The first time he’d seen her, he hadn’t noticed her at all, just classified her as a potential threat. She was a primitive, knowing too little to understand, but enough to bring a violent death to him and his friends if she pointed him out to the wrong person. She was too dangerous for him to remember.
The second time he’d seen her, he hadn’t noticed her then either. She was his savior, giving him a shoulder and guiding him back to the TARDIS. He was hurt and she was beautiful, the only beautiful thing amongst fire and murder and the ugliness of war. She was too bright for him to really see.
The third time went on for days. He’d noticed her, but not seen her. She was a cool voice and soothing voice. She was his anchor in a sea of sickness, the only thing he could hold on to. She was too solid for him to observe.
And now there’s no time to see or notice anything but Daleks. As Steven runs and hides and does his part to save the universe, he is also consciously not thinking about the dangerous, shiny girl that might steady him and give meaning to a stationary existence.
The fight-or-flight part of him that thinks that he should give in to those thoughts, that life is short and he’ll be sorry if he doesn’t get to know the girl while he has a chance… but that’s just silly. The Doctor will stop the Daleks because that’s what he does, and Katarina is young and healthy. She has a long life in front of her, and if he’s lucky, she might even spend that life with him.
Steven/Katarina
The second time he’d seen her, he hadn’t noticed her then either. She was his savior, giving him a shoulder and guiding him back to the TARDIS. He was hurt and she was beautiful, the only beautiful thing amongst fire and murder and the ugliness of war. She was too bright for him to really see.
The third time went on for days. He’d noticed her, but not seen her. She was a cool voice and soothing voice. She was his anchor in a sea of sickness, the only thing he could hold on to. She was too solid for him to observe.
And now there’s no time to see or notice anything but Daleks. As Steven runs and hides and does his part to save the universe, he is also consciously not thinking about the dangerous, shiny girl that might steady him and give meaning to a stationary existence.
The fight-or-flight part of him that thinks that he should give in to those thoughts, that life is short and he’ll be sorry if he doesn’t get to know the girl while he has a chance… but that’s just silly. The Doctor will stop the Daleks because that’s what he does, and Katarina is young and healthy. She has a long life in front of her, and if he’s lucky, she might even spend that life with him.
Bret Vyon (from "Daleks' Master Plan")/Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Bret Vyon/Steven, Benny/Karra (from "Survival")