Several days passed that the Doctor stayed with Charley. She moved slowly the first few days, but by the third day after Henry's birth, she was up and about. "You still need to rest, Charley," the Doctor admonished her.

"I've been in bed for three days now. I need to stretch my legs." Charley poured herself and the Doctor a cup of tea. She brought it into the parlor where the Doctor sat holding Henry. He had been holding the baby as much as Charley would let him over the last few days. Charley sat down, next to the Doctor. "What am I going to do?"

"About what?"

"You're leaving soon, aren't you?" The Doctor nodded. "Yes, I thought so. And it's OK, Doctor. You'll have to leave sooner or later and I'll be on my own. But, how am I going to do it? John's pay will only last so long and then I'll be the one who must provide for my little family." Charley sipped at her tea. The Doctor sighed. What could she do? "I guess I'll sell the house. I'll see if I can find a job and get a flat or rent a room from someone."

"Don't sell the house. Not just yet. See what you can find here in town," the Doctor said. "I don't know what you will do. But I'm sure of one thing, you will be fine, no matter what. You are smart. You know, you're not the only woman to have lost her husband during this war. Find those war widows and make friends with them. See how they are living. Bring them together, combine your talents and resources. If you do that, you ladies will be an unstoppable force."

Charley smiled. "It's not a bad idea, Doctor." She sat thinking about it and finishing her tea. Henry started to fuss in the Doctor's arms. Charley set her tea cup down and the Doctor passed her son to her. "Hungry again. Doesn't he do anything except eat and sleep?"

"Just wait until he is a teenager. All he'll do is eat and sleep then, too, but it will just involve a lot more food."

Charley laughed. "I'm looking forward to every stage of his life, but I'm not going to rush those stages. I'm going to enjoy every day we have together." Charley adjusted Henry in her arms. Once they were settled, Charley had more to say. "Doctor, I don't expect to ever see you again. You came back this time under very special circumstances, but I want to ask a favor of you."

"Yes Charley?"

"Check in on him sometime in his future, make sure he is alright." She looked to her tiny son.

"I will, Charley. I was so sad when I found the note that you left me, saying you were going back to your own time. But, I see now it was for the best. Henry is amazing."

"Doctor," Charley said, "I'm going to tell you something. I can now, since it is in both of our pasts. After I left you, I realized immediately that I had made a mistake. I tried to get back to you, but there was some trouble with the Cybermen and instead of getting back to you, I ended up on a deserted island in the year 500,002."

"What?" The Doctor was stunned. How could he have let that happen? He was kicking himself. He should have made sure she was back in her own time before moving on.

"Yes. I thought you were dead. And there I was, stuck on an island, so I built a crystal telegraph out of the wreckage of the Cybermen's craft. I sent out an SOS signal for the longest time. I knew someone would pick it up and rescue me, but I wanted it so much to be you. And finally, you did."

"Wait, I don't remember this at all. You said it was in my past, but I don't remember this. I rescued another girl from an island. Her name was,"

"Mila, yes, I know," Charley finished his sentence. "She traveled with your 6th self, right?"

"Yes, but how in the universe do you know Mila?"

"It's a long, complicated story. The short version is, Mila was a virus, really. She had been living in the TARDIS for who knows how long, but the TARDIS always protected your companions from her virus, except me. The TARDIS really didn't like me. Anyway, I became infected and Mila took the form of my body. You thought she was me."

"No," the Doctor's voice cracked.

"I was able to get help from the Viyrans. They cured me, but you were gone, travelling with Mila. I later found you, still traveling with Mila. I had, oh Doctor, don't hate me for this, but I had the Viyrans alter your memory, so you would remember her as Mila, and not me. "

"You did what?" He stood up, turned around and glared at Charley.

"Doctor, I knew your future. When you saved me from the R-101, it was the first time we met. You didn't know me, even though your 6th self had rescued me from the island and travelled with me. I knew that you had to forget that we had ever met. I asked the Viyrans to altered your memory."

"Charley, I can't believe this. No, it's not possible."

"It is the truth Doctor. I stayed with the Viyrans for several years, working with them to destroy other viruses that plagued the universe, but finally, three years ago, I grew tired of that life. I wanted to go home, get married and raise a family. We figured I was around thirty years old, give or take some. They brought me here, to 1942, at about the approximate year I would be at the age of thirty. And I've been here ever since."

The Doctor was hardly ever at a loss for words, but this was an astounding confession. He had known Charley and she made him forget her.

"It killed me to do that to you, to make you forget me. The last time I saw you, you didn't know who I was. It broke my heart. I didn't expect to ever see you again. I thought you were dead, but I knew that you had everything to look forward too. You would see me again, even if I never saw you. And then, you showed up at my door four days ago, with all of our past in the past. Much to the surprise of both of us, I believe." Charley studied the Doctor's face. He was shocked, sad, confused and a bit angry. "I'm sorry Doctor. It had to be that way to keep the web of time in order. You taught me the importance of that. What I did, it was for the best."

"I don't know what to say. I'm sorry to find out that I knew you and didn't know you. I'm upset with you for thinking you could alter my memories. I'm proud of you for understanding about keeping the web of time in order, even though it meant a tremendous sacrifice on your account. This is a lot to take in. To find out that a whole chunk of my life was a lie and in regards to one of my best friends, you."

"I'm sorry Doctor. I understand you are upset with me. I accept that, but please, don't leave me angry. I've said good bye to you too many times and each time in a sad or horrible way. Don't let it be like that again. I want to see you smile. I want to hear you laugh. I had hoped you would play your violin for me once more. Be angry with me later, please, I deserve it, but for today, don't let it be like that."

The Doctor sighed, smiled and sat down again next to Charley. Henry had fallen asleep in her arms. He put his arms around her and pulled her close to him. She laid her head against him and he laid his cheek on her hair. "I'm not mad, Charley. You did what was best for me and I could never be angry with you for that. It is forgotten. Tonight I will put on a concert for you like you have never heard. It will be magnificent!" He kissed her head.

That evening, the Doctor brought Charley and Henry into the TARDIS. She sat in his favorite arm chair, cradling her son in her arms. The Doctor played several piano solos, violin concertos, and some folk tunes on instruments from different planets that she had never seen before. When the concert was over, he escorted Charley back to her home. They were both silent. There was nothing to say and nothing that needed to be said. The Doctor bent down to Henry's head and kissed it. He looked at Charley, she smiled and tears rolled down her cheeks. The Doctor leaned in and lightly kissed her lips. "Good bye, Charley, my Edwardian Adventuress." He left her standing on her doorstep.

Charley waved as the TARDIS dematerialized. "Good bye, Doctor," she whispered. When the time machine has disappeared from view, Charley looked down to the sleeping baby. "Come on, little one. We've got a life of adventure to lead."

The TARDIS flew through the Vortex, but the Doctor was standing completely still, leaning against the console. Tears fell down and splashed on the controls. "Sorry, Old Girl," he said. He pulled out his handkerchief and wiped the tears from the console. "Charley told me what happened. How you let a virus infect her. I know you didn't like her, but you knew how much I did. Thank you for bringing me to her. Thank you for letting me have a little more time with her and to properly say good bye. You've always known how I felt about her and the regret I've always had about the way she left and never getting to say good bye." He sighed and started to reach for the controls. "I suppose we had better get back to Lucie." But he didn't touch the controls. His hand dropped away. He looked up at the time rotor. "I think I'll get some sleep. I need to be freshened up before getting back to Lucie. You know me, I don't need much sleep, but I'm an old man and not really cut out to be around sleepless infants anymore."

He went to his bedroom and laid down on the bed. Not bothering to change, he pulled the blanket up over him and let the hum of the TARDIS in flight sooth him to sleep. When he woke up, several hours later, he felt better. He showered a cool, refreshing shower and dressed. He returned to the console room, ready to meet Lucie for lunch. "Come on, Old Girl, let's get back to Lucie, the shopping maniac in Texas."

When he opened the door of the TARDIS, he saw he was at the right shopping mall, local time, one in the afternoon. He stepped out of the TARDIS, stuck his hands into his pockets and began to meander his way through the crowds of the mall. How could Lucie enjoy this insanity? He found one technology store and he took a quick walk though, but was appalled by the primitiveness of the gadgets. He found the restaurant he and Lucie had agreed to meet in. He had made it, and with 5 minutes to spare. Lucie would never know he had left her for a weeks' time.

"Hiya Doctor!" Lucie's familiar greeting reached his ears. He turned around and saw her walking towards him.

"Hello Lucy, having fun?"

"Oh Doctor, you would not believe it here. It's incredible. More stores in one place than I could ever imagine. I haven't even seen half of them yet. Oh, and the way people talk around here. They say stuff like 'darlin' and 'howdy.' It's hilarious. I only thought they talked that way in the movies, but nope, it's how they really talk."

They ordered lunch and Lucie went on to talk about her favorite stores she had seen so far. It seemed she was having the time of her life. The Doctor listened politely to her shopping adventures, but a good part of his mind was far away. A quick calculation told him that baby Henry was sixty two now. He had promised Charley he would check on Henry. Perhaps after Lucie was done with her shopping, the Doctor could track down where Henry was living and pay him a visit. Hopefully Charley had done her job and told her son all about the Doctor and her adventures with him. Hopefully Henry would know who he was.

"Doctor? Doctor? Hey space case!" Lucie kicked the Doctor's shins under the table.

"Ow!" he cried. "What did you do that for?"

"I know you travel through time and space, Doctor, but did you really have to do it while I was talking to you?"

"Sorry, Lucie. I was thinking about an old friend. Maybe, when you are done shopping of course, we could go visit him."

Lucie looked at the Doctor suspiciously, "A human friend or an alien friend?"

"Well, unless they are from Gallifrey, they are all aliens to me, including you."

"Oi, mate, you know what I mean. Will we be visiting a friend with six arms and purple skin?"

"And what if we were? Would that bother you?"

Lucie thought about it for a moment. "No. I would just want to know ahead of time to expect seeing someone with six arms and purple skin."

The Doctor looked at Lucie. She was so unlike Charley. Charley had been poised and proper. Her manner of speaking had been calm and thoughtful. Lucie was loud and opinionated. However, he realized, Charley and Lucie were so much alike in so many ways. They were both strong and brave. They were kind, smart, cunning and willing to stand up to danger. They were ready to fight the evil and extend hands of friendship to the good. So different and so alike. They were some of his best friends. "Well Lucie, for your information, my friend, whom I wish to go visit is human."

"Alright, Doctor, keep your hair on."

The waiter brought them the food they had ordered. Lucie dug into her Texas sized salad with gusto. "Hmm," she said with a full mouth, "shopping in a place this huge sure does work up one's appetite."

"I'll take your word for it," the Doctor said, taking a bite of his sandwich. "When do you think you'll be ready to go?"

"Well," Lucie swallowed, "the stores close at eight, so I guess I'll be ready then."

"Would you mind if I walked around with you for a while?" The Doctor asked.

Lucie looked at him. "Really?" The Doctor nodded. "Yeah, sure, if you want. That would be fun. Just don't go crazy and start to play with the toys when we go past the toy store."

"They have a toy store?" the Doctor asked excitedly.

"Yeah, mate, but you can't go taking apart the toys to see how they work."

The Doctor smiled and feigned a disappointed sigh, "Alright, Lucie. I promise to be good." Lucie smiled. They chatted as they finished their lunch before heading out together into the shopping crowds. The Doctor walked through the stores, happy to be with Lucie, one of his best friends, and happy to have had the opportunity to have spent a week with Charley, another of his best friends. He realized how lucky he was at that moment. Even though he was in one of his least favorite places, a crowded mall, he was extremely happy. Today, life was very good.