New Companion, Old Earth - Epilogue

On a fine February day two men sat talking in a room in Magdalen College, Oxford.
"You know, Tollers," said the younger man, breaking the silence. "I've been thinking about that couple we met the other night."
His friend looked at him, eyes bright with curiosity. "I've been waiting for you to mention them, Jack."
"Do you think they really were time-travellers?" Jack asked.
"I do," answered Tollers. "There was something about them that made me believe them. But you saw their ship. Why are you doubting them?"
Jack shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe because it seems like something out of a story, something that Wells might write."
Tollers nodded. "We might write such stories ourselves," he pointed out.
Jack's face brightened. "So we might. I'll toss you for it. Heads, you write a space travel story, tails you write a time travel one."
He pulled out a coin and flicked it into the air.
"Tails," called Tollers, his voice firm and clear for once.
Jack caught the coin and looked down. He began to laugh. "You win," he said, showing him the coin on his palm, and Tolkien joined in his friend's laughter.

New Companion, Old Earth - Chapter Four - Part 3

"Sit down," he said, then began opening cupboard doors. Finally he opened the door to the freezer and pulled something out.
"Pizza," he said. "Ever had it?"
Saskia shook her head. "What is it?"
"It's an Italian dish. A large round base of dough with a tomato based sauce covering it, and then toppings of cheese and vegetables or meat are added to suit the taste of the consumer."
Saskia shrugged. "It sounds OK."
"Good. What topping do you want? We've got either ham and pineapple or tuna and sweetcorn," he said, peering at the hand-written labels.
"Tuna," Saskia answered. "Did you make them yourself?"
"Hmm? Oh, no. I picked them up from an Italian chef I know."
"In Italy?" Saskia asked curiously.
"No, Cardiff actually," the Doctor answered with a small smile.

He put the pizza on a round tin, then pushed it into the oven that Saskia had never investigated. He pressed a couple of buttons and the device sprang into life.
"You've got a microwave in here?" Saskia asked in surprise.
"Actually it's a 25th century pizza oven," the Doctor answered. "It works like a microwave, but the food tastes much better."
He began rummaging in the fridge and pulled out various salad ingredients. Saskia watched in amusement as he prepared the various vegetables before tossing them into a bowl. He glanced up and caught her expression.
"Surprised?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow and grinning at her.
"A bit," she answered, smiling back.
"I'm multi-talented," he said, before popping a piece of celery into his mouth.
"And so modest too," she retorted with a grin.
He swallowed. "No point in false modesty," he answered. "When you've been around as long as I have, you pick up most skills."
"True. Why celery?" she asked.
The Doctor looked puzzled. "It's frequently used in salads," he answered.
"No, I meant why did you wear a stick of celery in your lapel? One of your previous incarnations had it pinned to his jacket."
The Doctor paused in astonishment as he was about to pour a salad dressing into a bowl. "How on earth did you know that?" he asked bemused.
"I saw you – him – when I was in your mind," Saskia answered.
The Doctor's eyes widened in surprise. Before he could respond, the pizza oven began to chime, indicating that the pizza was ready to eat. He poured out the salad dressing, then took the pizza out of the oven. Saskia put plates, cutlery and glasses on the table, and the Doctor got a jug of ice water from the fridge.

Saskia wondered nervously if he was angry with her, though she could only sense his surprise. He cut the pizza into slices, then spoke finally. "Help yourself," he said. "Then explain what happened."
She did as he asked, talking between mouthfuls of food. He listened intently, without interrupting once, eating mechanically.
When she had finished speaking, he looked at her thoughtfully. "Do your people make a habit of wandering through others' minds like that?" he asked carefully.
She shook her head. "I've never heard or read of anyone doing anything like that. Not even those who work as counsellors. They might access a particular memory with an individual in order to help them understand an event, but what I did was completely different."
The Doctor was about to answer when the TARDIS hummed a different note. "The Devron is regaining consciousness," he said, standing up. Saskia got up too. "You don't have to come," he told her.
"Yes I do. After what I did, I have to come."
"Come on then," he said, holding out his hand. She took it gratefully and they went to the medical bay.

They only had to wait a few minutes before the Devron woke up. Immediately it began to strain against the straps that held it to the bed. It opened its eyes and Saskia flinched when she saw the intense hate in the glare it directed at her.
"Let us go!" it demanded, voice rising to a scream that reminded the Doctor of the Daleks.
"If I let you go, will you sit quietly and talk with us?" the Doctor asked.
The Devron turned its baleful look on the Doctor. "Time Lord, I thought you were dead," it answered bitterly.
"Oh it takes a good deal more than that to kill me," he answered, with more cheeriness than Saskia would have believed possible. "Now, are you going to be reasonable? If you're not, I'll just sedate you until we can find somewhere to drop you off."
"Where are you taking us?" it demanded furiously.
"Nowhere yet. We're still on Earth," the Doctor answered. "Where do you want to go? Home?"
"We cannot go home. We were exiled for life."
"We could take you home to my planet," Saskia offered, surprising herself almost as much as she surprised the Doctor, who glanced at her quickly.
"Why?" asked the Devron. "We tried to kill you!"
"And I thought I had killed you," she answered. "Yet here we both are – I just think my people could help you."

The Doctor and Saskia waited, watching the Devron's face. The Doctor was being very careful not to betray his thoughts to Saskia. He had sensed her longing to go home again and he didn't want her to know how reluctant he felt at the prospect of taking her back. This was no time to be selfish, after all she had been through.
"Very well," the Devron said, breaking in on the Doctor's thoughts. "We accept your offer. We wish to sleep now."
The Doctor nodded and moved forward to undo the restraints. As he was unfastening the chest restraint, the Devron's hand shot out and grasped the Doctor's wrist in a vice-like grip. "If you trick us, we will kill you both," it said harshly.
The Doctor look down into its face. "We will be there in a few hours," he said evenly, and turned to undo the leg straps.
"I'm going to go and get some sleep too," Saskia said aloud.
The Doctor nodded without looking up. "I'll be in the Control Room", he said.
Saskia went out and he turned back to the Devron. "Do you want some food?" he asked.
"No – thank you. Just sleep."
The Doctor nodded again. "I'll come and get you once we arrive," he said, then left.

Saskia undressed slowly, feeling exhausted by the day's events. She hadn't missed the Doctor's look of dismay when she had suggested taking the Devron home, and she felt guilty for wanting to go back after all they had been through together. But it was precisely because of what they had been through that she wanted to go back home. She felt desperate for some peace and quiet. She also wanted to talk to Dr Karg. He was an Elder and the wisest person she knew. If anyone could help her to make sense of what had happened today, he would be the person to do it. She crawled into her bed and fell asleep instantly.

The Doctor sat on the Control Room bench, feet propped up on the console. His eyes were closed, but he wasn't asleep. He was wondering whether Saskia would be accompanying him once he was ready to travel again, or whether she would go back to her old job. He was also wondering how long he would be able to make himself wait around for her in case she did want to go on travelling with him. He had sworn, after losing Rose, not to have another companion, but it seemed he couldn't stop himself from picking them up. He knew he would never love anyone as much as Rose, but there was no denying the fact that he had a bond with Saskia now. It was unlike anything he had ever had with anyone except Romana, and he had never imagined that he could have such a bond with someone who wasn't from Gallifrey. Opening his eyes, he got up and flicked a couple of switches on the console. Immediately music began to play, echoing quietly around the Control Room. It was a jazz piece, as melancholy as his mood. He went back to his seat on the bench and closed his eyes, trying not to think of anything at all.

When Saskia walked into the Control Room a couple of hours later, the TARDIS was still playing random jazz tracks and the Doctor was still sitting on the bench. He opened his eyes as she approached.
"I didn't realise you had a radio in here," she said.
"I haven't," he answered. "The TARDIS stores music broadcasts that she picks up wherever we go, and I just play it back whenever I feel like it. This is stuff she's stored over the last two days."
"Oh! What's this piece, then?"
"Benny Goodman and his Orchestra. The track's called 'Riffin at the Ritz'."
"Very – snazzy," Saskia observed.
"I can turn it off, if you don't like it," the Doctor said as the piece ended.
"No, that's OK. I've just never heard anything like it." She sat down beside him on the bench. "Doctor –"
"Don't say it."
Saskia raised an eyebrow at his interruption. "Say what?" she asked, frowning in puzzlement.
"That you're not going to be travelling with me again. Please don't tell me that now. Wait a few days before you make a decision."
Saskia was startled by the pleading note in his voice.
"Actually, I wasn't going to say anything like that," she said. "I've no idea whether I'll be travelling with you again or not."
"Oh." The Doctor looked away and she knew he was embarrassed because he had been pleading with her.
She reached out and took his hand in hers. "This has been fairly intense and traumatic for both of us. I was going to ask you to come with me to see Dr Karg, one of our Elders. I'd like to talk to him about what happened today when I was in your mind, and I'd like you to come with me when I go to see him."
"I can do that," he answered. "Even if I can't do anything else for you, I can at least do that." He got to his feet. "We'll be arriving soon. I'm going to fetch the Devron."
Saskia watched him go, puzzling over his comment about not being able to do anything else for her. She suddenly realised that the TARDIS was still playing jazz tracks when a voice began to sing:

I've flown around the world in a plane,
I've settled revolutions in Spain,
And the North Pole I've charted,
Still I can't get started with you.

She sat listening to the rest of the song, wondering what the Doctor wanted to do for her.

New Companion, Old Earth - Chapter Four - Part 2

He lay sprawled on the grass and she felt fear clutching at her heart and her guts. She knelt beside him and took both his hands in her own. She reached into his mind.
"Doctor?" Saskia reached out again to the TARDIS and was relieved to feel her respond. Drawing on the strength of the TARDIS, she reached out again for the Doctor. She could dimly sense that someone was there, then she gasped in surprise as she realised that it was all nine of his previous regenerations that she could sense in his mind.

"Doctor," Saskia called. "It's Saskia. Come back to me, Doctor, please come back. I don't want to be stuck here." She sensed that the other nine Doctors were somehow shielding and protecting 'her' Doctor, and that they were waiting for her to do something. She looked at the nearest figure. He was an old, white haired man with a stoop and a walking stick. Somehow she knew, without being told, that this was the Doctor's first incarnation. Next to him was a much younger looking man with dark hair and, incongruously, a recorder sticking out of his coat pocket. The third incarnation was taller with silver hair, but he looked vigorous. He was wearing a velvet jacket and a large bow tie. Saskia blinked a little in surprise, then moved on to the fourth incarnation. He had wildly curly brown hair and wore a long, multi-coloured scarf and a hat. He actually looked quite jovial and when she smiled tentatively at him, his eyes twinkled at her. The fifth incarnation was a surprise as he was by far the youngest of them. He was blond and wore a cricket outfit with, bizarrely, a celery stick in the lapel of his jacket. Saskia made a mental note to ask about the celery, if she ever got the chance. The sixth incarnation's hair wasn't quite as curly as the fourth's and she flinched slightly at the very direct look he gave her. The seventh incarnation wasn't so tall as her and he was wearing a trilby on his dark hair. She noticed he carried an umbrella with a handle shaped like a question mark. The eighth incarnation was young, although not as young as the fifth. He was a dark haired Byronesque figure in a velvet jacket. When she reached the ninth incarnation she stopped, knowing that he was the first Doctor Rose had encountered. He was kneeling beside the prone figure of 'her' Doctor, wearing a battered leather jacket with a jumper and jeans. Despite his casual dress, he had a dark expression and his eyes were full of pain. He looked at her and she wondered if he considered her inadequate for the task facing her.

She knelt beside him and looked down at the face of the Doctor's tenth incarnation. His eyes were screwed tight shut in pain, and his breath hissed through his teeth. Somehow he looked blurred, as if he was fading out of existence. She reached out towards him, wondering if she would be able to touch him. This experience was unlike anything she had ever had before and she was unable to recall ever hearing or reading of such an experience amongst her people. She took a deep breath, then placed her right hand on the Doctor's forehead and took his right hand in her left one.
"Doctor," she called. Then she reached out mentally to the TARDIS again and felt her respond. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on her memories of this Doctor. She recalled his puppy-like exuberance and eagerness for adventure, his beaming grin, the wide-eyed innocent look he occasionally adopted, the clever way his fingers manipulated his tools when he was repairing the TARDIS. She thought of the sound of his laughter, uproarious and infectious, and the lilt in his voice when he spoke in a Scottish accent. She pictured him tugging at his earlobe, and rubbing the back of his head in an absent-minded manner when he was thinking. She recalled his long purposeful stride and the familiar way he sat on a horse. Finally she remembered the grief and sadness he felt whenever he thought of Rose.
She became aware that the ninth incarnation was standing beside her, hands tightly gripping her shoulders, and then she realised that the other eight incarnations were lending her their strength through her link to the TARDIS. She opened her eyes and looked down at the face of the man before her, whom she was beginning to admire more than anyone else she had ever known.

"Doctor," she called, more strongly this time. "Come back, now."
His eyes fluttered, then opened. He looked disorientated and she squeezed his fingers.
"Hello," she said.
He ran his tongue over his dry lips. "Hello," he answered hoarsely.
"Welcome back." Saskia became aware that she was alone with him, that his previous selves had disappeared as he had opened his eyes. She decided that she would have to wait until another time to work out what had just happened. She physically opened her eyes this time and saw that the Doctor was conscious, although he looked dazed.

"What just happened?" he asked, his voice hoarse and dry.
"I honestly don't know," Saskia answered. "Worry about it later. Can you move?"
"I think so." She helped him to sit up, then got up herself, rubbing her sore knees and wondering how long she had been kneeling there.
"Let's get into the TARDIS," she said, and carefully helped the Doctor to his feet, grateful that she was fit and that he was so skinny. She hooked his left arm around her neck, then pushed her right shoulder under his left arm, to support his weight. She guided him over to the TARDIS who hummed as they went through the door. She led him over to the bench and helped him to sit down.
"Stay there," she said, rather unnecessarily. She hurried out and returned a few moments later carrying a bottle of water and a bar of chocolate. She opened the bottle of water and gave it to the Doctor.
"Don't drink it too fast," she warned.
He took the bottle from her, but his hands were shaking so much he couldn't lift it to his mouth. Saskia swallowed an exclamation of concern and sat down beside him. She took the bottle from him and held it to his mouth, carefully pouring only a small amount into his mouth. He swallowed it painfully. After a few more mouthfuls, she put the bottle aside and broke off a chunk of chocolate.
"Eat this," she said. "You need the energy."
He took it from her and ate it obediently. She watched him in worried silence.
"What happened to the Devron," he asked after he had finished the chocolate.
She shuddered and looked away. "I think I killed it," she answered after a few moments. She was deeply ashamed at what she had done. In Empathian society violence was very rare; to a race that felt every creature's pain, to deliberately cause pain to another creature was a taboo, and she had violated that taboo without a moment's hesitation. If she had killed the Devron, she would have to live with her guilt for the rest of her life. She swallowed hard, unshed tears burning her eyes.

The Doctor put his arm around her shoulders and she knew that he understood at least part of her feelings of guilt and shame. Slowly she looked round at him and saw that her feelings were mirrored in his eyes and face.
"Let's go and see, shall we?" he asked quietly.
She bit her lip, then nodded. He gently kissed her forehead, then stood up carefully.
"Are you OK?" she asked quickly, as she stood up too.
"I feel like someone hit me over the head with a brick wall, but I'll live," he answered, then held out his hand, which she took.
Hand in hand they went outside and looked around. Saskia was startled to realise that it was past midday, judging by the position of the sun.
"There," the Doctor said, pointing to where the Devron lay sprawled on the grass.
They approached cautiously, then knelt down on either side of it. The Doctor reached out carefully and felt for a pulse in its neck.
"It's alive," he said, looking up in time to see a look of relief cross Saskia's face.
"Thank goodness!" she exclaimed fervently.
"I don't think we should leave it lying here," the Doctor said, looking down at it thoughtfully. "Let's take it into the TARDIS and we'll see whether we can talk to it sensibly once it wakes up."
"OK."
"I think you'll have to help me carry it, though," he said, looking cross for a moment.

Saskia bent and picked up its legs, whilst the Doctor took it under the arms. Moving slowly they carried it into the TARDIS.
"Medical bay," the Doctor said tersely once they were inside. They laid it on the bed in the medical bay and the Doctor looked down at it for a few minutes, tugging at his earlobe.
"I think we'd better restrain it," he said finally. "I don't want it to wake up and go berserk when it finds itself here."
"How long do you think it will be unconscious?" Saskia asked anxiously.
"I've no idea," admitted the Doctor. "I don't know anything of its physiology, or anything about what you did to it when you knocked it unconscious." He glanced at her as he finished fastening to the restraining straps and caught the mixture of guilt and shame on her face. He stepped around the end of the bed and put his hands on her shoulders. She looked down at her feet.
"Look at me, Saskia." He waited until she lifted her face. "You mustn't feel guilty at what you did. You were in a no-win situation. If you hadn't stopped it, there's every chance it would have killed us both for the sake of the TARDIS. You did what you had to do."
She bit her bottom lip, and tried to speak, but found herself crying instead.
"It's OK." The Doctor put his arms round her and hugged her whilst she sobbed on his shoulder for several minutes. When she stopped crying, he pulled out his handkerchief and she dried her tears.
"Come on. Let's go and get something to eat. We'll both feel better with some food inside us."
"Shouldn't one of us stay here with the Devron in case it wakes up?" she asked.
"No," he answered firmly. "The TARDIS will let me know as soon as it starts to regain consciousness. Come and eat." He guided her out of the medical bay and led her to the kitchen.

New Companion, Old Earth - Chapter Four - Part 1

When Saskia woke up next, the Doctor was still beside her bed, and the book was open in his lap, but his eyes were closed. He opened them the next instant and gave her a big grin.
"Hello."
"Hello." Saskia sat up. "Have you been there all night?" she asked frowning.
"Yes. I wanted to keep an eye on you, to make sure the beastie didn't come back to bother you as you needed to have a good night's sleep if we're going to tackle it today."
"And do you know how we're going to tackle it?" she asked, still frowning.
"I thought we'd track it down – and then negotiate with it."
"And how are we going to track it down?"
"I'm hoping that you'll be able to do that since it's built a strong link with you."
Saskia's frown deepened. "This is going to be an interesting day," she said finally. "I'd better get dressed."
"I'm going to get some breakfast then."
Saskia watched the Doctor leave, still frowning. She wished that she shared his blithe confidence that this was going to be so easy. The rage of this creature was immense, terrifying even, if she was honest. Somehow she had never expected her people's natural talents would be a liability to her. She was beginning to consider asking the Doctor to take her back home again once this was over, assuming she survived.

She tried to shake off her uneasiness as she dressed, practising the technique for clearing her mind. She headed for the kitchen, thinking only about eating breakfast, convinced that if she thought about anything else, she would feel too sick to eat. She found the Doctor in the kitchen making a cup of tea.
"I didn't know what you wanted to eat," he said, "so I didn't get you anything."
"Neither do I," confessed Saskia. She opened a cupboard and took out a bowl, looking at the boxes of cereal that Rose had left behind. She closed the cupboard again and went to the fridge. The Doctor drank his tea as he watched her assemble a bowl of fruit salad.
"Banana?" she asked and offered him one. He grinned and took it from her. "Always take a banana to a party," she observed. "If nothing else, it's a conversation starter."
His grin widened. "Or you can use it to make banana daiquiris."
Saskia grimaced, then sat down. "Aren't you eating?" she asked.
"I had some toast whilst you were dressing," he said blandly.
She raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment, concentrating on eating instead.

About ten minutes later they headed to the Console Room and the Doctor programmed the co-ordinates that would take them back to Worminghall.
"There's still a strong energy signature around there," he explained, "so that's as good a place as any to start looking for the beastie."
Saskia nodded, tight-lipped, from her seat on the bench. The TARDIS took off and the Doctor sat down next to her.
"I know this going to be tough on you," he said, "but I'll do everything I can to help you and protect you. The TARDIS will be lending you her strength as well."
She nodded again, convinced that if she opened her mouth to speak, she would throw up. The Doctor put an arm around her and gave her a hug, before getting up to check the controls. A few moments later the Time rotor slowed and then stopped.
Saskia got up and pulled on her coat, then followed the Doctor outside. He fished in his pocket and pulled out the artefact.
"I don't know if this will be any use," he said, holding it out."
She took it, then shrugged. "Only one way to find out," she answered.
The Doctor took her hand as she placed the device against her forehead and concentrated. She could feel him giving her his support, then she sensed the TARDIS too, lending her strength. The device reactivated itself and Saskia staggered slightly as it did so.
"OK?" the Doctor asked.
"Yes."

They waited in silence for a few minutes then Saskia sensed the presence of the beastie, becoming aware of it before it became aware of her. The Doctor squeezed her fingers and she knew that he was aware of it too.
She reached out with her thoughts, offering peace and calm, and sensed its surprise at her mental touch. She waited for its rage to erupt, wondering if she had astonished it into calmness. Moments later she knew this task wasn't going to be that easy after all as she felt its rage beginning to build. She swallowed twice, then reached out again even as it lashed back at her. She felt herself stagger, then realised that the Doctor was pulling her arm, getting her to sit down so that she wouldn't fall down under its onslaught.
"We can help you," she said. "We don't mean you any harm."
Another roar of anger and a stronger mental blow answered her words, and she felt grateful that she was sitting down.
"What do you want?" she asked in anguish. "Tell us what you want!"
"Saskia!" The Doctor's voice was urgent, so she briefly gave her attention to him and saw that he was looking at a figure who was approaching them. The humanoid was about 4 foot 6 inches tall, with mottled dark red skin. There were dark blue feathers in a star pattern on its head, rather than hair or fur. It wore a dark blue loin cloth, but nothing else.
"What is it?" she asked in surprise, hardly able to believe that this was the creature whose rage had nearly killed her. Before the Doctor could answer, however, the creature spoke into her head.
"We are the Devron."
"We?" she asked. "There are more of you?"
"We are many in one," it answered.
Saskia glanced at the Doctor, puzzled, and he shrugged. "Multiple personalities, perhaps?" he suggested, then flinched slightly as the Devron focused its attention on him. The full force of its rage was akin to standing near an inferno.
"Time Lord," the Devron grated, acknowledging the Doctor.
"That's me," answered the Doctor, although with rather less than his usual cheeriness.
"You are responsible for us being here."
"Me?" He sounded genuinely baffled by the Devron's assertion. "How?"
"Your Time War with the Daleks trapped us here," it answered.
Saskia sensed the Doctor's pain and sadness at the Devron's answer. "What were you doing here?" he asked, his voice sounding harsher than usual.
"We were exiled, cast adrift. When the Time War erupted we were thrown to Earth, but our timeship was damaged. We could not escape this planet. Only move through its history. Now we cannot move forward, and to go back is pointless. We are stuck at this point in history until we can find another timeship to take us away. We created a device to summon any passing timeship to us, so we could escape."

Saskia looked at the Doctor, who just shrugged.
"Why are you trapped at this point in time, though?" she asked.
"We do not know," answered the Devron.
"Don't lie to us!" Saskia said sharply. "If you want to leave here, if you want our help, then tell us the truth."
The Devron scowled, obviously unhappy that she had known it was lying. "This one is getting stronger," it said, then looked at the Doctor. "You were easier to manipulate."
The Doctor looked at it, puzzled. "You manipulated me?" he asked, suppressed anger in his voice.
"Tried to deactivate our summoning device," the Devron said, looking gleeful.
Comprehension dawned on the Doctor. "That was your doing? I suppose you were trying to overpower Saskia, intending to blackmail me into helping you?"
"Yes."
Saskia sensed the Doctor's anger, and that the Devron was pleased at his anger. "You still didn't answer my question. Why are you trapped here? Answer me or we will not help you," she insisted.
"The War," it answered reluctantly.
"The Time War?" asked the Doctor.
The Devron scowled at him. "Earth Wars, 1936, 1939," it clarified.
"What? Oh!" Saskia looked at the Doctor as she realised the implications of what the Devron was saying. "I think its emotions are feeding off the build up to the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War – all that increased international tension. Perhaps the Devron has never been taught how to shield its mind from others' emotions."
"We do not want your pity! We want only to escape. You will give us the timeship." Both Saskia and the Doctor flinched at its screams.
"We cannot give you the TARDIS," the Doctor said firmly. "But we can take you away from Earth."

"NO!" The Devron lashed out again and Saskia sensed that it was targeting her link with the Doctor, but she was unsure which one of them it wanted to hurt the most. Then it struck out again, repeated blows raining down on the Doctor's links to her and to the TARDIS.
"NO!" she yelled at it, mentally. "If you hurt the Doctor we'll all be stuck here. No one else can fly the TARDIS, not me, and definitely not you."
She sensed that the Doctor's link to her was weakening and she panicked; in that moment of panic she lashed out at the Devron herself, trying to protect the Doctor. The Devron reeled back from her blow, but did not lessen its onslaught against the Doctor. Saskia reached out directly to the TARDIS and used the TARDIS' strength to boost her own as she lashed out at the Devron again. The Devron immediately turned its full attention to her and Saskia found herself wrestling with it in a furious mental struggle. It was like trying to wrestle with an eel in the middle of a whirlpool. The Devron kept slipping from her grasp, its rage roaring chaotically through her head. She tried to find a firm place to stand mentally, then the TARDIS sent her another surge of strength. It was just enough and she lashed out harder than ever. The Devron collapsed into unconsciousness. Feeling relieved but far from triumphant, she turned her attention from it just as the Doctor also lost consciousness.
"Doctor?" she cried aloud.

New Companion, Old Earth - Chapter Three - Part 2

"Where are we going?" he asked as they stepped out of the TARDIS doors.
"I thought we might go to the pub," she answered. "Since we know the beastie will be recovering itself, let’s go and test how strong my telepathic powers have become."
"Are you sure you're up to that?" enquired the Doctor mildly.
"Yes," Saskia answered. "Besides, it's not far to go back to the TARDIS if I'm not."
"OK." The Doctor followed her down the alleyway in which the TARDIS stood and into the crowded, noisy pub. "You find a seat, I'll get some drinks," he said into her ear.
She nodded and moved towards a small table she could see at the back of the room that appeared to be the only free one available. She winced slightly at the level of noise both inside and outside her head.
The Doctor appeared shortly afterwards carrying two glasses. "Here you are," he said, setting them down on the table.
"What is it?" Saskia asked, eyeing the fizzing orange liquid. "Not a banana daiquiri?"
The Doctor grinned. "Not this time. It's a St Clements – a mixture of orange juice and lemonade."
Saskia took a cautious sip. "It's a bit sweet," she commented, wrinkling her nose, then took a bigger mouthful. "I think I'll pass next time."
The Doctor smiled. "I didn't think you'd want anything alcoholic," he explained.
"I really wouldn't!"
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"It's very noisy in here," she answered. "In my head too. I don't think we should stay long."
The Doctor nodded. "Can you distinguish any individual thoughts, or is it just a vast cacophony?"
"If I concentrate on a particular voice, I can pick out the speaker's thoughts," she answered. "There’s a gentleman by the window whose mind is on the meal he had earlier."
"Anyone else?"
"Well there's a gentleman in the private room behind us who’s talking to some friends. He's thinking about a book he wrote that's going to be published soon. Oh!"
The Doctor raised an eyebrow at Saskia's exclamation. "What is it?"
"I know who he is," she answered, sounding animated.
"So who is it?"
"J. R. R. Tolkien. He changed the face of fantasy fiction as a genre of English literature and became famous worldwide." She grinned suddenly.
"Are you going to go all fan-girly on me?" the Doctor asked, quizzically.
"I couldn't, even if I wanted to – The Hobbit won't be out until next year, The Lord of the Rings isn't even written yet, and The Silmarillion doesn't appear until after his death, late in the century."
"So you're not a fan of his?" the Doctor asked, noting that 'even if I wanted to' comment.
"Not really. His fiction is interesting to me from a linguistic point of view, but fiction isn't really my thing. His scholarly papers are more interesting."
"Don't you read any fiction then?" asked the Doctor.
"Not much. In fact, I’ve never read much outside of working hours because I spend 90% of my working day reading. I like a bit of poetry now and again, but that's about it. I prefer doing crosswords or playing word games."
"What about chess?"
Saskia shook her head. "There's no point an empath playing a game like that," she pointed out.
"Oh. That’s true." The Doctor looked nonplussed for a moment.

"Anyway," Saskia said, “Who are you to talk of people being fannish? What about when your former self met Dickens and claimed to be his 'number one fan'?"
"That was him. I don't mind reading a Dickens novel now and again, but I'm not as big a fan as he was."
"You know, your regeneration thing is a bit weird." Saskia commented.
"Thanks." The Doctor looked rueful for a moment.
"Sorry," she said quickly. "I don't meant to be rude, but isn't it weird that you've got all the memories of your former selves, but each regeneration has a different personality and different tastes, as well as having a different body?"
"It seems quite normal to me."
"Yes I suppose it does. Sorry, I didn't meant to offend you." Saskia wished that she hadn’t mentioned it.
"I'm not offended," the Doctor answered.
Saskia didn’t believe him, but she didn’t argue the point. She was starting to get a headache and was just about to suggest to the Doctor that they leave, when the door to the private room behind them opened and several men came out. As one was shrugging himself into his coat, it swung wildly and knocked Saskia’s unfinished drink straight into her lap.
"Oh!" she gasped.
The man immediately began apologising for his clumsiness, whilst his friend offered her a spotless white handkerchief to mop up the worst of the liquid. The Doctor handed over his handkerchief too, and Saskia managed to soak up most of it. She stood up, holding the two handkerchiefs in a ball in her hand.
"Shall we go?" asked the Doctor.
She nodded and, accompanied by the two men, they made their way outside.

"I say, I'm awfully sorry," said the clumsy man for the seventh or eighth time.
"It's alright," Saskia answered automatically. "I'll live."
"I do hope your clothes aren't ruined," said his friend.
"I expect they'll come clean," she answered vaguely. Now they were outside she realised that she recognised the second man's voice from earlier.
"I'm Jack, by the way," said the first man. "and this is my friend Tollers."
Saskia shook their proffered hands. "Professor Tolkien, your handkerchief," she said, offering it to him.
He looked at her in surprise. "Do I know you?" he asked.
"No sir, but I’m familiar with some of your work."
"Oh." He took his handkerchief, then mumbled something inaudible.
"Can we offer you a lift home?" Jack asked brightly. "To make up for your inconvenience."
"No, thank you," answered the Doctor. "We're staying close by."
"Then let us walk you back to your accommodation," Jack said, and no amount of demurrals from the Doctor would persuade him not to accompany them. They set off along the alleyway and the Doctor was surprised when Saskia slipped her hand through his arm, until she touched the back of his hand and spoke into his mind.
"That's C S Lewis," she said. "Tolkien's great friend. He's going to write a science fiction trilogy shortly, about a man who journeys to Mars in a capsule. I think he’ll cope with seeing the TARDIS."
"I hope you're right," the Doctor answered. "Otherwise we may find ourselves in very hot water."
"They both seem fairly relaxed and cheerful, not drunk, just convivial," Saskia said. "I think we’ll be OK."

A few minutes later the four of them could see the TARDIS.
"I say Tollers, I didn’t know there was a police call box in Oxford," said Jack in some surprise. "Odd place to put it, don’t you think?"
Tolkien looked at the call box and then at their two companions. "Is this your accommodation?" he asked.
Jack looked at him in surprise.
"Yes," answered the Doctor simply. "Would you care to see?" He unlocked the door and Saskia walked inside, looking over her shoulder at the men outside. The Doctor made a courteous gesture, inviting them inside.
Jack stepped inside, then stopped in surprise when he saw the size of the Control Room. Tolkien followed him more slowly.
"But – that's impossible!" stammered Jack. "It's bigger on the inside."
"Yes it is," Saskia replied calmly.
"There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio -" muttered Tolkien.
"Than are dreamt of in your philosophy," Saskia finished.
He looked at her. "You're a scholar?" he asked.
"Yes I am."
"We're not local, though," the Doctor interjected.
"I didn’t imagine you were," answered Tolkien wryly, watching his friend examining the console. "Who are you?"
"I'm the Doctor, and this is my friend Saskia."
"Saskia Scolere," she amplified.
Tolkien's eyes widened. "But that's an Old English word," he said.
"Yes it is. My ancestors came from this world."
"You’re time-travellers?" asked Jack, suddenly joining the conversation.
"Yes we are," answered the Doctor.
"And are you human?" asked Tolkien.
"I'm not, Saskia is. I'm a Time Lord."
"Why are you here?" Jack asked.
"There's an alien of some sort roaming around your world. It's been here, near Oxford, quite recently. We're trying to track it down and find out what it wants, and stop it or send it back home," the Doctor answered.
"Are we in any danger?" asked Tolkien, and Saskia remembered that he had four young children and a wife at home.
"Not so far," answered the Doctor.
"Then we shall leave you to it. Come on Jack." Tolkien caught his friend by the arm and urged him towards the doors. "Goodnight to you both," he said.
"Goodnight," called Jack cheerily. "Thanks for showing us your spaceship."

The Doctor went over to the doors and watched them go down the alleyway.
"I hope they'll be OK," he said.
Saskia gave a little laugh. "They will be," she said confidently.
"How do you know?" the Doctor asked curiously.
"I've just remembered that it's around this time that the two of them decide that Lewis will write a space-travel story and Tolkien will write a time-travel one."
"Oh. Oh! Didn't you say Lewis wrote a trilogy about a man going to Mars?" he asked in concern.
"Indeed he does. It was fairly popular. But don't worry, we're not in it."
"What about Tolkien's story?"
"It was never finished," Saskia answered, a little sadly. "He started two but never finished either one." She smiled at the Doctor. "English literature knows nothing of us."

She walked over to the bench and sat down heavily.
"You're tired," the Doctor said. "You should go and get some sleep."
"Will you read to me again?" she asked. "Keep the nightmares at bay?"
He nodded, and they set off down the corridor together. "I'll go and get a book," he said.
"Bring The Hobbit, if you've got a copy," she said.
He nodded and carried on towards the library whilst Saskia went into her room. A few minutes later he knocked on her door.
"Come in."
He walked over to the chair beside Saskia's bed, carrying a small book. Sitting down he pulled out his glasses, put them on and opened the book.
"In a hole in the ground there live a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole..."
Saskia smiled, closed her eyes and fell asleep to the sound of his voice, reading aloud.

New Companion, Old Earth - Chapter Three - Part 1

The Doctor stopped reading once he was certain Saskia was sleeping soundly. He looked at the young woman lying in front of him and wondered why he let himself care so much about his Companions just lately. Perhaps he was getting old, or noticing his loneliness more since he had lost his own people? Reinette had called him a lonely angel and to the Face of Boe he was a lonely god, yet he seldom travelled on his own. Not that travelling with anyone necessarily made him any less lonely. He shook himself mentally. Such introspection wouldn’t help him sort out what was happening to Saskia. He got up quietly and slipped out of her room, heading for the Control Room to see if the TARDIS had finished analysing the artefact yet.

As he entered the Control Room, the lights brightened and the TARDIS hummed a greeting at him. "What have you found, old girl?" he asked, looking down at the screen attached to the scanner. He pulled out his glasses and peered at it more closely. "Psionic waves? It's sending out and receiving Psionic waves! No wonder Saskia's telepathic powers are increasing." He pulled the artefact out of the slot in the console, then pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver. Adjusting the settings on the latter, he pointed it at the artefact, intending to shut down its transmissions. A spark of energy jumped out of the artefact and sizzled against his fingers.
"Ow!" He glared at the artefact. "Oh no you don't, sunshine," he growled, before shoving his stinging fingers into his mouth and sucking them to ease the sting. Removing his fingers again he readjusted the settings on the Sonic Screwdriver, convinced that this time he would be able to shut down the signal. Another, bigger spark leapt from the artefact and the Doctor yelped again, before dropping it onto the console. He sucked his fingers again, glaring at it in annoyance, then dropped the artefact back into the slot it had previously occupied. He adjusted some of the dials and levers on the console, then flicked a switch, confident that the artefact could not resist the power of the TARDIS herself.

This time an entire shower of sparks sprang up and the Doctor leapt backwards from the console, determined not to be stung a third time. He checked the screen on the scanner and saw, with a feeling of inevitability, that it showed that the artefact was still fully functional. He scowled in frustration, wondering whether to simply smash the device with a hammer. He ruffled the hair on the back of his head absent-mindedly as he peered down at the artefact. Deciding he had nothing to lose and much to gain if he did succeed in deactivating it, he pulled a large hammer out of the tool belt that hung from the console. He took the artefact out of the console slot and put it on the floor, before bringing the hammer down with the full force of his considerable strength. Even as the hammer bounced off the artefact as if it was made of rubber, a scream echoed down the corridors.

"Saskia!" The Doctor dropped the hammer and staggered to his feet, running before he was even fully upright. He hurtled down the corridors to Saskia's room and burst through the door, before stopping dead on the threshold. Saskia lay sprawled on her bed, shrieking and clutching at her head, but apparently still asleep, even as she writhed in pain.
The Doctor threw himself across the room, landing on the bed with a thump. He grabbed her hands and spoke soothingly to her, even as his fingers slid into position on either side of her ears.

"Shush, shush. It's OK. It's OK," he said, wondering if she could hear him and wondering if it really was OK. Then he spoke directly into her mind, finding that he had to shout over the voice that was loudly roaring in her head.
"Saskia! Saskia! It’s the Doctor. Listen to me, Saskia! Listen to me!" Even as he was mentally shouting at her, the Doctor was aware that her body was physically fighting against him. He leaned his weight across her torso in an attempt to stop her, wincing as one thrashing arm smacked into his head.
"Saskia!" The Doctor called to her urgently, aware that he was losing his sense of her as an individual in the maelstrom of rage that was whirling through her head. He concentrated on picturing her to herself: the serious look she so often wore, the way her eyes sparkled when she smiled or laughed, the compassionate way she spoke to him of Rose, the look of relief on her face when they had watched the last of the Rovian ships leaving her planet, her calm acceptance when they’d gone through the plasma storm to find themselves trapped in the Time Vortex.
"Come on, Saskia, I know you're in there. Follow my voice, Saskia. Listen to me. Come on girl."
"Doctor?" Saskia’s voice was faint and frightened but he was exultant when she answered him.
"Saskia! Come on, come back to me. Follow my voice," he urged, noticing that she wasn't trying to fight him any longer.
"Doctor?"
"I'm here, Saskia, I'm here."

She opened her eyes to see the Doctor's looking anxiously into her own from close quarters, an angry red mark across one cheek.
"Oh thank goodness!" he exclaimed aloud.
"What happened?" she asked, bewildered. "And who hit you?"
"Well you did, actually," he answered, sitting up straight and looking down at her with a relieved smile.
"I did? Why did I hit you?"
"Well you weren’t really yourself," the Doctor answered, taking both her hands in his. "That beastie came back and objected to – something I did." Even to his own ears, the Doctor's evasiveness was obvious.
"What did you do?"
"Erm, well, I tried to deactivate that artefact," he explained. "It's emitting Psionic waves and I wanted to stop it."
"And the beastie objected?" Saskia asked, sounding suspicious.
"Well I got a couple of shocks from it when I tried to deactivate it electronically, so I, uh, took a more direct approach." He was starting to feel a little sheepish now.
"What did you do?" she demanded.
"Hit it with a rather large hammer," the Doctor answered. "Which didn't really work." He jerked his hands away from Saskia's as she abruptly sat bolt upright, her rage practically scalding him.
"You idiot!" she said scornfully. "Are you trying to get me killed?"
"I just saved your life!" the Doctor protested, standing up quickly as Saskia got out of bed.
"My life wouldn't have needed saving if you hadn't decided to use brute force and ignorance," she answered pointedly.

She stalked out of the room and the Doctor hurried after her. "How was I to know it was linked directly to you?" he asked.
She stopped dead, turned and glared at him, until he found himself stepping backwards. "After all I've been through in the past two days, you couldn't figure that out, Doctor?" she asked scornfully.
He gulped. He should have worked that out for himself. He wondered why he hadn't. Was he losing his touch? He looked up and saw that Saskia had already disappeared towards the Control Room and hurried after her.
As he entered the Control Room she was picking up the artefact from the floor. She looked at it closely, then placed it against her forehead and closed her eyes. The Doctor swallowed an impulse to advise her not to do whatever she was about to do, realising that in this case she probably knew what to do better than he did.
There was an increase in the background hum from the TARDIS and he realised she was lending Saskia telepathic support. The next moment there was a loud pop and Saskia fell. He darted across the gap between them and just managed to catch her before she hit the floor. He ignored the artefact as it clattered onto the metal walkway.

"Saskia?" he said anxiously.
Her eyes fluttered, then opened. "Doctor?"
"What did you do?" he asked.
"Sent the Psionic wave back at the beastie," she answered hoarsely. "That should slow it down for a while."
"I, erm, I should apologise," he said. "I'm sorry."
Saskia didn't answer immediately.
"Saskia?"
"I should apologise also," she said stiffly.
"You should apologise? Why?" he asked startled.
"I hit you."
"Well yes, you did, but you weren't yourself," the Doctor answered.
"I also called you an idiot."
The Doctor nodded. "Quite right too," he said. "It was an idiotic thing to do."
She clasped his hand in her own. "Thank you."
"For what? Being an idiot?" he asked, a little bitterly.
"No. For coming after me when the beastie had hold of my mind. That was very brave."
The Doctor rubbed at his ear. "Well, if I hadn’t been an idiot, I would'’t have needed to do it," he answered.
"That doesn't mean I'm not grateful," she said, kissing his cheek. "What time is it?"
Grateful for the change of subject, the Doctor glanced at one of the console screens. "10.30 pm local time," he told her.
"I don’t think I want to try sleeping again just yet. Can we go for a walk?"
"If you want to," the Doctor answered.
"I'm going to go and get dressed again," she said. "Try not to do anything – rash – whilst I'm gone."
The Doctor watched her go, then bent and retrieved the artefact. He dropped into back into the scanner slot on the console and checked it. It was dead: no psionic emissions. He wondered if it was permanently deactivated. Perhaps Saskia would know. He shrugged before dropping it into his jacket pocket, then pulled on his overcoat. When Saskia returned a few minutes later, he held out her coat and helped her into it.

New Companion, Old Earth - Chapter Two - Part 3

Half an hour later, Saskia walked into the Control Room and found the Doctor poring over one of the screens.
"What's the plan?" she asked.
He looked up and peered over his glasses at her, noticing that she looked brighter than she had earlier. "We-e-e-ell," he said, drawing out the word thoughtfully, before ruffling the back of his head. "I think we need to do two things. We need to take another look at that artefact at the Museum."
"And?" Saskia prompted when he did not immediately continue.
"We need to establish whether your increased telepathic abilities extend to anyone other than me."
"More tests?" Saskia asked, sounding resigned to a positive answer.
"Yes, but this time we'll just be checking to see how near you need to be to someone to feel the shape of their thoughts, if indeed you can do that with anyone else."
"So we're going back to Oxford then?"
"Yeah," the Doctor said, setting the co-ordinates. "Let's go to the Museum first, before they close for the day, and look at the artefact."
Saskia nodded and a few moments later the TARDIS dematerialised in the same alleyway where they had first arrived two days before. They hurried up St Giles and into the Ashmolean Museum, Saskia feeling relieved that she was able to keep up with the Doctor's longer stride. They made their way upstairs to the room where they had first seen the artefact. The Doctor pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and unlocked the display case. Saskia stood with her back to him, watching the door and blocking him from the view of anyone who entered the room.
"We really need to take this with us," he murmured.
"How can we?" Saskia asked just as quietly. "Someone will notice it's missing."
"I think I know a way." He slipped the device into his inside breast pocket and with his other hand dropped something else into the case, before locking it again.
"Look," he said.
Saskia turned and looked into the case, her eyes widening with surprise. "How did you do that?" she asked disbelievingly.
"Good, isn't it?" the Doctor answered, with a smug grin on his face.
"Impossible," Saskia responded. In the case in front of her lay an exact replica of the device the Doctor had just pocketed.
"Come on. Let's go."
"But how did you do that?" Saskia demanded.
"Not here," the Doctor answered and headed for the door. Saskia followed, half reluctantly, looking back at the display case and wanting a closer look at the replica.
Once they were outside the Museum the Doctor gave her no chance to ask further questions, striding along the pavement so fast, he set his coat flapping.

Back inside the TARDIS, the Doctor fished the original artefact out of his pocket and popped it into a slot in the TARDIS console to scan it. He fished his glasses out of his pocket and put them on, peering at a screen. Saskia stood next to him, also peering at the screen.
"So how did you do it?" she asked, knowing he probably wouldn't be able to resist explaining.
"Oh I just used a little bit of technical trickery from the TARDIS. I created a less complicated chameleon circuit and set it to disguise a harmless bit of space junk as an exact replica. No one will notice the difference unless they examine it very closely."
"And if they do examine it that closely?" Saskia asked.
"Even if they do, they're not very likely to realise I was the one who pulled off the switch. No CCTV cameras around this early in the century."
"True," Saskia acknowledged.
"Right then, whilst the TARDIS is doing her work, let's go and get something to eat."
"Oh. OK," Saskia didn't try to hide her surprise.
The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her tone.
"I thought we'd have instant answers," she said apologetically.
"Not this time, sorry." The Doctor led the way out of the TARDIS again. "So, what do you fancy, food-wise?" he asked.
Saskia shrugged. "No idea. Surprise me."
The Doctor grinned cheerfully and Saskia suddenly wondered if she'd regret not being specific. He led the way back towards the town centre and soon she could smell something intriguing. She stopped and sniffed, and the Doctor grinned again.
"Smell that?" he said.
"What is it?"
"Fish and chips," the Doctor answered happily.
"Oh! It smells good."
"It is! Come on." He grabbed her hand and towed her up the street until they reached the source of the smell.
"Have you got any money?" Saskia asked suddenly.
The Doctor gave her a look of amusement. "Of course. The TARDIS provided some – no electronic cash machines around for me to zap in this period of history."
Saskia started and the Doctor noticed. "What is it?" he asked in concern.
"It's OK," she answered. "It's just that when you mentioned 'electronic cash machines', I got an image of you standing in front of a machine in the wall of a building, and the machine was dispensing banknotes into the air."
The Doctor looked surprised. "That happened a few weeks ago, before I visited your planet. I was here on Earth in the early 21st century." He nodded thoughtfully. "And we're not even holding hands now."
"I think my telepathic powers are strengthening," Saskia said equally thoughtfully.
"We'll have to test them," the Doctor said. "But food first. You need to keep up your strength."

Saskia nodded and followed him into the fish and chip shop. As they were waiting in the queue, Saskia suddenly grasped the Doctor's arm.
"What's wrong?" he asked, looking at her in concern, then glanced in the direction in which she minutely jerked her head. There was a young man standing a few paces behind them, positively leering at Saskia. The Doctor's expression hardened and he glowered down at the boy, whose own expression turned to one of surprise, then fear, before he darted out of the shop. The Doctor patted Saskia's hand, which was still clutching his arm.
"He's gone. Are you OK?" he asked.
Saskia nodded, then slid her hand down his arm to clasp his hand.
"I could hear his thoughts," she said, speaking into the Doctor's mind.
"I take it they were unpleasant?" asked the Doctor.
"He was quite sickening," she answered, with a mental shudder.
A voice broke into their silent conversation. "Who's next?"
The Doctor stepped up to the counter and placed their order. Saskia released her grip on his hand, feeling embarrassed by her reaction as well as what she'd read in the boy's mind.
"Come on," the Doctor said as they left the shop. "Let's go back to the TARDIS and eat this." He slipped his free hand through Saskia's arm as they headed back out of the town centre, neither of them speaking as they considered what had just happened.

Once inside the TARDIS they took off their overcoats, then settled on the Control Room bench to eat and talk.
"When did you realise you could hear what that boy was thinking?" asked the Doctor as he unwrapped his portion of chips, his feet propped up on the edge of the console.
"As soon as he came into the shop," Saskia answered. "At first he was just thinking about what he was going to eat, just like the couple who were in front of us."
"So when all three of them were a foot or two away?"
Saskia nodded, her mouth full of hot chips.
"I wonder how far away someone would need to be before you couldn't hear their thoughts?"
"I don't know, but I think we should find out," Saskia answered, abruptly.
"Then we shall. Let's eat first, then we'll have a walk around the town and see what we can establish."
They ate in silence for several minutes before the Doctor spoke again.
"Do you want to talk about what that boy was thinking about?" he asked gently.
Saskia blushed. "It was crude –" she paused, then added, "and sexual."
"I guessed that much," the Doctor answered. "The look on his face was a big clue."
"He was imaging what might do to me, if he had the chance and it wasn't very – " she paused again, feeling silly, "respectful."
"I'm sorry," the Doctor said.
Saskia looked up in surprise. "Why are you sorry?" she asked. "You weren't thinking it."
"No, but I brought you here, and I got you involved in this. I'm the one who exposed you to a telepathic being who's been seriously messing with your head," the Doctor answered, annoyance and frustration in his tone.
"And I'm the one who volunteered," Saskia answered snappishly. "You offered to take me back home and I said I'd stay with you."
"Yes, but you didn't know what you were signing up for," argued the Doctor.
"Well I knew it wasn't going to be a tea-party!" Saskia voice rose in annoyance, then she stood up abruptly. "You don't have to mollycoddle me!" she shouted, then stormed out of the Console Room, leaving the Doctor staring after her in astonishment.
"Well that could have gone better," he remarked ruefully to the TARDIS, who hummed back at him. He patted the console. "I know, old girl. I think that beastie might be heading back this way. I'd better go and find her."

He set off down the corridor, pausing to put his chip wrapper in the recycling unit in the kitchen, then looked for Saskia in her room. She wasn't there, so he went on to the library, guessing she might have gone there for the comfort of a familiar environment.
Saskia looked up from the chair in which she was huddled as the Doctor came in and knelt beside the chair. He took both her hands in his own and looked up at her face. Her eyes were full of tears, although she wasn't yet crying.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I don't intend to mollycoddle you, but since we've arrived on this rock, you've had your mind attacked and broken several bones. If I had been a bit more cautious, you might have been spared both those things."
Saskia swallowed. "I shouldn't have shouted at you," she said huskily.
"We-e-e-ell, you're not the first of my Companions to shout at me," the Doctor answered. "At least you didn't slap me like Donna, or Rose's mum!"
Saskia made a noise that was half a sob and half a laugh. "I wanted to," she said. "I wanted to thump you." She did start crying then. "Doctor, what's happening to me?"
The Doctor reached out and pulled her into a hug, patting her back as if she was a small child. "It's that beastie," he told her. "I think it's heading back our way, and the closer it gets to you, the stronger the effects of its emotions on you." He sat back a little and put a finger under her chin, lifting her face to his. "That's not your rage you're feeling, it's the beastie's. Try to remember that."
Saskia swallowed and nodded. The Doctor pulled out his handkerchief and dried her eyes and face gently.
"I think we'll leave doing any more tests until the morning," he said. "The last two days have been exhausting and demanding. Why don't you go and get some sleep?"
"I don't know if I can sleep," Saskia answered.
"Do you want me to come and sit with you for while?"
She nodded again.
"Come on then," The Doctor stood up, then pulled her out of the chair. They went back to her room.
"You get settled," he said, pausing outside the door to her room. "I'm just going to fetch something."

A few minutes later he knocked on her door.
"Come in."
Saskia was sitting up in bed, wearing her blue checked pyjamas. She looked puzzled at the sight of the book that the Doctor was carrying as he crossed the room and say in the chair beside her bed.
"Are you going to read me a bedtime story?" she asked.
"Sort of," he answered with a smile.
"Oh!" Saskia didn't know if he expected her to be amused by his answer. "Very well," she said, lying down and closing her eyes. The next moment she started and opened her eyes again when the Doctor took her left hand in his right one.
"It's OK," he assured her. "Just close your eyes and listen. I'm going to give you some images to accompany the words." He squeezed her fingers gently and she obediently closed her eyes again.

New Companion, Old Earth - Chapter Two - Part 2

A few minutes later Saskia was dressed and sitting on a picnic rug, whilst the Doctor unpacked a wickerwork picnic hamper. She felt a slight inclination to laugh at the sight of the Doctor, in his usual blue pinstripe suit, sitting on the grass and having a picnic with her.
He looked at her and beamed. "You're allowed to laugh, you know. It would do you good, too."
She grinned back, and his smile widened, then they were both laughing so hard they fell back onto the rug, breathless. Saskia reached out and clasped the Doctor's hand.
"Thanks."
"Better?" he asked.
"Much," she answered.
He squeezed her fingers. "You're welcome. Come on, let's eat."

After they had finished eating Saskia lay back on the rug, her eyes closed against the sunlight. The Doctor lay on his side, propped on one elbow, watching her and wondering if she would get through her experiences.
"Stop staring at me, Doctor," she said abruptly. Opening one eye, she caught a look of astonishment on his face.
"How did you know I was looking at you?" he asked.
Saskia snorted in disbelief. "Your look is like a thermal lance in here," she said, tapping her forehead. "Besides, since you spent so long in my head, I can feel the shape of your thoughts."
"What, even without a physical touch?"
"Yes."
"That should be impossible," he said. "I wonder how that happened?" Sitting up, he reached into his inside pocket for his Sonic Screwdriver.
"Put that thing away," Saskia said, sounding exasperated. "I don't need you beeping me. I can tell you how it happened, I think."
The Doctor pushed the Sonic Screwdriver back into his pocket, then lay back on the rug. Closing his eyes he said, "Tell me then. I'm all ears."
"You told me yesterday that you're mildly telepathic."
"Yes."
"Well I think that because you spent so long in my head, fighting off that 'beastie', as you called it, it strengthened the telepathic bonds between us. I can't read your thoughts exactly, but I can feel the shape of them in my mind. And sometimes I can see images as well."
"Can we test that?" the Doctor asked eagerly.
Saskia sounded resigned when she answered. "Yes."
The Doctor felt a small pang of guilt at her tone, but he was too curious not to try out her theory.
"OK. I'm going to think of something specific and you tell me what you can see or feel."

Saskia cleared her mind as she had been taught as a small child when she was first learning the mental disciplines that were necessary to an empathic race.
"Ready," she said. Moments later her head was filled with the image of a laughing young woman. She had blonde hair, a bouncing step and looked as if she was in love with life.
"Rose," she said quietly; even though she had never seen this young woman before, she could sense the Doctor's feelings for her, and guessed her identity.
"Yes," answered the Doctor, just as quietly. "Another one?"
"Go on." An image of a metal robot, with a vague resemblance to a dog, appeared in her head. "K9," she said, smiling as she named him.
The Doctor smiled too. "Yes. Now let's try something a little more complicated this time."
Saskia waited, then saw a barren, blasted plain in the midst of which stood a tower. "The Tower of – Rassilion?" she asked, unfamiliar with the name she could sense the Doctor was thinking.
"Yes," the Doctor answered. "Do you know who he is? Can you sense that?"
Saskia concentrated for several minutes before answering. "The founder of Time Lord society on Gallifrey."
"Yes." The Doctor sounded quite triumphant as he sat up, but when he glanced down at the young woman lying beside him, he saw she was grey with exhaustion.
"Rassilion's Tower be damned!" he exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me this was too tiring?" He knelt and picked Saskia up bodily from the grass.
"Doctor?" she said feebly.
"Let's get you back inside the TARDIS," he said worriedly. "Then it's bed rest for you my girl."
He carried her across the grass to a stand of trees amongst which the TARDIS was standing. Pushing open the door with his shoulder, he went straight to Saskia's room and lowered her onto the bed. As he straightened up again he realised she had fainted, so he pulled off her boots and covered her with a blanket. He sat on the bed beside her, one hand on her wrist, taking her pulse, the other resting gently on her forehead, hoping that he would find her alone in her head.

When Saskia opened her eyes next, she thought she was still outside, seeing the blue ceiling above her head. The next moment she became aware of the TARDIS humming in the background, and the Doctor sitting beside her, his eyes closed.
"Sorry," she whispered.
He opened his eyes abruptly. "Don't apologise," he begged her. "If anyone needs to say sorry, it's me! Thoughtless, careless, stupid – "
Saskia tightened her grasp on the Doctor's hand. "Do stop calling yourself names," she said hoarsely. "I could have told you that I wasn't strong enough for your test."
"I should have known without being told," he answered, sounding very cross. "I – "
"Don't," Saskia said. "Don't keep beating yourself up. It's a waste of energy."
He looked down at her. She smiled weakly, and he leant forward and kissed her gently on the forehead. "You're very wise," he told her.
"I'm also very tired," she answered.
"I'll leave you to sleep, then. I'm just going to fetch our picnic things, then I'll come straight back."
"Mmm." Saskia was already falling asleep even as he spoke. He watched her face for a few moments, then went outside to retrieve their picnic things. Then he went to have a shower, knowing that the TARDIS would keep watch over Saskia for him.
Heading back to Saskia's room afterwards, he stopped at the door to the library, then went inside. He rummaged in his pockets for a key, then unlocked a drawer in the large writing desk that stood in one corner. He pulled out a large book, picked up a pen from the collection that were scattered in a pot on the top of the desk, then went back to Saskia's room.

When Saskia woke again she found the Doctor sitting nearby, his glasses on his nose and a large book in his lap.
"Hello," he said cheerfully when he saw she was awake. "How are you feeling?"
"OK," she answered. "How long have I been asleep?"
"About four hours," he said.
"Oh. I haven't slept this much since I was six and sick with the 'flu. I can't say I like it much."
The Doctor smiled. "I don't suppose you do. Most active people hate being ill."
"What's the book?" she asked.
"My diary," answered the Doctor. "I've been looking up my previous encounters with telepathic beings, but there's nothing similar about those encounters and our present situation."
"Have you encountered many telepathic beings?" Saskia asked curiously.
"Only a few, and none as vicious as this beastie, at least none that are also likely to turn up on 20th century Earth."
"Is that good or bad?"
"Neither, just unhelpful," the Doctor answered with a grimace.
Saskia sat up with a wince. "I'm stiff," she complained.
"You could always have a shower," the Doctor suggested.
Her face brightened. "I think I will," she answered.
"Do you need a hand?" the Doctor asked.
She shook her head. "I'll manage."
"OK. I'm going to the Control Room, there's some data I want to check."
"I'll come and find you there in a bit, then."

New Companion, Old Earth - Chapter Two - Part 1

Saskia's mind moved up from the black depths of unconsciousness like a deep-sea diver rising towards the surface. She could see a blue-green light and became aware of a voice that sounded exhausted, yet infinitely patient. She struggled a moment to put a name to the voice.
"Doctor - ?"
"Saskia." There was a note of anxious relief in his voice.
"Where - ?"
"You're in the TARDIS. You're safe now." There was a note of reassurance this time, although Saskia could still hear tension and worry in the Doctor's voice.
"What happened?"
"What do you remember?"
"Horses – riding – falling – black." Somehow she couldn't manage a full sentence, and that was more worrying right now, than knowing what had happened.
"It's OK. Don't force it. You were riding out into the country with me. Something spooked your horse and he bolted. You were thrown off and injured."
Suddenly she realised the dull thudding she could feel was in her body. "Hurt?" she asked, dreading the answer, but needing to know.
"You broke both your legs and fractured your collarbone," the Doctor told her.
Saskia realised she was crying, then felt the Doctor's cool fingers wiping away her tears.
"It's OK. You're healing," he told her. "The TARDIS and I fixed you up."
She suddenly realised that the Doctor had been talking to her telepathically, his hands either side of her head, two fingers behind her ear and two in front.
"What - ?"
"You've been unconscious for several hours. Whatever spooked your horse was in your head. I've been fighting it, trying to bring you back to me."
She remembered a roaring, raging voice.
"Yes," said the Doctor, answering her thought. "Whatever was causing that fluttering you could sense yesterday is malicious and very, very angry. But when we find it, I am going to make it very, very sorry for hurting you." There was a menacing note in the Doctor's voice now, one she'd heard before, when he was dealing with the Rovians.
Slowly and carefully she opened her eyes and looked up into the Doctor's face. He looked utterly exhausted. His face was so pale his freckles were more obvious than usual. There were dark shadows under his eyes, his hair was a mess, and his lips were pursed in anger.
"Hello," he said, gently, aloud, as he moved his hands from her head.
She reached out feebly with one hand and he caught it in his own, squeezing her fingers gently.
"Doctor." To her ears, Saskia's voice sounded hoarse and husky, almost as if she'd spent hours shouting.
"I'm here," he said. "You need to sleep, to finish healing. I'm going to give you something to help you sleep. You'll feel better in a while."
"Water?" she asked.
He reached across to a nearby trolley and picked up a glass of water. He let go of her hand and put his arm around her shoulders, supporting her so that she could sip the water.
"Better?"
"Yes thank you."
He put the glass down again, one handed, before lowering her back onto the pillows. "I'm going to give you that shot now. Sleep well."
He pushed a needle into her arm and Saskia's eyes closed again. He leant forward and momentarily rested his forehead against Saskia's forehead. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this exhausted or mentally wiped out. He took Saskia's hand in his own, then leaned back in his chair, knowing that he also needed to rest, if not sleep, at least for a while. The TARDIS would let him know if Saskia's health changed in any way.

When Saskia woke again, several hours later, she felt a bit better. Her body wasn't aching quite so much and her head felt clearer.
"Hello."
She realised that the Doctor was sitting beside her bed, holding her hand. For some reason, this embarrassed her more than the realisation that she wasn't dressed in her usual clothes, and that the Doctor must have undressed her at some point.
"Hello," she answered and struggled to sit up. The Doctor sprang up and lifted her shoulders, pushing another pillow behind her.
"How do you feel?" he asked, and Saskia could tell he was trying to sound cheerful.
"Battered, stiff and exhausted," she answered.
"What can you remember?"
"We were riding out into the countryside. You had detected a concentration of energy that was being transmitted to that alien artefact we saw at the Museum. My horse was – " she paused uncertainly for a moment, "spooked and bolted. Presumably I was thrown off."
The Doctor nodded. "Except your horse wasn't spooked so much as attacked. As were you."
"Attacked?" asked Saskia in disbelief. "How?"
"Whatever or whomever was transmitting that homing signal sensed you coming, and it smashed your empathic bond with the horse, causing him to bolt. I think you lost consciousness from that attack before you were thrown off, which is why you don't remember it. You were thrown against a dry stone wall, and you were lucky you only broke your legs and fractured your collarbone. If the wall had been any higher, you'd have cracked your skull."
Saskia looked at him in horror, then burst into tears, which horrified her even more. The Doctor leant over, putting an arm around her shoulders. She turned her head and sobbed into his shoulder for several minutes, whilst the Doctor made soothing noises and the TARDIS hummed comfortingly.

Eventually she sat up again and the Doctor handed her his handkerchief, although he kept hold of her left hand still.
"It's OK," he said softly. "You're in shock. The last 24 hours have been really traumatic."
"Twenty-four hours? How long was I unconscious."
"Too long for my liking," The Doctor answered vaguely.
"How did we get to the TARDIS?" asked Saskia, puzzled.
"Ah well, I have my previous self to thank for that trick. He set up a program, a sort of remote control option for the TARDIS."
"I remember," Saskia said. "You used it to send Rose back to Earth from Satellite 5 when the Daleks were attacking."
The Doctor nodded. "I decided to modify it so I could also call the TARDIS to me from a separate location, as well as sending her to another location without me being on board. The program controls are stored in my Sonic Screwdriver, so I just called her here and brought you into the medical bay for immediate treatment. We healed your legs and collarbone, although you'll be a bit stiff for a day or two, especially your right shoulder. Setting your bones and speeding up the healing process didn't take very long, but as soon as your pain began to subside, your mind came under attack again. I thought I was going to lose you, after we'd just patched you up."
The Doctor scowled at the memory before continuing. "I would have lost you without the TARDIS. If I'd had to take you to a hospital instead of being able to call the TARDIS to me." He reached out his free hand and patted the wall beside him, and the TARDIS hummed in a friendly tone.

"Can I get up?" Saskia asked after a moment, trying not to sound as if she was pleading, before realising that the Doctor would know how she felt, no matter what tone of voice she used, since he was still holding her hand.
"Yes you can get up, for a few hours at least. You'll probably feel a bit wobbly for a while though – you certainly need to eat." The Doctor paused, then said as casually as possible. "I'm afraid I'll have to help you to get dressed whilst your shoulder is still healing."
"Oh." Saskia looked away and did her best to block her emotions from the Doctor, although she felt sure he knew how embarrassed she was feeling at needing his help.
"As a Companion, I'm even more of a liability than an ordinary human," she said angrily. "If you didn't have an empath with you, none of this would have happened."
The Doctor reached out and turned her face back to his, his eyes seeming darker as they looked into hers. "And if I hadn't had you on board, I would never have known I should be looking for an empathic alien with a vicious streak. Who knows what it might be planning, or have already set in motion? But at least we know it's out there, and we'll find a way to stop it. We will find it and stop it," he told her emphatically. "It's not your fault you were injured, it's mine. I should have been taking better care of you."
"I can take care of myself," Saskia snapped back, then stopped abruptly, realising that she was snapping at the person who had saved her life twice now. Even worse was the realisation of how angry she was feeling, uncharacteristically angry.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I don't know what's got into me."
The Doctor rubbed a finger across her cheek. "I do. Not exactly, not yet. But whatever that alien beastie was that was in your head, it left an echo of its rage behind it." He smiled at her. "I know you can take care of yourself, but having aliens attacking you is still a fairly new experience for you. I should have been more careful of your inexperience in that regard since I knew that our beastie uses telepathy. That device we found should have served as a warning. I won't be that careless next time we go hunting for it."
Saskia nodded, feeling too ashamed of her outburst to speak.
"You wanted to get up," the Doctor said. "Let's get you dressed and we'll take a picnic outside."
"Outside?" Saskia asked in surprise as she swung her legs over the side of the bed.
"Yes," the Doctor answered. "It's a lovely February day again out there. We can sit on the grass and eat. The sunshine will do you good."
"OK."

New Companion, Old Earth - Chapter One - Part 2

They walked up the street, checking the house numbers, the Doctor looking on the left side and Saskia on the right.
"There's a medical herbalist here," the Doctor observed.
"Are we likely to need his services?" Saskia asked, half smiling to show her question wasn't entirely serious.
"I hope not," the Doctor replied fervently. "I hope neither of us will need any medical attention during this trip. If we do, though, the TARDIS has a fully equipped medical bay."
"And do you have any medical qualifications, Doctor?" Saskia asked, emphasising his name.
"I know enough," he assured her. "Oh, here we are." He pointed to a spot where excavations had obviously been carried out. "I wonder where the workmen are?"
Saskia looked up and down the street, then up at the sky. "Perhaps they've gone for their midday meal?" she suggested.
"Well that will save us some awkward questions," the Doctor said cheerfully as he hunkered down and looked into the hole. He pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and used it to scan the earth in the hole.
"Hmm. I'm picking up some trace readings, similar to those that came from that artefact."
"Traces of what, though?" asked Saskia.
"Seems to be some sort of energy reading, but I'm not sure what," the Doctor answered thoughtfully. "Come on. Let's go back to the TARDIS for some lunch and see if she can make any sense of the readings. Or find any further traces of the energy signature anywhere else around here."
"OK." Saskia offered him her hand and pulled him up.

Once back at the TARDIS, the Doctor downloaded the data from his Sonic Screwdriver into the TARDIS and left her to analyse it.
"Have you come across anything like this before?" Saskia asked over lunch.
"No," answered the Doctor, "which is interesting in itself. Whatever is responsible for that signal and that artefact is either very, very old, or very, very new. Still, it should be interesting." He grinned hugely and Saskia couldn't help grinning back, his enthusiasm was so infectious. At least with this mystery to solve he wasn't moping over Rose.

After lunch they went back to the Console Room and the Doctor pulled out his glasses and put them on, before peering at one of the screens. Saskia looked over his shoulder.
"Ah!" he said in satisfaction. "See that? There's a concentration of the energy signal there."
Saskia looked where he was pointing. "Any idea where there is?" she asked.
"Hmm, let's see." The Doctor pressed a couple of buttons on the console and a map was superimposed over the screen. "Apparently that's Worminghall. Interesting name."
"Oh!"
The Doctor looked up at Saskia's suddenly thoughtful expression. "What is it?"
"I know that name from somewhere," she answered. "Hold on."
The Doctor went back to peering at the map, calculating the distance from Oxford to Worminghall, and wondering whether to take the TARDIS directly there, or to use local transport.
"I've got it," Saskia said. "The Old English word for 'dragon' is 'wyrm' – W-Y-R-M. It was suggested at one point that Worminghall was a corruption of the name, and that Worminghall actually means 'The Dragon's Hall'."
"Well I don't think we'll find a dragon there," the Doctor said. "But I could be wrong." He grinned at the thought of seeing a dragon on 20th century Earth. "Now then, we need to go and have a look at this spot. Can you ride?"
"A horse?" asked Saskia startled.
The Doctor nodded.
"I suppose so."
He raised an eyebrow. "That's a little indefinite for you," he said.
"Well I've never ridden a horse, but since I'm telepathic, I should be able to bond with the horse and get it to do what I want."
"Let's test that theory, then," the Doctor said, pulling on his overcoat again.
"You haven't got a horse on board, have you?" Saskia asked, remembering a certain 51st century spaceship that Rose had mentioned.
"Sadly no. I thought we'd hire some."
"OK." Saskia pulled on her own coat and followed the Doctor outside. He was heading back down the alley to the pub they had visited when they had first arrived. Saskia waited outside, in the sunshine, watching the street whilst the Doctor went to confer with the landlord.

He returned a few minutes later, smiling broadly. "Right then. Let's go and see a man about a horse." He strode off down the street they had followed into town that morning.
"Is there a stable nearby?" asked Saskia, once she had caught up with him.
"No, but there is a blacksmith, one J L Hayter, in Park End Street. We're going to see him." The Doctor turned into Beaumont Street and they passed the Ashmolean Museum on the right and the Randolph again on the left. They turned into Worcester Street, passing Worcester College on the right, then a disused wharf which was opposite another pub, before crossing into Park End Street. Saskia was beginning to feel grateful that she had always stayed fit, since the Doctor walked at such a brisk pace.

They arrived at the forge and the Doctor strode inside, Saskia following more slowly as her eyes adjusted to the gloom.
"Mr Hayter?" the Doctor asked, addressing the smith who had looked up at their arrival, then gone back to removing a shoe from the foot of a handsome roan. He lowered the horse's foot to the ground, then straightened up.
"That's me."
"Charles at the Eagle and Child reckoned you might have a couple of horses available to hire for myself and my friend."
"Did he now?" The smith looked them up and down, slowly. "How long are you wanting them for?" he asked.
"Just a few hours," the Doctor answered.
"Reckon I can let you have a couple, then," he answered and after a quiet word with his apprentice, he led them out of the forge and round the back to a large neat paddock. Saskia felt slightly awed when she saw the horses: a grey stallion and a sturdy brown mare. Both the horses trotted across to the fence when they saw the smith, and whuffled at his hand. He gave them both a sugar lump.

Whilst the Doctor was arranging to borrow saddles and the other accoutrements they'd need, Saskia approached the horses quietly and calmly. The mare showed no interest in her, but the stallion submitted to having his nose rubbed.
The smith saddled them both and then led them out of the paddock. The Doctor leapt lightly into the saddle of the mare, having noticed the stallion's preference for Saskia. She wondered briefly when he had found the time to learn to ride, then turned her attention back to the stallion. She spoke quietly to him, rubbing his neck, making a telepathic bond with him.
"Hello Charlie," she said as he stood stock still, waiting. "I'm coming up." She sprang up into the saddle as lightly as the Doctor had done, and saw the Doctor beaming at her. The smith looked approving.
After a few more words with Hayter, the Doctor lead the way out onto the grass verge running alongside the road. Initially he allowed Meg to dictate their pace. Saskia followed, keeping up a steady stream of encouragement to Charlie. He seemed to take her telepathic contact with him in his stride, for which she was very grateful.
The Doctor looked back at her. "OK?" he asked cheerily.
"Yes." Saskia urged Charlie forward and he easily caught up with Meg and the Doctor.
"It's a good day for a ride," he observed, and Saskia had no difficulty agreeing.
"We'll go around the city to the south, then head eastwards to Worminghall."
"How long will it take us to get there?" Saskia asked.
"Oh not too long – about three hours," the Doctor answered. "It depends how fast we ride. Do you feel up to cantering?"
Saskia grinned hugely at him, her whole face lighting up suddenly, and the Doctor found himself thinking that she should smile more often. She didn't answer his question, however, just patted Charlie's neck, and the next instant he sprang away from Meg and the Doctor, who laughed aloud, then encouraged Meg to follow him. She clearly didn't appreciate being left behind and the Doctor had to hold her back from a full-out gallop. They finally caught up with Charlie and Saskia when the two slowed down to cross the river, south of the city.

Saskia looked back at the Doctor, green eyes sparkling and cheeks glowing.
"Minx!" he exclaimed, laughing. "Are you sure you've never ridden a horse before?"
"Positive," she answered, laughing back at him. "That was fun."
They both dismounted and allowed the horses to drink their fill.
"We'd better not do too much of that," the Doctor said, sounding slightly wistful. "We don’t want to wear the horses out too soon."
Saskia nodded her understanding. "How soon do we need to head east?" she asked.
"We can turn eastwards now, just as soon as we cross the river," he answered.
"OK."

They mounted up again, after wading across the river, then turned eastwards. As they rode, the Doctor asked Saskia detailed questions about her home world's development. She talked animatedly about Einfuhlung's history and he couldn't help thinking of how oblivious Rose had often been of Earth history. Then he mentally kicked himself. Saskia was a historian and a scholar, so of course she knew this stuff. He found himself wishing that he and Rose had found the time to go riding in the countryside somewhere.
Saskia's voice broke in on his thoughts. "You still miss her, don't you?"
He looked up, eyes dark with pain. "Every second of every day," he answered simply.
"I wish I'd met her," Saskia said. "She sounds like she had a ball travelling the universe with you." She pulled a face. "I expect she'd have found me dull as ditchwater, though."
"Not once she got to know you," the Doctor assured her.
"Mmm." Saskia made a non-committal noise and the Doctor wondered if he should have protested more at her comment.
"Do you want to race?" he asked suddenly.
She looked up, surprised, but pleased. "Yes."
"See that barn over there?" he asked, pointing out a distant building.
Saskia looked where he was pointing. "Oh yes."
"That's on the edge of the village of Worminghall. Last one there's on washing up duty for a week." The words were scarcely out of his mouth before Meg shot away, but Saskia was ready for him, and Charlie raced after her instantly. The Doctor heard her shout of triumph as Charlie caught up with Meg, then leapt in front of them.

The next instant both horse and rider screamed, and the Doctor was horrified to see Charlie bolting away, and even more horrified when Saskia was flung like a rag doll from his back to crash against a dry stone wall that edged the field they'd been crossing.
"NO!! Saskia!" he yelled, then practically threw himself from Meg's back and across to where she lay senseless on the grass.
Cursing fluently in Gallifreyan, he pulled off his hindering overcoat and knelt down beside her, feeling for a pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found it, beating erratically under his fingers. Pulling out his Sonic Screwdriver, he activated a program he had created a few months earlier and called the TARDIS to him. By the time she had dematerialised nearby he had discovered that both of Saskia's legs were broken. He carefully wrapped her in his coat, then lifted her bodily from the grass and carried her inside the TARDIS, hurrying straight to the medical bay. He pulled his coat aside, then laid her on the examination bed. He carefully removed her clothes, then scanned her body with one of the TARDIS' scanners. He discovered that her collarbone was fractured in addition to her legs being broken, and set to work, with the help of the TARDIS, to heal her bones.

He gave her a painkilling injection, then sat down on a chair beside the bed and leant forward. Placing his hands either side of Saskia's head, fingertips on her temples, he closed his eyes and concentrated. Almost immediately an angry, raging voice started screaming at him. Startled, he opened his eyes again and looked down into the face of the unconscious woman before him. Whoever or whatever that voice belonged to, it wasn't Saskia, of that he was sure. Closing his eyes again, he concentrated. This time, whomever the voice belonged to was waiting for him and it lashed out with the telepathic equivalent of a right hook. The Doctor felt his own mind reeling.
"Oh no you don't," he breathed softly. Concentrating even more, he lashed out in return, catching the beastie by surprise. It howled its rage at him and he found himself beset. Carefully he reached out to the TARDIS telepathically and she responded, lending him her strength. He gradually increased the force of his telepathic blows and finally, with a mental whimper, it withdrew. The Doctor felt exhausted, but he knew that before he could rest, he had to bring Saskia back to consciousness and make sure that the beastie hadn't harmed her.
"Saskia. Saskia. Come on Saskia. Time to wake up."

New Companion, Old Earth - Chapter One - Part 1

About half an hour later Saskia suddenly woke up to find the Doctor's hand on her arm.
"What?"
"You must have dozed off," he told her. "We’re landing."
"On Barcelona?"
"I don’t think so. Come and see." The Doctor walked over to the Console and showed her a screen which gave them a view outside the TARDIS.
"That – that looks like old Earth," said Saskia in surprise.
"It is old Earth," answered the Doctor. "Sometime in the early 20th century."
"Why are we here?"
"I don't know. Let's go and find out." The Doctor pulled on his long brown overcoat over his blue suit and headed out of the TARDIS doors. Saskia took her own long wool coat from the coat stand inside the TARDIS doors and pulled it on, then followed him outside. She consoled herself with the thought that if anyone was about to attack them, she at least would know about it. She knew there was no point in remonstrating with the Doctor - he seemed to have little concept of caution. Or perhaps he just had faith in her empathic abilities. She was still wondering which one it was as she walked out of the TARDIS doors to find the Doctor standing just outside, surveying the alleyway in which they had arrived. He turned to look at her and she saw a fleeting look of pain and regret cross his face. She moved to his side.

"What is it?" she asked directly, guessing the answer, but wondering if he would tell her.
"I still haven't got used to the fact that Rose isn't going to be the one stepping through those doors," he answered, proving that her guess was correct.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't!" he said fiercely.
She raised an eyebrow, puzzled by his tone. "Don't what?"
"Don't apologise for not being Rose, OK? Don't ever do that!"
"Doctor, I wasn't apologising for not being Rose. I was sympathising with your sense of loss and pain."
His shoulders slumped momentarily. "Sorry. I just – "
"It’s OK." She patted his arm. "I do understand. I know what you're feeling in here," she tapped her head, "and in here," she touched her heart. "I lost both my parents and went through all the denial and anger and hating the world that are part of the grieving process."
"I don't hate the world," he said quietly.
"I know you don't. If you did, you'd still be sitting in that ship of yours, out in the Time vortex, instead of taking on the villains and the monsters. But you are grieving, even if you're trying to keep your emotions under control. No doubt if you'd picked someone who wasn’t an empath to be your Companion, you'd get away with your pretence, but I can see right through it." She clasped his cool hand in hers and spoke directly into his mind. "The three of us will get through this: you, me and the TARDIS, together we'll get through this."
He squeezed her hand. "Thank you."
She squeezed his hand in return, then asked aloud, "Where are we?"
"I don't know. Let's find out."

Letting go of her hand, he walked down the alleyway to a small building that Saskia was unable to identify, and went inside. Saskia followed him and found a long room with a low ceiling, tables and chairs arranged in small groups, and a long counter, behind which were shelves full of bottles and a man with a friendly face.
"It's a pub," the Doctor told her quietly.
"Oh." Saskia had heard of pubs, but this was the first time she had ever been in one. "It's quiet," she observed.
"That's because it's still early. Most people are at work at 11 o'clock in the morning."
"I see."
The Doctor moved over to the counter, which she realised must be the bar, and spoke quietly to the man standing there, then came back to her side. "We're in Oxford and it's 1936, which explains the lack of motor traffic outside."
Saskia nodded her understanding, then tilted her head to one side, as if listening.
The Doctor noticed. "Can you hear something?"
"No, not hear, more sense, although it's quite faint."
"Let's go back outside then." The Doctor left the pub and waited on the pavement, whilst Saskia mentally cast around for whatever was fluttering at the edge of her mind.
"It's no good," she said, sounding frustrated. "I can't pinpoint it."
"So we'll walk around until you can," he said. He set off slowly along the road. "Stop me if it gets stronger."

They walked slowly along the wide road towards the city centre, passing Pusey House, St Cross College and Black Friars, all of which Saskia noted half-consciously. Suddenly she grabbed the Doctor's arm. "It's stronger over there," she said, pointing to some buildings set back from the road. They stopped in front of a three-storey building.
"Institutio Tayloriana," read Saskia. "The Taylorian Institute. A library or museum, I suppose." They ran up the steps inside the gateway.
"Not this one," Saskia said as the Doctor was about to pull open the door. "It's the next building over."
They went down some more steps and crossed a courtyard towards some imposing doors set between four Ionic columns. They went inside, the Doctor pulling a battered leather wallet from his coat pocket. Saskia knew it contained some psychic paper that would convince its reader that the Doctor was whomever he claimed to be in any given situation. He had pulled it out and shown it to her, that first morning they had met, and she still hadn't told the Doctor that it hadn't actually worked on her.
Inside the building they both saw a sign welcoming them to the Ashmolean Museum. Saskia grinned at the Doctor, who grinned back, both of them remembering their previous encounter at a Museum.
"Can you speak with a Scottish accent?" the Doctor asked quietly.
Saskia nodded, wondering why he was asking.
"Then we'll tell them we're Scottish scholars, and we'd better say your name is Saskia Stewart, as that's a more Scottish name."
"OK. Just don't forget, this time, that you are Scottish, and go lapsing back into your Southern accent."
"What do you – ? Oh. Oh right, no I won't forget," the Doctor said, reassuringly, but grinning nonetheless.
"Good," Saskia said. "I don't want to be exiled from these shores."
"Well Queen Victoria's not around this time, is she?" he answered cheekily, then approached a man sitting behind a desk. The man watched them approach, seeing a tall man wearing a long, expensive brown coat over a blue pinstripe suit; the freckled face and beaming smile made him look younger than his real age and gave him the air of a man in love with life. Beside him was a tall young woman wearing a long black coat similar to the man's, dark trousers and a cream-coloured linen shirt. Her expression was more watchful and wary than the man's, which surprised the clerk. Then she smiled at the clerk as the man introduced himself, and he forgot about her watchful expression.

"Hello. I'm Doctor Jamie McCrimmon, and this is my colleague, Saskia Stewart. We're visiting town for a few days and we're interested in seeing any recent acquisitions the Museum has made."
Saskia had to swallow an impulse to laugh in surprise and delight at the Doctor's perfectly executed Scottish lilt.
"Certainly Doctor," answered the clerk. "Are you at all familiar with the Museum?"
"We are not."
"Then I'll take you up to see the new acquisitions myself," he said. He guided them up two imposing flights of stairs and into a large room, talking earnestly to the Doctor as they went. Saskia was listening with only half an ear as something was tugging insistently at her empathic sense. Her attention was drawn to a display case at the back of the room. Something in it was giving off a very strong signal. She hoped the clerk wouldn't stay talking for too long as she was desperate to speak to the Doctor about the object.
"Well, we mustn't keep you," the Doctor said pleasantly at that moment. "We'll come and find you if we have any questions."
The clerk shook hands with them both, then bustled off.

"Doctor," Saskia said urgently. "That device at the back, the round silvery-blue one, it's giving off a strong signal of some sort."
"I thought there was something in here," he answered. "I could feel a sort of prickle myself."
Saskia looked at him in surprise.
"I'm slightly telepathic myself," he said in answer to her unspoken question. "Just enough to know when others are nearby. It used to annoy Rose that she could never sneak up on me."
"Oh!" Saskia didn't ask why Rose would want to sneak up on the Doctor. "Do you know where this device has come from, where it originated, I mean?"
"No, I can't say that I've ever seen anything like it before." As he spoke, the Doctor pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and unlocked the display case. He removed the artefact and began examining it, playing the beam of the Sonic Screwdriver over it. The he licked it, raising his eyebrows at Saskia's look. She knew from reading Rose's Diary that he had a habit of licking the things that interested him, but it was still a surprise. She didn't comment, however, instead she read the card that lay beside the spot where the device had been displayed.
"It says here that the device was found in New Inn Hall Street, on the eastern side, during excavations, opposite number 27. Apparently it was found in the old City ditch," she told the Doctor.
"The City ditch?" he answered. "That's going back a long way into Oxford's past. I suppose no one had dug there before, to unearth this." He returned the device to the display case, which he re-locked before pocketing his Sonic Screwdriver again. "Let's go and look at the spot where it was found, shall we?"
Saskia nodded, rather distractedly.
"What is it?" the Doctor asked.
"I think that thing is a receiver of some kind, and that something else is transmitting a signal to it," she answered. "Like a homing signal."
"We'll have to see if we can track backwards from it, then," the Doctor said.

They left the display room and went back downstairs. The Doctor spoke briefly to the clerk, who was back at his desk. Saskia heard him asking where they would find New Inn Hall Street. She followed the Doctor out of the Museum and onto the street.
"Fortunately for us, it's not very far away," he told her as they crossed the street opposite a large building bearing a sign that read 'The Randolph'. They walked briskly past the Oxford Playhouse and turned left into Gloucester Street, which cut across to join the busier George Street. Saskia found herself noting the names automatically, although she didn't expect to have to find her own way back to the TARDIS.
"There you are," the Doctor said, pointing at a sign in the street that ran at right-angles to the one they were in.
"New Inn Hall Street," Saskia read aloud.
"Now we just need number 27," the Doctor said cheerfully. "Apparently it's near the end of Saint Michael's Street."