The nightmares had started again.

Jessie shot up in her bed that evening, gasping for breath, feeling her heart race. She put her head in her hands, trying to calm herself down. Rick's face was still in her view, and so was Grant's when she had come clean about what exactly she'd been through.

The Bifrost was glittering on its mural, and the lights in her room began to slowly turn on. She heard a concerned hum, and she looked up at the TARDIS ceiling in surprise. "Are you trying to help?"

The air temperature cooled a little, and she smiled. "Thanks," she whispered, slipping out of her bed and finding a robe. "Can you show me the way to the kitchen?"

The TARDIS hummed in reply. As Jessie opened the door, she saw lights leading in one direction, and she smiled wearily. "Thank you," she said, patting one of the walls as she walked towards the kitchen.

***

The Doctor was shaken from a twisted recount of the day when the TARDIS trilled worriedly in his head. "What is it?" he asked.

"She dreams."

His head shot up, nearly banging it on the console from where he was working. "What?"

"Nightmares. Ghosts of her past. It hurts her."

"Wake her up," the Doctor suggested.

"She is. She's scared. Of the nightmares, but also of the boy."

The Doctor growled low in his throat. He still didn't understand why Jessie had asked him to come with them. "Keep him away from her."

"His room is on the other side."

He patted her console in thanks, standing and heading for the kitchen. He began making tea, looking up when he heard other footsteps approaching. Jessie, looking completely worn out, rounded the corner. "Want some?" he asked, nodding to the kettle.

She nodded wearily, slumping at the table. "Please."

The Doctor turned the heat on, then sat down next to her. "Bad dream?"

"Yeah," she replied, rolling her head. "Just remembering a few things."

"What about?" he asked.

Jessie shrugged. "Not exactly the fun moments in my life." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm surprised I'm not having nightmares over the Dalek."

The Doctor swallowed. "Jess, about that . . . if I had known that was what it was, I would've left right away."

Jessie looked at him. "It's not a nice thing, is it?"

"Nope," the Doctor replied, popping the 'p' as the kettle whistled.

He stood up to go get it when Jessie asked, "Why did you two hate each other so much?"

The Doctor froze for a minute before stiffly filling a few cups with tea. "Jessie - "

"Oh, now I know something's up," she interrupted, looking more awake than she had been in the last few moments. "You never use my full name normally. Come on, why?" The Doctor still didn't answer as he brought their cups over, and as he went to take a drink, she asked softly, "Was it the Time War?"

The Doctor practically choked on his tea, and a look of understanding crossed her face. "So that's it. The Time War."

"The Time War," the Doctor agreed, coughing a little bit more before regaining his breath. "Between the Time Lords and the Daleks."

Jessie nodded her understanding. "Can you tell me where you're from now? Wasn't it something with a G?"

"Gallifrey," he whispered in reply.

She smiled encouragingly. "It sounds beautiful."

"It had orange grass," he agreed, and chuckled at the bright look on her face. "Oh, now you're awake."

"Not every day you hear about a planet with orange grass," she pointed out, grinning. It faded, though, when she thought about something. "Wait a minute . . . had?"

"There was a war . . . and we lost."

"But . . . the Dalek, it's still alive . . . if it was, surely Gallifrey still - "

The Doctor was shaking his head as Jessie tried to work everything out. "No," he replied hoarsely. "It burned, at the end of the war. Gallifrey was destroyed. And I was the one to cause it."

Jessie looked at him oddly. "You did it to end the war, though. How many lives did you save in the process?"

He blinked. "Billions."

She held out her hands. "Well, there you go. Everything you think you do, Doctor, everything you're blaming yourself for . . . it's not just the way it affects you." She reached across the table for his hand, and the Doctor didn't stop her from taking it. "Others were saved that day, on Gallifrey, no matter what happened." She smiled at him. "And I'm not blaming you for anything."

The Doctor was getting more surprised by this violet and bronze demigod day after day when Jessie swirled her tea around before taking a gulp. "One more question, though," she said, and the Doctor raised an eyebrow. What now? "On the TARDIS, when you were talking about UNIT, you said you were a 'different man' then." He stiffened, and she raised an eyebrow cooly. "What do you mean by that?"

"You'll think I'm insane," he warned her, wondering if he seriously did want to tell her about what that meant. Would she run?

She surprised him again when she snickered. "Doctor, you're talking to an Asgardian that's dealt with all kinds of supernatural activity. Try me."

He raised an eyebrow back at her. "Right then, Jessie Nightshade. I'll take you up on that." He stood, taking his cup of tea and beckoned to her. "Follow me."

Frowning, she stood, taking her cup with her. He noted that under her robe, she was wearing shorts and a spaghetti-strap top, the robe conveniently covering her arms, but he thought he saw a faint discoloring by her shoulders. He didn't comment, but merely held out a hand for her to take. She took it, and they kept walking through the TARDIS halls. The TARDIS hummed reassuringly in his mind. "She will not run."

"How d'you know that?" the Doctor asked telepathically.

"She is not a normal girl."

The Doctor found the door he was looking for and opened it, letting Jessie step inside. As soon as he did, the lights in the room came on, revealing eight different holograms across the room. She spun slowly, looking around. "Wow," she said, setting her cup down on a pedestal nearby. "I get the feeling I should put this down for this."

"Different men, Jess," he told her, folding his arms and looking around. "But still the same." He looked at her as her eyes scanned each face. "Time Lords have this trick, when they die. Their cells transform, completely changes them. Different personality, new look, new 'quirks' - " He made the air quotes, and she smirked a little. "But still the same person at heart." He nodded around the room. "These are my past selves, Jess. I was a different man when UNIT first saw me."

Jessie slowly walked towards the closest pedestal, tilting her head slightly as she took in his first incarnation. She then looked at him, nodding at it. "This one's your first?"

"Yep," he replied, popping the 'p.' "I was really different way back - "

"What the hell?"

He jumped a little as she skipped the next two incarnations and went right to his fourth, leaning in close and pointing at the scarf. "You seriously wore this?" She burst out laughing.

She just kept on surprising him. "Yeah," he admitted, smirking. "Ridiculously long, but that one was one of the quirkiest."

She giggled, looking at the next incarnation. "And is that celery?"

The Doctor nodded, leaning against the doorway. "Uh huh."

She shook her head, looking at the next few. "Wow, you had your share of quirks." She stopped in front of the incarnation just before his last, her gleeful face turning somber, and she looked at him before pointing to the hologram. "This was the one from the war?"

He nodded, not saying a word as he walked over to join her. She looked back, tilting her head a little. "You were in your eighth," she said slowly, before looking at him. "This is your ninth?" When he nodded, she got a scared look in her eyes. "Is it like that quote? A cat gets nine lives?"

"No," the Doctor assured her, chuckling a little at her sigh of relief. "We get twelve regenerations. I've regenerated eight times, so I get for more go's."

"And then what happens?"

The Doctor looked at her. "Then I die for good."

Jessie let out a shaky breath. "Well . . . better hope that doesn't happen any time soon."

"You're staying?"

"'Course I am," she replied, taking his hand again. "'M not going anywhere. Not anytime soon."

"So, then, Jessie Nightshade," he began, smiling at her. "How long are you going to stay with me?"

She smiled back at him and stood on her toes to whisper in his ear. "Forever."

***

Her first promise of forever! :) Good girl.

I had to put a Doctor and Jessie moment in there. I just had to. They've been running for a while, and I just had to. Plus, a little comic relief. Jessie seriously got a kick out of the past regenerations. The Doctor's little violet and bronze Asgardian . . . it's got a good ring to it. :) But he also lied . . . his War incarnation isn't in there. It makes you wonder what'll happen if she finds out about that.

Ah, who am I kidding? That's still a ways away. The Long Game is up next . . . and in it, you'll start to see why I've put Adam in here. And you'll see it at the end a lot, too. And then . . . Jessie's turn to start spilling.

Now I need to get back to writing Boom Town. Bye!