Chapter 27 – I Need A Little Time
The devastating news about Fred Weasley's injuries struck Romana like a sledgehammer. She knew that his road to recovery would be slow and questionable but she never expected a diagnosis like that. The Time Lady hadn't interacted much with the Doctor current companion but something told her she was correct. The Time Lord tended to pick his travelling company with great care so she had to trust Martha's medical knowledge and experience.
Romana found herself numbly following the Doctor and Martha out of the castle and back across the Hogwarts grounds. The Time Lord was a few paces in front with Romana walking silently next to the human, "He doesn't talk much about himself", Martha commented, "hardly ever talked about his home planet". A frown crossed her face, "In fact I don't even think he's mentioned it before".
Gallifrey, just thinking about home was another body blow for Romana. She resisted showing any emotion in front of Martha though, if the Doctor hadn't mentioned their home it was probably for a good reason, "He hasn't visited in a very long time", Romana choked out, "he was never a fan, far too boring and stuffy for his tastes".
"Do you reckon he'll take me?" Martha asked brightly, "I've always wondered what's out there".
Romana didn't want to burst the human's bubble, she seemed so enthusiastic that it must be early into her travels with the Doctor, "I'm sure he'll tell you more about it in due course", she neatly deflected the question and changed the subject, "have you been travelling with the Doctor long?"
"Second trip", Martha answered, "met Shakespeare and saved the world from some alien witches, guess Hogwarts and Harry Potter was a natural link". Romana gave her a small smile, that sounded like an average Saturday for the Time Lord, "I met the Doctor at my hospital", Martha continued without being prompted, "the whole building got sucked up onto the Moon in this weird water thingy".
"A Hydro Scoop?" Romana interjected, "what the hell were the Judoon thinking, stealing an entire building off a planet".
Martha offered a soft chuckle in response, "You sound just like him, do all Time Lords speak like you two?"
"Like we're the most intelligent creatures in the room?" Romana sniffed, "we do and there's a very good reason for that Doctor Jones".
The human woman stared blankly and shrugged, "Which is?"
"We are the most intelligent creatures in the room", Romana shrugged, "don't mistake that for arrogance", she continued, "it can't be arrogance if it's true". Martha's smiled tightly and the Time Lady knew she had made the woman feel uncomfortable. Interacting with humans had always been the Doctor's primary job. Romana did get better during their travels but centuries isolated on Gallifrey away from the rest of the universe had seen her slip back into old habits. She would have to work on that if she was going to be some kind of liaison between wizards and the rest of humanity.
Deciding there was no time like the present she tried to engage Martha in conversation again, "So what's your home time period, you can't be that far from home".
"Well the Doctor met me in 2008 if that's what you're referring to", Romana nodded in response and tried to recall if anything of importance happened in that year. Weirdly nothing obvious came to mind, it was like something had blanked all of Earth's history for that year from the timestream. "Nothing exciting happened so far, other than the rhino aliens on the Moon", Martha added, "oh and there's an election soon, the polls say that Harold Saxon's going to win by the biggest landslide ever".
"Saxon you say", Romana mulled that name over in her head but she drew a blank, "can't say I've heard of him, then again not everyone can be a Churchill or Thatcher".
"He's not infamous either which has to count for something", Martha added and the Time Lady slowly agreed. The human quickly turned the conversation away from Harold Saxon, "So did you travel with the Doctor too? Must be pretty common, Time Lords travelling around with each other"
"For a period", Romana began, "actually two Time Lords travelling together doesn't happen that often, the Doctor is somewhat of an anomaly in that sense". Romana sensed the curiosity in the woman and continued elaborating, "Most Time Lords never leave the planet so in that sense the Doctor is a little bit of a rebel. Plus two Time Lords together, one TARDIS would struggle to contain all that ego".
Martha snorted with laughter, "But you two managed for a time though", Romana nodded in confirmation, "would you do it again if he asked?"
Romana could feel the underlying sentiment in the human's question, Martha really didn't want the answer to be yes. She suspected some underlying romantic intentions from the human towards the Time Lord. Romana wasn't too surprised, she wasn't totally immune to the Doctor's charm. "Perhaps but not right now", she answered and waited for Martha's relief to pass, "last time I travelled with the Doctor I was a completely different person, quite literally in fact".
There was a curious glance from Martha towards Romana, "He hasn't told you about regeneration then", the human shook her head, "typical of him, always waits to the last possible moment". She took a moment before continuing, "Time Lords have this unique ability, when they die or are close to death they can health themselves by regenerating into another body. Their outward features and surface personality will change but underneath will remain exactly the same".
Explaining the nuances of regeneration to a human wasn't easy and it appeared to be taking Martha a few moments to process the information, "So the Doctor's done this regeneration thing before?"
"Several times", Romana answered, "I believe this is the Tenth incarnation of the Doctor". She knew it wasn't strictly true but something told her that the Time Lord wasn't willing to acknowledge the existence of his war time incarnation.
"What about you Romana?" Martha asked, "you look far too young to have regenerated before".
Romana snorted, "Four hundred years might be young for a Time Lady but not quite as young as this", she ran her hands in the area of her body, "three times, I'm on my fourth incarnation".
"Oi what are you two gossiping about?" the Doctor called out, "fancy a look around the old girl Romana?"
She had been so busy talking to Martha that she hadn't noticed they were walking towards the Doctor's TARDIS. The old Type 40 looked almost exactly the same as she had done all those centuries ago. A couple of cosmetic differences but like their pilots even TARDIS's succumbed to vanity. Romana carefully approached the ancient ship and gently placed her hand on the exterior. Almost immediately she felt a familiar hum from the TARDIS. If Romana didn't know any better she could've sworn that the old girl was happy to see here again.
Shaking herself free of revelry Romana crossed the threshold of the doorway and entered the Doctor's TARDIS. She took a good couple of moments to take in her surroundings as the interior was much different than she remembered. Gone was the stark white interior and the cosy console room and in their place where bronze walls held up with coral pillars. The room had been greatly enlarged with the hexagonal console sitting in the middle. The central console appeared to be in a bad way though, several thick cables ran from the ceiling and across the desktop, "Been doing a little bit of DIY Doctor?" Romana asked, playing with one of the wires.
"Not too many garages around for Type 40 TARDIS's", the Doctor replied sadly, "not anymore at least". Romana nodded glumly, she was encountering the same problem with her much newer TARDIS. In a few centuries she could image her console would be in a similar state.
The TARDIS door closed quietly and Martha inched her way towards the Time Lords. Romana felt her presence tinged with a fair share of awkwardness, "Erm is there a bathroom around here", the human asked, "I could do with freshening up".
"Straight down the corridor, eighteenth corridor on the right", the Doctor replied absently, allowing Martha to navigate her way through the bowels of the ship, "she'll be fine, the TARDIS won't allow her to get lost", he added, asking a question Romana didn't ask.
"Surprisingly Doctor I do know how a TARDIS works", the Time Lady replied pointedly.
The Doctor sighed, "I'm sorry Romana it's been a while since I had another Time Lord onboard". Romana winced internally but the TARDIS hummed gently, soothing the Time Lady's fragile nerves, "She still likes you, I reckon the old girl's happier to see you than I am".
"Probably happy to have a competent driver in her presence once again", Romana stated with a cheeky smile. The Doctor briefly looked offended and pouted but the Time Lady saw right through this facade, "Doctor it's true and you know it", she added, running her hands respectfully along the console.
"You could fly her again", the Time Lord tempted her, "one quick trip, no one would notice".
Romana sighed and perched herself on one of the jump seats near the console. She was sorely tempted by the Doctor offer but she couldn't leave now. Kingsley job offer along with Fred's illness meant that she was needed here more than ever. At least that's how she justified it in her own mind.
It wasn't just those reasons though, she had escaped from the deadliest war known to all creations with her life. She was one of the last of her kind and feeling more than a little lost. Romana had spent most of her life in service to others, the Academy, the people of Gallifrey and even the Doctor to an extent. It was time to find out who she really was, "When you first left Gallifrey, what did you want to achieve?" she asked after several moments.
The Doctor frowned and sat down in the seat next to Romana, placing his feet up on the console, "Several things", he answered solemnly, "to explore the universe, to find a better life for Susan", he shifted uncomfortably thinking about his lost granddaughter. Romana gently rubbed her hand on his knee to soothe the bubbling sadness within the Time Lord, "I just wanted to do some good", he continued once he regained his composure, "be a kind person I suppose".
"Admirable goals", Romana nodded, "but I think I know the real reason", she paused and observed the frown on the Time Lord's face, "all those things have one thing in common, independence". The Doctor looked quizzical but didn't dismiss the idea outright, "A chance to choose your own destiny, forget about giving your life in servitude to Gallifrey and forge your own path in the universe". She sighed and looked towards the TARDIS ceiling, "That's what I want Doctor, I want to know who I truly am".
"I can tell you exactly who you are Romana", the Doctor began, "you are the woman who showed an egotistical Time Lord that he wasn't superior at everything".
"Hasn't dampened your ego though", she snorted with laughter.
The Time Lord paused and laughed along, "Fair point but look what else you accomplished when you were President. You did more to improve the lives of Time Lords and ordinary Gallifreyans than any other President in history".
"And that's great but I want to do more", Romana interrupted the Time Lord, "I want to impart some of my own kindness on the universe".
"Then come with me", the Doctor pleaded once again.
"I can't", Romana shouted in response, not realising how angry she sounded. For a brief moment the Doctor was shocked in silence, drawing an apologetic sigh from the Time Lady, "That's exactly why I can't come with you yet", she continued, "I'm still ready for battle and I need to begin small". She looked towards the TARDIS door, "I think this the wizarding world in the perfect place for me at the moment".
The Doctor nodded, reluctantly accepting wishes, "I'm sure I'll travel with you again Doctor", she gently placed her hand against his cheek, "when the time is right for both of us I'll come with you".
The Time Lord grasped Romana's hand, rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, "The door's always open", he pressed his lips to her hand, the contact filling Romana's hearts with joy.
Romana suppressed a blush and allowed herself a moment to regain her composure, "So where next for you Doctor?" she asked.
"Ah you know me", he smiled, "always unpredictable. I fancy dropping in on New Earth actually, see if anything's changed since my last visit". Romana nodded in acknowledgement, she had never been to New Earth herself but had read about it during her time at the Academy, "What about you?"
"Not sure", Romana sighed, "I probably should tidy up the loose ends Hermione Granger left behind. I need to sort out her old house and think about what to do with her parents". Romana's mood darkened, she had been thinking about the Grangers a lot during her exile in the vortex but failed to come up with a solution.
Pushing that to one side for the moment she stood up from the seat and face the Doctor, "I guess this is goodbye for now Doctor", she opened her arms, inviting a hug which the Doctor gratefully accepted, "Try not to get yourself in too much trouble".
"Oh you know me Romana, I never go looking for trouble", the Time Lord smiled.
Romana chuckled and released her hold on the Doctor, "I meant what I said, I will travel with you again Doctor", a cheeky smirk flashed across her face, "probably should make it soon, you're running out of regenerations".
"Yeah, thanks for reminding me", the Doctor huffed, "now go before I throw you out", he added with mock anger.
The Time Lady skipped towards the door, "Farewell Lord Doctor, until next time", the Time Lord bowed as Romana closed the door behind her.
She took a couple of paces away from the TARDIS and waited for the familiar groan of the Doctor ship in flight. A small part of her wanted to jump back through the door but somehow she knew this was the right decision. The TARDIS groaned into life just as a small hyper cube floated into Romana's vision. She grasped the box and listened to the message in her mind, "I will see you sooner than you think Romana", came the Doctor's cryptic parting words. Romana wondered what he meant by that but the TARDIS was long gone.