Fear twisted deep in Katy's chest as she kept her eyes on the two Weeping Angels in front of her. Their hands were covering half of their face, but she could swear she could see the beginning of a smirk on their stone lips. She was a little surprised when the Master pushed himself in front of her, taking a protective stance. She opened her mouth to warn him not to do anything stupid when she felt something running down her lips. Reaching up to touch her face, she found her fingertips stained with red, as her head started to pound. She struggled to keep her eyes open, as the pain in her skull increased, and a groan of pain left her lips.
"Katy?" The Master called out, but gained no reply.
Soon enough the pain was so bad, that Katy couldn't help but double over, clutching at her aching head. It felt like something was clawing at her mind, ripping her insides into ribbons. She let out a cry, as blood started to splatter onto the wooden floorboards from her nose. The Master reached out blindly behind him for her, knowing that he couldn't afford to take his eyes off the Weeping Angels.
"Katy? Katy, what's wrong?" He insisted, as his hand connected with her arm.
"My head...something's wrong," She cried, before a harsh cough left her lips, as a coppery taste grew in her mouth.
The sound of a thud behind him had the Master's eyes widening and instinctively he couldn't help but look behind him for a split second. Katy had collapsed to her knees, hunched over and groaning in pain. He spun back around to find the Angels had advanced, their arms now outstretched, sharp claws far too close for his liking.
"Give me your hand," He exclaimed, reaching behind him again, feeling trembling fingers touch his palm.
Despite his eyes being open, the Master was able to delve into Katy's mind simultaneously, instantly finding the root of her pain. A door. A door covered in Gallifreyan symbols. He flinched when the door started to shake, as something from the other side pounded on the door. With every hit against the door, he could feel Katy's psyche cracking. Something was fighting its way out of her mind.
"Never a dull day with you, is it?" The Master grumbled, holding her hand a little tighter, as he pushed his way out of her mind.
"What did you see? What is it?" Katy frowned, having gained a few moments of relief when they had shared her mind.
"Just a lot of lovey-dovey shit for the Doctor," The Master retorted, as he carefully came to crouch beside her, his eyes still on the Weeping Angels.
"You're not a very good liar," She muttered, as he grabbed her arm and slung it over his shoulders.
"I'm a brilliant liar. Now, come on," The Master huffed, as he hauled her up to her feet and started pushing them forward.
"What...what are you doing?" Katy questioned, realising he was leading them to the Angel's open arms.
"We're gonna' walk past them."
"That's a terrible plan," Katy grimaced, but still allowed him to drag them closer until they were just inches away.
"Yeah, I like it too," The Master mumbled, before setting Katy between the two Weeping Angels. "Don't blink or it's gonna' be a very long time until you see me again."
"Don't give me ideas," She replied, with a hint of a smile.
The Master was then taking a cautious step forward, ducking underneath the creature's arms and rushing past them. He was careful not to touch even one inch of their stone bodies, and peaked out into the dim hallway as soon as he was clear. There was no sign of any other Weeping Angels, but he knew better than to believe they had come alone. Twisting back to face Katy, he could see how she was visibly shaking, squinting as she desperately tried to keep herself from blinking.
"I see them. Come on," The Master advised but she still didn't move.
"No. No, I can't," She said, shaking her head, fear keeping her rooted to the spot.
"Then I'll leave you here, is that what you want to hear?" The Master retorted.
"If they touch me, they could send me anywhere. I'd be alone again, I can't—" Katy began, but the Master cut her off, as she could see him holding out his hand in her peripheral vision.
"Trust me."
Could she really trust someone who was so deceitful? Leave her life in the hands of someone who hated the Doctor that much? She had her answer a moment later, as she ducked down and all but lunged forward, colliding with the Master's chest, who true to his word, never looked away from the Weeping Angels. He did move his arm to wrap around her shoulder, feeling how she was quivering against him. He wasn't sure if it was through fear, or whatever she had caught in her mind.
"Can't believe you're stupid enough to trust me," The Master mumbled, his hand clutching at the back of her shirt, tightly.
"Yeah, yeah. I've always made some very unwise choices," She scoffed, straightening up a little, eyes darting around the landing, which was filled with shadows. "We need to get downstairs. My plan should still work."
"Or you could jump," The Master suggested, as her brow furrowed.
"I can't just...make it happen."
"I could..." He trailed off, pulling out his laser screwdriver from his pocket.
She debated agreeing for just a moment before she realised that she would still leave the Master there. Alone. She glanced down at her vortex manipulator, wondering if that would work but decided against it quickly. It was old, and temperamental, at best it would send the Master to the other side of the world, and at worst it could leave him stranded a thousand miles in the sky.
"I'm not running anymore," She replied, watching as his lips twitched into the ghost of a smile.
The sound of racing footsteps had Katy spinning around to find none other than Sally Sparrow sprinting up the rotten stairs of the home. The blonde's jaw dropped open as she found herself running into her for the third time that day. A taller man was struggling to keep up with Sally, huffing and puffing as they finally made it to the landing.
"Oh, brilliant. Humans. Just what this day needed," The Master muttered, as Katy pulled away from him.
"Who are they?" The man questioned, when he noticed that Sally seemed to recognise them.
"I thought I told you to leave me alone. You are stalking me, aren't you?" Sally accused.
"Well, actually we were here first so if anyone's a stalker..." Katy stated, pointing at Sally.
"Human one, get over here," The Master ordered, clicking his fingers towards Sally's partner.
"Who, me?" He frowned, as the Master's clicking became insistent. "I have a name, you know. It's Larry," He continued, but came to stand by the Master, nonetheless.
"Human one suits you much better. Now, stand right here. Keep looking at the statue," The Master advised, putting Larry in front of him.
"Sally...weren't these the statutes the Doctor was warning us about?" Larry gulped.
"What did you say?" Katy gaped, her eyes blown wide.
"Oh my God, it's you," Sally realised, as Katy shot her a confused look. Her eyes darted between the Angel and Sally, worried about what would happen if Larry blinked. "The Doctor, he said we had to find you. That you would save us."
"Saving people is really more his thing," Katy sighed, as the Master grabbed Sally's arm and positioned her in front of the other Weeping Angel.
"Keep looking at them. Good luck," The Master mumbled, before grabbing Katy's hand and pulling her toward the stairs.
They were halfway down the staircase before Katy realised what the Master was doing. He was going to leave Sally and Larry there and use their lives to allow them to get away. She tugged her hand away from his, before they reached the last step, her lips drawn into a fine line.
"This isn't what I do. I don't sacrifice people for myself," Katy told him.
"That's probably why you're going to die soon," The Master said, harshly.
"Nice. Real nice," Katy scoffed, and was about to march up the stairs when she heard a familiar voice coming from one of the backrooms. She was racing past the Master before he even had a chance to open his mouth. "Doctor?" She called out, shoving the door open where the sound had come from.
The room led outside to a conservatory, full of overgrown shrubbery and cracked glass. The wallpaper had rotted away, as Katy noticed a message on the wall. Signed by the Doctor. He had been there but by the looks of it, a very long time ago.
"The blue box, it's my time machine," The Doctor's voice echoed, as Katy glanced down at a laptop perched up on an armchair. The Doctor's face appeared on screen, the recording old and fuzzy, but it was him. "There is a world of time energy in there they could feast on forever, but the damage they could do could switch off the sun. You have got to send it back to me," The Doctor continued before he paused as if waiting for someone to speak.
"How? How, Doctor?" Katy pushed, crouching down in front of the screen.
"Katy. You need to find her. She saves you...she's good at that," The Doctor stated, with a fond smile.
"But I don't know how! The TARDIS—" Katy began, but the Doctor cut her off, continuing the conversation he had been having with Sally.
"And that's it, I'm afraid. There's no more from you on the transcript, that's the last I've got. I don't know what stopped you talking, but I can guess. They're coming. The angels are coming for you. But listen, your life could depend on this. Don't blink. Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast. Faster than you can believe. Don't turn your back, don't look away, and don't blink. Good luck," The Doctor explained, as Katy hung her head, not sure how she was going to get out of this one.
"Katy?"
Her head snapped back up, eyes connecting with the Doctor's through the screen. For a moment, she wondered if she had simply hallucinated him calling out her name. He didn't know she was there yet, did he?
"You can do this. You don't need me there. You never did. You can save them yourself," The Doctor explained, before the screen froze, and the recording stopped.
She knew he was right. Because after all, if she didn't save them, who would? There was no one else left to be a hero, so that left her alone to save the day.
"We should go. Now," The Master's voice broke through her thoughts, as she turned to face him.
"No. The Weeping Angels must have come back here for a reason. There's something here they want," Katy told him.
"They want to kill us! That's a good enough reason to get the hell out of here. Come on!" The Master insisted, grabbing her arm and dragging her to her feet.
A second later, Sally and Larry were running into the room, shoving the wooden door closed behind them, all but hyperventilating with fear. The Master threw his arms up in the air in exasperation, knowing they had just lost their one chance of escape.
"Will...will that stop them?" Larry asked, gesturing to the wooden door.
"It's a wooden door, Larry. They're not exactly gonna' be worried about getting a splinter," Katy retorted.
"It's only the Doctor that can't do wood," The Master huffed, as Katy rolled her eyes.
"Is now seriously the time to be shitting on the Doctor?" Katy complained.
"Yes, actually. My last words better be judging the Doctor," The Master retorted, as Sally turned to give them both an irritated look.
The group almost jumped out of their skin as they heard a loud scrapping sound and by the time Sally had twisted back around, the wooden door was off its hinges, half of it having been torn out. The same two Weeping Angels stood in the doorway; mouths wide in a screeching gesture.
"Oh, fuck," Sally gasped, as she and Larry backed up until they were standing by Katy and the Master.
As Katy looked into the eyes of the Angel's, she felt her head beginning to ache again. She tried to concentrate on keeping her gaze on the creatures, but it felt as if her skull was being cracked in two. She reached up to clutch at her forehead, face contorted in a wince, as the Master moved his hand to the small of her back.
"Human one and two, keep looking at them," The Master advised, before helping Katy to lower herself to the ground by the armchair.
"I have a name too," Sally muttered, but she was too scared to argue further.
"What's happening to me? This keeps happening when I look at—" Katy began, but the Master cut her off.
"You need to stop thinking about it. There's a reason you can't remember."
"Why? The last time I met a Weeping Angel...God, my memory's all jumbled. The Doctor, he did something..." She trailed off, as the Master reached out to cup her cheek.
He was quick to delve back into her mind, walking through door after door until he found the one he was looking for. It had splintered now, as the Master could see a stone hand peeking out from underneath the door, frozen to the spot.
There was a Weeping Angel in her head.
"What? Is it bad? It's bad, isn't it?" Katy panicked, having noticed the look of shock on the Master's face.
"I need to repair the door. You have to think of something else. Anything," He told her, as her eyes darted behind him toward the Weeping Angel's.
"Easier said than done," She sighed, grimacing as she felt a pressure building in her mind like something was about to burst out. "Something's got into my head, hasn't it?" She realised, as the Master moved his other hand up to touch her face.
"Sh. I need to concentrate," He mumbled, trying to mend the broken door in her mind, but he kept getting dragged away.
He pushed his way back further into her mind, memories of her last meeting with the Angels flashing in front of him. Images of the Doctor's future regeneration whizzed past him, and the kiss the pair had shared inside the Byzantium. A smirk grew on the Master's face, as an idea came to mind.
"I think I know a way to distract you," He grinned, before leaning forward, his eyes dropping to her lips.
He gave her ample to pull away, his lips hovering just an inch away from her own, before glancing up into her blue eyes for just a moment. She certainly wasn't thinking about the Weeping Angels anymore. She wasn't sure who moved first, but suddenly their lips were crashing together, and Katy's mind went silent. The Master had fixed the door holding the Weeping Angel back in a matter of seconds, creating every lock he could imagine on the door, before sending it deeper into the recess of her mind. He could have very easily pulled away from the kiss then, but he was enjoying the embrace far too much to even consider it. Katy's head tilted to the side, allowing her to deepen the kiss, her hands reaching up to slide against the nape of his neck, bringing him closer.
"Are you two finished yet?" They heard Sally grumble from the other side of the room.
Reluctantly, the Master pulled away from the embrace, breaking the psychic connection at the same time. A shy smile spread over Katy's lips, as he pulled himself to his feet, holding a hand out to her, which she was quick to take.
"No mind games this time?" Katy asked, with a fond look in her eyes.
"Maybe later," He smirked.
"We're all about to die and you two decide now's the time to...to bloody kiss?!" Larry scolded, as Katy walked over to him, placing her hands on the back of his shoulders.
"You boys stay here, me and Sally are gonna' go save the day," Katy announced, before crouching down and pushing her way through the two Weeping Angels, who had barely left a gap between themselves this time.
Her fear had seeped away, feeling more confident than she had in a long time. She could do this. She just needed the others to play their parts.
"Oi, where are you going?" The Master complained, as Katy reached through the gap to grab Sally's shirt and dragged her past the creatures.
"Trust me," Katy called back, as the Master rolled his eyes, realising she was using his earlier words against him.
He watched as the two women disappeared from view, leaving the Master and Larry to continue staring at the Angels, keeping them in place. The Master crossed his arms over his chest, not amused at being left alone with a lesser lifeform. He noticed Larry beginning to fidget, awkward tension growing in the air.
"Your fiancéseems nice," Larry offered, as the Master snorted.
"She's my ex's girlfriend."
"...Oh. Right. So, she's not single?" Larry inquired, as the Master slowly turned to give him a death glare.
"I'll just shut up then," Larry mumbled, as the Master gave a sarcastic nod.
He turned back to find the two Angel's still thankfully in place. He could hear something being dragged along the floorboards, wondering what exactly Katy's plan was. He hoped he wasn't going to have to use his Plan B. All of a sudden, both Angels inched closer to the pair, having moved outside the doorway. The Master let out a groan, before slapping Larry around the back of his head, who let out a cry of pain.
"What was that for?" Larry exclaimed, rubbing at his aching scalp.
"For blinking!" The Master huffed.
"I didn't blink!"
"Yeah, you did," The Master retorted, irritated.
"No, you must have blinked," Larry argued, as the Master let out a scoff.
"I'm a Time Lord, I don't blink," The Master snapped back, as Larry rolled his eyes.
"I can see why she's not your girlfriend now," Larry muttered, under his breath.
"You little—" The Master started, when Katy and Sally came back into the room, carrying something heavy, covered by a sheet.
"Getting along, I see," Katy teased, as she went to stand in front of the Master, holding the large object high in the air.
"You ready, Sally?" She announced, as the blonde nodded.
The pair then pulled off the dirty sheet that had been covering...a mirror. The Master watched as the Angels stayed right where they were, staring back at their own reflections. Katy ushered Sally to grab the armchair, which they positioned behind the large mirror to hold it upright. She then turned to the Master, a smug smirk on her face, quirking an eyebrow.
"Not bad, huh?" She exclaimed, as the Master debated kissing her again.
"So...I can blink now, right?" Larry asked, receiving a nod, as he began rubbing at his eyes.
"We found the TARDIS. It's in the basement. So, let's go save—" Katy started, when Sally interrupted her.
"What about the other two?"
"...Other two?" Katy frowned, as Sally gave her a sheepish expression.
"Well, there were four Angel's earlier. Where are they?" Sally pointed out, as Katy let out a groan.
"Of course there fucking were. Okay, new plan. We all head to the TARDIS and just...ditch this shit," Katy mumbled, as the Master grabbed her hand, pulling her past the frozen Weeping Angel's.
"Sounds good to me," He muttered, as they all headed toward the basement.
They raced down the creaking stairs, coming to a sudden halt when they spotted the other Angels surrounding the TARDIS, their hands covering their faces. Katy held onto the Master's hand a little tighter as they marched forward. The sound of glass cracking was their only warning something was wrong before Sally let out a scream. Katy whipped around to find a Weeping Angel had grabbed Larry's hoodie with its clawed hand.
"Larry!" Sally cried, racing forward, helping him to shrug off his hoodie.
She kept her eyes on the Weeping Angel just inches behind him, as Katy realised that her plan with the mirror had only been a temporary fix. Hell, maybe it had made things worse. Her eyes widened as she saw three more Weeping Angels at the top of the staircase.
"Anything that holds the image of an Angel, becomes an Angel."
"Time to go," The Master muttered, tugging her forward, having kept his eyes on the two other Angel's still by the TARDIS.
"I'm not leaving them!" Katy exclaimed, shrugging off his grip.
"Katy!" Sally called out, as she turned to see the other Angel's had surrounded the pair, leaving them no way to escape.
"They're as good as dead. Just leave them," The Master insisted, as she shook her head, vehemently.
Without another word, she had pulled off her ring and grabbed the Master's hand. His forehead wrinkled as he felt her placing it on his palm, still having no choice but to keep his gaze on the Angel's. She was staying behind, but she wasn't going to stop him from escaping.
"What're you doing?" He hissed, as she closed his hand around the ring.
"Letting you run," She retorted, before rushing back toward the two humans.
He gripped the ring tightly in his palm, his mind already made up. Katy twisted around just in time to watch him slipping inside the TARDIS, pushing down the hurt in her chest. She kept her gaze on the two Angels, in an attempt to stop them from advancing.
"Katy, I can't...I can't get out!" Sally sobbed, only able to get a hand past the Angels that had circled around them.
"They keep coming after you, Sally. Think. We need to know why," Katy pushed, as Sally started to rummage around her jean pocket for something.
"The key. I...I found the key," Sally announced, holding out a string necklace with a TARDIS key attached to it.
It made sense now why they had followed Sally all around London. It was their way into the TARDIS. Holding up the key above her head, Katy backed up toward one of the walls, knowing she had caught the Angel's attention.
"Come on! This is what you want, isn't it? Leave them alone," Katy called out, looking up as the light bulb above her started to flicker.
The familiar sound of the TARDIS echoed around the cellar, as Katy watched with a devastated expression as the time machine disappeared. The Master had left her. Having taken her eyes off the Weeping Angels, she found the ones circling Sally and Larry had turned to face her now, their faces drawn back in a roar.
They were angry.
"Go on, you two. Get out of here," Katy announced, her eyes darting toward the other two Angel's who had their arms outstretched now.
"No."
Reluctantly, Larry allowed himself to be dragged over by Sally, as the pair rushed to Katy's side. The three did their best to keep their gaze on the Weeping Angels but the lightbulb above them had dimmed further, meaning they had to squint now to see.
"I'm supposed to save you two. Just go," Katy insisted, as Sally shook her head.
"You didn't leave us," Sally pointed out.
"You really want to die for me?" Katy scoffed, stiffening when she found one of the Angel's had stalked closer to her, on the side of her vision.
"We're not cowards," Sally told her, stretching out to hold her hand.
"Speak for yourself," Larry huffed, a slight smile spreading over his lips as Sally reached for him with her other hand.
"If we get touched by the same Weeping Angel, we should all get sent to the same time."
"All we have to do is blink, yeah?" Sally gulped.
"Ready?" Katy asked, as the light above them began to spark.
The Angels were almost upon them now. They had seconds left. And then...Katy heard the whooshing sound of the TARDIS all around her. Her surroundings instantly began to change, as the coral pillars came into view, and the familiar green hue of the console illuminated her face.
"I thought I told you...I'm not running," The Master announced, as Katy's lips pulled back into a wide grin.
"And now, for Plan B."
He was then flipping a couple of switches on the console as the TARDIS took off once more, the sound from the console sounding strained as if the machine wasn't happy with who was piloting it. Katy's eyes flickered to the console, noticing how the Weeping Angels had all circled the TARDIS, which was starting to dematerialise.
"Katy?" Sally gasped, as Katy noticed she too had started to fade.
In the next second, the TARDIS had disappeared, leaving a dumbfounded Sally and Larry behind, still surrounded by Weeping Angels. All of whom were staring at each other. The Doctor was right, Sally realised...their greatest asset had become their greatest curse. But he was wrong about one thing. In the end, it wasn't Katy who saved them.
Katy ran her hand over the TARDIS console, which hummed underneath her touch. She wasn't sure how exactly the Master had managed to wake up the time machine, maybe with an old Time Lord trick, but she was just happy he had. They were slowly drifting through the time vortex, the coordinates of 1969 ready to be inputted. But maybe Katy wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to the Master yet.
"You saved them. You saved me," She pointed out, glancing at where the Master was perched on the fraying console seat.
"It was the best way to stop the Angels. Saving all of you was just...an added benefit," The Master shrugged.
"Bullshit. You came back for me. Admit it," She smirked, sauntering over to him.
"...Fine. I did. But only for you. Humans mean nothing to me," The Master insisted, standing up to loom over her.
"And why did you come back for me?" Katy pushed, a teasing grin on her face.
"Because I don't hate you."
The Master hadn't expected her next actions. He tensed up as her arms wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him close to her. The Master was too taken aback to move, not being able to remember the last time anyone had touched him like that. With a sigh, Katy ran her hands down his arms, before tugging them behind her back, nudging him to embrace her back. A few moments passed, with the Master's hands hanging loosely on the small of her back. She was about to pull away, when suddenly his arms circled around her waist, holding her so close her feet were lifted off the floor. A genuine smile spread over her lips as she held him back, resting her chin on his shoulder, and closing her eyes.
"Thank you," She mumbled against his shoulder, as he hummed contently in response.
Eventually, the pair parted when the TARDIS made a groaning noise, clearly not happy with what she was seeing. The Master rolled his eyes, as Katy noticed he had something akin to a smile on his face.
"That never happened," He stated, as Katy held her hands up in defence.
"What never happened?" She grinned, as she debated to say the next words on her mind.
"Come with me," She exclaimed, watching as his forehead wrinkled, not understanding what she was asking. "Tell the Doctor you're still alive. Look, I know things didn't end well with you two but...he would want to know. You could travel with us," Katy continued, with an almost pleading look.
Bitterness spread over the Master's face immediately, as he shook his head. He took a step away from her, causing her to instantly regret her suggestion. She didn't want to part ways on her bad terms again.
"I was eight when the drums started. The Doctor knew there was something wrong. He always knew. When it would get bad...we were supposed to leave Gallifrey together. See the stars..." The Master trailed off, with a scoff.
"He ran?" Katy guessed, watching as the Master's jaw clenched.
"I needed him. And he ran. Because that's what he does. You think you mean something to him? You're nothing but a blip in his life. He'll move on. You just wait," The Master warned, as Katy tried to reach out for him, but he stepped back a pace.
"But he was a kid back then. He's changed."
"Has he?" The Master retorted, as Katy clamped her lips shut.
Because she wasn't so sure he had.
Katy waited by the console in the TARDIS, having landed the machine in 1969 over twenty minutes ago, after having dropped off the Master. He had left surprisingly easy. He had access to a time machine, but it didn't seem to matter to him. Katy glanced down at the ring she had placed back on her finger, feeling a wave of sadness hit her. She had no idea what she was going to do now.
"You have no idea how good it is to see you!" A familiar voice called out, as Katy's head snapped up to see Martha peeking her head through the TARDIS door.
"Called for a rescue?" Katy teased, forcing a grin onto her face.
"Never doubted you," Martha cheered, before she raced forward and pulled her into a tight hug.
"Wow, you reek," Katy laughed, as Martha hit her shoulder, playfully.
"Ah, there we go. Told you I'd get you back in one piece, Miss Jones," The Doctor announced, as he entered the TARDIS, in his familiar long brown coat.
"Wasn't exactly you though, was it, Doctor?" Martha huffed.
"How're you, girl? Feeling a bit stiff?" The Doctor questioned, racing over to the TARDIS console, and placing his hand on the time rotor.
"Martha, will you give us a moment?" Katy asked, in a serious tone, as Martha's ears perked up.
"Uh...sure. I'll go...take a few showers."
Katy crossed her arms, leaning against the railing as the Doctor shrugged off his coat, seemingly unaware of the tension growing in the room. Eventually, he glanced at her, and finally noticed the anger growing on her face.
"What's wrong?" He frowned.
"What's...what's wrong? Are you fucking kidding me?" She huffed, her shoulders growing rigid, wanting to do nothing more than punch him at that very second. "I almost died today, Doctor. Again. I'm not...I am not okay."
"I'm sorry, I...you always say you're fine," The Doctor pointed out, as Katy grit her teeth.
"Cause' otherwise I'd just fall apart. Maybe you could try asking me how I am once in a while?" She retorted, beginning to walk away.
"Hold on, wait. Hey, I'm listening now," The Doctor insisted, rushing forward to block her exit.
"Something bad happened. In my...our future. Our friend...she lost something really fucking important. And you ran. And then, I get sent to 2007 and have to pick up the pieces, yet again! What am I to you, Doctor? You're bloody caretaker?" Katy accused, as the Doctor's eyes softened.
"Of course not. I just...I don't know where I am with you either," The Doctor confessed.
"Exactly. We're never going to...I don't know, connect. We can't. We're living different lives."
"Something else happened, didn't it?" The Doctor pushed, knowing there was more she hadn't said.
Running a hand through her hair, she walked back over to the console, where she had embraced the Master only an hour ago. She still had no idea how she felt about that. Hell, she didn't even know how the Doctor would feel about it.
"I kissed someone."
She twisted back around to see the Doctor had gone deathly still, taking a step back until his back hit the railing. He slowly nodded, as if trying to digest the information. His expression was still as masked as usual.
"Right. Right, yes. Well, I can...I can understand that. Who...who was it?" The Doctor asked.
"It doesn't matter," She mumbled, as his forehead wrinkled.
"Yes, it does. I mean...do you..." The Doctor trailed off, hurt flashing over his face.
"You weren't here. Even sometimes when you're physically here, you're still not...not my Doctor. And I don't know how to deal with that," She confessed, as his eyes widened a little.
"...I feel the same," The Doctor replied, surprising Katy, as he was never one to talk about his feelings. Then again, neither was she. "A few weeks ago, with Lazarus...you didn't even trust me yet. It felt like you barely knew me. You certainly didn't have this," The Doctor explained, striding forward and taking her hand in his, thumb brushing over the ring on her finger.
"Jesus, that was only weeks ago for you?" She sighed, knowing it had been over a year for her.
"I'm sorry. I know you didn't want any of this," He replied, still holding onto her hand.
"Actually, I think the problem is...I don't know what I want," She confessed, looking down at their intertwined hands. "I thought that—oh my God, seriously?" Katy cried out, when she saw the Doctor was no longer in front of her.
She had jumped at the worst moment possible again. She thought back to what the Master had been suggesting. He almost seemed to think she could control jumping through the timelines. But that made no sense. Why would she choose to jump just as she was getting somewhere with the Doctor? Unless...she had wanted to run.
A sudden loud thud had her spinning around to find the Doctor revealing himself from where he had been crouched on the ground, a spanner in one hand, and the hammer that had been in the other fallen to the ground. It was a little dim in the console room, as she noted the hue from the time rotor seemed to be lacking. She pulled her eyes back to the Doctor, who slowly pulled himself to his feet, his mouth gone slack.
"What? Have I got something in my teeth?" She asked, when he still didn't speak.
He was wearing a bright blue suit, a stark contrast to his usual brown, his hair spiker than she remembered. But his eyes...they were older. Maybe not in age, but by what he had seen. There was a sadness to them. He slowly shuffled toward her, his hand stretching out to touch her shoulder gently as if he wasn't sure if she was really there.
"Are you okay?" She frowned, when he started to grip onto her shoulder tighter.
Suddenly, his arms were enveloping her into a bone-crushing hug, something akin to a sob leaving his lips. Katy's brow furrowed, as her own hands slowly moved to wrap around his back. The Doctor continued holding onto her, pulling her flush against him, but still, it didn't seem to be enough for him. He buried his face in the crook of her neck for a moment, just swaying them gently from side to side, silently.
"You're kinda' scaring me now," Katy stated, as the Doctor reluctantly pulled back.
"I just haven't seen you in a while," He confessed, reaching up to touch her cheek.
"How long?" Katy questioned.
"Too long. Far too long," He sighed, before leaning forward to press a kiss to her forehead. "This is brilliant. Brilliant!" He announced, breaking out into a grin, rushing back to the TARDIS console.
"What're you doing?" She smiled, finding his happiness infectious.
"We're going on a date," He announced, as she raised an eyebrow.
"A date? Do I get a say in this?" She snorted, as he started typing coordinates out on the console computer.
"We have wasted too much time. No more," The Doctor shook his head, sending them flying through the vortex.
He was then sprinting down the staircase in the TARDIS and disappearing behind one of the walls, still in earshot. Katy looked around the console room, finding there was no sign of anyone else. No Rose's sneakers, or Martha's jacket, or one of Donna's hair curlers. In fact, the time machine seemed quieter than she had ever heard it.
"Who are you travelling with?" Katy called out, receiving no answer for a while.
"It's just us."
"But I only arrived a second ago. How...how long have you been travelling by yourself?" Katy frowned, as he appeared again, now carrying two very bright orange spacesuits.
"Matching attire. Don't say I never give you anything," He teased, rushing back up the steps to her.
"Doctor. How long have you been on your own?" Katy insisted.
He could tell that she wasn't about to let it go. Dropping the spacesuits on the jump seat, he moved back to the console and landed them at his chosen destination. It was a sign. Katy arriving when she did, maybe it was the universe's way of telling him it wasn't too late to fix things.
"Six months," He replied, watching as Katy's eyes softened.
She felt as though she had been alone for the first twenty-four years of her life. She understood the pain of loneliness better than anyone. And if there was anyone in the whole universe who should never be alone...it was the Doctor.
"Why?" Katy pushed, walking over to stand beside him, staring up with sad blue eyes.
"We're better alone," He informed her, only adding to her confusion. "And you're here now. So, suit up. New world for you to see," He told her, grabbing the orange spacesuit with a wide grin.
"Where are we?" She inquired, as a strangely determined look flashed over his features.
"Welcome to Mars."