Title: Jubilee Part 3
Rating: The usual. LOL
Disclaimer: All BBC.

Only one other time, she thought. That's all I have to base the
time of arrival of Smith's TARDIS. But then again, she sighed as
she leaned into the tree, seated next to Nyssa, that would all
depend on whether Smith would come or not in the first place.

"Cripes," she whispered. With a slow smile, she glanced at
Nyssa. "They could be on a honeymoon for all we know…Smith and
Sarah."

Nyssa shook her head in confusion. The June afternoon had heated up
with the sun drawing overhead and beads of sweat dotted the girl's
brow. "Honey…moon?"

"We'll have to work on Terran vocabulary," the Doctor replied. He
stood, facing down the hill, his hands in his pockets. The heat
seemed not to affect him, but Tegan knew it would affect her. So
she sat still. "She means that Smith and Sarah might be a tad bit…
involved with one another right now. And Tegan," he responded. "It
has been a few months…"

"Hmm," Tegan muttered. "At least I feel better since that Turlough
boy went off with the Brigadier. Went far did they?"

"What?" the Doctor responded. He turned and looked back up at the
tree and his two companions. "Oh, not far. The Brigadier has him
under close watch. They're just at the bottom of the hill." He
leaned forward and looked at Tegan.

"Don't start," she replied as she returned his stare. "I'm feeling
better in the shade and motionless, thank you very much. Besides,
getting rip roaring mad only sets the stomach on edge and I'll be
damned if I'm going to be sick in front of that boy."

Nyssa grimaced. The look was only passing, but Tegan saw it
nonetheless. She reached out to touch Nyssa's hand. So many
things seemed to be happening at the same time. The TARDIS, this
regenerator…

She rose slowly, still standing near the tree, under the
branches. "That regenerator thing, Thete…"

He sighed and climbed the hill. "No, Tegan…I wouldn't advise either
you nor Nyssa to go near the regenerator in the best of situations
and well…er…"

Tegan laid her hand against her abdomen and watched as the Doctor's
eyes fell to stare at her fingers. A nod was quickly
forthcoming. "Yes, well…let's say that it might have extremely
deleterious effects on a fetus if it were activated around you,
Tegan, not to mention cause a slight scrambling of your own DNA."
He cleared his throat and put his hands on her shoulders, the
fingers cupping her bones lovingly. "Regardless of whether you are
or aren't pregnant, Tegan…it wouldn't be for the best."

"I hate waiting."

"Hmm," he gave a tight smile that was tinged with familiarity. "I
had noticed that."

Nyssa rose next to them and pointed at the meadow. It stretched
below them like a rolling green sea of grass. At the corner of the
meadow a column slowly began to solidify. Tegan smiled as it slowly
but infinitely surely, became a statue. Despite the fear, anger and
nausea gnawing at her stomach, a slow feeling of ease overcame her.
Another TARDIS…any TARDIS…suddenly meant freedom and knowledge and
an ability to find their TARDIS…

She forced a small smile to her lips around the bubble of fear in
her throat. With a small step, she tapped the Doctor on his
shoulder. "You'll have TARDIS envy if you watch that too much more,
Doc…"

"Will I?" he asked with a frown. Then he slapped his hat down on
his head and she felt his hand at her back, threatening in a nice
way, to slide about her waist. "You and Nyssa greet our friends
and I'll keep track of the Brigadier and Turlough. Bring them up
here, will you? And Tegan…" he sighed as he slowed her
retreat. "Go slowly. As soon as we're able, I want to run those
tests."

**

"Have you ever wondered how it knows where to put a door on things
that DON"T have a door?" Tegan asked as they neared the statue.
Even with an upset stomach, some of the worst fear she had ever had
in her mind, she found that her talkativeness that stemmed from the
nervousness still was rather healthy. "I mean…Rabbits…where does
one put a door on a statue?"

Nyssa reached out to hold her hand as they started across the
meadow. "It'll be all right, Tegan."

"Will it?" Tegan protested. "The way our lives are going? Still
with the Brigadier keeping the Doctor about himself, he can't get
into much worse trouble, can he?"

There was no real answer to that question, nor the one before it, so
Nyssa wisely kept her mouth shut. And they needn't have worried
about the door, she decided. The side of it opened as they
approached and Sarah exited in a quick flurry of a woman wanting to
greet old friends.

Not much had changed about the woman except the glow of happiness
that radiated from her face and a springy step to her walk. Her
clothes had changed as well. Tegan recognized the type of pantsuit
she wore as something she would have worn just a few years prior to
when she had first left Earth.

"Tegan! Nyssa! So good to see you again!"

Nyssa gave a shaky smile as the woman enfolded her in an embrace.
Tegan gently fielded the embrace. "I was wondering if you would be
here, Sarah…I thought you and Jeffrey would be on a honeymoon…"

"Oh heavens," Sarah responded. Nyssa thought the blush on her
cheeks was very becoming. "Even if we had been, Tegan…Jeffrey would
have stopped saving a world to come when the Doctor called him."

"Ah, Tegan, my girl," Jeffrey said as he exited the TARDIS. He gave
her a quick kiss on the cheek. She got a chance to look at the
man's clothing. He looked at home with his new body: his dark
mustache was trimmed and his blue eyes sparkled mischievously. The
clothes showed his new personality. He wore a pair of trousers
combined with a sleekly cut buttoned silk shirt. "It's good to see
you again. And you too, Nyssa! It's been….oh…what?"

"Three months, Jeffrey," Sarah offered. Nyssa slipped her arm about
Sarah with a small smile.

"Yes, three months. Now, you two…I think Thete was rather adamant
that I turn up as his message put it…'yesterday'. And here we
are…" he bent a little to look in Tegan's eyes. "So what's the
matter?"

"Cripes," Tegan muttered. "What isn't? We've lost the TARDIS."

"What?!" Jeffrey looked properly shocked.

Nyssa took the reins in calming down the Time Lord. "I believe
misplaced might be a better description. And he's found a
Gallifreyan regenerator."

"Has he?" Jeffrey's face clouded. He offered his arm to
Sarah. "Then I'd better speak with him right away. He's a bit
nervous, isn't he? Ah, I would be…dangerous things regenerators.
And Tegan? You look a tad bit peaked."

**

As they climbed the hill again, Tegan could see the Doctor was
agitated. When she gained the top, slowly, she saw the reason.
Turlough stood behind him. There was something about his stance
that shouted to her that something wasn't right. The schoolboy
stood with his hands folded over his crotch and a small secretive
smile on his lips. Instead of making her wonder, it simply made
Tegan want to wash it off his face by force.

The Doctor frowned as they crested this hill and came towards them
with a rather upset Brigadier in tow. "Smith! You certainly took
your time. And Sarah, how are you? Well, I trust?" The Doctor
enfolded Tegan's elbow with his hand. "I'm sure Tegan and Nyssa
filled you in on the occurrences around here."

"Yes," Smith shook the Doctor's hand and then gave Tegan a small
smile. "I'm to understand you've lost your TARDIS…and have found a
regenerator."

The Doctor nodded. Tegan could feel the tension in his grip. "Yes,
and all things considered, I think we should deal with the
regenerator first."

"Too right, too right, old chap," Jeffrey agreed. "I suppose I
could place it in the central core of my TARDIS with the safeties in
place. That would remove the hazard of having contact with the
blasted thing. What do you say? Materialize around it and have the
TARDIS do the filing?"

The Doctor's eyebrows climbed into his hairline. "Tegan is right,
Smith. I think I do envy your TARDIS. Type 40's would only
materialize around the object. And place it in the console rooms of
all places."

"Well, then it is a good thing you called me," Jeffrey responded
with a sharp nervous laugh. "What say you…get started right away?
It'll take a bit of programming. The girls could help."

Nyssa nodded and Tegan gave a slight smile. Anything, she thought,
was better than waiting around any day. And it would bring them one
step closer to finding the TARDIS.

"Ah," the Doctor said as he shook his head. "It's only the
beginning…there's much to discuss about how it came to be here,
Smith, as I think you know. A D class planet? And I would prefer
if Tegan, Nyssa and Sarah would stay away from the regenerator.
After all, it is meant to help Gallifreyans regenerate; it will do
nasty things to Terrans."

Jeffrey frowned, but agreed immediately. And with Tegan, Nyssa and
Sarah looking on, the two men retreated towards Smith's TARDIS.

**

Tegan glanced at Nyssa as they approached Smith's TARDIS. The
Brigadier had disappeared inside only a couple of moments before and
Sarah waited at the door for them. It had been humorous to see the
Brigadier collar Turlough to drag the boy inside the statue. His
feet barely touched the ground. All that Tegan had said was: "I'm
glad to see military might is being used for something," she had
joked.

Nyssa's smile was short lived. Tegan recognized the fall in her
friend's face. "What is it, Nys? What's wrong?"

"That boy."

"What? The young one in the suit? He looks rather clean cut,"
Sarah supplied. She looked a little more at ease in nature than she
had been in Tegan's grandfather's house.

"Yeah, it's what's underneath it that worries me," Tegan
mumbled. "What is it about him, Nys?"

"The power behind him is what's wrong with him," Nyssa began. She
met Tegan's eyes as they slowed next to the statue and Sarah.

"What is behind him?" Sarah asked. She looked at Tegan. "Should I
be worried about Jeffrey?"

Nyssa shook her head. "No…but its similar to the entropy that
engulphed Traken…just spreading and evil…" She
shivered. "Everywhere and so old…"

Tegan wrapped her arms around her body and nodded. Nyssa
continued. "It's just that it's so odd."

"What is?" the Doctor asked. Sarah turned slightly, jumping at the
sound of his words. He had his hands almost forcibly relaxed his
pockets and was leaning into the door of the TARDIS. The Doctor
lifted his eyebrows and looked at Sarah. "And Jeffrey is just
fine. The regenerator is in the central core. Safe and sound away
from Gallifreyans and those that can be…effected by it."

Tegan watched as his eyes fell from Nyssa's face to center on her.
She frowned in response. The Doctor continued, his momentary glance
away from Nyssa recovered: "But there are several things that need
to be discussed. Not the first of which: how it got here and what
it was being used for…two questions I would very much like to have
answered. But it is safe for you to enter…all of you."

Nyssa brushed by the Doctor and entered the TARDIS with little eye
contact. Tegan wasn't so lucky. As Sarah passed him, the Doctor
reached out his hand to stop Tegan from entering the time
machine. "Ah…a moment…"

Tegan drew up short. The Doctor's hands cupped her elbows and he
bent a little to look in her eyes. "Everything is safe in there,
Tegan, and we do have a TARDIS to help us find the temporal track of
our TARDIS. It is good news."

"Rabbits. I know enough about you, Thete," she sighed. "There's
bad news, too…else you wouldn't be talking to me like that."

"Ah, yes…well…" he began. "Yes…it appears that Jeffrey doesn't have…
er…they haven't been spending a great deal of time…in their TARDIS.
It isn't stocked properly for…Terran medicine yet."

"Great, so…"

He nodded. "No ability to test immediately. I can order the
medical devices to be created, but it will take some time. We might
actually be able to find our TARDIS long before the test would be
ready."

"Wonderful!" Tegan bit out. "Just wonderful!"

"Yes, well…" he interjected as he saw her get more and more
upset. "Losing your head will not help the situation, Tegan. You
must keep calm. I'll order the test to be made." His hand cupped
released her elbow and cupped her cheek.

"But you still want to work under the assumption that I'm
pregnant."

"Yes, I do, rather," he began in a strong tone. "I want to err on
the side of caution and I can be assured of keeping you…" he looked
down and nodded to her abdomen. "…and our child safe if that is the
case. I know you would want the same."

She nodded firmly. She might be scared of the possibility of being
pregnant, but she would never want any harm to come to her child.
She met his eyes. "Of course."

He gave her a smile. "I wouldn't want harm to come to it either,
Tegan." He brushed his thumb down her cheek.

Tegan attempted a smile. The wind ruffled his hair and made his
face seem younger. And for the first time in the last day and a
half, she felt some of the fear dripping from her and a sense of
easy realization flooded her. Then she nodded and turned towards
the TARDIS, hearing him give a sigh before he turned to follow her.

**

"Well that is all well, fine and good," the Brigadier was saying as
they entered the console room. "But why was it here, er….Smith?
That is your name, sir?"

Jeffrey looked up at the Doctor. "Yes, Brigadier. I understand
you're a friend of the Doctor here. I am pleased to meet you; any
friend of Thete's here has my respect. And as for your question,
sir, I don't rightfully know. We have had our thoughts on the
matter, however."

The Doctor nodded, slipping his hands in his pockets. "Quite." He
sighed and tapped the console. "We've used Smith's rather good
relationship with Gallifrey to check on the status of all
regenerators. They're rather good about keeping track of them given
the possible damage it can cause in Gallifreyans if not properly
used. As far as Gallifrey knows, in both the Capital city, the
Third City and on any of the Nine Planets, there are no misplaced or
unaccounted for regenerators."

"Which presents two avenues," Jeffrey interjected. The Brigadier
nodded, as if to draw the information from the Time Lords
physically.

"Ah yes," the Doctor agreed. "There is the possibility that this
regenerator was stolen and hasn't been reported yet. Or it was sent
from Gallifrey."

"And I believe that it's probably the second eventuality," Jeffrey
responded.

"Oh, more than likely…" the Doctor agreed. "But that, of course
means…"

Nyssa spoke, leaning into the somewhat familiar console. "Well that
means that someone sent it here who was supposed to have
responsibility for it."

Tegan sighed. "That doesn't make me feel better at all. Cripes,
does that mean that lot is involved?"

"That lot?" the Brigadier asked. Tegan turned to look at the man.
He had his arms crossed over his chest and his mustache
twitched. "What lot would that be?"

"Those Time Lord people," Tegan responded. "The Doctor's…"

"My race, Brigadier," the Doctor sighed. He glanced over at
Smith. "Our race. Which presents an even larger problem for us.
Let's first consider why a regenerator would be sent to this planet."

Turlough piped up. Tegan looked distastefully at the boy. His
hands were demurely crossed over his crotch and he appeared
thoughtful. But there was a slight twinkling in his blue eyes that
made her feel uneasy. "When I found it…it was somewhat warm…"

The Doctor nodded. "It was used recently, yes. And by someone who
had the possible knowledge of what it was and how to use it. Else,
quite frankly, we would have found a corpse by it if it wasn't a
Time Lord."

Nyssa frowned. "Could it have been the Master?"

"Ah, no, I don't think so, Nyssa," the Doctor supplied while the
Brigadier inhaled at the mention of the familiar name. "No…the body
he inhabits is not able to regenerate. It would have horribly
mutated or killed him."

"So he's ruled out," Tegan said. "Thank bloody God."

"I wish he was involved," the Doctor commented. "The other
possibilities are endless and more troublesome. As far as Jeffrey
and I are able to determine-"

"The regenerator is here as bait," Smith said, stepping in. "That
it was put here to bring a person such as Thete or myself here."

Nyssa shook her head. "Of course! If we superimpose the theft of
the TARDIS onto the situation of the regenerator…"

"We see a clear motive," the Doctor smiled at his young
friend. "Quite good, Nyssa." Turning, he addressed the Brigadier
and Turlough. "And we have a clear path to follow. I can't ask
either one of you to come along. The rest of us have to, but you
two don't…"

"I'm coming with you," the Brigadier voiced. His back seemed to
straighten even more. "You're going nowhere without me."

Turlough fidgeted. "This place…this machine is incredible. You
don't possibly think you'll leave me behind as well? I'll be
useful."

Tegan rolled her eyes and felt Nyssa grab her hand. There was fear
in her friend. The Doctor nodded once and then glanced at
Smith. "I think we should leave then."