**This scene happens right after the episode "Earthshock", which is a rather heart-wrenching episode, as some of you may recall, and contains mentions of the fourth Doctor's episode, "Genesis of the Daleks".**

In the grand passage of Time, for an instant (or perhaps years, one is never able to tell for certain in such a dimension) there existed three entities all in the same "time-place": the TARDIS's of both the fifth and twelfth Doctor, and Theta himself. The griffin, for a fleeting instant, consciously perceived the brief telepathic and temporal exchange between the two ships before he was suddenly hurled into full consciousness on the floor of a TARDIS, though it was impossible to tell which one.

Theta was immediately aware of a change in the very air he breathed. It wasn't just the lights or the different textured walls, but something else, something in the room…

He turned himself over as softly as he could, and froze. He was still in a TARDIS…but with a very different man.

And this man wasn't happy to see him.


"That, that…space cowboy!" The Doctor shouted in frustration. He thumped the side of the monitor and was rewarded with a small shock to his hand. "Blast it all, Clara. Believe me I'm as ready as you are to be rid of this mess of timelines."

How could anyone understand this man? "But you just had him," she said. "You showed me, on that dial, thingy, we were following him."

"It's not just that." He reached his hand under the counsel and grunted in pain as he was shocked once again for his efforts. "We had him alright but the TARDIS…" He glared at the council like he was seriously considering kicking it. "Refused to land. More than that, she refused to even enter the time stream properly."

Clara raised her eyebrow in disbelief. "So, Theta's in another universe now?"

"Don't be silly, time streams and universes aren't even in the same level of study. It's like comparing the wind to a river. And besides, the TARDIS would never try punching a hole in the universe without telling me it was possible first."

"Why?"

Clara's question was innocent enough, but the reaction on the Doctor was immediate – if you had been traveling long enough to notice it, at any rate. "Not important!" The Doctor shouted, schooling his shocked features and turning back to the monitor as fast as he could. "The point is, that griffin is in my fifth form's ship, so we can't land or risk creating a hole in space and time the size of Belgium. And I don't think he'll want to go through that again."

"You're not making sense," Clara muttered, but he went on as if he hadn't heard her, as usual.

"–And that means that we have to wait, again. Normally I'd suggest throwing you into the mix—what's one more altered timeline at this point—" Excuse me?! Don't I get any say in this? Clara thought, glaring daggers at his back. "But I'm apparently forbidden to do even that."

He looked up suddenly, a stunned expression on his face. "Ah," he whispered. Clara guessed he and the ship were telepathically communicating, something that rarely happened when she was present. It was eerie to watch someone have a conversation with someone who wasn't there, even if that someone was a machine.

A haunted look crossed the Doctor's face, and just as fast he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "Adric," he whispered.


Theta the griffin had only a few moments to examine his surroundings (a bedroom, it seemed) and the man sitting on a large velvet chair in front of him before the human's face changed from surprised to livid in a matter of heartbeats.

"YOU!" He screamed. The man launched himself out of his chair and charged forward, hands outstretched like claws. Theta screeched in alarm and scampered away, narrowly avoiding a kick from the man's pointy shoe.

Stop! He screeched, but the man emitted a loud, almost-animalistic roar and came at the griffin again. Theta took to the air this time, squawking as he perched in the safety of the chandelier attached to the ceiling of the room. The man was below him, circling around the base of the safe haven with the air of a natural-born predator. He was tall, perhaps tall enough to reach with the help of a chair, but the human never took his eyes off of Theta.

No, the griffin realized, this wasn't a human. The body might be different, but the eyes…they were always the same, whether in surprise, sadness, happiness, or, in this case, anger.

Doctor—

"No!" The Doctor shouted before Theta could even begin his sentence. "You are not allowed to speak! You are not welcome here, not in this room or this ship or anywhere near me!"

Theta flexed his claws on the metal. Clearly, he snarled.

If it was possible, the Doctor echoed his animalistic growl. "You—you get back into your proper time line this instant. Out! Go! Leave me alone!" At the final line the Time Lord spun on his heel and stalked back to his armchair. He collapsed into the cushion and put his head in his hands, the tension still lining every muscle along his back.

The griffin was so annoyed at this regeneration's rage that he very nearly did just that. But…no, the Doctor would never get this angry over space dust. Something had happened.

After all, the TARDIS of this time period must have let him on board for a reason, right?

Ever cautious, and in no way ready to escape from the safety of his perch, Theta crooned as softly as he could. Doctor…what's happened?

The Doctor's head swung up and he glared with the purest, utmost hatred Theta had ever seen in all his life, even when among the wild gryphes. "You dare to ask me that? After everything that's happened? You're a time traveler, you've seen it! You've seen everything! And even after watching all that, you…" His breath hitched, and in the dark light of the room the griffin wondered if those were tears pooling in the Time Lord's eyes. "You never came back. Never. Left me alone to suffer in silence when you could have been there to help, or even warn me."

It took a moment for Theta's mouth to work again. Not moments ago he had met the most friendly incarnation yet, and now this version was looking and sounding like Theta's original Doctor every second. I…I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about.

At the sincerity in his voice, the Doctor showed the first signs of doubt. "How do you mean? You travel in time, like me, always blinking in and out of my time line whenever you damn well please."

I'm sorry, Theta admitted, but I don't know any other moments of history outside of where I've been. And you know which moments those are. I don't have much power over where I go. His whole tiny body drooped in sorrow – he really wished he could be of better help this time around. I think the TARDIS has something to do with it but I don't know…

"The TARDIS…" The Time Lord considered the thought for a moment, before nodding his head in acceptance. "Isn't it always the way of things."

What do you mean?

"Never you mind, little gryphes," the Doctor replied. He waved his hand at the griffin absently and lowered his head once more. "You better get going. I bet She has lots more moments to show you." A pause, and then, "They'll surely be better than this one."

It was a tempting offer…but a none-too-subtle nudge from the TARDIS (was it from the ship belonging to his Doctor or this one? Did it matter to a being that existed outside of the normal flow of time?) convinced him otherwise. Like it or not the ship had chosen to bring Theta to this moment in time. But this "tragedy", whatever it was, had already passed. What could he do?

The solution dawned on him before he even finished the thought. It wouldn't do wonders for his dignity, but who was around to see anyway?

Theta carefully extracted himself from the chandelier and glided to the Doctor's feet. The alien gave him an odd look, but before he could ask questions, the griffin jumped into his lap and curled around himself like a common house cat.

A few moments of stillness passed. Then the Doctor laid his hands on the griffin's feathers, as gently as if he were caressing a half-shattered sculpture. Theta's chest rumbled, and they were both equally surprised to find that he was purring.

You're colder than I expected, Theta mused out loud.

A short huff of laughter. "And you're softer."

Was that a smile?

"No," came his gruff reply. So much for that.

The Doctor continued his light stroking in the silence that followed, and despite his best efforts, Theta couldn't help nodding off. After the third time he nearly fell off of his perch, the Doctor murmured, "Jumping through time lines sure takes the wind out of you. It's a wonder you didn't sleep before this, you being as small as you are."

Guess I'm just full of surprises, then, Theta mumbled back. He stood up and stretched out his cramped muscles before turning around and sitting in a new position, his claws tucked under him. It only took a glance before his lighthearted tone was back. Celery, huh?

The Doctor started at the remark, but to his credit, held his head high. "It's for safety," he replied without flinching.

Theta gave the vegetable a last confused look, before shrugging and focusing back on the alien he was sitting on. So, if it's alright for me to ask, what happened? Before I dropped in?

Silence. And then, "Adric." The very name made his breath hitch.

The griffin began purring again, a subtle sign of support as the Doctor began to explain further. "We were on Earth during its very, very early history. Just wandering, nothing specific, but then we got caught up in the trouble going on there. There was a signal, androids, horrible hospitality, Cybermen…and even before this Adric—one of my companions, you see—we were in some silly argument." A huff of disbelieving laughter. "I can't even remember what it was about."

He stopped, and Theta wondered if he should say something considerate or supportive. He had no experience with such matters. Fortunately, after a few deep breaths, the Doctor continued without being prompted. "Then those damn Cybermen had a device that locked the ship on a collision course with Earth. We had nearly gotten away, too. The ship could have been left to cause the explosion that killed the dinosaurs and no one would have been the wiser.

"But Adric, oh, I taught him too well. He was a hero through and through, and proud, and much braver than I could ever be. He was sure he could override the device." A beat, and then, "Now I'll never know if he was right."

Theta didn't know what to say. He felt useless. But for some reason his purring and mere presence was enough to ground the Doctor. The alien began stroking the griffin's feathers and fur with both hands, and they stayed in that position until the Doctor's breathing returned to normal.

"I needed you, Theta," the Doctor suddenly admitted. "You had been a constant in every regeneration so far, I was sure you'd appear. Someday. But after Davros and the Daleks, and you didn't answer when I called for you, I lost hope."

Who's Davros?

"The creator of the Daleks. I met him in my last body, and I'd had to make a terrible choice. I see now that you're only allowed to visit each regeneration once, for some reason I can't figure out in the slightest, but on that day I could only think of how treacherous you had been to not appear to me at my hour of need."

I would have come if I had been able to, Theta said, though he knew his words offered little comfort. I'm sorry, Doctor. You above all deserve happiness.

"And why do you say that? I nearly tore you to pieces earlier. How could you possibly feel sorry for me?"

Theta thought for a moment. He imagined his own Doctor, and the times he would fly in to the counsel room and catch the Time Lord looking at his monitor with a sadness that could bring worlds to its knees. It was an ancient sorrow, any creature with an ounce of telepathic or temporal skill could sense that. But as usual, before Theta could ask about it, the old alien had covered it up, Clara had walked in, and it was business as usual.

Despite this sadness, that had been the day the Doctor showed Clara and Theta a golden planet with rings so stable you could jump from asteroid to asteroid. It remained one of Theta's favorite memories.

I suppose, the griffin began, that it's because I've seen you in many difficult situations, and yet you can still find it in your heart to be kind.

This version of the Doctor considered the creature in his lap, and then, from somewhere deep inside him, he found the energy to smile. "You'd put therapists out of business."

Theta chuckled. I'm sure you've been told that before.

"Not like that," he replied. Then, he chuckled. "You know, I still don't know your name, little gryphes."

The griffin chortled and jumped off the Doctor's lap. He shook his joints and wings, then turned to the alien and bowed his head. Theta, at your service.

A pause, and then, without warning, the Doctor burst into hysterical laughter. After the initial shock, Theta couldn't help joining in. What's so funny about that? He asked between gasps.

The Doctor shook his head and wiped tears from his eyes. "Nothing, dear friend. May I ask who chose that name?"

Not you.

"Clearly," the alien mumbled under his breath.

They both breathed out heavy sighs and stared at one another, closer than they were before despite the temporal distance. But the TARDIS was right there in the back of the griffin's mind, pushing him to leave. Good-bye, Doctor, Theta crowed. See you in the next regeneration!

"If there is one," the Time Lord joked. "Thank you…Theta." And the griffin disappeared with a soft pop.

But despite his words, the fifth incarnation of the Doctor knew for certain that there would be.