A/N: New story! Yay! If you guys like it, please review so I know you want me to keep writing!

When I was a child, I always dreamed of what my bond would be like. Someone straight laced and brilliant, like my father? Or a rule breaker, also brilliant, like my brother?

What I didn't expect was for my bond to be my brothers best friend. Koschei was… not what I expected.

Bonding wasn't either.

Nothing had turned out like I imagined. My father was dead, my brother had disappeared, and my bonded, the one person who was supposed to care for me no matter what, resented me and made it perfectly clear he would rather be anywhere else.

During the ceremony, I kept my eyes fixated on his face, willing him to look at me, to show any sign of emotion. To be the person he was before our bond was realized. My brother's best friend, the boy who would protect me when my brother was out doing some stupid stunt, the boy that had sat up during the night to watch over me and make sure my nightmares went away…

Now, now he couldn't even look at me.

Timelords each had a destined bond mate. A person that would be compatible to them throughout each regeneration. Most Timelords gave up waiting after a few centuries, instead finding someone that was perfect for them at the moment. Those who did find their bonded were considered lucky.

My brother had never found his. He had instead married a woman that, well, a woman that I never would have seen him with. The marriage was a rocky one, and it hadn't surprised anyone that he had left shortly after his son was born.

We had expected him to leave her. We hadn't expected him to leave all of us.

Koschei and my brother had been friends since the first time they met at the academy. When I joined them three years later, the three of us had been close. Koschei, brilliant Koschei, had been like another brother to me… at the time. Then he was my first crush.

Then the boys left the academy, and I didn't see either of them for two years. But they both came back to the academy for my own ceremony. I hugged my brother, greeted his new wife, and turned to Koschei– and the bond was formed between us.

It was like light heating up my body. My hearts started to pound and my palms began to sweat. I tried to speak, but my throat was too dry. He had a shocked look on his face, one I knew had to be mirrored on my own.

"Natalia? Koschei?" My brother asked, a frown on his own face as he glanced between us.

"Koschei-" I finally managed.

But his eyes had turned darker, a sure sign that he was either upset or angry. I flinched away from the thought. This was a joyous occasion, why would he be either?

"Congratulations on finishing, Natalia," He said, his voice emotionless. "It is a great honor."

My brother's eyebrows rose as I flinched once again. That was the voice Keschei used with his father, not the voice he used with us. "What is going on?" Theta finally demanded.

I never told Theta what had happened between Koschei and I. I wanted to talk to Koschei first – and once I did, I had gone to Theta straight away. Only he was already gone.

"I don't care, Natalia." Koschei snarled, his blue eyes flashing, "If you want the ceremony, fine, we can do it. But nothing is going to change. I'm not going to fulfill the bond."

I had thought he would change his mind. That we would do the ceremony and he would want to complete the bond… but he didn't. Instead, he pulled even further away until he just left completely one day.

I heard about him in passing. The things he had done. The name he had taken. The Master. About Ailla, his lover. About his… relationship with my brother. My brother that I hadn't seen since he had run away years ago.

Then the time war started.

And then it was my turn to run.