Author Note – Okay, so this is what I've been neglecting my other stories for. I know – I'm awful. I am almost literally sh**ing bricks at taking on the Whoniverse. Let me know what you think.

We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls. – Anais Nin

Natasha sat and tapped a couple of keys on her laptop before clicking her mouse. She copied a section of the web chat she was looking at and went back to her document pasting it in. Cutting out the unnecessary bits Natasha quickly reduced the five paragraphs she'd copied down to just one.

Moving to another web page Natasha scanned down the long, lengthy chat and web gossip. Conspiracy theorists really liked to ramble. Not even a quarter of what was written was of use to her. That was why it took so long to add anything to her timeline – it took forever to make sure it was for real.

Natasha chuckled when she spotted a comment from someone she talked with regularly. Captain Boe always put the funniest things on these sites. She remembered the first time they'd started talking about three years ago. Natasha had been frustrated at one man's completely absurd theory that he was causing all the bad things that had happened.

Considering how long Natasha had been researching him, nearly seven years now, she couldn't understand how someone could think that. So she had immediately went off on a rant at the idiot calling him every variation of 'idiot' she could think of.

A couple of minutes afterwards the Captain had put a comment on saying that he completely agreed and loved her feistiness. Since then they had kept up a regular chat occasionally exchanging information. Although the Captain hardly ever gave her information she hadn't already tracked down, Natasha still enjoyed talking with him. She often felt he knew a lot more than he let on, but she hardly ever talked on the chat rooms to share either so she didn't hold it against him.

After all when you were doing what she was you didn't want to advertise it. Natasha wasn't like most of the idiots out there; she knew to keep her gob shut. There was sure to be government groups following him too. She hadn't restricted her research to the recent years; she had tracked him way back. He popped up all over the place and she didn't want to miss a single appearance.

Natasha put a message up after the Captain's and told him to play nice with the imbeciles. As she rubbed her neck to ease the tight muscles Natasha caught sight of the clock on the wall. Two o'clock, she had worked into the early morning again. Shrugging Natasha got up and left her laptop to go get a fresh cup of tea. Stood at the kitchen window waiting for the kettle to boil Natasha listened the sea, losing herself in the waves that were just beyond the edge of her garden.

She had always found the waves hypnotic and relaxing even if there was a storm raging. Tonight though the waves were calm and the moon was reflected on the almost still water. Natasha felt the urge to go outside and left the kettle to open the back door. She wandered down the gravel path and onto the beach.

It was cold out and it made Natasha wish she had on something warmer than her usual long sleeved silk shirt, waistcoat and jeans.

Holding back her long wavy brown hair that the wind was threatening to blow over her face Natasha ignored the water now and looked up towards the stars. After twenty three years of living she was still amazed by the stars. Looking at them made her feel so small and yet so big at the same time. Gazing up Natasha felt as though she could fall into forever. Natasha got an image of a smiley faced apple and fish fingers and custard in her head. Shaking her head to dispel the image Natasha sighed at her weirdness.

She always ignored those visions now, they hadn't helped when – Natasha cut that thought off abruptly. She'd been working too long if she was thinking that way again. Focusing on the stars again Natasha wondered what he was doing now. Maybe he was having a well-deserved break after saving the planet. After all there was no way to really tell what he had just finished doing, maybe one of the first things on her timeline was just yesterday for him.

Natasha suddenly got the urge to step to the side and did so, not a moment too soon since out of nowhere something crashed onto the spot she'd just vacated. Coughing slightly Natasha waved away the sand that had been blown up. When the sand settled Natasha felt her jaw drop.

'No. Frigging. Way.' She whispered to herself. 'I'm dreaming, I must be.'

In front of her was the blue box. His blue box.

The door to the box opened and a head appeared. The man had floppy brown and hazel eyes, he also had a nifty looking bow tie around his neck.

The man spotted her and smiled. 'Oh sorry. I didn't land on your shed did I? I land on things a lot.' He got out and looked around. 'Well this isn't the moon.' Suddenly he clapped his hands. 'Never mind, still a good test run. Well see you later.'

Just as he was about to disappear back inside the box Natasha unfroze.

'Doctor, wait!'

The Doctor stopped and looked at her. 'You know who I am?' Natasha nodded silently and he came over to her. 'Huh. That's new, well nearly new. Sort of. And you are?'

'N-Natasha. Natasha Francis.'

'Well Natasha Francis. How come you know me?' He peered at her intently but still had a kind of goofy smile on his face.

'Er I've been researching you for nearly seven years. Ever since two thousand and five when that spaceship crashed into London.' Natasha still heard part of her mind babbling that the Doctor was stood in front of her. 'Although I've found things to do with you going way back, to Pompeii and Queen Victoria who of course founded Torchwood.'

'You know about Torchwood?' The Doctor asked as he took an unusually large sniff of the air.

'Yes, I always liked Queen Victoria, she always seemed…tough.'

'Ooh, yes she was feisty.'

Natasha felt her eyes widen as he confirmed part of her timeline. 'Well I researched her life and found out some stuff about Torchwood House, after that my degree came in handy as I looked throughout the whole of history for you.'

'Your degree?' Suddenly the doctor scrunched his nose at her. 'Oh yuck, you're not an archaeologist are you?'

Natasha scowled at him and crossed her arms. 'And what exactly in wrong with archaeologists?'

The Doctor laughed. 'I'm a time traveller, I point and laugh at archaeologists.'

'Well that's not very nice.' Natasha felt a thrill when he said time traveller. 'But I'm not actually an archaeologist I just have the degree for it.'

'Oh well, that's okay then. So Natasha is that your house with the door open?'

Natasha glanced at her small one bedroom bungalow briefly. 'Yep, all mine.' She looked at him and finally let her excitement show on her face. 'Oh god! I cannot wait to tell Captain Boe I've actually met you!'

The Doctor who had turned away looked at her suddenly. 'Who?'

'Captain Boe, he's this guy I talk to online. We talk about you sometimes, mostly we just chat though. He flirts like nobody's business, he puts Casanova to shame.'

'I owe him a chicken still.' The Doctor muttered before focusing on her again. 'So this, Captain Boe, he talks about me? With you?' He seemed really interested in her answer.

'Er, yeah…he doesn't say much but I can tell he knows a lot. A few times he's helped me validate some things about you.'

'Has he really? I'll have to talk to him about that.' The Doctor said turning to walk towards her bungalow.

Natasha scrambled after him. 'Wait, you know who Boe is?'

The Doctor stepped into her kitchen and looked around curiously. 'Yes, met him quite a few times, his future self too. Last saw him when we shifted a few planets around.'

Natasha gaped at him, astounded that Captain Boe actually knew the Doctor.

'Oh, this is interesting.' The Doctor was sat on her sofa looking at her laptop.

Realising her timeline was still on the screen Natasha rushed out of the kitchen area and over to him. 'You shouldn't look at people's things without asking.'

'Ooh, this is really good,' he glanced up at her, 'you're really good. No wonder Jack talks to you.'

'Jack? Who's Jack?' Natasha couldn't keep track of his conversation changes.

'Boe, Jack is Boe. Or he will be Boe, lots later anyway.'

'Oh right.' Whatever that meant.

'Why do you not have any photos out Natasha Francis?' The Doctor asked without looking away from her laptop.

Natasha didn't know when he'd noticed that but wasn't going to give him an answer. 'Because. What did you mean before when you talked about a test run?'

The Doctor was clicking on her laptop. 'The TARDIS needed to be broken in. Now,' the Doctor looked up at her, 'photos.'

Natasha swallowed nervously not wanting to talk about it. 'Why do you want to know?'

'Because you're chat history with Jack tells me you love to talk with people, even if it is Jack, and the way you talk and write is as though you grew surrounded by people who encouraged you to speak your mind. And yet…no photos and no pets either and you live at least a mile from the nearest village.'

Natasha wondered how on earth he'd got that in the five minutes he'd been here. 'I uh – I have pictures, but I don't have them out.'

'Why?'

She shrugged to try and make light of her words. 'I don't need the reminders every day when my memories don't leave me alone.'

The Doctor suddenly stood and looked into her eyes. 'That's an odd way to put it…but it makes sense.' He kept looking at her and Natasha could see just how old his eyes were. The Doctor stood back and took an apple from his pocket tossing it up and down a few times before putting it back. 'Okay, let's go then.' He turned back towards the back door.

'Wait, go where?' Natasha said without moving.

'I'm inviting you along with me. Are you coming?' The Doctor smiled at her from the doorway.

Natasha stared at him for a stunned moment. 'Hell yeah!' She said enthusiastically. 'Let me grab a couple of things.'

Natasha quickly ran into the bedroom and grabbed a large duffel bag and a canvas bag. She threw bundles of clothes into the duffel along with toiletries. She also put a few sketch pads and a large pencil case into the canvas bag and went back to the living room. 'I just need three more things.' Natasha went to the cupboard in the corner of the room and took out two things. A shoebox sized container and a large photo album, she put them in with her clothes and zipped the duffel bag.

Dropping onto the sofa Natasha made a few clicks on her laptop and started talking while typing. 'I'm just leaving Boe…or Jack a message. The way you talked about him you seemed to trust him so I figure I can trust him too.' Natasha looked over her message to make sure what she needed to say was in it.

Dear Boe…or should I say Jack?

A certain Doctor just made a house call and mentioned you. Now we're off on a trip. I know you mentioned spending a lot of time in Cardiff and I live just outside it and I need you to look after my house, my address is at the bottom and my spare key is underneath the ledge of my bathroom window.

I figure if he trusts you I can trust you…mostly.

Now I understand why you seemed to know more than you said. I tell you what he sure is…the only word I can think of is…well he's the Doctor, but I guess that covers it.

Anyway I'll write when I can. I can't wait to see what happens! Oh my god my mind is whirling!

Oh and despite not meeting you – I know you so I'll say this once DO NOT LOOK IN MY UNDERWEAR DRAWER!

Talk soon friend,

WavesandSands or rather Natasha Francis.

P.S. If we ever meet up I'm kicking your ass for that comment about needing blonde hair to warn people about my memory issues. I'm perfectly happy with brown hair thanks.

Natasha shut her computer and grabbed it and the charger. She stood up and nearly screamed. The Doctor was stood right behind the sofa.

'Don't do that!' Natasha said fiercely clutching her heart. 'Wait…were you reading what I typed?'

The Doctor smiled. 'Yes, very wise to warn Jack away from your undergarments but I doubt it will work.' Natasha frowned at that but didn't get the chance to respond. 'Come along then Natasha Francis.' The Doctor turned and left through the kitchen leaving Natasha scrambling.

She quickly put her laptop and charger into the canvas bag and grabbed it and the duffle. At the kitchen door she flicked the light off and grabbed her keys, phone and charger and quickly stepped outside. After locking the door Natasha turned to find the Doctor stood on the beach looking at the stars.

She walked over and did the same. 'It's hard to believe you've been out there. If the stories are true that is.'

'Oh they're definitely true.' The Doctor said with a chuckle. 'Why were you on the beach when I landed?'

Natasha decided not to tell him about the feelings she got sometimes. 'I come out to look at the stars a lot. They make me feel as if I could fall into forever.'

The Doctor grinned and went to the TARDIS opening the door. 'Well then Miss Natasha Francis, how would you like to take the first step into forever?' He gave her another goofy smile before disappearing inside.

Natasha felt her heart start to race. Was she really going to do this? Run off with the Doctor? There were all sorts of stories about him that she kept track of on her laptop as well as the timeline. More than a few stories told her that she might not come back here anytime soon…if at all. Natasha looked back at her now dark bungalow and then back up at the stars.

'Oh hell yeah.' She whispered to herself. Natasha eagerly stepped into the TARDIS, nudged the door shut and then stopped just inside.

It was…amazing. The room was cavernous but gorgeous! Natasha ran up to the central area that was the oddest looking console ever and put her bags down on a seat. She turned on the spot to try and look everywhere at once.

'Oh.' It wasn't even the same shape on the inside it was an odd sort of circle shape.

'Oh.' The walls curved up gracefully from the floor and had odd circles on them. Natasha couldn't decide if they were windows or lights. Some of the light seemed to come from them but they looked a bit like windows.

'Oh.' Natasha looked down through the floor and saw that there was an area underneath. There were also a couple of sets of stairs leading off in two different directions.

'Go on, say it.'

Natasha turned to find the Doctor watching her while he hit a lot of different levers and switches. He glanced at her with an expectant grin on his face.

Natasha beamed. 'It's brilliant!'

The Doctor's face fell slightly and he came over to her. 'You're not saying it, I love that bit.'

'I'm not saying what?' Natasha asked in confusion, clearly he had wanted a different reaction.

'People usually say – '

'It's bigger on the inside?' She asked with a lifted eyebrow. The Doctor started to beam happily, until she started talking again. 'Well it would have to be wouldn't it? The stuff you get up to you would need more in here than a phone. Besides it's your spaceship, why would I judge it by the outside? You might change your face but your ship is obviously more than she seems as well.'

The Doctor got an intense look on his face. 'I knew I liked you for a reason. There's something about you though Natasha Francis, something I've forgotten.'

Now Natasha was really confused, 'But this is the first time we've met. How can you have forgotten something about me?'

'No this is the first time you've met me. That I remember anyway.' He whirled away and went back to flipping switches.

'But – but that…doesn't make sense.' Natasha said with a frown as she followed him.

'No. It doesn't make sense yet.'

Natasha could feel a headache coming on and decided to just leave it for now.

'Just out of curiosity, did you ever talk to Jack about your theories about my ship?' The Doctor asked without looking away from the console.

Natasha nodded and went to stand near him. 'Yeah, he never said if I was right but I could tell from what he said he was impressed. Which kind of makes sense now if he knows you.'

The Doctor chuckled. 'Well hang on to something Natasha Francis. We're going to pick up a friend of mine.'

'What's her name?' Natasha asked as she took hold of the console.

'Amelia Pond.' The Doctor said as he hit one last button. Suddenly the TARDIS started making a whooshing-whirring noise and started moving.

Natasha shrieked with glee. 'Wow! This is amazing Doctor!'

'Isn't it! Now I left without saying anything so Amelia might be a bit cross with me.'

Natasha winced at this. 'You have a habit of that don't you?' She asked loudly over the noise.

'Why do you say that?'

Natasha shrugged. 'I told you, I researched you.'

The Doctor looked at her but was distracted when the TARDIS gave a thump and stopped making any noise.

'Let's go get Pond.' The Doctor said as he ran past her.

Natasha ran after him and then stopped when she was outside. 'Oh! We've moved! I mean I knew we had but still.' She looked around the garden in delight. It was true! It was all true!

'Now hopefully she'll forgive me running off after stopping the world from being incinerated but you never know. Scottish after all.'

Natasha spun to face him. 'Wait. That's what you've just done?'

The Doctor nodded and straightened his bow tie. 'Yes. Atraxi. Silly things did they really think I'd let them get away with that?' He chuckled and looked at her. 'I showed them though.'

'But Doctor that incineration thing it was – '

Suddenly the door on the house next to them opened and a red headed woman a similar age to Natasha came running out and stopped on the step.

'Sorry about running off earlier.' The Doctor called out as he rubbed a speck of sand off the door. 'Brand new TARDIS, bit exciting. I was going to take her to the moon to run her in but I ended up in Wales and got Natasha here.

The woman who was obviously Amelia came down to the gate and glanced briefly at Natasha before focusing on the Doctor.

'But she's ready for the big stuff now.' The Doctor said as he polished the sign on the door.

'It's you. You came back.' Amelia said in amazement. Natasha knew why she was so surprised but the Doctor didn't seem to know.

'Course I came back, I always come back. There's nothing wrong with that.'

'And you kept the clothes,' Amelia said as she came to stand next to them.

Natasha stared at him. 'Wait did you steal those or something?'

The Doctor looked down at his clothes before giving them a slightly exasperated look. 'Well I just saved the world, the whole planet, for about the millionth time, no charge. Yeah, shoot me, I kept the clothes.'

'Including the bow tie,' Amelia said with mock snootiness.

'Yeah, it's cool.' The Doctor said as he adjusted the bow tie. 'Bow ties are cool.'

Natasha shrugged. 'It's kinda nifty.'

The Doctor gave her a quick grin.

Amelia scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. 'Are you from another planet?'

'Yeah,' the Doctor said quickly.

'Okay.'

'So what do you think?'

'What?' Obviously Amelia also had a hard time keeping up with his sudden changes in topic.

'Other planets, want to check some out?'

Amelia seemed really frustrated. 'What does that mean?'

'It means, well, it means, come wi' me. With us.'

'Where?' Amelia said with almost a hint of panic on her face.

'Wherever you like.' The Doctor said with a slightly happier tone of voice.

Amelia looked at the TARDIS. 'All that stuff that happened, the hospital, the spaceships, prisoner zero.'

The Doctor scoffed. 'Oh don't worry that's just the beginning there's loads more.'

Natasha knew where Amelia was going with this and figured the Doctor deserved whatever Amelia gave him.

'But those things, those amazing things all that stuff…' she paused and looked at the Doctor before stepping closer to him in anger, 'that was two years ago.'

'Ooh. Oops.' The Doctor said losing his smile.

'Yeah,' Amelia said loudly.

'So that's – '

'Fourteen years.'

'Fourteen years since fish custard.' Natasha looked at him in shock. Fish custard? That was what she had seen right before he landed on her beach. 'Amy Pond the girl who waited. I think you've waited long enough.'

Amy blinked at him a few times before looking back at the TARDIS. 'When I was a kid you said there was a swimming pool.'

'There's a swimming pool? Cool.' Natasha said looking at the TARDIS as well.

The red head glanced at her and then continued. 'And a library…'

'Ooh even better.'

'And the swimming pool was in the library.'

'Wait, what?' Natasha said with a frown that matched Amy's.

'Yeah, not sure where it's got to now. It'll turn up. So coming?'

'No…'

Natasha grinned. 'You don't sound so sure.'

The Doctor nodded. 'You wanted to come fourteen years ago.'

Amy just gazed at him. 'I grew up.'

'Don't worry,' the Doctor said with a slight laugh. 'I'll soon fix that.' He snapped his fingers and the TARDIS doors opened.

'Ooh snazzy.' Natasha said as the soft golden light fell on Amy's face.

Amy glanced at the two of them before slowly going inside.

Natasha glanced at the Doctor and saw how he was barely holding back his excitement. 'You love the first time people see inside, don't you?'

The Doctor grinned at her goofily. 'Best bit.' He followed Amy inside and Natasha followed him.

Natasha shut the door behind her and went to stand next to Amy so she could see her face.

The Doctor, who had wandered off came back when he realised Amy had stopped. 'Well, anything you want to say? Any passing remarks? I've heard them all.'

'I'm in my nightie.'

Natasha laughed a little at that and wondered if the Doctor had really heard that one before.

'Oh don't worry, plenty of clothes in the wardrobe, and possibly a swimming pool.' The Doctor turned and went back up the few steps to the console. He jumped at the top and looked around the TARDIS. 'So…all of time and space, everything that ever happened or ever will. Where do you wanna start?'

After a moment Amy seemed to snap out of her TARDIS induced silence. 'You are so sure that I'm coming.' She walked up to him with a stern look.

'Yeah,' he said confidently before walking away from her again, 'I am.'

'Why?'

Natasha moved up to the console and sat in the seat next her bags. She was curious as to why he knew Amy was coming.

'You're the Scottish girl in an English village, and I know how that feels.'

'Oh do you?' Amy said as she looked around the central pillar at him.

'All these years living here, most of your life and you still have that accent.' The Doctor pointed at her. 'Yeah, you're coming.'

Amy paused and seemed to think that over. 'Can you get me back for tomorrow morning?'

'It's a time machine, I can you back for five minutes ago. Why what's tomorrow?'

'Nothing, nothing. Just, you know, stuff.' Amy looked at Natasha curiously. 'What about you? Why did you come with him?'

Before Natasha could respond the Doctor spoke up. 'Same reason as you, nearly. Scottish girl but in a Welsh village. You still have your accent except she'd tried to get rid of hers. You want to go back, she wants to forget.' The Doctor paused briefly and looked upwards. 'So not really the same forget that bit. So, back tomorrow in time for stuff.'

There was a noise and part of the console slid out. The Doctor smiled and picked up a small pen shaped thing. 'Ooh a new one, lovely.' He pointed it and made it light up then he patted the console and whispered to it. 'Thanks dear.'

He flitted around and twiddled a few things before typing on an old style typewriter.

Amy was still enthralled with the TARDIS but managed to start asking questions again. 'Why me?'

'Why not?' Was the Doctor's quick reply.

'No seriously, you are asking me to run away with you in the middle of the night. It's a fair question. Why me?'

'I don't know. Fun. Do I have to have a reason?'

'You always have a reason.' Natasha said the same time as Amy said 'people always have a reason'.

The Doctor looked up at Amy. 'Do I look like people?'

'Yes.' Amy said immediately.

Natasha spoke at the same time again. 'No.'

The Doctor flashed Natasha a goofy grin before playing with the phone. 'Been knocking around on my own for a while, my choice, but I've started talking to myself all the time, it's giving me earache.'

Natasha frowned slightly at what his words hinted at.

Amy just came straight out with it. 'You're lonely, that's it?'

'Yeah.'

'Just that?'

The Doctor went round to Amy's side of the console. 'Just that, I promise.'

Amy watched him for a moment. 'Okay.'

'Yeah!' Natasha couldn't help but cheer. When the Doctor and Amy looked at her she shrugged. 'What? You turn up on my doorstep I'm gone in five minutes, come on you're the Doctor.'

The Doctor grinned at her again but Amy turned to look up at the TARDIS again.

Walking up next to her the Doctor watched her. 'So you okay then? 'Cause this place sometimes it can make people feel a bit…you know…'

'I'm fine it's just…there's a whole world in here, just like you said. It's all true. I thought, well I started to think that maybe you were just like a madman with a box.'

'Amy Pond there's something you better understand.' He turned to Natasha. 'You too Natasha Francis, because it's important and one day your life may depend on it…' the Doctor paused dramatically making Natasha lean forward in her seat eagerly. 'I am definitely a madman with a box.'

Natasha laughed a little and he copied her, Amy joining in a moment later.

The Doctor whirled to face the console and started flipping things again. 'Goodbye Leadworth. Hello…everything!' He flipped one last switch and the TARDIS started up again nearly jolting Natasha from her seat and the Doctor and Amy to the floor.

Natasha stood up and joined them at the console, revelling in the thrill of travelling with the Doctor the time and space.

Natasha was leaning against the curved wall of the TARDIS. On her lap was one of her sketch pads and she was drawing the inside of the TARDIS. She'd only been with the Doctor for a little over an hour and Natasha already wanted to draw more than she had in years.

'Now do you believe me?'

Natasha looked up and saw that the Doctor had pulled Amy back inside. Okay flying around and visiting places was one thing but taking a spacewalk without a suit? No thank you.

'Okay, your box is a space ship. It's really, really a spaceship. We are in space! Woo!' Amy ended by shouting out the door. Then something else occurred to her. 'What are we breathing?'

'I've extended the air shell we're fine.' Natasha watched as the Doctor suddenly bent down and looked at something. 'Now that's interesting.' He leaped away from the door towards the console, talking full tilt as he did, Natasha followed behind him. 'Twenty nine century, solar flares roast the Earth and the entire human race packs its bags and moves out until the weather improves migrating to the stars.'

'That's amazing.' Natasha said as she watched mess with the console. 'That we can advance so far.'

'I couldn't agree more.' The Doctor agreed with a grin. 'Do you agree Amy?'

When there was no reply they both looked at the door to find Amy had gone.

Natasha ran to the door with the Doctor to find Amy clinging to the top of the doorway, floating out in space.

'Well come on, I've found us a space ship.'

A few minutes later they were parked and the Doctor was explaining that they couldn't interfere with things.

Natasha looked at the girl crying on the screen and decided to see if she was near the TARDIS. Going to the door she opened it carefully and saw the girl nearby. Suddenly the Doctor walked past her and out of the TARDIS. He tried to speak to the girl but she just walked off.

'Doctor?' Amy said from behind her, obviously still watching the screen.

The Doctor looked up and waved them over. Natasha immediately headed for him looking around the whole time.

When she reached the Doctor she stopped and looked up. There was a massive atrium style roof at the top of the area they were in. Through it Natasha could see a beautiful haze of colour and stars. 'Hundreds of the years in the future and we still look at the stars.'

'Well you do at any rate.'

Just then Amy came up to them. 'I'm in the future. I'm hundreds of years in the future. I've been dead for centuries.'

'Oh lovely,' the Doctor said with disappointment. 'You're a cheery one aren't you? Never mind dead. Look at this place, isn't it wrong.'

Natasha frowned as he got up in their faces.

'What's wrong?' Amy asked leaning back slightly.

'Come on use your eyes, notice everything. What's wrong with this picture?'

Natasha looked around trying to figure out what the Doctor had seen. She spotted the girl the Doctor had tried to talk to further ahead and walked further on. 'That girl is still crying.'

'Says the girl in the nightie.' The Doctor said to Amy before stopping and looking at Natasha. 'What did you say?'

Natasha nodded towards the girl who had moved to an area with benches. 'She's still crying.' The Doctor pulled Amy forwards until they were next to Natasha. The Doctor looked at the girl and then suddenly grabbed a glass of water from the table next to them.

He promptly put the glass on the floor and watched it for a moment before putting it back and addressing the couple at the table. 'Sorry, checking all the water in this area. There's an escaped fish.' The Doctor came back to them and took an arm on either side of him. 'Come along girls.'

Amy was frowning at him again. 'Doctor why did you do that with the water?'

'I dunno, I think a lot, it's hard to keep track.' He pulled them closer to where the girl was sat. Now police state – do you see it yet?' He turned his head to aim his next at Natasha. 'You, have you figured out the rest yet?'

Natasha sat next to the Doctor who was between Amy and herself. They were sat a short distance from the girl who was still crying.

Amy still hadn't got it, which made Natasha wonder if she'd cried a lot as a kid. 'One little girl crying. So?'

'One girl crying silently. Kids might cry more than adults but they cry for a reason – to get attention. What do you think Natasha? You saw it?'

Natasha was looking around the market place still but answered. 'When kids cry silently it's because they can't stop.' She saw the Doctor smile approvingly.

'Correct. Any parent knows that.'

'Are you two parents then?' Amy asked curiously.

Natasha turned quickly to see the Doctor having almost the same reaction. Amy looked at her first for an answer.

Natasha turned away and looked up at the stars again. 'No.'

The Doctor just ignored the question. 'Hundreds of parents walking past this spot and not one of them is asking her what's wrong, which means...they already know, and it's something they don't talk about. Secrets. They're not helping her, so it's something they're afraid of. Shadows - whatever they're afraid of - it's nowhere to be seen, which means it's everywhere. Police state.'

Natasha barely heard the part of the conversation. She had more pictures in her head. A mask, two buttons with words on and a red cloak. There was also a large creature she didn't recognise.

'Natasha?'

Natasha shook her head and saw that the Doctor had vanished. 'Where did he go?'

The red head waved her arm back the way they had come. 'He's off…somewhere. He wants us to find the girl, Mandy, and ask her about those things in the booths.'

Natasha looked around Amy at the Booth Man nearby and shuddered. 'That thing creeps me out.'

Amy dropped next to her again. 'But it just a thing.'

'A creepy thing.' Natasha made herself look away from the booth. 'Well I am not running off god knows where I'll hang out here see if I overhear anything.'

'You're not coming with me?' Amy said as she stood up.

'Nope. I want to sketch something I saw.' Natasha reached into her canvas bag which was over her shoulder. 'People like watching artists, maybe someone will come over and I can ask about the booths.'

Amy nodded. 'Okay, well I'll see you back here then.'

Natasha nodded and started sketching the creature she had seen. It looked at bit like a whale and when Natasha thought that it seemed to ring true in her head. As she sketched Natasha sighed at the fact that her weirdness was making a comeback. Over the last few years it had gone away until she rarely had visions anymore. Now it seemed to be back with a vengeance.

Focusing on her drawing Natasha didn't realise how long she'd been drawing until a voice startled her.

'Nice picture.'

Natasha jumps and turns to find the girl from earlier sat next to her on the bench. 'Don't do that kid!'

Mandy just shrugged. 'I thought you saw me sit down.'

Natasha saw a smile tugging at the girl's mouth. 'No you didn't. You did it on purpose.'

'Maybe.' Mandy shrugged again. 'So what it is?'

Natasha looked down at the almost finished picture of the strange whale. 'I don't know yet. So, did my friend find you?'

Mandy looked at her picture as she replied. 'You're not going to pretend she wasn't following me?'

'Nah, no point. You obviously figured her out if you sat next to me. Where is she?' She decided to finish the picture later and put the pad away.

Mandy lost the slight smile she had and nodded towards the lift. 'In there. Watching the video.'

'What video?'

Natasha jumped again as the Doctor sat on her other side. 'What is it with people scaring me today?'

'Not doing it on purpose.' The Doctor said with the same look that Mandy had.

Natasha rolled her eyes. 'Yeah right. You're like a big kid, you know that?'

'Yeah, well, who'd want to grow up? That's boring.'

Mandy giggled and Natasha felt a smile tugging at her own lips.

'So where's Pond got to.'

Natasha pointed at the lift Mandy had indicated. 'In there apparently.'

Just then the lift doors opened and the Doctor quickly went over with Natasha and Mandy right behind him.

'Amy? What have you done?' When she didn't answer he went inside the lift poking around with his pen thing. Then he stood on the chair and used the pen on the lamp above.

Natasha made a mental note to ask him what that thing was exactly.

The Doctor looked at his pen and frowned slightly. 'Yeah, your basic memory wipe job. Must have erased about 20 minutes.'

'But why would I choose to forget?' Amy asked quietly.

'Cos everyone does. Everyone chooses the "forget" button.' Mandy said from next to Natasha.

Natasha looked down at her. 'Do you know what's on the video or is there an age limit?'

'I'm not eligible to vote yet. I'm 12. Any time after you're 16, you're allowed to the see the film and make your choice. And then, once every five years...'

'And once every five years, everyone chooses to forget what they've learned.' The Doctor scoffed lightly. 'Democracy in action.'

Mandy looked at Natasha and the Doctor. 'How do you not know about this? Are you Scottish too?'

'They are, I'm not, I'm way worse than Scottish. I can't even see the movie. Won't play for me.' The Doctor waved his hands in front of the screen.

'It played for me.' Amy said as she stood next him.

Natasha moved into the lift the look around and saw the Booth Man opposite the screen. 'Oh, creepy.'

The Doctor looked at her and then Amy. 'The difference being the computer doesn't accept me as human.'

'Why not?'

Natasha snorted in disbelief and looked at Amy with a raised eyebrow. 'Seriously? You've seen the TARDIS and you think he's human?'

'He looks human.'

'No, you look Time Lord. We came first.'

Time Lords…that must be his species then.

'So there are other Time Lords, yeah?'

Natasha saw pain flicker in the Doctor's eyes briefly. 'No. There were, but there aren't...just me now. Long story. There was a bad day. Bad stuff happened, and you know what? I'd love to forget it all, every last bit of it, but I don't. Not ever. Cos this is what I do - every time, every day, every second. This. Hold tight. We're bringing down the government.'

The Doctor slammed his hand down on the Protest button and then pulled them both into the corner as the floor starts to slide away. Opposite them the Booth Man turns to an obscenely creepy face.

The Doctor grins wildly at them. 'Say wheeeee!'

Natasha just clung to him and screamed with Amy as they fell.

Eventually they shot out of the end of the tube they were in and landed with a splash.

The Doctor was immediately on his feet. 'High-speed air cannon. Lousy way to travel.'

Natasha got to her own feet feeling a little dizzy. 'You are so lucky there's a waterproof lining to my bag Doctor.' Natasha wrinkled her nose as the smell registered. 'Oh god it stinks in here.'

'Where is here?' Amy asked as she accepted the hand up Natasha gave her.

'600 feet down, 20 miles laterally - puts us at the heart of the ship.' The Doctor sniffed loudly. 'I'd say... Lancashire. What's this, then - a cave? Can't be a cave. Looks like a cave.'

'It's a rubbish dump, and it's minging!' Amy picked a peeling of some kind of her shoulder and chucked it away.

'Yes, but only food refuse.' The Doctor sniffed again even loudly. 'Organic, coming through feeder tubes from all over the ship.'

Natasha watched in disgust as Amy knelt down to feel the floor. 'The floor's all squidgy, like a water bed.'

'But feeding what, though?'

A sudden, horrible thought came to Natasha. 'Er…Doctor question. Doesn't food usually go to one er…specific area?'

The Doctor and Amy both looked at her, although Amy still seemed a bit confused as she got to her feet again.

'It's not a floor, it's a...' The Doctor put his pen away and moved closer to them. 'So...'

'It's a what?' Amy asked nervously.

Natasha gulped and hoped he would say something completely different to what she was thinking.

'The next word is kind of the scary word. Take a moment. Get yourself in a calm place.' He took one their hands in each of his. 'Go "omm".'

Amy did this but Natasha just stood getting closer to panicking.

'It's a tongue.' The Doctor told them calmly.

'A tongue?' Amy said quietly.

Natasha winced. 'No, no, no.'

'Yes, yes, yes.' The Doctor said excitedly. 'A tongue. A great big tongue!'

'This is a mouth? This whole place is a mouth? We're in a mouth?!' Amy ended up nearly shouting.

Natasha tried to push it aside but kept coming back to that fact she was in a mouth. 'Well I suppose we should be grateful it hasn't swallowed us yet.

Amy froze. 'Swallowed? Did you just say swallowed? Doctor, she just said swallowed.' The Doctor just went on talking about the 'beastie'. 'Doctor! How do we get out?'

He looked over at them. 'Yes she did, but it's fine. OK, it's being fed through surgically implanted feeder tubes, so the normal entrance is...' The Doctor made his pen light up and looked around with it until he found the teeth. The closed teeth. 'Closed for business.'

'We can try, though.' Amy said suddenly starting towards the teeth.

'No! Stop, don't move!' The Doctor yelled belatedly as there was a distant noise. 'Too late. It's started.'

'What has?' Amy asked with a scared tone.

Natasha just stood stock still. 'Well, what do you do when there's food in your mouth?'

Amy's eyes went wide and just then the large tongue heaved sending them to their knees. As they slipped around the Doctor zapped the 'walls' with his pen.

Amy yelled at him. 'What are you doing?'

'I'm vibrating the chemo-receptors.'

'Chemo-what?' Natasha asked as she and Amy helped each other up.

'The eject button.'

'Hell no!' Natasha yelled at the Doctor. 'No way Doctor! Undo it quick!'

'Too late.' The Doctor said as a huge wave of…stuff came at them. 'Right, then. This isn't going to be big on dignity. Geronimo!'

Natasha and Amy clung to each other and Natasha quickly turned away from the…stuff.

A couple of minutes later after sliding through another pipe Natasha found herself lying on another floor next to Amy. Thankfully she could see that this was a solid, non-tongue floor.

'There's nothing broken, there's no sign of concussion and yes, you are covered in sick.'

Natasha got to her feet and glared at the Doctor. 'You sound way too happy about that. It's puke!'

'Where are we?' Amy asked as she stood as well.

'Overspill pipe, at a guess.'

Amy wrinkled her nose in distaste. 'Oh, God, it stinks.'

Natasha scowled and tried to ignore the smell. 'It's not the pipe Amy, it's us.'

Amy sniffed her arm warily and then quickly moved it away from her nose. 'Oh whoo! So, can we get out of here?'

'One door, one door switch, one condition.' He gestured at the door where a button had just lit up. 'We forget everything we saw. Look familiar? That's the carrot.' Suddenly two Booth Men light up. 'Ooh, here's the stick. There's a creature living in the heart of this ship. What's it doing there?' The men turned to show the angry faces. 'No, that's not going to work on me, so come on. Big old beast below decks and everyone who protests gets shoved down its throat. That how it works?'

The men turned again, this time they showed an almost demonic face. Natasha grabbed the Doctor's arm. 'Doctor, be careful. There is something seriously…wrong with those things.

The Doctor patted her hand. 'Don't worry.' He looked back at the men. 'I'm not leaving and I'm not forgetting and what are you fellows going to do about it? Stick out your tongues?'

The booths opened and the two Booth Men start walking towards them.

Natasha backed up with the Doctor. 'Told you, I told you so!'

The Doctor looked at her in disbelief. 'Is now really the time?'

Suddenly a woman appeared next to them and shot the Booth Men getting their attention.

'Look who it is. You look a lot better without your mask.' The Doctor said to the woman.

The woman shook Amy's hand. 'You must be Amy. Liz. Liz 10.'

Amy nodded. 'Hi.'

Liz pulled her hand back and wiped it on her cloak. 'Eurgh!'

Natasha focused on the cloak the woman was wearing. It was red and looked the exact same as the one she'd seen in her head.

'Sorry I didn't get your name.'

Natasha realised Liz was talking to her and looked at the woman. 'Oh sorry, Natasha, I'd shake your hand but I am also suffering after effects of the Doctor's hasty plan.'

'Worked didn't it.' The Doctor said as Natasha picked a weird lump off her top.

Liz headed back to the door she'd come in and pulled it open to show Mandy stood there. 'You know Mandy, yeah?' Liz put her arm around the girl. 'She's very brave.'

The Doctor looked at Liz curiously. 'How did you find us?'

'Stuck my gizmo on you.' Liz tossed a device similar to the Doctor had at him. 'Been listening in. Nice moves on the hurl escape. So, what's the big fella doing here?'

'You're over 16, you've voted. Whatever this is, you've chosen to forget about it.'

Liz shook her head. 'No. Never forgot, never voted. Not technically a British subject.'

Natasha's eyes widened at that comment remembering things from her research. 'No way!'

The Doctor looked at her. 'What?'

She rolled her eyes at him and focused on Liz. 'That's so cool!'

Realising she wasn't going to tell him the Doctor turned back to Liz. 'Then who and what are you, and how do you know me?'

Liz laughed lightly. 'You're a bit hard to miss, love. Mysterious stranger, MO consistent with higher alien intelligence, hair of an idiot…' the women laughed as the Doctor went to argue but then ran his hands through his hair instead. 'I've been brought up on the stories. My whole family was.'

Natasha grinned as this confirmed even more of her timeline.

'Your family?' The Doctor asked, but just then one of the Booth Men started twitching.

Liz scowled at it. 'The Smilers are repairing, doesn't take them long. Let's move.'

Liz continues with her explanation as they leave the overspill pipe and head into the corridors beyond it. 'The Doctor. Old drinking buddy of Henry XII. Tea and scones with Liz II. Vicky was a bit on the fence about you, weren't she? Knighted and exiled you on the same day, although she liked your friend a little better. And so much for the Virgin Queen, you bad, bad boy!' She turned to throw a grin at the Doctor.

The Doctor seemed to be finally figuring out who she was. 'Liz 10?'

Behind them another Smiler left its booth.

Liz grinned again. 'Liz 10, yeah. Elizabeth X. And down!' Liz turned and shot the Smilers following them making them fall to the ground again. 'I'm the bloody Queen, mate. Basically, I rule.'

Natasha squealed slightly. 'This is awesome! I can nearly forgive you for covering me in sick Doc!'

Liz seemed highly amused with her attitude as she led them down another corridor. 'There's a high-speed Vator through there.' She points to the other end of the corridor but stops when the Doctor looks through some bars at a bizarre looking tentacle thing. 'Oh, yeah. There's these things, any ideas?'

Amy stood next to the Doctor. 'Doctor, I saw one of these up top. There was a hole in the road, like it had burst through, like a root.'

'Exactly like a root. It's all one creature - the same one we were inside - reaching out. It must be growing through the mechanisms of the entire ship.' The Doctor sounded sad about something but Natasha wasn't sure what.

Liz glanced at the tentacle. 'What? Like an infestation?'

The Doctor talked more to himself than them. 'Someone's helping it. Feeding it.'

'Feeding my subjects to it. Come on. We've got to keep moving.' Liz storms ahead, closely followed by Mandy and Natasha.

Natasha wanted to ask Liz questions but restrained herself when she saw the angry look on the Queen's face. She couldn't help but feel giddy when she thought of the fact that she was with the Queen! Fair enough she was the future Queen but still – the Queen!

Amy and the Doctor caught up with them and they carried on until they reached what must be Liz's private quarters.

'Why all the glasses?' The Doctor said asking the same thing Natasha wanted to know.

There were around forty glass filled with water all over the floor of the room.

Liz sat on her bed. 'To remind me every single day that my government is up to something, and it's my duty to find out what.'

The Doctor walked over to her bed and picked something up. 'A queen going undercover to investigate her own kingdom?'

Natasha moved closer and tried to control her face when she recognised the mask he was holding.

'Secrets are being kept from me. I don't have a choice.' Liz said sadly but firmly. 'Ten years I've been at this my entire reign – and you've achieved more in one afternoon.'

The Doctor started pacing up and down. 'How old were you when you came to the throne?'

'Forty. Why?'

Amy came away from the mirror she'd used to put her hair in a bun. 'What, you're fifty now? No way!' She sat on the chaise at the end of the bed with Mandy.

Liz grinned slightly. 'Yeah, they slowed my body clock. Keeps me looking like the stamps.'

'And you always wear this in public?' The Doctor sat next to Liz on the bed.

'Undercover's not easy when you're me. The autographs, the bunting.'

'Air-balanced porcelain.' The Doctor said as he looked closer at the mask. 'Stays on by itself, cos it's perfectly sculpted to your face.'

'Yeah. So what?' Liz asked with the confused tone Natasha was beginning to recognise as almost normal for people with the Doctor.

'Oh, Liz. So everything.'

Natasha realised the Doctor had figured something out, but before she could ask him about the door opened and four hooded men walked in.

Liz stood up in anger. 'What are you doing? How dare you come in here?'

The hooded man at the front spoke. 'Ma'am, you have expressed interest in the interior workings of Starship UK. You will come with us now.'

'Why would I do that?' Liz scoffed imperiously.

The man's head spun around making Natasha back up in horror. Instead of the human face it was now a Smiler's angry face.

Liz seemed horrified as well. 'How can they be Smilers?'

The Doctor didn't seem overly surprised. 'Half Smiler, half human.'

'Whatever you creatures are, I am still your queen.' Liz drew herself to her full height. 'On whose authority is this done?'

'The highest authority, Ma'am.' Was the slightly robotic reply.

'I am the highest authority.' Liz said angrily.

'Yes, ma'am. You must go now, Ma'am.'

'Where?'

'The Tower, Ma'am.'

After five minutes of walking in silence the five of them, plus the four Smiler Men, reached a cavern like room.

Amy looked around in awe. 'Doctor, where are we?'

'The lowest point of Starship UK. The dungeon.' He spun around with his arms out and Natasha was slightly reassured by his relaxed demeanour. Hopefully that meant he knew how to fix whatever was going on.

Natasha ignored the others and walked around the room towards a large circular hole in the floor with a wall around it. She was drawn to it much the same way she had been drawn to the beach.

Looking inside the walled area Natasha saw what must be a brain. With a dawning revulsion Natasha opened her bag and pulled out her sketch pad. She looked at the picture and then at the brain that was being repeatedly hit with electricity. 'Oh no…' she whispered softly, 'what have they done?'

Natasha held back her tears as the others came to stand next to her at the 'well' and quickly put her drawing away again.

The Doctor stood next to her and spoke in a grim tone. 'Yeah, look at us. Torture chamber of the Tower of London. Lucky, lucky, lucky. Except it's not a torture chamber, is it?' He turned to look over some of the equipment. 'Well, except it is. Except it isn't. Depends on your angle.' The Doctor came back and stood next to Liz this time.

Liz looked down at the brain. 'What's that?'

'Well, like I said, depends on the angle. It's either the exposed pain centre of big fella's brain, being tortured relentlessly...' The Doctor paused.

'Or?' Liz asked looking at him.

The Doctor sighed, but answered. 'Or it's the gas pedal, the accelerator - Starship UK's go-faster button.'

Liz was just confused. 'I don't understand.'

'Don't you? Try, go on. The spaceship that could never fly, no vibration on deck. This creature - this poor, trapped, terrified creature. It's not infesting you, it's not invading - it's what you have instead of an engine. And this place down here is where you hurt it, where you torture it, day after day, just to keep it moving.' Natasha winced as another bolt of electricity repeatedly fired into the brain. The Doctor walked off and continued talking. 'Tell you what.' He lifted the grate that was holding back a tentacle. 'Normally, it's above the range of human hearing. This is the sound none of you wanted to hear.' He used his pen thing and the room was filled with what were undoubtedly cries of pain.

Natasha felt her tears break free and saw more pictures fill her head. Pictures of other strange whales which faded away until there was only one. Then there was a picture of Earth from space but instead of green there was brown.

Liz spoke up breaking Natasha's focus on the pictures. 'Stop it.' The Doctor stopped the noise…or rather stopped them hearing it. Liz turned to the man that seemed to be in charge. 'Who did this?'

'We act on instructions from the highest authority.'

Natasha was starting to hate that phrase.

Liz seemed just as annoyed by his response. 'I am the highest authority. The creature will be released, now. I said now!' None of the men in the room moved. 'Is anyone listening to me?'

The Doctor walked over to Liz holding the mask still. 'Liz. Your mask.'

She glanced at the mask in his hand. 'What about my mask?'

'Look at it. It's old. At least 200 years old, I'd say.' The Doctor tossed the mask to the Queen.

'Yeah, it's an antique, so?'

'Yeah, an antique made by craftsmen over 200 years ago and perfectly sculpted to your face. They slowed your body clock, all right, but you're not 50. Nearer 300. And it's been a long old reign.'

Liz shook her head in denial. 'Nah, it's ten years. I've been on this throne ten years.'

The Doctor moved next to her. 'Ten years. And the same ten years over and over again,' he took her hand and led her to the side of the room, 'always leading you...here.'

Natasha followed them and saw two buttons but these said Forget and Abdicate. Another picture came to her mind of the strange whale being contained and Natasha shuddered in horror.

Liz looked at the grey haired man again. 'What have you done?'

'Only what you have ordered. We work for you, Ma'am. The Winders, the Smilers, all of us.' The man turned on the screen and then stepped back.

Liz sat as a recording of herself played on the screen.

'If you are watching this...If I am watching this, then I have found my way to the Tower Of London. The creature you are looking at is called a Star Whale. Once, there were millions of them.'

Natasha saw a picture almost exactly like the one she'd drawn appear on the screen.

'They lived in the depths of space and, according to legend, guided the early space travelers through the asteroid belts. This one, as far as we are aware, is the last of its kind. And what we have done to it breaks my heart. The Earth was burning. Our sun had turned on us, and every other nation had fled to the skies. Our children screamed as the skies grew hotter.'

Natasha closed her eyes but she saw what was on the screen in her head anyway.

'And then it came, like a miracle. The last of the star whales. We trapped it, we built our ship around it, and we rode on its back to safety. If you wish our voyage to continue, then you must press the "forget" button. Be again the heart of this nation, untainted. If not, press the other button. Your reign will end, the Star Whale will be released, and our ship will disintegrate. I hope I keep the strength to make the right decision.

The recording ended and Natasha opened her eyes to find Amy looking distraught.

'I voted for this? Why would I do that?' Amy looked at the Doctor.

'Because you knew if we stayed here, I'd be faced with an impossible choice. Humanity or the alien. You took it upon yourself to save me from that. And that was wrong. You don't ever decide what I need to know!'

Amy stared at him in dismay. 'I don't even remember doing it.'

'You did it. That's what counts.'

'I'm... I'm sorry.' Amy was close to tears at the anger in his voice.

'Oh, I don't care. When I'm done here, you're going home.' The Doctor turned away from her towards a panel of instruments.

Amy followed him desperately. 'Why? Because I made a mistake? One mistake? I don't even remember doing it. Doctor!'

'Yeah. I know. You're only human.' He said bitterly.

Liz watched him as he started doing something with the instruments in front of him. 'What are you doing?'

The Doctor scowled. 'The worst thing I'll ever do. I'm going to pass a massive electrical charge through the Star Whale's brain. Should knock out all its higher functions, leave it a vegetable. The ship will still fly, but the whale won't feel it.'

Natasha's jaw dropped in horror and moved closer to the brain again. 'But Doctor that will…'

The Doctor's scowl got fiercer but he didn't look up from what he was doing. 'Look, three options. One: I let the Star Whale continue in unendurable agony for hundreds more years. Two: I kill everyone on this ship. Three: I murder a beautiful, innocent creature as painlessly as I can. And then I find a new name, cos I won't be the Doctor anymore.' He ended on a very bitter tone.

Liz looked at him sadly. 'There must be something we can do, some other way.'

'Nobody talk to me. Nobody human has anything to say to me today!' Doctor yelled at her in anger before going back to what he was doing.

Natasha looked down at the brain and let her tears fall again. Her head was hurting as something tried to work its way in. She hadn't felt her weirdness this strongly for years. Natasha felt another compulsion wash over her and moved even closer to the well containing the brain. As she did Natasha got more pictures in her head and emotions with them, which she knew had to be coming from the star whale.

She saw the Earth slowly moving closer and felt the intense desire to help as she heard the echoes of children's cries.

Natasha gasped as the image faded and ran towards Liz. From the corner of her eye she saw Amy coming over as well. Natasha grabbed Liz's hand and pulled her back to the screen. 'Sorry Liz, I need your hand.' As she pushed Liz's hand onto the Abdicate button Natasha heard the Doctor shout at her.

The whale gave a loud bellow that they all heard and the entire ship shook.

The Doctor ran over to her. 'Natasha, what have you done?'

Amy went over to the grey haired man. 'She did nothing, am I right?'

The man looked in the screen and had a very shocked look on his face. 'We've increased speed.'

Natasha smiled in relief. 'That's because you're no longer torturing the pilot.'

Liz looked around the room in confusion. 'It's still here? I don't understand.'

Natasha started beaming when a wave of happiness filled her mind briefly. 'The Star Whale didn't come like a miracle all those years ago Liz. He volunteered. He was alone and the cries of the children pulled him towards Earth. You didn't have to trap him or torture him - that was all just you. He came to you because he wanted to help the children. He came to you because he was so old, and so alone and so kind, and he couldn't bear to let the children cry when he heard them.' Natasha looked up saw comprehension light inside the Doctor's eyes as he stared at her in astonishment. Natasha kept watching him as Amy started speaking.

'What if your whole race was dead, no future? What wouldn't you do then? If you were that old, and that kind, and the very last of your kind…would you be able to just stand there and watch children cry?' Amy was also looking at the Doctor clearly understanding the same things about him that Natasha had figured out.

Later Natasha was sat on the benches near the TARDIS looking up at the stars. She felt someone sit next to her and knew it was the Doctor. 'Imagine it Doctor…what it must have been like out there when there were so many of them.'

Doctor shifted next to her. 'Hmm.'

Amy walked up to them and gave the Doctor Liz's mask. 'From her Majesty. She says there will be no more secrets on Starship UK.' Natasha looked away from the stars to the mask.

The Doctor looked up and caught Natasha's eye. 'How did you know how the whale would react.' He glanced at Amy briefly. 'Amy put it together from things I'd said to her and things she saw. But you didn't hear or see half of those things. So…how did you know you wouldn't kill every person on this ship?'

Natasha had known she would have to explain her weirdness to him eventually, but she had hoped to put it off a bit longer.

She took a deep breath. 'I have this…weirdness. I get…visions I suppose you could say and these visions show me things I'll see in the future sort of like a warning. When we were sat watching Mandy I got pictures of Liz's cloak and mask in my head, the buttons from the cavern and a picture of the star whale.'

When she paused Amy sat opposite them stunned. 'Wow.'

The Doctor didn't look away from her. 'What else?'

Natasha took her drawing of the star whale out. 'I drew that from the picture in my head. In the cavern I was drawn to the brain well and I got a picture of the star whales disappearing. Then of him being contained within the ship. I closed my eyes during part of the video but I still saw it in my head. Then while you were…working the whale pulled me closer to the brain well again and flooded my head with pictures and emotions. Of him hearing the children's cries and coming to Earth wanting to help. He was so alone Doctor and now he can hear the children all the time playing, laughing, living. After I'd pushed the button he sent a wave of…pure happiness into my head.' Natasha finished with a smile and watched the Doctor as he watched her.

'I still think there's something about you I've forgotten Natasha Francis.'

Amy cut in. 'It must be so cool to have that gift.'

Natasha turned and scowled at Amy. 'It is not a gift. Yes it helped today but for the past few years I thought it had finally disappeared and I was pleased. Trust me Amy, it's not a gift.' Natasha took her sketch pad back from the Doctor and put it away. Then stood up and walked back to the TARDIS.

She knew she shouldn't have snapped at Amy, but this weirdness was in no way a gift, it was a damn curse.

As soon as the Doctor and Amy caught up with her at the TARDIS and he opened the door she went to the area underneath the stairs where she had stashed her bag earlier. Sitting on the floor against the wall Natasha turned to page in her sketch book and started sketching Liz X in her cloak.

She had barely started though when she heard Amy mention someone. Putting her stuff back in her bag Natasha went back up to the console and looked at Amy as the Doctor talked on the phone.

'Did you say Winston Churchill?

Amy grinned at her. 'Oh yeah.'

'Wicked!' Natasha said.

Suddenly Amy's face dropped. 'I'm still in my nightie.'

The Doctor hung up and pointed to one of the staircases going up. 'Wardrobe.'

Amy and Natasha looked at each and started running out, the Doctor yelled behind them.

'The TARDIS will bring out clothes in your sizes.'

Natasha came to a stop in the door way with Amy. The wardrobe wasn't as wide as the console room but it went higher and had similar walls as the main room. As the two of them moved closer and the racks of clothes started moving around and up and down until finally coming to a stop.

Moving forward Natasha looked at the nearest rack and saw the clothes were indeed her size. 'Well since he got us covered in star whale puke, I say we make full use of these clothes.'

Amy laughed as she looked through another rack. 'Too right. Plus, these clothes are amazing.'

'I know.' Natasha kept moving things aside a lot of it wasn't to her taste but then she found things she did like. She didn't vary her wardrobe choices much in style and wore what she was comfortable in. Natasha pulled a long sleeved peacock blue shirt from the wrack, flipped some more and found some blue jeans. After a few minutes she still hadn't found the last item she wanted and sighed in frustration. 'Oh come on, I only need a – '

Natasha broke off as the wrack moved to the side for a few seconds before stopping. In front of her were dozens of waistcoats.

'Thank you TARDIS!' Natasha said with glee and quickly grabbed a long black waistcoat. She turned to find Amy also had an armful of clothes.

Amy grinned at her. 'I wonder if the TARDIS does shoes?'

Seemingly in reply two doors opened to show them shelves of shows. Natasha and Amy squealed in delight and ran to look.

Natasha immediately grabbed a pair of black Doc Martins just like the ruined ones she had on. Amy grabbed a pair of shoes for herself then stopped smiling. 'Wait, we're still all…pukey.'

Natasha frowned as well. 'Well he must have a couple of bathrooms somewhere. Let's ask him and then…Winston Churchill here we come!'

Amy grinned with her and they ran out of the room.

This was going to be some much fun!

Author Note – Okay *braces self* let me have it. Have I desecrated the sanctity of the Whoniverse or have I *smiles hopefully* added to it?