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A Time of Healing

Note: This story slides in between Chapter 7 and the Epilogue of John Seavey's "Third Encounter".

Part One

Written by Tanina Varagona

Two days ago: She lay on her bed, sobbing hysterically at the site of her amputated arm. Her face was soaked with hot tears. She was so close to trusting him. But then this had to happen. She recalled the encounter with the Soul Eater with much detail, more than she would have liked. Though she didn't remember when the Doctor had carried her into the hospital, or the grotesque operation, she still knew enough to realize what could have happened. She understood that the Doctor was trying desperately to save her from mutating into a Soul Eater, but she couldn't understand why he didn't even think about finding an alternative solution. She sighed, the Doctor was only trying to save her life, and gain back her trust.

Then why was she so angry with him?

Yesterday: Doctor Edmonds strolled into Melanie's hospital room. He looked up from scanning the clipboard he was holding and glanced at his patient.

"So, how are you feeling now, Melanie?" he asked casually.

"Fine," she said sternly.

Edmonds peered over his clipboard, eyebrows raised pointedly. "My, my, who's gotten under your skin?" he asked. He glanced up suddenly at a thought. "Say, It wouldn't be that old college friend of yours, would it?"

"College friend?"

"Yeah, the young man you came in with."

"Oh but...never mind, I don't even want to know."

Edmonds set the clipboard down on the night table by her bed and turned to her to meet her gaze. "Did you two have a disagreement?"

"Well...sort of. But that was a long time ago."

Edmonds nodded understandingly. "Okay, If you don't want to talk about it, then I won't pester you."

"Hey, look, I didn't say that..."

"I know, but that's what you meant."

Mel sighed and slumped back onto her bed. She wasn't in the mood to argue with her doctor. She shrugged. "All right, so I don't want to talk about it. Thanks for understanding."

He smiled warmly and answered, "I respect the private lives of my patients and do not wish to invaded that privacy. And you're welcome."

Mel nodded and was silent once more.

"Now," said Edmonds, "you really must try to rest. It's been a hard day for both of us."

Mel smiled. "You're telling me."

This morning: The peaceful countryside of Pease Pottage was disturbed as the Doctor and Ace fell out of the Time Vortex and onto an empty dirt road. Frowning, the Doctor picked himself up and dusted down his clothes. He turned on Ace angrily.

"Congratulations, Ace. You have succeeded in dropping us right back into the same place we just left."

"Hey, it wasn't my fault, Professor. Someone interfered with the Vortex!"

"You mean some being had purposely pulled us out of the Time Vortex?" He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Great, here we go again."

"Oh, come on Professor. Maybe it was a mistake." Ace poked at the hopper on her back with a frown. "I mean, it could have been my fault after all."

"I doubt it, I felt the disturbance while we in the Vortex. Now someone had brought us back here for a reason and I'm keen to find out precisely what that reason is. Come on, Ace." He started off down the dirt road, with Ace running to catch up with him.

Last night: Mel woke up with a start. She reached for the light switch, but then realized that the arm that she was reaching with was missing. She sighed, stretched out the other arm and flicked the light on. She frowned. The reason she had waken was of some unknown feeling, a foreboding turn in her stomach. But why? Why would she suddenly feel as though something fantastic was going to happen? And why now, of all times!

She didn't have much time to dwell on it, for a remarkable blue light flared out in the darkness beyond her hospital window. Mesmerized, he heaved herself out of bed and went over to the window. She peered out into the night.

But the light had faded away.

Simultaneously, in another part of town, a strange light appeared in the starless sky. Many citizens of Pease Pottage spotted the pale blue glow. They witnessed its silent procession across the darkness of the calm, unpolluted atmosphere. After several minutes, the light faded. The local news reported the sighting and reassured the people that it was just another comet or meteorite gliding through empty space.

Despite the press's efforts, the police received many phone calls and reports on that same sighting. Officer Justin Hill hung up the phone, shaking his head in disbelief. He turned to his partner who had just finished calming a distraught housewife and was replacing the receiver. Justin shook his head again. "Can you believe it, David? People are acting like they've never seen a meteorite before. It's like something out of Close Encounters of the Third Kind."

David Littleton agreed. "Yeah, its the UFO creeps these days, they've gone really crazy over the past few years."

The phone rang again. Justin sighed.

In a clearing not far away from the Pease Pottage police station, the same light reappeared in the sky about twenty feet above the ground and started descending slowly to the surface. When it landed gently on the grass the glow faded, revealing a large metal sphere, pulsing with golden luminescence.

Now: "This way, Ace," said the Doctor, hurrying down another dirt road. Ace grumbled and trudged on after him.

"Who are we supposed to be looking for?"

"A highly intelligent alien being who had arrived here very recently."

"Then why didn't you say so? You could have asked Mel."

The Doctor stopped walking, a rather hurt expression upon his face. Ace bit her lip, she knew she had touched a nerve.

"Yeah, I-I could have, couldn't I?" he whispered, attempting to hide his discomfort. His face cleared and he gave Ace a warm smile. "You know, maybe we should go and check on Melanie. She should still be in the hospital."

"She may not be too happy to see you."

The Doctor lowered his head. "I have to take that chance." He looked up and met her gaze. When he spoke again, his voice was grave.

"Besides, Mel and I have a few things to discuss."

The hospital door opened to reveal Dr. Edmonds. Mel looked up almost immediately.

"Melanie? There's someone here to see you." He moved aside to let the Doctor enter the room. Upon seeing the Time Lord, Mel tensed slightly but said nothing. Edmonds cleared his throat carefully.

"I have some work to do, so I'll leave you two to talk privately." With that he left the room, closing the door quietly behind him. The Doctor approached Melanie's bedside silently. Unsure of what to say, he hesitated. Mel continued to avoid his gaze.

Several minutes of complete silence filled the hospital room. Finally, the Doctor let himself speak.

"So how have you been doing?" he asked in a tiny voice.

Mel glanced up and opened her mouth to talk to her once old friend. The Doctor tried to give her a faint smile. He hoped they would be kind words.

They were not.

"You!" she shouted, slapping him hard across the face. The Doctor winced, but instead the pain burned inside of him. He lowered his eyes to the ground. "You're right, I deserved that," he whispered. Such was his grief that he allowed hot tears to roll down his cheeks. Tears that had been held back for so long, he almost forgot what shedding them felt like.

During his immensely long life, the Doctor had always held back his grief and regrets. He hid his sorrow behind a shield of proud elegance. Occasionally, he would display deep emotions, but that was usually when he was on his own. He would rarely show his true feelings in the presence of others. But since his regeneration, the Doctor had noticed a dramatic change within himself. He had found a reason, a need to express himself and his emotions. His love, sorrow, compassion, anger, and most importantly his regrets of the past all needed to be voiced.

One of those regrets concerned Mel, the Doctor knew that he was taking a chance by destroying the trust and friendship he and Melanie shared. It hurt when he said those words full of painful lies. But he was told that it was vital that he did so, for Mel's sake if not for his.

He was beginning to have second thoughts.

When the Doctor didn't respond, Mel stole a glance at him. She was astonished by what she saw.

The Doctor was crying.

Mel never recalled seeing the Doctor cry before. So this sudden burst of deep emotion surprised her. She didn't know how to react to it. Her anger faded as she observed the Doctor; tears streaming down his cheeks; head bowed in silent mourning.

"Doctor?" she whispered quietly.

The Time Lord lifted his head, his face now soaked with clear, crystal tears. When he looked at her, Mel could see the discomfort and the pain. She knew then that this wasn't the first time he allowed his true emotions to leak out, and it won't be the last.

After many agonizing minutes, he reached out and hesitantly took her hand. She allowed him to take it too, though she had no idea why.

He opened his mouth, to finally speak after so many minutes of mourning. His voice was quiet, but concurrently clear and precise.

"I want you to know, Mel, that whatever happens to you or to me, I'll never willingly put you through any unnecessary suffering. In the alleyway where we met, I told you that I wouldn't harm you in any form or fashion. I meant it, Mel, and I'll never dare think of hurting you like I did in the past. I did that for a reason and I'll never let it happen again. I promise." He paused for a moment, then added, "Could you find it in yourself to forgive a pathetic idiot like me?"

She hesitated. Could she learn to trust him once more, even after what he had done to her? After all that had happened? The Soul Eater's attack; her sudden encounter with the Doctor in the alleyway; and now this.

Many painful moments passed as she recalled the memories, uncovering each long forgotten shadow that she almost swore she had banished forever. It was like searching into the depths of the earth for a some hidden treasure; not that any of her personal memories could be described as "treasures".

Then she made her decision. She reached out towards him. She felt her fingertips brush against the sleeve of his velvet coat. She gazed deep into his mysterious blue eyes, feeling as if she would lose herself in the depths of them. Regaining her composure, she took hold of his arm and allowed herself to speak the only few words that needed to be voiced.

"Yes, I'll forgive you. It was partly my fault too; I had said and did some unkind things. We both did and I'm sorry."

As she spoke, something was lifted from her. She felt a surge of relief wash through her tired body, as if she had been released from a dreadful curse. She saw wet tears drip onto her hospital blanket and she realized with a pang that they were hers. She pressed her hand to her face to stop the steady flow but it did no good and she, like the Doctor before her, started to cry with choking sobs.

The Doctor reached out and gathered her into his arms; his own tears had long ago dried on his face. As Mel continued to sob quietly into the Time Lord's chest, her mind made another powerful realization. The Doctor still cared about her. Even after all the things he had said and done to ruin her life, he still loved her the way a man loves his daughter. And he'll never stop feeling that way.

Maybe she could learn to trust him again after all.

Officer David Littleton leaned back in his chair. Yawning, he glanced at his watch. Three-thirty, mid-after noon. He lounged back in relief. Nap time.

Officer Justin Hill rushed in just as David closed his eyes. Justin made such a racket fusing around the small office that David had trouble drifting into a light sleep. He peeped one eye open and raised an eyebrow.

"Off to see your niece, Justin?"

"Yeah, she's still in the hospital."

David nodded. "Pity about all that. What was it, a snake bite?"

Justin shrugged. "Don't know, Dr. Edmonds didn't exactly say what it was that had attacked her, but she had been injected with a very deadly poison. They had to amputate the arm."

"Amputate? Isn't that a bit crude?"

"He was about to inject some penicillin into her system, but this crazy guy stopped him and said it would be better to halt the infection by amputating."

"Hold it, you lost me. What guy?"

"The one that brought her in, said he was a friend of Melanie's from college."

David nodded understandingly. He yawned lazily and leaned back into his chair once more. "Well, at least she's okay. It's too bad she's going to have to cope with life now that her arm's gone, though."

"I know, it's sad." Justin looked at his watch and his eyes widened. "Gosh, I'd better get going. See you at five."

David watched his partner go and then returned to his nap.

The darkness entered the office.

A shadow-like entity, a demon of evil. It poured itself into the room unseen and unheard by the sleeping David. It crossed the compact office in silence, dodging filing cabinets and small piles of paperwork. It approached David's chair without making a sound. It reached up, a claw-like hand formed from a part of the dark mist and grabbed the young officer's leg.

That's when David woke up.

He looked down and screamed. He tried desperately to shake the living nightmare off him. Alarmed, the shadow uncurled itself from David's leg. This distraction allowed David to leap from his chair and cross the room in seconds. He tried to reach the door, but the entity soared in front of him, cutting off his retreat.

"Why me?" he shouted at the mist. "What do you want with me? I'm no use to you." To his amazement, the shadow spoke back.

"Oh, but you are of use to me. Vital use."

Before David could react, the entity flowed towards him, seeking him; hunting him.

He screamed again in blind panic, but the demon was oblivious to the noise. David blacked out.

And the darkness enveloped him.

Justin Hill entered the hospital room. The Doctor looked up, he was sitting in a chair in the far corner. On the other side of the room, Mel lay in her hospital bed, sleeping peacefully. Justin glanced curiously at the Doctor.

"Hey, you wouldn't be that college friend of Mel's, would you?"

"Um...yes. And who are you?"

"Justin Hill, I'm Melanie's uncle."

The Doctor nodded. "Ah, I see," he said, but his voice was distant. Justin crossed the room and stood by Mel's bedside. He look at the Doctor anxiously.

"Is she all right?"

"Yes, she's just resting. Don't worry, she'll be fine."

Justin nodded. He turned back to his niece and shook his head sadly.

"It's sad, isn't it?" he asked.

"The amputation, you mean?" The Time Lord nodded. "Yes, it is."

"Weren't you the one who suggested it?"

"Yes, and I'm going to have to live with that guilt." He looked down at his companion with a pang in his twin hearts. Justin couldn't be sure, but he swore he saw a small tear in the Doctor's eye.

The door opened again and Dr. Edmonds strolled in. He looked at the Doctor in surprise. "You're still here?"

"She wanted me to stay for a while. She's asleep now, this may be an appropriate time for me to leave."

Edmonds nodded. "Of course, Doctor. You know the way out, I presume?"

"Yes, thank you." He stepped out then paused in the doorway. He looked at Justin thoughtfully.

"Justin?"

"Yes?"

He pointed to the sleeping young woman. "Look after her for me, will you?"

"Yes, of course."

The Doctor smiled. "Thanks."

With that he left the hospital.

"It's about time. What took you so long?" asked Ace anxiously as the Doctor strolled out of the hospital doors. She had been leaning against the wall of the building, patiently waiting for the Time Lord to return from his visit.

"Mel wanted me to stay."

Ace beamed. "You mean, she forgave you?"

"Well, not at first." He winced, his cheek was still sore where Melanie had slapped him. "After I had...explained my actions, she was a bit more willing to trust me again." The Doctor didn't feel like telling Ace about his emotional outburst. Silence passed between them.

Then he felt it, the reassuring and relaxing presence, as a quiet voice spoke into his mind.

Help me.

The Doctor glanced up at the mental distress call. He looked around in alarm, expecting to see someone standing patiently next to them. Ace stared at him.

"Something wrong, Professor?"

"Oh, nothing. I just thought I heard something."

The Time Lord continued to walk at a steady pace, hoping the calm voice he heard was just part of his imagination.

It was far from it.

Help me, please. There is so little time left.

Ignoring Ace's bewildering expression, the Doctor lifted his head upwards and began speaking into thin air. "Where are you and what do I need to do to help?"

Just come, and quickly. I will guide you.

The Doctor turned to Ace. "I think we've found our alien."

Mel awoke.

She opened her eyes, only to shut them tightly as the sunlight from the open window accosted her face. She tried again, more carefully this time. Her surroundings swam into focus. Justin Hill, her uncle, was sitting by her bedside. He gripped her hand warmly and reassuringly. Mel sat up bolt right.

"The Doctor!" she exclaimed, sounding startled. "The Doctor, where is he?"

Justin reached forward and tried to calm her.

"Don't worry, Mel. Your college friend left a little while ago."

Mel pulled away from him angrily. "College friend? Why does everyone keep on calling him that? Why!"

"Hush now, we'll talk about that later. Go back to sleep, you really need to rest."

Melanie lay back with a sigh, drifting off to sleep once more.

With the alien's help, it didn't take the Doctor and Ace long to reach the golden capsule that had landed in Pease Pottage the previous day. The Doctor laid his palm on the side of the capsule, only to remove it quickly.

"Is this it?" he asked. The voice spoke again.

Yes, this is the place.

Ace tugged the Doctor's sleeve. "What do we do now, Professor?" He shrugged. "I'm not sure, Ace." He raised his voice to speak to the alien.

"So, you're trapped inside of this thing? How can I help you?"

The Key, you must find the Key! You cannot open this capsule without it. Find it, please!

"The key? What key?"

The Key of Zegraskar, the means of my freedom!

Ace's eyes narrowed. "Your freedom, eh? If we do find this Key and release you, how can we be sure that you won't do something...nasty? How do we know that you aren't evil?"

I have no proof of my integrity.

"Very well, we'll just have to trust you, won't we?"

And I you, Doctor, and I you.

Justin was making his way from the hospital and back to his office. He was currently strolling across a small clearing not far from where the golden sphere had landed. It was a gorgeous day, but Justin took no notice of it. He had his mind on other things, many things. Mel's amputation and her suffering, that crazy college friend of her's and his strange behavior.

A glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye caused him to halt his musings. He looked down. There, on the ground lay a golden disc. Justin bent down and picked it up. It was small and flat, shaped like a gold coin. There was some sort of writing in the center that Justin could just make out: Zegraskar. Justin frowned. What kind of word was that?

Deciding that he'll worry about it in his spare time, he pocketed the disc and headed back to his office.

David was waiting for him when he returned.

"Hi, Dave." Justin called without thinking. But David didn't seem to have heard. Instead, he rose quietly from his spot in the chair and walked over to him. He still did not say a single word.

"Hey, David, you know that I managed..." Justin broke off, realizing that David was staring at him, his dark eyes burning intensely. "David? David, what's wrong?"

The young officer didn't answer. He slowly approached him, reached out and gripped his arm tightly.

"Dave? For Heaven's sake, what's wrong with you!"

David opened his mouth and at first no sound came out. Then he spoke, but his voice was not his own.

"Give me the Key."

It was a deep, haunting whisper in a tone that Justin did not recognize.

"What the..." Justin frowned. "Key? What Key?"

"The one you found in the clearing."

"Huh? Oh, you must mean this thing." Justin reached into his pocket and took out the small golden disc he found in the woods. He stopped suddenly and stared at it.

It was pulsing, with a strange and mesmerizing light.

End of Part One

Part 2

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