horseman. Much to Flavia's consternation, the Doctor walked single-mindedly towards the carriage, right up the door, and climbed right in.
"Hello" he greeted the young woman inside, who screamed "Aah! Don't shoot!"
"Doctor, get out of the carriage!"
"Oh, don't mind me, don't mind me. I'm only going to be a minute. Don't worry. Oh, very warm" he noticed, fiddling with his makeshift tracking device, or whatever it was.
"What are you doing?" the highwayman demanded in annoyance.
"Not looking where he's going, that's what" the Corsair quipped.
"You're not helping" Flavia rolled her eyes, stepping forward, intending to pull the Doctor out of the carriage. Then the highwayman pulled a pistol on her and she froze; the Corsair frowned at him and stepped in the way.
"This is a robbery, sir. You and your acquaintances should stand aside".
"Oh, just ignore us, we're passing through, like fish in the night" the Doctor waved him off unconcernedly, having climbed out of the carriage from the other side. He walked around the back of it, frowning at his gizmo with a puzzled, slightly frustrated expression.
"It's 'ships in the night', Doctor, and I really think we should be leaving now" Flavia told him pointedly.
"This is my robbery" the highwayman snapped impatiently, "Now begone, before I blow your brains out" he threatened, aiming the pistol in the direction of the Doctor's head.
"Just so you know" the Corsair remarked, "that might make him worse".
The Doctor finally looked up from his device and blinked at the highwayman as if he'd only just noticed him…which wasn't all too unlikely. "Sorry, were you talking to me there? Try again. I promise I'll listen this time".
"You have interrupted my robbery, sir, and you will step away, if you wish to take another breath".
"You're going to get us all killed, if you don't shut your mouth" the coachman hissed at him, but the Doctor had become distracted by the flashing, beeping device in his hands again.
"Sorry. Sorry, I really was planning to listen that time but, basically, I didn't. Usually, someone hits me at this point, but she's taking the Year 7s for Taekwondo. I have two other people to keep me on track, but they're on a mother-daughter day out, so I'm stuck with these two" he explained, jerking a thumb at Flavia and the Corsair.
"Oh, wow, thanks".
The Doctor bashed the device with the palm of his hand, and followed the signal to the luggage rack at the back of the coach. "Yes, got you!" he grinned, before finally realising, "Oh, hang on. If I didn't know better, I'd say this was a robbery".
Flavia valiantly managed to resist the urge to slam her palm into her face. How the Doctor had survived for over 1200 years, most of them on his own, was still a mystery to her.
"I am robbing these people. You are getting out of my way".
"What if we robbed you back?" the Corsair inquired.
"I just need one tiny little thing from out of this box" the Doctor told them.
Frustrated, the highwayman nudged his horse forward to approach them, insisting "This is my robbery!"
"You said that already".
"Can't we share? Isn't that what robbery's all about?"
Now that the highwayman's horse had moved out of the way, the coachman saw an opportunity to escape and cracked the reins. "Yah! Get up!" he shouted; the horses pulling the carriage whinnied and pulled it off at a gallop.
"Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no!"
The highwayman's horse was spooked by the sudden rush and reared up, front legs kicking. The Corsair and Flavia wisely backed off to avoid getting a hoof in the head. Fortunately, the horse was soon brought back under control.
"You bungled my heist" the highwayman snapped crossly.
"No, you bungled ours, Zorro!"
"Ours? We had nothing to do with this".
"Nay, tis all his fault, the whey faced fool" the highwayman gestured to the Doctor.
"Yeah, well, why don't you show your face?" he asked, "At least we show our faces. What's wrong with yours?"
The highwayman stared at him for a moment, and then dismounted. "Nothing, Doctor" they replied…in a female, very familiar voice. They pulled off their hat, scarf and mask to reveal they were none other than –
"Ashildr?" Flavia asked in surprise.
"Yes, it's me. Flavia, isn't it?" she asked, before looking at the Doctor and remarking, "You took your time, old man".
"Old man?"
"It seemed apt" she shrugged, "Life expectancy is thirty five these days; well, for everyone else".
"Did you know it was us the whole time?" the Corsair inquired curiously.
"Well, you don't forget the man who saved your life, or his friends. It's good to see you again".
"Yes, I didn't get that impression when you were threatening to kill me" the Doctor felt the need to point out.
In reply, Ashildr once more adopted a male voice and commented, "The Knightmare has a reputation to maintain".
"Nice fake voice" the Corsair nodded appreciatively, "When did you learn to do that?"
"Years ago, I don't remember when".
"Last time we saw you, you were founding a leper colony" the Doctor told her, before admitting, "I was so proud of you".
"Proud of me?" she frowned, "You weren't even there".
"We tried to keep tabs on you, after…" the Corsair trailed off and finished with, "We could only track you down on occasion, you moved around a lot".
"Out of necessity; and you just left me there, in a leper colony?"
"Well, you seemed fine" the Doctor reasoned, perhaps less than tactfully, go figure.
Flavia shot him a glare and tried to explain, "We wanted to…okay, I wanted to get you out of there, but well…we knew it wouldn't have the same effect on you, and you were helping so many people…" It was hard. How did you explain to someone the reason you watched them from afar, saw what they had accomplished, but never approached them?
Ashildr frowned slightly, but then shrugged and decided, "No matter, you're here now. We should celebrate".
"Will there be drinks?" the Corsair inquired, just before the Doctor shook his head and hastily rambled, "Oh, no, this isn't a visit, we've got a job to do. We're here looking for an alien object which has no business being here on Earth in 1651. It was just- it just so happened, you know, that my tracking device, it led me to the carriage that you were, you know, robbing. There wasn't - I didn't - It was a"-
The slight frown returned to Ashildr's features, deeper this time. "You mean you haven't come for me?"
"No, it was just a coincidence".
"Of course" Flavia interrupted pointedly, "Just because it wasn't planned, doesn't mean we won't help you, Ashildr" she assured the young woman. She was expecting gratitude, or at the very least a smile, but instead Ashildr merely blinked in confusion and tilted her head to one side.
"Who's Ashildr?"
"Um…you are. That's your name" Flavia told her, now getting rather concerned.
"Daughter of Einarr, Chuckles" the Doctor supplied helpfully, "I used to call him Chuckles. Do you remember?"
"Yes…" she said slowly, "I think I remember the village".
"You loved that village".
"If you say so" she shrugged; Flavia felt a stab of pity, the Doctor and Corsair a stab of guilt, at the notion that Ashildr had almost forgotten her old life, her own identity even.
"Anyone in that village would have died for you" the Doctor said earnestly, hoping to spark some of the fire that he remembered from the old Ashildr.
Instead she merely remarked coolly, as if it didn't matter, "Well, they're all dead now, and here I am. So, I guess it all worked out".
Flavia couldn't believe this was the same girl who had made stories and loved her village so dearly she refused to leave in the face of death. "Ashildr…" she began, wanting to apologise, but Ashildr cut her off.
"That's not my name. I don't even remember that name".
"So…what is your name?" asked the Corsair, "Err, your new name".
"Me" she answered bluntly.
"Yes, you" he nodded.
"No. I call myself Me" she explained, "All the other names I chose died with whoever knew me. Me is who I am now. No one's mother, daughter, wife. My own companion. Singular. Unattached. Alone" she insisted, "Anyway, I should get started. Jump on, Doctor, I'll give you a ride. You can help me" she explained, walking over to her horse and taking hold of the reins.
"Help you with what?"
"Packing" she answered.
"What about Flavia and I?" the Corsair inquired; after all, they couldn't all fit on one horse.
Ashildr turned towards the trees on the other side of the path, placed two fingers to her lips and whistled hard. Moments later, a dappled grey gelding trotted out from between the trees and stood there, snorting. "Do we want to know why you have an extra horse standing around?" the Corsair inquired, as he walked over to the horse and petted its snout.
"Not really".
"Fine, I'll ask again later" he shrugged, leading the horse over to Flavia and gesturing for her to climb on. She smiled and let him help her onto the horse; ever since their talk, he'd been a lot more considerate of her, and…well, she liked it. Once she was comfortable, he swung himself up and kicked the horse on, following after Ashildr.
/
Ashildr led them to a country manor, rather like Caliburn House, looking darkened and foreboding. They left the horses in a stable near the entrance and walked the rest of the way down the drive. "It's a big place for someone who lives on their own" the Doctor commented.
"I have a servant" Ashildr informed them, "And all manner of visitors drop in".
The Corsair wondered, "Expected guests, or guests like us?"
She shrugged and replied, "It varies".
They went through a side door and down a corridor, then the main staircase. "Your device, Doctor, what is it?" Ashildr inquired curiously.
"My curio-scanner?" he asked, "Oh, it, err, it sort of scans for, it scans for curios…I've just realised how it got its name. It's been tracking exoplanetary energy for the last couple of weeks. I've been following it across the galaxy" he explained. Ashildr opened a large chest filled with money and jewellery, clearly stolen. Flavia frowned a bit at the sight…it was sad to think that Ashildr had turned to a life of crime.
"And when were you planning to mention that to the rest of us?" asked the Corsair.
"I'm pretty sure I told you about this…" He sounded doubtful.
Flavia asked, "What exactly is it you're looking for?"
"Oh, I have a pretty good idea".
"You know, I wasn't just robbing Lucie Fanshawe for her loot" Ashildr remarked, "She's bragged about having the rarest gem in the land, an ancient amulet from foreign parts. Could it be we are looking for the same prize?"
Rather than answer, the Doctor simply gestured around the well-appointed hall and pointed out "Clearly, you don't need money. So why do you rob?"
She added her spoils of the night to the chest, and closed the lid once more, before answering him. "For the adventure, Doctor. Isn't that what life's all about?"
Ashildr led her three guests through the house, giving an impromptu tour as they went. They ended up in the library; the Corsair helped build up a fire, and Flavia lit some candles. Most of the shelves were filled with identical looking volumes, differentiated only by the dates on their spines. "I've had eight hundred years of adventure, enough to fill a library if you write it down" Ashildr told the Doctor, when he asked what all those books were for. They were all diaries.
The Corsair picked up a crown and turned it over in his hands. "You were a medieval queen?" he asked, "Impressive. How'd you swing that?"
"Marriage of 'convenience'; it was say yes or get hanged. I went with the easier option, and then my new husband goes and gets himself trampled" Ashildr rolled her eyes, "It's not what it's cracked up to be. It was paperwork and backgammon mainly, as I recall. Ended up faking my own death. Did a bunk before the evisceration" she explained, vaguely remembering climbing out of her coffin and escaping through the window. "Now this was much more my thing" she smiled, holding up a longbow.
"The Battle of Agincourt. My first stint as a man. No-one will ever know that a mere woman helped end the Hundred Years' War" she announced, with no small amount of pride.
The Doctor and Flavia were more concerned than impressed, albeit for different reasons. "You're immortal, not indestructible. You can be hurt, killed even".
Ashildr twanged the bowstring. "Ten thousand hours is all it takes to master any skill. Over a hundred thousand hours and you're the best there's ever been" she declared, "I don't need to be indestructible, I'm superb. You should have seen me. I could shoot six arrows a minute. I got so close to the enemy, I penetrated armour".
Flavia spoke up for the first time since they'd come to the library. "Killing people isn't something to be proud of, Ashildr" she said quietly. She really didn't like how this…new Ashildr was talking.
"I'm proud of my skill, not my death count, "Ashildr retorted with a glare, "And I told you, that's not my name".
"How many people have you killed?" the Doctor inquired out of morbid curiosity; Ashildr merely shrugged.
"You'll have to check my diaries".
"You can't remember?"
"For what it's worth, I've saved many lives too" she insisted; she recalled a crowd of pitchfork wielding villagers dragging her to a lake, chanting 'Kill the witch!' and dunking her. Most unpleasant… "I cured an entire village of scarlet fever once, almost got drowned as a witch for my troubles. Fortunately, I'm really good at holding my breath. Ungrateful peasants" she grumbled.
The Doctor found a beaked leather hood…the headwear of a seventeenth century plague 'doctor'. "The Black Death, 1348. I meant to warn you".
"We should have warned you" said Flavia.
"I got sick, but I got better" Ashildr shrugged, as if it didn't matter.
"Of course, your immune system is learning too. There's another bout coming. And a big fire that tears through London" the Doctor warned her. Did that count as a spoiler?
"Excellent" Ashildr smiled, "Maybe I start it".
"No, that was the Terileptils" he corrected, before remarking "Surgeon, scientist, inventor, composer, it's a fantastic CV".
"You should try my journals. I read them myself now and then. Drink pomace wine, have a little me time".
"Was that a pun?" the Corsair asked jokingly. Ashildr just rolled her eyes at him, and he shrugged. "You don't seem like the nostalgic sort" he added.
"It's not nostalgia, it's curiosity" Ashildr explained, "I can't remember most of it. That's the trouble with an infinite life and a normal sized memory".
"And you've outlived everyone you love…we're so sorry you had to go through that, Ashildr" Flavia said earnestly, before looking pointedly at the Doctor and adding, "Aren't we?"
"Oh, yes" he nodded when he noticed her glare, "Sorry".
"You'll have to remind me, what's sorrow like?" asked Ashildr, before sighing in frustration. "It all just runs out, Doctor. I'm just what's left. In fact, I've done all I can here. I look up to the sky and wonder what it's like out there. Please, take me with you. All these people here, they're like smoke, they blow away in a moment. None of you know what it's like".
"We do know what it's like" the Doctor replied solemnly. They'd all outlived loved ones, whether before or after the War, and there was always the chance that they'd outlive one another.
"Then, however you fly, whatever ship you sail in, take me with you" she begged them.
"How'd you know we had a ship?"
"Because I'm incredibly clever" she answered, "It doesn't matter. Take me with you".
"Of course you can come with us, Ashildr" Flavia agreed unhesitatingly; anything to make up for, in her mind, ruining the poor girl's life. Not that she wished Ashildr had died that day, she wouldn't wish that on anyone, but it was clear that Ashildr had lost her way.
"We need to talk about this, Flavia" the Doctor insisted stubbornly, "We're co-pilots, we need to be democratic".
"Well, as a co-pilot, perhaps I want to take Ashildr…err, Me, that is, as a companion. You can't tell me who I can't have as a companion, Doctor".
"I never said I could".
The Corsair cleared his throat. "No offence, Flavia, but maybe you should drop it for now" he suggested. Flavia glared at him slightly, as if to say 'Whose side are you on?', but nevertheless she dropped the subject.
There was an awkward silence, which Ashildr soon broke by saying "This thing you're looking for, I'll help you find it. It'll be quicker".
The Doctor wasn't convinced. "We won't need your help" he insisted, but Ashildr was having none of it.
"Yes, you do. I know where Lucie Fanshawe lives, and I'm an excellent house-breaker. We'll leave in an hour" she declared.
Flavia cleared her throat and inquired, "Uh, could I use your restroom?"
"Sure, Flavia, I'll show you where it is". Ashildr led the Time Lady from the library, leaving the two Time Lords alone. Normally they were pretty talkative together, but right now, neither of them quite knew what to say. The Corsair stared into the fire as if the dancing flames held the answer to their troubles, whilst the Doctor wandered around the library. He selected a journal from near the beginning of the collection, if the dates were anything to go by, and started reading.
'Today is the day I should have died. Instead, I was re-born, by my hero, a man called The Doctor. My love is dying. It broke my heart when the questions started and I knew I had to leave him. I returned to find an old man who smiles and thinks I am a dream. I am flesh and blood, my love, but all you see is a ghost'.
In another book, this one written in Latin, the Doctor found that some of the pages were torn out, others stained with tears. 'The Plague. Mass graves. Sightless children… "Clutching toys as they sleep, never to wake up. My children. My screams. I could not save you, little ones. Such pain. And yet, still, still I am not brave enough to die, to let go of this wretched life. I will endure, but no more babies. I cannot, will not, suffer such heartbreak again. From now on, it's me against the world".
A cleared throat made him jump and look up at the Corsair, who gave a sad smile. "You were reading out loud again" he said, before dragging a hand over his face. "We really messed up this time, didn't we?"
The Doctor didn't answer.
A little while later, they went to the dining room, and found Flavia with a near untouched cup of tea. "Where's Ashildr?" the Corsair asked, pouring himself and the Doctor a glass of wine. Both of them needed something a little stronger than tea.
"I don't know, she said she had business to attend to" Flavia explained, before sighing and asking, "Doctor, why are you so against her coming with us?"
"Who said I was?"
"Oh, don't deny it" she huffed, "You're rather obvious, sometimes, you know".
"So I've been told. Why do you want her to come?"
"Well, it's the least we could do! She might act like she doesn't care anymore, but deep down I think she does. You got her into this mess, Doctor, so we ought to get her out".
"Are you saying I shouldn't have saved her?"
"Of course not…or perhaps…it would have been hard, but perhaps it would've been for the best…"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa – that's not like you, Flavia" the Corsair shook his head, "You don't mean that".
Flavia sighed and admitted, "You're right, I don't…but it doesn't change the fact that Ashildr is hurting. She was such a sweet girl…I hate to think that she's become so jaded".
"Coming with us wouldn't solve that" the Doctor reasoned, "She'd just become jaded to what's out there, eventually".
"Not at first; and with us around, she'd have people with a similar lifespan to her".
"She could just outlive us too".
"Those are all problems in the future; what I want to know is, what's your problem with her now?"
"I don't have a problem with Ashildr, Flavia".
"Oh, no, I see what the problem is. You don't want her around to remind you of what you did to her. I can't believe you, Doctor; I knew you could be selfish, but"-
"I am not being selfish!" the Doctor snapped angrily, "And I don't need the people I've hurt to be around to be reminded of them".
Feeling awkward, the Corsair cleared his throat. "Look, I feel bad about Ashildr as well, but Flavia has a point. Why not let her come with us? I doubt Romana and Emily would mind, and it's not like we don't have the room" he pointed out.
"Look, I just don't think she's TARDIS material" the Doctor replied vaguely, not looking at either of them. Flavia's brow furrowed; to her, it still sounded like he simply wanted to avoid Ashildr. Before she could say anything, Ashildr herself entered the room. "How are you all?" she asked politely.
"We're fine" Flavia answered on behalf of all of them.
Of course, the Doctor couldn't leave well enough alone… "I read some of your journals. Why are there pages missing?" he asked her.
"When things get really bad, I tear the memories out".
"You lost your kids" the Corsair frowned, "What's worse than that?"
"I keep that entry to remind me not to have any more" Ashildr told him, as she half-heartedly stoked the fire, which was turning into little more than embers.
Flavia bit her lip, and then murmured, "I'm sorry. We're sorry. We left you alone to suffer for too long…but the offer to be my companion is still there, if you want to. See, I still remember who you used to be. I think deep down, you still are that person".
"Thanks for the offer, Flavia, but please spare me your pity" Ashildr insisted, "I'm fine".
"People always say they're fine when they're not" the Corsair pointed out, "The Doctor's made a profession out of it".
"Perhaps you just can't accept that this is who I've become. The thought must frighten you".
"It doesn't frighten us, it's just depressing" the Doctor retorted lightly, "And familiar. This is no way to live your life, desensitised to the world".
"Oh, and what do you intend to do about it?" Ashildr challenged, folding her arms and staring the Doctor down, "Fix me? Make me feel again, and then run away? I don't need your help, Doctor, you need mine. Just this once, you lot can't run off like you usually do".
"How do you know? How do you know what we usually do? We've met once in a Viking village. We didn't give you our life story".
"It's true though, isn't it? You're the man who runs away, and your friends follow".
"That's just convenience, it's not like he's the leader" the Corsair shrugged, "We've all taken turns to take the lead".
"Well, this time, I'm taking the lead" Ashildr announced, putting a couple of pistols into the holsters on her belt, "The fewer the better, so you can come, Doctor, but I want you both to stay here" she told Flavia and the Corsair.
The two time travellers looked at one another, and then nodded in agreement. The Doctor followed Ashildr out of the house…he paused in the garden outside. He thought he could hear something growling, close but very quiet…before he could investigate, Ashildr called for him to hurry up, so he went to catch up. A pair of reflective yellow eyes watched the pair go, peering between twigs and leaves.
/
Back inside the house, Flavia took a sip of her tea. She pulled a face in disgust when she realised it was stone cold, and went to throw it out. Much to the Corsair's surprise, she then proceeded to pour herself a glass of wine. "Whoa, you really are stressed" he commented as she drank nearly half of it in one gulp. Then it occurred to him to ask, "Is there anything I can do?"
"No…but thank you for the offer" she smiled, taking a seat beside him and adding, "Thank you in general".
"You're welcome". He took a sip of his own wine and inquired, "What for, exactly?"
"Well…I haven't really had a chance to say it, but I appreciate how you're trying to, well…"
"Be more of a gentleman?" he guessed, and she nodded. The Corsair smirked slyly and inquired, "How mad would you be if I said it was all an attempt to win you over with my incredible charm?"
"I wouldn't be mad at all" she replied primly, "For one thing, I already know you're trying to win me over, and for another, if it took you this long to start wooing me seriously, then perhaps your charm isn't as incredible as you think it is".
The Corsair gaped at her, and then laughed. "Ha! I knew there was a reason I liked you!"
"Mm…speaking of which, what do you think about Ashildr coming with us?"
"What, as your companion? Well, like you said, it's your decision in the end" he shrugged, "But if you really wanna know…well, I don't really do companions, but from what the Doctor's told me, it helped that he's had loads of different companions. Why do we call them that?" he wondered, "It sounds so…sixties".
Flavia shrugged, and remarked, "I think it would be nice to have another person around. We could teach her to help fly the TARDIS, and have six pilots like the ship is supposed to. There'd be another person to go with Emily or Clara when we have to split up on adventures, and obviously Ashildr can take care of herself. Besides, if she ever got tired of travelling, we could find her somewhere to live".
"I guess. Hey, I've got an idea. Why don't we see what Romana thinks?" he suggested, pulling out a smartphone from his pocket. Rather than call them, he decided to FaceTime Emily, figuring that her mother wouldn't be far away. Emily quickly picked up, and grinned at her godfather. "Hi Corsair! Hi Flavia!"
"Hey, Emz. Is your mum there?"
"Yes, I'm here. Is everything alright?" asked Romana, looking over Emily's shoulder, "Where's the Doctor?"
"He's out searching for an alien artefact" answered Flavia, before adding, "You two will never guess who we ran into here".
Emily asked, "Who?"
"Ashildr; the Viking girl we err, made immortal; but she's calling herself 'Me' now" the Corsair replied.
Emily looked puzzled. "She named herself after you?"
"Ha, I wish. No, she literally calls herself 'Me'. Just that one word…I can't figure out if it's grammatically correct or not".
"She's not in a good place" Flavia sighed, "She's lost a lot of who she was, but I think we can help her. I offered to let her be my companion".
"Oh, that's so thoughtful. Did she say yes?" Romana inquired with a smile.
"Not yet…besides, the Doctor doesn't seem too keen on the idea. He says he thinks that she isn't TARDIS material, but I don't see how".
"I'll talk to him" Romana promised, "Just ask him to call me when he gets back, will you?"
"We will. How are you two, then? Enjoying yourselves?" Flavia inquired. Emily grinned and launched into describing everything they'd done and planned to do on their mother-daughter outing.