A/N: I'm so, so sorry that I couldn't update last night or the night before. Things have been pretty crazy. I promise that updates will be a lot more regular from now on :) Hope you enjoy the new chapter. (even if it is a few days late)

A few minutes later, they all stood around in a big kitchen that the TARDIS had conjured, and mercifully, they were all clothed.

"WE DID IT!" Khan and Rebecca cheered, giving each other a high five.

"I'll say!" The Doctor filled a kettle with water, and set it on the stove. "And thanks to the base blowing up, the bacteria will have well and truly spread throughout Blagula."

"Thank God we managed to save the initial study area." Leo sat on a stool, and leaned on the counter. "Although I doubt it'll be quite the same."

They had used the base's submersible to undercut the entire section of reef, and deposit it somewhere else.

"Forget that, we managed to save an entire planet" Syria grinned happily "Good job, team."

Whoops erupted all around, and cups of tea were passed to everyone, along with a celebratory packet of Jammie Dodgers.

"Vetro won't get their grubby hands on Blagula for hundreds of years!" Nooria's smile stretched from ear to ear.

"Any passing remarks about the TARDIS?" The Doctor spread his arms wide.

"They all think it's amazing, and it's bigger on the inside" Rebecca rolled her eyes at him.

"Alright, alright. So tell me where I drop you guys. As I understand it, Leo is the only one with a proper family to get back to, and the rest of you only have one or two people left. Oh, and you may never have jobs again." The Doctor summed up with a smile.

An uncomfortable silence settled, and they all glared at the Doctor for his lack of compassion.

"I'm sorry" he raised his hands in a placating gesture "But, I do have a gift for you all. Come along."

They dumped the mugs in the kitchen, and went to the console room. Evidently, the Doctor was taking them somewhere, and the whooshing noise came from all around. Adjusting his bowtie, he bounded over to the door, and flung it open with a flourish.

"This is your planet. Go ahead, name it whatever you want. The biodiversity is incredible, so you can study away. And as long as you're all OK with living like cavemen, you can stay here for the rest of your life with your families." He ran under the console, found a pen and a paper, and scrawled down what looked like a telephone number.

"I'll drop by every two weeks or so, bring you any supplies that you desire, and if you need anything, just give me a call."

A few hours later, along with a few accidental destinations, Khan's, Syria's and Nooria's families were happily settled on the planet, along with lots of supplies, courtesy of the TARDIS. It was time to say goodbye.

Khan grabbed Rebecca's hand and they smiled at each other.

"Remember to drop by." He grinned.

"I will, every two weeks"

"And, uh.... If you ever need a place to live" his voice trailed off.

"I'll come here, first thing." They stood there for a few instants longer, grinning like idiots. Rebecca stood on her tiptoes, and pressed her lips to Khan's cheek.

"Goodbye." She walked back to the TARDIS, leaned on the doorframe, gave a little wave, and they dematerialised with the trademark whooshing noise.

"Ah, I am exhausted!" Rebecca plopped down into the console seat on her back, fingers trailing across the glass.

"Exhausted, what, that was like, two adventures!" he exclaimed, already making his way to the console to flick buttons.

"Yeah, which means I've now been awake for what I think is a whole day straight! And I've barely eaten anything except Jammie Dodgers, tea and yogurt." She made a face at him, scrunching up her nose.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Jammie Dodgers are a part of a perfectly balanced diet."

"PART OF. Part. You sound like one of those cereal companies, Doctor"

"Oh, phsst. At least I'm not human." He waved a hand dismissively.

"Being a human isn't soooo bad." Rebecca attempted to reason.

"Oh yeah? You live a hundred years, then *poof* you're done. The end of your story. Honestly, you all should be in a permanent state of panic, your life spans are pathetic. And you spend a third of your lives sleeping!"

"Yeah, well if I don't spend one third sleeping, I'll be too tired to enjoy the other two thirds!" Rebecca grinned, and then trudged up the stairs.

"She'll conjure up a room for you." He grinned back, leaning on the console, ankles crossed.

"Conjure up? You make her sound like a magic box!" she called out, near the end of the stairs.

"Isn't she?" his voice faded as she entered a room.

And what a room it was.

It was everything Rebecca had ever hoped for. Light blue walls, yellow banners, green furniture. And best of all – a bed. A huge, cushy bed. Pillows, pillows everywhere. She could have sworn at that moment that there was a spotlight on it. As inviting as it looked, hygiene came first. After a long, hot shower and dressing in a pair of flannel pyjamas, she tucked herself into bed, hoping the nightmares wouldn't come tonight.

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A man in a robe burst into vision.

Robes of deep red.

Blood red.

And a metal blade swept into Alexandria's body, cutting into her. She screamed in pain, and the robes became stained. Orange energy crackled everywhere, and the hood held only the darkest black. Then, it was lifted, and they multiplied.

Four of them, raising four swords. And then they cut Alexandria's body into quarters.

Rebecca screamed at the gruesome sight. She shut her eyes, wishing she was anywhere, anywhere else. They lifted their hoods, and they spoke together.

"FREAK."

And then – the memory of a warm embrace. Distant, yes, but still there.

A sweep of soft hair against her shoulder.

A warm blanket.

And then the embrace was gone, replaced by emptiness, nothingness. Cold wrapped around Rebecca's body, making her curl up into a little ball.

Suddenly, she was a child again, in one of her worst memories. Being abandoned.

Roaming cold, cold streets with harsh, harsh light.

"MOM" Rebecca called.

"DAD?"

No one came.

Rebecca woke up screaming. The lights flicked on instantly, and the room became bright. She covered herself with another blanket, another pillow, burrowing herself inside, reminding herself that she was warm, she was OK. The temperature of the room raised, and she took a moment to remember where she was. The TARDIS. She was travelling with the Doctor.

Suddenly, the room flung open and The Doctor ran inside.

"REBECCA? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" he looked around the room wildly.

"In-in here" she stuck her face out from behind a pillow and gave a watery smile.

"What are you in there for?" The mattress squished as he sat at the foot of the bed. "What happened?"

"Nightmares" A sheepish smile spread over her face and she emerged from the pillows.

"Ah. The TARDIS alerted me, safety protocols. What did you dream about?" he lay next to her on the bed, and folded his hands on his chest.

It wasn't intimate – not at all. They were both most definitely fully clothed; Rebecca wore her flannel pyjamas and the Doctor a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. It amused her to see him so casually dressed – she had gotten used to his tweed.

"Nothing. Just an old memory, dredged up by my thoroughly irritating subconscious." She had gotten used to the nightmares now, they came like an old friend. Rebecca rested her head on the pillow once more, relaxing.

" Ah. Brains. Sometimes they can be quite annoying." He took a deep breath, and flung his arms out to the side, smacking Rebecca in the stomach.

"Ow. Keep your hands to yourself. What about you? Do aliens get dreams?" she smiled at the ceiling, the TARDIS had given her a skylight, and the view was magnificent. The sky was purple and dark, dark blue. Pinpricks of light came from all around, and a river of stars wound its way across her vision.

"Oh, everybody dreams!" he jumped up "Dogs dream, cats dream, Slitheen dream, Gelth dream, I bet even Daleks dream!" he raised a finger, and looked down at her "The important thing is what they dream about."

"So what do Time Lords dream about, then?" Rebecca got up as well, shedding the layers of blankets.

"I'll tell you if you tell me" he slung an arm over her shoulder.

"This one time, I visited New York. I think it was with my parents, or maybe some friends. I'm not entirely sure. I must've been pretty young. All I remember is the cold, and the harsh lights. And calling out for my parents, and them never coming for me." She gave a little shiver. "I guess I got found, though. I mean, my parents live in Canada with me, don't they?"

"Oh, parents always turn up sooner or later" he squeezed her shoulder. "And they're always there for you. If you know, you want to bake them a cake or something."

"Yeah, we'll go soon." Rebecca replied, leaning her head on his shoulder. They stared up at the view of space."

"I had a nice dream. A good memory. I suppose I was rather hungry when I fell asleep." He withdrew his arm, and put his hands in his pockets, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.

"Well then, what did you dream of? Fish sticks and custard?" She let out a laugh, and then sat on the bed, cross legged. He plopped down beside her.

"Yeah, surprisingly enough. I once met a little girl named Amelia Pond. Bravest little thing, with a smile the size of Texas. And the reddest, most gingery hair ever. Made me positively jealous. So the TARDIS crash landed in her garden, and she wasn't the slightest bit fazed. We went into her kitchen and had a marvelous time. I had just regenerated, and I was rather uncomfortable. You know, it's like when you've just brushed your teeth and everything tastes weird. And we tried every damn thing in her kitchen. Before I settled on fish sticks and custard!" he smiled at the fond memory.

"Reddest hair." Rebecca smiled. "I've always liked red hair. What's regeneration?"

"Well, basically, Time Lords can.... Change. When they're dying, they can simply gain a new body."

"WOAH! No wonder you think humans are pathetic! Can you like.... Choose your new body? That would be so, so cool." Her eyes widened with wonder. "And does that mean that you're immortal? Because if every single cell is new..."

"Nah, we only have twelve regenerations. Thirteen bodies." He ran a hand through his hair.

"Like, a cat. With nine lives?" she questioned.

He peered at her through narrowed eyes, and then laughed. "Yep, like a cat."

"That's insane. I wish I could do that as well. If I could choose my face, man! I'd get like, a Scarlet Johansson vibe going on."

"Weren't you tired?" his brow furrowed.

"Yeah. Totally am. So tired." She gave a semi-convincing fake yawn.

"Uhuh, sure." He ruffled her hair, and she gave him a pout, shaking it out again. "Get dressed. We've got an important mission." He saluted.

"And what's that?"

"Grocery shopping."