Author's Note: New fic. As much as I'm having a blast writing for Second Doctor, I really wanted to spend some time with my other favorite, Sixth Doctor (or Sixie as he is often wonderfully referred to). Time-line wise, this fic takes place some time after Revelation of the Daleks and before the Trial of a Time Lord series. At any rate, I hope my readers will enjoy. :)

I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters.

Thank you to everyone who reads/follows/favorites/reviews this. It is always appreciated.

Chapter One

As she continued her slow, tortuous climb up what seemed like the hundredth hill with the Doctor leaning even more heavily against her shoulder than he had a few minutes ago, Peri found herself asking the same question over and over again.

'When will I learn to not get my hopes up?'

The whole thing had started innocently enough. After one of their latest adventures, the Doctor declared that they needed another holiday. Peri let out a sigh and rolled her eyes, none of which escaped the Doctor's notice.

"Am I to presume that you have some kind of objection, Peri?" he asked. "Isn't it usually you who is nagging me about the need for a change of pace? I thought you would be happy at the prospect of a proper holiday."

"You mean like the one we were supposed to have before we ended up battling the Cybermen on Telos?" she had replied. "Or when our supposed fishing trip ended up being a race to save your past self from being experimented on? Or maybe we're heading off to the Eye of Orion? That is if the coordinates haven't slipped your mind again."

"Are you trying to make a point?" he said testily. "Or do you actually expect me to come up with answers to these nonsensical questions?"

"My point, Doctor, is that every time you say that we're going on holiday, we end up in some dreadful place," Peri said, leaning against the console. "Just once, I'd appreciate it if we ended up somewhere nice where we can relax instead of on yet another hostile planet controlled by some megalomaniac who wants to rule the galaxy."

The Doctor stared at her for a moment, his lips pressed together and a flicker of what Peri could only consider petulance glittering in his light blue-green eyes. Then he brushed past her and pointedly stared at the console in front of him.

"When you joined me, I thought you said that you wanted to see the wonders of the universe," he said. "What better way to do that than to liberate those downtrodden souls in need of assistance? You see Peri, it's in that moment, that moment when their spirits embrace the ideas of freedom and hope, that you are able to see the universe through new eyes. Are you now telling me that you would have preferred to simply walk away and blithely cast aside such important endeavors?"

"Well no," Peri said. "But that doesn't mean I want to cast aside our sanity too. Come on, Doctor, can't we take a break? I, I mean, I get what you're saying, but what's the point of seeing all these wonders of the universe if we never take the time to enjoy them?"

"Oh all right," the Doctor huffed, shaking his head. "You want relaxing? Fine. I've got just the place in mind: a place so languid, so inert, relaxing is about the only thing you can do."

"It sounds all right," Peri replied, wary. "As long as you're not thinking of setting us in the middle of a desert or something."

"I would hardly call the Royal Gardens of Nielos Five a desert, Peri," the Doctor said, distain crinkling his brow. "Easily some of the most exotic and the most beautiful botanical gardens in the galaxy. Or the universe for that matter."

"Botanical gardens?" Peri said, her face lighting up. The Doctor glanced up at her and responded with a small smile of his own.

"Yes indeed," he continued. "Perfect for a serious student of botany, wouldn't you say? And I happen to know for a fact that the Nielosians are always keen to share their knowledge in the field with visitors."

The Doctor's smile widened and his fingers danced along the console.

"Yes," he said. "A quiet leisurely holiday might be just what we need. Glad I thought of it."

The Doctor stumbled and Peri almost fell face forward onto the ground before regaining her balance at the last minute. She grunted and tightened her grip on his arm which he had slung around her shoulders. She almost told him to hurry up, but was terrified to see that his eyes were glassy and that his face had grown even paler than it had been a few minutes ago.

"Peri," he said. "We should…we should split up…We could…."

"Forget it, Doctor," she snapped. "We're almost to the TARDIS, and there's no way I'm going to risk spending even one more minute on this planet than I have to. Now come on."

Peri took a deep breath and pulled him forward. The Doctor groaned, but began to speed up his pace. She couldn't hear their pursuers anymore, but she wasn't about to take any chances.

"Wretched girl," he muttered. "Never listens…to a word I say…."

A sharp retort was on the tip of Peri's tongue, but she immediately forgot it when she felt something seep into her shirt, the fabric starting to stick against her skin.

Her fear spiked a second later when she realized that it was blood.

Their visit had started off pleasantly. The caretakers of the gardens had greeted them warmly and had been impressed with Peri's enthusiasm toward their work. It wasn't long before the two of them were offered a tour and an audience with a pair of botanists who worked at the laboratory that had been built to study the plants in the gardens.

It was while they were in the middle of their tour when it happened. They were in the midst of a row of bright, violet-hued flowers with the Doctor asking the two scientists some questions about the planet where this particular set of flowers had come from.

Peri was gazing admiringly at the blooms themselves. Earlier, she had asked if she could take some samples from the gardens to study and was thrilled when they gave her permission. It didn't take long for her to decide to take one of these flowers for her collection.

She thought about taking one of the flowers close to the main path when she saw an even more glorious specimen about a foot into the foliage. She carefully stepped over the ankle-high fence and gingerly made her way over so she could extract the flower. Then, making sure to avoid trampling over any of the other flowers, she edged back onto the path. She was startled to see the botanists staring at her, their faces white with shock.

"You…you…," one of them hissed. "What…what are you….?"

"What have you done?!" the other one roared.

"Wh-what?" Peri stuttered. "I, I thought you said it was ok if I took some samples of the flowers."

"Didn't you read the sign?" the first one said, pointing a shaking finger at the area where she had just walked.

"I can't believe this," the second said. "Is this how our hospitality is to be repaid? With willful acts of malice?"

"Didn't I say it? Didn't I?" the first one said, indignant. "I've said for years now that we should be more careful about who we allow into our gardens. Only thoroughly vetted scientists, not rude, callous tourists."

"Now see here," the Doctor said. "I'll admit that there might have been a bit of a faux pas on my assistant's part, but there is no need for…."

"I'm telling you, there is only way to discourage this kind of vandalism," the first one said.

"It's unfortunate, but I fear I must agree with you," the second one replied. "Swift and appropriately advertised executions are still the best deterrent."

"Wait a minute!" Peri cried. "Execution? What are you saying? What did I do?"

"Guards! Guards!" both scientists yelled. "Destroy them!"

"Run, Peri!" the Doctor shouted as he grabbed her arm and yanked her along.

The Doctor and Peri dashed out of the gardens. They could hear the footsteps of the two scientists who had guided them around and soon that sound grew louder as more people joined them.

"Hurry!" the Doctor bellowed. "We have to get back to the TARDIS."

"But Doctor," Peri shouted back. "What happened? Why are they doing this?"

"Because you managed to violate perhaps the only law that is still legally punishable by death on Nielos Five," he said.

"What do you mean?"

The Doctor suddenly stopped running, his head swiveling about as he looked in all directions. Decision apparently made, he guided her to a nearby forest.

"You ignored the 'Keep off the grass' sign," he said.

As she dragged the Doctor out of another clearing, Peri was beginning to fear that she had missed the path back to the TARDIS. However, less than a minute later, she was able to breathe a sigh of relief when she spied a battered police box only a couple yards away. The Doctor moaned and sank toward the ground, but Peri shook him and moved forward.

"Come on, Doctor," she said, panting. "Look; the TARDIS is right in front of us. We're almost there."

The Doctor looked up, his eyes clearing. With a surprising burst of energy, he straightened up and pushed her toward it. He retrieved the key from his pocket and unlocked the door so they could run inside. The Doctor yanked the lever to close the doors before frantically pushing buttons on the console.

"Doctor…?"

"Not now, Peri," he interrupted, his voice strained. He continued to manipulate the controls for a couple more minutes. Soon Peri heard the TARDIS dematerialize, and she wondered where the Doctor had set the coordinates to.

She didn't wonder for long, however, because almost as soon as they had left, the Doctor collapsed onto the floor. Peri rushed over and dropped down to her knees beside him.

"Doctor…."

"I…set coordinates," he gasped. "If I…it should…get you back…to Earth…."

"Doctor, please," she said, reaching for his hand. Her eyes clouded with tears at the all too familiar sight of the Doctor prone, and possibly dying, on the console room floor in front of her.

And just like the last time, it was all her fault.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Peri whispered in the Doctor's ear as they hid in the middle of the underbrush.

"Of course I do," the Doctor snapped back while still keeping his voice low. "I've told you more than once that I have an unerring sense of direction."

"Unerring sense or not, I don't remember the TARDIS being this far away," Peri grumbled. "It's almost like we're running around in circles."

"Precisely," the Doctor said. "Now come on. We've got to go now before they figure it out."

However, before he could move, Peri grabbed his arm and glared at him.

"You mean you've been purposely running us around in circles?" she hissed.

"Of course," the Doctor replied. "Like you said, we weren't that far away from the TARDIS."

"But why? Those people are trying to kill us."

"I know that," he said. "And I intend to leave this planet as soon as possible. But there is something I need to do first."

"What could possibly be so important as to risk getting shot?" Peri demanded.

"How about saving the lives of everyone who is working at those gardens," the Doctor said. "You remember those last flowers you were looking at? The Jaluria Orchids?"

"How could I forget?" Peri sighed. "It's the reason why we're having to run."

"Quite," the Doctor said. "But while you were busy breaking one of the most sacred laws of Nielos Five, I was asking those scientists where they had gotten those specimens. Turns out they're a very recent addition…from the planet Artrias."

"Is that bad?" Peri asked.

"Bad? BAD?!" the Doctor said in his loudest possible whisper. "Try catastrophic. On most planets, the Jaluria Orchids are a lovely and benign addition to any garden. But when they were introduced to Artrias, they became something else entirely. The atmosphere on that planet caused them to develop a deadly mutation. After the bloom reaches its peak and begins to whither, they release spores that are deadly to most forms of humanoid life. Those flowers could wipe out everyone at those gardens at any moment."

"Wait, are you sure?" Peri asked. "I mean, shouldn't they already know about that?"

"Unfortunately, the scientists on this planet take little interest in botanical research that occurs in what they consider the backwater regions of the galaxy," he said. "Putting that aside, it's not exactly common knowledge. Once the native inhabitants found out about the orchids they made sure to eradicate most of the plants in a couple of weeks. I wouldn't have known about it myself if I hadn't made a quick stop there about oh, two or three regenerations ago and met with one of the scientists who discovered the mutation. It had slipped my mind at first, but I was in the middle of recalling it when your…indiscretion came to their notice."

"I said I was sorry, all right?" Peri said. "Ok, I get why you can't just run away, but what are you planning to do? Those guards don't look like they'll listen to reason."

"That's why I'm giving them the runaround, as you would call it," the Doctor said. "It's you they're after. If I can get you back to the TARDIS without them discovering its location, I can sneak back here and talk to the head of the research board, Doctor Sugan Broli. I did him a rather large favor a few decades ago. I know he'll listen to me."

The Doctor paused and looked like he was about to say something else, but instead he shoved Peri against the ground. Seconds later, a pair of guards ran past them. He waited for almost a minute after they had disappeared from sight before he stood up and helped Peri to her feet.

"My strategy has worked," he grinned. "They have no idea where to look. Now, let's get you back to the TARDIS so I come back here and warn these people."

"Wait a minute," Peri protested. "How are you going to get to this guy, Broli? The guards will kill you if they catch you."

"So I'll just have to make sure that I continue to evade them," the Doctor said. "Simple enough. Especially with the unequivocally oblivious thugs they have running around the place. Now, come on."

"But Doctor…."

"I said, come on!" he nearly bellowed as he picked Peri up by the elbows and moved her along. Peri let out a yelp and wiggled out of his grip before reluctantly running alongside him.

Unfortunately, their delay had given the guards a chance to find them. The Doctor barked at Peri to run faster as they weaved through the bushes and trees surrounding them. At one point, the Doctor took hold of her wrist and helped her race even faster away from their pursuers. They had almost lost the guards when Peri made the mistake of looking back behind her.

It was only a second of distraction and hesitation, but it had been enough. Branches from a low-lying bush that she hadn't seen got tangled around her ankles and she fell onto the grass. Peri quickly sat up and tried to stand, but the branches continued to cling to her.

The Doctor crouched down and helped her rip the branches off her ankles. However, by the time he was done and was able to get her back onto her feet, one of the guards had caught up with them and had raised his weapon.

The Doctor pushed Peri toward the ground behind him. She hit the grass just as the guard pulled the trigger. The Doctor let out a cry and collapsed into a heap onto the ground, colliding with Peri in the process. The guard marched over toward them, a smirk on his face. As he got closer, Peri reached around the Doctor's still form and grabbed a rock. The guard peered down at them, poking the Doctor with the muzzle of his weapon.

Suddenly, the Doctor rolled onto his back and kicked the weapon out of the guard's hands. Peri followed up by throwing the rock at the guard's head. The guard groaned and fell unconscious to the ground.

"Good work, Peri," the Doctor said while slowly moving into a kneeling position. "Your aim is improving all the time."

"Ugh, thanks," Peri said as she got back up to her feet. "Call it a necessary skill for our travels."

The Doctor nodded, but did not respond. He reached down to check on the pulse and breathing of the guard before pulling himself upright. He opened his mouth to say something, but the distant sound of voices stopped him.

"Come on," he said, grabbing Peri's arm and yanking her along. "We have to keep moving."

The two of them ran for several minutes until the Doctor abruptly stopped and slumped against a tree, his breathing labored.

"Doctor?" Peri said tentatively. "Doctor, what's wrong?"

She reached over to touch his shoulder and the Doctor gasped and pulled away. Peri looked down at her hand and gulped when she saw that there was blood on it.

'No!' she thought, her insides quaking. 'No, he's not supposed to be hurt. He…he was just trying to fool that guard into thinking he had been hit. He got right back up and was running with me just now. He can't be hurt…'

"Doctor…."

"We…have to get back…to the TARDIS," the Doctor said.

He pulled his cravat off and tied it around his shoulder, His hands were shaking as he did it and Peri couldn't help but notice how ashen his face already was.

"All right," she said. "But I won't go back by myself. We'll make it together."

The Doctor frowned, and Peri was sure that she was about to get another lecture about why she needed to learn to follow instructions. Instead, the Doctor sighed and nodded his head.

It was those quiet gestures that made her even more afraid.

"Come on," he muttered. He started to walk away, but stumbled and clung to another tree to keep himself from falling down. Peri put her arm around his waist and guided one of his arms over her shoulder.

"All right, Doctor," she said. "Let's go."

As he lay on the floor of the console room, the Doctor groaned and closed his eyes. He was still for a few seconds before Peri grabbed his arm and tugged at it.

"Doctor? Doctor, wake up," she pleaded. "Come on." The Doctor's eyes fluttered back open.

"Peri," he breathed. "Got to get to the…medical bay."

He slowly pulled himself back up into a sitting position. Once he was there, Peri moved closer to his side and let him drape his arm around her shoulders again, supporting him as he got to his feet. Then they began the tortuous march to the medical bay of the TARDIS.

The medical bay was a room with a couple of beds and a healthy stock of medicines and equipment that enabled the Doctor to provide minor or preliminary emergency care to his companions.

Rare was the instance when he was the one who needed that care.

By the time they arrived, Peri practically had to drag the Doctor along, his strength just about gone. She helped him onto one of the beds and walked over to the shelves of equipment and supplies.

"I, I only learned the basics of first-aid when I first started college," she said with a laugh while her voice began to crack. "Wish I had paid better attention back then. Not that that would have prepared me for something like this. Wh-what if you need surgery or something?"

"Don't worry, Peri," the Doctor said. "Everything you need…is there. The projectile from their weapons went all the way through. It…it did not damage any organs…and there's no shrapnel."

"You're sure about that, aren't you?" Peri asked. "How can you be so certain?"

"Trust me…I'd know," the Doctor said as he struggled to bite back another groan. "Just…listen to me…and do exactly what I say….for a change…."

Peri made a show of rolling her eyes, but she felt none of the levity or annoyance she was pretending to have. She listened as the Doctor rattled off a list of the things she needed and gathered them up. Then she moved a small stand with wheels closer to the bed and dumped everything onto it, making sure to ignore the snort of disapproval from the bed. Peri took another deep breath and helped the Doctor out of his jacket and peeled his shirt away to find blood oozing from a wound that was a mere couple of inches from one of his hearts.

She swallowed hard as she carefully cleaned, mended, and dressed the wound according to his instructions. It wasn't until now that she realized just how much the scarlet tartan patches of his coat had concealed the actual amount of blood loss he had suffered and she wondered how he had been able to survive the trip back to the TARDIS. He amazed her again by staying conscious throughout all of her ministrations. Peri tried hard to convince herself that that was proof that his injury wasn't serious. But instead she found herself scoffing inwardly at how pathetic her attempts at reassurance sounded even when confined to her own mind.

By the time she was done, the only color on the Doctor's face was from his eyes: eyes that were half-open and glazed over with pain.

"I must rest," he whispered. "Peri, I…It might be a long while…before I wake up. And…when I do…I may be…different."

Peri sniffed as the tears she managed to hold back earlier tried again to leak out. He didn't actually say the words, but in the back of her mind, she could guess what he was hinting at: regeneration. The method by which the Time Lords were able to survive and adapt to the realities of traveling through the universe of time.

The Doctor thought that he might die again.

"Don't say that, Doctor," Peri said, forcing herself to smile as she gingerly touched his arm. "It, it'll be ok. You'll see. So don't worry about it."

The Doctor studied her face for a long moment before closing his eyes. Peri thought that he had fallen unconscious, but a few seconds later, his lips moved again.

"Wh-what?" she asked, leaning closer. "I can't hear what you're saying."

"I'm…sorry…Peri," he rasped out.

He let out one more shuddering breath before his head flopped to the side, his cheek buried into his pillow. Peri sniffed again as she watched the barely perceptible rise and fall of his chest. She tried to remind herself that, no matter what, the Doctor would survive and that this wouldn't be the end.

It wasn't until several minutes had passed and she was certain that he would not be waking up any time soon that Peri finally let the tears fall.