Wanderer of Time

by Tinker16

A normal life was all Wanda had ever known. She thought it was all she ever wanted. Until one fateful night when her seemingly simple world was turned on its head. Wanda, once an ordinary human girl, now finds herself in a universe of strange creatures and even stranger people. A universe she had only visited in her distant dreams. The universe of the Doctor.

4. Ch 4: The Lost Play

Hello, fair and lovely readers!

Well, here is the next chapter of my story. Please, enjoy and be merry. :)

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 4: The Lost Play

The white light disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. Leaving Wanda blinking rapidly in bewilderment, trying to clear her vision. Finally able to see clearly, she saw she was standing within the TARDIS again. This time in Ten's control room. The same coral pillars and grunge outlook as from the show. Staring around in confusion, she wondered what she was doing here.

Two people standing within the room caught her gaze. It was Martha Jones and Ten himself standing by the TARDIS doors. Martha stood there with her arms crossed, staring in puzzlement at Ten. Ten stood with his back to Wanda, his hands within the pockets of his brown pinstriped suit.

"So . . . she just jumps around your timeline? Just like that?" Wanda heard Martha ask.

"Yep," the Doctor said with a small pop at the end with the 'p'. He even started bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. Martha started to open her mouth again in question before she finally spotted Wanda standing by the console.

"Who's she?" she blurted out, pointing to Wanda. The Doctor spun on his feet, facing Wanda as well. He gave a big smile upon seeing her.

"Wanda! Sorry, didn't notice you there," he said brightly. He bounded over to her, opening his arms to give her a hug. Wanda, in fear of what was happening, backed away quickly. The Doctor stopped short, confusion written all over his face. "What's wrong?"

"I-I don't understand," Wanda stuttered out, pinching her thumb hard. "I-I should have woken up by now. Why haven't I woken up?" She pinched her thumb even harder then, wondering if maybe the pain would awaken her. Her heart beat rapidly, causing a pounding echo within her ears. She rubbed her chest, wincing in pain from it.

Frowning heavily, the Doctor pulled out his sonic and began scanning her. Wanda flinched at the sonic passed over her face. He flipped it up to him, staring at the readings. Eyebrows raised high; he stared at her in pure shock.

"Wow, uh . . .," he said quietly. At that point he started rubbing his hand through his hair in a nervous manner. "Blimey . . . um . . ." He seemed very unsure of what to do with the situation before him. Wanda just stared wide eyed at him. He finally let his hand fall back to his side. His eyes searching her face carefully. "Have we . . . met before or . . ." He trailed off, seeming not sure on what to say to her.

"I've . . . I've just been with your Eleventh self," she said lightly.

"Good, good," the Doctor nodded slowly. "So, then . . . we've met before. Well, you've met me before. Well, not this me. Future me . . ." He trailed off, blinking at her. "Um, hello."

"H-hi," she said back. Staring blankly at him for a moment, her eyes began to drift around the room.

Spotting the TARDIS doors, Wanda ran to them and rushed out. With the door closing behind her, she spun to face the ship. The color, design, windows, and light fixture on top were in the slightest and exact detail to that of the show. Wanda began to walk around the TARDIS, trailing her hand on the box, feeling the wooden texture. She could almost sense the power and might held within, the energy radiating and pulsing into her fingertips. It felt so real. Everything felt so real: the night air, the noises of London echoing around, the hard wood underneath her hand. She even spotted the Vote for Saxon posters a wall off to the side of the TARDIS. Everything suddenly became so clear at that moment, the moment she realized . . .

"Wanda?!" the Doctor called as he rushed out of the TARDIS. He looked wildly around before spotting her standing beside the TARDIS. With her hand still pressed against it. He held up his hands to her in a soothing and cautious gesture. "Look, I know what this seems like, but trust me on this, this is—"

"This is real," she said for him. He froze slightly, dropping his hands back down in surprise. Wanda kept her gaze steady onto his. "This is real, isn't it? This isn't a dream?" He just nodded his head lightly. At that point, Martha had walked out of the TARDIS looked at them both confused. Wanda's eyes drifted to the girl. "You're the real Martha Jones." Martha stopped, a wary expression directed to Wanda.

"Um, yeah, I am," she said slowly, glancing between the Doctor and her. Wanda looked to the Doctor.

"You're the real Doctor," she directed to him. He gave a warm smile and nodded. Wanda looked back to her hand on the TARDIS, rubbing the wood gently. "And this is the real TARDIS." Wanda walked back inside, hearing the other two follow behind. She walked up to the console, gazing around in wonder to everything within. Slowly turning in a circle as she stared in awe at the interior.

"It's . . . ," Wanda trailed off quietly.

The Doctor chuckled slightly. "I know, it's bigger—"

"It's beautiful," Wanda breathed. She frowned suddenly at what she said, realizing her mistake. "No, I'm sorry. She's beautiful." She could not help but smile hearing the TARDIS make a gentle hum to her words.

The Doctor stopped short of what he had been saying, staring in slight wonder at Wanda for what she had said before a warm smile grew on his face. "Yes, she is."

"How though?" Wanda asked, looking back to the Doctor curiously. "How is this real? From where I come, you are just a story." She frowned for a moment, thinking. "Unless . . . multiverse? I come from a different universe to which you and your companions exist as a story?"

"Well, that's the theory," the Doctor said, while shrugging. Wanda nodded slowly, gazing around once again.

"Hang on. That's not Wanda," spoke up Martha. "I just saw Wanda, we both did. She was blonde. Wanda is blonde and tiny and . . . that can't be Wanda." She looked to the Doctor, extremely confused now and seeming lost about what was going on around her. Wanda felt she herself was just as confused as Martha.

"Yeah, about that," the Doctor mumbled while rubbing his hand through his hair again. "She changes. Three different versions of Wanda. This is First Wanda." He gestured to Wanda who now stared blankly at him. "First Wanda, Martha. Martha, First Wanda."

"S-she changes," Martha said bewildered. Then she frowned to the Doctor, eyebrows furrowed heavily. "Do you do that too?"

"Yep! Just did not that along ago," he said cheerfully, slapping his face lightly in emphasis. Martha shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Boy, you two give me the biggest headache," she muttered. The Doctor just threw back his head and laughed.

Wanda stood there dumbfounded. She had heard Amy, Rory, and the Doctor all saying similar things back in the Welsh village. Of course, at the time she had just dismissed their talk as just a part of her dream, but now . . . Three different hers? That cannot be right. Unless there were three different hers from three different universes, which seemed unlikely, so that just left . . . no that was not possible. There was no way. She was human. How could insignificant human her be able to change as easily as the Doctor could? Opening her mouth in question, she quickly snapped it shut. She did want to know what he meant . . . but felt it was a conversation better left in private.

"So! Martha, Wanda, ready for your first trip?" the Doctor asked with excitement. Going over to the console, starting to flip switches and pull levers. "Well, first trip with this me anyway." He said this to Wanda with a wink.

Wanda felt her face heat up from both embarrassment and nervousness. Now that she realized this was no dream, this was the real Doctor . . . well, she felt even more naked now. Never in her wildest dreams would she have ever been with the Doctor nor even be able to talk to him. But now here she was, standing by a TARDIS railing, holding on as the control room shook. She was here and the Doctor actually seemed . . . okay with her being here. He actually seemed happy about it almost. She blinked, wondering if perhaps it was not this her, but the other versions of herself he had mentioned. Perhaps he only tolerated this her. If there was even other hers to begin with. She still speculated this being a dream and an extremely elaborate one at that.

The TARDIS stopped with a jolt as they arrived to their destination.

"Now, Martha," the Doctor said hurriedly. He sprinted around, grabbing both his long, brown coat and Martha's red jacket handing it to her. "I promised you one trip and one trip only. Outside this door . . .," he stopped by the door, "brave new world." He opened the TARDIS door with a flourish, revealing the new world to them.

Martha went out quickly while Wanda lingered behind. She pinched her thumb and twisted it nervously. The Doctor turned to her, giving her a comforting smile.

"After you," he said, nodding to the outside and opening the door wider for her. She walked out and looked around slowly. She knew instantly where they were.

"Elizabethan, London, 1599?" she asked the Doctor just to make sure she was correct. He gave a grin to her, nodding. She gave a small, shy smile back, looking back around to the old London surrounding them.

"Oh, you're kidding me. You're so . . . kidding me," Martha exclaimed, amazed and excitedly. "Oh, my god. We did it! We travelled in time. Where are we? No, sorry. Got to get used to this whole new language. When are we?" Before the Doctor could say anything, a call came from above. He grabbed both Martha and Wanda, pulling them back away from the incoming chamber waste as it hit the ground.

"Somewhere before the invention of the toilet. Sorry about that," he mumbled, seeming embarrassed by the close call.

"I've seen worse. I've worked the late night shift, A&E," Martha told him, slight humour in her tone. Then suddenly, she seemed a little fearful. "But are we safe? I mean, can we move around and stuff?"

"Of course we can. Why do you ask?" he questioned, confused by her sudden unsure nature.

"It's like in the films . . . you step on a butterfly you change the future of the human race," Martha said. The Doctor just sort of blinked at her.

"I'll tell you what, then, don't . . . step on any butterflies," he finally said. "What have butterflies ever done to you?" He started to walk on with Wanda and Martha following behind.

"What if . . . I don't know," Martha continued on. "What if I kill my grandfather?"

The Doctor turned to face her, walking backwards. "Are you planning to?"

"No."

"Well, then." The Doctor turned back around, continuing his stroll.

"And this is London?"

"Not sure. Wanda, you have any idea?" The Doctor gave her a small wink. Wanda felt herself blushing again, pinching her thumb from embarrassment. She wondered why he was asking her. He knew what time they were in. Was he just trying to get her to talk?

"Um . . . we're in 1599 London," Wanda told Martha quietly. The Doctor gave her yet another smile. She averted her eyes to the ground.

Wanda did not think she could take any more of the smiles he kept giving her. Why was he even smiling at her in the first place? This is him recently after Rose. In the show, he had been distant from Martha and everyone else. Still torn from the loss. Now however, he seemed at ease. Light and happy. A bounce in his step even. Wanda peeked back to him, seeing how he waved and smiled to some people around the city. Laughing along lightly with Martha as she joked and talked happily. Wanda wondered if perhaps . . . the other verisons of her (as the Doctor had mentioned) had helped him in some way. Maybe helped him overcome the loss, or reassured him that he would find his love again one day. Perhaps . . . she and the Doctor were really good friends? Or at least, theother hers. If that were even real or possible.

"If I'm right," the Doctor spoke up, "we're just down the river, by Southwark, right next to . . ." he glanced around, looking for something specific, and then started to pull both Martha and Wanda down the way with him. They came around the corner see, "Oh, yes! the Globe Theatre, brand-new, just opened. Though, strictly speaking, it's not a globe. It's a . . ."

"It's a tetradecagon, fourteen sides," Wanda said in a rush of excitement. The hugest smile broke out onto her face. She felt so giddy seeing the historic and marvelous theatre before her eyes. "Oh, my gosh! I've always wanted to see the Globe Theatre!" She bounced up and down slightly, wanting to rush off to it.

"Thought you'd like it. I know how much you enjoy the theatre," he told her with a grin. Without realizing it, Wanda grabbed both his and Martha's hands, pulling them along in an excited rush. Wanting nothing more than to be at the theatre. Both the Doctor and Martha laughed at her excitement.

Once they arrived, Wanda, realizing her mistake on grabbing both their hands and let go at immediately while muttering a quick apology in humiliation at her over excitement. They both just shook their heads and waved it off as nothing. The Doctor managed to get them tickets just in time, and walked them into the pit area for watching. The play was fantastic. Wanda could not stop herself from giggling and bouncing up and down while watching it. She also could not stop gazing around and admiring the beautiful theatre. It was even more amazing that what she had always imagined. Being here, in 1599, in the brand-new Globe Theatre . . . it took her breath away.

Once the play had ended, the actors started bowing at the applause.

"So, did you like it?" the Doctor asked Wanda.

"Oh, yes," she beamed at him. "I loved it." She blushed when the Doctor pulled her in for a quick hug and peck on the head. He let go and started clapping again with everyone else.

"That's amazing, just amazing," Martha praised, clapping away along with everyone as well. "Where's Shakespeare? I want to see Shakespeare." Martha raised her fist and began to cry 'Author'. Everyone else within the theatre began to chant the same as Martha. Martha laughed loudly at what she had started. Wanda could not help but laugh with her.

Shakespeare then arrived to the stage upon hearing the chanting. He waved widely to the audience, giving a large grin. Everyone then began to cheer and applaud even louder.

"He's a bit different to his portraits," Martha commented to them. Indeed he was. No balding head, no ruffle collar. He had a more laid back look as well.

"Genius," the Doctor praised. "He's a genius . . . The Genius . . . the most human, human there's ever been. Now we're going to hear him speak." Wanda smirked slightly, knowing what was coming up. The Doctor grinned with excitement. "Always, he chooses the best words, new, beautiful, brilliant words."

"Ah . . . shut your big, fat mouths!" Shakespeare yelled to the audience right after the Doctor's praise. The audience laughed around them, while the Doctor deflated slightly. Caught off guard by what had just been said.

"Oh, well," he said. Disappointed by what he had heard.

"You should never meet your heroes," Martha told him, seeming just as disappointed as him. Wanda just laughed, catching their attention.

"Don't worry. He's still brilliant," she told them. "He just doesn't flourish it as much as you'd think."

She watched as Shakespeare talked to the audience some, talking of the play. The audience began to shout, demanding to know when the next play would be. Shakespeare simply waved them off, telling there was no rush when suddenly he seemed to be jolted by some invisible force. Then he announced the next play would be tomorrow, leaving the audience in a frenzy of excitement. Wanda glanced up into the upper gallery to see the young witch, Lilith, petting her little doll of Shakespeare. She looked away quickly, not wanting the witch to see that she was watching. Continuing to clap evenly, she watched the stage with a distant look.

The Doctor stared at the stage, the same look within his eyes as well. He glanced down to see Wanda slowly clapping, an anxious look growing on her face. He knew that look all too well.

"I'm not an expert, but I've never heard of 'Love's Labour's Won'," Martha said while they exited the theatre with the crowd.

"Exactly," the Doctor agreed. "The lost play. Doesn't exist, only in rumors. It's mentioned in lists of his plays, but never, ever turns up. And no one knows why."

"Have you got a mini disc or something?" Martha asked him. "We can tape it. We can flog it. Sell it when we get home, make a mint." Wanda tugged on her jacket lightly, getting her attention.

"Bad idea," she told her, shaking her head slightly.

Martha just agreed, chuckling, and then continued to ask them. "How come it disappeared in the first place?"

"Well . . . I was just going to give you a quick little trip in the TARDIS.," the Doctor said slowly. He glanced at Wanda once again, seeing the anxious expression still there. "But I suppose we could stay a bit longer." He took them to an inn called The Elephant. Hoping for a place to rest for the night. There the Doctor heard Shakespeare talking upstairs, to which he quickly bounded up them with Martha and Wanda following behind.

"Hello. Excuse me. Not interrupting, am I?" the Doctor said cheerfully to those within the room. He beamed brightly to them all. "Mr. Shakespeare, isn't it?"

"Oh, no. No, no, no. Who let you in," Shakespeare groaned upon seeing the Doctor. "No autographs. No, you can't have yourself sketched with me, and please don't ask where I get my ideas from. Thanks for the interest. Now be a good and shove—" Shakespeare abruptly stopped in midsentence as he spotted both Martha and Wanda standing behind the Doctor. He grinned cheekily at them both, gesturing and asking them to sit with him. Making the other two men leave from the table.

"Sweet Ladies," he sweet-talked to them. "Such unusual clothes. So . . . fitted." Martha and Wanda sat down across from him. Martha held a very flattered grin to him, while Wanda just gave a small smile. She could not help but feel happy to be meeting Shakespeare. Though he had never been her favorite playwrights, she really did see his writings as brilliant. Now, meeting the brilliant man in person, Wanda felt almost overwhelmed by it.

The Doctor cleared his throat lightly before introducing them all with his psychic paper, to which Shakespeare spotted right away as being blank.

"Oh, that's . . . very clever," the Doctor said, amazed at what Shakespeare had spotted. Wanda and Martha both glanced to the paper as well.

Wanda blinked, surprised that the paper . . . also looked blank to her. Strange. Was she not looking at it right or something? She would have thought she would see what the Doctor had on there at the moment. Martha pointed to it, disagreeing with Shakespeare as she saw different. Seeing exactly what the Doctor had introduced them as. The Doctor quickly dismissed it to Martha.

"Who are you, exactly?" Shakespeare asked curiously. "More to the point, who are your delicious blackamoor and castanea ladies?" Wanda felt herself blushing, not from feeling flattered or taken by what the man had said, but rather . . . uncomfortable. She shifted in her seat, pinching her thumb slightly. The Doctor, brows furrowed unhappily, threw a stern look to Shakespeare. A small glare of sorts.

"Um, Wanda and Martha are from a far-off land, Freedonia," the Doctor explained sternly. At that moment, Lynley, Master of the Revels, stormed into the room.

"Excuse me! Hold hard a moment," he spoke loudly to Shakespeare. "This is abominable behavior. A new play with no warning. I demand to see a script, Mr. Shakespeare. As Master of the Revels, every new script must be registered at my office and examined by me before it can be performed."

"Tomorrow morning, first thing I'll send it 'round," Shakespeare assured the man.

"I don't work to your schedule," Lynley scoffed. "You work to mine. The script, now!" Once Shakespeare explained to Lynley the script had not been written up yet. Lynley then declared there would be no play performing tomorrow before storming back out of the room. Wanda did not notice the witch, Lilith, leave the room after him nor noticed her being in the room at all to begin with. If Wanda had, she might have tried to put a stop to what happened next.

Everyone within the room heard Lynley wailing in pain down below along with the screaming of others. Startled by the sound, the Doctor rushed down outside while Martha, Wanda, and Shakespeare followed behind. They came outside to see Lynley clutching at his throat, water spewing out of his mouth choking on it.

"It's that Lynley bloke," Martha said in disbelief.

"What's wrong with him?" the Doctor said in the same disbelief. Wanda watched Lynley, horrified by what was happening before her eyes. She grabbed the Doctor's arm in panic.

"He's drowning," she said in a rush. He looked to her then back to Lynley.

"Drowning?" the Doctor asked, not believing at first what Wanda had said. He and Martha then rushed over to Lynley to help him in some way. Wanda just stood there, frozen, unable to move forward to help the two. Nor was she able look away from the scene before her. Lynley finally collapsed to the ground, dying from the spell Lilith had used against him.

Martha tried seeing if she could get the man's heart started again, but when she went to give him mouth-to-mouth water came pouring out. The Doctor kneeled down next to the man, examining the cause of death. He shot a glance over to Wanda when he saw she had been right. This man had been drowning, as well as some sort of invisible blow to the heart, and had died from it. He saw how Wanda stood here, petrified by what happened before her. Her thumb pinched between her shaking hands, both of which were held close to her chest. He felt guilty, knowing how this was earlier her before . . . before she had gotten used to the life they lived. A life which he would have never wished upon her nor wished for her to get accustomed to in the first place. He looked back to the body in regret and shame to the life he knew he put her through.

Eventually, after the Doctor had seen to taking care of the dead man and explaining away the cause of death to the frightened crowd, as to not scare them with the truth of the witchcraft that occurred, he walked over to Wanda. She became startled slightly when he touched her arm gently. She looked to him, then away quickly. Ashamed by the showing her fear, knowing she must seem weak and pathetic to the Doctor in such a state. She followed behind as they all went back into the inn.

"Poor Lynley," Shakespeare spoke solemnly once they got back into his own room. "So many strange events. Not least of all, this land of Freedonia, where a woman can be a doctor." He directed this to Martha, whom he watched earlier trying to say Lynley.

"Where a woman can do what she likes," Martha said to him.

"And you, sir Doctor, how can a man so young have eyes so old?" Shakespeare then asked the Doctor.

"I do a lot of reading," the Doctor told him dismissively. Shakespeare then looked to Wanda, studying her closely.

"And, if sir Doctor has eyes so old, you have eyes so young. Much younger than the age of which you appear. Holding such innocence within them," he spoke evenly to her. Wanda merely blinked at him, not sure what to think of his statement. "And you," Shakespeare once again directed to Martha, "you look at them both like you're surprised they even exist. They are as much of a puzzle to you as they are to me." They all stared at him, uncomfortable by his insightful deductions.

They all bid him goodnight before leaving for bed. After some persuasion by Wanda, she convinced both the Doctor and Martha to take the small bed. She knew how they both needed the sleep. She, on the other hand, felt very restless. She knew there was no sleeping for her tonight, and perhaps for a few nights ahead. So, she sat on an old, wooden chair by the window. Leaning her elbow on the sill, she laid her chin on her open palm and stared to the stars. Listening to the even breathing coming from Martha.

Thinking upon today, everything still felt so surreal to her. Then, seeing Lynley dead today, hit her hard. It made her realize . . . that Rory, Alaya, Restac, and Malohkeh had really died. She had really witnessed their deaths and . . . she had done nothing to stop them. Of course at the time, she had believed them to be nothing more than a dream, but . . . Then with tonight the same had happened. She had let another die when she could have saved them. She could have saved Lynley. She could have saved Rory. She could have saved them all. But then again . . . how did she know she was meant to save them? How did she not know that perhaps . . . even though the notion disturbed her, there had been nothing she could or should have done? That it was an event that was meant to happen no matter what. And she simply had the unpleasant knowledge of knowing beforehand to what would happen.

After some time, she heard the Doctor getting up from the bed and felt him coming over to her. He leaned against the wall beside the window in front of her, staring off into the room. She could tell he wanted to talk with her, but seemed conflicted by it. Finally, she decided to speak up.

"The stars are the same," Wanda said quietly, not wishing to awaken Martha.

"Huh?" the Doctor asked in surprise by her statement.

"The stars . . . they're the same stars. The same stars from where I come," she whispered. "I wonder why that is?"

"Same kind of universe . . . just parallel I suppose," he said just as quietly.

"Still so beautiful." She could not stop the small smile from gracing her lips. They both stayed silent for a moment before she spoke up again. "I know this is not a dream now . . . but everything still feels so bizarre and surreal." She turned to look at him. "I grew up . . . watching you my whole life. And yet, here you are . . . real."

"Here I am." He gave her a small grin. She turned back to the window, continuing to stare at the stars.

"I'm sorry. About earlier. I did not mean to show such . . . weakness," she apologized.

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously.

She turned away from the stars, looking down to her hands lying within her lap. "My fear, from seeing the body. It's just . . . I've never experienced something like that before."

The Doctor crouched down in front of her, taking her hands into his to give a comforting squeeze. "It's not weak by having fear. It's okay to be afraid. Fear and other emotions like that, you're stronger by having those feelings," he told her softly.

"I don't feel stronger," she whispered. He just shook his head sadly.

"You never do. No one does." He suddenly looked saddened by something.

Wanda realized instantly what was going through his mind. She had seen the very same expression many times on the show. "Don't be hard on yourself, Doctor. It's not your fault what happened today."

He shook his head some more. "It's not that. It's just . . . by being with me I put you through all of this." He tightened his grip on her hands.

She frowned at him. "Like I said 'it is not your fault'," she said sternly. "Death is a normal part of life. It's never your fault nor do you cause it. Death happens whether you are there or not. I have been naive by thinking I would never come across death. It's just, no one from my village has ever died, so I've never been around such incidents to experience it for myself. But I know I would have come across it someday."

"No one from your village . . . has ever died?" he asked curiously.

She shrugged. "Not to my knowledge." She wanted to question him then what her life was now. What she was to him? Why she had been brought to this universe in the first place? So many other mysteries to her life she wanted answers for. Suddenly, she noticed that he was still holding her hands. His thumb absently stroked her left hand. A blush crept up on her face, her heart starting to flutter rapidly. The echoing effect sounding once again. She winced as her chest hurt, removing a hand from the Doctor's grip to rub at her chest.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a concern tone.

"I've been having this . . . odd sensation within my chest. It feels sore," she told him truthfully. "And . . . I've been having this . . . echo of a heartbeat." The Doctor sat back away from her for a moment, a troubled and unsure expression growing on his face. He quickly reached into one of his pockets, pulling out his stethoscope.

"Can I check?" He held it up cautiously. She nodded, giving him permission. Placing the earpieces within his ears, he moved the end piece to her chest. He moved from one side, over her heart, then to the other where it had been sore. He closed his eyes, sighing.

"What? Is something wrong?" she asked him. He removed the stethoscope.

"No, nothing's wrong. It's just . . . I don't know how to explain this to you," he mumbled. He rubbed his hand through his hair for a moment, before rubbing it down his face. He then clasped the two hands together nervously. "Wanda, have you wondered about . . . what I said earlier? About there being more than one you?"

"Yes. I've been meaning to ask you about that actually," she said slowly. Though, truthfully, she was afraid of the answer she would receive.

"Well . . . you see . . . the thing is . . . man this is difficult, um . . ." He started rubbing his hand through his hair again. Finally, he moved it away, pulling up the stethoscope to her. "Why don't . . . I just show you." He placed the earpieces in her ears, and then moved the end onto her heart. She listened to it flutter from the closeness between them. Ever so slowly, he moved it to the other side of her chest.

She gasped, jerking away from the Doctor. The chair fell behind her with a sharp bang as she stood up. Martha sat up in the bed, sleepily asking what was wrong. The Doctor stood up quickly, trying to calm Wanda down. Wanda back up away from him, clutching at her chest. She had been so oblivious to it. She had been so silly and stupid to have not seen the signs of its existence. But if one were in denial enough, one could ignore something quite clearly as this. Even it was right in front of them. But now, there was no denying it. She had heard it clearly. She could feel it clearly now. Beating away rapidly, her second heart. The heart beating along beside her first, creating their four beats.

"D-Doctor, what is it? Why do I have two hearts," she asked, panicking. "I can't have two hearts. I mean, I'm not . . . I'm not . . ." The Doctor gripped her shoulders softly, comforting her.

"You are, Wanda. You're a Time Lord," he said to her.

Then, the screaming began.

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So, did everyone enjoy and be merry in the read? If so, leave a review. I would really love to see everyone's thoughts and notes for the story.

Until next time! :)

~Tinker~