Chapter Three: A Very Difficult Time

Spiraling through the time vortex was a time machine resembling a blue police call box from Britain in the 1950s. Within were three life forms, and one of them was Lisa herself, from far in her past.

As for the other two, one was a twenty-three-year-old dark-skinned, dark-haired human woman named Martha Jones. She was a medical student, just exams away from becoming a doctor herself, who had begun traveling with Lisa and the mysterious man who called himself the Doctor. She met them in Royal Hope Hospital, where they were investigating strange anomalies.

As for the Doctor…he was a tall man with brown hair and haunted brown eyes. He and Lisa had been friends for a very long time. He trusted her more than he trusted himself.

They’d just come back from a very draining – both mentally and physically – experience in early twentieth-century Earth. The three of them were standing in the console room in an uncomfortable silence. The Doctor was fiddling with the TARDIS’ controls, casting sidelong glances at Lisa, who was leaning against one of the railings with her arms crossed, wings drooping.

Even Martha was aware of the slight tension between the two normally very close friends. She excused herself and made a discreet exit. While she didn’t know the TARDIS very well, she figured they could use a few moments alone.

The Doctor watched her go and reminded himself to thank her later. He operated more controls while he tried to figure out how to voice what was on his mind. When he found he just didn’t have the words, he let his thoughts do the talking.

I’m sorry. He was speaking telepathically, their most intimate way of communication. Being linked together, their thoughts were transmitted to each other with little interference.

She looked up, her brown eyes glazed, as if she wanted to cry. He knew he had hurt her without intending to. He hadn’t had any memories of who he had been…and, for the first time, he had had no memories of her. As far as he had been concerned, she had been a simple housecat, even if he’d felt an unusual connection to her.

No matter what kind of trauma he had ever experienced, he’d never forgotten her. Until then. He speculated that it was because, while their link hadn’t been severed during the situation, it had weakened considerably when the human version of him, John Smith, had fallen in love with Nurse Joan Redfern. He had fallen in love with someone else while he, the Doctor, was still in love with Lisa. He felt he had no way of making it up to her.

All he could do was apologize, and that wasn’t enough.

I’m sorry, he said again, trying to catch her eye. I’m so sorry. Through their link, he could sense just how hurt and betrayed she felt. While a part of her knew it wasn’t completely his fault, that voice inside her was too weak to break through.

I know you know how sorry I am…Lisa, please…

She looked away, wings twitching. She loved him so much and watching him fall in love with someone else was incredibly painful. She’d tried to keep them apart, but, as she had taken the form of a cat at the time, all that happened was she was put in a separate room for a little while. Lucky for her that he’d still felt a strong enough connection to her to not get rid of her completely.

And I know you know how I feel, she countered, trying and failing to glare at him.

He did. And she did. It was a vicious circle of emotions. Nothing seemed to be able to break it. But he knew he couldn’t stand her being upset with him. It hurt. That could work to his advantage, however.

He walked over to her, reaching for her, a pained expression on his face, hoping she wouldn’t pull away. Lisa, please, he said softly. Please…I had no control over it.

How do I know it won’t happen afterward, though? she asked icily, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

He gently touched her face and, thankfully, she didn’t move. It won’t, he promised, and he really meant it. You mean so much to me. Even when I was human, I felt an attachment to you…I still dreamt of you. But you know why you couldn’t stay in your normal form.

She lowered her eyes. I know…she relented.

He moved his hand to her hair. Please forgive me, he asked. I can’t bear you being upset with me… He allowed a tear or two to slip from his eyes. That would soften her, he was sure. She could never resist him in a weakened state.

He was right. She wiped the tears from his cheeks and pulled him into a tight embrace. He sighed in relief. I do love you, Lisa.

And I love you.

Unfortunately, the tender moment was shattered a few seconds later when the TARDIS’ engines started making strange noises and the ship shuddered violently.

The turbulence caused Martha to come running back to the console room. “What’s happening?” she asked, grabbing onto the railings to keep from falling.

The Doctor removed himself from Lisa’s arms and they both went to the console, operating the controls at a frantic pace.

“Impossible,” the Time Lord commented as he read the instruments. He whacked the console with his fist, as if that could change the readouts.

Lisa caught what he was looking at. “Doctor, that’s…”

“What?” Martha demanded.

“The TARDIS is being drawn off course,” said the Doctor, grunting, trying to work a dozen controls at once. “We’re caught in a Time Corridor!”

End chapter three.

Back *~*~* Chapter Two *~*~* Chapter Four