Lady A: Hey everyone and welcome back to the first installment of the Legacy Saga called Genesis! I humbly apologize for not updating this story sooner but this chapter was entirely original work so it took me some time to sort it out. It probably won't be as long as my normal chapters, but it will have its own adventure in there. Only Artz can seem to find trouble when she's not looking for it…or is it a trait she has picked up from the Doctor? Anyways, I'll stop talking now and get to the nitty gritty.

Brief Recap: Artimes had a major emotional breakdown and ends up with the First Doctor and his granddaughter Susan. She then discovers that she is no longer human and that she is a Timelady. After a lot of effort and strength of will, Artimes pulled herself together and focused on learning how to be a Timelord. Over the months, she becomes good friends with Susan and eventually, after much fighting, she becomes friends with Theta as well. The two Timelords get into some mischief when they kidnapped Susan's teachers, Ian and Barbara, and wound up in the year, one hundred thousand BC. Things escalated quickly after they had been knocked out and kidnapped by the cave man named Kal. Worse still, the originator complex which made time always be in flux around her changed the sequence of events. Artimes was brutally stabbed by Kal three times in the chest and fell into the Doctor's arms. She then disappeared in a bright silver light.

Looking Forward: The Doctor, freshly regenerated from the Time War, deals with the aftermath of what he has done and begins to truly understand the kind of woman his Artz was. He starts breaking down shortly before the silver light appears. Upon realizing where she has just come from, he swiftly enters her mind and teaches her how to active her instinctive regeneration. Artimes then regenerates and some things are altered, but not everything has changed.

Artimes appraises her new look and tries to sort out how she feels about the changes to her body and personality. A short time later, the energy expulsion process begins and it's not entirely pleasant. She and the Doctor talk a bit as she dozes in and out. Eventually, the two make it to the newly redecorated control room and Artimes mentions something that triggers an old memory for the Doctor, making him smile.

The duo decides to go traveling and the Doctor takes her to one of her favorite places…or it will be one of her favorite places to go. It is the planet of Cheem and home to the tree people. Artimes, being slightly over excited, runs deep into the forest and manages to get herself lost. She then meets a young girl with a very familiar face. She befriends the little wooden girl and starts to take her home.

Unfortunately, trouble arises in the form of a forest fire, but it was not caused by natural means. Artimes saw who had started the fire and was genuinely shocked. The Timelady races through the forest and to a nearby village, where the Doctor is apparently doing something clever to save them all. Artimes thinks about a certain companion and sadness grips her hearts. She is joined shortly by Theta, who is simply relieved that she is alive and relatively unharmed. The duo walk back to the Tardis, have a little chat, and then Artimes disappears in a silver light.

Whew! *wipes her forehead with the back of her hand dramatically* I finally got done with the Looking Forward. These chapters always have such long Looking Forward's. Anyways, enough spoilers from my chin wagging gob! On with the show!

Chapter Three: The Orb of Life

The Doctor stood next to the console, still wearing the clothes he had worn in the war. His pale blue eyes stared blankly at the white walls. In the back of his mind, he had thought briefly about changing the desktop to something else, but in the fore front of his mind was his recent memories about what he had just done mere hours ago. He had stolen the Moment from the vaults and fled into the desert. He used the device, the galaxy eater, and destroyed his own people along with the Daleks and burned the planet that he once called home.

Though he was filled to the brim with guilt, he had a far greater problem on his mind. He had absolutely no idea what happened to his Artz or should he say The Huntress. The Sisterhood of Karn had manipulated his Artz into regenerating with him. He became the Warrior and she became the Huntress and together they fought side by side in the war. He had no memory of what happened to her. One minute, she's there and the next, it's just blank. He was honestly terrified of what that could mean. For all he knew, he had destroyed the one thing he held most dear and burned her along with Gallifrey.

He clutched the console tightly, his knuckles turning white from the pressure. His entire body was shaking from the tumultuous emotions raging inside of him; guilt, remorse, regret, grief, loss, and intense sorrow. He now understand what it meant to lose everything and it helped him truly appreciate the kind of woman his Artz was. She had been so broken and lost when he had met her so long ago and yet she never gave up. She kept going and through the sheer power of her own will, she forged a new life for herself despite everything she had lost including her own humanity.

His chest tightened as he started to silently sob, his emotions completely out of his control. It was too much…he didn't know how to handle this…all he wanted to do was die, just to stop existing at all. He couldn't do this…not on his own. He needed her…he needed his Artz. He needed her strength, her light, her heart because he simply wasn't strong enough to handle this on his own.

Hope flooded his being, nearly robbing him of his strength to stand, when a silver light flooded the control room. He waited with baited breath, his hearts pounding harshly in his chest, for that silver light to reveal his precious Artz. The light slowly faded and he felt his blood freeze. She was lying on her back, her skin was pale white and blood soaked her shirt completely, staining it a deep red.

He ran over to her and knelt down, quickly examining her wounds. He recognized this version of her and the injuries she had. She had just come from his first self which meant that he didn't have much time to save her. He placed his hands on either side of her face and swiftly entered her mind, praying to the Menti Celesti that he could save her in time.

Artimes stood in the darkness, not understanding what was going on. Several strands of energy of all different colors floated around her and in the far distance as well. She felt so numb like she was slipping away and she was pretty certain that that was not good thing to be feeling. She began to panic as she felt a pressure fill the air. It was different than the warmth she associated with the Tardis and this pressure was cooler than the Old Girl. She recoiled harshly and instinctively raised up her mental defenses, the pressure becoming less oppressing than before.

"Artz!" A male voice called out.

She was suddenly blinded by an orange gold light. She raised her hand to shield herself from the light until it faded. She blinked a few times when she realized that the Ninth Doctor was standing in front of her barrier and was dressed in the War Doctor's clothes for some reason.

"Theta?" She asked extremely confused.

Wasn't she just with the First Doctor? Did she jump? She didn't remember jumping, but then again, everything was starting to get really hazy and she was getting weaker. She tried to blink the fuzziness away and focus on the distraught Timelord.

"You have to let me in." He pleaded placing his hand on the barrier making it shimmer under his touch.

She shook her head vigorously.

"No, I can't risk you seeing my memories. Time and again, you have told that foreknowledge is dangerous. I'm sorry, but I can't." She replied stepping back.

Her barrier expanded outwards and it pushed the Timelord back little by little.

"Artz, listen to me. I swear I will not go near your memories. I give you my word, but if you don't let me then you are going to die." He countered desperation in his voice and fear in his eyes.

"Die?" She echoed in confusion.

What did he mean, 'die'? Did something happen when she was with the First Doctor? She staggered a bit, trying to figure out why she was feeling so drained.

"You were stabbed by the cave man on your last jump, remember? You need to let me in so that I can teach you how to regenerate." He explained trying very hard to stay calm.

She vaguely remembered there being sharp pains in her chest and the First Doctor had apologized to her for something. Could she really be dying? Can she actually regenerate? She looked up at the Doctor, really looking at him this time. Her mind started putting the pieces together and her eyes widened in realization; the Ninth Doctor, the War Doctor's clothes, his body tense with desperation and fear, his eyes filled with guilt and sorrow. She knew where she was in the timeline. She was directly after when he used the Moment or at least he thought he had used it.

Despite her misgivings, she chose to trust the Doctor just as she always had. She lowered the mental barrier keeping him out and within seconds, he was by her side. He took her left hand and without another word, he guided her deeper into her mind, the energy strands becoming more frequent and in a much larger variety. His eyes darted about, analyzing each individual strand, like he was looking for something specific. He finally caught sight of a silver one and drug her over to it.

"Here, touch this one." He commanded gently, gesturing to the silver strand with his other hand.

She reached up hesitantly with her right hand and her fingers wrapped around the warm and humming energy strand. She gasped as they were suddenly yanked deeper into her mind, the transition making her dizzy. The Doctor held on to her until she was standing straight up again. She blinked as her mouth fell open in surprise. Floating before her was a ten foot by ten foot miniature sun, but it was silver rather than yellow, red, or orange like normal stars.

"What is that?" She asked in total awe, her curiosity overriding her sense of self-preservation.

"Your regeneration energy." He answered softly, his eyes warming at the sight of her curious nature.

"Will it hurt?" She asked stepping closer to it and releasing his hand.

"Yeah." He answered honestly as she took a few more steps towards the sun.

"Will I change? Will I still be me…or will some other woman take me place?" She asked her voice revealing her fear of what was to come.

"It will only be minor differences, Artz. You will still be you, just slightly different like absorbing the memories of that time and fusing it with your regeneration. You won't undergo a full reconstruction like I do, I promise." He answered trying to keep her calm.

She looked back at him, her fear evident in her eyes. She was scared, honestly and properly scared, but then she spoke the words that left him completely stunned.

"Never cruel or cowardly. Never give up, never give in. The promise I live by." She stated strongly and firmly.

She turned her attention back to the flaming silver star and she took a deep breath. She reached out with her right hand and allowed it to dip beneath the star's fiery surface. Artimes was engulfed in a silver light and the Doctor was thrown harshly, and without warning, from her mind.

His eyes flew open and he saw the silver flame like energy beginning to flow from her hands and creep up along her neck. He quickly stood, a massive grin on his face at his apparent success, and moved a few feet away. The silver flames grew brighter, engulfing her body, until it erupted outwards, a stream coming from each hand and from her head. Several moments passed and the silver flames diminished until they were gone, leaving a freshly regenerated Artimes in their wake.

Her face was still the same, but her body had grown almost eight inches, making her five foot, eleven inches tall. She was not as curvaceous as she was before, but she still had all the right curves in all the right places. Her long, dark blonde hair had shortened and darkened. She was now sporting a short and shaggy hair style and was the color of dark chocolate. The front still sported the two silver streaks that identified her as a Silver Regen.

He returned to her side, kneeling down once more. He caressed her left cheek with his right hand and she began to stir. Her eyes opened slowly and revealed eyes of a beautiful sky blue color. All in all, she was absolutely stunning in his opinion. She smiled softly at him, her cerulean eyes warm and bright, and he felt tears come to his own. She noticed and sat up slowly. She wrapped her arms around him and he buried his face into her neck and shoulder. He clung to her as the tears flowed down his face and he relished the warmth of his precious Artz, never wanting to let her go.

After a long and gloriously hot shower, Artimes was standing in front of a mirror in her bathroom. She was dressed in a spaghetti strap shirt and pajama pants. Her cerulean eyes wandered over the alterations in her physical appearance. Her face was still the same, much to her relief, but she was already mourning the loss of her long hair. Don't get her wrong, she was totally rocking the new shaggy hair style and was in love with her dark chocolate locks, but her long, dark blonde hair was one of the few things she had left of her old reality and now it was gone.

She had even lost her forest green eyes, but to perfectly honest, she had always secretly wished her eyes were blue. Her body was less curvy than before and she was a little thinner, but she considered those to be positive things. She had disliked being so curvaceous because it made her feel overweight and less physically appealing.

She was, however, still getting used to the extra height. It was like seeing everything from a different vantage point and she had initially gotten very dizzy from it, to which Theta had laughed at her and she had glared at him in response. She had nearly tripped when she had gotten out of the shower earlier because she had forgotten to raise her foot high enough to account for the new height. All in all, her physical appearance was not that bad and she would get used to it eventually.

She was kind of twitchy about the changes that had occurred to her personality though. She was far more emotional than before, easier to anger, quicker to cry, and she flip flopped and changed emotions so quickly that it felt like she was experiencing whiplash. She did discover that she had a thing for sarcasm and was more quick to insult someone for a laugh. Plus, she felt a lot more comfortable in her own skin. She was not nearly as timid and doubting as she used to be and she had gained a bit of confidence to go along with her somewhat sassy nature.

She was highly pleased that some things about her didn't change and she believed that these feelings, desires, and traits were part of her core self and could not be changed by her regeneration. These things included her kindness, her compassion, her moral character, her desire to help others, her extremely curious nature, and most importantly, her feelings for the Doctor. She had been incredibly worried that her regeneration would somehow alter her perception of the Timelord that she loved so much, but it hadn't happened. Instead, it felt stronger, deeper, and so perfectly right.

She smiled at herself in the mirror, her introspection and inspection complete. She exited the bathroom and into her room, rubbing her stomach a bit. She was starting to feel a bit queasy and she wondered if that was normal after regenerating. She placed her left hand on the back of the love seat for balance as she nearly doubled over from the nausea that was suddenly making itself known to her body. Her hearts accelerated and she stopped breathing entirely.

The Doctor, now dressed in his usual attire of dark clothing and a leather jacket, ventured into the room to check on her, and upon noticing her current state, rushed over to help her.

"Artz, you need to breathe." He ordered gently.

She had unknowingly activated her respiratory bypass system in her distress and she needed to deactivate it in order to start breathing again. She gasped for air and started to dry heave rather violently. The Timelord quickly stood her upright and wrapped his arms around her shoulders and lower abdomen, forcing her to stay straight up. He braced her as she continued to struggle.

"Breathe, Artz. Don't fight it. Let it happen." He ordered, whispering in her ear.

With a big gulp of air, her head tilted back and rested on his right shoulder as wisps of a silver dust like energy flowed out of her mouth and quickly dissipating into nothingness. She sagged into his arms and he held her tightly. She had been completely drained by the energy expulsion process.

"T-that wasn't v-very pl-pleasant. I don't w-wanna do th-that again." She croaked totally exhausted.

He chuckled dryly before lifting her into his arms.

"Sorry, Artz, but you've got another fourteen hours and seventeen minutes of this." He replied carrying her to the bed.

"Can't I just drink some tea?" She asked her voice weak and whiney as he set her gently on the bed.

"No can do, Artz. This was your first regeneration. You have to let things happen naturally and allow your body the time it needs to get used to the new sensations of the energy expulsion process. You can't take any shortcuts this time. Sorry." He explained helping her get more comfortable.

"I hate you." She said grumpily.

He gave her a cheeky grin.

"No you don't." He replied softly, kissing her forehead gently.

The Timelord sat on the bed, his back against the head board and his legs stretched on either side of the warm body in the middle. Artimes was resting against his chest, her back to his front, and she was rather comfortable too, if the peaceful and content expression on her face was any indication. His arms were wrapped securely around her waist and he cherished the wonderful feeling of having his Artz in his arms once more. He loved her so much and his hearts were aching a bit at that the fact that she was so early in her personal time stream.

He honestly believed that after everything that had happened with his First self that there was no way for her to have any romantic feelings for him whatsoever. Then again, his Artz had a thing for shocking him into orbit and she did just that.

"I love you, Theta, very much and I promise to always be there. Always…even far into your future, I'll be there." She said softly, her eyes barely open and about to doze off again.

His arms tightened around her waist, waking her up a bit, as a few tears slipped from his eyes.

"I love you too, Artz. It took me a while to figure it out. You know how slow I can be sometimes, but you are the most important thing in the universe to me and I'm so glad you're in my life." He replied kissing the top of her head and trying to stay composed.

He couldn't afford to lose control now. He didn't have the heart to tell her that there was a very distinct possibility that he had killed her when he destroyed Gallifrey. She would hate him if he was her murderer and he couldn't bear that thought. She must have sensed his distress because she tilted her body back, allowing her head to rest in the crook of his left arm so she could look at him.

"Stop worrying, you clot. I know where you are in your timeline and you had better tell me what's got you so out of sorts before I beat it out of you." She stated giving him a pointed look.

"You were there…with me. In the war, I mean. You never left my side the entire time. I don't what happened. There's a blank spot after we broke into the vaults and headed into the desert. I don't what happened to you. You weren't there when I woke up in the Tardis, newly regenerated. I don't know if I…if I…" He trailed off, tears slipping down his cheeks as he remembered.

A knowing look entered her cerulean eyes which caused his brows to furrow in confusion. Did she know what happened? Why was she smiling like that? She leaned up and touched her soft lips to his in a gentle kiss. He gladly reciprocated the show of affection, his body seeming to relax in the process. She pulled back suddenly as her entire body went rigid. He realized what was happening and mentally shook his head at her stubbornness.

"Stop fighting it, Artz, and breathe. The sooner you do, the sooner it will be over." He commanded gently.

She took a deep breath and her head tilted back again, the silver dust like energy flowing into the air once more and disappearing. She sagged into his arms again, her sky blue eyes barely focusing on him.

"Did I ever tell you? About the Time War, I mean. Did I ever warn you of what was to come?" She asked quietly, her breathing deep and heavy.

His eyes softened as he cupped her cheek with his right hand, using his thumb to caress her skin.

"No. The originator complex makes it more likely for events to occur if you speak them aloud. So in order to stop certain things or to save someone, you had to remain silent to get it done. You got angry so many times because you couldn't say anything to warn me. My past selves always understood why you couldn't and never blamed you when you couldn't stop something from happening." He answered pulling her a little closer to him.

"It still happened anyways. The Moment came and you had to decide." She mumbled before her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep.

He shifted her into a more comfortable position so she wouldn't hurt her neck and then rested his head against the now brunette. His memories from the war flowed through his mind like water, reminding him of the darkness that slept within his Artz. Long ago, she had told him that the greater the light, the deeper the darkness. He hadn't believed her until they had been forced into regenerating and fighting in the war together.

His Artz became a fearsome warrior who called herself the Huntress. It was like she was a complete one hundred and eighty degrees different from his beautiful and amazing Artz. The Huntress had been brutal, methodical, calculating, and unstoppable. The creature she became was absolutely terrifying and she used that fear to her advantage. The Daleks and the Timelords labeled her Death Incarnate and nothing could stand against her. Her only saving grace had been the fact that she was fiercely protective of him and would only obey his commands when they did not conflict with his protection.

That was the darkness of his Artz, a darkness that's should have never been awakened. He silently seethed in rage at what the Sisterhood of Karn had done to the woman he loved with all his hearts. They made her become the one thing she never wanted to be, a killer. His Artz had a passion and zest for life and had a deep respect for it as well. She had always kept him from falling into the darkness and being consumed completely and during the Time War, he had done that for her. He kept her from going too far, but there was something that was still worrying him.

He couldn't find a just cause for his lack of memories. He honestly couldn't remember what had happened after they had entered the desert. Why couldn't he remember what happened to the Huntress? He remembered quite distinctly how they had walked miles and miles through the hot and unforgiving desert. She had been by his side that whole time, but as they approached the barn, everything just went blank. He knew that Gallifrey was definitely gone. He had checked and sure enough, there was nothing left, but what happened?

He had a suspicion that the woman in his arms knew…or at least had a theory because of that knowing look that had been in her eyes earlier. He thought about asking her, but he had a feeling that she would simply smile at him and say the word 'Spoilers'. He sighed heavily and decided to put aside the memories of his past. He chose to focus instead on the present moment and the feeling of the warm body that was pressed closely to his. Right here and right now was his Artz. That was all he needed to keep himself sane and not drown in his guilt.

After a brief stint in the med bay, the pair of Timelords stood in the newly redecorated control room. Artimes was wandering about, thoroughly enjoying the coral arches and the half mechanical/half organic look of the central console. This console room had been the one she had been first introduced to in the show and it was, by far, her absolute favorite though a certain Timelord didn't know that.

"So what do you think?" The Doctor asked his eyes warming when she smiled at him.

"I love it. I've always loved your grunge phase." She answered happily.

He frowned as an old memory flashed before his mind's eye. She had said the words 'grunge phase' and he had heard that a long time ago in his fourth regeneration. Artz had acted pretty oddly back then when she first showed up and the moment she saw him, she had run up to him and kissed him passionately. That was when things had started to change between them and he had slowly fallen in love with her. Up until that point, he hadn't even considered having a romantic relationship with her. When he asked her why she had done that, she gave him a riddle of sorts.

'In a time of sorrow and darkness when the hunt for answers yields no fruit then remember this day, Theta Sigma. One day, there will be a question that burns in your mind just as you begin your grunge phase. Today is the answer, so remember it, because this is very important.' Her voice stated in his mind.

He had been so confused by her statement. It hadn't made any sense at the time and to be honest, he still didn't understand. Moreover, he didn't understand why her eyes were filled with such sorrow, those burnt orange depths swirling with shadows like echoes of days long past. She had seemed so very old that day and no matter what he did, he couldn't make that look go away and it frustrated him.

He called the brunette's attention to him and asked her what she thought her future self meant. She smiled widely, a look of relief in her cerulean eyes.

"Looks like you know what happened to me after all. She basically told you everything you needed to know without making it obvious to your past self. She must have regenerated and then jumped during that blank spot of yours." Artimes stated.

His shoulders sagged in relief, knowing that his Artz was alright and had broken free from the terrible regeneration forced upon her by the Sisterhood of Karn, but that still didn't answer the question of why he couldn't remember.

"But why is it blank, Artz?" He asked trying to understand.

"How about a question for a question, hm?" She countered and he nodded his approval, "Why is it, that even knowing what is to come, I have never once looked at you like the monster you think yourself to be?"

He stared at her for a few moments, thinking about her words. He honestly didn't have an answer.

"I don't know." He answered softly.

She smiled at him again.

"But one day you will." She replied before taking on a mischievous smirk, "Now show me the stars, Spaceman."

He let out a relieved laugh and started piloting the Tardis.

"Anything for my Artz." He stated smiling at her.

He knew exactly where to go and it was long overdue. They both needed a nice quiet vacation and she needed to test out her new body and get used to being so much taller.

The moment the Tardis landed at its new destination, Artimes was out the door. The Doctor had been somewhat shocked at how quickly she had bolted and he soon gave chase. He ran out the doors and into a very large forest, comprised of massive trees and thick canopies. The temperature was moderate though slightly nippy if you were human which he wasn't and the weather was beautiful, not a cloud in the sky.

The Timelord had brought them to one of her favorite planets or it would be in the future to her, Cheem. It was the home planet of the humanoid tress, people made up from wood. They had originally been from Earth, but were transplanted on this planet eons ago and their civilization evolved into a fairly decent culture.

"Artz!" He called out, trying to find some sign or trace of the brown haired Timelady.

It was like she had completely vanished into thin air. Those new legs of hers certainly knew how to cover a great distance in a short amount of time and would do very well with their lifestyle of constant running. They always seemed to be running and they never stopped, but it worked for the two Timelords. He took a few deep breaths, allowing the scent of the woods to calm him.

The Forests of Cheem was one of the safest places in the universe. The wildlife was friendly and only attacked when directly threatened which was not often. She would be absolutely fine on her own and she would undoubtedly find him eventually, but to be on the safe side, he would head to the village and speak to the elders about finding her. He highly doubted that she would run into any trouble and nothing could go wrong in such a peaceful forest anyways.

It had taken the Doctor roughly two hours to walk to the well developed village that lay beyond the Southern Forest and Glades. The tree people welcomed him warmly and he was escorted to the village elder, Mabus. He could tell from the color of the man's bark that he was descended from the tropical rain forest back on Earth.

"Ah, Doctor. How lovely to see you again, old friend." Mabus greeted holding out his hand in welcome.

"You've met before then." The Doctor surmised taking the wooden man's hand and shaking it.

"Ah, so this is your first visit during my leadership which means that it's Lady Artz's first time as well. Where is your wife, if I might ask?" Mabus replied smiling as they dropped their hands to their sides.

The Doctor managed to hide his surprise when the tree elder called Artz his wife. They were technically not married yet or even engaged. He hadn't even properly asked her out yet. They had been on a few dates though he doubted that his Artz realized that they were dates to begin with. She was very innocent in those types of matters.

"That's why I came to talk to you. We were separated when we first arrived and I was hoping that you could send out scouting party to try and find her." The Timelord responded.

"It would seem I am not the only one who has lost something precious to him. My granddaughter is also missing. There are search parties already out looking for her and if they run across your wife then they will bring her back to the village as well." Mabus stated gesturing for the time traveler to sit, "In the mean time, please join me for some tea and tell me of your recent adventures, my friend. You seem more troubled than usual."

The Doctor sat down on one of the cushions and made himself comfortable.

"I recently regenerated and some of my memories are noticeably absent. It has me worried." He revealed.

"Ah, Lady Artz mentioned in one of her prior visits that that would happen. She said to tell you not to worry about it. That the timelines were out of sync and you could not retain the information thus causing the blank spot in your memory." Mabus informed sipping his tea.

"The timelines could only be out of sync if there was more than one version of me together at the same time." The Doctor stated trying to work out what Artz was trying to tell him.

"Yes, she mentioned the fact that there were three of you and together you did something completely impossible. As to what that was, I do not know. She refused to tell me and said that it was a story that could not be told, it had to be lived. I hope this helped to ease your worries, old friend." The tree elder replied.

"Not really, but Artz knows what she is doing, so I'll trust her judgment and wait for the story to unfold itself." The Timelord responded smiling at the wooden man.

"A wise choice, my friend. I believe you would get a headache otherwise." Mabus joked sending the time traveler a meaningful look.

The pair laughed and enjoyed each other's company while waiting for the search parties to return and report their findings.

Artimes was lost…fantastic. She had gotten a bit over excited and a little too enthusiastic and just dashed out the door of the Tardis without so much as even asking Theta about where they were. Despite being lost on a unknown planet, she was quite enjoying her little nature walk. The forest was quiet and lacked the hustle and bustle of people. There was only the birds singing and the wind rustling through the leaves of the canopy. The light peeked through the gaps of the leaves and shined down on the ground, creating an interesting contrast of light and shadow. It was such a serene beauty and it was incredibly peaceful and soothing.

She really needed soothing after the year she had. Being with the First Doctor had been incredibly taxing and had nearly dragged her into a depression on several occasions. She loved that man, really she did, but there was only so much a woman could take. He called her delusional and crazy and doubted her at every turn…it really tore her up inside. His words had hurt her so deeply and she really tried to not let it get to her…that he was just really early in his time stream, but it was so hard for to stay aloof and unfazed.

She felt pretty bad about having to actually manipulate him into triggering a sequence of events just so he would stop doubting her. She was forced to regenerate because she had played him like a fool. She knew he believed her now. She had seen it in the First Doctor's eyes before she had jumped away. She had also seen the horrible guilt in his very young eyes and her gut churned and burned with her own guilt. It wasn't his fault that she had been hurt, it was her own and when she got back to him, she would make certain he knew that too. She wouldn't let him blame himself for something that she had done.

Artimes was pulled out of her own little bubble of reality when her Timelord hearing picked up on the faint sounds of crying. She immediately took off in the direction the sounds were coming from. After a few minutes and some near falls from her misjudging her own height again, she located a small clearing filled with beautiful flowers. In the middle of the clearing was a little girl in a red dress, but what surprised the brown haired Timelady was that the little girl looked to be made up of wood. Her mind put the pieces together and concluded that Theta had brought her to the planet of Cheem, home of the humanoid trees that once originated from Earth.

She walked into the clearing slowly, not wanting to frighten the crying girl with her sudden appearance and knelt down in front of the wooden child.

"Hello." The brunette said softly, garnering the girl's attention.

The little girl looked up in surprise and started backing away in fear.

"Oh no, no! I won't hurt you, I promise! I just wanted to know why you were out here all alone and crying so hard." The brown haired Timelady placated raising her hands in a non threatening manner.

The girl blinked a few times as realization flashed across her face.

"You're Lady Artz, the one my grandfather talks about. The time traveler with the purest of hearts." The girl replied coming back over to the now stunned Timelady.

"This is the first time I've been to this planet before so I haven't met your grandfather yet. Time travel, never seem to meet people in the right order." Artimes commented smiling.

"You're funny." The girl replied smiling a little.

"Right, funny's good, isn't it? Anyways, why were you crying?" The Timelady asked getting into a more comfortable position.

"My mum…she's…she's dead." The girl answered sniffling.

Artimes gestured for the girl to come to her and soon she had the wooden child in her arms, rubbing her back and arm to comfort her.

"My mum's gone too. It's something that you carry with you every single day. The pain, the loss, that longing to see her again…it never goes away, but our mums would kick our butts all over the place if they found us being so depressing. They would scold us and then nag for hours about how we should be happy and brilliant and go out there do something amazing with our lives. That we should be the guiding stars to light the way in the darkness of space. It's hard and there will be days where you just want to curl up into a ball and let the universe pass you by, but you can't do that. So make this promise to yourself: 'Never cruel or cowardly. Never give up, never give in'. It's the promise that I live by and it keeps me going. It will keep you going too, if you believe in it always." Artimes replied rocking the girl a bit.

The little girl reached up and touched the brunette's cheek, making Artimes look down at her with curious eyes.

"You carry great pain, much more than just losing your mum. You've lost so much more than that. I can tell, but you're so strong and bright and vibrant. Is it because of that promise?" The little girl asked.

Artimes smiled at the wooden child in her arms.

"In all honesty, the promise I live by was not made by me originally. It is the promise the man I love made when he chose his name and though I snitched it from him, I choose to believe in that promise and never let it go. It is there with me even in my darkest of days and lights the way back to him every single time." The Timelady answered.

"Then I will live by that promise too." The girl replied unhooking a silver chain from around her neck, "I wish to give you this. My mum said it belonged to the wanderer, the woman without a home, and that when I met her that I would know her by the strength of her soul and the purity of her heart. That person is you. Will you please accept the Orb of Life?"

She held up the necklace for the brunette to see. The chain was simple and silver and at the end of it was a small spherical green gem. The moment she touched the jewel, it glowed in a soft green light.

"Tell you what, little lady. I'll accept that necklace if we have a proper introduction. After all, gifts are meant to be given to friends and not to strangers." The brunette suggested winking at the little girl.

The wooden girl in the red dress giggled and nodded her approval of the idea.

"My name is Jabe and I'm descended from the tropical rain forest of Earth." The girl introduced.

Artimes stared at Jabe for a few moments before she started laughing. She got control of herself long enough to finish their introduction.

"Sorry about that. I'm Artz and the reason I was laughing was because this won't be the last time we meet." The Timelady replied.

"Oh, do we meet in the future too?" Jabe asked honestly curious.

"Yes, we do. As you know, I'm a time traveler and I'm constantly flitting about the cosmos. You and I will meet again on Platform One." The brunette answered.

"The observation station for the rich people? Why would we meet there?" The girl asked while clasping the necklace around the Timelady's neck.

"Because my Theta is a show off and likes to show how impressive he is to our friends. He is completely mad, but that's why we like him so much. He is the best entertainment around and makes our lives very exciting." Artimes replied standing up with the girl firmly in her arms.

"Sounds weird." Jabe mumbled more than a little tired from crying so much before.

"That's Theta for you. The king of weirdness. How about pointing me in the direction of home so we can get some shut eye, eh?" The brunette offered.

Jabe pointed in a certain direction, which the Timelady wagered was Northeast, before snuggling deeper into the brunette's embrace and falling soundly asleep. Artimes smiled softly at the wooden girl before trudging off in the direction her new found friend had pointed at before.

Mabus and the Doctor were outside and conversing with one of the scouting parties.

"Still no sign of my granddaughter or Lady Artz?" Mabus asked worriedly.

"No sir. We have found nothing in the Western Forest. We'll head out in a few minutes to recheck the Eastern side of the ravine." The scout replied before walking away to gather the rest of his men.

"Don't worry, Mabus. I'm certain everything is fine. No news is good news, right?" The Doctor reassured placing his hand on the elder's shoulder to comfort him.

"Perhaps you are right, but my daughter was killed recently while she was off world. My granddaughter is all I have left. I would not be able to bear losing her too." The tree man replied.

"I know how you feel. If I lost Artz then there wouldn't be any point in going on." The Timelord commented.

Mabus placed his wooden hand over the one on his shoulder and squeezed it.

"Lady Artz would cheerfully beat you to death if she heard you talking like that." The elder joked making the time traveler laugh in response.

"You're probably right about that." The Doctor stated chuckling a bit before noticing something in the distance.

He sniffed the air, a frown forming quickly on his face.

"What is it, old friend?" Mabus asked.

"That smell…it's smoke. It's faint but it is becoming more concentrated." The Doctor replied looking off into the distance.

Suddenly, one of the other scouting parties showed up, breathing heavily and with many of their party injured.

"Sir, the Southern Glade is on fire! It's spreading through the forest at an alarming rate! It will be here in a few hours!" The lead scout informed clutching his burnt arm to his chest.

"Do you have a system in place for combating fires?" The Timelord asked hurriedly.

"Yes we do, but the system would be overtaxed by an inferno of this magnitude…unless you feel the need to modify it considering you were the one who built the original system and you installed it yourself, at Lady Artz's insistence, to protect her favorite planet." Mabus informed gesturing to a nearby building.

The Doctor sent him a massive grin and ran towards the building without another word. He didn't have much time and the sooner he stopped that fire, the sooner his Artz would be safe.

Artimes was running, a terrified Jabe clinging to her for dear life. The trees around them were on fire and the air was heavy with smoke. She was thanking the stars for her respiratory bypass system. Everything had been fine about an hour ago when they were cutting across the Southern Glades, but then there were these massive explosions and it hadn't taken long for the forest to catch on fire.

The Timelady was worried for the wooden girl in her arms, but there was something that had shaken her a great deal more than the explosions or the burning forest around them. She had seen someone in the flames, a someone that she hadn't expected to see so early in her time travels. There had been no mistaking the top hat, the Victorian style clothes, the cold eyes, and the pale skin. It had been Doctor Simmeon or should she say the Great Intelligence.

He had seen the recognition in her eyes when their gazes met and he smiled wickedly at her, triumph and victory clearly seen on his face despite the flames trying to obscure her vision. She had a feeling that he had been behind the explosions that had set the forest ablaze and now she was running for her life, trying to shield a small wooden child from the unforgiving flames. She broke through the tree line and caught sight of a well developed village.

She saw a woman make her way towards them, but the Timelady became distracted when she heard a large cracking sound from behind her. She stopped and turned around, her eyes widening in shock as she saw a flaming tree falling towards her and Jabe. There was no way for them to dodge it in time and there wasn't time to wrench free of Jabe's hold to toss the child out of the way. She screwed her eyes shut and waited for the pain.

She gasped in surprise as she was pushed out of the way from the side, landing on the ground hard. She looked to see who had rescued her and her eyes widened in surprise. It was the tree woman who had been running towards them, but it was her face that made her hearts clench in sorrow.

"Oswina!" Jabe cried out as the flaming tree fell on the tree woman that had saved them, killing her instantly.

Artimes stood to her feet and started moving away from the still burning forest. Her eyes were glassing over with tears as she realized that she was saved by one of the countless echo versions of Clara Oswald, the Impossible Girl.

'The time winds will tear you into a million pieces…a million versions of you, living and dying all over the place…like echoes.' – River Song, inside the Doctor's tomb at Trenzalore

The brown haired Timelady barely reacted when there was large explosion overhead and the sound of thunder reached her ears.

'The soufflé isn't the soufflé, the soufflé is the recipe. Well, how about that? I'm soufflé girl after all.' – Clara Oswald, within the Doctor's tomb at Trenzalore

Rain started to fall as she reached the village. She was met by Mabus, elder of the village and Jabe's grandfather. The brunette managed to get the wooden girl to relinquish her vice grip on her and handed Jabe over to the tree elder, who thanked her profusely for saving his only grandchild. She then learned that that Oswina was Jabe's nanny and she couldn't help but shake her head at that, smiling sadly.

'I don't know where I am. It's like I'm breaking into a million pieces and there's only one thing I remember. I have to save the Doctor. He always looks different, but I always know it's him. Sometimes I think I'm everywhere at once, running every second just to find him…just to save him, but he never hears me…almost never. I blew into this world on a leaf. I'm still blowing. I don't think I'll ever land. I'm Clara Oswald…I'm the Impossible Girl. I was born to save the Doctor.' – Clara Oswald, inside the Doctor's timeline at Trenzalore

The rain fell harder, concealing the tears that flowed down the Timelady's face. She simply stood there as the countless tree people celebrated that their forest was saved by the torrential downpour from above. All she could think about was Clara and how many times she had died or was going to die for the Doctor. Oswina had sacrificed herself to save Artimes and Jabe and if it's true about what Eleven said about her timeline being intricately woven with his then that meant that when Clara entered his timeline at Trenzalore, she was entering Artimes's as well. Clara would die again and again to save them both and that broke the brown haired Timelady's hearts into a million pieces.

'I just know I'm running. Sometimes it's like I've lived a thousand lives in a thousand places. I'm born, I live, I die…and always, there's the Doctor. Always I'm running to save the Doctor again and again and again. And he hardly ever hears me, but I've always been there…right from the very beginning. Right from the day he started running. I don't know where I am. I don't where I'm going or where I've been. I was born to save the Doctor, but the Doctor is safe now. I'm the Impossible Girl and my story is done.' – Clara Oswald, inside the Doctor's timeline at Trenzalore

Artimes gasped as she was pulled harshly from her morose thoughts and into the arms of the Ninth Doctor. His hearts were pounding harshly against her ear and she could feel the tension and fear slowly leaving his body. She had scared him pretty good this time with her little disappearing stunt. She looked up at him, expecting him to be angry, but instead, despite the heavy rain, she saw relief, joy, happiness, and love in his pale blue eyes.

She smiled at him, happy that he wasn't angry with her. He leaned down and kissed her gently, her arms wrapping around his neck to bring him closer to her. Both Timelords were blissfully ignorant of the rain pouring down on their heads and just enjoyed this single moment of time when it was just the two of them and nothing else.

The pair walked hand in hand through the charred remains of the Southern Glades, the rain misting about them and making certain that they stayed wet. They didn't really mind. They were simply happy to be together again after all the craziness of the day. The Doctor was chattering away about how he used a device to excite the water molecules in the air and making the storm that saved the forest.

"I'm still wondering what could have cause the fire. It's very hard to burn these particular trees, so how did it happen or who made it happen?" The Timelord questioned.

"I know who did it. I saw them…in the flames. Not something you can easily forget." She answered quietly, looking down at her feet.

"Who was it, Artz? Who did you see?" He asked immediately worried by her downcast expression.

"In a way, it's spoilers. Let's just say that this event is connected to both events in your past and in your future and leave it at that." She answered bitterly, the memory of Oswina flashing before her mind's eye.

The Doctor didn't press her for any more information, sensing that this was a touchy subject for the brown haired Timelady.

"Do we win…in the end, I mean?" He asked instead.

He saw extreme sorrow and pain fill her cerulean eyes and he immediately regretted asking. He never wanted to cause his Artz any harm, emotional or physical.

"Sort of. I guess in a way, we do, but at great costs." She answered shaking her head slightly, her sky blue eyes clearing of their former sadness.

They continued on in silence, simply enjoying the feeling of their conjoined hands. She smiled as she caught sight of the magical blue box that was their home. The Tardis stood brightly against the charred background, not a single scratch or burnt mark on the sentient time/space ship. She beamed at him before releasing his hand. She ran towards the police public call box, but before she could reach the door, she was engulfed in a silver light.

In an instant, his Artz was gone, but the Doctor didn't feel so alone anymore. He knew that his Artz had survived the Time War and the Moment. That knowledge was all he needed to keep going and stay strong. Though he did have to admit that she left him with a bit of a puzzle. What did she mean by three of him, the timelines being out of sync, and him doing something completely impossible? He simply shook his head, a small smile on his face. He'll figure it out eventually, but now was the time to find some trouble and to do a whole lot of running.

Lady A: Voila! Chapter 3: The Orb of Life is over and done with! As it stands now, this chapter is over 9k words which is saying something for me, folks. An average chapter for the Legacy Saga is a little over 11k words with a core already established by the episode and to do over 9k and it being all completely original work, yeah I am so totally awesome. Anyways, surprisingly enough I do not have a title for chapter 4 so instead I will say leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter 4: '?'! Stay Tuned! *giggles at her genius*