Matter of Trust

The Gemini Archives Book 3
by Jill D'Entremont

The Doctor gets a distress call from a once-experimental planet, so he brings Gemini and James with him to investigate. But when stories conflict and things aren't exactly as they seem to be, everyone's trust in each other is considerably shaken.

Originally written & illustrated April 2012
Use the lefthand menu to jump between chapters, or to return to the Gemini Archives home

Chapter 1

"...You're dating him?"

I took a deep breath, wondering how I was coaxed into spilling this information.

Dawn glared back at me with a look of half-disgust, half-surprise, and somehow or another showing a deep distrust—a look only she could give.

Athena's gaze was much less harsh, but even she looked a little wary about the news.

"You're dating a time-traveller?" Dawn repeated.

"Why is that so shocking?" I said, much weaker than my initial statement.  I guess I should have known it was bound to come up.  Athena, Dawn, and the others had noticed the Doctor and I were spending more and more time together when he came to Fortanya, so it was only a matter of time before the question was asked.  I just figured it would go a little smoother than this when I answered.

"Because!" She paused, "He could be dating, like, three other people at this moment and you'd never know!"

"He wouldn't do that..." I winced.

"You don't think he would, but how do you know for sure?  You don't even know his real name, just 'The Doctor'...and isn't he not even human?"

"That doesn't matter—"

"Well it should!" Dawn interrupted me.

"Dawn," Athena tried to reel our friend in.

"When have I ever been one to do what's normal?" I added quickly.

"Apparently never," Dawn rolled her eyes.

I huffed.  "So give me a break!  I found someone who cares about me—so what if he's a time traveler and from another planet?  Why can't you just be happy for me?"

Athena grabbed Dawn's arm before the tall girl could reply.  "We are happy for you, Ace," she said calmly, "We're just looking out for you.  We're friends; that's what we do."

I was still fuming to an extent, but I suppressed the urge to yell back.  "I understand that, but don't you think I've thought about this?  I know what I'm doing."

"You do realize you just said you're dating someone from another planet." Dawn raised an eyebrow.

"Dawn—seriously." I shot back.

"Guys," Athena raised her hands.  "All right—here's a concern I have—and hear me out."  When neither of us spoke, she continued, "You travel with him to different places and times, and that's all right.  But what if something were to happen and you got stranded somewhere?  How will we know?  How could anyone find you?"

I nearly found myself bringing up that I had been stranded and saved before, but I quickly decided that was not the best plan—especially considering it involved a regeneration, and I wasn't about to explain that one.  I then thought I could just tell them about my own time-travelling abilities, but that was something The Doctor and I still didn't want everyone to know.  The longer I thought over what response I could make, however, the more satisfaction filled Dawn's eyes, and the more concern showed in Athena's.

"That's why James travels with us," I finally said.

"James couldn't get you back through time." Dawn said with an air of superiority.

"Yeah, well I could." I blurted.

My two friends looked at me, fairly shocked.  It was now or never.

"I am Time Lord, like The Doctor, only I'm still part-human.  Not too long ago a dying Time Lord—Rovenna—crashed near me, and when I went to help her she gave me her consciousness.  So I can do everything The Doctor can do if I need to."

I saw the distrusting faces of my friends, and I felt the burning of anger and anxiety in my chest.  I knew I wasn't supposed to tell them, but I was tired of Dawn's criticism.  I knew, however, that was also Dawn's personality.  She was going to let you know if she didn't like something, whereas Athena would be much calmer about her concerns.  But now that the word had been spilled, who knew where it would go from here.  The other guys would know before long, and The Doctor would not be too pleased.

"I don't want this to alienate me from you guys; I apologize I haven't said anything sooner," I attempted to regain their trust, "I'm okay, and I'll be okay, but there's a lot more we don't know yet.  That's another reason I can trust The Doctor—he's helping me figure this out.  He wouldn't be doing this if he didn't at least care a little about me."

"Then I guess I just have to wish you good luck." Athena said softly.

Dawn wasn't going to respond.  She had either said all she could say, or I had finally stumped her for comebacks.

Good luck... I thought about Athena's words as I quietly stood up and left the room, walking into the lobby of the Sirius—the theater James and I had been working to restore.  Just like the circumstances that brought the two of us to the old theater, I had grown up knowing how much of a hold luck had on me.  Luck was what kept me alive for so many years; luck is why I knew my friends now—despite our arguments like the one I just walked out of.  The Doctor liked to call it the Time Lord's charm, since a Time Lord had a certain propensity to influence others when you'd least expect it.  Either way, ending on that note of good luck was better than ending in a huff of anger.

I stepped outside, under the huge awning and marquee, and found James was already there, leaning against the ticket booth.  He, Ed, and Dorian had been working on the roof, but it seemed like James was done for the time being.  When I heard the rumble of thunder and noticed the dark clouds coming towards us, I realized why they were wrapping up.

"How'd it go?" he asked, not even looking at me.

I looked at him with my brows lowered.  "Were you listening?"

"I w-walked by at one point."

I sighed a little.  "It went as well as The Doctor expected it would—meaning it didn't go very well."

"M-must be on their brains today... Ed started t-talking about The Doctor too."

"To you?  Why?"

"Just that I... I need to be careful.  And Dorian made a statement that I needed to watch out for you.  I don't see why they th-think I wouldn't..."

I leaned against him and crossed my arms.  "I think since this is something they can't quite understand, they're just doing what good friends should do... worry."

James nodded.  "Yeah."

"But it wouldn't kill them to trust us a little more..." I added.

We were quiet for a moment.  Another rumble of thunder came to our ears, and the inaudible calling of Dorian to Ed was heard above us.

"...I may have told Dawn and Athena about me too." I added softly.

"The Doctor's not going to like that."

"He's not, but he'll have to get over it.  I had to say something...  I felt like I was on trial for a while there..."

"Well I sure walked in at a lovely time!"

We both turned to see The Doctor standing at the corner with his usual smirk on.  He sauntered over and gave me a look.  "All I caught was that I'd have to get over something.  What do you two have planned?"

"We don't have anything planned, but thanks to you we may not have friends anymore." I exaggerated.

The Doctor frowned.  "...What?"

"Dawn and Athena think I'm a fool to be dating you, and the guys think James and I are both fools to travel with you."

Silence ensued.  The Doctor was clearly not expecting this, thought there was a look on his face that hinted he should have been expecting it.  "And you told them about being part-Time Lord?"

"I did."

"And that's what I need to get over.  I see."

"I'm sorry," I said, stepping up to him.  "I had to say something."

"No, I understand.  It was bound to come out sooner or later." He turned and paced back towards the corner of the building and then wandered back.  "So this may be a bad time to whisk the two of you off, then."

I shrugged.  "I don't care... I'll go.  They're not going to tell me what to do.  If they think I'm making a bad choice then they can just tell me 'I told you so' if anything bad ever happens."

The Doctor didn't seem to like this statement, but he nodded anyway.  He glanced at James, who merely shrugged without another word.

"So..."

"So we're coming," I said, walking towards the side of the theater.  His TARDIS was just around the corner, and I waited patiently beside it as he and James followed.

"Are you sure?" The Doctor asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Yep."

"All right..." he said, putting his other hand on James' shoulder, "because I've got quite an adventure for us this time..."

Chapter 2

"Fortis-Novus!  The experimental planet..." The Doctor switched gears and pulled levers as the TARDIS sprung to life.  "It was created by Earth's scientists like a biosphere—they wanted to see what life could be sustained on a homemade planet."

"That's crazy," I commented, watching the coordinates of the planet appear on a screen above his head.

"Crazy, perhaps—foolish and reckless for sure.  They didn't know what they were getting themselves into."

"W-what happened?" James asked, his eyes following the excited Time Lord as he stepped back from the controls.

"They lost control.  They lost contact.  The project was deemed a failure and all knowledge of the planet was pushed aside.  All of the creatures they had devised—all of the humans they left behind..."

I raised my hands.  "Wait—they left their own people stranded on that planet?"

The Doctor nodded almost solemnly.  "They wanted the project off their hands and out of the minds of the people back on Earth who criticized them.  They sacrificed a lot that day."

"Ar—are we going there to save them?" James asked.

"No."

"No?" I looked at The Doctor critically.

"Not from the planet, at least.  These events happened hundreds of years ago now.  The humans learned to adapt to their environment, however primitive it had to be reduced to in order for them to survive.  But humans are not the only life forms there... other creatures have risen up, and as it stands, the humans—called the Pavo tribe—are in a struggle against the Dalkons..."

"What's a Dalkon?" I asked, trying to imagine what a creature with that name would look like.

"In short, they are bird-people; a very odd mix of man and beast."

I shook my head.  "So what else is on this planet?"

The Doctor rubbed his chin.  "Other bizarre combinations of earthen creatures.  I believe the only creatures that weren't tampered with are peafowl—you know, peacocks and such.  Seems like one of the scientists loved peafowl and brought them unaltered to the planet."

"So—so we're going to save the humans from the b-bird-people?" James spoke up.

"Yes."

"What about the bird-people?"

The Doctor turned just as he was about to activate the TARDIS.  "What about them?"

"Why are we s-saving the humans and not them?"

The Doctor looked at James curiously.  "The humans were the ones who sent out the distress call; I am merely answering it."

I had to give James a look myself.  There was something odd about his expression; it was that same look of distrust he had when The Doctor and I had first brought him on board the TARDIS.  My mind immediately jumped to the warnings from our friends, and I wondered if their own seeds of doubt had brought about the change in James' behavior.  I just had to hope my worrying was merely misplaced.

- - -

When the door to the TARDIS opened, we were met with the bright glow of the sun as it stood high in the brilliant blue sky.  Trees and plants sprung from the ground with huge, fan-like leaves and tall, thick branches.  We had landed at the top of a rolling hill, and below in a valley was a town that looked like it had grown up from the ground like the foliage had.  White stone and beige brick buildings were aligned to each other in a sort of grid-like pattern—with odd bits of decrepit machinery scattered throughout.  A large building would span the width of two smaller houses, but rise into the air with multiple levels of columns and rusted, twisting metal.  One particularly large building stood out among all of this at the opposite edge of the town, and The Doctor pointed towards it.

"That looks like where we need to go." He announced.

"And you couldn't have parked over there?" I shot him a look.

"Of course I could have." he replied.

"And yet you didn't."

"Exactly."

I shook my head.  

"It doesn't look like a city at w-war." James noted, scanning the horizon.  Just past the hill on the other side of the town was a large, vacant field.

The Doctor brushed the hair out of his face. "No, but we're here to make sure it doesn't look that way."  With that, the three of us started down the hill.

We had barely taken two steps into town when we were more or less ambushed by anyone who had seen us coming.  With amazement and shock in their eyes, they crowded around us as if they had never seen anyone like us before—and to some degree, they hadn't.  They were mostly light-skinned and dark-haired, with dark eyes glinting in the sunlight.  They all wore modest clothing of white, blue, or green, and didn't seem to be as disheveled as I had imagined a group of humans stranded in a homemade wilderness would be.

"Ah!  Hello everyone!" The Doctor began, not seeming to be put off by their stares.

"Who are you?" One of the people near me called out, his hand on a sword at his side.  I raised my brows and went to answer, but The Doctor stepped in for me.

"I'm The Doctor, and this is Gemini and James. We are here because I caught your distress signal and came to assist you.  May we speak to the one who sent the message?"

But as soon as he had said the words 'distress signal,' the people immediately began talking amongst themselves.  They grew louder and louder until they began crying out to one another, calling more and more people towards them.  And then, at once, one of them grabbed my arm and pulled me away.

"Hey!!" I shouted, but I was quickly lifted and set on the shoulders of a tall, burly man.  When I regained my composure I noticed The Doctor and James had also been lifted into the air, and at once the group began carrying us into town among cheers and cries of joy.

"Well isn't this an exciting way to travel!" The Doctor was grinning.

It was clear James and I were not particularly thrilled about being carried, but as we continued down the streets in this manner, bringing more and more people to the masses around us, the two of us couldn't help but feel a sense of power.  It was as if we were great heroes returning to a land to rescue those in the pit of despair.  For all we knew, we were these peoples' only hope—somehow or another.

As we reached the steps of the palace, everyone grew silent.  We were brought to the head of the group and placed back on our feet as everyone backed up behind us.  At the top of the steps, standing between tall white columns and enormous sculptures of peacocks, was a middle-aged man dressed in a white tunic.  A long green cape was tied around his shoulders, and as he walked down the steps towards us, I could see an intricate pattern sewn into his garment in light-blue thread.  His clothing alone alerted us he was the leader of these people.

He stepped up to us and nodded slightly.  I followed The Doctor's lead and also bowed in return, but the man put his hand on my shoulder and coaxed me upright.

"Do not bow to me, young woman; I believe it is I who must bow to you."

My face flushed and I shot The Doctor a look.

"Right," He quickly jumped in and scooped his arm around my back, "I'm The Doctor.  This is Gemini, and beside her is her brother James.  I intercepted your distress call—"

"Oh, are you the leader of this group?  My apologies," the man said, rubbing his fingers though his graying beard as he stepped back from me.  "She commands much more attention than you do."

Not sure how to respond to such a statement, I merely looked at the irony in the choice of clothing The Doctor was wearing—a tweed jacket, bowtie, and suspenders—compared to my much smaller stature in a faded blue t-shirt and dark jeans.  I caught James trying to hide a smirk; he found the situation just as awkward as I did.

"Well... um... regardless..." The Doctor stepped forward nervously, "Are you the one who sent the call?"

"I did.  We have finally reconstructed our communications tower after countless years of efforts."  He gestured behind the palace, and sure enough, a tall tower peeked over the top of the building. "Our electronics and mechanical systems were much stronger in the past... they seem like the stuff of legends today.  But now!" The man turned towards me again, "Now our signal has been reached and you three have come to our aid!  This is marvelous news!  At last we will be free of the Dalkons!"

At this, the crowds of people rose up behind us and broke into cheers.  The three of us stood amongst their cheering, feeling much smaller than how we were being portrayed.

"Come!" the man said, putting his hand back on my shoulder.  "We shall bring you to the palace to rest after your long journey.  The threat of the Dalkons is currently low, so we must rejoice while we can!  Tonight, a banquet shall be served for all of the Pavo tribe to welcome our heroes!"

Before any of us could say anything in return, we were led up the stairs among the continued shouts of joy from the people behind us.  

The leader turned to us as we climbed the stairs.  "I am Emmerich, the head of the Pavo tribe.  I'll have my wife Laila see to it that you are given proper quarters in the palace—especially for you, my dear."

The Doctor again put his arm around my back and pulled me closer to him—and farther from Emmerich.  "Really, we're not picky," he said as we stopped at the top of the stairs.  "In fact, we weren't expecting such a welcome.  With the distress call as it was, I thought... well, I thought things would be much worse off, to be honest."

"Things are merely growing worse," Emmerich explained.  "The Dalkons have been a threat to our way of life for many years, but only recently have they begun to threaten war."

"What is it that they want from you?" I asked.

Emmerich looked at me, and quickly turned as a group of women started towards us.  "Ah, Laila!  Come here, please!"

The dark-haired woman walked towards us, a genuine smile on her face.  She seemed to glow as she bowed to us and clasped her hands together.  "I had just heard word of newcomers to our town—welcome!"

"These ones have heard our distress call—they are here to help us!"

"May they be praised!" Laila exclaimed, giving James a light hug.  She then turned and gave me and The Doctor similar hugs, clasping her hands together when she had finished.  "Shall I prepare rooms for them?" she asked.

"If you please," Emmerich replied.

The lady nodded and hurried back to her companions, and they quickly started back down the colonnade.  Emmerich turned to us and smiled.  "Feel free to make yourself at home here.  The palace is yours as well as mine.  And you must start out with refreshments—there will be drinks in your rooms, and Laila can show you where the royal baths are.  You appear to have traveled quite some way; this young man could use a cleaner shirt!"

James looked down at his work clothes; almost forgetting he had been repairing on the theater's roof earlier.  Even my clothes were more tattered than usual since I had been working backstage.  The Doctor scratched his head and shrugged.

"We'll take care of that." Emmerich chuckled.  "Come, we'll see if they've finished."

As we followed the leader of the Pavo tribe down the colonnade, James bent down and whispered in my ear. "...I don't know if I like this," he said softly.

I glanced at him.  "Let's just see what happens."

The Doctor glanced at us, and he seemed to nod in agreement.  We all had the feeling something wasn't quite right.  I merely had to trust that the Time Lord knew what he was doing.

Chapter 3

At the end of the colonnade was a leather curtain that drew back to reveal a large room with an opening in the center of ceiling.  Below the opening was a large fountain, and all around the fountain were doors to various rooms.  Emmerich's wife noticed us as she walked out of one room with cloth folded in her hands.

"Good, you are getting them clean clothing!" Emmerich said to her.

Laila nodded as two women stepped out of the room behind her.  "Yes, dear.  I believe these rooms are now ready for them."

"Thank you.  I'll let Laila take care of you from here, then."  The leader of the Pavo tribe said.  He patted me on the back as he walked past me, and then turned and left the room.

Laila joined us and gestured to the first room on our left.  "This room here is for the young man," she said.  She pulled aside the curtain, and we looked inside.  It wasn't overly lavish, but it had a similar structure to the main room.  A small hole in the ceiling corresponded to a small basin in the center of the room.  A large bed was in one corner, a small table and chair were in another, and a chest for clothing stood at the corner across from us.

"And this room is for you two," she stepped over to the next door and looked towards me and The Doctor.

The Doctor's face flushed.  "Both of us?"

Laila smiled.  "Yes, I didn't wish to separate you and your wife!"

Our faces turned a bright red as The Doctor began stammering.  "Sh—ah—she's not—well, not yet—she's... all right." He finally concluded.

"Doctor!" I hissed.

"Just play along—it will be far too awkward at this point!" He shot under his breath.

I pressed my lips shut and tried not to look completely embarrassed as we walked over to Laila.  I could feel my brother's eyes glaring at our backs, but I smiled kindly and thanked Laila for her efforts.

"We will retrieve you when the banquet is ready.  There are fresh clothes in your rooms.  The royal baths are out this door here if you need refreshing.  Do not hesitate to ask anyone in the palace if you need assistance."

"Thank you," I said.

With that Laila gave a small bow and dismissed herself.  We were left alone in the open room.

"All right, Doctor, what do you have in mind here?" I asked as soon as Laila had been gone long enough to be out of earshot.

"You are not married." James pointed, walking over to us.  The boldness and lack of stammer in that phrase surprised even me.

The Doctor waved his hands.  "I know, but I didn't want to upset our hostess!"

"All you had to say was th-that you weren't!" he replied, glaring at The Doctor.

I shook my head.  "Let's just figure out what the heck The Doctor has planned for saving these people."

"I have no idea." The Doctor took a step away from James.  "The distress call sounded much more frantic than this."

"They don't seem to b-be having any problems." James, calmer, pointed out.  "Th-this palace... the town—it all seems more than fine."

"I may seek out Emmerich and talk to him further," said The Doctor, "I need to find out more."

"I'll come with you." I said.

"No—you distract him."

"What??"

"And I don't like the way he looks at you."

I frowned.  "So you don't want your wife going with you?" I stressed the word.

The Doctor attempted to ignore this statement, but was easy to see he hadn't when he ran into a young woman in the doorway.  He apologized and stepped past her to leave the room.

James and I looked at each other.  "Well this is exciting." I muttered.

"You need your own room." He said.

"It'll be all right... the bed's big enough.  I can't imagine him trying anything... or I can just sleep in the chair, honestly. It's quite plush."

James sighed a little.

"Come on, bro." I leaned my head against his arm.  "You know me.  I can take care of myself."

"I know." He replied, giving me a small hug.

The young woman who had entered the room was joined by another woman, and the two of them began talking among themselves as they walked towards the entrance to the baths.

"So, what did the Oracle say to you?" one said.

"She explained a bright horizon, and a broken leaf rising into the sky on the wind."

"And what was that supposed to mean?"

"I haven't a clue... I was hoping you'd understand it..."

"I rarely understand her visions... I know they're symbolic, but still..."

James and I were quickly out of earshot when they left the room.  We glanced at each other.

"An oracle!" I repeated.

James shook his head.  "You're not going to find her, a—are-you?"

I smiled as a response.  My brother shook his head.

"I really think we should stay here."

"I'll just walk around a bit before going to the baths." I said, walking into the room.  A blue and white tunic was laid out on the bed, and beside it was a short green jacket.  I gathered the clothes and walked back out, finding James headed toward his room.   "I'll be back.  I'll see you before the banquet."

He nodded, which I almost couldn't tell since he wasn't facing me.  He quietly stepped into his room and disappeared behind the curtain.  

Part of me wanted to stay with him, but my curiosity was getting the best of me.  I put the clothes over my shoulder and started out the room after the two women.

- - -

"Excuse me," I called when I caught up with them.  The two women turned and gave me a peculiar look before recognizing my current clothing as foreign.

"Oh—you're one of the heroes!  I've heard word that you were here!" one said.

"Well, I guess," I said, "Hey—I couldn't help but overhear you talking of an oracle...?"

"Oh, yes," the second woman glanced at the first.  "You probably have no need for visions—being an outsider, anyway."

I shrugged off their words.  "I'm just curious."

"Go back towards the main hall, but instead of turning back to the colonnade, go in the other direction.  You'll find her."

I thanked them and turned back, following the route as they had explained.  When I turned the other way, I saw a stone walkway leading up to a hill.  At the top of the hill was a small, columned building, like a round gazebo made of stone.  That had to be it.

When I walked up to the gazebo, I saw a young woman seated at the center on the ground, facing the other way.  She wore a blue tunic with white trim, similar to the one on my shoulder, and a long green sash was tied at her waist.  She gave a small sigh as the wind caught her short brown hair.

"...Excuse me?" I said gently.

The girl spun around with a start, her piercing blue eyes locking on to mine out of shock.  She relaxed moments later, the peacock feathers in her hair draping down on her shoulder.  "I'm sorry—I was thinking and I didn't hear you!"

"I didn't mean to—"

"Ohmigosh!"  The girl got to her feet quickly and ran over to me.  "Your clothes—you're not from here!  I saw visions of a foreigner coming—and it's you!!"

I smiled sheepishly.  "I hope you saw two more, I'm not the only one."

"You're right—there were three.  Oh, this is exciting!!  Where are you from?"

"I'm from a place called The Tallelands."

"You're from another planet! That's so amazing!!"  She held out her hand.  "My name is Amaya!  Amaya Demetria!"

I shook her hand, smiling.  "Gemini Gallagher.  Nice to meet you."

We stood, staring at each other for a moment, before Amaya finally spoke again.  "So, are you here for a prediction?"

"Oh, right... I don't know; I guess." I fumbled.

"Wait, so you came here just to see me...?" Amaya looked at me.

"Pretty much.  Why?" I said.

Amaya looked taken aback, and she stepped aside in thought.  "No one ever does that."

"Does what?"

"Just comes over here to talk...  I'm here for predictions; that's all most people care about... wait, why am I telling you this?"

I shrugged.

Amaya shook her head.  "Anyway.  Sorry.  I'm not usually this scatterbrained.  I'm... just excited to meet you, Gemini!"

"It's great to meet you too," I said.

Amaya looked me over.  "You're headed for the baths." she smiled.

"Was that your prediction?  'Cause you're right." I joked.

The Oracle laughed.  "I can give you something better than that..." She stepped up to me.  Her ice-blue eyes looked hard into my own eyes.  She then closed her eyes and stepped back.  "Hmm." She hummed.  She turned on her heels and walked around the columns of the gazebo.  "There's a curtain with a tear in the middle.  A black bird lies dead at your feet.  You're standing, naked, as the curtain is torn in front of you."

I took a step back. "...That's quite a prediction." I muttered softly.

Amaya shook her head, breaking her trance.  "Whew."

"Wait, do you remember your predictions?"

Amaya looked down.  "Not usually."

"So you don't have any idea what you just told me...?"

"No, sorry," she admitted.

I felt a pang of worry in my stomach.  The vision may have been abstracted, but I had a feeling I knew what it meant.  I was expecting a much happier scene, like the bright horizon or a leaf on the breeze.  I had to shudder, hoping what I feared it meant would pass me by.

"I'll go with you to the baths." Amaya spoke up, reminding me where I was.

"Oh—sure, yes." I said.

The Oracle smiled and we started down the hill.  Almost as soon as we had, a loud trumpeting sound was heard behind us.  The two of us turned around and a large brown creature bounded over the hill.

"What the—"

"Gaja!" Amaya called, holding out her hands.

The creature, covered in fur, hobbled on his paws like a bear, but had the trunk of an elephant between two short tusks.  It drew back its trunk and trumpeted again, coming to a stop mere feet before us.  It towered over us, its brown eyes looking down curiously at me.  It puffed air from its trunk, blowing my hair back.

"Gaja, be nice!  Gemini is our friend!" Amaya said, patting the creature's chest.

"...What is Gaja?" I looked up at him warily.

"An elebear." She said simply.  "They say way back when his species was created by crossing a bear and a woolly mammoth.  They were supposed to be feared, but he's just a big cuddly pushover, aren't you, big guy."

Gaja began making a rumbling noise as he set his trunk on Amaya's head.  He then did the same to me.

"There.  He likes you.  He has issues with me leaving with people he doesn't know.  So protective..."

I watched as Gaja stepped back and let his trunk hang down.  He looked from me to Amaya, and back to me.  He began to make the rumbling sound again.

"We're going to the baths, and you know you can't go with me anymore.  You're too big." Amaya said to the swaying elebear.  It was obvious he didn't like the answer, but he huffed and turned back to the gazebo.  "I'll see you in a little while." She called.

I couldn't help but shake my head as Gaja bounded back up the hill and disappeared on the other side.  The Doctor wasn't kidding when he said there were very interesting creatures about.

Chapter 4

The Doctor was wandering the colonnade in search for the leader of the Pavo tribe.  He had found Laila, but the woman was quick to say she didn't know where her husband had gone to.  Not discouraged, the Time Lord continued down the colonnade and towards another large room.  When he walked in, it was a mirror-image of the room he, Gemini, and James had been brought to, only large tapestries were hung from the walls and a statue made from metallic gears and pipes adorned the fountain at the center.

"Oh, Doctor," Emmerich said suddenly, looking up from what seemed to have been a heated discussion at the other end of the room.  He dismissed the two men beside him and walked over.  "What can I help you with, sir?"

"I want to know more about the Dalkons." The Doctor cut to the chase.

Emmerich laughed in his throat.  "Well they're a race of bird-like humans—"

"I know that much.  I want to know what they're doing.  How are they threatening you?"

Emmerich was no longer smiling.  His eyes were guarded, and he took a step back.  "What do you mean?"

The Doctor recognized he was coming across as too harsh, and he backed down.  "I simply need to know what it is they're doing so I know how to counter them.  They aren't here attacking now, so I'm not able to understand their tactics.  I need to know how they threaten the Pavo people—your people."

"Oh, I see," Emmerich said slowly.  "Some time ago a group of Pavo were ambushed while exploring the terrain.  They were not injured, but were sent with a message from the Dalkons that we must stay in our own place.  Of course, I must side with my own people and take offense.  We did not know they had claimed that land as their own, and we were not trying to claim it.  I have tried to reason with them, but they will not back down."

"Right—so you were exploring and they saw that as a move to expand your borders.  That makes sense to me.  But you say you tried reasoning; what were you reasoning?"

"Reasoning for them to leave us be; that is all."

"Did they come after you after the incident of being ambushed?"

"No, but—"

"So what was there to reason?"

Emmerich was beginning to shake his head.  "I do not want my people to be endangered by them!  I want freedom among us!  I want them to be able to walk about and not feel threatened!"

The Doctor, quiet, nodded his head.  "I understand.  Have there been further threats?"

Emmerich crossed his arms.  "Yes.  They continue to claim we are overstretching our boundaries and our resources.  They feel we are funneling too much water from the snow banks on the mountains to the east.  Again, I try to explain that our aqueduct system funnels exactly half into our land, and half into theirs; but they are adamant that they do not get their share.  They now claim they will capture our Oracle if we do not comply with their outrageous agenda."

The Doctor lowered his brows.  "Your Oracle?  What would they need her for?"

"That I cannot answer."  Emmerich turned aside.  "Now if you'll excuse me, I must continue my preparations for this evening.  Thank you."

The leader turned and walked out the opposite door, leaving The Doctor alone.  The time-traveller took a deep breath and started toward the door, not completely satisfied with Emmerich's explanation, but at least things made more sense now.

- - -

James started up the hill at the back of the palace.  He had changed into the clothing Laila had left in his room: a blue tunic with dark pants and a short green cape that draped around his shoulders.  High brown boots reached his calves, and he felt the entire outfit was much too warm for a sunny day's wear.  Still, he found he was much less obvious as a newcomer in the garment, and he enjoyed slipping under the people's radars to see what else was out there.

When he reached the top of the hill, he turned around to see where he had come.  The valley in which the small town was laid had a dark shadow growing on the opposite side as the sun approached the western horizon.  Somewhere on the hill across from him was The Doctor's TARDIS.  Perhaps that was why he left it away from the palace; it was further away from prying eyes.

He then turned back to the other side of the hill.  The great expanse of an open field dotted with trees spread out before him.  There were more dense patches of foliage along the border of the field, but the field was bright and inviting.  For a moment, he thought of the words he had told his sister; that he thought they should stay within the palace.  But while he was there, he was only walking over one hill...

James started down the hill into the field, if nothing else but to say he had gone.  He would obviously be back before dark and before the banquet, which he knew would be approaching before long.  He looked down at the cuffs of his boots, high among the tall grass.  Patches of wildflowers sprung up around him and swayed in the breeze.  It was peaceful there, and James enjoyed it.

A rustling came from beside him.  He froze and looked toward it, his heart racing.

A peacock raised its head from a patch of flowers as its long feathers draped across the grass.  It stepped forward and the grass rustled again.

James took a deep breath, relieved it was only a bird.  He watched as the peacock slowly stepped around the field, pecking at the ground from time to time.  He understood how one could see beauty in it; even its moves were graceful.

A hand latched on to his arm and turned him around with a tight grip.

"What are you doing here??" A tan beak clicked as it spoke the words.  An avian head glared sharply at him through brown eyes, and her human-like body was covered in golden feathers and dark cloth.

James was unable to reply as his fear took every word from his mouth.  He could only look back as the female Dalkon squinted her narrow eyes.

"Come with me, Pavo!!" She cawed, and she sharply pulled him away into the dense foliage at the edge of the field.

James pulled back suddenly and broke from her grasp, but with a lunge she tackled him to the ground, twisting his arm behind his back.  "I will not release the likes of you this time!" she threatened as James grit his teeth.  "At least not yet!"

- - -

Amaya pulled open the curtains that shrouded the bath, and the two of us stepped inside.  It looked like a long pool, maybe four feet in depth, with water running through it like the current of a stream.

"How does this work?" I asked, feeling silly to ask about something as simple as bathing.

"Well, aqueducts carry water from the snow packs on the mountains as it melts..." Amaya began the technical explanation as she walked over to a shelf where white towels were kept.  She brought two over to a table and gestured for me to put my clothes there.  "Some of the water is diverted and brought here to the royal baths.  They build them on a slant so that the water would flow through them and out to the streets by way of pipes."

"Where does it..."  I paused.  Amaya was proceeding to remove her clothing, and she seemed to have no problem with me standing there to do it.  "...Where does it go from there?"

"To the public baths." Amaya said simply, setting the rest of her clothes on the table beside our towels.  She looked at me as I stood, still fully clothed, and still relatively uncomfortable.  "...Do you not bathe like this where you're from?"

I swallowed.  "No, not really.  It's more of a private... um... thing."

"Ohh," Amaya's face flushed.  "I see.  I'll go over here to the other side—I'm—gosh, I'm sorry about that..." She nervously grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her as she started to the other end of the pool.

"No, it's fine; I'm sorry too!" I called after her.  I felt bad that she had to change her custom just for me, but I had to admit I was more comfortable bathing when no one else was watching.  I slipped off my clothes and stepped into the water as quickly as I could, hoping to get clean and get out before anyone else came to use the baths.  

Sure enough, just as I was beginning to relax, someone came up to the curtain and began fumbling to find the opening.  Finally, the hands grasped it and ripped it apart.  The Doctor stood on the other side.

"DOCTOR!!" I shrieked, immediately throwing my arms around my chest and bending my legs.

"Gahh!!" He shouted in reply, a hand trying to go to his eyes to cover them.

"This is the ladies bath!!" Amaya yelled from the other side of the pool.

With an embarrassed cry he threw the curtains closed and ran away.

Breathing hard, I unclenched myself from my awkward covering-up pose and looked straight ahead at the torn curtain.

Amaya floated quietly over to me, her head barely above the water.  "Is he with you?" she asked.

"Yes." I said simply.

"Does he know where the men's baths are?"

"I bet he does now." I said.  "And you know what?  I think your premonition just happened.  A curtain is torn and I'm naked on the other side..."  I let out a short laugh.  "Silly me, I thought it was a metaphor for something... Good grief..."

"Seriously?  Wow..." Amaya chuckled to herself and pushed off the floor to float back to the other side of the pool.  "It's too bad I don't remember them, I would have been laughing so hard... no offense!"

"None taken..." I shook my head.  "All I can think to do at this point is laugh myself!"

Chapter 5

The female Dalkon thrust James into the clearing in the woods.  She kept a tight grip on his arm, and held him in this way as two other Dalkons stepped up to her.

"Pavo!" One cried, his feathers more of a dull tan.  "Feidal—where did you find him??"

"In our lands," she replied, her beak clicking together.  "I have not questioned him to know if he spies, or if he is merely stupid!"

"I'm-m—n-ot stupid!" James finally stammered, anger apparent in his voice.

Feidal released him, and he fell to the ground as the two other Dalkons crowded around.  "So, what is your purpose for this?  You are spy?"

"N-no!  I'm—I'm not a P-P-P..."  James took a deep breath.  "I'm not a P-Pavo!"

"You dress as one!" Feidal leaned over him.

"B-bec... they gave it to m-me."

The tan Dalkon poked at James.  "You have dark hair—dark eyes, like Pavo."

"He could lie, like Pavo!" The other Dalkon added.

"No!" Feidal quieted them, looking piercingly at James.  "He speaks truth."

James wanted to feel relief from her words, but it was hard with the fierceness in her eyes.

"What you do, then?  You are outsider?  You visit Pavo?"

"Y-yes." James said, keeping his statements short, "Visiting."

"And you wander outside Pavo land.  You realize this?"

James shook his head warily.  "No."

The two Dalkons behind him glanced at each other.  "Why are you kind to him?  He is outsider!" One shouted.

"You are quiet now!" She cawed.  "I will speak to him.  I will give him Dalkon's message.  He will return with our words.  He is not Pavo.  He needs not be harmed.  Go!!"

The two Dalkons hurried away, leaving only James and Feidal in the clearing.  The female Dalkon ruffled her feathers.  "You return to Pavo and you tell them we are waiting.  We wait for them to agree to share the water.  If they do not share water we take their Oracle."

"O—Oracle?" James repeated.

"Yes.  Without her, Pavo will fall.  She is key—so we are told.  If she dies, the Pavo will finally return our water."

James, though somewhat horrified, could only nod slowly in agreement.   "The Pavo don't share... share the water?" He finally felt brave enough to ask.

"No.  They route all water from mountains to their town.  We try and say we need water too... they do not listen."

James lowered his brow.  "Why are they so upset with you—when they are the reason you are upset with them?"

"They tell you this? Ha!"  Feidal grabbed James' arm and pulled him to his feet.  "You go, and tell them what I say.  You tell them we need only half of water.  Only third of water—we can do this too.  We are not as numerous as Pavo."

"I'll d-do what I can." James said.

Feidal finally smiled, though her eyes were still so fierce it was hard to tell.  "I thank you.  What is your name?"

"James."

"I am Feidal."

"Th-thank you, Feidal."

Feidal nodded her head and then walked away, disappearing in the dense foliage.  James took a deep breath.  He knew something hadn't been right about the way the Pavo tribe did not seem to be in danger.  For all he knew, it was the Dalkon tribe that was in more dire straits than the Pavo.  Straightening up, he walked back to the field and over the hill as the sun continued to slide towards the horizon.

- - -

"Excuse me," Laila lightly touched my arm, "But the banquet will be starting in a few—"

"Where could he have gone??" The Doctor rushed out of James' room and met the two of us at the fountain.  He was now changed into his Pavo garments, and I had to admit he was rather dashing in a tunic and cape.  I shook my head focused on the task at hand, which included nodding to Laila who was still softly reminding me about the banquet.

"And he was the one telling me to stay here in the palace," I said as Laila gave up and started outside.

Amaya stood beside me as well, looking curiously around the room.  "He's not in the palace." She said dreamily.

"Wait—can you find him?" I asked, turning to her.

"Who?"

"My brother, James—you just said he wasn't here,"

Amaya looked aside.  "Oh, sorry.  I warned you before I don't always remember..."

The Doctor started out the door to the baths, and I felt the need to follow him.  I was quickly reminded I was in a skirt when the wind caught it as soon as I had stepped outside, and I awkwardly held it down as I ran after him.

The Doctor looked at me confusedly when I caught up to him.  "Having trouble?"

"I wish I had pants." I complained.

"Why would you say that?  You look beautiful."

My face flushed, but I shook my head.  "This isn't the time—we need to find James."

"Is that him?" Amaya spoke behind us.

The three of us turned and looked up the high hill, and sure enough, James was sprinting down in his tunic and short green cape.

"James!" I called, meeting him at the base of the hill with a relieved hug.  James, however, scarcely paused before he stepped up to The Doctor with a stern look on his face.

"The Pavo are not the ones in danger here." He said firmly.

The Doctor was taken aback.  "Why do you say that?"

"I met the Dalkons—the-the Pavo are taking all of their water—that's why they're upset!"  James said.

"Hold on a moment," The Doctor raised his hands.  "I spoke with Emmerich and he said that half was being sent to their land."

"H-he's lying.  I spoke to Feidal; the Dalkons receive no water."

Amaya and I glanced between the two men.  "All this time I thought we were giving them half," Amaya gently added.  "At least that's what they've told us,"

"Could they be lying?" I asked.

The Doctor shook his head.  "No—James, we've got to trust Emmerich at this point; he sent out the distress call, I am obligated to take his word," The Doctor tried.

"Then what if the Dalkons were the ones to send the c-c—call?" James asked heatedly.  "Would you still side with them?"  With that he walked past us and headed for the fountain room.

The Doctor looked at me with a sort of helpless look to his face.  I shrugged slightly and started off after James.  "James," I called, finding the young man at the other side of the room.

"D-don't stick up for him, I don't want to h—hear it."

I frowned, catching up with him.  "I wasn't going to." I said suspiciously.

"So, what then?"

"So, maybe we can talk to Emmerich about what they told you."  As I looked at him, I again saw the untrusting eyes glancing in The Doctor's direction as the Time Lord entered the room.

James stepped away and didn't answer.  He was stopped quickly when Emmerich brushed aside the leather curtain and walked into the room.

"Ah—here you are!  The banquet is about to begin, I trust Laila informed you?"

"She did; we were coming," I said, eyeing James.

Emmerich also caught James' glare, and he took a hesitant step back.  "Good," he said after a moment.  "We await your arrival at the front of the palace."

"Wait," James stopped him.  The Pavo leader seemed unsure, but he lingered in the doorway.  "I spoke to the Dalkons." He said.

Emmerich turned away almost immediately.  "I do not have time to speak to you about them."

"They s-s—say you don't give them their share of water."

Emmerich pointed at James.  "I don't need their lectures from you!  You're supposed to be the ones helping us!"

"H—how can I if what I hear from them d—d... does not match with what you say?" James shouted, stumbling over his words in the heat of anger.

"Sir, I apologize," The Doctor stepped in quickly, holding James back by the shoulder.  The tall young man pulled away immediately and stepped back, glaring at him.  The Doctor frowned and turned back to Emmerich.  "We've received conflicting information.  We will sort this out and find the best plan of action."

"The plan of action should be nothing more than putting them back into their place!" Emmerich growled.  "You are here to help us.  We are trusting you to help us!"

"And we will," The Doctor said firmly, "It just may be in a slightly different way."

Emmerich wavered in the doorway, his face twisted in irritation.  "Fine.  But if you will not help us, you are free to leave the same way you came."  He then turned and left the room in a huff.

We stood, still and silent, for what seemed like a very long time.  Finally, James started towards his room and disappeared behind the curtain.

"James, ar—"

"I'm not going."

I closed my mouth.  I felt like I had betrayed him somehow, even though I couldn't see where I had.

The Doctor muttered something under his breath and also walked towards the rooms.

"You're not either?" I asked him as he passed.

"Not at this moment." He replied, lingering the doorway.  "I need to wrap my head around this.  You can go." He turned away and slipped past the curtain.

Chapter 6

I sighed and turned to Amaya.  "I guess it's just me and you, then.  I hate to be the only one there from our supposed 'hero' group...  We may not even be welcome at this point."

"You're not missing anything," my Oracle friend replied as she started toward the door.  I followed her and we looked out across the colonnade to the front of the palace where a long banquet table had been set up.  People seemed to be gathering food and sitting with each other on blankets and cloth on the ground.  "It's no fun if you don't have anyone to sit with." She continued.  "Just a lot of food and a lot of people."

"I probably should at least get food for James and The Doctor," I mused.

"We can do that.  But we can eat up here instead."

With that, we headed down inconspicuously, gathered a few plates of food, and then headed back up before anyone noticed I wasn't one of them.  It wasn't hard to blend in with my new clothing, although my eyes were quite a bit lighter than the average Pavo.  However, looking at Amaya as we walked back, I noticed hers were far too light as well.

"Do all Pavo people have dark eyes except you?" I asked her as we climbed the stairs.

"Yep," she replied, her ice-blue eyes shining in the evening light.  "That's another sign I'm the Oracle."

"Huh," I commented.  "So is there another Oracle out there somewhere?"

We entered the fountain room and Amaya smiled at me.  "Not yet, anyway.  When a new Oracle is born, that usually means something is about to happen to me."

"So you'd probably prefer that one isn't born any time soon..." I smiled back.

She nodded exuberantly.

I lightly informed James I had food for him, and he met me at the door.  He gave me a softer look than he had earlier, but still only gave a simple 'thank you' before he disappeared again.  The Doctor treated me similarly, although he gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before he returned to the room.  I rolled my eyes and walked out to the gazebo with Amaya.

With Gaja seated quietly behind us, the two of us ate our food and watched the sun set.  One older gentleman made the climb to the gazebo for a premonition, and I had to step back while Amaya did her work.  The gentleman then thanked her, eyed me and Gaja curiously, and started back to the banquet.

"Peacocks seem to be a common theme around here." I said, noticing the gentleman had a few of the blue-green feathers stuck in the hat on his head.  "I notice even you have a few feathers in your hair."

Gaja made a small rumble and Amaya finally gave in and handed him an apple.  He picked it up happily with his trunk and seemed to play with it before finally placing it in his mouth.  

"Yes," the Oracle finally answered me.  "They are considered to be very pure, and they're nearly worshiped around here."

"Pure, because they're the only other creature that isn't a blend of something else?"

"Yeah, how'd you know that?" Amaya asked, batting away Gaja's trunk as he attempted to steal her plate.

"The Doctor told me about it,"

Amaya set her plate aside and leaned back on her arms.  "He seems to know a lot." She commented.  "You would think he'd know what's going on with the Dalkons."

I shook my head.  "He doesn't know everything."

"You like him, though."

I felt my face flush.  "Yeah, I do."

"I could tell.  You two have a strong aura.  I thought you might be married, but you wouldn't have been so freaked with him seeing you naked."

I snorted, shaking my head.  "Laila thought we were married too.  I honestly didn't think our feelings were that obvious..."

Amaya chuckled, patting Gaja's feet as the elebear stood behind her and huffed.  "Gaja knows it's time for me to go to bed." She said.

"Already?"

"Already—the sun's nearly set!"

I started getting to my feet.  "Where I come from, things are just getting started at this time of day."

"You people are crazy.  Do you still get up at dawn?"

"I sure don't." I smirked.

"That makes sense.  You don't follow the sun like we do."

We bid Gaja good night, and the elebear bounded up the high hill on the edge of town and disappeared behind a few trees.

"Where did he just go?" I asked Amaya.

"That's where he sleeps at night.  It's a big cave—and big enough for when he's full grown.  People say it was once a power plant or something, but it's been vacant and powered down for hundreds of years."

I nodded and gave one last look to the area.  There wasn't much to see from my vantage point, but I could imagine it must have been fairly large if a creature even bigger than Gaja's current size could sleep there.  Behind the trees at the top of the hill rose a small outcropping of mountains.  In the pale light of dusk, I could barely make out the snowcaps on the top, and the workings of an aqueduct line making their way down the slopes.  I hummed a little and we returned to the palace.

Amaya's room was across the fountain from mine, so we said our goodnights and awkwardly stood near the door.  It was obvious we both had similar thoughts on our minds; I was not going to be there for very long, and Amaya was more or less bound to her people because of her status.  I really felt a friendship with her, and after hearing how generally lonely she was, I was beginning to worry about what leaving was going to feel like.

"Well, thank you for hanging out with me today.  It's been so long since I've done anything like that... It was great." Amaya smiled almost sheepishly.

"Hey, considering my boyfriend and brother bailed on me, I'm glad I had someone I could hang out with too."

She finally stepped forward and gave me a friendly hug, and I hugged her back.  I then turned and walked around the fountain to my room, giving her a light wave before we both stepped inside our rooms.

The Doctor was seated at the table at the corner of the room when I walked in.  His elbows rested on the table as his hands supported his forehead, almost like he was studying the tabletop intently.  "There you are," he said, scarcely looking behind to see me.  "How was the banquet?"

"I didn't go either, remember?" I pulled off my green jacket and boots and set them beside the bed.

"Oh... right."

I sauntered over to him and placed my hands on his shoulders.  "You need to stop thinking about all this and relax for a few minutes."

He closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair, taking in a breath as I rubbed his shoulders.  After a moment, however, he opened his eyes and sat upright.  "There you are being distracting again—stop it!"

"How am I distracting?" I played.

"You're incredibly distracting!  Look at you!" He turned the chair around and did just that.

I raised an eyebrow.  "Look at you,"

He glanced down at himself.  "...This costume is rather odd for me."

"I think it's hot." I sat down on his leg, "It's very different from your bowtie."

I placed my hand where his bowtie would have been, and he finally pulled his lips into a smirk.  "Bowties are still cool."

"They are.  But so are capes."

He leaned forward and kissed me, and I placed my hands on his chest.  He ran his fingers through my hair and rubbed my back.  We kissed again, and I felt a restless flutter in my chest as he pulled away to look at me tenderly.  His light hazel-green eyes caught the glow of the moonlight shining in from the hole in the ceiling.  

He sort of brushed my arms up to his shoulders, and then he scooped his arm under my legs to lift me up.  He carried me across the room and placed me, seated, on the edge of the bed.  My heart was racing as he leaned over to kiss me again.

I could feel an immense passion, a deep desire to hold him with everything I had and throw away any other thoughts.  He was everything I could have wanted; kind, funny, handsome, smart, passionate, strong, and brave... I wanted nothing more than to stay with him, to be with him, to love him.  Was it love? Love... or at least a similar desire.  A very intense desire...  Something that I was quickly losing control of with every breath, with every caress, with every kiss...

I held his head as he slid his hand gently across my thigh until it had brushed under my skirt, and then he stopped.  He pulled away and opened his eyes, and I opened mine to notice his suddenly distant expression.

My mind was racing now.  Part of me wanted him to keep going, but the other part was much too hesitant now that it realized what was going on.  I began wondering which half was Raven, and which half was Ace.  Amongst my pulsing thoughts, it was too hard to tell.

He removed his hands and touched my shoulders.  With a lukewarm smile he lightly kissed my forehead.  "Get some sleep." He said after a moment.

Half of me was completely let down as he turned around and walked to the door.  "Doctor," the half spoke up.

The Time Lord turned around, his brows raised expectantly.

The half was quite again.  I took a deep breath and found myself at a loss for words.  I finally ended by shaking my head and looking at the floor.

When I glanced back up, I noticed he had also diverted his eyes.  "I'll return soon," he smiled weakly.

As much as I wanted to jump up and follow him, I nodded silently and let him go.

"Goodnight, Gem."

"Goodnight, Doctor."

- - -

The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair, pacing back and forth beside the fountain.  There were countless thoughts racing through his mind; more than any human could have handled.  It was almost too much for a Time Lord.

"Are you all right?" came a voice.

The Doctor nearly tripped on his boots when he spun around to see who had just spoken.  To his surprise, the young Oracle stood on the other side of the fountain.  "Oh," he said after a moment.  "No... yes.  Yes, I'm brilliant, thank you."

Amaya tilted her head.  "...Uh-huh..."

Shaking his head as if to clear it, he rocked on his heels and looked into the bubbling waters of the fountain.  "Fountains are rather odd, aren't they?  They suck in water and spew it out again...  How do you even have such a thing working here with such little technology?  I bet its run entirely on suction or water pressure..."

"Do you ever stop thinking about things?" Amaya asked innocently.

The Doctor looked over at her, but didn't immediately answer.  "...There's just a lot on my mind right now." He finally spoke; his voice was almost melancholy.  "Sometimes it helps me to think about something entirely different so I don't think about the other things that worry me..."

He watched as Amaya slowly walked around the fountain and stood beside him.   Her ice-blue eyes studied him closely; then, after a moment, she closed her eyes and took his hand.  

"You're getting awfully close."

His brows lowered.  "Tell me something I don't know." He muttered.

Amaya continued.  "Two will be in danger.  A choice must be made.  One will fall..."

The Doctor blinked.  "What? Wait... no..."  He pulled away from her grasp and brought a hand to his face.  He covered his mouth and then ran his fingers down his cheeks until they slid off his chin.  His eyes focused intensely on nothing in particular.

Amaya shook her head.  "What?"

The Time Lord turned away.  "Nothing." He mumbled softly.  He started toward the door to the colonnade, walking slowly.  He paused when he got outside, and with a heavy sigh he sat down on the edge of the walkway between two columns.  "Nothing at all."

Chapter 7

Light was beginning to spill into the room through the opening in the ceiling.  The sounds of the town waking up and starting their daily tasks gradually grew loud enough to wake me from sleep.  I opened my eyes slowly and took in a deep breath.  Looking past the still-tucked sheets on the other side of the bed, I found The Doctor slumped backwards in the cushioned chair beside the bed—fast asleep.

I smiled softly.  It was peaceful like this.  He was breathing slowly, and his chest rose and fell under the green cape he was using as a blanket.  I couldn't help but grin when I noticed how messy his floppy hair was from sleeping on it.  The grin turned bemused when I realized he had been respectful enough to sleep in a chair after I had fallen asleep in the bed.

It was then I tried to remember when I had ever seen him so still; so serene.  He was almost always moving or thinking or pacing or talking... He rarely ever took the time to rest, at least when I was around.  Of course, he was Time Lord.  Time, and how it was spent, was very important to him.  Perhaps he finally decided his time could be well spent just by sleeping.

As much as I hated to, I slowly roused from the bed—causing a great squeal from the bed frame.  The Doctor squinted and interrupted a breath as he began to wake up.  I sat up and tugged on the strap of my undershirt to get it back on my shoulder.  His eyes blinked and opened.  It took them a moment to find me, but when they did, his lips pulled to a smile.

"I rather like this view; could I have it every morning?" He said.

I smirked back.  "Good morning to you too."

He chuckled a bit and shifted his position, rolling forward and and propping himself up on the arm of the chair.  He rubbed his head a little, brushing the messy hair out of his face as the cape slipped into his lap.  Since he was already flirting this morning, I decided to continue as I eyed his bare chest.

"You know, you're awfully distracting like that."

"Pff, now you know how I feel." He was still rubbing his eyes.

I shook my head and slid my legs around to the side of the bed.  "So, when did you finally come back last night?  Did you finally finish thinking?"

I heard him groan a bit, and then he began shuffling to his feet as well.  "Yes."  He said simply, dropping the cape and stretching his arms wide.  The cuffs of his pants slid across the floor as he walked over to the cabinet to gather the blue tunic.  "I'll just have to speak with Emmerich again.  While I will gladly admit what he says comes across as a little fishy, I can't understand why he would pull such a stunt if he had been the one causing the trouble in the first place."

"Unless we're caught in a really intricate lie," I added, crossing my legs.

The Doctor turned his head, glancing at me.  "Did you sleep in jeans?"

"I didn't have any other pants," I replied.  "I need pants to sleep.  I get cold."

"Even with me nearby? I thought I was hot."

I brought a hand to my forehead.  "Oh wow..."

The Doctor then quickly cleared his throat.  "Speaking of being distracting—once again you have diverted my attention."  I rolled my eyes as he continued.   "We could indeed be caught in a lie, but I still can't see Emmerich putting this on.  Unless there's some sort of hidden agenda I'm completely missing—and I can't see that I've missed anything after all the possibilities I've thought up—things just aren't adding up."

"James was pretty adamant about what the Dalkons told him," I said, walking over to the cabinet.  "I know he's not lying."

The Doctor pulled the tunic over his head.  "He isn't, but the Dalkons could be.  They could be using his outsider-status to their advantage."

"They s-sure sounded like they were telling the truth."

We both turned to the door.  Two brown boots could be seen in the small gap between the floor and the leather curtain.

The Doctor pressed his lips together.  "I figured you would be out there.  Come on in."

James stepped inside as The Doctor eyed me in my undershirt and jeans and quickly handed me my clothes.  I shrugged considering I was decent, but with a peculiar glance from James, I figured I needed to be more fully dressed.

"Regardless," The Doctor finally started up when it appeared James wasn't going to restart the conversation, "We must discover the role of this Oracle; she seems to be very important to this matter."

I stood up straighter.  "The Oracle—Amaya?  What does she have to do with this?"

"Apparently the Dalkons have threatened to capture her."

"They were told they must k-... kill her." James said awkwardly.

"Kill her?? Why?" I grabbed James' hand.

The Doctor eyed me and my outburst.  "Emmerich gave me no clues as to why she would be so important to them...  Wait—James did you say someone told the Dalkons?"

"That's what they told me." He said.

"They can't kill her; she's not involved in this!"

"Gem," The Doctor held out his hand toward me.

"T-then we must tell Emmerich to comply with the Dalkons," James said firmly, "or they will capture her."

"James, we can't just switch sides—"

"And w-why not?" My brother stepped back in defense.  "Just because you side with Emmerich doesn't mean other people have v-v—valid points; it doesn't mean a girl has to die!"

The Doctor looked pained.  "That's not what I'm getting at, it's—"

"No!" James shouted, "You're—you're not talking your way around it this time.  What makes your side right every time you do something l-like this?  Who p-puts you in charge of deciding who lives and who dies?  Do you like the power—the attention??"  James took a deep breath, an angry frown plastered on his face, "Do you do it so people like Ace will love you like a hero??"

I felt a pang in my chest.  I did not want to be pulled into this.  The severity of his words had scared me enough.  It was clear his trust in The Doctor had been firmly shaken, and he was ready to take me with him.

The Doctor's face had dimmed to a solemn, pensive, and extremely displeased expression.  "I want you to know right now that is not why I am doing this." He muttered coldly.  "You know as well as I do there will always be someone who wins and someone who loses.  There will always be someone who is upset with an outcome no matter how many others may praise it.  I do everything in my power to save lives—and if someone like a Dalkon or even the Oracle has to die for things to right themselves, I will accept what needs to happen.  After nine-hundred years of this I certainly don't need someone like you telling me what I'm doing wrong."

I cautiously eyed James, but my brother had clearly heard enough.  He did not storm away immediately, but after a look of daggers, James turned and stepped through the doorway.

He ran straight into Amaya, who, by the look on her face, had heard everything we had spoken.  His expression immediately shifting to one of surprise and regret, he shot a look at The Doctor.

Amaya, however, spoke up first.  "So I need to die for this to end?" she wavered.

"No," I said quickly, starting to the door.

She turned and ran away from me before I had reached her, and after pushing my way past The Doctor and James, I rushed out after her.

"Amaya!" I called, running through the doorway and out towards her gazebo.  I was quickly grabbed by the arm and spun around, nearly causing me to fall from the shift in momentum.  The Doctor was on the other side.  "Let go—I need to talk to her!" I pleaded.

"Gem, no," he said, a pained expression on his face, "We need to leave,"

I pulled against him but he wouldn't budge.  "Why??"

"I fear we're in over our heads," he admitted.

"You just now think so?  Now that you've ticked off both James and Amaya?"

I immediately realized I had spoken too harshly, but the words had already been said.  The Doctor released my arm and remained silent.  He looked at me as if he had been offended.

"I'm sorry," I muttered.  With that, I turned around and started back up the hill to find the Oracle.

Amaya was not in her gazebo.  She was not on the other side of the hill, and neither was Gaja.  I scanned as far as I could see from the small hill, hoping I would at least find the elebear's larger form on the landscape.  Unfortunately, neither could be found.

I looked up to the larger hill that marked the end of the Pavo's territory, to the group of trees that hid the large cave Gaja used at night.  I nodded to myself.  Amaya must have gone there.

When I entered the shadowed cave, I was quickly surprised by the networking of mechanics that were housed within on one side.  The ground on which I stood continued on a good many feet before dropping off completely, making a very large platform in the cavernous space.  I stepped further in, walking closer to the edge of the platform, and I could see the jagged edges of rocks continuing down into the dim bottom of a lower level.  This lower level looked as if it had held water at one time, but it had since been dried up.  I could, however, hear water rushing somewhere in the distance.

I followed the edge of the platform to the other side, where the rusted mechanical implements stood.  A huge generator was housed in the rock on the walls across from the platform, and metalwork like scaffolding spanned the gap and rose up onto my level.  Two large glass tanks rested in a row on the platform, with pipes and a small metal walkway suspended over them.

And above all of this was a large pipe that came in from the ceiling and pointed into one of the tanks.  I shook my head, wondering how the Pavo people could have abandoned such a contraption.  It was clear the device had been used for power, generated from flowing water.

"Amazing, isn't it.  All that power, going to waste... not unlike you..."

A chill went down my spine.  I turned my head slowly to look in the opening of the cave.  My senses hadn't failed me; it was Hydra.

Chapter 8

"Hydra!" I shouted, more surprised than angry, although that quickly changed when the renegade Time Lord began to walk towards me with her usual air of superiority.

"Welcome to Fortis-Novus, Gemini." She goaded, eyeing my mismatched clothing of jeans and a blue tunic.  "I trust you've enjoyed your stay?"

"I may have, until I saw you." I sneered.

Hydra winced dramatically.  "Ooh!  It burns!"

"So," I crossed my arms as I kept a good distance away from my nemesis, "Did you chase me all the way here to try and kill me again?"

"I hardly chased you," Hydra was eyeing my movements, "It was more like... leading."

"Leading?" I stopped walking.

Hydra gave a short chuckle.  "Your Doctor is very easy to lure.  Stir up some crap on a planet somewhere and wait for him to show up to be the hero."  She smirked and brushed the hair out of her face.

I grit my teeth.  "You did all of this??" I growled with my fists clenched.  "But of course!  All of this confusion and distrust could only be caused by someone as twisted as you are!  So you're the one who told the Dalkons they needed to kill Amaya!!"

"Hey, I wasn't expecting you to befriend the girl—that's only turned out as a bonus to watch your little half-Time Lord head try to find a way to save her."

"So what about the water—the Pavo swear they're giving the Dalkons half of the water—did you sabotage that too??"

Hydra started walking closer to me.  "I'll let you figure that one out."

"You're insane!!" I shouted, taking a step back.  "All of this just to get to me??"

"Well, not just you," Hydra reached into her pocket and pulled out her sonic screwdriver.  "I also have The Doctor and all these pathetic humans right where I want them."

I continued to back away from her.  I didn't have my sonic screwdriver with me; I had left it in the palace.  From the look on her face, Hydra was also aware of this.  Breathing hard, I stayed as defensive as I could.  "I guess I'll just have to take care of you before you can get to them," I said.

Hydra didn't even flinch.  "Keep telling yourself that."  She lunged towards me with her screwdriver blaring.

I dodged and promptly blocked a few punches before the incessant buzzing of her screwdriver began to grate on my nerves.  At last I managed to slip past her, and I raced towards the glass tanks and machinery.  I ducked around one of the tanks, and Hydra stopped on the other side.  We feigned movements back and forth before I caught sight of a broken pipe and dashed to the floor to grab it.  I managed to catch it with my hand, but Hydra leapt around and slammed her elbow into my back.  I cried out and flung my arm backwards, swinging the pipe at her.  She blocked it with her other arm, but she had to shift her weight to do it.  In that pause I slipped out from under her and spun around.

Facing her again, we were locked in another standoff.  I held the thick pipe in my hands as she fingered her sonic screwdriver.  She faked a lunge and I held up the pipe.  She faked another and I kept my guard.  Rolling her eyes, she activated her screwdriver again.  I grit my teeth and tried shaking it off, but it had successfully distracted me long enough for her to plow into me.  I was slid backwards until I hit the glass tank, and I slammed the pipe into her side.  She crouched away and punched me in the face.  I rolled my head and kicked her in the stomach.

I slipped out of her grasp again and raced away from her.  I found metal stairs that led to the walkway above the glass tanks, and without much thought, I ran up.  Hydra was close behind, so I ran to the end of the walkway thinking I would find a way to climb down.  One tank was covered in thick bars that allowed the water from the pipe above to enter it.  The other, at the end of the walkway, was uncovered, with the metal piping lying on the walkway.  There was a network of small pipes leading off from this last tank, but it would be a heavy risk to try to climb across it.  I turned back around, feeling like I had hit a dead end.

Hydra was running towards me.  I flung the pipe at her, and she managed to get most of her body out of its way—except her arm.  Her sonic screwdriver went flying to the ground and she faltered for a moment as she winced against the pain in her arm.

She did not falter for long.  Before I knew what to do, she shoved me backwards and I slid off the platform and into the glass tank.  I hit the hard metallic bottom and remained on the floor, wincing.

"There," Hydra said, clutching her arm and speaking somewhat breathlessly.  "My usual position—standing over you."

Her voice echoed when she spoke into the tank.  It hadn't quite hit me that I was now at the bottom of an 8-foot glass tank with no easy way of getting back out; but when I saw her bend down of out my current vantage point and could hear the grating of the metal pipe cover sliding across the walkway, that fact became immediately clear.

"No—" I staggered to my feet and jumped up, trying to get even an inch of traction with my boots against the rounded glass sides so I could catch the lid of the tank.  I missed, however, and slid back down moments before the metal piping was pushed off the platform to close the tank.

The sound had been deafening inside the glass walls.  As I steadied myself on my feet, I looked up with worried eyes.  Hydra gazed down through the gaps in the piping and grinned.

"You look like a bird in a cage," she mocked coldly, "Trapped like a specimen on display at a zoo."

I jumped up on the side again and grabbed onto the piping.  I got a good enough grip to hang on to it, and I tried pushing against the glass sides with my legs in an effort to move the pipes off the tank.  I struggled with this for a moment until Hydra stepped down on my hands.  I cried out and let go, and I again fell back to the ground.

"Give up, Gemini."  Hydra's voice demanded.  She was out of sight from where I was, but I could hear a loud clank shortly after.  "Or at the very least... you'd better start praying your Doctor gets here soon..."

Another loud clank resounded in the cave, and at once the rushing of water was heard.  My eyes grew wide as water began to cascade into the tank beside me from the pipe high above our heads.  It was then I noticed the thick tube that linked the two tanks together in such a way that when the first tank filled up, the second would begin to fill with water.  A shallow ring around the outside of the tank collected the water that overflowed, and a series of pipes ran from there.

My heart was racing with panic.  The tank beside me was filling up slowly but steadily, and I was trapped in the second tank.  One of my worst fears was drowning... and now Hydra was going to do it.

From the corner of my eye, I saw a figure race in from the brightness outside the cave.  It was quickly revealed to be Amaya, and she staggered backwards when she saw me in the tank.  "Gemini!!" She shrieked, "Oh no—what happened?? How'd you get in there?"  She raced over and immediately pressed her hands against the glass.

"Get out of here before she finds you!" I yelled to her, my voice muffled by the echo inside the tank, "Go get help!"

"Before who?  What?"

"A very dangerous Time Lord put me in here—and she's still in here somewhere!"

Amaya glanced around, but apparently Hydra had hidden herself.  The Oracle finally looked back to me with fear.  "I need to get you out of there!  I'll get Gaja—he can push the tank over!"

"Yes—get Gaja—hurry!" I was breathing hard as Amaya raced back outside.  I glanced over at the first tank and saw it was already half-full.  I winced and shut my eyes, hoping I would be freed before it was too late.

- - -

The Doctor was running back to the palace when he noticed James was headed in the opposite direction.  "Wait—James—"

The young man passed him by without more than a sharp glance.

Cringing, The Doctor tried to get through to him.  "James, please, listen to me for a moment!"  He walked along side James, who was now ignoring his presence completely.  "Your sister has run off to find Amaya—she'll return before long, and then we need to leave.  This problem is bigger than we are; we can't stay!"

James, however, continued to walk to the top of the hill in silence.

"James, please!" The Doctor repeated, reaching out to him.

The young man shrugged him off and turned around.  "I am going to look at the aqueducts.  If-if no one here knows what is g-going on, I will find out." He said as firmly as he could.

"You're going to the aqueducts?  Up that mountain?"

"If I have to.  I want to go around the mountain enough to—to see what it looks like first."

The Doctor looked puzzled.  "...Of course.  Why didn't I think of that...?"

"Common sense, Doctor." James sneered before continuing on.

Taking a deep breath, the Time Lord bit his tongue and followed James as he started even further up the hills to get a better view of the start of the aqueducts.  It was just out of sight due to the angle of the mountain that faced the Pavo's valley, so all they needed to do was travel up and around until they could see the distant structure's starting point.  

Before long, the second line of aqueducts came into view, pointing in the opposite direction of the line that carried water to the Pavo.

"Aha," The Doctor pointed, "There's the second line.  There are two aqueducts,"

"But w-where do they start," James said distantly, squinting as he gazed up the mountain.

"They start there," The Doctor referenced a point on the mountain, "That shady area in the trees must be where the melting snow pools for it to be carried down here.  They both lead up to that point."  He smiled to himself.  "So it would appear Emmerich is telling the truth."

James was studying the mountainside silently.  "He may be," he said after a moment, "S-so are the Dalkons lying?"

The Doctor grinned as if he had won a contest.  "It would sure seem so!  There are two aqueduct lines leading off from one point, and that pipe there must be... wait..."  The smile faded and he put a hand to his forehead to block out the sun.  "Hold on... there's a pipe running down the mountain... a pipe!"

"And... and look!" James exclaimed, "It's barely h-hidden among the Dalkon aqueduct—but it goes up to it a short distance after it s-starts!"

The Doctor moved his hand to rub his chin.  "My word... they were both telling the truth.  The Dalkons and the Pavo were both telling the truth!  The Pavo swore they were splitting the water, the Dalkons swore they weren't getting any—because they aren't!  Someone is siphoning their water—with a pipe!"  He turned to James with a look of anticipation.  "Neither of these races have the current technology to make such a new-looking pipe.  How much would you bet that someone on the outside is tampering with them??"

"I'm not Ace, but I would bet on that one," James turned to The Doctor.

The two of them paused for a moment.  Their expressions held that of an apology, albeit a reluctant one.  It finally hit them that they were both right—and both wrong at the same time.

"W-we need to see where that pipe goes," James said.

The Doctor nodded.  "Right."

Without another word, the two of them followed the pipe as it started back towards the valley, leading them to the top of a large cave.

- - -

"Help!" Amaya called as loudly as she could.  "Gaja, come here!  Gaja!" She raced around the outside of the cave and clutched her hands together.  "At this point I'll take anybody!  Please, someone help!  My friend is trapped in a water tank!!"

She heard footsteps nearby and turned to meet them, hoping it was someone who could offer assistance.  To her shock, the avian face of Feidal met her as the Dalkon climbed over the hill.

Amaya rushed into the cave out of fear, but stopped when she saw me in the tank.  The water had just begun to spill over into my tank, and she shook her head and turned back to the entrance.  The Oracle was frozen in place and rendered silent as the Dalkon firmly stepped up to her; a long bladed staff in her hands.

"Are you Pavo's Oracle?" Feidal asked, her narrow eyes piercing into Amaya's.

The pale blue eyes of Amaya were filled with a deep fright.  "...Yes," she said, barely a whisper.

Feidal gripped tighter on her staff.  She paused enough to show she may not have been ready for what she was about to say, but her fierce eyes did not show it.   "...Then for honor of my people, I must kill you."

Amaya slowly dropped to her knees.  After hearing the words of the time-travellers, she knew nothing more to do than to accept her fate.  It seemed as if she really would need to die to bring peace to the Pavo tribe and the Dalkons.  She closed her eyes and bowed her head.

"No!!" The Doctor cried, racing into to the cave.  "Stop it!!  Don't kill her!!"

Feidal straightened up and turned around.  As The Doctor and James ran close, she ruffled her feathers.  "You!  James—who I told to tell Pavo about Dalkon's wishes!  What do you do now with Pavo man telling me to stop??"

"Y—you don't need to kill her!" James tried, "We looked at t-th—the aqueducts!  Someone is stealing your water, and it isn't the Pavo!"

Feidal's narrow eyes narrowed more.  "What do you say?"

"S-someone else has put pipes up on the mountain, and it leads—"

"Gemini!!" The Doctor cried out suddenly, and he nearly fell as he staggered across the ground to get to the tank as fast as he could.   James was similarly distracted, outraged to see his sister trapped so precariously.  Feidal was still mulling over what had just been said, and Amaya could only give her a cautionary glance, fearing that moving would remind the Dalkon of her presence.

The Doctor pressed his hands against the tank fearfully, a look of absolute panic in his eyes.  "No—how did you—who did this—"

"It's Hydra!!" I cried, knee-deep in water, "She's behind all of this!"

"Hydro—this is a hydro pump?  Of course—I'll find a way to shut it off—"

"No!!" I banged on the glass to regain his attention.  "The Time Lord! Hydra!!"

The Doctor froze.  "Hydra?!"

On cue, Hydra appeared to our left.  "Yes, it's me.  Hello again, Doctor."

The Doctor growled and ran at her, but she merely used her vortex manipulator to vanish again.  Staggering to a stop, The Doctor began scanning the room with his teeth bared.  "Show yourself!" He shouted, "You've made a terrible mistake here!!"

"On the contrary," Hydra was standing behind him, "I knew exactly what I was doing."

"You are time guardian who told of Pavo's Oracle," Feidal suddenly added, "You told me we must kill this one."

The Doctor was outraged now.  "You told them to kill the Oracle??  And you're the one who laid the pipe to siphon the Dalkon's water!!"

"You!!" Feidal boomed, pushing past James.  "You lie to me!!  You are one stealing Dalkon's water!"  Feidal grimaced and pulled Amaya roughly to her feet.  "And she is innocent, no??"

Hydra put up her hands.  "And this is where I make my exit.  My work here is done."

"Don't you—!!"  

But The Doctor ran through where she stood and stopped on the other side.  Hydra was no longer on the planet, but an intense rumbling sound was beginning to make the stone platform on which they stood tremble.

Chapter 9

At once, Gaja burst into the cave at full force, trumpeting and stomping the ground angrily.  Amaya, Feidal, and James had to scatter to avoid being run over, and then were forced to continue moving when the mighty elebear refused to calm down.

"Gaja—no!" Amaya called to him, waving her hands as she slid into The Doctor.  "It's okay—calm down!"

The elebear trumpeted and swung his trunk around, narrowly missing Feidal and James.  James skidded to the edge of the platform and stopped himself before he slid off completely.  Feidal raced towards the entrance of the cave, but Gaja noticed her first.  He raised himself on his haunches and slammed his front feet on the stone.

Everyone hit the ground from the force, and the water in the tank sloshed over my head.

"Doctor!" I cried and banged my fists against the glass. The water was at my chest once it stopped sloshing around.  I glanced over at the other side of the platform and saw James lying precariously close to the edge, but I quickly looked back to The Doctor as he ran to the controls in an attempt to stop the water from flowing.

"Gaja!  Stop!" Amaya was still trying to reel in the angered creature as it pounded and prodded after Feidal.  Feidal was trying to remain defensive, the blade of her staff pointed away from Gaja, but every move she made had the elebear on high alert.

"It—it's cr-cracking—" James tried to say, struggling to his feet against the vibrations caused by Gaja.

"He is not listening!" Feidal cawed as she tried to move closer to the cave's exit.  "I will not harm you or him!"

"I know—I'm trying to stop him!" Amaya tugged on Gaja's tusks, but the creature still balked at Feidal.

"I can't stop it!!" The Doctor shouted in a panic.

"Get the lid off!!" I cried, now floating in the tank to keep my head above the water.

The Doctor started running to the metal staircase but tripped over a broken pipe.

Feidal made a run for it out of the cave.

Gaja reared on his hind legs and roared.

James looked up with wide eyes.

When the elebear pounded against the ground, the rocks on which James stood cracked and slipped from the platform.  He lunged forward and fell against the rock, gripping it as his feet hung over the edge.

"James!!" I cried before slipping underwater.

The Doctor raised himself from the ground and saw James struggling to stay on the rock.

Gaja thundered out of the cave after Feidal with Amaya hanging on to him by his thick fur.

The Doctor was pale.  Beside him, I was moments away from drowning in a tank.  Across the platform, James was moments away from slipping and falling into the ravine below.  He looked at me, back at James, then at me.

I hadn't been paying attention.  I was terrified, trying in vain to move the heavy pipes off of the tank to free myself.  I was breathless as the water continued its rise, and I felt my head touch the pipes.  There was no way I could force myself out, or even get past the pipes to take a breath once the water had spilled over.

James slipped, but caught himself as he pried his fingers into a crevice.  He strained to keep his grip, and he glanced up to see only The Doctor between me and him.  A sinking feeling hit his stomach.  If The Doctor could only save one of us...

The Doctor scrambled to his feet, grimacing and wringing his hands in horror.

In absolute terror I took one last breath and went underwater.

A pounding resounded within the glass tank.  It continued, over and over again, until a deafening crack shook the water.  A final pound and the water broke through as a hole shattered through the glass.

The Doctor dropped the pipe and caught me as I fell down, and he pulled me from the hole so I wouldn't be cut on the glass.  I coughed and choked, trying to get the water from my lungs as I struggled to breathe again.  He set me on my knees, and then he turned his head to James.  He had slipped again and was barely visible above the rocky ledge.

He looked strongly into my eyes before he took off towards my brother.  He fell to his knees and slid moments before James' arms slipped from the rock.  He caught his arms and pulled him forward.  The momentum pushed him over the edge, and with James now on the rock, The Doctor fell into the ravine.

James shot up and clambered to his knees, a look of shock on his face.

I staggered to my feet and choked before I could fall to my knees beside him, climbing towards the edge.  "—Doctor!!" I shouted in a broken cry.  James instinctively held me back, silently pressing my waterlogged body closer to him as I tried to struggle to find for the Time Lord below us.  

I finally found him, lying motionlessly on the ground on his side.  "Doctor!!" I said again, tears streaming down my already dampened face.

James' expression still held a fair amount of shock, and he had been reduced to silence as he merely shook his head slowly and held me tightly.

"Gemini!  You're free!" Amaya ran into the cave, but she stopped almost as soon as she saw us kneeling at the edge of the cliff.  As Feidal followed behind her, she ran to us and looked over the edge.  A hand slapped against her mouth and she stepped backwards.  "Oh no..." was all she could say.

"No one could survive such fall," Feidal's voice added softly behind us as her beak clicked together.

"H—he can't die," I whimpered.

"Two will be in danger.  A choice must be made.  One will fall..." Amaya spoke solemnly.

I broke into a sob and grabbed James to bury my face in his tunic.  He frowned and closed his eyes.

Feidal suddenly leapt over the edge and scaled the cliff adeptly.  We leaned over cautiously to watch as the Dalkon reached The Doctor and inspected him.

"He lives!" She called.  "But he will not live for long!  He needs healing quickly!"

"I'll get help," Amaya began.

"No!  Human help takes too long," Feidal looked up and opened her beak wide.   At once, a loud screech echoed throughout the room.  Her shrill call continued, becoming a series of short bursts of sound like a hawk's call.

To our amazement, the call was quickly echoed outside the cave, and moments later, a group of three Dalkons had raced into the cave, each running at an incredible speed.  James pulled me to my feet and, with Amaya, we stepped out of their way.  They followed another call from Feidal and scrambled over the edge of the cliff.

I stood silently with James and Amaya as the Dalkons spoke amongst themselves at the base of the cliff.  I had remembered what The Doctor had said about regeneration before; if he were to regenerate, it would be like he was a completely different person.  It would be like he had died and a new Doctor would take his place.  I was too afraid to think of losing him; too afraid that a new Doctor wouldn't love me the way this one did.  I shuddered and hugged my brother, praying my Time Lord companion would live to see me again.

Chapter 10

As he stirred into consciousness, he could feel the warmth of daylight on his face. He took in a deep breath.  His chest swelled beneath the tight bandages he was wrapped in.  He felt the twinge of pain; he was not yet healed.

He opened his eyes at last to survey his surroundings. He saw nothing past the young woman kneeling at his side. The light, shining from behind her, created a glowing aura around her.

A smile came to his lips.  "I rather like this view," he whispered weakly.

I smirked and bent down to him, kissing him on the lips.  As I pulled away, he went to catch me with his hand, but he winced and dropped it back.  "Careful," I said, putting a hand gently on his arm, "You broke your arm pretty bad."

"I'm assuming that's not all I broke," he shifted uncomfortably on the bed he was lying in.  He finally gave up and squinted his eyes shut.

"A few ribs," I brushed the hair from his bandaged forehead, "and you bruised your head and sprained your ankle."

The Doctor blew air from his mouth.  "No wonder I feel terrible.  It's a wonder I didn't start regenerating..."

I mulled over his words for a moment.  "You're healing quickly, though." I said.

"Of course I am.  I'm a Time Lord."

I smiled at him, and he finally opened his eyes to notice.  "Doesn't seem to have hurt your spirit, at least."

He smiled and turned his head to look at the ceiling.

"You... you were brave to save James and me." I said after a moment.

James looked up at this point.  He had been sitting on a chair on the other side of the room with Amaya sitting on top of the table beside him.  The two of them looked on as I continued.

"You risked your life to save us,"

The Doctor didn't move at first.  He blinked and breathed slowly, keeping his eyes at the ceiling.  "I had to.  One of you would have died."

I looked at James, who was looking down at the floor now.  "I can't think of too many others who would have put their own life on the line..."

"Es—especially the way I treated you before," James added feebly.

"If someone else wouldn't have done it, then they don't know you two well enough." He said, looking at us from the corner of his eye.  "I've never met anyone who wasn't special, but... but you two... you two are more than anyone I've met..."

Amaya grinned and nudged James, who sheepishly stood up and walked over to the bed.

"I'm sorry I-I didn't trust you as I should have." He admitted.

"Now listen here, James," The Doctor raised his other hand and pointed at him, "If it wasn't for you, we may not have figured out what was going on.  You did nothing wrong—and if you did, I'm as wrong as you are.  I was rude to you and Amaya both... and for that I am sorry."

Amaya stopped swinging her legs.  She pressed her lips together, touched.

"At least we're all here and we're all alive," I said, looking at Amaya before turning back to The Doctor.  "We can all be thankful for that."

"I agree," the Oracle said.  "And we can thank the Dalkons for saving you and getting you help quickly.  You're very lucky."

The Doctor smiled faintly.  "Luck, eh?"  He eyed me and I smiled back.

"Ah—he's awake!"

We all turned to the doorway of our small room and noticed Emmerich standing there.  He was smiling genuinely, and after a moment he turned and looked at me.  "Gemini, would you mind if I spoke to you for a moment?"

"Not at all," I got up slowly and followed him into the fountain room.  I glanced at The Doctor, who, even with a bandage wrapped on his forehead, was giving me a look of disapproval.  I gave him a knowing smirk and stepped outside.

When we were outside the room, Emmerich kept his distance and clasped his hands together.  "I must thank you and your friends again for what you have done.  Peace will be achieved between the Pavo tribe and the Dalkons thanks to your efforts."

"It was a little rough at the beginning, but we're thankful it all worked out too," I admitted truthfully.

"I shudder to think the answer was as simple as looking out at the aqueducts and recognizing the problem... all of this mess all because of a misunderstanding... and a lack of trust." The leader of the Pavo tribe crossed his arms and shook his head.  "But I myself sent my word and apologies with Feidal to bring to the rest of the Dalkon nation.  I can only hope they accept..."

I smiled.  "Something tells me since they were deceived as well, they'll accept with no problem."

"We will work to reconstruct their aqueduct as soon as we can."  He looked awkwardly at his hands and then gave me a light pat on the shoulder.  "Again, I thank you for your efforts.  This entire planet is in your debt."

"Oh no, just knowing everything will be okay is enough for us." I nodded modestly.

Emmerich nodded too, letting his hand drop to his side.  "You three are always welcome here.  And I continue to hope your husband heals quickly."

I closed my eyes and smiled.  "...Thank you," was all I could say in reply.

Emmerich then bowed and turned away, and I shook my head with a grin.  I pulled back the curtain and returned to the company of my friend, my brother, and the man I loved—no matter what words were used to refer to us.

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Keep Reading! Book 4 - Dimensionality >>