*pokes head hesitantly out from behind the Doctor* Is anyone going to throw stuff at me?
Doctor: I don't think so. I hope not.
*steps out fully* Phew. Well...I'm back! After...gosh how long has it been? Six months? Yikes. I can honestly say I'm ashamed of myself. I'm not going to go into a full anecdote as to all the reasons why I haven't updated, but part of it is due to the hiatus of DW: I lost my inspiration and moved on to other fandoms, namely Lord of the Rings and Supernatural. However, with the new season starting next month (YAY!) I'm back in business, baby!
So, last time we ended with those strange vampire things escaping and Vastra and Jenny meeting. Now we're going to go on to one of the episodes from season 5 itself.
I also want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who has stuck by me during this period. Your reviews and favourites and everything have been seen by me and appreciated beyond belief. Hopefully, this chapter and the many to come will attempt to make up for the gap. Enjoy!
The following day (or whatever counted as a day in the TARDIS) I headed down to the console room as usual, glad beyond belief to be back travelling again.
The Doctor noticed the spring in my step.
He grinned at me. "What's got you in such a good mood?"
There was quite a lot of surprise in his voice. Of course, he's probably wondering how I can be so happy when the regeneration was only weeks ago. I decided to ignore the fact that I noticed that - the truth was that I had pushed those emotions down and only let them out at night, when no-one could see or hear me. I didn't want to hurt him by telling him that.
"I'm just glad to be back." A half-truth was better than a lie.
He nodded and whirled around the console, doing his usual mash of buttons and levers. Thank goodness the TARDIS was sentient; half the time I bet he didn't even know what he was pressing.
"Morning, Talia, Doctor." Amy announced, strolling into the area dressed in a loose, red top and black skirt. I recognised the outfit instantly and knew exactly where we were going today. A burst of fear and excitement went through me; it's remarkable how often those two feelings collide when with the Doctor.
"Morning, Pond." The Doctor replied distractedly. I could see what he was just about to press, as not all of the controls had changed, and I warned Amy to grab onto something as we landed.
Amy bounded up to the Doctor once the initial bang of the landing had faded. "Is it a planet? I think it's about time we went to a planet, don't you?"
The Doctor didn't answer, just gave her a cheeky grin and indicated that she go out the doors. She did so, and I went to follow, but before I could the Doctor grabbed my hand.
"What is it?" I asked.
He suddenly turned from joking and light-hearted to serious. "I've seen your face. You know what's going to happen next, don't you?"
Slightly nervous now, I nodded. "I do. The next situation is a couple of episodes."
I looked in his eyes and saw that, for a brief moment, he was trying to decide whether to press me for information, or to counsel me against giving it. The latter won.
"Well, then in that case you have to listen to me very carefully. Do not try to change any of the events that are going to happen. Understand? Not even the tiniest of events. Even if you think that it won't affect anything, you can never know that for sure. Don't forget that your presence in this universe is still unnatural and, though it's worked so far because not much has happened that is from your TV show, now things could change. I don't want to lose you to a paradox."
My chest tightened at those last words and unbidden tears prickled at the corners of my eyes. I nodded. "I promise. I won't change anything or let on that I know anything. It'll be hard, but I won't."
He saw the honesty in my eyes and also nodded, reverting back to a smile in a split second. He gave my shoulder a squeeze and then darted out the doors after Amy. I took a moment to compose myself and followed.
The Delirium Archive looked exactly as I expected it to. The Doctor was already whirling around the various exhibits, proclaiming then right or wrong.
"Wrong. Wrong. Bit right, mmmmostly wrong. I love museums!"
I laughed; you never really understood the fact that the Doctor has lived through every moment in time until you're standing next to him in a museum.
Amy began complaining that it wasn't a planet. I couldn't really blame her.
"You've got a time machine. What do you need museums for?"
The Doctor ignored her. "Wrong. Very wrong. Ooh, one of mine. Also one of mine."
I couldn't resist and got in there before Amy could. "It's how you keep score, right, Doctor?"
He was already distracted by the home box. Amy flashed me a grin. "That's just what I was thinking!"
While the Doctor explained about the home box, I was picturing River on the Byzantium leaving the message 'Hello Sweetie'. Due to this, I was waiting at the TARDIS when the Doctor realised that it was a message from River and headed towards the police box. Seeing I was already there, he gave me a you're-going-to-freak-me-out-if-you-keep-doing-that look. I just smirked back and followed him in.
As soon as River was safely in the TARDIS and not lying awkwardly (or maybe not so awkwardly) on top of the Doctor, she approached me.
"Hello, Talia, I'm River, have you met me yet?" She asked with her signature wide grin.
I grinned back. I was pretty sure River was quite far along in her time stream at this point, so she would know what I was talking about. "Yes, once. Harriet Jones Dalek?"
"Ah." She nodded. Then her face turned slightly sad. "You're not too far past the regeneration then, are you?"
I closed my eyes in annoyance: did everyone want me to break down and cry in front of them? Is that why they kept bringing it up?
She seemed to sense my reaction, because she said, "Never mind. Doctor! Follow that ship!"
I sat back and watched the humorous exchange between the two about TARDIS controls unfold, while giving Amy a very brief, non-spoiler-filled account of the last two times the Doctor had met River.
All the time, I was growing more nervous. The Weeping Angels had the same effect on me as they did on most Whovians: utter terror. Knowing what the episodes I was currently living entailed, I seriously considered whether I should just wait in the TARDIS...but no...I couldn't do that. My sense of adventure was just as strong as always, and the fact that I knew what was going to happen should have made me even more confident and relaxed about everything.
But it didn't.
Eventually, after River left, Amy convinced the Doctor to go out onto the planet and I forced myself to follow. I knew if I stuck by the Doctor and did everything he said, I would be fine. I knew how to deal with Angels, I knew not to look them in the eye. I knew to run very far away from the crack in time and space. I would be fine.
By the time I had reached the Doctor and Amy, River was asking him to 'sonic her'.
He did so, and Amy cheekily gushed, "Ooh, Doctor, you sonicked her!" which made me laugh and get a quite annoyed look from the Doctor.
He shook his head at both of us and grumpily followed after River.
"He's only grumpy because he hates not knowing things, and he knows hardly anything about River." I told Amy as we followed. "But between you and me, I think he quite likes her."
Amy grinned. "I know, right? Like...even though he acts annoyed, he actually quite respects her."
"Exactly!"
We giggled at the thought of the Doctor and River forever denying their attraction to each other. Well...River never denied it, actually.
The couple of hours after we entered the cave were a blur of equipment being unpacked and set up, research being done and Amy and I standing in the middle not being asked to help. Granted, the Doctor did tell Amy and me to wait in the TARDIS, but we both refused. Actually, we both just completely ignored him and followed him around.
It was so strange having another constant companion. I had travelled on my own with the Doctor for so long that it was a nice change to have someone else there who could understand what it was like to be a companion. Someone you could joke about the Doctor to, or share your fears with, or just another set of hands to help. The Doctor should always have more than one companion.
I looked over at him and saw that he was talking to Father Octavian. Amy was right: he was definitely Mr Grumpy Face today, as she told him five minutes later. He explained about the Weeping Angels and what his plan was. That's when I made my entrance.
"And after all that, you know you'll figure something out like you always do." I chirped, sitting on the table next to him.
He turned to me. "No, you know that I'll figure something out. I don't know that yet."
"You do now. I just told you."
He looked back down again. "I told you not to tell me anything."
I sighed. "I'm not telling you what you'll work out, just that you will work something out."
"Doctor!" River called.
"Oh, her indoors." Amy teased, as the Doctor went over to River after casting a disgruntled look at us both.
A little while later is when the gravity of how much I knew really struck me: the Doctor and River came out of the drop ship, leaving Amy standing in the doorway. I knew that if I didn't say anything, she would get trapped inside, look into the Angel's eyes and it would start messing with her head and try to kill her. Which is what was meant to happen but also would cause her a great deal of confusion and pain.
If I did say something, she would be saved that but the Doctor might not work out what he needed to about any image of an Angel becoming an Angel, and Amy wouldn't be left alone in that clearing, and...it could all go downhill. I could just tell him what he needed to work out...
No, I told myself sternly. I was not to mess with events. It might sound alright in my head, but I didn't know the ripple effects. I had to keep quiet.
When the door shut, deadlocking Amy inside, I turned away. I felt extremely guilty and only now realised the Doctor's responsibility to not changing fixed points; sometimes you might really want to so you could save someone, but you just couldn't.
I sat down and waited very impatiently for Amy to shut the Angel image down, then followed the Doctor and River in as soon as the door opened.
"Well done, Amy." I told her instantly, knowing that the Doctor wouldn't congratulate her. River did as well, giving her a half-hug.
I pulled River away once the Doctor had worked out how the Angel had been projecting itself. There was an explosion as the clerics blasted through the rock into the Maze of the Dead.
"What is it?" She asked.
"Just a very quick question." I said. "It's something I've always wondered but never got an answer to. How does it feel to hug your mother while she is technically younger than you...and has no idea who you are?"
As soon as the words left my mouth, I realised how tactless and bad they sounded. River's face became shadowed by sorrow, but she instantly hid it behind a brave smile that did not reach her eyes.
"Well it's, uh...it's..." she sighed. "Let's just say that I'm grateful I can hug her at all and be there for her, even if she believes it's merely as a friend. I'll take what I can get."
I nodded, shaken by the effect the question had on her.
I had a horrible feeling that, between now and returning to the TARDIS, there was nothing I was going to do or say today that I was going to feel right about. Great.
I know it was a bit of a depressing way to end it, but the chapter was getting too long and did have to cut it off there. I am going to be writing the next chapter covering the rest of the episode quite soon, as I'm back in the mood now so no more hiatus yay!
Guest reviews:
Lilith: Is that name due to Supernatural, the Mortal Instruments or other? Just curious ^_^ Thanks a lot, by the way, it means so much to me.
Guest 1: Again, thank you so much. Exactly! Geronimo, now :)
Guest 2: Wow, thanks so much! I'm really glad you like these stories and I hope you continue to read this one, and write your own of course. Actually, I'm planning on doing something similar to that. Not sure if it'll be saving Rory, as that's a bit too big of an event to mess up, but Talia will realise the importance of messing with canon at some stage. Thanks again ^_^
LOTCR has gotten an account, so I have replied to her personally.
If there are any other reviews that I have not replied to, please PM me and remind me so I can reply :) A big thank you to everyone again and see you next time!
