[Crossover] Doctor Who / Oban Star Racers

[alcesverdes]

Title: The Other Side of the Story
Fandom: Doctor Who / Oban Star Racers
Wordcount: 12,300
Rating: PG
Characters: The Eleventh Doctor, Eva Wei, Jordan Wilde, The First Doctor, Susan Foreman, Satis
Beta(s): mourirdemain
Summary: The Doctor takes the latest winner of the Great Race of Oban back to where it all happened to meet old friends and learn more about the past.

Spoilers For all of Oban.

There was a game we used to play

We would hit the town on friday night

And stay in bed until sunday

We used to be so free

We were living for the love we had and

Living not for reality

- The Cranberries, "My Imagination"

Eva Wei had spent the last few weeks deciding on a college. A couple of years ago---a lifetime ago, same difference---she had taken, on the fly, fate-shaping choices affecting the whole galaxy. Now, after reading and re-reading the information given by a handful of schools, she couldn't make up her mind about where she wanted to go. Because she did have an idea regarding what she wanted to do with her life.

She still wanted to be a professional racer, even though she knew there would be nothing bigger than the last race she'd won. But that wasn't the point. The passion for speed and adventure still burned strongly inside her, along with the need of finding her own limits and push them. She now knew her limits were far out there, and she wanted---no, she needed to tackle them again. And again. And once more after that.

Nevertheless, her father had refused to allow her inside a Star Racer until she got a degree. In anything, but she had to have one. She was annoyed when he told her. She went on and on for days about how unfair it all was. Yet, she ended up caving in. 

Eva wanted to make her father proud, and that was the sole reason she didn't begin to race behind his back. Patching up a relationship broken for ten years wasn't easy, but they were working on it. Eva and Don still tip-toed around each other, but they were also happy. They were happy together.

There were worse burdens than getting a degree in a field she enjoyed to keep the old man content.

She still wasn't sure what she'd choose---but it had to be related to engines and machines. She was so focused thinking about it that she didn't realize there was a man standing in front of her until she crashed into him.

"I'm sorry!" she said, rubbing her forehead.

"Don't worry about it," the man said. He was wearing old-fashioned clothes and a red bow tie. "It's my fault for standing here in complete silence."

Eva wasn't sure if the man was being condescending or mocking or what, so she settled with a neutral answer. "Yeah..."

The man smiled broadly and clasped his hands, rubbing them nervously. "So, Molly, would you like to go to Oban again?"

The Doctor and Susan stepped out from the Tardis. Doing a random search in the ship's archives, he had found information regarding the Great Race of Oban and he immediately became curious about it. For one, it was held every ten thousand years---much, much longer than the average life span of most species in the universe, more so in the galaxy---and, on the other hand, the price---Ultimate Price, it was called---was "anything the winner may want". 

Given the chance, how could anyone resist going there in person? And even give it a try. Unfortunately, while browsing the files, he overlooked the tiny detail that only residents of the planets in the Galactic Alliance were allowed to participate. He was informed of that while he was looking where to sign up for the race, and since he couldn't prove he belonged to any of those planets, he was turned down.

"Such inconvenience," the Doctor grumbled as he reunited with his granddaughter. She had been waiting for him in the street, looking at the parade of racing teams from all over the galaxy, who would soon be getting their chance to shine.

"Grandfather?" Susan asked, worried.

"Oh? Don't mind me, child," the Doctor replied. He hadn't informed her of his intentions, expecting to give her a surprise. Well, at the very least he wasn't going to disappoint her now. "I'm just remembering something."

Susan clung to his arm. "Why don't we go to the stadium?"

"We still have time before the first race. I'd say we go and enjoy the scenery for a while before that, hmm?"

The preliminary rounds would be raced simultaneously in three different planets. The Doctor and Susan had picked one more or less randomly, and they hadn't had a reason to regret it so far. It was a nice planet, although in the lower side of the technological scale. Still, it was full of life and activity. The Doctor knew it would become an important trading center in a couple of millennia---and that it would disappear long before the next Great Race were to take place. But there was no need to depress anyone with those facts, so he kept his mouth shut.

The Doctor and Susan walked through the hangars where the racers and their teams had their temporary homes. No one stopped them, and if someone had tried, the Doctor would've found a way to pass through them---or to convince them to give him and his granddaughter a guided tour. 

Anything and everything could be used to race, from a standard spaceship to the pilot's own body. Susan was amazed by it all.

"The only rule is not to kill the opponent," the Doctor said, pulling the lapels of his overcoat.

"That is a sensible rule, I have to say," Susan replied. "But that also means that they can do everything else, can't they?"

"Indeed they can, my dear. Indeed they can."

Susan remained silent for a while. The Doctor knew she was thinking about what that meant for the more aggressive pilots, and he had to agree: with all the skills, all the metal, and all the strong competitive streaks involved, most of the races weren't going to be a picnic.

He really wished he could participate. 

As he mourned the fact that he couldn't, there was an explosion in one of the hangars nearby. Susan grabbed the Doctor's hand and they hurried to see what had happened.

Eva glared at the man in front of her. "How do you know that name?"

He hadn't stopped smiling even though he was obviously quite nervous. It was sort of creepy, but her intuition told her he didn't mean her harm, and her intuition hadn't failed her before. After all, back in the Great Race it had told her to trust Aikka despite what Don and Jordan kept saying, and the Nourasian prince proved to be a true friend and a worthy ally at the end. 

"How do I know your name? Excellent question!" the stranger said pointing upwards with his index finger, like a teacher. "It is an important name, you know? It belongs to the last victor of the latest Great Race of Oban---" he lowered his voice to a whisper "---even if the new Avatar is someone else."

Eva's eyes widened as she fought the urge of punching him on the face. "No one should know about that!"

"Exactly! Why do you think I lowered my voice?"

"Who are you?"

"I, my dear, am the Doctor. And I'm offering you a one-time deal to travel again to Oban and see your friend Jordan the Avatar. The Jordavatar. Whatever. I'm still talking about the same person. Anyway, what do you say?"

Eva blinked very slowly. "You know Jordan?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Of course I do! Who do you think told me the name that's not your name, Eva Wei? I most certainly didn't guess it. I'm good but not that good. And you haven't answered."

"I don't even know you," Eva replied, dazed not only by what he was saying, but by how fast he was doing it. 

"But you do!" he whined. "I already told you my name. Here, I'll repeat it: I am the Doctor."

"That's not a name."

"Yes, it is. It's my name and I really like it. Now, are you coming?" He got more serious---and even more nervous---this second time he asked.

A part of Eva insisted she didn't know anything about this man. She should be careful around a stranger and, at the very least, call her father before embarking on interplanetary travel with the aforementioned stranger.

Then again, this other part of her---a stronger part of her---insisted that had she been all mild and prudent, she wouldn't have saved the galaxy. Besides, she really wanted to meet Jordan again and see how the whole Avatar business was going. And there was something else to see before she agreed going with this man. After that, it'd be a matter of backing off or phoning Don to tell him she'd be late for supper the next few days.

"Show me your spaceship, Doctor with no name. We'll see if it's good enough to fly all the way to Oban and back."

"Oh, you'll be surprised, girl with two names," said the Doctor as he led the way.

The explosion hadn't affected the structure of the hangar, but there was a lot of smoke coming out from it. The Doctor motioned Susan to wait for him at the entrance. He put a handkerchief over his nose before going in. "Hello?" he said looking around. There was nothing about to fall from the ceiling. The Doctor moved with more confidence after noticing it.

From underneath one of the working benches came a whining. The Doctor peered down to see a dizzy and small humanoid holding his head between his hands. 

"Are you injured, my boy?" the Doctor asked. 

The little man tried to move his head but the effort proved to be too much for him. The Doctor picked him up and took him outside, to lay him down next to Susan. 

It wasn't long until the little man managed an "Ow, my head!" and claimed that his ears were still ringing. Since those were his only complains, the Doctor knew he was going to be fine soon enough. Not so much his ship, though. The thing was a wreck. It was inside out and its parts were scattered all over the place.

The Doctor was about to say what a pity it was, but then he got an idea.

"Come on! Say it!" the Doctor said to Eva. "I love it when you lot say it!"

We lot? 

Eva frowned. Just for that, she did her best to avoid showing how impressed she was that the blue box was bigger on the inside. Instead, she tried to think of a logical explanation for this. She folded her arms, looked sideways at the Tardis's door and said, "You are just connecting two dimensions through this space, nothing to brag about."

Sure enough, that erased the smug smile from the Doctor's face. Yet, the disappointed look was quickly replaced by a fond one. It was a fondness mixed with tenderness. Weird. It didn't last long before he began moving all over the place showing her the control panel. Eva had to admit that, although weird and makeshift, the thing looked functional. Sometimes you just have to improvise.

"So, you're going to move the box outside to another place and that's how it works?" she asked after the Doctor's explanation.

"Not exactly. It's more complicated than that, but it does give the effect of instant travel. By the way, the Tardis is also a time machine."

Eva had to look skeptic at that one. The Doctor didn't seem to mind---more than that, it made him look more proud of himself---and kept parroting. 

"That's how I participated in the Great Oban Race before yours." He spread his hands signaling the whole of the Tardis. "In this very ship! And, as a matter of fact," he added, smirking, "I won first place."

Eva pouted. "You're lying! The winner of that race---"

"Was Satis?" the Doctor finished for her. "Come on, Eva! I thought that if there was someone who could understand about winning and not keeping the price, it'd be you."

She had to admit he had a point there.

The Doctor and Susan helped Satis to clean up his hangar and evaluate the damage. During the final conclusion, Satis got quite upset. 

"I can't believe it! I just blew my chance away!" he said, rubbing his head, angry at himself. "And all because I couldn't wait to get the right spare parts! Stupid! I'm so stupid!" He was all the more desperate because he was the only one in his crew. No one else on his planet considered the Great Race important enough to interrupt their lives. "I need to find a new ship!" he continued. "I know it's a very short notice, but perhaps someone around here has a proper one for sale!"

"Don't you worry, my boy," the Doctor said, one hand on Satis's head to stop him from running away, and the other one pulling his lapel. "I think we can help."

Satis looked up at him. "You do?"

"Most certainly! Your plea has moved me and I am willing to let you use my own ship. I assure you," the Doctor added, pushing his fist upwards, "the Tardis is swift enough to win under the guidance of the right hands!"

Susan and Satis both gasped at the same time.

"Can you do that, grandfather?"

"I don't see why not," the Doctor replied, doing his best to look more secure than he actually felt. "If it worries you too much," he added, magnanimously, still pulling his lapels in that gesture that he knew gave him an air of authority, "we can go check with the judges. Or..." He leaned down to Satis and his granddaughter and put the most conspirator-like face he could think of, hoping he sounded as convincing as he wanted. "Or we could just present the Tardis on your first race. Hmm?"

"Of course," the Doctor continued. "I was a lot younger and foolish---"

"Hard to believe," Eva mumbled.

"---but we still did our best! And we won! Not by a wide margin, but what fun would it be otherwise?"

Eva had to smile at that. 

He smiled back. Tenderly.

They remained like that for a while. Similar experiences tended to create bonds between those involved---even if Eva didn't believe him entirely. 

"If you and Satis were a team," she said breaking the charm partly because she still had some problems handling mushy feelings, partly because this man simply was too much of an ego and she was curious, "how come he got to keep the Ultimate Price and not you?"

The Doctor clasped his hands, obviously relieved as well. It seemed being winners and having others take the prices without rancor was not the only thing they had in common. 

"I got my own price," he said, "in the form of knowledge."

"Was it worth it?"

The Doctor looked at her intently for a second. "Most of it, yes," he said. 

Eva sighed. "There's always a catch, huh?"

The Doctor didn't answer. Instead, he moved around the control panel pulling levers seemingly at random, although his demeanor showed something akin to regret. 

Those few words were enough. Satis needed a ship and Susan was all but thrilled with the idea. They went with the Doctor's idea, too; the day of Satis's first race they'd present themselves as part of his team. 

At first, Satis hadn't been much impressed with the Tardis, although he did gasp in amazement when he went in, the way the Doctor liked it.

"I can't believe it," Satis said looking at the control panel.

"Not many people can, my boy, that's for sure," the Doctor said, again pulling his lapels.

"Are you going to begin teaching him how to drive the Tardis now, grandfather?"

That simple question sent the Doctor near to a panic attack. "But why would I ever do that, child?" he said before he could help himself.

"He's the invited pilot; he is the one who has to do the racing," Susan explained.

That, of course, hadn't entered the Doctor's calculations. He took a deep breath. "Yes. I think that---that makes sense, yes."

It didn't escape the Doctor's notice that Susan was amused by his reaction. He hadn't taught her yet about the Tardis's controls beyond the most basic emergency procedures, after all. Maybe she wanted to take the chance to learn something herself. Clever girl. 

"Very well, you two," he said. "Come here and keep your hands to yourselves until I tell you otherwise, hmm?"

"Well, enough of that," the Doctor said, although Eva wasn't sure if 'that' meant 'mushy feelings' or 'horrible memories' or a mix of the two. The latest was most likely. He began bouncing around the control panel moving levers and pushing buttons. "Let's go to Oban!"

It was like his ship was meant to be piloted by more than one person at a time. Eva took mental notice to comment on it later; she was busy learning the combination of levers and buttons and listening to the roaring machine waking up. 

"We'll be there in the blink of an eye!" the Doctor continued. "The weather is lovely this time of the year."

"The weather in Oban changes according to where you are," Eva replied absently, her eyes still glued to the Doctor's hands. "It's a big planet."

"Details," he grunted. Then, the engine stopped and he ran to open the door. "Well, here we are!"

Eva took a peek. She nearly fell down backwards when she recognized that sky.

The blink of an eye.

And it was then that Eva realized she hadn't phoned her father.

Susan and Satis were fast learners. Maybe because of it, the Doctor didn't show them the sequence of time travel. "Where's the offensive power?" Satis asked after the lesson was over.

"Offensive power?" The Doctor had been honestly caught off guard.

Satis nodded. "We'll need to defend ourselves."

The Doctor pulled his lapels once more and raised his chin. He hadn't thought about that. "I do not believe in such nonsense, my boy," he said solemnly. "We'll make with what we have. And what we have is speed. Come on," he said to distract them, pointing at the control panel, "try it now so you can see for yourself."

Satis raised an eyebrow, but he just nodded again and began to work. It took him a few false starts to make the Tardis ascend, since she had been built---and to be controlled---by a race far taller than him, but he managed. That alone said a lot about Satis's determination to win.

Eva followed the Doctor outside the Tardis, to Oban proper. She moved about carefully, impressed by the weird ship of the strange man. Perhaps she should admit it.

"Isn't it wonderful?" the Doctor said spreading his arms upwards. "I told you I could do it!" He began doing a silly victory dance. "Who was in the right, now, Eva?"

That alone erased her good will. She scoffed. "You said you'd bring me to see Jordan. I thought you'd meant us to land in one of the temples."

The Doctor didn't reply immediately. Eva could see his brain trying to squeeze an answer, which made her conclude she'd guessed correctly and his plan had been thwarted somehow. Well, it hadn't been her fault; she hadn't laid a hand on the control panel. 

"Don't look at me like that," he said, raising up a finger.

She folded her arms. "Why don't you just admit that you can't even fly your own ship? It was very lucky for you to have Satis back then."

"I was very lucky. But it wasn't just for Satis," the Doctor mumbled.

Eva had been mumbling to herself as well, so she wasn't sure she'd heard correctly. "What was that?"

"Nothing," he replied sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Nothing."

The Doctor had to admit at least to himself that he was surprised by the way Satis flew the Tardis through the canyon. The blue box dodged every rock and boulder on her way, along with the lasers the other pilot shot at them. Satis's performance had been good since his first practice, but the tall chair Susan suggested they customized for him improved things a lot. 

So far, they had sustained some damage, but nothing the technology from Gallifrey, even as outdated as this Tardis was, couldn't withstand. Little maintenance after each race left the Tardis as good as when the Doctor first borrowed her.

As things stood now, they were on their way to a great victory, the third one in a row. When they first presented themselves as Satis's team, the judges didn't seem to notice anything out of place. The three of them were wise enough not to bring it to their attention. 

As a matter of fact, everyone was indifferent to them at first, but their continued victories forced the public eye on them. They were now one of the favorite teams in the race. People recognized them and waved at them wherever they went, and they even gave them presents here and there. That pleased the Doctor well beyond words.

Soon they'd be on their way to Oban, just as he had wanted since he'd read those files.

The Doctor was so thrilled by the whole thing he could just dance with joy---except it wouldn't be too dignified and he had to think of his image. Thus, he let all the childish manifestations of happiness to Susan. The girl was enjoying herself so much with all of this, it made out for all the dancing the Doctor himself couldn't do. Besides, it made him happy just to see her like that.

Yet, what made him the happiest was that he'd been right and they hadn't needed any defensive power. Outsmarting the enemy was not only the best way, but it had been also the Doctor's best asset from the start. This time it wasn't proving to be any different.

A laser hit them. The Tardis shook and the Doctor reached out to hold Susan. To calm her down, obviously. Satis only frowned and bit his lower lip as he stirred the ship back to make it regain its rightful place as the leader.

Yes, everything was going to be just perfect.

"Fine, let's move on," the Doctor said after inhaling and exhaling a few times. "We're being expected at the Temple of the Heart."

"Why don't we just go into your ship again and make it go there? It'd be faster." Eva asked.

The Doctor looked disappointed. "Oh, come on. You're not afraid of a little adventure, are you?"

Oh, no, you didn't say that. She tensed up and pointed at him with a determined finger. "I am not afraid! I've already been through the worst this planet has to offer!"

The Doctor smiled cockily. "Now we're talking!" He clapped his hands once more. "I think we should go this way," he said as he began walking.

Eva thought of asking him if they weren't going to take any supplies with them, but she didn't want to be told again that she couldn't manage 'a little adventure'. Which she could. And a lot more than that. So she followed him. Or more like she stomped her way behind him---again forgetting that phone call to Don.

It was early in the day of the last race before going to the finals in Oban. The Tardis's crew had their place secured, but protocol dictated they still had to take that final lap. The Doctor came in from his morning stroll to find the lock of the Tardis covered with scratches. And not only the lock. Several parts of the wooden box presented superficial damage, but damage nevertheless. 

Someone had been trying to get in.

"Here's where I deeply regret not having security cameras installed," he mumbled as he began looking for clues. He soon concluded it had been a sabotage attempt.

Susan and Satis came in a little after that. They'd gone to have some breakfast together. Actually, they spent quite some time together. Which was just as good because they were a team---and the girl needed friends.

The Doctor showed his companions what he'd found. "The Tardis still works perfectly. We'll apply some paint on her and she'll look as good as new." Of course, when he said 'we' he actually meant 'you', and he hoped he'd made himself clear. "And that only because we don't want to give whoever did this the satisfaction, do we?" he added, winking. And here 'we' meant 'I', and he also hoped there wouldn't be any confusion about it. 

Satis and Susan began to work. The Doctor sat down at the hangar's entrance to begin with the important task of pondering who could've done this. It wasn't their next adversary. Even if that team won, they didn't have enough victories under their collective belt to go to Oban. The Tardis's crew did even if they lost today. Then again, if they didn't have a ship before the official conclusion of the preliminary rounds and couldn't go to the finals, the fourth place would be elevated to third and they'd go instead of them.

That gave him a good starting point for his investigations.

On what was hopefully the way to the Temple of the Heart, Eva and the Doctor came across a pack of Oban's lion-like giant builders. The two of them crouched down behind one of the enormous leaves that made Eva feel they had been reduced to the size of ants.

"Aren't they magnificent?" the Doctor whispered as he looked at the builders. "They were here already ten thousand years ago."

Eva rolled her eyes. "Now you're going to say you taught them to do that?" she whispered back.

The Doctor grinned. "Of course not! That skill was always theirs. I just gave them a singing class to help them with their pitch. Now they can reach higher notes and create more stable buildings."

"Right."

"Come on," the Doctor said when the builders moved away, "let's keep moving."

"I'm right behind you."

Walking through these landscapes was very different from racing through them. It took longer, for starters. And there was a better opportunity to appreciate the beauty of the galaxy's Mother Planet. That didn't mean Eva didn't miss the Whizzing Arrow, though.

"Are you enjoying the trip?" the Doctor asked somewhat later.

"Huh?"

"You were here participating on a race. Everything must be a blur on your mind."

"Actually, it isn't," Eva replied. She was being honest. "I have clear most of it. It's important to pay attention all the time, specially when you're going at full speed, you know? Otherwise, you wouldn't know when and how take the curves. Besides, to score points, we had to pass through floating stone rings. Those were hidden sometimes."

The Doctor beamed after hearing that. He looked proud of... her. Maybe. 

Eva refrained from asking him if that system with points and rings had been his idea; that big ego wasn't something to take lightly.

The Doctor began to walk again. "It's no wonder you won," he said.

Eva snorted. "If you'd been there, you'd be surprised we did. The Earth team was last place for most of the finals."

"Sorry, still not surprised. The competition was probably more fun because of it, but if you take everything into account, you were made to win this."

Eva froze on her place for a second. Canaletto appeared on her mind, along with everything he had told her. She'd tried to forget about him. Unsuccessfully, since he came hand in hand with other persons she did want to remember, like Aikka and Jordan.

"Eva?" the Doctor asked, softly.

She turned her shiver into a shrug. "Nothing." She began to walk faster. Soon she was ahead of him. "We're only wasting time."

"I wouldn't be so sure about it," he replied. "And I'd know about those things, being a Time Lord and all."

The Doctor asked Susan and Satis to protect the Tardis from new sabotage attempts while he went out to confirm his suspicions. They had complied and remained in the hangar, each one of them holding a heavy tool they took from the work bench. It was adorable. The Doctor wouldn't have let them alone if he thought the saboteur would try anything again. Still, it was good to give the young ones something to do.

The team in fourth place was already packing up to go back home. The Doctor's suspicions vanished when he saw the melancholy and disappointment in everything they did. Those weren't the faces of conspirators, but the faces of those who knew they had been defeated and had given up. Very much unlike Satis. He'd always had much more determination than what the Doctor saw here. As a matter of fact, the second and third places seemed a lot more determined to keep going no matter what. 

It shouldn't come out as a surprise. This was a competition after all, the Doctor reflected after wishing these people a safe journey home.

"That makes a strange sort of sense," Eva said once the Doctor finished a quick explanation about Time Lords. At the very least, it explained why he claimed he had a time machine. 

"Yes it does. I'm always making sense---except when I'm not."

Eva's eyes hurt from rolling them so much and she had only known this guy for a few hours. "How is your home planet?" she asked. "Maybe you can take me there later."

The Doctor stopped for a second, as if trying to decide which way to go next, but by the way he shifted on his feet and tapped his fingers on the rock beside him, he was actually thinking how to answer. Or maybe if he should answer at all.

Eva tilted her head. Perhaps she shouldn't have asked. But it was too late to take it back.

"I say we should go that way." The Doctor began to move again. 

Eva followed.

"How it was," the Doctor said suddenly after a very long moment of silence. "My home planet isn't anymore. It was."

Eva bit her lower lip. "I'm sorry."

The Doctor shook his head. "It wasn't your fault." He sighed deeply. "It was mine."

"That's---that's a harsh thing to say."

"Yes." The Doctor scratched his head for a moment. "Yes, it is a harsh thing to say, but it's also the truth. The point being that I couldn't take you there even if I really, really wanted to---which I haven't said I do."

"You're weird," Eva blurted out. After saying it, it came to her that maybe saying that to someone who had made such a confession wasn't exactly a good idea.

Yet, the Doctor smiled again and raised a finger. "I see that as one of my many qualities."

Eva had to smile at that, too.

"It doesn't make any sense," the Doctor mumbled to himself as he went back to the hangar. "Perhaps I'm not seeing the obvious here..." As he scratched his chin, he saw a group of children coming out from the hangar, laughing and holding something to their chests. "What is going on?" he asked when he entered.

Satis and Susan were grinning and shifting somewhat uncomfortably in their seats. A group of children surrounded them, asking for autographs.

"Oh!" the Doctor exclaimed spreading his arms. "I came back right on time!"

The children who already had their autographs from Susan and Satis hurried to him to complete their collection.

The Doctor gave his signature left, right and center, while telling exciting stories about how difficult the races had been so far, his hopes for the finals, and he peppered the whole thing with his own adventures from before to a delighted audience. He lost track of time. Next thing he knew, it was time to leave for Oban.

He, Satis and Susan said their goodbyes. The children left, leaving the Doctor with a deep sense of satisfaction.

He sighed contently. "Are we ready yet, hmm?"

"Yes, grandfather!"

"All the luggage has been inside the Tardis since yesterday," Satis added. He was jumping from one foot to the other. He obviously couldn't wait to get to the finals. And neither did Susan, given the way she smiled and clapped her hands.

The Doctor pulled his lapels and raised his chin. Someone here had to have some dignity. "Very well," he said. "Let us go."

They called some help to put the blue box on a cart to take it all the way to the ship that would fly them to Oban.

"Did you find anything, grandfather?" Susan asked once they had boarded. 

"Hmm? Oh! Yes, yes---I mean, no. Not yet. But I'm certain it won't happen again."

"Do you really think we have a good chance to win?" she asked after making sure Satis wasn't within hearing distance.

"Of course we do, child! The Tardis is a magnificent ship and our pilot is good enough. We can make it."

Susan bit her lower lip before venturing carefully, "We're going to let him keep the Ultimate Price, right?"

The Doctor shook his head as if thinking otherwise was foolish. Which it was. "Why wouldn't we? We are here only in pursue of knowledge. That's price enough for us."

Susan did her best not to sigh in relief. The Doctor pretended not to notice.

"Has he told you what he wants?" the Doctor asked.

"No. Not yet, at least. But his eyes shine every time he mentions it."

"Well, you don't go after an Ultimate Price without an ultimate desire, do you? It's the whole point of this competition. What the pilots want is the driving force behind them."

"Yes, I think that's correct," Susan murmured thoughtfully.

The spaceship chose that moment to abandon the planet's orbit.

"So, Eva, what was your wish?"

It caught her off guard. 

Eva and the Doctor were sitting down next to a stream where they'd been drinking water after hours of non-stop walking. 

What Eva had wanted as her Ultimate Price back then was far from being the most prominent thing in her mind right now. She had already made peace with the fact that it hadn't been the wisest of all wishes, and that it had been next to impossible. Nevertheless, her reaction to the question was to raise up her walls. "Why do you want to know?" she grunted, folding her arms and looking away.

The Doctor shrugged and scratched the back of his head. "I thought it'd be an appropriate topic of conversation. Given where we are and all."

She scoffed. "What was yours?"

"I already told you: I wanted to know what it was all about. I'm a very curious person. It's one of the reasons I wander off from planet to planet; I want to find out about things."

And the other reason is that you no longer have a planet to call home, Eva thought, but she didn't say it. She wasn't that angry.

As a matter of fact, she didn't have a valid reason to be angry at him at all. His had been an honest question. A simple question. Nothing more than a question. What harm could it make to answer it?

Eva loosened up a bit and put her hands on her knees. She looked at her feet. "I wanted my mom back," she whispered after a moment.

"I see," the Doctor replied, very softly. "I would've wished the same if I could."

"Well," Eva said trying to save some face, "if the Avatar can't bring back one person from the dead, he most definitely can't bring a whole planet back, can he?"

The Doctor only smiled sadly at her.

The landing hadn't been what a seasoned traveler would call nice, but what can you expect from amateurs, the Doctor thought as he peered down to the landscape below. They were in a floating building, one of nine that surrounded a bigger one. One for each of the teams that had made it to the finals and one where they would gather for instructions. 

The Doctor was upset. He was so upset he didn't bother hiding it. Satis had been summoned to the main building, but only him. The other two had been asked---forced---to wait where they were. The Doctor would've followed Satis if the portal that teleported him there hadn't closed down after he went through. There was no way to make it work again, to the Doctor's never ending frustration.

"He is the pilot after all, grandfather," Susan told him in an unsuccessful attempt to calm him down.

"Yes, he is. He is. I know," the Doctor all but growled. He had finally given up on working on that portal, and was planning on milking every detail out of Satis as soon as he came back. There were a handful of interrogation techniques he had picked up during his travels that he was dying to try out.

"This is a beautiful planet," Susan said in an unsuccessful attempt to distract him.

"Yes, it is," the Doctor replied. The one with the finger hold would be a good place to start.

"I wonder why they call it the mother planet," Susan wondered out loud. 

That did get the Doctor's attention. "I'm sure it's only a figure of speech. I mean, the most powerful being of the galaxy lives here, and it's in the center. Oh, child," he replied, amused at Susan's disappointed face, "you wouldn't have thought it was literal, would you? Hmm?"

Susan just looked away at the window and the Doctor smiled fondly at her and patted her arm. Sometimes, youngsters needed to go through many disappointing experiences if they wanted to fully understand life.

"Amazing, isn't it?" the Doctor said, gesturing to everything around him, currently the sides of a canyon. "To think that little baby planets come out from this one."

"It is hard to believe," Eva replied after a pause. They were still walking and she was starting to breathe hard. "But I saw it myself. The place where the planets are born was one of the circuits." A sight that no one of those who were there should be able to ever forget in their lives. The birth of a planet was the biggest and most amazing thing any of the racers would ever see---except the one who became the Avatar.

"So you can start being frightened on account of the task ahead," the Doctor added.

"It would’ve been easier if we'd known what the Ultimate Price was from the beginning."

"It would've been more honest, yes, but I'm not sure about easier. Or even better," the Doctor said. "The truth about the Ultimate Price could attract more unwanted characters than it already does."

Eva shuddered remembering the Crogs she'd had to face. More unwanted than those two was hard to believe. But the Doctor was making sense; knowing that you had the chance to become the most powerful being of the galaxy was too different from thinking you had the shot for getting just one wish, even if it could be any wish.

"It's done this way," the Doctor continued, "because the Avatars have to be strong-willed persons who can focus everything they have into a single goal. They must be able to rise above themselves and others to get it."

"I hadn't seen it like that."

"It's a tough one. Even I had problems getting to that conclusion."

Eva would've rolled her eyes yet again if her eyeballs weren't that tired from doing just that the whole afternoon. "Is there anything you can't do?" she asked.

"I'm glad you phrased the question that way, because the list of things I can't do is shorter than the one of things I can."

Screw it. Eva rolled her eyes so hard she thought they'd jump out from their sockets.

The reunion with Satis and the other pilots had been very thrilling, with the Avatar showing up in person to give a speech only for them. The Doctor did his best to avoid showing how peeved he was from being excluded. He had to think of his decorum and his dignity. Decorum and dignity, the lifesavers he was going to hold to dearly. He still listened carefully to every word from Satis's mouth, although he left all the running commentary to Susan.

"How are the other competitors?" she asked. "Do they look tough?"

"Some of them, yes," Satis said. "Others, not so much. Like me, for example," he added, snickering conspiratorially. 

Susan laughed as well while the Doctor remained silently unamused. 

"Looks are deceiving after all, aren't they, hmm?" he said, pulling his lapels. "I'd say we shouldn't hurry to judge our opponents only by those and treat them as if each one of them was the most dangerous, hmm? They wouldn't be here on the finals if they weren't, don't you think?"

Both Susan and Satis had to agree. The Doctor hadn't expected any different. 

An alarm sounded, signaling the beginning of the first race in the finals. The Tardis's crew hurried to their places just in time before the ground opened underneath them to throw them to the racing circuit.

Eva let herself fall on her back on the grass, gasping for air. She was getting exhausted already and there was no sign of progress, no single temple in sight. 

She would've thrown a shoe to the Doctor's head, but he looked just as tired and she needed both her shoes. 

"We should be there already. I'm sure we haven't taken a wrong turn anywhere," the Doctor mumbled.

"Maybe we took a wrong turn from the beginning," Eva offered, too tired to sound annoyed.

"I have a better sense of direction than that, Eva."

She scoffed. 

"Aw, come on!" he whined. "Being a little bit trusting is not going to hurt you!"

She scoffed again. "I came to another planet with a guy I just met in the middle of the street. If that's not being trusting, I don't know what is."

The Doctor raised his finger and opened his mouth, but he closed it again promptly. Eva smiled smugly. She had left him without arguments.

"Don't get cocky on me, young lady."

She snorted, and the snort became laughter in a matter of seconds. 

"That's better," the Doctor said, grinning.

"So," Eva said once she could breathe normally again. "What are we going do? We haven't got anywhere and you don't have a map or a compass."

"Who says we haven't and that I don't?"

Eva felt like throwing the nearest rock to the Doctor's head. "You've had a map with you all this time?"

The Doctor looked sheepishly at her and produced a map from a pocket in the inner side of his jacket. "I memorized it. I didn't think I'd need to show it."

The Doctor seemed to know what would come next, since he did dodge the rock.

As the Doctor predicted, the other racers in Oban were a lot tougher. Besides, it was different here. They had to score points in addition to getting to a goal. The first racer to reach the maximum of points was the winner and the race was over. On top of that, the points were cumulative. Therefore, the victor of the Great Race of Oban would be, at the end, the one who scored the most points in total. That was why the Doctor took in good graces their defeat in their first race.

Although, that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

The one who bested them was a creature who used his own body as a ship. It was huge and in the shape of a teardrop. He didn't attack anyone, he just raced and dodged. According to Satis, his name was O, and he kept to himself when the Avatar summoned the pilots to the main temple. Because now they knew the buildings were floating temples. 

"I'd like to have a few words with this chap," the Doctor said. "Perhaps if we hold hands when you cross the portal..."

"Grandfather! You're still thinking about that?" Susan asked, more amused than surprised. 

"I have no idea how this thing works," Satis said. "But I can ask O to come here."

The Doctor tried not to look too disappointed. He wasn't sure if he was managing it, given all the disappointments he'd encountered that day. "It's worth a try," he answered. After all, it wasn't as if talking with O was just an excuse to get to the main temple. It was only one of the reasons.

The portal opened, summoning the pilots. Satis jumped inside of it as he yelled his goodbyes. There was never a chance to grab onto him.

The Doctor stiffened up, pursed his lips, raised his chin and pulled his lapels. Susan looked away immediately. The Doctor knew she was trying not to giggle, but he didn't say anything. Give the children the chance to keep their dignity, he thought.

"Are you going to keep throwing rocks at my head?" the Doctor asked, crouching behind a tree.

"Are you going to keep earning them?" Eva asked, leaning forwards, ready to pounce him as soon as he got careless.

"I am not earning them," the Doctor replied, slowly and enunciating every word carefully, for once. 

That pleased Eva; it meant he was panicking. Good. 

"Listen, Eva," he continued, "I'm going to come out and then we'll talk about this like the mature adults we are, agreed?"

"A mature adult wouldn't have led us this far without realizing he had to look in the map he'd been carrying on himself the whole time!"

"Fine, fine! I admit I made a mistake. But! If you're a good girl and promise not to kick me as soon as I get within your reach, I can take us to the temple with the map's help."

"You aren't taking us anywhere! Give me that map and I'll do it!"

"But it's my map!"

"And my sense of direction!" She folded her arms, still glaring at him. "You obviously don't have one! You couldn't even land your own ship where you intended it to!"

The Doctor winced. "That isn't fair."

"Doctor, just give me that map and follow my lead and I promise I won't kick you."

"Or punch me."

"Or punch you," she conceded.

"Or keep throwing rocks at me."

"Just give me that map!"

The Doctor came out from his hiding place and offered the map. She took it and found their location. Next, she looked for the Temple of the Heart. "There!" she said. Soon, she had traced what seemed like a secure route to get there.

The Doctor shrugged. "I could've done that."

"But you didn't. Now stop whining and start moving," Eva said as she led the way.

"I was not whining. Did it sound like I was whining to you?"

"Yes it did, and you're still doing it."

"You know, you do have a temper."

Eva snorted. "No more than you lack common sense."

"I resent that," he said, but he didn't sound particularly upset. More like at ease. She was too; it didn't seem their relationship had broken down beyond repair after that incident.

What relationship?, Eva thought as she stomped her way through a meadow. He had practically kidnapped her. Granted, he'd kept his word and taken her to Oban for real, but he could've taken her anywhere and she'd just followed him. And now her father was surely getting worried sick and... 

And...

She froze in place.

"Eva?"

"I never phoned my father!"

"Oh, that. Right. I can help you there. Do you have your cellphone at hand?"

Eva stared at him. "It is a good phone but it won't get any reception here, you know?"

The Doctor produced a strange tool from his pocket and grinned cockily once again. "Oh, but I know a few tricks. Give me the phone and you'll see."

She did as he asked. "You're going to hack it?"

"That's not the word I'd use, but yes, I'll hack it." He used his device on Eva's phone for a second and then gave it back. "There, give it a try."

Still not convinced, Eva used the speed dial. Don picked up on the other side in real time. She remained silent for a second looking from the phone to the Doctor while her father kept on speaking. 

"It worked," she whispered.

The Doctor beamed. That smile wasn't going fade any time soon, Eva realized. She shook her head and began talking to Don.

She couldn't tell him the truth. It was so hard to believe even for her and she was living it. She just got rid of the details and told him she was helping a friend and she didn't know how long it was going to take her to get back home. And no, dad, I'm not in trouble with any authorities. (Unless the Creators counted, but they were supposed to be asleep until the next Avatar crowning.)

Don had reluctantly agreed to let her be, but she was to keep her cellphone on at all times and she had to call him if anything happened. Eva just said yes to everything. She didn't have a reason to do otherwise.

O didn't have any kind of vocal organs, but it wasn't difficult to establish a telepathic link with him---at least for the Doctor. He showed up at night, long after the second race, in which the Tardis's team hadn't been the winners either. Nevertheless, it was marvelous to see him. The Doctor had never met anyone like O, and by only being near him he could feel he had a vast amount of power.

"Congratulations on your second victory," the Doctor said in a tone he hoped would be free from resentment. 

O proclaimed they'd run magnificently, just as the other competitors. That piqued the Doctor's pride. They'd made a better race than everyone else, thank you. Except maybe O, but details. 

"Why don't you stay for supper," Susan offered. 

O refused under the basis that he didn't need to eat. At least not in the way they all did.

The interview was over soon. Nothing seemed to have been gained from there. Except, just when O was leaving, the Doctor felt a tug of gratitude in that telepathic bond.

Also, O came back most nights after that one. He still excused himself from the meals, but enjoyed the company. Even after the Tardis's team became the leaders of the competition.

Soon, they began talking about their respective preliminary rounds. It turned out that O had also been the target of sabotage attempts. And, eventually, they found out that the first place of the third remaining planet had been successfully thwarted, and the fourth place had been sent to Oban instead. 

"That's quite curious," the Doctor said. "But I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. There are risks in any sport. With one as big as this one, it isn't that surprising these things would happen."

"And, after all," Satis added, "in Oban, we are under the surveillance of the Avatar himself. I'm sure he wouldn't allow anything bad to happen to the pilots outside the races."

"I agree with that," the Doctor said. And with that, he declared the subject closed.

"Finally!" Eva said as she and the Doctor put their feet on the atrium of the temple. They both were panting and tired and very hungry. 

The sun was just about to set. Eva didn't want to think how they had barely escaped from walking through Oban at night. That planet was unpredictable enough during the day.

The Doctor did the unceremonious thing---again---and let himself fall down on the floor on his back. "Hey! You're good!" he said after a deep breath. "We got here sooner that I'd expected."

"It was just a matter of choosing the right paths and to keep looking at the map," she replied, wondering how bitter that had come out. She was still upset with him, but literally getting her way and burning all that energy walking had calmed her down. Either way, she went to the Doctor and poked his side with her foot. Not a kick, since she had promised not to, but a poke. And a light one at that. "Come on. One last effort and we'll be really there."

The Doctor sighed. "You say that because you're young."

"What? Now you're going to say you're really a thousand years old?"

The seemed to offend the Doctor. He jumped up and pointed at her with his finger. "Not quite, Eva, not quite." He brushed his hair with his hand, trying to be all smooth. "I'm just above nine hundred."

Eva growled under her breath. "You know what? I believe you."

"Good! Because I was telling the truth!"

Eva sighed. She'd already learned that when this guy was involved, there were many ways to say the truth, and most of them could be misleading.

After crossing the long atrium, they reached the stairs that led to the gate of the temple. Those never ending stairs. Eva didn't exactly have many fond memories of them, but looking up and seeing how endless they were made it all worse. She sat down for a moment on the first step. "Jordan should put an elevator here," she panted.

"Come on, young one!" said the Doctor. "Didn't you just say something about one last effort?"

She glared at him again and stood up. She wasn't going to let anyone talk to her like that. Specially not this old man.

Both of them began climbing up at the same time.

Since the Tardis didn't need much maintenance, the Doctor spent most of the early mornings and the afternoons after the races dragging Susan and Satis---and sometimes even O---behind him to explore the planet. Every circuit was in a different zone, and thus they were amazed by the diversity of landscapes, plants and animals. Yet, since they only lasted there one day, they had to hurry to cover most of the ground as possible.

This was a good countermeasure against the Doctor's continued bitterness about him not being allowed in the main temple---and them not being the leaders of the competition from day one. He even got to give singing classes to a race of builders to help them create sturdier buildings. He couldn't have been more proud of himself that day.

Then, they started coming up first place in every race and the Doctor's mood improved, although the tantrum about the main temple lingered. He tried to make the Tardis appear there once or twice, but it hadn't worked. It was as if the Tardis simply refused to go there. The Doctor did more than one all-nighter studying the force field that prevented him from going in there. The conclusions he reached weren't satisfactory at all.

Satis did his best to be helpful. He provided detailed descriptions of the garden on the other side of the portal, and of all the other pilots. But he began shuddering when he talked about the Avatar and his speeches. "There's something... something out of place about him," he said. "I feel it at the back of my neck, in the pitch of my stomach. I mean, you know his presence is overwhelming---" Susan and the Doctor did, from the time the Avatar appeared to give them a speech in the last round of the preliminaries, "---but here, in Oban, in the temple, he gives the impression of being... scary. And angry. Very angry." Satis shuddered again. "I'm not sure," he continued, "but every time he looks at us, it's as if he doesn't want us here."

"He doesn't want you---us here?" Susan asked. "That's not possible! Why would he call for the Great Race if that was the case?"

"Maybe it's only that you lot are not used to be in front of a being that powerful, hmm?" the Doctor intervened. "The direct exposure to the Avatar's power can awaken in you the instinct of flight or fight. Taking everything into account, I wouldn't think it's a big deal."

Satis rubbed his chin after Susan had translated to him what her grandfather had said. "Yes, I think that's possible."

The Doctor nodded. "More than possible. Now, will you join me on a little trip to the ground?"

The other two followed him to what seemed to be an out of proportion rain forest with big-eared sticky blue creatures.

By an unspoken but common agreement, Eva and the Doctor stopped taunting each other when they both sat down halfway through their way to the temple. They were just going to catch their breaths before the last-last effort. The stairs were already shining up in the sky, making it a very beautiful night, and the breeze was soft and gentle.

"So," Eva began after one minute or two. "If you were here that last time, you surely faced Canaletto."

The Doctor sighed deeply. "Yes. As a matter of fact---"

"---you defeated him with a hand tied up on your back?"

The Doctor glared at her. "No," he continued, his voice and his face both very serious. "He wasn't easy to defeat at all."

That made Eva to remain silent. Canaletto had been a tough cookie to crack when she, Jordan and Aikka faced him, and he didn't have the Avatar powers then. It must've been horrible if the Doctor's big ego couldn't claim that as an easy victory.

"I was the one who came out with the idea of locking him up in another dimension after the Creators went back to sleep. Actually, I used that trick on another set of my enemies later on, but that's another story."

"You're full of stories, aren't you?"

"Over nine hundred years of stories, Eva."

"Perhaps you could tell me the better ones."

The Doctor smiled. "I could if you let me."

"But this one first. How did you defeat Canaletto?"

The Doctor blew some air between his lips before he began talking.

It was the last race and the Tardis was first place by a wide margin in scored points. But they weren't going to fall in a false sense of security.

"Hit them with all you have, my boy!" the Doctor exclaimed, hitting his palm with the fist of his other hand.

"They won't even know what happened!" Satis replied as he put himself beyond his usual limits. He knew they had to win. This time, there was the possibility to score double and triple points, and he wasn't going to let anyone from the tail getting ahead of them.

Never mind that O was practically besides them, giving all he had as well. O's demeanor was friendly, yes, but he wasn't going to give up either. And he was second place, globally. Therefore, Satis's mission was to get all the points before him. Nothing personal either; he just wanted to win.

Then, there it was. The last ring. The biggest of them all. They only had to go through it and they'd win. But if they let O go through first, he'd win. 

Satis pressed the Tardis and made her give the best she had. And she responded. She bested O through that last ring by a couple of meters. 

Inside the winning ship, a celebration began. Even the Doctor forgot his part as the serious, wise old mentor and jumped to hug everyone. 

Next, they'd get to see how the Avatar granted Satis his wish.

"Let me see if I get this straight," Eva said. "You looked like an old man when you were younger?"

The Doctor nodded. "I even have a library card to prove it." He pulled out one from a pocket and gave it to her. "You see?"

She examined it. "Ever since I met you, you haven't said anything remotely normal, but this is the weirdest."

He shrugged and raised his arms. "In my defense, I'm not human. I'm allowed to have a different biology. For example, besides the regeneration thing, I have two hearts."

"Two hearts sound actually normal."

The Doctor seemed offended. Again. "No, it is not! Multiple organs are a sign of a sophisticated and superior---"

"Doctor, cows have five stomachs."

The Doctor flailed for a second. "Will you let me finish my story or not?"

Eva grinned. "Go on, go on."

The Tardis team was summoned to a place called the Temple of the Heart. That time, she could materialize there without any problems, right at the bottom of the stairs. Then again, those were lot of stairs.

"Here we are. Finally," the Doctor said when he opened the Tardis's door, beaming, doing his best not to start bouncing.

Satis and Susan ran upwards immediately. The Doctor followed while trying to maintain a balance between his happiness and his dignity. 

As they moved along, the Doctor examined the frescoes adorning the walls. They were, for the lack of a better word, frightening. He wondered what they meant, but even when they reached the top, he hadn't been able to figure out their meaning. He'd have to ask.

Inside the temple, everything was silent, like most temples the Doctor had visited in his travels through time and space. Yet, it wasn't a reverent silence. There was something dreadful. Fear. Anger. Someone in here didn't want them around.

His companions surely felt the same, because they got closer to him, and Susan even clung to his arm.

"Don't worry, child," the Doctor whispered to her. "We're going to be just fine when all of this is over."

"And we were. But it was horribly difficult to get it over with. Canaletto only pretended that he was going to give up his powers, since he couldn't make a move until the Creators were asleep again, and they wouldn't go back to sleep until after Satis had become the new Avatar."

"How did Satis react when he realized the truth?"

"He was shocked. We all were. We weren't expecting that to happen, as you can understand."

Eva nodded. She surely did. 

"But he accepted it," the Doctor said. "He understood how important it was, that it was bigger than him."

"That he could make many good things that way," Eva whispered.

"Hey, you don't regret it now, do you?" the Doctor said, nudging her.

"No," she replied. "I would've stunk as an Avatar, anyway." She sighed. "What happened, then? How did you trap Canaletto?"

"The exact mechanics of it are a secret. No, no, really!" he hurried to add in answer to Eva's growl. "A big secret! Huge! It's something I found in a fresco inside the temple while Satis was outside trying to stop him. Canaletto had tried to convert us to his side, to make us see why it was important to destroy the galaxy and start again. We all disagreed. That... well, upset him, for a lack of a better word."

"I can imagine."

"Satis was new, without experience, and didn't have a grasp of the extent of his powers. He was forced to discover it the hard way. Under the pressure of having to save us all."

"You did your part too."

"Yes, but I couldn't have managed it if Satis hadn't given me the time I needed. As I was saying, it was difficult to decipher that fresco. Luckily, my people knew how to travel between dimensions, so I already had the basic theory pinned down." He took a deep breath. "Anyway, as Satis figured out a way to de-power Canaletto, I wired the Tardis to open a dimensional portal."

"So, at the end, Satis prevailed and he pushed Canaletto through that portal, right?"

The Doctor nodded. "Pretty much. Satis took Canaletto's powers away as much as he could, and caged him right before we closed the portal. But he still had time to curse and threaten us. He claimed he was going to get his revenge when the time was right, and that he would achieve his goals regardless of whatever we attempted to stop him."

"Well, he did try, at least," Eva said, hugging his legs. "Aikka, Jordan and I met O," she added, thoughtfully. "He helped us because he regretted deeply he didn't did help much that last time."

"I don't blame O. I can't. We grew close, but anyone with a speck of common sense would've left." The Doctor smiled. "Still, I'm glad he changed his mind when he did."

"We wouldn't have defeated Canaletto without him. It took a team effort---and some sacrifices," Eva said softly, remembering what Jordan had done for her.

The Doctor ruffled her hair. It was comforting, not that she was going to show it or say it. 

"And, at the end, Canaletto didn't get what he wanted," she continued.

"Destroy the galaxy?" the Doctor asked. There was a note of pride in his voice. "No, because you finished what we started and stopped him."

"No. I meant, getting his revenge. You didn't show up until now. I don't think Canaletto did anything to you."

He scratched the back of his head. "So you think."

She looked at him.

He stood up and dusted off his pants. "Come on, Eva. I think we've rested quite enough. Let's keep moving."

As she followed, Eva wondered about the convenience of throwing him down the stairs but she decided against it. She'd interrogate him about what he'd meant later.

There was a time, maybe long after that, when the Tardis's alarms, the ones connected to Canaletto's prison rang, indicating he'd begun to stir. The Doctor remembered his threat about hurting every one of them wherever it'd hurt them the most, so he took the decision of hiding Susan. A great opportunity came up when he saw her forming a bond in one of their stops, even if it was in an alternate Earth that had just been through a Dalek invasion. 

Without looking back, and because he knew it was for the best, the Doctor left her behind, taking Ian and Barbara back to their own dimension and carried on. Then, the ringing stopped but he still put everything on the back of his mind. Everything. He even tried not to think of the granddaughter he'd given up in order to protect her, just in case Canaletto found a way to prod his mind, so he wouldn't hurt her.

One day, many, many years later, after the Doctor had spent a long while away from the Tardis, he came back to find the alarms ringing as if they were signaling the end of the universe. This time, they kept going and going and going.

He got scared and hurried back to Oban, only to find out it was all over. Canaletto had been defeated for good and there was a new Avatar. A new Avatar who already knew what had happened before, what had happened since, and who was waiting for the Doctor. 

"Welcome back, Molly," a figure said appearing from the shadows inside the temple. He looked just like he had before. 

Eva ran to hug him. "Jordan!"

He hugged back, tightly. "I'm so happy to see you again!"

"I said I would bring her, didn't I?" the Doctor said.

Eva clung to Jordan's arm. "How are you? Have you got used to being the Avatar? What have you being doing? You have to tell me everything!" She was so thrilled to see him she had to keep firing questions as the only thing she could do to stop herself from crying.

"Why don't you come in?" Jordan said. "We can talk during dinner and I'm sure we all have a lot to catch up with."

When he said 'all', he looked at the Doctor, who suddenly seemed like he wanted a way out of there. Yet, at that particular moment, Eva wouldn't care if he excused himself or ran away. She had just realized how starved she was and practically dragged Jordan inside to find that dinner.

She was dragging the most powerful being in the galaxy behind her, go figure. And it didn't feel any different that when she did it before, when he was a normal human.

There was a long table waiting for them with a buffet. Eva promptly grabbed a plate and began serving herself everything. She was soon joined by the Doctor who was doing the same.

"I thought you'd leave," Eva said on his general direction between bites.

"As your friend the Jordavatar said, we have a lot to catch up with," he replied. He was starting to look nervous again. "Besides, someone has to take you back home."

Eva looked up at the ceiling. "It's okay. I can find my way through things, as I spent the afternoon showing you."

"Just like your mom."

Eva looked at him.

The Doctor had never looked like he wanted to run away as much as he did now.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here to help you," the Doctor said to this new Avatar, who was so young. Younger than Satis when he took the mantle upon himself.

"Don't worry, we still managed," the Avatar said. He was placid. Resigned. There was now an air of peace in the temple that was missing the last time. When the Doctor and Susan had left, Satis was still somewhat anxious about his new role and it permeated through the air.

"At the very least," the Doctor murmured, "Susan didn't have to suffer any of this."

The Avatar didn't say anything, but there was a certain melancholy in the way he kept silence. His eyes also softened, showing tenderness and sorrow.

The Doctor shivered and looked up, down, everywhere, suddenly afraid. It took him a few tries to finally ask, "What---what happened to her?"

"She went through a few regenerations back where you left her, and she managed to recreate her own Tardis. She went to the Gallifrey in that universe and learned enough to come to this dimension to look for you. When she did, Canaletto was strong enough to feel her. She realized it, so she used a Chameleonic Arch to hide herself, but it was already too late."

"He got her," the Doctor breathed. He was nearly shaking and in dire need to sit down. His knees were giving in. 

The Avatar held him by the arm and suddenly they appeared in one of the gardens in the main floating temple. The place he'd wanted to go long ago. It was still just as Satis had described it. Not that it mattered now.

The Doctor found himself sitting down on the brick of a fountain before the Avatar continued speaking.

"Canaletto did... get her, but not before she as a human got married and had a child. However, he found a way to make that child the victor of the next Great Race. She was the pilot, I was the gunner of her ship."

The Doctor rubbed his face. That was too much. Just too much to take in such a short time. The Avatar seemed to notice, since he remained a silent presence beside him.

"Where is that child now?" the Doctor asked, eventually.

"Back on Earth, carrying on with life. But something tells me she is going to get really bored with it sooner than she thinks."

"Tell me about her," the Doctor said, slowly, after a long while.

The Avatar nodded, and told him all about the girl with two names.

"And what's that thing we all have to catch up with?" Eva asked. Once she was rested and her belly full, she could go back and focus on the world around her.

"We'll get to that eventually," the Doctor said. "Why don't you talk with your friend first?"

Eva shrugged. "Whatever. I think you already told me all your part on the story that concerns me."

The Doctor looked at her sheepishly. "No, I haven't," he admitted. "Which is kind of the whole point. But we'll get to that, as I said. Go with your friend. Go on. And later I'll introduce you to another friend of mine. River Song. You'll love her."

Eva raised an eyebrow. "I'll surely do if she makes more sense than you do."

"I am making sense!" the Doctor replied. "But yes, she usually does more than I do."

Eva sighed. "Whatever," she said before walking towards Jordan to keep asking him things about his new job.

The Doctor looked at Eva walking away. He wasn't sure what to expect in a great-granddaughter---a human great-granddaughter---, but she was well above and beyond all of that. 

She was a human born from humans. There was no way he could turn her into a Time Lady, but he still was sure she wasn't going to stop making him proud. Not even when he told her. Which would be soon. Yes, soon.

There is a game I like to play

I like to hit the town on friday night

And stay in bed until sunday

We’ll always be this free

We will be living for the love we have

Living not for reality

- The Cranberries, "My Imagination"