The Doctor blinked as though waking up. 'Stay? Here?

He dashed across the room and lifted his hat. 'I hate But you can't. You ...' He stopped and sucked his lower lip.

goodbyes. I'll have Ace back here before you can say John 'Of course you can.'

Robinson.'

Ace looked at her shoes. The Doctor turned and regarded He pushed open the double doors and was gone.

Robin. 'I take it you've got something to do with this, young Ace turned to them all and shrugged. 'I'll be back soon.

man?'

Promise. Bye!'

Robin smiled his cheeky smile. 'Guess so.'

Robin looked longingly after her. The doors clattered and Ace looked deeply into the Doctor's eyes. 'What about then immediately swung open again. Ace popped her head you?'

round the jamb. 'Merry Christmas!' she cried and vanished.

He smiled encouragingly. 'I'll be all right.'

'I will miss you, Doctor.' Ace felt the familiar numb pains The Doctor was scrabbling at his watch chain for the spreading to her palms and throat.

TARDIS key. He looked up at the sky which had cleared 'And I shall miss you too, dear Ace.'

completely, leaving a dark, star-filled expanse. In Orion, one She flung herself into his arms and he held her tightly.

particular star was blazing wonderfully.

Ace pulled away, tears stinging her eyes.

Ace ran up behind the Doctor. 'What's the theory then, The Doctor looked at the book in his hand. 'Would you do Doctor?'

one last thing for me?'

He spoke as he walked. 'The nova is one hundred and ten 'Of course,' she said, sniffing back tears.

pa.r.s.ecs away, or thereabouts.' He pointed into the night sky.

'I want to test out a theory. Will you come with me, in the 'See it?'

TARDIS? One last time?'

Ace craned her neck. 'Oh yeah.'

Ace was taken aback. She looked over at Robin and then 'Well, what's that distance in light years?'

back at the Doctor. She owed it to him. 'Er ... yeah. Yeah!

Ace grimaced. 'Erm...'

Why not?'

'There's 3.259 light years to a pa.r.s.ec, or 19,160,000,000,000 The Doctor smiled and hurried over to Vijay and Cooper.

miles, so...'

Ace embraced Robin and kissed him fondly. 'Won't be 'About three hundred and thirty light years?'

long. Promise.'

The Doctor smiled triumphantly. 'About, yes, about. But He kissed her full on the lips, lingering for a long minute.

I'm willing to bet on another figure.'

'Vijay,' said the Doctor. 'This nova of yours. What's the Ace was intrigued. 'What?'

distance from Earth?'

The Doctor pulled up sharp. 'Three hundred and twenty-Vijay shrugged. 'About a hundred and ten pa.r.s.ecs.'

four,' he grinned.

The Doctor did a lightning calculation. 'Of course!'

292.

293.

George Lowc.o.c.k counted to ten and pushed at the floor The tertiary console room was just as they had left it. The plate. He looked around the darkened church. Starlight Doctor stepped over to the console and let his fingers flutter glinted off the fallen lectern. The place was utterly silent.

over the controls.

Lowc.o.c.k threw back the floor plate and clomped his way Ace picked up Susan's uniform and folded it neatly over up the steps from the crypt.

the mirror, smiling wanly to herself. The TARDIS had been He wandered down the aisle, conscious of the shadows her home for so long. The only real home she'd ever known, looming in every corner, and grasped a tall candle.

and now...

Fumbling in his pockets he produced a lighter and lit the 'Aha!' cried the Doctor. 'I knew it. It's travelling candle, holding it high above his head.

backwards in Time. Fingers crossed, we should be able to 'Nothing,' he whispered, then raised his voice so that the get there first.'

villagers in the crypt could hear him. 'Nothing! They're 'Get where, Doctor?'

gone!'

The Doctor turned and his eyes were twinkling with Slowly, like sh.e.l.l-shock victims staggering from a bunker, mischief. 'Why, Crook Marsham, of course.'

the residents of Crook Marsham filed from the vault, Ace frowned.

blinking bemusedly.

Jill ran straight over to Lowc.o.c.k. 'Are you sure?'

The night was warm and balmy. Campfires glowed Lowc.o.c.k held up his hand. 'Listen.'

distantly.

Jill p.r.i.c.ked up her ears, expecting the tinkle of breaking 'Captain!'

gla.s.s. But a gentle sound was struggling to make itself Phillip Jackson turned to the soldier behind him. The heard at the edge of her awareness. A low, repeated hoot.

fellow was pointing towards the castle.

'It's an owl,' she whispered.

'What is it?'

Lowc.o.c.k smiled.

'There's someone there, sir. I swear it. Down there, by the gates.'

The Doctor patted the TARDIS affectionately and pushed the key into the lock.

The Doctor stepped from the TARDIS and looked around.

'Have you back in two shakes,' he said to Ace, pushing The night was pleasant, the air sweet. This was more like it.

open the door. Then he looked at her. 'Thank you for Ace emerged behind him. 'Where are we?'

coming with me.'

'I told you. Crook Marsham.'

She smiled. 'Least I could do.'

Ace looked at the imposing castle next to which the They went inside.

TARDIS had materialised. 'When?'

'Sixteen forty-four,' said the Doctor.

Ace laughed in surprise.

294.

295.

The Doctor gazed up at the battlements. 'The light from 'The castle was destroyed by a mysterious fire!' shouted the exploding star has taken three hundred and twenty-four the Doctor above the rising din.

years to get to Earth. Which means?'

'This is it?'

'Which means that it actually went nova in 1644!' cried The Doctor nodded, beginning to run back to the TARDIS.

Ace delightedly. 'You are devious, Doctor.'

A few moments later, Jackson dashed from the gates, The Doctor shrugged and smiled. 'I aim to please.'

mounted his horse and galloped away.

He strolled over to the cold stone walls. 'My guess is that Ace could feel the heat blasting against her as the castle the Sentience will follow the fossil radiation back to when it became virtually transparent. Halos of blistering fire roared was new, by going back through Time. To this evening.'

through the masonry.

'But how can you be so exact?'

'This is it!' cried the Doctor. 'The Sentience leaving Earth 'Another guess. This is Marsham Castle, in which our to find its star. Come on!'

friendly local Cavaliers are currently being frightened out of He pushed open the doors of the TARDIS and ushered their wits. Ah, there they go!'

Ace inside. Seconds later, the old ship protested out of solid The castle gates burst open and the Royalists ran out, existence.

screaming in terror.

The castle reached optimum brightness and then erupted The Doctor pointed up at the battlements, where a ball of into an immense fireball with a sound like planets colliding.

fiery light was forming. Ralph Grey looked over, his face a mask of horror, and then threw himself into s.p.a.ce. Ace The Doctor fussed over the console, mumbling to himself.

grimaced.

He glanced at the scanner and then whooped with delight.

'It must've returned to its normal state now,' said the 'There!'

Doctor. 'And remained undisturbed as its future self They were in s.p.a.ce now, and the roundel screen was arrives.'

dominated by an incredible outpouring of light and energy.

He looked about. There was silence. The Doctor checked The Bellatrix double comprised a white dwarf star and its his pocket watch.

companion. In the course of time, the companion star had Phillip Jackson rode up to the gateway, dismounted, grown enormously, but its evolution had been halted by the stepped over Grey's body and disappeared inside the castle.

proximity of the white dwarf.