Arcadia's Love (Book TWO)

Positive

Seraphina:

We dropped Clara off at home, knowing that she needed the rest and time apart from us for a while, before the Doctor and I went home, and he fell asleep nearly right away. But I stayed awake.

I'd spent so long as Sarah, so long not being me, yet being me. And some of the things that the Doctor had said to me... That he felt at home with her, something he had never done with me. Was that a lie, trying to make me feel better? Or was it something that he found when he was with someone who couldn't kill him by accident.

Sarani.

That was what ruined my life. When I regenerated and my Time Lord genes mimicked it to the point it merged with my DNA. But there was no sign of the anger this time, no anger, no shakes and no stiffening in my joints. Could it have faded when I regenerated?

I started off towards the med lab, hoping to get some answers as I thought about how it happened. God, it was so long, I spent 200 years waiting to try and get somewhere I thought the Doctor would find me. Except I got older.

Flashback:

I had to run, I had to keep running. Oh, I was too old for this now, 1134. My hands had suffered again, the cure not staying working for the whole time and I had no way of treating them with anything from this time. I'd started in 1609, and now, now it was only just 1892. I had to get to somewhere I knew he would be, so I could get back.

But I was old now, so old. He wouldn't want me even if I did get back. But first I had to get away from these robbers, chasing me through Hyde Park. It was freezing, and they'd already gotten me once, trying to rip off my dress because it was expensive silk. They hadn't got my necklace or rings, meaning I needed to keep going, to keep the only part of the Doctor I had with me right now.

They were gaining on me now, and I couldn't keep going for much longer, because my lungs felt like they were burning, not used to this much running any longer. "Over there, get her!"

No, no, no, please... I sped up, but I tripped, landing hard on the frozen ground and my hands jarred, meaning they wouldn't stop throbbing. They were coming and I knew that I wouldn't escape them, so I needed to do the next best thing. They would kill me after, and I could use that to my advantage and regenerate. I just needed to stop them from getting hold of my rings and TARDIS key.

I scraped them off my fingers the best I could, hiding the in a small hollow under a tree where I would hopefully be able to find them again, before yanking the chain from around my neck, stashing it under there as well.

"There you are, love. Didn't want a rich old bird like you getting away, did we?" The bigger one practically purred as I tried to back away, trying to feign fear. I wasn't scared. I was going to let them kill me, but I was going to take at least one of them out first. I was old, not defenceless. "Come here, you."

They grabbed at me, but I kicked, my long legs coming in handy as I flipped to my feet, but stumbled, my joints not as strong as they used to be. One of them managed to get behind me, holding the knife to my throat as I struggled, not giving up. "Oh, you're a tough old one aren't you. Tough and rich by the look of this dress. Come on then, where's the rings and the necklace. You tell us, and we won't have to kill you."

"Get off me you foul, repugnant urchins!" I snarled, trying to use my power but I couldn't, time having been unkind to me this last 3 centuries nearly. "Please, I have nothing. I truly do, I was never wearing any rings or a necklace."

"And you think we believe you?" He pulled out a short, old fashioned, for me, revolver and pointed it at my chest. "Frank, rip the silk off her, leave her in nothing."