[A.N. - Hello everyone! Experimenting with possibly a longer term story here, which is a first here, so please bear with me! I've always wondered why the Black Guardian never returned - like, ever - to finish the job he started with Turlough back in the Classic series. Of course, they can't exactly use the actor, but the Black Guardian has always fascinated me as a villain and I absolutely love to explore the dynamics between him and his many pawns. For those of you who are unfamiliar, the YouTuber President Romana has an excellent song called "The Deal" that has to do with Turlough's tortured start as a companion. Anyways, I do hope you enjoy, and if you'd like more of this, please leave a review to let me know! :) ]

[A.N. - Edited to reflect a mistake pointed out to me that the Guardians are not Eternals! Sorry for the mistake!]

"Good to meet you, Sally Sparrow!"

Amelia Allen smiled slightly as the credits rolled, taking off her headphones. Stories like those, where the Doctor changed the lives of those around him… those were the ones that got to her the most. And she knew it was cliche, she knew it had all been said before (and the fact that she was acknowledging that it had been said before was in itself cliche), but she felt that she really identified with the people the Time Lord interacted with. She craved knowing the last of the Time Lords, the lonely man that felt, at times, incapable of being loved.

She had never felt any romantic interest in the character, but Amelia romanticized meeting him. Fictional characters were her weakness.

Biting her cracked lip (damn the curse of winter), she made a weak attempt to smooth out her cropped, dark brown hair as she hurried to get ready for the rest of her day. The sun (singular) was shining, and she had places to be. Certainly not wrapped up in some sci-fi character.

Sniffing, she grabbed her thermos (tea, always tea, always loose leaf Earl Grey, judgements of others be damned) and her keys, and she hustled out the door. Her morning classes awaited her. Today, it was Statistics at nine, and Composition at eleven thirty. She prayed that she could get through the first. Math hated her.

When she started the car, however, the clock read the dreaded number: eight-fifty three. She was a good twenty minutes away from campus. Commuting would be the end of her.

Cursing, Amelia pressed down on the gas to peel out of the apartment complex, her tires squealing as they rushed onto the highway.

She merged too fast to see any of it happen.

The semi truck blared its horn, but it was too late. The front of the truck smashed through the rear of her car, and then-

Darkness.

Light.

Amelia sat up with a loud, unbecoming gasp, squinting frantically in the sudden brightness. A presence behind her made her scream, whipping around to see an older man dressed in all black, with a sort of bird sitting atop his head.

"Who- where-"

"Calm down, my child," the man said, and Amelia was quieted by his deep, compelling voice. She felt a certain amount of decision in his voice, though she couldn't at all place why. "Do you know what has taken place?"

"I…" her voice trembled, cracking as she tried to recall. "...I was driving to… school- I… was late, I- oh, my- did I- am I- dead?"

"That… is to be decided, my child," the man stated calmly, staring at Amelia with a sort of clinical inspection.

"To be… what? Are you… are you God?"

"Not God. Like Him, I am immortal."

"What the hell does that mean-?"

"Not Hell. Just me."

Amelia was silenced in horror by the man's words.

"Are you… am I in Hell?"

The man chuckled, a low, gravelly sound that sent chills down her spine.

"No, no, my dear, not Hell. We are outside of Time. Outside of Space."

"I… don't understand."

"No, you wouldn't, my child," the man affirmed, shaking his head. "Alas, it is not necessary for you to comprehend. Not that. What you must understand, however, is that I am giving you a chance at life."

"...life?"

"Yes. Life. For I have many names, Amelia Allen, but many call me the Black Guardian. The Guardian of Destruction and Chaos. But I may also bring life."

"You… I…"

"I offer you life in exchange for one thing: you must kill one who has brought great harm to me. To the Balance of Time and Space and Eternity."

"I… no, I… won't. I can't… kill."

"You may have life, if you only carry out this one act. If you refuse, you shall remain dead. You shall remain here, for Eternity, alone."

"No, I- I won't!"

The Black Guardian's lips curled downward slowly, as though in disappointment.

"Very well. Then you shall remain here. If you discover you have found a change of heart, simply call out, and I will hear."

Without another word, the Guardian disappeared in a flash, leaving Amelia alone in the blank space. There was nothing to be seen, anywhere, simply a flat, white, noiseless plane. It hurt to look at.

Amelia tried to close her eyes, but she found that she could not. Flinching, she fell back to her knees. She didn't feel anything. She felt like tears should be coming to her eyes, but none fell. None were even created. She wanted to feel her lungs constricting in a panic attack, but to her horror and dismay, she found that she didn't even need to breathe.

Rocking back and forth, Amelia sat in that position for an amount of time that she could not determine, for there was no indicator of time, no daylight, no sun, and she never felt the urge to sleep once.

After what felt like Eternity, she screamed out in agony for the pain she could not feel.

"I'll do it! I'll do it! Please, just let me feel something!"

The moment she said this, the Black Guardian reappeared. Amelia's eyes were fixed on his form, devouring the image like it was the last she would ever see. It was the first in forever.

"I am glad that I have your consent," the Guardian spoke, his lips curled upwards. "Come here, my child."

Amelia stood on trembling legs, and she slowly made her way over to him.

"This pact shall be sealed with a touch," he spoke, closing his eyes and laying two fingers on either side of Amelia's forehead. She flinched as she felt the sensation of someone invading her mind, but the presence was soon gone. She took a step back after it had disappeared, to see that the Guardian held a crystal in his hand.

"This shall keep you true to your agreement," the Eternal stated, and Amelia accepted the crystal. "I will know if you are weak in your disposition or disloyal to your cause. Once you kill him, you will be free. With a small gift from me first. It will help him in trusting you. And… from your mind, I can tell you'll be more than capable of the task."

Amelia said nothing, her blue eyes lowered to the crystal that she now possessed.

"You will be entering his Universe, now," the Guardian ordered as Amelia felt her legs disappearing beneath her. "I expect the Time Lord dead."

Though she was moving, Amelia froze at the Black Guardian's final words. Time Lord. Suddenly, she recalled a story from the classic series. Doctor Who. Enlightenment. Turlough. How could she have forgotten? She had been used in the exact same way that he had been. Panic welled inside her as she disappeared from the space, reappearing in a new one. It smelled like smoke and alcohol. Her lungs constricted. She was breathing again. Well… she was trying to.

She felt heat burning at her wrists and her ankles and her neck and it climbed everywhere on her body. Glancing down, she saw in horror that golden energy was spilling from every part of her body.

Impossible impossible impossible-

Agony overtook her. She felt dizzy. The world spun around her. She couldn't see. The last thing she remembered was the cool touch of rough hands on her neck, where her pulse should have been, before she passed out.