WARNING: This story is a prequel to the "One Moment in Time" series. You will probably need to read all of them to follow exactly what's going on. You will definitely have to have read "My Bad Bad Angel" before reading this one, OK?

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Doctor Who or anything remotely related to it.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi all! This story is a kiriban for the amazing Aietradaea, to say thankyou for being my 500th reviewer on my other story, "Return to the Valiant", which was a pretty special event for me! Aietradaea requested to see how the events of the Tom Baker episode, "A Deadly Assassin", played out in my Whoniverse, since I briefly referred to it in "Return to the Valiant." So here it is - my very first "re-telling" of an actual episode from Tejana's point of view (normally I only do original stuff). It's a multi-chapter fic (fairly short chapters, I know, get over it please) and I will be posting a chapter every couple of days, if you would like to follow. I have no idea how I've done with this - it was a lot more difficult than I thought to fit in with someone else's vision, rather than following my own, especially with all the 1970s dialogue, so it does get a bit AU at times. So I would really, really appreciate any reviews/feedback you can give me!

Aietradaea, you are terrific and I hope I've done you proud!

CHAPTER ONE

"No more exams!" Damon exclaimed delightedly, stretching his lanky frame out on his back on the freshly-mown red grass, his head settling in Tejana's lap. "I can hardly believe it!"

Tejana smiled down at her friend, her hand automatically moving to fondly tousle his dark hair. "Oh, make yourself comfortable, why don't you?"

"I deserve to relax," he replied in a complacent tone. "And besides, you owe me one. After all, whose expert tutoring helped you pass TARDIS Engineering?"

"Yours," she admitted. "Only just, though."

"A pass is a pass," he said, waving his hand loftily through the air.

The two young Gallifreyans were sitting under one of the silver-leafed trees in the large park situated in the very centre of the Citadel, enjoying their unaccustomed leisure time, watching people walking to and fro along the paths in the late afternoon sunshine.

"Just think," Damon continued excitedly. "It's only three weeks until we graduate from the Academy. We'll be fully-fledged Time Lords at long last."

"Yeah, great," Tejana replied, her voice curiously flat. "I can hardly wait."

Her lack of enthusiasm could hardly have been more evident. Damon's dark eyes sought hers in concern. "What's the matter, Tejana?"

She sighed heavily. "Don't get me wrong, Damon, I know you're all excited about your new position and I don't blame you, There aren't many Time Lords chosen to become Matrix Technicians right out of the Academy – it's an amazing achievement and I'm so proud of you. But, as far as I'm concerned...well, let's just say that being Cardinal Borusa's personal assistant isn't exactly what I've always dreamed of doing with my life."

Damon took her hand and squeezed it comfortingly. He knew very well what Tejana had hoped to be doing by now. She had expected her father to come back for her, to take her travelling the stars with him again. The Doctor had left Gallifrey long ago, when Tejana was just a child, to wander the Universe in a decommissioned TARDIS. When she got older, Tejana had stolen a Time Ring and had run away to join her renegade father, travelling with him for a time, before the High Council had caught up with them and brought them both back to Gallifrey. The Doctor had been put on trial for interfering in the affairs of the Universe and had been sentenced to exile on the planet Earth. Tejana had been dealt some horrific punishment of her own, before being reconfined to the Academy to complete her studies. Since then, the Doctor's exile had been rescinded, but he had not returned to Gallifrey. At first, Tejana had watched for him eagerly, always expecting to see the blue police box materialising, convinced that her beloved father would never abandon her, sure that he would come back for her as soon as he could. But as time had gone on with no sign of the Doctor, Damon had seen the hope slowly die in her eyes, leaving behind a cold, cynical emptiness that nearly broke his hearts. Bit by bit, he saw the dreamy, impulsive, optimistic girl he had grown up with disappear, to be replaced by a controlled, reserved young woman with a hard, practical edge. She very rarely mentioned the Doctor any more, even in passing. Outwardly, she seemed completely resigned to living the rest of her life on Gallifrey, much to the delight and relief of her tutors. But Damon, who knew her best of all, couldn't help wondering what was really going on behind those impassive blue eyes. Somehow he doubted that the wild desire for freedom that had always burnt so strongly within her had been fully quenched.

"Maybe it won't be so bad," he said now, trying to get her to look on the bright side.

"Making Cardinal Borusa countless cups of tea, keeping his data records up to date, fetching and carrying for him, picking his formal robes up from the cleaners," Tejana answered, cataloguing her duties in a dull tone. "Oh yes, it'll be fantastic I'm sure."

"It could be worse. I mean, considering..." Damon's voice trailed away into uncomfortable silence.

"Considering what, Damon?" she returned sharply, her body suddenly tense. "Why don't you just say it? I'm lucky to get any sort of respectable position at all, considering my father's a convicted criminal and I'm a known absconder, right?"

"You know I don't think of you like that!" Damon retorted, stung. "And neither does Cardinal Borusa, otherwise he wouldn't have hand-picked you for the position. He's a consummate politician, he never does anything without good reason. I think it's a public vote of confidence in your family."

Tejana seemed to relax a bit at his words, her fingers lacing softly through his hair again. "Maybe you're right," she allowed. "But I still wish I didn't have to go to this stupid Presidential Resignation Day ceremony this evening with him. I can't think of anything more boring!"

"History in the making, my dear Tejana," Damon joked in a pompous voice, giving a perfect imitation of Cardinal Borusa. "How on Gallifrey could you possibly find that boring?"

Tejana laughed. "How, indeed?"

"Ah, you never know, something might happen to liven it up."

"Oh yeah, like what? Everyone knows the President will name Chancellor Goth as his successor, it's a foregone conclusion."

Damon sat up, his eyes sparkling with teasing amusement. "You'll get to meet the famous Runcible, the Public Register Video reporter, that has to mean something. I hear he has an eye for a pretty face. Maybe you'll get to star on 'Gallifrey Today'."

"Runcible the Fatuous," Tejana giggled.

"Huh?"

"He was at the Academy at the same time as the Doctor," she explained. "The Doctor's friend, Koschei, nicknamed him 'Runcible the Fatuous' because he was so pretentious even back then. According to the Doctor, it kind of stuck, all through Runcible's Academy years. Apparently Runcible never forgave any of the Deca for that."

Damon frowned in a clueless fashion. "Koschei?"

"Yes...otherwise known as the Master," Tejana replied, glancing at him oddly. "I've told you about him before. He was part of the Deca, remember?"

"Nope, the name doesn't ring any bells," Damon said with a shrug. "All the same, I can see why Runcible's nickname stuck. It suits him perfectly."

That's weird, Tejana thought in puzzlement. We've definitely discussed the Master before and Damon knew who he was then.

Normally Damon had perfect recall - annoyingly so, actually. It was one of the reasons he performed so well in his written exams. It wasn't like him to forget something. Still, he had been studying really hard over the last few months. It probably wasn't surprising a couple of things might end up slipping his mind. And it wasn't as if it was important.

She climbed to her feet, brushing a few stray pieces of grass from her tunic as she made ready to leave. "I suppose I'd better go and get ready. It always takes me ages to get into my formal robes," she said with a sigh. "I just know I'm going to be bored out of my brain. Let's face it, Damon, nothing exciting ever happens at these functions."