"No," the Doctor said flatly as soon as they reached the TARDIS. The men, whose names were Ciro, Corlen, Merdo, Lisren, and Biuten, were looking at it with dumbstruck disbelief.

"What?" asked Merdo.

"No, I'm not explaining how I got her here or what she is, and I'm definitely not taking you inside with me and Donna and Witha'an," the Doctor clarified.

"It hardly seems large enough for even one of you," Lisren observed.

Donna smiled. "Well, I wonder how exactly we're going to fit, then."

The Doctor shot Donna a not-right-now-shush-I'm-handling-it look and she responded with an I'll-do-what-I-like-spaceman-you-shut-up glance. He rolled his eyes. "Right. Stay out, you five. Expect us to be gone for at least half an hour."

"How do we know you won't just…leave?" That was Biuten. He looked to be the youngest of the group.

The Doctor gave him a knowing smile. "It's just a box, you know. How could we go anywhere?" He winked at Donna. She sighed. He pouted for a second that she hadn't appreciated his joke, and then got over it. "Right, okay then. See you in a bit."

Being very, very careful not to let any of the Dreans see into the TARDIS, the Doctor and Donna carrying Witha'an carefully slipped inside. The Doctor winced as Witha'an's shock at the bigger on the inside-ness of the TARDIS caught him by surprise.

Yeah, sorry, should have warned you.

But…Doctor, this is impossible! It's bigger…It's…

Yeah, bigger on the inside. Get that a lot, actually. It's the technology of my people. I'm sure you've heard of it if you know much of the Time Lords.

Some, but mostly legends. I had never heard of this.

Pretty amazing, yes?

Absolutely breathtaking. Your ship, she is beautiful.

And she can hear you. She's alive, Witha'an. The TARDIS is a conscious being, though she doesn't quite communicate like we can. No words, just sometimes vague impressions. I doubt she'll sing to you, because she doesn't know your species either. That's odd. She knows just about everything. "Donna, you could put him just there. Oh, fetch some bandages and such from the infirmary? Shouldn't be too far, the TARDIS sees the urgency." Donna did as he asked.

"Be right back," she said and headed off in a vague direction, trusting the TARDIS to show her the way.

Why doesn't the TARDIS know your species? The Doctor was very curious. What, is there something really special about you?

I do not know. Doctor, how are you suggesting we proceed with restoring the people I harmed?

Not until you're treated for those injuries, the Doctor replied firmly.

I was a warrior once. I have received worse and continued fighting. Why should today be any different?

Because today we have a choice, and I'm choosing to help you first.

But there are two of the people I harmed right here. How can you make them wait any longer in this state? I am not important here.

Of course you are! Everyone is important. Always.

Doctor, please.

…All right. The Time Lord gave in. He sat down on the TARDIS floor, right next to Witha'an. Then he changed his mind and lay down completely. He focused his consciousness once again totally on the link between Witha'an and himself. Once he had established it totally, he expanded his range to include Yenna and Reytu's minds. His hands nearly crushing into his temples, he struggled to keep the concentration he needed. He tried helping the child first, and as he found the connection between the Hynnae and the Drean, he cut it clean in two. He felt rather than heard or saw the life rushing back into Reytu's body. The Doctor's presence in the child's mind was so intense that he did not need to make physical contact to make the child sleep, like he normally would. He couldn't handle any distractions right now, so that was useful.

Using the same process, he freed Yenna's mind of Witha'an's touch. Let's play 'how far can the Doctor reach his mind without going mad', he thought grimly. How many others were there? Three more, right? Just three? Alright, Doctor, you can manage. Just three more times. Don't pass out. Stretching his consciousness out over what seemed like an impossibly long distance, even though it must have been less than two miles, the Doctor brushed against someone else, someone who wasn't one of the five men standing outside of the TARDIS, or Donna. He could feel Witha'an's presence here, too, and cut it off immediately, putting the person unconscious. He didn't stop his search. Just two more. There was one…and the other…Don't you dare pass out just yet, wait. And the link was severed. The Doctor's mind snapped back into just his own head, and as his gasp for breath brought much-needed air back into his, albeit superior to humans, lungs, he blacked out from exhaustion.

Well, that was exhausting. So I don't know when the next chapter will be up. Probably not too long, but I don't know because it's not finished yet and I'm working on other things. If you're interested and while you're waiting, I have written a lot of other Doctor Who fanfictions as well as some Torchwood ones... Also I'm working on my first Supernatural one, so that's happening. As always, thanks for reading and DFTBA!