Gwyn's POV
"Hello, old girl," I whisper, moving towards the center console. She is different than what my family told me. It is a bigger console room now. I gently let my fingers glide across the dashboard of the Tardis. It glows and hums at my touch, and I can't restrain my giggle. I may hate my old man, but I could never hate the old girl.
"You mustn't be to harsh on him, wolf club." My smile drops and I remove my hand from the dashboard.
"I can be harsh on him all I want after what he's done." And what he hasn't, I think to myself.
"I knew you'd be here, wolf cub. I may not always go where he wants to go, but I always take him where he needs to be. It's time to stop running," the Tardis hums in my head. I frown.
"It doesn't mean I won't stop trying. " I murmur. I have never stopped searching for Mum, but I had almost given up on the Doctor.
"Now, now child, no need to be stubborn. Although I guess you can't help it. Both my wolf and my thief are so stubborn."
I laugh at the Tardis' comments. Then I feel my iPhone vibrate against my leg and this time, since I'm alone, I pull it out and check it.
Uncle Jack: Glad to hear it. Be safe. Give the Doctor a kiss and a slap for me.
Tom: Darling, are you alright? Haven't heard from you in a while. Are we going to have to postpone the wedding?
I smile at my love's text. Time has been weird here. It looks like at home, it's only been maybe a few hours. And Uncle Jack, always a flirt. I send them back each a text saying that I am all right and that I will be home as soon as possible.
Suddenly I feel the Tardis shake and I lose my balance, falling to the ground.
"Move fast, my wolf cub, there are lives at risk. The halls are changing again."
I get back on my feet and run out the Tardis door. I hurry through the twisting corridors and then reach a dead end. My body is pulled towards room 18. Unable to fight it, I take a deep breath and open the door. My face goes pale as I look at the scene in front of me. It's my mother.
Not my Mum as I remember her, no. She is strapped to a chair. Wires are connected everywhere on her body, her head, arms, chest, legs, everywhere. Some of the wires are directly inserted into her body. I watch as she glows golden and screams. But the woman beside her, that's what really sends chills down my spine. She is wearing an eye patch and her remaining eye is the coldest I have ever seen in my life. Her attire is all black and business style, like she is going to a board meeting instead of torturing my mom.
In front of me is the woman who took my mom away: Madame Koverian.
I run down the hall and straight into the Doctor.
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" he shouts, grabbing my biceps in a vice grip. I shake him off and lash out, striking his face. My anger has taken complete hold of me. He looks shocked at the sudden attack and holds a hand to his reddening right cheek.
"Like you can talk, Doctor. Constantly abandoning people after showing them the stars. Promising them forever then leaving them in the middle of nowhere on a street corner. Or worse, alone in a parallel universe!" I shout at him, years of built up anger taking over my senses. The Doctor's face immediately darkens.
"How do you know about that?" he asks, surprisingly calm. I stare him down.
"I know about a lot of things hidden in your closet, Doctor. I know about Martha and the year that didn't happen. I know about the Master and the Time War. I know about Donna and you wiping her memory. I know about the face of Boe and Jack Harkness. I know about Sarah Jane and how you left her not at Croydon but at Aberdeen which, by the way, is a 9 hour drive away even by 20th century standards. And I know about Rose Tyler and how you promised her forever but left her alone in a parallel universe."
The Doctor finally snaps and lashs out at me at the mention of mum. I quickly counter his brash attacked and dodge him. This incarnation is quite clumsy and floppy.
"But as much as I would love to remind you of what a horrible person you are, despite your companions' constant belief in the opposite, now's not the time," I add darkly.
We stare each other off for a few moments before I turn away and walk towards the meeting area, leaving the Doctor still glaring after me.
I walk back into the restaurant and lean up against the bar while the Doctor is having a temper tantrum and starts smashing anything that can break. Part of it is understandable. Our dead count is up to 3 now.
Footsteps approach and someone stops and stands beside me. I look up and see Rory staring at me, looking a tad bit uncomfortable. I raise an eyebrow at him.
"So, what's you experience with the Doctor? You're one of the few people who have seen him and not cared about what he is. You said you've heard about him. So I was just wondering..." He stumbles over his words but his voice still firm with resolve. I let out a sour chuckle.
"I have heard about him. My family all knows him. Most of them have traveled with him at some point or another. But let me ask you something, how long have you adn your wife been traveling with him?" I look him directly in the eyes; he stares right back.
"Three years now. But Amy has known about him for longer. He crashed into her backyard when she was a kid." He shrugs. I give him a sad smile. The new tin dog…not that he's necessarily been useless, but the thought is the same. The Doctor whisking someone away and leaving their partner as the third wheel.
"Let me give you some advice: get ready to comfort her. The Doctor's companions don't last long. He's like fire, the ones closest to him get burned the most. You will be left picking up the pieces when it's all over. If your wife and the Doctor are as close as it looks, the separation will be especially painful for her," I say softly, and his eyes harden a bit and he nods.
The Doctor is gaining in volume as he talks to himself, interrupting us. "It preys on people's fear and possesses them. But Rita wasn't afraid. She was brave and calm. Maybe it's something to do with the people, some connection between the five of you that'll tell me how to fight it."
"Yes, you keep saying that, but you never do. And while we wait, people keep dying. And we'll be next," Gibbis frets. I just silently watch the exchange.
"Look, he'll work it out. He always does. Just let him riff, and move anything expensive out of his way," Amy comments. Can't argue with that logic. Best to just let the Doctor rant for a bit.
"Oh, no. Oh, no, no." The Doctor stops stock still for a long moment.
"Doctor, what is wrong?" Amy asks.
"It's not fear. It's faith. Not just religious faith, faith in something. Howard believed in conspiracies, that external forces controlled the world. Joe had dice cufflinks and a chain with a horseshoe. He was a gambler. Gamblers believe in luck, an intangible force that helps them win or lose. Gibbis has rejected any personal autonomy and is waiting for the next batch of invaders to oppress him and tell him what to do. They all believe there's something guiding them, about to save them. That's what it replaces. Every time someone was confronted with their most primal fear, they fell back on their most fundamental faith. And all this time, I have been telling you to dig deep, find the thing that keeps you brave. I made you expose your faith, show them what they needed."
"But why us? Why are we here? " Rory demands. I smirk. I like this one.
"It doesn't want you. That's why it kept showing you a way out. You're not religious or superstitious, so there's no faith for you to fall back on. It wants her." The Doctor growls, pointing at Amy. Her face becomes confused.
"Me? Why?" The Doctor walks up to her and gently holds her shoulders.
"Your faith in me. That's what brought us here," the Doctor confesses, and it's not hard to see how much it's hurting him.
"But why do they lose their faith before they die, and start worshipping it?" Rory asks.
"It needs to convert the faith into a form it can consume. Faith is an energy, the specific emotional energy the creature needs to live. Which is why at the end of her note, Lucy said ..."
"Praise him," Amy supplies.
"Exactly." The Doctor's face drops and he stares at Amy, all joy falling from his face.
"No. Oh, please, no," Rory whimpers.
Stomp, stomp, growl. It's outside in the hallways and we all freeze. Then, everyone at once, we race into the halls. As we run Amy suddenly stops at one of the crossroads.
"Amy? What are you doing?" The Doctor calls.
"He is beautiful," Amy responds in a dazed voice.
"Leave her. Just leave her!" Gibbis shrieks. The Doctor goes back and grabs Amy, half carrying her into the closest room we all huddled in.
I quickly rush to the door and slam it shut behind them. The creature catches up to us and throws itself against the door. Rory comes and helps me hold the door in place. The Doctor and Amy are transfixed at the little redhead sitting on her suitcase on the floor, looking out the fake window. The Doctor bows his head low and doesn't look up.
"Doctor, it's happening. It's changing me. It's changing my thoughts." Amy's voice is panicked as she holds her head in her hands, as if that will protect her from the invasion of her mind.
"I can't save you from this. There's nothing I can do to stop it," the Doctor says, and somehow he sounds simultaneously like he's breaking his hearts and being as cruel as he ever was.
"What?" Amy stammers. She looks as if her world is collapsing, which it is.
"I stole your childhood and now I've led you by the hand to your death. But the worst thing is, I knew. I knew this would happen. This is what always happens," the Doctor continues relentlessly. He gently kneels in front of the younger Amy. Rory and I fall to the floor as the creature finally pushes its way through, into the room.
"Forget your faith in me! I took you with me because I was vain. Because I wanted to be adored. Look at you. Glorious Pond, the girl who waited for me. I'm not a hero. I really am just a mad man in a box. And it's time we saw each other as we really are."
"Amy Williams, it's time to stop waiting," The Doctor says, then the entire room explodes into white.