A/N: Sorry I hadn't uploaded in a while... real life had been giving me hell lately, and things are still not completely sort out but I promised my friend I'd get a chapter up before my birthday and seeing as there's still thirty minutes until it arrives, I think this qualifies.

(Also, it's my birthday! Managed to keep fighting for yet another year!)

"Are you okay?" Vena asked when she saw Eva walking out of the TARDIS.

"Not in the slightest," Eva replied. "But it will have to do."

"Do you need anything?" Mykros asked, worried.

"Just... is there a smoking area anywhere here?" she asked.

"You –"

"Yes, I smoke," Eva bit out, cutting Peri off. "Deal with it."

"There should be a balcony out there door and immediately to the right," Mykros said. "Do you need help...?"

"I'll handle it," Eva said, going where he said and lighting up a cigarette as she looked at the city.

The calls of fighting could be heard quite clearly, and Eva couldn't help but think of all of the innocent people who had nothing to do with this fight, and whose life were now in danger – all because of the Borad.

It angered her sometimes, how the simple actions of just one or two people could cause hurt to so many...

She shouldn't mind that now.

They were going to win the battle, the missile would explode and the Doctor would be back, unharmed. And then, she was going to take a long shower, go to sleep and hopefully wake up soon enough to have a nice, not life threatening trip with this Doctor and Peri.

Just maybe.

As she finished the cigarette, she walked back into the room just in time to hear Katz informing the rest that the battle was won. On the screen, the Bandril ambassador showed up, demanding to speak with the Maylin.

"You are speaking to the new Maylin, Ambassador," Mykros said, moving to stand before the screen. "Please go ahead."

"The Doctor has done a brave but foolish thing," the ambassador said. "The missile has been destroyed, but so has his Tardis."

"Doctor," Peri whispered, turning to look at Eva, who was barely holding herself together.

"We shall make our apologies to the High Council on Gallifrey," the ambassador said. "Furthermore, in honour of the Doctor's unselfish act, and as a token of our goodwill, may I suggest we send down a diplomatic party?"

"Yes, of course, Ambassador," Mykros said, his voice shaking. "I look forward to receiving you."

The screen turned black once more and Peri leaned on a wall for support.

"Oh, Doctor," she whispered.

"I'm very sorry, Peri," Mykros said, before turning to Eva. "Eva, please accept my condolences."

"I-I think we just need to be alone right now," Eva muttered, passing him and going to Peri, who separated herself from the group. "Everything will be okay," she told her. "You know the Doctor. Do you really think he'll let something as simple as a missile –"

She let out a scream as something resembling a hand grabbed her by the throat and held her close.

"Oh, Mykros!" Vena called out. "What is it?"

"Dear god!" Peri yelled, backing away from the creature.

"Give me your weapon," Mykros said, all but tearing a gun out of Katz's hands. "Give me your weapon!"

"That will be of little use, Mykros," the Borad said.

"Who are you?" Mykros asked. "What are you?"

"I am the Borad," the creature declared.

"Never!"

"I am the Borad," he repeated. "And you will do as I command if you value your friend's life."

"What do you want?" Mykros questioned.

"Capture the Bandril ship," the Borad ordered.

"Don't you dare –" Eva started, only for the hand to clasp tighter around her throat.

"If you refuse, she dies," the Borad warned.

"One life cannot be bought at the cost of a whole planet," Mykros said, sending a sorrowful look at Eva's direction.

She sent him a rather distorted smile in return, letting him know she understood.

"Then I shall kill her."

"That's not a very good idea," the Doctor said, walking through the doors with Herbert hot on his heel.

"Doctor!" Mykros called out, surprised.

"Besides, it's not a very nice way to treat a lady," the Doctor went on. "Especially one as beautiful as this one. You okay?" he asked Eva.

"Could've been better," she replied hoarsely.

"Doctor, we all thought you were dead," Vena said.

"As I thought the Borad was," the Doctor replied. "So why aren't you?"

"I must have forgotten to mention the other experiment I have been engaged in," the Borad said.

"Ah?" the Doctor hummed in surprise. "Not like you to pass up the opportunity to boast. What is it?"

"The reproduction of living matter, cell by cell."

"Oh, cloning," the Doctor nodded. "Oh, you are a clever clogs. And how very astute of you not to risk your own rotten neck. Speaking of which, shouldn't you release your grip on Eva's? By the way, dear, did you know he wants you for his bride?"

"Sorry, but I'm quite taken at the moment," Eva croaked out.

"That you are," the Doctor agreed with a smile. "I'll make a deal with you, Borad. Show yourself to Eva. If she doesn't scream, the wedding can take place."

"Doctor," Mykros said warningly.

"What is this foolishness?" the Borad questioned.

"I don't think you've got the nerve," the Doctor stated.

"I know he doesn't," Eva said.

"The woman will accept me once she is as I am," the Borad declared.

"Make up your mind," the Doctor said, rolling his eyes and sending a wink at Eva. "Do you want her dead or as your bride? If the latter, then show yourself to her."

"No."

"Doesn't she have a say in all this?" Peri asked.

"Of course not, be quiet," the Doctor replied, before realizing what he just said, "I'm going to get in trouble for this, aren't I? Oh, well," he shrugged. "Why won't you?" he asked, turning to the Borad once more.

"I shall when I am ready," the Borad declared.

"As I thought," the Doctor nodded. "You're afraid."

"Of what?"

"Rejection," the Doctor said simply. "You can alter Evie's outward appearance, but you can't change the brain in her head." A dark look crossed his face. "Whatever you do, she will always find you repulsive."

"Then I shall put out both her eyes," the Borad declared, tightening his grip on Eva.

"Are you bloody kidding me?" Eva questioned.

"That's hardly an elegant solution," the Doctor tutted, nearing them. "And the way you've been carrying on, you're not going to win her over with your charm."

"Stay back," the Borad warned.

"You really are afraid," the Doctor said, sounding almost amused.

"My last warning, Doctor."

"The possibility of perfect companionship," the Doctor went on, "Shattered because of your grotesque, ugly, excuse for a body."

"Yet I have the power to kill you both," the Board said.

"I don't think so," the Doctor said, walking around the duo until he reached what seemed to be an old drawing of himself in his third body, with Eva by his side. "You obviously haven't read the writing on the wall," he said, taking a chair and using it to smash through the drawing and reveal a mirror."Now, this'll be an improvement."

Eva couldn't help but scream. Even though she already knew how the Borad looked like, seeing him on the telly wasn't even close to what he was like in real life. Half of his face swollen and looking like a Morlox, while the other didn't quite seem to catch up to the change.

At the sound of the scream, the Borad let her go and she all but fell into the Doctor's arms.

"I told you she'd scream," he told the Borad, almost mockingly.

"Destroy it!" the Borad called out, trying to get away from the mirror and nearing the Timelash. "Smash the mirror!"

"What," the Doctor asked, "No power to do it yourself?" He neared the Timelash control box and pressed a couple of buttons. "You're nothing, Borad," he told him, walking away from the control box and nearing the Borad. "Just a self-degenerating mutation. You're finished, Borad. Your reign of terror's over. Nobody wants you. Nobody needs you. Nobody cares! "

And with that, he elbowed the Borad, making him fall into the Timelash with a scream.

"But haven't you sent him back to Earth?" Peri asked, nearing the Doctor and Eva.

"Yes, to the twelfth century," the Doctor said, before turning to Herbert. "Where exactly did we pick you up?"

"The Highlands of Scotland," Herbert replied. "Not far from Inverness."

"Ah," the Doctor said, tightening his grip on Eva's waist unconsciously. "Thought I recognised the landscape. He'll be harmless enough there. At least he'll have somewhere to swim for the next thousand years."

"But won't he be seen?" Peri asked.

"From time to time," the Doctor shrugged, sending a grin Eva's way. "Right, take cover, everyone."

He threw something into the Timelash before making sure everyone were down behind the Council chairs. As the Timelash exploded, he covered Eva's body with his own, making sure no debris hurt her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking down at her.

"Never better," she said shakily, her hands grasping the soft fabric of his shirt. She rested her head on his chest and sighed. "I just want to get back to the TARDIS and go to sleep."

"That... might have to wait," the Doctor said, a sad look on his face.

"What?" Eva asked, confused, before looking down. "Oh, bugger."

"You'll be with me in no time," the Doctor promised.

"I'm going to hold you to this one," Eva warned, before taking a step back. "See you soon, Fozzie."

"See you soon," the Doctor said, not even blinking as she was engulfed by the light and taken away.

EMH

Eva groaned as she reappeared, wondering briefly if she even got used to it before looking around at her surrounding.

She was in a city – she didn't know which, or what time period she was in, only that it looked human. There was nobody in the street other than her, probably duo to the late hours she more than likely appeared in, if to judge from the dark night sky.

She didn't have long to think about it before the alarm started.

Her legs moved before her brain comprehended what was going on, and she broke into a run. She looked around, trying to find a place to hide when light from the planes up above shone upon the street she just turned into.

Eva stuck her back to the nearest wall, hoping the shadows could hide her enough so that she wouldn't be targeted.

The beam of light moved a little more before coming to a stop, revealing a small boy, no older than ten years old, who was hiding between two dumpsters. If Eva ever wondered what a deer caught in headlights looked like, now she knew.

She hadn't even realized what she was doing until her hand grabbed the young boy's hand and she realized she ran all the way from her side of the block to his.

"Run," she said, not waiting for a response before she all but dragged him along with her. "Do you know a place we could hide around here?"

"I... I don't know," he whispered, his voice shaking. "I... I'm scared."

"I know," Eva whispered back. "But listen to me – we are going to survive this, okay? Repeat after me."

"We are going to survive this," the boy said. "There should be a Cathedral nearby."

"Can you lead me to it?"

"I... I think so," the boy nodded, turning right.

And just like that, their roles switched. Suddenly, the boy was dragging Eva towards the Cathedral, and she looked around in fear, hoping that she'll be able to keep her promise to the boy.

Soon enough, they reached the Cathedral and rushed inside, only to be greeted by a dozen or so bodies. Eva picked the boy up, carrying him around the dead as he buried his face in her shoulder, silent tears dropping on her shirt. She went downstairs, finding her way to the crypt before stopping and putting him down.

"What's your name, honey?" she asked the boy.

"R-Rick," he replied.

"My name is Eva," she told him. "Listen to me, Rick. I know this is going to be hard, but I need you to be brave for me. Can you do that? Can you be brave for me?"

"I t-think so," Rick said.

"I knew you could," Eva smiled, pulling him into a hug.

"E-Eva?" the boy asked worriedly.

"Yes?" Eva asked.

"What do we do now?"

Eva swallowed hard, trying to ignore the sound of bombs dropping on the city above her.

"Now, we wait," she said.

It was the longest night of her life.

EMH

In the morning, Eva raised a sleeping Rick into her arms, carrying him through the dead and out of the Cathedral. He fell asleep about an hour before dawn and as sunlight started leaking into the crypt, she decided it would be best not to force him to go through the dead bodies once more.

She started making her way through the city, stopping at every sound and looking around worriedly, scared to see someone who might wish harm to herself or, worse, to Rick.

A young woman alone, carrying a small child in the middle of London during the Second World War... it was safe to say there were better scenarios she could think of. She sneaked into a ruined house and grabbed a metal rode, weighing it in her hand as Rick slowly woke up.

"Eva?" he asked.

"I'm here," Eva said. "Good morning, honey."

"Good m'rning," Rick muttered. "Where are we?"

"I'm not exactly sure," Eva admitted. "What year is it, exactly?"

"1941," Rick replied.

"Okay..." Eva took a deep breath, trying to think of a safe place for the two of them to stay. "I think I know what to do... we just need to find someone."

"Find who?"

"A young woman leading a group of homeless kids here in London," Eva said. "All I know is that her name is Nancy." She propped Rick back in one of her arms, grasping the rod in the other. "Ready?"

"Not really," Rick admitted.

"Neither am I," Eva sighed, going back to the street.

They wandered around the city all day long in the attempt to find Nancy. They asked every other kid they found in the streets if they knew of her, but it wasn't until the late hours of the afternoon that a young boy said he was just heading towards her.

Rick drifted back to sleep several times during the day, tired of the fear and hunger being awake brought upon him. When they reached the small camp Nancy built up in one of the side alleys of a deserted neighbourhood, he woke up, blinking until the world came back to focus.

Eva stopped, allowing a boy nearby to go to Nancy and tell her strangers had arrived. Because that was what she and Rick were, from the others' point of view – strangers. Nancy slowly approached the two of them, her eyes darting to the rod in Eva's hand before looking at the way her shaky arm held Rick close.

"Brother?" she asked, nodding at the boy. Eva shook her head and Nancy's eyes widened slightly. "Son?"

"We only met last night," Eva told her.

"You're very protective of him for someone you only met last night," Nancy noted.

"Spending a night in a crypt does that to you," Eva retorted.

"Evie saved my life," Rick said. "She's a hero!"

"I'm sure she is," Nancy said, smiling at the child softly. "And who are you?"

"I'm Rick, and I'm 8," Rick said.

"Eva," Eva introduced herself. "19."

"Nancy, 21," Nancy said. "My brother Jamie's over there," she added, nodding at a young boy who slept on another's shoulder. "He's five."

"You have quite the group around here," Eva said, looking between all of the boys. "Need another pair of hands?" Nancy hesitated and Eva sighed. "I'm willing to work for our food. I don't mind helping you if you want. But if you say no, that's okay with me. As long as you take Rick."

Rick's eyes widened in fear at the thought of Eva leaving, and he grasped her shirt tight.

"You can't leave!" he said. "Please don't make her leave, Miss Nancy."

Nancy sighed, her stern expression softening once more as she looked at the young boy before turning back to Eva.

"Another set of hands can always help," she said. "Especially if I'm bringing another boy in."

"Thank you," Eva said, tears starting to form in her eyes. "I promise, you won't regret it."