AM I A GOOD MAN?

Chapter Eighteen

Ka'ran'i sighed as Gaz placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her blank look.

"How do you know so much about La'zo'bi?" he asked.

"I had a vision of his coming. He will be a man who will come among us and destroy our world and many others. Like a storm, he will visit chaos on worlds and leave devastation in his wake," she sighed and Rose looked at Gaz.

"And you think the Doctor, our friend, is this man?" Rose asked.

"I smell him on you."

"Have you ever met the Doctor?" Gaz asked.

"No, but his scent was very strong in my vision," Ka'ran'i said then tilted her head to one side. "Tell me, why do you smell like the M'rak'ke?"

"That is a long story," Rose sighed. "See, a long time ago, when I was traveling with the Doctor, I looked into the energy of something called the TARDIS."

"What is this TA'RD'IS?"

"It is a type of traveling vessel," Gaz said and Ka'ran'i's eyes widened.

"Draw it for me," she said as she handed him a rock and he knelt down on his haunches then smoothed his hand over the dirt. He started drawing as she looked over his shoulder and her tail swished back and forth. When he was finished drawing, he stood up and she looked at the drawing, tilting her head side to side. "It looks like a hut."

"Yeah, I guess it does," Gaz said as he stood up and rubbed his hand over the leg of his jeans.

"And you looked into the energy inside it?" she asked, looking at Rose.

"Yeah, once I did, the energy came into me and changed me. I could see everything and could be everywhere at once. I saw the past, present and every possible future. I could do anything," Rose said and Gaz saw the sadness in her eyes. He slid his arms around his wife and she gently leaned back against him. "The problem was the energy was killing me. To save me, the Doctor took the energy and placed the energy inside him then put back into the TARDIS."

"He sounds very powerful," Ka'ran'i said and Rose sighed.

"He is."

"Is being a He'kou'ra'ri a good thing?" Gaz asked.

"Yes," Ka'ran'i said. "A He'kou'ra'ri is a valued member of my…home."

Gaz let go of Rose then walked to Ka'ran'i and smiled at her. She was a little shocked when he hugged her and she purred, placing her head against his shoulder.

"My mate was a He'kou'ra'ri," she whispered.

"What did he look like?" Rose asked.

"He was as tall as your mate, but had white fur with black stripes and the shiny, blue eyes. They looked like frost on the water. He was broad of body and very strong. The one thing that put him apart from the others was his tail."

"What about it?" Gaz asked.

"He didn't have one," she said with a smile.

"What happened to it?" Rose asked.

"He lost it in battle. Like his father, he was a brave warrior and went to battle with a village on the other side of the lake. He was badly injured in battle and one of the enemy warriors took his tail as a trophy."

"Did they ever find it?" Gaz asked.

"No," Ka'ran'i said, shaking her head.

"Why didn't he fight to prevent your exile?" Rose asked.

"He was not allowed to. To do so would have meant his death."

"Did you have any…cubs?" Gaz asked.

"Yes, but they were…," Ka'ran'i said then looked down and tears rolled down her cheeks. Gaz thought for a few seconds then his heart slammed in his chest and he breathed hard through his nose.

"They killed your cubs?" he asked and she nodded her head.

"Why?" Rose asked.

"They were marked as tainted. When Ja'mi'e, that was his name, tried to prevent their deaths, he was killed," Ka'ran'i said then started crying. Gaz held her as he rubbed her back and gently rocked her. When she stopped crying, he removed a handkerchief from his coat pocket and wiped her eyes then nose. Ka'ran'i sadly smiled at him as he nodded his head and she held the handkerchief in her hands.

"Well, I'll tell you this. If you had been my mate, I would have fought for you," Gaz said.

"That is very kind of you, but I would have stopped you."

"Still would have," he grumbled and she stroked his cheek.

"Tell me about your cubs," she said and Rose walked closer, standing next to Gaz.

"We have three," Rose said while Gaz reached into his coat pocket and removed his wallet. He slid the photograph out of his wallet then placed the wallet back in his coat pocket.

"What is this?" Ka'ran'i asked as he unfolded the photograph and smiled at the three children smiling back at him.

"This is a photograph. It is a captured image of something," he said and her eyes widened.

"So they are not trapped in there?"

"No," he said with a smile. "Now, the girl is our daughter. Her name is Donna Rose."

Ka'ran'i looked at the little girl with long blonde hair who was wearing a white t-shirt with kittens wearing sunglasses, jeans and white converse sneakers and her hair was done in long braids.

"How many seasons is she?"

"She's four," Rose said.

"She looks like her mother."

"She acts like her, too. A real terror, yeah," Gaz said and Rose gently shoved him. "See?!'

"Well, at least she isn't like her brothers," Rose said and Ka'ran'i looked at the twin boys with wild, dark brown hair and chocolate brown eyes and they were wearing jeans, a Spiderman t-shirt, an Ironman t-shirt and red converse sneakers. "This one is Alec Nicholas and this one is Campbell Lachlan."

"They look like their father," Ka'ran'i said with a smile. "How many seasons are they?"

"They're two," Gaz said then took the photograph back. He had taken the wallet out of his coat pocket again, placed the photograph away and placed the wallet back in his coat pocket.

"Are they with you?" Ka'ran'i asked when Rose realized something and her heart sank.

"No," Rose said.

"Yes," Gaz said and Rose looked at him with a stunned look on her face.

"What?" Rose asked. "What do you mean?"

"Uh, well, remember when I went back in the TARDIS to get the all-terrain bike?"

"Yes," she said, folding her arms over her chest.

"Well, I found them in the park room. Looks like they were playing in there and…"

"Wait, we went through that whirlpool thing to get here."

"The TARDIS kept them safe."

"It was still a big risk!"

"I know, but they're fine. In fact, Donna thought all the bouncing around was fun. Anyway, I sealed the room and the TARDIS will take care of them until we get back."

"See what I have to put up with?" Rose asked and Ka'ran'i laughed.

"Come, I will take you to the cave entrance," Ka'ran'i said as they headed into the shadows and Rose sighed then took Gaz' hand and he wrapped their fingers together.

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