The Last Seer

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Weeks passed. Neither the Doctor nor Rose even suspected that something was going on with me.

Of course they didn't know because I was a new person. They thought I was just like this. Always jumpy, yet excited, and cautious. I didn't even know if I was usually like this.

Breanne would have hesitated to do what I was planning. But Claire Ann, who wanted the best for the Doctor, didn't.

For weeks I had avoided the topic of why I had regenerated to a baby. But when I stepped into the control room that morning, I knew that was going to change.

Rose, now with a more prominent baby bump, walked out when she saw me. "Dad?" I said, walking toward him. His back was to me, so I couldn't tell his expression exactly, but it was tense.

"I know you have a vortex manipulator from Jack." He turned to look at me, and I saw tears in his eyes. "I knew it. I knew you were ashamed of me."

"No!" I gasped. "No! I was never! Dad-I was never ashamed of you!" I ran over to him, but he backed away from me.

"Then why would you have it? Why would you forget?" He looked really upset; I looked about the same, I think.

Knotting my hands together, I took a deep breath and looked at the floor. "I'm the reason the Time War turned against the Time Lords."

Immediately the upset look became one of utter sorrow, and instead of walking away from me, he pulled me into his arms. "Claire Ann, that wasn't your fault."

I signed and stepped back. "It is. I remember, Dad. I remember the War, the Daleks, watching Mom die. I can remember that it was my fault."

"How could it have been? You weren't anywhere near it."

Could I deflect the question? Was there any way I could just not answer him? I didn't see one. Before I spoke I turned away, so I wouldn't be able to see his face.

"The Daleks wanted a child Seer, to predict the future of the Time War. They found me." I heard him gasp. "Sean and I were on our way to the Community building, and they came up to us-had Tegan with them." I took a deep, shaking breath. "I told Sean to leave, but he didn't move until the Daleks said they'd kill all of us unless he did.

"Once Sean was gone, they held Tegan, knowing I wouldn't run as long as they had him. We were on their ship...every time I had a vision, they forced me to tell them every detail, or they'd kill Tegan."

The Doctor didn't move. "Claire Ann, you didn't have a choice."

"As far as I know, he died when I escaped." My shoulders shook, and he spun me around, a pained look on his face. He crouched to be my height.

"None of that was your fault. The Daleks are heartless creatures. You couldn't have done anything."

"I wasn't ashamed of you, Dad. I was ashamed of myself. Tegan was dead, my family was gone-and I didn't know that you survived. If I had, I would've found you. But I didn't have a TARDIS, and I only had enough juice left over from a regeneration and a vision to get out, so I didn't spend any time looking. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. I'm sorry I assumed." Then he frowned. "But why do you have the vortex manipulator?"

Quickly thinking up a believable lie, I said, "Jack had fixed it and was planning to use it again."

He nodded understandingly, and I breathed a sigh of relief that he didn't suspect a thing. I had to put my plan into action. Now.