Dimensionality

The Gemini Archives Book 4
by Jill D'Entremont

When two inter-dimensional portals find their way into The Doctor's hands, he and Gemini try them out with a seemingly harmless trip. Little do they know, very different dangers--and allies--await them on the other side.

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

Chapter 1

As I walked into the main room of the TARDIS, I caught a glimpse of the Time Lord at the control panel.  He made a half-turn as I entered and almost immediately slammed his hand on a button to turn off the overhead screen.  He promptly relocated to the opposite side of the control panel afterwards.

I rolled my eyes and started up the ramp.  "Doctor," I began.

"Oh!  Gem!  There you are!" He poked his head around the central column and smiled oddly.

"What are you up to?" I asked, my hands on my hips.  I couldn't help but smirk as he looked back at me with an exaggerated grin.  He was playing coy; acting like he hadn't seen me when I had come in.

"Just... figuring out where we should take Amaya for her first trip on the TARDIS." He said proudly.

"Ah." I played along.  "I thought you said you'd let her choose."

"I... did!" He spun around and walked past me to a different panel.  "But I wanted to pick a few places in case she was uncertain.  You know, most people don't think about destinations outside their own planet or their own galaxy.  Except you.  You're... different."

"Of course I am." I drew closer to him.

"Of course you are." He repeated, his smile now a warm, smug expression.  "And that's why I..." he trailed off.  

I looked back at him.  He was so close.  He was almost there.

"I..."

"Aww, I swear you two are so dang cute!"

We nervously looked up to see Amaya and James walking to the edge of the hallway.  Seeing that she was no longer interrupting anything, Amaya skipped the rest of the way over to us.

The Doctor smiled and stepped away as Amaya came up to me. "Gem, I love your brother!  He's so cool!"

James had walked up behind her and was smiling sheepishly.

"Yeah, I know." I smiled too.  "What were you two up to?"

"He sang me a song—and even though he has trouble talking sometimes, he sings so beautifully!" She said with exuberance, causing James to blush slightly.

"He does sing well," I smiled, and James rubbed the bridge of his nose nervously.

"And then he was showing me photos of the theater you two are building—it's amazing!  I wanna go there so bad!"

"R-renovating." James corrected gently.  "Thankfully it—it's already built."

Amaya was almost bouncing.  "I still wanna go there so bad!!"

"That can be arranged," The Doctor grinned.  "Is that where you'd like to go for you first trip through time and space?"

Amaya's pale blue eyes grew wide.  "You're letting me pick?? Oh I do!  I do want to go there!  I want to see where Gem and James are from!"

The Doctor pointed in the air and turned toward the control panel.  "All right, then!  Fortanya, Spades, The Tallelands... and we'll just go on back when we left off, eh?"

The three of us watched as The Doctor worked at the controls to set our coordinates.  He flipped the first screen on but I was unable to read what it said, and when I tried to look, he blacked it out again.

"There is, however, one place I need to stop at first," he continued, glancing at me.  "It'll be quick."  The TARDIS began to whir.  

Amaya clasped her hands together, still on the high of getting to time-travel with us.  "Oh this is exciting!" she squealed.  She looked utterly amazed as we began to move, and I remembered just how excited I was the first time I had experienced it.

The TARDIS slowed and we arrived at The Doctor's stop.  He patted the happily bewildered Amaya on the back as he passed us, and he waved a hand when he reached the door.

"Nobody leave the TARDIS; I'll be right back." He ordered.

"Yes, sir." I crossed my arms and smiled.

He rolled his eyes and departed.  

Amaya was at the door seconds later.  "I want to see!"

"Amaya, w-wait!" James started after her, somehow grabbing her before she opened the door.

"I just want to see where we are!" She slid her arm from James' grasp and opened the door.  At once The Doctor was on the other end, holding two very large metallic objects under each arm.  He raised an eyebrow as Amaya looked up at him sheepishly.

"...Let's see; what did I say... I was coming right back, don't leave the TARDIS... possibly in the opposite order of how I just said it..."

"But... I didn't leave," she said weakly.

"True; and no one got hurt.  Anyway." He stepped passed her and kicked the door closed behind him.  He then lowered the two objects on the ground with a clang.  They looked like large gears; dusty red, circular frames of metal with various notches around the outside.  They were each only a few inches thick, but their diameter spanned nearly four feet across.

"...What are those?" I asked, speaking for the rest of us.

"Inter-dimensional portals—at least, that's what they're supposed to be." The Doctor brushed is hands off.

James tilted his head.  "And you g-got them where?"

"Out there," The Doctor pointed to the door.  "Just picking them up."

"Are they yours?"

"They are now!"

I looked at the Time Lord with a brow raised.  "You didn't steal them, did you?"

The Doctor walked over to the control panel.  "I'm borrowing them."

"Doctor!"

"Come now, Gem," he goaded, "These sorts of things can't be floating about the universe!  I'm keeping other people safe by keeping them on the TARDIS!"

I scratched my head.  "I'm not questioning your motives, just... wondering how you manage to get away with so much."

He leaned around the central column of the console with a smug look on his face.  "I'm a Time Lord!" With a grin, he leaned his elbow on the controls.  "So... Fortanya, Spades... The Tallelands..." The Doctor attempted to get us back on track while glaring at me under furrowed brows—and a twisted smirk on his face.

Amaya was laughing under her breath.  James was hiding a smile, shaking his head as he eyed the portals.  I rolled my eyes and started up the ramp to stand beside the Time Lord.  "You big show-off," I said under my breath.

"Always." He replied with a warm smile.

- - -

Amaya walked slowly in front of us as we stepped up to the Sirius Theater.  She had already been stunned with three steps out of the TARDIS when she discovered the street lamps that lined the street.  While they weren't particularly outstanding to a local like me, for someone like Amaya who had never seen working electricity, the electric lamps were worthy of great awe.

But the theater proved to be even more awe-inspiring.  She nearly stopped walking in the middle of the street when we stood a few feet from the marquee.  Although they were in working order, the marquee's lights were rarely kept on.  The theater wasn't quite ready for visitors to wander in just yet.

"Wait here," I said, idly rubbing my head against the beginnings of a headache.  "I'll go turn the lights on!"

"...The lights...?" she said dreamily, her eyes glued to the marquee.

I unlocked the theater door and veered into James' office to the right of the entrance.  The control closet for the lighting was just inside the door, and with a few switches flipped, the Sirius' great star marquee was lit.  I giggled, already imagining Amaya's expression.

"Ace!"

I stopped with one foot in the air.  "Oh, hey!"

The noticeably peeved Ed cocked an eyebrow.  "Don't 'oh, hey'—what are you doing?  We're waiting on you to start rehearsal!"

I cleared my throat.  I had forgotten there was going to be rehearsal for our Poe musical tonight.  Now that we were preparing to stage the musical in the almost-completed Sirius, we had to ensure we were still on top of our lines and blocking.  I straightened up quickly and pointed to the door.  "I was bringing along a friend tonight!  She's admiring the outside, so I need to get her in."

Ed rolled his eyes and accepted.  "At least tell me James is with you."

"Of course he is." I leaned backwards on the door to open it.  "Hey guys, come on in!" I called.

Amaya's expression was exactly as I had pictured it, and The Doctor was chuckling as much as I thought.  James was smiling too, but he stopped when he noticed Ed standing behind me at the door.  

"P—pr—rehearsal!" he got out, suddenly rushing to the door.

"Yes, rehearsal," Ed leaned his elbow against the doorframe as James ran to us.  "You two sure are scatterbrained lately..."  He eyed James and me before turning his head toward The Doctor and Amaya.  "Hey Doc," Ed nodded to the Time Lord.  "And is this the 'new friend'?"

"This is Amaya," I introduced, instinctively taking The Doctor's arm.  "Amaya, this is Ed.  He's usually nicer than this."

Amaya smiled happily regardless of the expressions Ed and I were shooting at each other.  "Nice to meet you!" she said, shaking Ed's hand when he extended it.

"Pleasure to meet you.  And while I hate to meet and run, I need to steal your friends and get back on stage.  You guys are welcome to watch, though."  He grabbed me by the other arm and pulled me away from The Doctor.  

I playfully reached backwards as if I was being kidnapped, and The Doctor dramatically ran in slow motion after us.  He and Amaya stopped shortly after entering the auditorium to soak in the view, and Ed continued to whisk me and James down the aisle to the stage.

"I'm not kidding about the scatterbrained comment," Ed said quietly once we were further from them.  "I know The Doc's your boyfriend and all, but ever since he showed up—"

"Don't start this now." I hissed back.

"Hey, Poe's here; we can finally get started!" Dawn called from the stage.

"Better late than never!" I said, breaking away from Ed before he could continue.  

"At the rate you're going, those are pretty much the only choices." Ed muttered under his breath.

"G-give her a break." James pushed past Ed, stepping onto the stage silently.

Ed huffed and rolled his eyes, following behind.

Chapter 2

"They found another victim but she's barely alive!"

"Murder!  Murder!"

"She might have known whodunit, but she didn't survive—ooh!"

"Murder! Murder!"

The Doctor and Amaya sat in the second row of seats, watching as we enacted scenes from our Edgar Allan Poe musical.  "They're pretty good," he commented, propping his feet up on the chair in front of him as his chin rested on his hand.

"That guy on the end there..." Amaya said, her eyes glued to the stage.  "Who is that?"

"Mioko?" The Doctor scanned the stage.

"The dark-haired guy?"

"James?"

"I know James," Amaya nudged him.  "The guy with the glasses!"

"Oh... Vance."

"Vance," Amaya repeated, her eyes locked on him.

"He's pretty cute."

"He is..."  It took her a moment, but she soon sat up straight to give The Doctor a befuddled and slightly embarrassed look.

The Doctor merely shrugged.  "Not as cute as Gem, obviously."

Amaya sat back with a red face, but she and The Doctor both looked up when I took center stage to begin a short monologue.

"By a process of deduction I have come to the conclusion:
The crime is not committed, and the murder an illusion.
The body's a reality and not destroyed by spirits,
But whatever must have happened, it was over in minutes.
Police have got a problem; they don't know where to look.
They need to find a suspect to get them off the hook.
Although it's plainly obvious, they cannot understand
That the criminal was no ordinary man...
The perpetrator just slipped through their hands..."

The Doctor began clapping excitedly as I stepped back into the chorus' cries of 'Murder'.  "Listen to her go!  My goodness!"

Amaya was watching curiously.  "...Gem's playing a man's part, isn't she?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Why not?" He smiled.

Amaya giggled, accepting the answer.   She then sat up as James and Vance came forward.

"They haven't found a footprint!" James sang.

"They haven't found a shoe!" Vance echoed.

"They're all completely baffled!"

"It's a fine how-to-do!"

Amaya squealed.  "Did you hear him?"

The Doctor was grinning.  "You're right; James doesn't stammer at all when he's singing... brilliant..." He paused and noticed her face was red.  "Ohhh—you meant Vance!"

Amaya retaliated with another nudge against The Doctor's shoulder, and he could only laugh in reply.

I stepped back into the center of the stage to prepare for my second monologue.  My head had been pounding since we had started, and it wasn't getting any better.   But I had to continue; I had to, or else everyone would have more reasons to be annoyed with me.

"By the clarity of reasoning, I've come to my decision.
Though the facts are unoe—equ—unequivocal—blur the vision.
The body's a reality and not destroyed by spirits
But whatever must have happened, it was over in minutes.
Police have—"

The music was stopped.  I let out a breath and glanced behind at the others.  "I know, I slipped back into the first verse again."

"Yes... again," Vance rocked slowly on his heels.  "Start it back, Ed," he called to his brother in the wings.

The music was cued right before I came in, and I started again.

"By the clarity of reasoning, I've come to my decision.
Though the facts are unequivocal they tend to blur the vision."

You'd better not screw this one up; most of them are already angry.

"An exit was im-mp-possible, lock had not been fiddled—but whatever must have happened—"

They going to think you're losing it.

I squinted, as if by closing my eyes I would cease to hear her voice.  "...It was over in minutes..."

The music had stopped again.  I stood idly at the front of the stage, not even bothering to look back, especially not when Ed stormed out from the wings.  "What's your problem?" he complained.

What's HIS problem?

"I have a headache." I grumbled offhandedly, hoping the voice in my head would catch that one.

The Doctor stopped moving, his hand on his chin.  He slowly rose to his feet and began to slide towards the aisle.  "One moment," he said.

"Well we'd appreciate if you'd wake up.  I am so glad this is a rehearsal..."

"Ed," James shot from the back of the stage.

"What?"

Unable to finish, James averted his eyes and shook his head.  It was apparent, however, that he was not pleased with how Ed was treating me.

"I know you feel like you need to stick up for her and all, but she—and you too—have been forgetting a lot of things lately.  Apparently it's lines, too!" Ed replied.

Who does he think he is?  Does he think he's the one who owns this place??

"S—st-stop it!"  I yelled suddenly.

Everyone froze, completely silent.  I had frozen and nearly stopped breathing myself.

"...Damn, Ace, I'm sorry..." Ed tried.

"Not you! I..." I trailed off.  Who, then?  Shakily, I turned on my heels and walked off the stage.  I nearly ran into the Doctor.

"Gem—"

"Give me a minute." I conceded, pushing past him.

He grabbed my arm.  "I know what's happening—"

"I'm fine!" I shot back.

He let me go and stayed behind, just as James ran up to him.  The Time Lord held my brother back as I walked through the wings to get back to floor level.  I needed to get outside.  I needed to cool down.

"Let's... let's just stop this for tonight." Ed conceded quietly.  The rest of the cast slowly began to disperse, looking at each other awkwardly.  

By now, Amaya had reached the foot of the stage, tilting her head.  "Is this part of the performance?" she asked.

"No," Vance walked over to her.  "We're going to stop for now."  He shielded his eyes from the bright stage lights to see her better, and he slowed as he got a better look at her.

Amaya had frozen as well; her ice blue eyes locked onto Vance.  "...Okay."

"I can show you around while we're here—if you want." Vance's face flushed.

Amaya smiled and blushed.  "Sure."

- - -

I slowly opened the door to the TARDIS.  The Doctor was nowhere in sight.  I paused until I heard a loud clank coming from the top of the staircase near the central console.  I glanced up at it, and then I quietly raced up to the control panel.  Allowing my higher senses to guide me, I pulled up the data from The Doctor's little side trip.

Another clang from the top of the stairs caused me to jump.  I didn't want to go behind The Doctor's back, but I was too curious; I wanted to know where he had been.  After all, it was obvious he was hiding the details from me.  I subconsciously typed in a code, and the information appeared on the screen above me.

"...A space ship... near the planet Skaro...?"  

Skaro! Is the man insane??

I rubbed my forehead.  All right, since you know everything, what's Skaro, then?

"Gem!"

I slammed my hand on the control panel and cleared the screen.  "Yep?"

The Doctor was at the top of the stairs, leaning to one side so he could see me.  "Are you feeling better?  I thought you'd be with your friends," he said uneasily.

I crossed my arms and started over to the stairs.  "I can't let you have all the fun."

A crafty smile spread across his face.  "You knew."

"Of course I knew.  I'm a Time Lord." I threw the same phrase back at him.

"Not even watching Amaya awkwardly learn about your culture could stop you."  He shook his head.  "I'm impressed.  That was great fun.  Course I think Vance is having the most fun, eh?"

I chuckled, starting up the stairs.  "We can both catch up afterwards.  Just set the TARDIS back to this point and we'll pick back up again." I motioned to the control panel behind me.

The Doctor eyed me.  "I'm not sure if I should be falling for you, or be scared of you."

"Why?"

"You're too much like me." He grinned, bringing his face close to mine.  

After giving me a light nudge, he started back through the hallway.  I followed him, and we were soon standing before the two inter-dimensional portals.  "So, do they work?"

"I've only just figured out how to power them up," he admitted, scratching his head.  "I was just about to test them to make sure they were functional.  And then I thought I heard someone at the controls..." He glanced at me with his eyebrows raised nonchalantly.

I looked back at him innocently, but refused to speak about the matter.  "So what makes these different from, say, a vortex manipulator?"  I asking, changing the subject to one he would be much more excited about.

"Ah, these portals work more as doorways than actual time-traveling devices." He patted one with his hand.  "In fact, they're possibly more similar to a TARDIS, although they're extremely stripped down and more hand-held."

"They look heavy," I commented.  Upon lifting one, I found it to only be slightly lighter than I was expecting.

"They're not terribly portable, but they have to be large enough for—a large individual to get through." The Doctor said, fumbling slightly.  "Regardless, the portal should allow you to link to another dimension—which is slightly different than simple time-travel."

"How so?"

"Remember when we first met—and we noticed you had an odd web of time streams?"

"Of course.  How could I forget that?"

"Well... this allows you to access those individual strands—and the sort of alternate timelines they lead to."  He rubbed his chin.  "For example, when Raven came to you and you became a meta-crisis, the event happened in one strand—one dimension.  There could be another dimension where the event never happened, and you're simply a human named Ace.  Meanwhile, there could be another dimension where you're... I don't know, a man—see where I'm going here?"

I blinked.  "I think so."

He pocketed his hands and rocked on his heels.  "So, you step through and see another dimension.  Step back out and you're back where you started."

"I get it," I nodded.

He smiled and knelt down to pick one up with both hands.  The notch near his right hand had a keypad, and the left hand notch had a few more buttons.  With his left thumb, he pressed green button.  A line of individual lights around the inside of the portal lit up and began to blink.  The Doctor eyed me with an excited grin.

"It has a system similar to the sonic screwdriver; no readouts, just knowledge in your head... so I should be able to tell it the coordinates..." He began to push buttons on the keypad with his right thumb, and when he stopped, the lights stopped flashing and glowed brightly.  He then ducked his head into the portal.  The light bent around him, and everything beyond the portal disappeared from sight.

He withdrew his head soon after; a wide-eyed expression to his face.  "Brilliant..." he whispered.

"It worked??"

"Did it ever!"  He raised his arm over my head so that I now stood between him, his arms, and the portal.  "Look for yourself!"

I cautiously slipped my head through, and I was immediately looking into the streets of Fortanya.  Everything looked the same at first, but as I looked up, I could see the Sirius Theater up in lights.  The towering star marquee shone as a beacon, and the people of the town were dressed in their finest clothing as they entered.  I pulled away and returned to the TARDIS.

"See?" He said excitedly.

"Yeah, the theater was up and running and there were tons of people...  Are you sure we didn't just move forward in time?"

"Positive.  In that dimension, you and your brother moved a little faster...  Maybe because I wasn't there to... distract you."

I frowned.  "Hmm."

The Doctor pressed a red button and the lights turned off.  He set the portal down and rolled it around me to rest beside the other portal.  He then picked up the other portal and tried it out similarly.  When it, too, was deemed functional, he set it back down against the wall.  "They'll be good to experiment with, anyway." He then turned around and looked at me.  "...What?"

"That's it?"

He rolled his eyes.  "What do you propose we do; take them and go somewhere?"  Almost as soon as he had spoken, he closed his eyes.  "Oh wait, that's exactly what you'll propose we do."

I grinned.  "We'll go for a bit, and come back here.  Then we'll go hang out with our friends."

"Gem, I don't know how to use it properly yet!" He said, slightly exasperated, "And you do remember this is an inter-dimensional portal...  I'm not sure how to pinpoint any particular dimension.  There's no guarantee we'll get what we want—not until I have more time to figure it out."

I thought about what he said, but my curiosity remained.  "No hurt in trying...?" I stated more as a question.

He sighed and looked at the portal, then over at me.  "Well... all right."  He gave in.  He again lifted one of the portals and held it with both hands.  "Where to, then?"

"How about London in late 1975?"

The Doctor shot me a glance.  "Always so quick with your dates!"

"The formation of the Alan Parsons Project!" I clenched my fists with excitement.

"Oh right," he smirked, "More of your favorite people who aren't me...  Now, if we use this to go there, this may or may not be the dimension that creates the Alan Parsons Project.  It could be the Alan Parsons Project without one of the lead members, or it could be the same band but called something completely different."

"I'm up for anything." I smiled.

"Are you sure you don't want to just take the TARDIS over?"

I continued smiling.  "This sounds more fun."

"...You're right.  Again." The Doctor sighed exaggeratedly.  He began to press the keypad buttons to set the coordinates.  When it was set, the lights shone brightly, and he slowly began climbing through.  I grabbed the sides of the portal as he got his other leg in, and he glanced behind to make sure I had the portal before he let go. "All right, you've got it?"

I shifted it in my arms. "Yeah—I'm coming in."

He slipped through and I attempted to follow him.  However, the light did not bend when I tried to step in.  It created a barrier that felt like slick glass against my foot.  Discouraged, I set the base of the portal down so I could free one of my hands, and I tried to force my hand through.  The light persisted, and I was unable to follow him.

His head reappeared after a moment.  "What's wrong?"

"I can't get through; it stops me."

"Stops you?"  He leaned in further and eyed the keypad.  "Maybe it only allows one person at a time..."

"I can just get the other portal and meet you there."

"No, no, no—" The Doctor quickly caught the portal's edge as I let go.  "There's no guarantee that you'll be able to connect to this exact dimension."

I stopped.  "So what do we do, then?"

The Doctor climbed back through and stood up, keeping the base of the portal on the ground.  "You go on in this one.  I'll just wait for you here."

I tilted my head.  "Really?"

"Sure—this is where you wanted to go.  Go on.  Oh!"  He gestured for me to take the portal, and he ran to his jacket on the other side of the room.  He fished a small piece of folded paper from the inside pocket and brought it to me.  "Take this—psychic paper.  Very handy in convincing someone of something if you need to.  Just think it and the paper will do it!"

"You and your gadgets," I smiled.  "Thanks."

"And you've got your screwdriver?"

"In the other pocket," I patted my back pocket.  

MY screwdriver.

Yours is much more reliable than the one The Doctor mended for me.  

I smiled as he smiled at me, and I leaned over the portal to give him a kiss.  "I won't be long."  I said, and then I stepped into the light.

Chapter 3

I stepped through the portal and was immediately met by a bright sun and a cool breeze.  I lowered the portal to rest it on the ground as I eyed my surroundings.  I was in the middle of a street on a crosswalk between a couple of buildings and a bunch of trees.  It was peaceful there near the intersection.

"Wow... this is..."

A loud blaring sound was approaching me from behind, and I turned around in time to see a giant vehicle headed straight for me.  I shrieked and ran away, lugging the portal aside as the towering mechanical carriage raced past.  Another honking noise alerted me another vehicle was headed from the opposite direction, and I ran to the sidewalk quickly.  The driver of this contraption shouted at me as he passed.  I could only stand on the side of the road, breathing hard and feeling somewhat lucky.

You idiot, you can't stand in the middle of the street!!

"You know, you shouldn't stand in the middle of the street like that."

I turned my head and realized I had been standing beside a tall young man when I had run out of the road.  He messy brown hair, wore brown slacks and a collared shirt, and spoke in an English accent.  I smiled politely and hoped he wouldn't ask about the portal I was holding.  "I know; I was... a little disoriented for a moment there."

"Just be careful." He smiled back.  He then turned and started across the crosswalk while no other vehicles were coming.

I took a minute to better understand my surroundings.  I was hoping to go to London, England, and so far it seemed I had made it.  I was hoping to arrive somewhere in 1975, and with the clothing choices of the young man I had come across, it would seem I had made that too.  And in this time in England, motor cars were popular.  Since this sort of technology was foreign to The Tallelands, I had never seen cars or buses with my own eyes.  So far, I was less than impressed with that aspect.

The young man was across the street and met up with another gentleman with darker hair and a beard.  He wore a simple t-shirt and slacks and stood a hair taller than the first man.  The first man nodded as the second man greeted him.

"Hullo, Alan." He said.

My eyes widened.  Alan?

"Eric," Alan replied.

Eric?  As in Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson?  As in my two favorite musicians—standing across the street from me?  But of course it was them—they looked as they did in the photos I had seen. They started down the sidewalk and turned to a short staircase.  I gasped to myself.  That was Abbey Road Studios.  I had been walking on the famous crosswalk—I had seen Alan Parsons walking across the Abbey Road crosswalk.

"Ahh!" I exclaimed, and I started after them.  I quickly stopped when I realized I still had the portal with me.  Turning back, I hid the portal against a fence and behind a bush before I raced into the street.   I was stopped in the middle as another car blared its horn and flew past me, and then I rushed across before another came.  I ran up the stairs, glanced momentarily back at the portal, and figured it would be safe enough in its hiding place.  I opened the door and was immediately met by an officer.

"Hullo there; card please." He said.

I faltered.  I didn't have a card.

Use the psychic paper!

"Right!" I reached into my pocket and produced the small piece of paper, opening the flap that covered it.  Hoping it would work, I began to imagine myself as a session vocalist at Abbey Road Studios.  "Here it is."

"Ah, Ms. Gallagher.  Come in."

I glanced at the card, and sure enough, I saw the image of my name and position at Abbey Road Studios, as well as a photo of my face.  I smiled and slipped the card back into my pocket, and I walked into the famed recording studio.

Wide-eyed, I walked through the studio with a look of bewildered joy on my face.  A few workers glanced at me as they walked about, and I soon found the tall figure of Eric Woolfson near the entrance of one of the recording studios. I mustered up my courage, quelled my inner excitement, and stepped up to him.

"Hello, Mr. Woolfson?" I asked.

"Yes, hullo," Eric turned and smiled at me.  His accent was a bit different than Alan's had been.  "Can I help you?"

At once I forgot everything I was going to say.  I grinned a bit in reply and finally wrung my hands together.  "I'm Gemini; I'm... um, here to help you, actually."

"Gemini," Eric repeated.  "So are you a vocalist...?"

"Oh!  Yes; sorry!" I said nervously.

Eric's warm smile still shone even though I was increasingly more embarrassed.  "Well, I didn't think we'd have any vocalists today; I'm assuming Andrew contacted you about the choral bits for—"

"'To One in Paradise'?" I interrupted, my fandom getting the best of me.

Eric paused and almost laughed.  "Yes," he said, "We won't be recording that for another couple of days with the English Chorale... but since you're here, you can certainly stay and watch."

I again glowed with excitement.  "That sounds perfect to me."

- - -

The Doctor sat idly beside the portal, glancing from side to side.  He looked again at the portal.  The lights still glowed brightly.  His face dropped.

"This was a terrible idea..." he mumbled, "Absolutely terrible.  I can't tell what's going on in there, and all I can do is sit here and wait!"  He rubbed his face, his voice muffled under his hands.  "And waiting is so boring!"

He tried looking inside the portal again, but for the fifth time, he was unable to get through.  Scowling, he stood up and left the portal against the wall.  He turned around abruptly afterwards, looking at the portal.  He sighed and began pacing the floor.  Should he risk getting in the other portal?  There'd be a slim chance he'd find her...

"Wait." He stopped walking.  "Of course I can find her.  I'm The Doctor!  I can figure it out!"

He leapt over to the wall and picked up the other portal.  He put in the coordinates and thrust his head through.  He soon returned; his hair damp.  "No... it wasn't raining... blast, what did I do differently?"  He mashed on the controls further.  He eyed the other portal and changed them again.  "...No immediate differences in the controls... so why can I not be sure I have the same dimension?"

He pondered the portals, rubbing his chin.  If much of the controls were mental like his own sonic screwdriver, that could change the way they are used.  Perhaps instead of solely physical coordinates, the portal used something else in the mind.

"Gem really wanted to see her Alan Parsons Project, so perhaps it linked her to the correct dimension based on what she thought...  so if I really want to see Gemini while she sees her Alan Parsons Project..."

He closed his eyes and ducked through one more time, and he was immediately met by a bright sun and a cool breeze.  He didn't see Gemini, but it was quite possible that he had found the correct dimension and that she had already moved on.  He again returned to the TARDIS.  

He paused.  That could be it, but then a new idea arose.  If he could truly manipulate where he wanted to go, he could choose something completely different while he waited for Gemini.  He'd just drop in, see if it worked, and then return before she did.  No harm in that...and after all, it would be an experiment.

"Where would I want to go... all of time and space already at my fingertips; where would I want to go using this portal..." He fingered his chin again.  "I could see Gemini, but perhaps in a different way..."

He decided on finding Gemini in a different dimension; one that was not connected to Fortanya, or Spades, or The Tallelands.  Armed with only that information, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped through.

- - -

I sat in silent awe, watching as my favorite musicians performed together.  Eric Woolfson was now at the piano, Stuart Tosh was behind the drum set, David Paton was on the bass, and Ian Bairnson was on lead guitar.  I was in the sound booth beside Alan Parsons, and I was still pinching myself as I watched him fiddle with the controls.

"This is incredible..." I whispered.

"It's getting there," Alan commented, sliding a few of the controls.

I began to pick out the familiar-to-me strains of "Cask of Amontillado," and my fandom again took over.  I began humming the words to myself, utterly amazed to hear the track in its early stages.

Alan paused, looking at me quizzically.  "How are you able to pick out the melody line so easily?"

I went white.  "Um..."

Say something!  You started talking, so you'd better finish!

"...Is that really the melody line? I was just humming where it sounded good," I said, trying to bluff my way out of trouble.

Thankfully, Alan nodded and moved on at that answer.  "Not bad.  You have a good ear."

"Thank you," I felt my face flush as I breathed a sigh of relief.  I needed to shut my mouth and stay out of things.  At least I could control myself when I met Edgar Allan Poe, although there were other reasons I kept quiet in Baltimore...

Alan reached up to the microphone.  "All right, guys, let's take a moment here."

The musicians removed their headphones and started setting down their instruments.  Alan stood and motioned to the door.  I got up with a smile and started out first, meeting Eric again in the hallway.  

"How's it sounding?" he asked.

"Oh, brilliant!" I grinned.  "This is such an amazing project!"

"It's Eric's idea, you know," Ian, the young guitarist, commented as he joined us.  "Right now we're calling it Eric Woolfson's Project."

I straightened up, curious.  The Eric Woolfson Project?  I suppose I'd landed in a slightly different dimension after all.

The band members joked among themselves and started out to the main hall again.  I idly followed as my mind wandered in thought.  How would things be different with Eric's name on the cover instead of Alan's?  Would Alan gain the same popularity and solo career after the Project split?  Or would Eric and his Edgar Allan Poe musical—the very one my friends and I performed on a much smaller scale—strike it big?

I glanced out a nearby window and nearly ran straight into Ian.  I had a clear view of the crosswalk I had appeared on earlier.  I had a clear view of where I had hidden the dimensional portal.  I also had a clear view of a very large, almost cylindrical object next to it.

"All right there, Gemini?" Ian turned and glanced at me.

"I..." I had to play another bluff, "I think I parked... wrong.  I need to go check on my vehicle—just a moment!"

With that I turned and started to the door.  The guard tipped his hat as I ran past, and I raced out to the sidewalk.  I came to a stop at the edge of the street, and I looked across warily.  The odd machine was bronze in color and seemed to be covered in small knobs.  It was thin at the top, but tapered out at its bottom.  I had to hope that whatever it was wasn't interested in the portal...

Unless it came from the portal—and either way you need to run!!  

But what is it? I watched the tall machine turn and point a long stalk in my direction.  Two rods, like arms, were also beginning to move and point at me.

Run—don't stand there, run!!

"SCANNERS INDICATE TIME LORD PRESENCE.  YET YOU ARE HUMAN."  The stalk bobbed up and down as two lights on its head flashed with its voice.  "HUMAN AND TIME LORD DNA IN ONE BEING.  THAT IS IMPROBABLE."

I flinched at the jarring voice that emanated from the machine—and from being identified for what I really was.  But when it started rolling towards me, I shakily took a step back.

"REGARDLESS, TIME LORD OR NOT, YOU MUST BE EXTERMINATED!!"

RUN!!

I suddenly felt pulled backwards, and I fell to the ground moments before a laser flew past where I once stood.  My eyes wide, I let out a short scream.  I jumped again when the hands that had pulled me down grabbed me by the arm again.  I glanced at the man and met his steel blue eyes—beneath a mass of curled, brown hair.

"Don't just sit there—come on!!" the man cried.

I had no choice but to follow him, and we raced down the sidewalk and away from the machine as it fired another laser from one of its 'arms'.  We skipped around the corner of a building and hid beside a couple of trash bins.  Once he was sure we were relatively safe, the man caught his breath and turned to face me.

"What were you doing standing in front of a Dalek like that??  Those things are dangerous!" he berated breathlessly.  His voice was low, and he spoke quickly.

Still flustered, I rubbed my head.  "I... didn't know,"

The man pouted a bit.  "Well, we're not out of the woods yet.  What on earth a Dalek is doing here, I'll never know..."  

As he glanced aside in thought, I took the moment to get a good look at this man.  He seemed older, yet youthful; stern, yet not entirely serious.  He wore a dark coat, a fedora on his curled hair, and an obnoxiously long scarf that was wrapped around him once or twice and still hung down to his feet.

He caught me looking, and I nervously looked back at his face.  There was something so familiar about him; something very odd about him.

"Oh," He said at last, stepping closer, "My apologies for not introducing myself."  He extended his hand and grinned.  "I'm The Doctor."

Chapter 4

I stood in a fair amount of disbelief.  "...Doctor?"

"Yes!" The scarf-clad Time Lord grinned.  "You look as though you've heard of me."

Doctor... now this is how I remember you...

But he looks nothing like the man I left back on the TARDIS...

Have you remembered nothing about Time Lords??

So if this really is The Doctor... this must be an earlier regeneration!  The Doctor said that whenever he regenerated, his appearance and even his mannerisms would change.  I've caught The Doctor at an earlier point in his timeline!  And it's entirely obvious why he thought the scarves I wear from time to time were pretty cool...  

The Doctor, confused by my silence, soon crossed his arms against his scarf.  "Well, what do they call you?"

Cracking a smile, I replied, "Gemini."

"Gemini..." he repeated, drawing closer to look at me.  "Why does it seem like I know you?"

I felt my face flush.  What would happen to my Doctor if he meets me at an earlier point in his life? Or has he met me already?

A loud blast behind us reminded us the Dalek was still on the loose, and The Doctor grit his teeth.

"Right—we've got to try and stop that Dalek before it hurts someone." He said, looking towards the street again.  He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a long wand with a red tip.  He began to point it at different heights and positions, and it buzzed as he read the data.  "I still have no clue how it got here.  There are no ships that I can tell... hmm, but I am picking up some rather odd time energy..."

I tensed up.  "The portal..."

He eyed me.  "Portal?"

"I—um..." Sighing, I decided I needed to stop playing coy and tell him the truth.  He, of all people, should be able to understand.  "I came here using an inter-dimensional portal." I said simply.

His blue eyes were wide now.  "You?  ...An inter-dimensional portal?"

"Long story—but I'm beginning to think that Dalek thing got here the same way I did..."

"Did you not close the portal when you got here?  And why aren't you holding on to it?  Those sorts of things can't be floating about!"

I sighed.  "I know..."

"SCANNERS INDICATE TIME LORD PRESENCE!"

We whipped around, and there, across the street, was the Dalek.

I clenched my teeth and grabbed him by the arm.  "Run!!"

We ducked as the Dalek fired and hit the trash bins.  We started down the alley and The Doctor took the lead.  We dodged a few more trash bins and scaled up and over a wall.  It was at that moment I saw the familiar blue TARDIS at the end of the alley.

"Come on—in here!" he called, opening the door as I caught up to him.

Without another word, I raced inside.  

- - -

When The Doctor stepped through the portal, his feet did not touch the ground.  In fact, he was in mid-air, and falling quickly.  By the time he had recovered from the shock, he had plummeted into the water.  The heavy portal pulled him down into a deep ocean; the light fading quickly the further he fell.  Finally, after struggling unsuccessfully to right himself, he was forced to release the portal and try to return to the surface.  He had no idea how far he had fallen, and he quickly felt the panic from his loss of oxygen.  Even for a Time Lord, this was turning into a long breath to hold.  

He could see the light; he could see the surface.  But it would never come close enough.  His eyes began to cloud over and his motions began to slow.  His hearts slowing down, he let one last breath escape his lips before he stopped moving entirely.

All the while, two turquoise eyes had watched him, from his initial break into the water to his silent descent.  It was clear he did not belong there; it was unclear what his motives were.   It was clear he would die if he was not returned to the surface; it was unclear if he would turn on her if he was saved.

But something seemed different about him.

The figure slipped from a crack in the rocks and hovered a few feet in front of him.  Her long blue tail faded to lavender at the fluke, and her human body was pale in the filtered light.  She flipped her tail gently and moved closer to him, delicately placing her hands on the man's shoulders.  His face seemed gentle, yet stern; young, and yet old.  There was something very odd about him.

She took a deep breath and brought her lips to his.  She pulled away when he convulsed and released a puff of bubbles from his nose.  His eyes flashed open for a moment before the oxygen he had been given began to wear off.  In that moment, she saw his hazel-green eyes lock onto hers.  Holding him tightly, she lifted him to the surface with the beating of her powerful tail. With a great splash, they broke through the water.

Immediately the Doctor began to cough and gasp.  The mermaid adjusted him to her back, and she carried him to a large rock that jutted from the water.  He was still struggling to breathe, but he weakly clutched the rock when she pulled him onto it.  He spit up a great deal of water as he hunched over his elbows.

"G—Gem!" he stammered breathlessly.  "Gem—how did you..." he trailed off, slumping over.

"...Gem?"  She repeated.  Her hips rested at the edge of the rock, and her tail arched out of the water to help her balance. When at last he looked back up, he almost didn't believe his eyes.

"...You're—a mermaid!" he spurted.

The mermaid shrunk back as his hand reached for her.

"...Gemini?"

She shook her head warily.

The Doctor blinked, his hand falling limp on the rock.  Aside from blue markings on her face and arms, she looked just like Gemini.  Her short hair was wet, but just the right length and color.  It was the long blue tail that threw him off the most, but there was something about her that seemed so familiar.

He let his head fall onto his arm, his eyes half-open.  His breathing was still fairly labored, but he was slowly recovering.  "Thank you..." he said after a moment.  "You saved my life..."

The mermaid straightened up as the man smiled lightly and closed his eyes.  Concerned, she slid closer to him and lightly touched his shoulder.  He breathed slowly and deeply, but did not awaken.

She sat back and turned away, looking out to the sea.  The afternoon sun was beginning to descend towards the vast ocean horizon.  When she turned back, her turquoise eyes found their way to the sleeping man.  Now that he was out of the water, she could leave him be; but she was having a hard time convincing herself to leave.  What was it about him that drew her in?  She had seen humans before; they were rarely kind and rarely worth noticing.  What was it about this one that was so different?

She curled her tail around her and positioned herself at the edge of the rock.  She would at least wait until he woke up again.

Below, two shadowed figures were hiding among the jagged rocks.  As the daylight began to fade, the two figures turned and retreated into a crevice with only a quick flip of a shark's tail in the fading light.

Chapter 5

The Doctor roused out of his sleep, blinking his eyes against the orange light of the sunset.  He could hear the gentle rhythm of the waves lapping against the rock he was lying on, but he could also hear a soft voice singing into the breeze.

"Under the Dog Star sail,
Over the reefs of moonshine,
Under the skies of fall,
North, northwest, the Stones of Faroe..."

It took him a moment to discover the source of the voice; the young mermaid that had saved him from drowning was sitting at the edge of the rock, looking out into the sea.  Her soft voice was low, but he found it almost mesmerizing.

"All colors bleed to red
Asleep on the ocean's bed,
Drifting on empty seas
For all my days remaining
But would north be true?

Why should I...
Why should I cry for you..."

She paused and closed her eyes.

"That's beautiful," The Doctor said gently.

The mermaid shrieked and fell backwards into the water.  She bobbed her head up moments later, her turquoise eyes wide.

"...Sorry," he said, smiling slightly.

The mermaid flipped her tail and slid back onto the rock, keeping a safe distance without saying a word.

The Doctor struggled to sit up, and he leaned against the rock.  "So... you're not Gemini, are you?"

She shook her head.

The Doctor nodded and cleared his throat.  "What is your name, then?" He asked.

The mermaid was quiet for a moment.  "Sapphyre."

"Sapphyre," The Doctor repeated dazedly.  "What a beautiful name..."

The mermaid shifted on the rock, bringing her tail up to sit with it curled around her.  "What's yours?" she asked almost nervously.

"I'm The Doctor."

She straightened up.  "You're a doctor?"

"No... and yes... and it doesn't matter." He said, quickly breaking into a fit of coughs to clear the rest of the water from his lungs.

"...What were you doing out here anyway?" Sapphyre asked once he had calmed.  "Where did you even come from?  There hasn't been a boat around for days."

The Doctor leaned against the rock as he sat back.  He was tired and lost, and he had no idea if Sapphyre would even understand him if he were to explain it truthfully.  However, as she looked on, he couldn't help but see Gemini in her place, and without much further thought, he pointed out to the water.

"I came here because of a portal.  I was attempting to jump dimensions, and I'm afraid I not only succeeded, but I'm on my way to stranding myself in it with no way I can think of to return..."

As he expected, Sapphyre's expression grew troubled, and she turned her head slightly towards the water.  

"...Not to mention I nearly had myself killed with no way of regeneration thanks to drowning..."

"Was it that thing you were holding when you fell in?" She turned back to face him.

"Was what, now?" He looked up.

"The portal... was it that heavy round thing you were holding when you fell?"

The Doctor's eyes lit up.  "Yes!  Yes, it was—I knew you had to be brilliant like her!"  He paused, garnering the same confused look from the mermaid.  "...Right, sorry; you just... you remind me so much of my dear friend..."

"Gemini?"

He nodded.

"You're from another dimension... like another world?" she asked carefully.

"Yes," The Doctor's eyes widened with anticipation.  Thoughts of Sapphyre and Gemini being the same person in two different dimensions immediately flooded his head—and he was almost positive the young mermaid had just recognized this fact.

However, she merely turned to face the sea.  "I can try to find your portal."

The Doctor was silent for a moment.  Finally, he shook his head and blinked.  "Right... yes! If you could!"

"But it's getting dark... I'm not sure that I could find it until the morning." She gazed at the sky.

"Of course," The Doctor said, "I'm already indebted to you, after all.  I will work within your conditions."

She turned back to him as he smiled at her.  Her face flushed, she closed her eyes and slipped back into the water.

"Wait," The Doctor started to climb towards the edge.

The dark-haired mermaid floated back with only her head and shoulders visible.  The ripples she made caught the orange reflection of the evening sky.

Starting to feel uncomfortable himself, he smiled awkwardly and turned his eyes downward.  "Uh... oh!  
I just thought of something to help you find the portal!"  He sat back and produced a small device from the pocket of his slacks.  "A sonic screwdriver!"

Sapphyre slid onto the rock curiously as he held it towards her.  "A... what?"

"Sonic screwdriver; opens doors, picks up signals, reads information, finds portals—et cetera. Never leave home without one."

"That thing can find the portal?" The mermaid asked incredulously.

The Doctor grinned and pointed the screwdriver at Sapphyre.  "Only with your help."  He then held it away and activated it.  The mermaid shrunk back as it began to glow and buzz, and she watched cautiously as The Doctor pointed it towards the water.   "It's in that general area, but the signal's weak—I'm sure it's a good ways down."

"You can understand that?"

"Here," The Doctor stopped the device handed it to her.

She eyed the sonic screwdriver warily.  Slowly, she brought her hand up to touch it once before she took it into her hand.  She brought her fingers around its mechanical shape, and then she found the button on the handle.  When she pressed it, she nearly dropped it out of surprise as it began to glow in her hand.

"Point it towards the water," The Doctor grinned.

She did as she was told, and at once she sat up straight.  She stopped pressing the button and took a deep breath.  "I... I know where to look.  How can I understand that?" He turned to The Doctor with a stunned look to her blue-streaked face.

"That's the sonic screwdriver for you."  He paused.  "And you're brilliant and all that."

Sapphyre set down the screwdriver and shook her head.  "I'm not who you think I am."

"Maybe.  Maybe not." The Doctor smiled warmly.  "That doesn't change the fact that you're brilliant."

The mermaid turned and looked at him, the blue streaks over her eyes and on her cheeks darkening in the fading light.  "...Why are you being so nice to me?"

The Doctor seemed surprised to be asked this question.  "What do you mean?  You saved me, and I'm still mostly depending on you to get me home... of course I'm going to be nice to you."

"You're not just going to turn on me and take me back to the laboratory?"

"Laboratory—what?"

Sapphyre's tail fanned out behind her.  "Well you are a doctor, aren't you?  You're not just making me feel safe so you can bring me back there??"

"Sapphyre... no..." The Doctor was stunned at the sudden harshness to her voice.  She had scarcely spoken louder than a gentle tone the entire time he had been with her.  But he knew, like everyone he met, there was so much more to the mermaid than what met the eye.  "I would never—ever do something like that to you." He reassured her.

The mermaid backed down.  She was still noticeably wound up, and she almost pulled away when The Doctor leaned forward to gently touch her hand.

"What happened, Phyre?"

Sapphyre was shaking her head and turning away before The Doctor could finish speaking her name.  "No."

"Were you human once?"

Sapphyre had frozen in place; her head bowed.   She was holding herself up by her hands as her torso and tailed leaned against the rock.  She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"You were," The Doctor said softly, her reaction confirming his suspicion.

"I was an experiment... the last of many attempts and the first to be successful... before this, I had legs and feet... but now..."

"They turned you into a mermaid," The Doctor whispered, "that's terrible..."

She glanced at her tail almost abhorrently.  "And... and I forgot everything that happened.  All I remember is that I wasn't like this.  Someone had to tell me that I was a normal human before all this..."

The Doctor brought his head close to hers.  "I'm so sorry, Phyre.  I really am..."

"All humans want to do is bring me back to that place... or capture me, or show me off—or sell me.  And other mer-kind know I'm not a 'true mermaid' so they treat me differently too.  I'm both of them and neither of them... I can't trust anyone..."

The Doctor frowned.  "I understand."

Sapphyre looked up.  "So I'm not afraid of you, I just don't know... And I just told you everything."

"I have that effect on others."  The Doctor managed to smile.  "And lucky for you, I'm not human."

She tilted her head.  "You're not?"

"Nope.  I'm Gallifreyan.  I'm from another planet."

Sapphyre looked at him incredulously.  "So... but... you look..."

The Doctor shrugged.  "We aren't always as we look."

For the first time, Sapphyre looked upon The Doctor with kinder eyes.  She was no longer distant and confused.  She was no longer afraid or angry.  And when The Doctor smiled warmly and held out his hand, she found herself taking it and embracing him.

- - -

My eyes were wide.  Expecting the interior of my Doctor's TARDIS, I was taken aback as I found myself in a much different space.  It was very clean and very simple.  Large, circular lights adorned the wall like a glowing pattern, and a short central control panel stood at the center.  Fluted columns were even placed around the walls.

"Bigger on the inside, eh?" The scarf-clad Doctor patted me on the back.

I shook my head and followed him over to the control panel.  He had mistaken my confusion for the usual awe of being inside such a machine.  I figured I'd let him have his fun. "Yeah.  I wasn't expecting to see this."

He grinned, though there was still a peculiar look to his eyes.  "You don't seem as surprised as I would have thought."

"Hey, I came here in a portal; I'm not too easily surprised." I smirked.

He began to chuckle, and with adept fingers, he typed in a few things into the control panel.  The TARDIS soon after began its familiar whirr.

"Wait—where are we going?" I asked.

"I'm relocating us in space, but not time..." he said, "Can't leave the Dalek alone in London—especially since it's not supposed to be there in the first place..." he eyed me.

"I swear, I didn't think something like that could happen," I tried to explain, "I thought the portal was just a doorway from where I came from to where I wanted to go.   And there were no Daleks where I came from."

The Doctor hummed.  "Well, that is odd, then.  Would you like a jelly baby?"

I tilted my head, more at the randomness of the question than at what he could have been referring to.  "A what?"

He fished a small paper bag from his coat pocket and extended it towards me.  "They're sweets!  Try one!"

I gazed at the bag of small, colorful candies, and then I looked at him warily.

"Ah, nevermind..." He stuffed it back into his pocket, but only after he plucked a few from the bag to eat.

He turned as the TARDIS slowed.  He still retained a glimmer of excitement in his eye; the same one I so often saw in his later regeneration.  Although he looked different, and even acted a little different, so much of The Doctor was the same.  It was like meeting someone for the first time, but still feeling like you've known him for years.

"You're doing an awful lot of staring," He smirked at me.

Blushing, I pushed past him and started to the door.  "Shut up."

He hovered closely behind me and got to the door before I could.  He leaned against the door and prevented me from leaving.  "Gemini..." he said, looking at me with his light blue eyes.  "Where did you get your name?"

I leaned back and forth for a moment before turning the question.  "How did you get the name 'Doctor'?"

"Because people call me The Doctor." He replied simply, "I don't know why.  And I asked you first."

"I'm... named after the stars." I lied.

"The constellation?" He said, an odd look to his eye.  "Interesting.  Gemini is the name for The Twins, you know."

I could almost see the gears turning in his head.  For some reason, I felt worried that he was aware of who I was.  As far as I knew, this meeting preceded the first time I met The Doctor; although, being Time Lords, perhaps we had met earlier still.  Or, since Raven instantly remembered The Doctor this way, it could be assumed that they had already met.  And if Raven and The Doctor could instantly remember each other even with their new appearances, then perhaps this earlier Doctor can see Raven in me...

"You sure have a lot on your mind," The Doctor said.  "Awful lot of staring.  This time, not at me, though."

I shook my head, realizing I had been staring at the door.  "Sorry—yeah.  Lots on my mind is a good way to put it..."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows and seemed to accept the answer.  He stepped away from the door and opened it for me.  I smiled sheepishly and walked outside.

As the Time Lord and I stepped out, I noticed were just around the corner from where I had hidden the portal.  The Doctor started crouching down and sneaking his way towards the corner rather dramatically.  With a simple, silent wave of his hand, he gestured me to follow him.

I smirked and did as I was told.  As soon as I had caught up with him, he raised his hand and stopped me.

"The portal's around this corner, is it not?" he whispered.

"Between the fence and a bush." I replied.

"Good.  You'll have to get it and shut it off before anoth..." he peeked around the corner, "...there's already another one..."

"Another Dalek??" I leaned further to look around.

"Gemini—stop!" he hissed and pulled me backwards.  

"But the portal's right there—I can grab it and run back before they notice!" I whined.

He rolled his eyes.  "If you're quick about it!"

I shot around the corner and grabbed the portal, then lunged back to The Doctor.  I forgot how heavy it was, and the extra weight caused me to trip and fall against the sidewalk—along with the clanging red portal.

"STOP HER!!" The first Dalek called to the second.

I scrambled to my feet and scraped the portal across the ground, no longer caring how much noise I was making.  I heard a Dalek fire, but the shot missed me as I ran into The Doctor at the corner.

"'Run back before they notice'!" He repeated my words hurriedly as he took my arm and pulled me away.

"You try carrying this thing!" I yelled back.

At that, he grabbed the portal, fumbled slightly over the weight, and then he straightened up and pushed me into the TARDIS.  Once inside, he dropped the portal, ran to the control panel, and moved us to a safer location.  He took a deep breath and looked at me.

I was sitting on the floor beside the portal.  "...Well, at least we have the portal now."

"Yes." He said with a shrug.  He then began fiddling with his scarf, and he kept his eyes down.  "Scared me for a moment, though.   Don't do that anymore..."

I looked up at him and caught his sheepish expression just as he gazed up at me.  He immediately cleared his throat and went into his pocket to produce the bag of jelly babies.

Smiling to myself, I eyed the device, lifting it up to examine it.  The lights were blinking in the center, rather than being at a constant beam.  I held my hands on the controls, but I was having a hard time deciphering it this time.  I gently put my hand up to the center and tried to push it through.  It did.  

"So... how does that work?" The Doctor was slowly moving closer, curious.

"I don't think I'm too sure anymore," I replied.  "I thought it would only let one person through at a time, but now it's let me and two Daleks through..."  

"Where'd you figure it could only let one being through?"

"When... when my friend tried to come with me." I said awkwardly, "It would only let one of us through; it would block anyone else."  I pulled the sonic screwdriver from my pocket and began to scan around its circular shape.

The Doctor's wide eyes were inches before me moments later.  "What is that??" he asked, much like a snooping child.

"Sonic screwdriver, like the one you've got."  I replied succinctly.

"You have a sonic??" His eyes followed it as I continued to scan the portal.

It's set to be linked to a spaceship in orbit around the planet Skaro... bloody hell, no wonder the Daleks are here...

"I don't understand," I spoke aloud.

"What?" The Doctor, still far too inquisitive, was crouched even further down to remain on the same level as mine.

I locked my eyes onto his. I would get an answer from The Doctor one way or another.  "Doctor," I asked slowly, "what is Skaro?"

He immediately pushed backward.  "Skaro??  That's the planet of the Daleks!"

I closed my eyes.  "Of course it is..." I said.

He grabbed my hand and held it tightly, waiting for me to open my eyes again.  "Why?" he asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

"Because that's where this portal is from..."

Chapter 6

The night had been long.  The Doctor had scarcely slept as he lay on the rock, even in the smoother area he preferred to stay on.  He hated the disconnected feeling he had, and he hated even more the vast feeling of uncertainly.  Sapphyre was finally allowing herself to trust him, but it wasn't certain that she would go through with what she said she would do.  It wasn't certain that, if Gemini were to return to the TARDIS before him, she could track him down and find him.   He wasn't even sure what Gem's situation was in the dimension she had chosen.  For all he knew, she was just as stranded as he was.  He could have kicked himself for not taking more precautions.

Before long, the first rays of the sun shone over the sea, and sure enough, just as she had promised, the mermaid floated to the surface.  She rested her arms on the rock and smiled lightly as The Doctor sat up.

"There you are," he said.  "You're up early."

She grinned and looked down.  "It's dawn."

"That it is."  The Doctor stretched.  He glanced down as the mermaid slid onto the rock and took the sonic screwdriver into her hands.  He waited until she looked up to him before he spoke again.  "You're ready to go already?"

"I guess so.  The sun's coming up—and I have this."

"Just be careful," The Doctor nudged her.  "And without sounding rude, please don't lose that..."

"I won't.  You're sure it will work in the water?"

"As long as it's not eaten by a shark; I know that doesn't work too well for it."

Sapphyre nodded.  "I'll find the portal." She said boldly.

"I know you can." He smiled.

With that, she turned and ducked underwater with the sonic screwdriver in hand.


Sapphyre swam far underwater, holding the sonic screwdriver ahead of her.  There was a large outcropping of rocks that jutted from the sea floor.  Some of them broke the surface like the one The Doctor was resting on, though most stopped at varying heights below the water, creating a network of crevices, platforms, and cliffs for the sea life.  And part of the sea life that made its home here were a hidden tribe of mer-folk.  None would notice her, however; and if any of them did, they rarely approached her.  She would have no trouble taking care of what The Doctor needed her to do.

With the sonic screwdriver leading her, she soon discovered the faded-red device resting on a rock.  She turned off the screwdriver and went to lift the large portal.  It was certainly heavy, but with her powerful tail, she knew she would be able to carry it to the surface.   She would need to bring it up as quickly as she could.

For the first time, however, she began to think about what would happen once she handed the portal back to The Doctor.  He would go home, leaving her alone again.  She felt a pain in her chest and floated down to sit beside the portal on the rock.  Alone... that never bothered her before.  She was used to being alone.  She was always able to occupy herself or find a song to sing.  But now that she knew the odd man on the rock accepted her, she almost didn't want to let him go.

She shook her head.  It was silly to think of such things.  The Doctor wouldn't be able to survive on a rock in the middle of the ocean.  If he were anything like a human, he would need drinking water and food, shelter from storms, and a dry place to live and sleep.  And he wasn't even from the place that she was from; he had a home and friends back in his own dimension.  She should be glad that she had even a moment's time to spend with him—and a moment's time to feel like she mattered to someone else.

She lifted the portal from the rock and slipped her arm through it to have it rest on her shoulder.  It was heavy, but she could bring it back to the surface.  

- - -

"A Dalek portal??" The Doctor cried.

I rubbed my forehead.  "That's why they're here... that's why even though I was linked to my time and dimension, the Daleks were able to change it to link to their own world and use it to come through..."

"Well how did you get this in the first place??"

"You—" I bit my lip.  "Oh, you know, someone gave it to me," I covered.

The Doctor was now pacing the floor.  "Right..." he said after a moment.  "So our goal now is to get the Daleks back where they came from, and then we must get you home.  And then you need to deactivate that portal."  He turned and looked at me.  "Is it still set to the Dalek's home?"

"I think so."

"If we could get the Daleks back through there, that would take care of them." He began to pace again.

"Get them back through?" I asked incredulously, "How are we supposed to do that if we can't even get close to them?"

"Well, if we can stun them... we could force them back through..."

"Do you know how to stun a Dalek?"

He turned to me again.  "I was hoping you'd know."

I threw my hands in the air.  "I didn't even know what a Dalek was until today!"

The Time Lord tossed one end of his scarf over his shoulder.  "So if we stun them, we could force them back through..." he began to mumble.

Standing up, I looked down at the portal lying on the floor.  It didn't look like the portal would be large enough to fit a Dalek through; they certainly couldn't roll through it.  They would have to roll over the portal on the ground, or it would have to be dropped onto their heads...

Dropped onto their heads!!

"Doctor!" I exclaimed.

He spun around and got wrapped up in his scarf.  "Yes!  What??"

"We can drop the portal onto them!" I said, pointing at it.

"Drop it! Yes!!" He ran over to me and grabbed my hands.  "I knew you were brilliant!  But wait—how do we get over them?"

I glanced around him at the TARDIS control panel.  "Hover the TARDIS over them, and I can push it onto them from the door," I suggested.

"Brilliant again!!" This time he grabbed me in a brief, but tight, hug.  He shot across the room to the control panel shortly after, and he waved me to move away.  "Come on—open the door!  Let me know when I'm getting close—but watch out for their shots!  Stay behind the door as a shield!"

"Right!" I said, pulling the portal over to the door before I opened it.  I watched as the ground began to fall back, and the TARDIS began hovering over the fence.

"This'll drain the power fast," The Doctor said, giving me one more glance.  "But we won't want to keep the Daleks waiting too long, will we?"

I smirked.  "I think their time is up."

Chapter 7

It hadn't been very long when The Doctor was roused from his daydreaming to the sound of the water splashing not far from the rock.

"Phyre, is that you already?" He leaned over the water.

But then, from the corner of his eye, he saw the fin of a shark swimming towards him.  He quickly backed away, but stopped when the fin submerged underwater before it reached him.   He momentarily relaxed, but tensed up when bubbles began to appear at the edge of the rock.  And then, from within the bubbles, the head of a young woman appeared.

The Doctor gasped.  Under the stripes across her face, the young woman looked exactly like the renegade Time Lord.  "...Hydra!!" he clenched his teeth.

At once, she leapt from the water and grasped him by the neck, pulling him underwater.  In a flurry of bubbles he struggled against her grasp, and he was quickly pressed against the rock and held in a firm grip.  When the water cleared, his eyes widened with shock.  With the upper body of a woman and the tail and fins of a tiger shark, Hydra's dimensional counterpart was neither Time Lord nor human.

"I don't know who you're talking about," the mer-shark sneered.  "Having fun holding your breath?  You know, I can do this all day."

He writhed in her grasp, not wanting to experience the feeling of drowning again so soon.

She then pulled him up by the neck until his head was above the water.  

He gasped for air, but it was labored thanks to her grip.

Drawing her striped face close to him, her shark-like eyes glared at him.  "I've been watching you and Sapphyre closely, and I know you're depending on her just as much as she's beginning to care about you."

"No—you are not using me to get to her!!" The Doctor shouted, already knowing where this was going.

He was quickly interrupted when the mer-shark hissed at him, baring her pointed teeth.  "But don't you see?  That's the only way for me to capture her!  She'll have to surrender when she sees you in the clutches of danger..."

"You will not have her!"

"But I have to have her...  She's my ticket to returning human..."

The Doctor blinked, a surprised look to his face.   The mer-shark noticed and began to chuckle.

Enraged, The Doctor used all of his strength and kicked the mer-shark hard.  She released him, and he slipped underwater as she backed away.  When he opened his eyes, he saw the blurry figure of another shark racing towards him.

In one swift movement, The Doctor was thrown out of the water and came crashing onto the rock.  He grit his teeth and slowly opened his eyes to see a tan-skinned man with black and blue hair leaning over him.  His lower half was the tail of a great white shark, and he used his greater strength to hold The Doctor down.

"You will not touch Niuhi!!" he yelled.  "If you do I'll rip you to shreds!!"

"Mano," the tiger shark emerged from the water.  "Leave him be.  We need him alive."

Mano stood down, but he did not look happy about it.  With one final sneer, he slipped back into the water beside Niuhi.

The Doctor was sprawled across the rock, breathing hard and staring at the two newcomers with a deep anger in his slightly bewildered face.  "You're supposed to be human too, eh?" he huffed, "How will capturing Phyre help you?  Are you bringing her back to the laboratory??"

"Unlike Sapphyre, I don't feel the need to confide that information to you." Niuhi spoke plainly.

"You'd betray someone who's gone through the same thing you have??"

"She is nothing like me." Niuhi growled.  "And when she returns to you, we'll be ready."  An evil smile spread across her face as The Doctor's expression turned to panic.  With that, she and Mano disappeared beneath the surface.

The Doctor was feeling trapped: as the bait for another trap.  Sapphyre would have to return to him, and she would be returning right into the arms of the mer-sharks.  There was no way he could get to her first to save her—and that wasn't taking his own rescue into account.  He had to shudder at how quickly things were spinning out of his control.

After an agonizing amount of time, he stood up.  He couldn't simply sit and wait any longer.  He had to do something, even if it was incredibly stupid.

He dove into the water and started swimming downward, hoping he could find Sapphyre despite his blurred vision.  However, as he had expected, hands grasped onto his leg and pulled him back.  He fought back all he could, and he was met with Niuhi's face.

"What a fool!" She cried.  "Do you really think you'd find her on one breath??"

"Doctor!!"

Niuhi turned her head to see Sapphyre floating below them with the portal on her shoulder.  Snarling, she released The Doctor and went after the blue-finned mermaid.  Sapphyre held out the sonic screwdriver and activated it, but with her teeth bared, Niuhi snapped at it.  Sappyre shrunk back to see half a sonic screwdriver in her hand, and after a moment of staring at the mer-shark incredulously, she swung the massive portal and clocked Niuhi in the head.

Mano had surfaced beside The Doctor and was glaring toothily, but he quickly turned on him when he heard Niuhi cry out.

The mer-shark writhed away in pain, and Mano raced after her.  This gave Sapphyre a chance to swim to The Doctor.

"You need to get out of here," Sapphyre said, beating her tail hard to stay afloat with the portal's weight.

"I can't leave you like this!" The Doctor said breathlessly.

Sapphyre quickly submerged and swung the portal again, this time scaring off the two mer-sharks who were trying to come near them.

"You think you can win with that big heavy thing?" Niuhi called as blood wisped into the water from her forehead.  "You'll get tired before I do!"

As much as Sapphyre didn't want to believe it, the mer-shark was right.  Her arms were sore, and constantly struggling to stay afloat was wearing her out.  She needed to get The Doctor and his portal home.

As fast as she could manage, she sped away towards the rock and nearly leapt from the water to toss the portal and sonic screwdriver away.  They both landed on the rock as she dove back under to rescue The Doctor.  Niuhi immediately grabbed her, but without the portal to lug around, Sapphyre was much more agile.  She slipped from the mer-shark's hands and darted away, making wide corkscrews and turns to make it difficult for Niuhi to catch her.

Mano was again pestering The Doctor, but with an unexpected head-butt from the blue-finned mermaid, he was pushed aside.  Sapphyre broke above the surface.  "Get to the rock!" she told The Doctor hurriedly.  He nodded and she darted away again to keep the sharks off his trail.

It wasn't long before Niuhi stopped following Sapphyre's erratic patterns and grabbed Mano.  "Go back to the human before he gets away!!" she ordered.

Sapphyre heard this and quickly sped towards Mano, grabbing his tail fin to slow him down.  He hissed and doubled over to stop her, but Niuhi had his back.  With her clawed, webbed hands bared, she swiped at Sapphyre's tail.  Sapphyre yelped and beat her tail hard to ward Niuhi off, but she did not let go of Mano.  Niuhi ducked to avoid Sapphyre's tail, and she swam up to grasp her around her neck.  Sapphyre faltered and finally released him.

"Pity your gills are on your neck," Niuhi grinned malevolently as her own gills fanned on her torso, "It makes strangling you this much easier."

Sapphyre struggled to pry Niuhi's hands from her neck, but she was losing strength quickly.

Suddenly, a blast of blue light shot through the water and struck Niuhi squarely in the back.  She cried out and released Sapphyre, appearing to be stunned.  A second shot hit Mano, and he fought against the paralysis to swim awkwardly away.  Niuhi looked up to see The Doctor holding a gun of some sort in one hand and the rock with the other.  With a weak hiss, she retreated with Mano until they were far out of sight.

Sapphyre watched as The Doctor returned to the surface and climbed up, and she followed him.  Her tail was badly cut, and she was still recovering her breath.  The Doctor looked upon her kindly as she laid across the rock to rest.

"She hurt you," he eyed her wound, but she shrugged it off.

"I've been through worse.  I'm glad you're all right."

The Doctor smiled almost sadly.  "I owe so much to you, Phyre," he said.  "You're as strong and as brave as anyone I know."

She looked up.  "You're the one who scared them off.  What did you do?"

The Doctor lifted a device that looked mildly similar to the sonic screwdriver.  "Sonic blaster.  I don't normally use these, but that was all I could think of in such a short notice."

"Where did you get it?"

"My TARDIS.  Through the portal."

She sat up.  "You mean you left—and came back?"

"Of course."

"...You could have just left me,"

"I could have, but I didn't.  I was not going to leave you in danger; though."  He suddenly looked down at his feet.  He lifted half of a sonic screwdriver confusedly.  "...Don't tell me..."

Sapphyre did as he said and remained silent with an embarrassed smile.

He tossed it aside.  "...Bloody sharks."

The mermaid smiled and slipped back into the water, keeping her tail wet to keep it from hurting.  When she looked up, she was met with The Doctor's face near hers.

"Are you leaving for good?" she asked, blushing slightly.

The Doctor shrugged.  "Not for good—never for good.  Now that I know you're here, I'll have to come visit.  And I'm afraid that's not the last time you'll see those sharks... you may need a hand."

She shook her head.  "But you have friends there—a life there.  You don't need me..."

A hand brushed against her chin and lifted her head, and The Doctor kissed her forehead.  "There's a very good chance I've been friends with you all along," the Time Lord smiled.

Sapphyre's face flushed, and she watched as he turned and lifted the portal in his hands.  He pressed a button with his thumb and the inside rim of the portal glowed white.  He glanced back at her one last time, smiling warmly.

She smiled too, and gave a small wave with her hand.

He stepped inside the portal, and the circle disappeared behind him.

Chapter 8

The two Daleks were rolling down the street, scanning any passer-by that got too close to them.  Most people who noticed them immediately turned to run away, and the Daleks had no need to fire any shots at them.

"FIND THE TIME LORDS," one Dalek said to the other.  "WE HAVE NO NEED TO BOTHER WITH HUMANS."

"SCANNERS INDICATE TIME LORD PRESENCE," the other said.  It then began to turn around.  "WHERE ARE THEY?"

"Now!!" I yelled.

The Daleks barely had a moment to point their eyestalks up when I shoved the portal out the door of the hovering TARDIS.  It slipped over one of them and clattered onto the ground.  The Dalek was gone.

"Got it!!" I exclaimed, pumping my fists in the air.

"All right!!" The Doctor shouted in reply.  He landed the TARDIS and I quickly scooped up the portal.

"YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!!" The second Dalek shrieked, firing at the TARDIS.  We rocked from the strike, and I quickly pulled the portal inside and closed the door.

"One down—one more to go," I said, holding the portal.  "And the Dalek's right there!"

The Doctor was shaking his head as he fought with the controls.  "Bad news; I can't get the TARDIS to hover.  That last shot drained too much power..."

"So what do we do?"

The TARDIS shook again as the Dalek again fired at us.

"We've got to do something quickly!" The Doctor shouted over an alarm.

I looked at the portal in my hands.

If we can stun it... we could force it back through...

I opened the door of the TARDIS.  We were on the sidewalk at the Abby Road crosswalk.

"Gemini—what are you doing??" The Doctor called, looking up from the control panel.

"I'm going to cross the street!"

With that, I dropped the portal and raced out into the crosswalk.  The Dalek rolled around the side of the TARDIS and aimed its gun stick at me.

"EXTERMINATE!!" It shouted.

"I'd like to see you try!" I yelled back, glancing to either side of the road.  "Why don't you come over here and fight like a—a whatever you are!"

The Dalek fired a shot, which I dodged and ran further out into the street.

"What's the matter—scared to get close to me?" I taunted.

"Gemini, stop it!!" The Doctor stood warily in the doorway.

"Trust me!"  I crouched down, ready to run.  A bus was headed towards the crosswalk.

"YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!!" The Dalek rolled into the street.

I ducked out of the way moments before the bus, its horn blaring, crashed into the Dalek.  The vehicle and the Dalek skidded across the ground before coming to a stop.  The Dalek, slightly crumpled, flopped over, revealing a heavily damaged front for the bus.

The Doctor, lugging the portal with one hand, raced around the damage to reach me.  "You—you brilliant fool...!" he said, harsh but soft at the same time.

"Let's finish this," I smiled.

"Right." He grinned a toothy grin.  

The bus-driver, the only person who had been aboard the bus when it crashed, jumped out with a harried expression.  "Police!" he shouted, starting to run around the back of the bus.

The Doctor quickly handed me the portal and raised a hand towards him.  "No, no—that call box is out of order.  Try the one down the street!"

But the bus driver continued until he ran out of sight behind crumpled bus, and The Doctor had no choice but to stop him from inadvertently entering the TARDIS.  Now alone with the Dalek, I got a better grip on the portal and walked towards it.

"EXX..." The Dalek sparked, its eye stalk jerking to one side.

"Can it," I replied.  "You're going back where you came from."

"EX—TER—MIN—ATE!!" The Dalek's jarring voice cut into the air.

The Dalek suddenly fired a weakened blast, and it ricocheted off the bus' mirror and struck my left hand.  I dropped the portal and fell back, clutching my wrist in agony.  I pried my eyes open, breathing hard, but what I saw took my labored breath away.  My hand was broken and bloody.  I could no longer move it.  Even my coat sleeve was charred and tattered.  

You're lucky that was an indirect shot... You should be dead...

"But... my hand..." I was beginning to tremble from the pain, wincing as the Dalek sparked again.

Oh, I'll take care of the Dalek. It's going to pay for this mistake...

The pain was turning into a dark numbness.  But I could feel movement.  I could feel a deep rage growing stronger.  The rage was battling the pain, and I could feel myself stand moments before everything went black.

My eyes shone with a golden light, and the same golden energy was now whisping around my broken left hand.  With a grimaced expression, I held my wrist tightly.  My hand began to glow, and with a brilliant bursting of power, a new hand remained.

Stretching my hand with an angry frown, I turned my eyes to the Dalek.

"So... thought you could get away with that, did you?" I spoke, "Thought you could stop me by shooting my hand off?  Did you already forget I was a Time Lord??"

"YOU ARE—HUMAN—HUMAN AND TIME LORD," the Dalek sputtered, its gun stick no longer functional as it shorted out in a small flurry of sparks.

"You can leave off the human part for right now," I said as the golden energy still followed my hands as I walked.  "You've scared her away."

I forcibly grabbed its eyestalk and looked down into its mechanical eye.  

"PLEASE—STOP—" The Dalek tried.

"No..." I growled, pulling against the mechanics that tried to move the eyestalk, "You didn't stop when you shot at us before.  But unlucky for you, you just hit me..."

"STOP!!"

I ripped the eyestalk from its mechanical head as its jarring voice cried out into the air.  I then ran around and pushed the Dalek until its head hung over the portal on the ground, and it stayed balanced on the edge.

"You tell your friends to stay out of this portal." I commanded.  "It's mine now."

With a final shove, I pushed the Dalek up and through the portal.  I tossed its eyestalk in after it, and with my foot, I hit a button on the portal to disengage it.

I was breathing hard.  The golden energy still swirled around me, but it was fading quickly.  With the threat gone and the rage subsiding, my senses were returning and my body was feeling faint.  I turned and saw The Doctor running towards me before finally collapsed to my knees.

The Doctor clutched my shoulders almost as quickly.  "Gemini!" he said, falling to his own knees.

In a half-dazed state, I turned to look at him.  "Doctor?" I blinked.  

He seemed as much troubled as he was relieved.  "What... what happened??"

I didn't know what I had done.  I had blacked out and Raven's consciousness had taken over, and I had remembered nothing.  I no longer saw the Dalek, so somehow I had sent it back where it had come from.  Before that, I remember my hand getting shot.  I lifted my hand and bent my healed fingers.  I wasn't entirely sure how that happened either.

"I came 'round the bus and saw you pushing that Dalek inside the portal—but you were—it looked like you were glowing..." The Doctor continued speaking when I remained silent.  

Glowing... could I have regenerated my hand?  Is that why it was healed again?

The Doctor finally sighed and turned away, noticing my sonic screwdriver a few feet away.  It had fallen out of my pocket when I had fallen.  He lifted it, and I watched as he cradled it gently within them.  His eyes remained wide, but when he looked up, he had a different sort of expression.

"I know someone with a sonic like this." He said slowly.

He knows.  He knows me.  He knows you are not who you think you are.

I struggled against her insistence.  I didn't know what to say.  I didn't know what to do.  I only took the sonic screwdriver back and stood shakily.  "I need to get home," I tried to change the subject.  I wobbled as I bent down to lift the portal, and The Doctor quickly caught my arm.

"Yes," he said, setting the edge of the portal on the ground.  "You need to get home."  He put his hand on my shoulder and looked at me with a soft smile.  "And maybe I'll see you again."

"You will."  I smiled back.  "Thank you, Doctor, for all your help."  

He averted his blue eyes and grinned sheepishly.  "You take care.  You be careful."

"You, too."

I then brought my hands to the portal and began to enter the coordinates to my home.  The location had been remembered, so I was quickly linked with the correct time and dimension.  When it was set, I gave him a final look before I activated the portal.

"Gemini... wait," he caught my arm again and looked deeply into my eyes.  "...Do I know you?"  He was so close I could feel his breath.

I leaned closer and kissed his cheek.  "You will." I said softly.

With that, I stepped through the portal, and it disappeared behind me.

Chapter 9

I stepped out of the portal, and with a quick inspection, I was indeed back in my Doctor's TARDIS.  But before I could wonder where my Doctor was, the portal across the room from me lit up.  Shortly after, The Doctor stepped through.  Our eyes met, and he dropped what he was holding.

"Gemini!"

"Doctor!"

We ran to each other and embraced.  I buried my head in his shoulder, and he held me tightly.

After a moment, I raised my head.  "Why are you soaking wet?"

He smirked.  "Long story."

I smiled and drew my hands up to straighten his tie.  He immediately grabbed my left hand, noting the torn sleeve of my coat.

"What happened to you?"

My smile faded.  "...Long story."

We looked at each other.  It was obvious that each of us had experienced our own fairly traumatic experiences.  The Doctor, however, seemed extremely concerned, and I was now in a position to tell him the truth.  Biting my lip, I clenched my left hand.  "I think I regenerated my hand."

The Doctor looked surprised.  "You regenerated??"

"Just my hand—I think,"

"You think??"

I shook my head.  "I wasn't ...me."

The Doctor pressed his lips together.  "I see." He said softly.  "You were having difficulty controlling her before when you were on stage... What happened?  How much do you remember?"

"Well, some Daleks came through the portal after I did—"

"Daleks??" The Doctor pushed away.

I took a deep breath and raised an eyebrow.  "Yeah... about that... what does 'Skaro' mean to you?"

The Doctor immediately closed his eyes and hunched over slightly.  "I should have figured you'd figure it out..."

"And you were the one who helped me," I said, "I came in contact with a younger you while I was there."

Now The Doctor looked petrified; his eyes almost as wide as his younger counterpart.  "You—you what??  But—but that could have been—but—"

"It's fine, Doctor," I assured him, "you never found out who I really was, but you and Raven definitely knew each other.  That's the part that nearly got me in trouble..."

The Doctor was pacing the floor and running his fingers through his hair.  "Well—what did I look like?"

"Curly hair, big blue eyes; really, really long scarf..."

"My goodness, that's been a while..." The Doctor murmured, almost embarrassed that I had seen him like that.

"It was odd," I continued, "It was you, but it wasn't you.  I know you've explained your whole regeneration thing to me before, but it made more sense when you told me your mannerisms and personality change a bit—as well as your appearance."

The Doctor shook his head, half-smiling.  "Well, you're right that Raven would have known me then.  I first met her when I returned to Gallifrey during that time."  He took a deep breath.  "So I ratted myself out by telling you those portals were Dalek technology?"

"You didn't tell me that much," I looked at him, "but after the Daleks came through, I could tell where the portal was linked to—and it was the same place you had gone to when you picked them up—so I just asked you what Skaro was—"

The Doctor pointed a finger toward me.  "How did you know where I had picked them up?"

I went blank; I had just ratted myself out too.  "...I looked it up on the TARDIS."

He almost looked angry, but he spoke calmly in reply.  "I should have known you'd look.  Can't hide anything from you, can I..."

"Why were you trying to hide it in the first place?" I shot back as gently as I could, "Knowing the portals were Dalek technology would have been helpful information—especially since they can apparently still control them."

He sighed and turned around.  "I wasn't sure how Raven would react if I had told you.  I suppose I feared the reaction."  He turned and looked at me rather sadly.  "But it was silly for me to do that... silly and dangerous—and are the Daleks what injured your hand?  Wait—no—that would have killed you—"

"It was a Dalek's shot," I said, stepping closer to him.  "But it was weakened, and it reflected off something first.  Apparently that was lucky."

"Of course that's lucky—and what did I do when that happened?"

"You weren't there.  Someone was trying to use the TARDIS as a phone box."

The Doctor tried to stifle a chuckle.  "Of course..." He bit his lip after a moment and looked up.  "Now, you said there were Daleks... so there were more than one of them?"

"Two, before we could stop them.  It seemed like any number of Daleks can get through the portal, but only one person can at a time."

"Maybe a security mechanism... something I'd try to bypass if we dare use these again..." He looked at the portal almost scornfully, but he looked fairly guilty at the same time.

"But there was something the Dalek said that I wanted to ask you about," I said carefully.  "It said I had human and Time Lord DNA... but is that right?  All this time you've told me I'm human with a Time Lord's consciousness, and that wouldn't be a physical change, would it?"

The Doctor mused over the question.  He slowly reached towards me and took my left hand.  He rubbed it with his fingers, and when he looked up at me, he had a look on his face to prove he had discovered the answer.

"Remember the first time you regenerated—I was shocked obviously that you had, but I was also shocked that your physical appearance hadn't changed."

"And we said that was because I was physically human."

"Yes—but!" He lifted my hand, "You are changing, but on a different level..."

I blinked and looked down at my hand.  "So my hand—"

"Your hand, and whatever parts of you that it took to restore your life when that Kronolin disease tried to kill you..." He slowly shook his head as his eyes drifted aside.  "...You've become a human-Time Lord hybrid..."

Now I was shaking my head.  "So... but..."  I pulled my hand away and inspected it as I pondered his words.  It didn't look any different; the wrinkles and veins seemed to be the same as it had always been.  But if it was infused with Time Lord DNA now...

"So if the reason I can't control myself when Raven's consciousness takes over is because my human body can't handle it, why am I still unable to control myself with a human and Time Lord body?" I asked suddenly.

The Doctor's bright eyes had faded again.  "...I can't answer that."

"I still don't even remember what happens... you asked me and I didn't even know how to answer you..."

The Doctor put his hands on my shoulders.  "I... let's not think of this now.  You're safe and back and here and I'm so glad you are." He pulled me close to him and hugged me tightly.  I was forced to obey and hug him back.  My cheek was again against his wet shirt.  I took a fold of his shirt in my fingers and pulled the wet cloth away from his arm.

"Okay, now explain why you're all wet." I half-demanded.

He chuckled.  "Well, if you could believe I found you too... only you weren't exactly yourself..."

"You found me?" I asked, almost doubting his words, "So what, was I a man like you thought?"

"No, you were female..." He grinned sliding his arms to cradle my back.  "And you were a mermaid."

Blinking, I continued to question the validity of his reply, "Wait... what?"

"Like I said... long story.  And it was almost as odd as it must have been for you finding a younger version of me.  It was you, but it wasn't you at the same time."

"So I really was a mermaid?  You're not lying?"  

"Of course I'm not lying!"

"So what did I look like?"

"Oh, you were beautiful," he said, looking past my head, "You had a beautiful blue tail... beautiful eyes..." he trailed off and looked back at me.  "I'm not sure if I should feel like I'm cheating if they're both you."

I had to laugh.  "I'm not sure how I feel about that either," I poked his chest.  "But it was hard not to find your younger self attractive..."

"You really think so?  With that mop and that... interesting sense of fashion?" He smiled, bringing his face close to mine to kiss my cheek.

"And that quirky personality..." I kissed him back, "Of course that hasn't changed much, eh?"

He drew in for a longer kiss on my lips.  The flare of passion rose, but I beat it down and held him tighter.

And then he pulled back.  "But the one thing I noticed with all this," he said gently, still cradling my back in his arms, "was just how much I... I can't be without you."

I smiled, feeling my face flush from the heat.

"It's silly; a Time Lord like me to have lived hundreds of years and known so many... been close to so many..." He pressed his lips together in a smile as he tilted his head.  "But you're different."

"Of course I am." I piped in softly.

"Of course you are." He repeated.  "...And that's why I love you."

My heart was in my throat.  He said it.  I smiled so wide that my eyes shut, and I leaned my head against my chest as if I had just won an excruciating race.  

I could feel him laugh, or otherwise let out a short sound, and he held me tightly against him.  His hand slid up to my head, and he gently ran his fingers through my hair before I pulled away to look into his hazel-green eyes.

"I love you, too." I said.

Nothing else mattered.  I had my Time Lord and he had me.

Chapter 10

"Ahhh look at these!"

Vance watched as Amaya nearly dove into the costume trunk back stage at the Sirius Theater.  She withdrew moments later with a variety of hats, scarves, and feather boas, nearly squealing with delight.

"She's sure enjoying herself," Dawn smirked, stepping up behind Vance.

"Vanny's enjoying himself too." Ed joked as he passed by.

"Shut it," Vance shot at his brother.  "I'm being a good host..."

"Speaking of hosts, where are Ace and The Doctor?" Dawn scratched his head.  "Aren't they the ones who brought her here in the first place?"

Vance crossed his arms, a brow raised.  "Yeah, but with the way Ace has been lately—"

"You were saying?"

Vance and Dawn slowly turned around to see me and The Doctor walking up from the stage.  I shot him a grin and put my hands on my hips.

"I wasn't saying." Vance shifted uncomfortably.

I patted his back as I walked over to Amaya.  "So Amaya, what are you—"

Amaya turned around, complete with a top hat, a monocle, and a theatrical mustache.  She twitched the mustache and tipped her hat.

"Oh goodness." I tried to stifle laughter.

"Good look for you!" The Doctor excitedly walked over.  "A little old-fashioned, but what the hey!"

"Do you all really wear clothes like this?" she asked, the mustache continuing to twitch.

I pulled a black feather boa from the floor and wrapped it dramatically around my neck.  "Only when we're acting."

The Doctor removed another top hat from the trunk and began to pose with the hat beside me.  "I say, love, what have you done with the birds who gave up their plumage for your attire??"

Amaya giggled and joined us, putting on an accent similar to The Doctor's.  "Why they are out in the bird coop, of course!  I can see them with my eyeglass!"

Dawn could only shake her head as we continued.  "It's no wonder they're friends," she smirked.

All the while, Vance was grinning.  "It's no wonder we're friends with them." He stepped over to me and pulled the feather boa from my shoulders and wrapped it around his head.  "No! She stole the feathers from me!"

Amaya lost it.  "The bird-man!" she could barely say between laughs.

"The bird-man; of course!" I cried, melodramatically crouching down in a bowed position.  "Do forgive me!  I only took your feathers because fashion told me to!"

Ed was passing by as our impromptu scene played out.  "...Ace, I sometimes worry about you."

"Hey, I have a serious question," Amaya said suddenly, "When do I get to meet this Ace you all keep talking about?  He sounds like a neat guy..."

I pressed my lips together and tried not to smile too wide.  I glanced between Vance, Ed, and Dawn; but when I looked at The Doctor, he cracked up.  The others soon followed suit.

"...I don't get it," Amaya said, half of the mustache falling from her lip.

I put a hand on her back with a smile.  "Let me explain..."



James smiled lightly as he ducked back out into the audience and headed to the lobby.  He rounded the corner and entered his office—almost jumping when he found Ed inside.

"Hey," Ed rested his hands on the side of James' desk.  "I wanted to talk."

James tilted his head a bit.  "I-if you want to apologize, I'm-m not the one to talk to," he stammered, stepping around the desk to get to the chair.

"Well, yeah—yeah I know." Ed said awkwardly.  "I just wanted to talk to you first since Ace is harder to talk to lately."  He almost immediately raised his hands.  "Not trying to be a jerk—definitely not—just... well, you guys are gone a lot, and she's all in love and doesn't always notice she's treating us a little differently than she used to."

James was quiet as he let in what Ed was saying.  His face was half-contorted in a defensive frown, but he remained calm as he found his words.  "I'd—I'd think that's part of being in l-love."

"I'm sure it is," Ed pushed away from the desk and crossed his arms.  "And this is never going to sound polite, but if you guys want to keep doing this, we need you around."  He paused as he lost James' eye contact.  "...We need you here to help us get this place ready for the public.  We need you here to help us get the shows ready to perform on stage.  As co-owner of this place, you're pretty important here."

The theater-owner swallowed and lifted his glasses from a pile of papers on his desk.  The papers had been piling up for a few weeks now; letters from the Fortanya council and bills for wood and paint; all to get the aging theater he had purchased almost a year ago back into shape.

"And with Ace as co-owner—and more or less the organizer for this whole Poe musical, we need her here too," Ed continued.

"I know," James said simply, his face still showing a look of concern as he held his glasses.

Ed gave a short sigh.  "I guess what I'm getting at is if you guys won't be around as much, you may want to consider... you know, signing one of us up as a theater manager.  That way if something... happens..."

James' expression darkened considerably.

"...If you guys are off traveling with the Doc, someone will be here to take care of things if something were to come up."

"I—I do-n..." James struggled to find anything audible.  "W—I don't th—think we need to."

Ed nodded quietly and took a step back.  "Just a thought... that's all." He said calmly.

James slid the glasses onto his nose and looked down at the papers on his desk.  He was unable to reply.

Without anything else to say, Ed turned and left the room.

The theater-owner took a deep breath and hunched over as he let it out.  He didn't want to hear any of what Ed was saying, but what scared him the most was he could understand why he would have said it.  Ace—Gemini was changing.  He could tell she had been somewhere else in time before rejoining their friends backstage.  Her coat sleeve was dirty and torn, and there was an air about her he was probably the only one to notice.  With that and her outburst during their botched performance earlier, he knew there was something changing.  He wanted to think it was merely because Gemini was falling in love with The Doctor, but his intuition told him there was something else at work.

He sat back in his chair and huffed another sigh.  Keeping an eye on Gemini would involve him being gone more often.  Being gone was what bothered Ed enough for him to ask to be signed on as a manager.  He didn't outright say it, but James knew that's what he was going for.  Ed felt he would do a better job with the theater he and Gemini had worked so hard on until now.

But until now, he and Gemini held up a much more normal life.  As soon as The Doctor walked in, their lives had been changed.  And they were continuing to change.

James closed his eyes.  They were not going to stop changing.  He knew that for a fact.



Amaya waved goodbye from the ticket booth as Dawn, Ed, and Vance started back to their house to meet up with Athena and Dorian. The Doctor and I finished shutting everything down in the auditorium and back stage, spending almost as much time walking and giggling together.  Amaya was too enthralled by Vance to care very much, and she sighed dreamily as he and the others walked out of sight.

She turned around when The Doctor and I came into the lobby, but she caught sight of James in his office across from her.  Curious, she walked over poked her head in.

James sat up with a start, but he smiled lightly when he saw it was only Amaya.

"Hi James!" Amaya said happily.  "You have eyeglasses now!"

"I do," James said, adjusting his thick-rimmed glasses, "I—I need them to read these papers."

"Oh okay.  I think they're getting ready to leave."  She looked at him, and as soon as she met his eyes, her own seemed to become distant.  Trance-like, she spoke softly.  "An angel's wings are made of the purest white, but they are a heavy burden..."

James wasn't sure what to say as the young oracle seemed to stare right through him.

Shortly after, I came into the room to turn off the marquee lights.  I nodded to Amaya as she turned around to smile at me, but it was obvious James had been unsettled.

"I figured you were in your office when I didn't see you after the play broke."  I said to my brother, "Trying to dive into the paperwork?"

James was still, and it took him a moment to look up at me.  "I tried... tonight's not the n-night for it."

Amaya noticed The Doctor in the doorway and shuffled past me.  I took this moment to step closer to the desk.  "Let me know and I'll help you next time," I tried, adding softly, "Are you all right?"

He stood up from his desk and removed his glasses.  "I—I would be better if—if you didn't run off by yourself," he said after a moment.

I lowered my brows as he walked around his desk to the electrical box.  I couldn't tell if he was being jovial or angry.  "...How did you know?"

He pulled the main lever down, leaving only the light from the ticket booth glowing.  "A—a brother knows."  The smile cracked.

I leaned against his shoulder to give him a light shove.  "Show off."

He shoved back.  "W-whatever."

The Doctor stepped back into the doorway and extended a hand to me with a soft grin.  "Ready, love?"

I blushed and took his hand, glancing at James almost embarrassedly.  Instead, he put a hand on my back and urged me forward.

With my hand in his, The Doctor led us out of the theater, and James locked the door behind us.  The expanse of stars were laid out for us; no longer drowned out by the marquis lights of the Sirius.  

Amaya was in awe as she looked on them, surprised there were still as many stars as there were back on Fortis-Novus.  I never thought of them as being very exciting before, but with each of their worlds now at my fingertips, I could feel the twinge of excitement.

I looked over at James, and noted his usual light smile as he looked up.  My sisterly intuition told me something had happened to him, but I knew I would find out when it was time—similar to when I would tell him my tale of where I had been.

The Doctor squeezed my hand tighter.  I smiled and turned back to the sky.  At least for now, I had all the time in the world.

---

Keep Reading! Book 4 - Dimensionality >>