Disclaimer: Does it need to be said by now? I do not own Doctor Who.

Okay, Emma. Keep it cool, keep it cool. Just act casual. Don't touch anything, you'll break it. No, stop standing so stiffly, she'll notice. Ah, fuck, I'm so screwed.

My mom was showing me around her apartment, and I was almost hyperventilating. It only made my panicking worse that she didn't have a spare bedroom, so we would be sleeping in the same bed since "there's no way you're going to be sleeping on the couch." All of this was only bringing my awkwardness to a whole new level. At least my headache had toned it's shit down a few notches, so there wasn't a constant freaking heavy metal concert going on in my noggin the entire time. And while it was still hard to concentrate, I wasn't feeling as sluggish as before.

For those of you wondering why the hell I'm staying in Clara's apartment instead of the TARDIS, I'll allow you the details.

When the Doctor told Clara why I had stitches in my arm and basically why I looked like shit, she immediately insisted that I go live with her until the stitches could come out and my concussion went away. I, of course, tried to convince her that I was well enough to stay aboard the TARDIS, but she was having none of it, saying that the constant action of the Doctor's life wasn't good for healing and that some normalcy would do me good. When I tried telling her that I'd never had a "normal life" in the first place, she only became more determined to take me in. Knowing that there was no changing her mind, the Doctor agreed to let me stay with her. I didn't exactly get a say in the matter.

The Doctor had made some fake forms and given them to Clara. Apparently, they were supposed to be from social services, the court, et cetera, stating that Clara Oswald was my temporary legal guardian until my "unfortunate circumstances" changed. I almost laughed at the ridiculousness of what was happening.

For the first few days, Clara managed to get a substitute teacher to replace her while she looked after me. Not much happened, however. It was mainly sleep, eat, repeat, with some painkillers thrown in there for my headache. Not to mention my stitches were constantly itchy. Luckily, they were wrapped in gauze. When night came, I always tried to stay as far to the right of Clara's bed as I could so that we weren't anywhere near each other.

On day five, I could walk about without falling over my own two feet, and was able to convince Clara to head back to Coal Hill. Sure, the day was more boring, but at least I didn't have my mother, who didn't even know she was my mother, fussing over me.

On day ten, my headache was practically gone, and I could finally look at light without having a sharp pain in my head. Clara and I had also gone to the hospital to get my stitches removed that day. Finally, the itching went away and was replaced with three long scars running across my arm.

On day eleven, I went outside. I had just gone for a walk down to the park, but on the way back, I had lost my way. I wandered the streets for a little while, trying to find my own way out of my current predicament, before coming to the conclusion that I would need to ask for directions. Finally reaching Clara's apartment, I had just finished closing the door when I was attacked with a hug. When it ended, I could see a worried Clara looking at me with her hands on my shoulders.

"Where were you? I was afraid something had happened to you!"

"I-" I couldn't help but stumble over my words in my answer. It had been a while since someone had bothered to show even that much care towards me. "I was just, um, headed to the, uh, park a-and back."

She let out a breath. "Just tell me next time you head out, okay?"

"What is this? Prison?"

"You're my responsibility." She told me sternly.

"You sound like the Doctor." I grumbled.

She frowned. "We just want to keep you safe."

I scowled. I was tired of all of the lies, the deception. The only difference between the Doctor and Clara was that Clara probably didn't even realise what she was doing. That's why I ended up feeling bad for yelling at her just then. "Are you sure? Think about it. Probably the only reason the Doctor even let me go with you in the first place is because he knew you'd keep a close eye on me. You two aren't trying to keep me safe, you're keeping me under lock and key; making sure nobody gets their hands on me and learns about what I know. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if the Doctor put a tracking device on me!"

She looked at me like I was being ludicrous. "Emma, that's ridiculous! Are you even listening to yourself? There is no way the Doctor or I would treat you like a simple object that could be bought and sold."

"Well, somebody obviously hasn't been paying close enough attention."

I saw her trying to cover up the hurt in her eyes, making me inwardly punch myself. Why was I being so rude to her? What has she done to deserve it?

Neither of us talked for a bit, but it was Clara who broke the silence. "Either way, I'm glad you told me about this. I said that if you ever needed anything, you could come to me, and I meant it." She must have seen that I was still upset because she spread her arms out and said, "come here."

Hesitantly, I stepped forward and allowed her to envelop me in a gentle hug. Hugging her back, I closed my eyes. Lately, I didn't really like hugging people, or showing affection to people in general, but my mom's hugs were so warm and comforting that I couldn't even try to feel repulsed by them. I could almost see us, sitting on a hill, laughing and simply enjoying each other's company without a care in the world…

And then the hugging came to an end, the image disappearing as well.

Clara looked into my eyes, certain yet sincere. "I'm sorry that you feel like I'm not paying enough attention, but I swear, the Doctor and I are going to have a terribly controversial sit down about all of this the next time I see him, okay?"

I almost started to cry; I couldn't have asked for a better mother. Except for the fact that she barely even was my mom.

Shut up.

She's not your mom.

Who asked for your opinion?

She doesn't even know who you are.

I will shoot you.

With what, your tears?

With my fist.

Careful, you'll get in trouble with your dead "mom" if you do that.

I slammed that door in my mind shut, refusing to let any more thoughts through. I nodded in answer to Clara's statement, not trusting my mouth at the moment.

That night, Clara and I slept closer together than usual.

Day twenty and I was staring out the window, looking down at the parking lot below. Clara was supposed to return any minute, and then the fun would begin. I did end up enjoying our time together even though there wasn't any running away from monsters involved. We'd go on walks to parks, go and eat out sometimes, or maybe we'd simply snuggle up on the couch and watch TV. Sometimes, though, we played a game called "Clara asks questions about Emma's past and Emma does her best to break her habit of lying while answering them." Luckily, Clara seemed to know where the boundaries were, because she only asked little questions like "where did you used to live" and, a typical English teacher one, "what's your favorite book?" All in all, there was less awkwardness and I was actually looking forward to spending time with my mom. Always making the most of the time we had left.

Today was different, though. There would be no twenty questions or TV night this day, because Clara was wearing her black, leather-sleeved coat, and we all know what that meant. The Zygons were about to make their dazzling comeback.

When I saw her pull in on her motorcycle, I grinned. After getting off, she looked up to the window and waved. I didn't wave back, only smiling wider before proceeding to dart over to the apartment's main door, slipping through it, and sprinting down the stairs.

I reached the floor with apartment number fifty-two just as Clara was putting her phone away.

"Hey, Emma! I just finished talking to the Doctor, he said that some of the Zygons were acting up." She paused. "You do know about the whole Zygon operation, right? This is old news for you."

I nodded. "Trust me, you needn't say any more. Let's head out to the lot and wait for UNIT to pick us up."

As we walked down the stairs, Clara's ponytail swished back and forth in front of me, reminding me that this wasn't actually Clara I was talking to, but Bonnie; a Zygon taking her form.

There, of course, were questions from Kate. After all, she'd never seen me before. Questions about who I was and why I was with the Doctor. To which the said man gave very vague answers, yet clear enough for Kate to not completely be left in the dark.

When we entered the school, Kate began talking about how the building related to the Zygons, but I wasn't listening. I was too busy being far too interested in the school. Funnily enough, I had never been in a school before. I was - what did you call it? Oh yeah, "homeschooled" in a way.

During all of these conversations down in the Zygon command center, I kept my eyes on "Clara." I was trying to see if Bonnie let any signs show that give others any reason to suspect her, but she did a damn good job of being Clara. The only thing she said that wasn't like Clara was her excuse for knowing about the town called Truth Or Consequences. Clara didn't like trivial pursuit one bit. It made me wonder how Bonnie knew Clara so well. Perhaps Zygons took on some of the personality of the person they were copying, or maybe Bonnie could replicate how she'd act based on Clara's memories. The only other reason I could come up with kind of disturbed me. The Zygons were watching us in our everyday lives. In the apartment complex, in the streets, perhaps they were even watching Clara when she went to teach at school. It left me feeling uneasy about this whole Zygon situation. It was one thing to face an enemy that could disguise themselves. It was another to face an enemy that could even be one of your closest friends.

"Okay, Kate Stewart, no bombs for you. Go to Truth Or Consequences, see what you can find Doctor will go to Turmezistan. Negotiate peace, rescue Osgood, and prevent this war because that's what he does. Clara, Jac, you stay here. This is your country. Protect it from the scary monsters and also from the Zygons."

I raised my eyebrows. "And me?"

The Doctor looked surprised for a moment. "Oh, yes, you exist too. Uh, you come with me. I might need an extra pair of hands with retrieving Osgood. Oh," he turned to Kate, "do you still have the presidential aircraft?"

"I thought you didn't like being president of the world." Bonnie said.

"No, but I like poncing about in a big plane."

I didn't even get to the steps onto the plane before I was pulled aside by Bonnie. She menacingly whispered in my ear. "I know that you're aware of what's been going on, so let me give you a warning before you make a big mistake. You tell anyone, you get in my way at all, and I'll make your life a living hell. Understand?"

I just smirked, looking her in the eye and saying, "I'm afraid there's not much more damage you can do there."

"Then I suppose I'll just have to put you out of your misery."

"Go ahead and try. I've been evading death for eight years."

"Everything catches up to you in the end. Now, go on. You're going to miss your flight."

And with that, she walked away towards Kate.

I followed the Doctor, who had just made two peace signs with his hands in the air, into the plane, and we sat down.

"How has living with Clara been?" He asked after we had taken off.

I looked at him questioningly. "Are you trying to make small talk with me?"

"Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Because you're the Doctor. You don't do 'small talk.'"

"Are you going to answer or are we going to argue over whether or not I can ask a simple question?"

"It was...strange, I guess. Not in a bad way, or anything. Just...different."

He looked at me strangely. "Is she really that odd when she's home?"

I chuckled. "No, no. That's not what I meant. It's just that I've never lived a normal life before, you know?"

"How did you live before?"

"In a house that I didn't have to pay for because it was a split second out of sync with the rest of the universe with seven other kids my age."

His lips formed a thin line and his eyebrows furrowed together. "I'm sorry?"

"You heard me."

"That's ridiculous. There's no way-"

"If you're going to deny the truth, Doctor, then don't waste my time." I threw his previous words back at him.

He sunk into his chair and we sat in silence the rest of the way.

On our way to the church where Osgood was being kept, I tried to think of a way to save those soldiers. Talking to them? Walsh would already try that. Preventing them from going inside? That would probably get me killed. Sneaking into the church and doing something clever? As far as I knew, there wasn't an unlocked way into the church other than the front doors. In conclusion, I was drawing a blank.

I ended up silently waiting behind the church for the whole situation to pass by, until finally, the Doctor and Colonel Walsh went inside. Following them in, I could see the piles of burnt human resting on the floor.

"They've executed my men." Colonel Walsh said, positively pissed.

"Where are the Zygons?" The Doctor asked.

"We need to bomb the hell out of this place, it's infested with these things. We can't tell who the enemy is anymore. We can't count them and we can't track them."

I was hit with a flashback at her words, the friend inside the enemy, the enemy inside the friend.

"I'm not going to let you do that."

"I just lost my men. I'll quite happily bomb the hell out of anywhere. We need to move, strike's on its way."

"I need to find Osgood."

"You've got ten minutes." That was the last thing she said to us before leaving the church.

The Doctor looked up at me. "Any ideas?"

Finally, something I could actually help with. "Yeah. Over here."

I led him to the cupboard and, pulling back the red rug, revealed the trap door to him. I opened the door and went down the ladder first. Reaching the bottom, the Doctor pulled out a flashlight from his coat and tossed it to me. Catching it, I turned it on.

Just then, we heard the voice belonging to a certain scientist. "Hello? Doctor, is that you?"

"Osgood!" He exclaimed.

Running down the passageway, we found Osgood, manacled and sitting in a chair.

"Got to get you out. They're going to bomb this place. What do the Zygons want?" The Doctor asked as he pulled out his sonic sunglasses.

"They're training, practising new skills. Doctor, what are you doing here? And who is she?"

"We're rescuing you." The Doctor answered as Osgood was relieved of her restraints.

I then decided to cut in, speaking in rapid fire. "I'm Emma. Lovely to meet you Osgood. Nice outfit, the answer to your question is Clara, and also, there's a Zygon approaching that should show up in three...two...on-"

Sure enough, a Zygon interrupted me with a hiss and was raising its arm. But before it could kill us, a bomb blew overhead and made debris fall from the ceiling onto the Zygon.

"They've started. So much for ten minutes." The Doctor said.

With our mission accomplished, we manoeuvred our way around the Zygon and made our way back to the plane, doing our best to not get blown to pieces in the process.

I could practically feel Osgood's eyes on me as we sat in the plane after the Doctor and Osgood's conversation.

I bit my lip before I decided to say something. "Okay, I know I look fabulous but I'm pretty sure that's not why you're watching me like a hawk." I turned my head in her direction as I spoke.

"Sorry," she said, "it's just that you look familiar. I'm sure I've seen you somewhere before."

I knit my eyebrows and pressed my lips together. "That can't be right. I've never even gone near UNIT before, and I haven't been to the United States in two-thousand-fourteen or fifteen."

"It doesn't make much sense to me, either."

One of the soldiers then said that the Zygon was ready, and Osgood and I got up to witness the negotiation.

The Zygon growled at us before we could even speak.

"Bit of first-things-first-ness." The Doctor began. "What's your name?" When the Zygon didn't answer, he continued. "My name's- well, you can call me the Doctor. But then you knew that, didn't you? You want something. What is it?"

This time, the Zygon answered. "You are the President of the World."

"Yes, I suppose so."

"We want the world." Laughter came flooding out from its mouth as Osgood stared at it oddly. I tried deciphering what her look meant, but I found myself unable to tell.

"We want the truth of who we are to be acknowledged. We want to live as ourselves at any cost. We want a home."

"Well, you can't have the United Kingdom. There's already people living there. They'll think you're going to pinch their benefits."

"We're already there, Doctor. The invasion's already taken place bit by bit over the last year. We've won the first battle and now we are going to begin the war."

At that moment, the Doctor's phone began to ring.

"Answer it." The Zygon said. "Say goodbye. This plane will never land."

"Really?" The Doctor said to the Zygon before speaking into his phone. "Clara? Clara? Clara, I'm glad you're okay. Listen, the invasion has happened. You're probably surrounded by Zygons. Get to the TARDIS, get yourself safe. And apparently my plane is never going to land, but let's see what we're going to do about that." There was a pause in which the Doctor's eyes widened before exclaiming, "Clara!"

A moment later, the whole plane shook and the Doctor said, "missed," after which I yelled out "parachutes" to him.

He ran over to where they were and passed two of them to Osgood and I. One of the soldiers opened an emergency exit and the Doctor and Osgood jumped out. I looked into the soldier's eyes and told him, "I'm sorry. I'd save you all if I could." His understanding nod was the last thing I saw before I plummeted to the Earth below, leaving the explosion behind me.

I simply stayed quiet, having nothing to add in, after I regained consciousness. I walked alongside Osgood and the Doctor, noticing tidbits here and there. Like when the Doctor glanced at me when he said "I'm still in the hope phase."

After hopping in the vehicle and reaching the spot in London where the video was taken, we got out of the van.

"London!" The Doctor exclaimed. "What a dump."

"London's okay." Osgood protested.

"No, it's not, it's a dump."

"You spend an awful lot of time here, considering it's a dump."

"I spend an awful lot of time being kidnapped, tortured, shot at and exterminated. Doesn't mean I like it."

"It's the life you chose." I shot at the Doctor.

"You chose this life too," he shot back to me, "yet you feel the need to act grumpy all day."

"Oh, Doctor." I shook my head. "I could go on an all-day rant about how wrong you are."

"Yes, well, unfortunately, we don't have time for that. Let's move, you two." Osgood demanded.

Almost all of the lights were off in the shopping centre. Only the yellow lights were activated, giving off an eerie glow. The place didn't smell nice, as Osgood pointed out, and it was littered with deep-fried human beings. I couldn't help but think that it was an optimal place for a horror film.

The Doctor and Osgood crept cautiously ahead, me following closely behind.

Out of nowhere, the Doctor asked Osgood, "what's your name?"

"Osgood." She answered, not quite getting at what he was asking.

"No, no, no. Your first name."

"What's your first name?"

"Basil."

I snorted.

"What's so funny?" The Doctor asked.

"Nothing, Doctor Basil John Disco Funkenstein Puntastic."

Osgood snickered, then answered Basil's question. "Petronella."

The Doctor glanced at her oddly before speaking. "Let's just, uh, stick with what we had."

"Speaking of which," Osgood continued, "what's your last name, Emma?"

I hesitated before speaking. "One you already know."

The Doctor then tried speaking to Osgood once more. "I need to ask you-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence, which bothered me. I suppose it could have been worse. It could have been a really important discussion between them that would have had a major impact on how the episode turned out. Yet I couldn't shake that unsteady feeling. Once again, because of me, something really notable happened differently than in the episodes, all because of my presence. Just how much would I change the timelines? Just how much would me being here put others at risk of having their lives altered? It wasn't an exaggeration to say that the weight of the universe was on my shoulders. After all, my existence nearly caused nearly caused the unraveling of the chain of events that would keep the universe intact the last time that happened.

What the Doctor was interrupted by was the sound of a door opening, as well as the unmistakable noise of a Zygon.

We ran towards the noise, shining our flashlights on the Zygon, who ran. The next time we found him, he was in his human form. Partially. There were still suckers here and there, and a vein or two were popping out.

"Whoever you are, we can help you." The Doctor tried.

The Zygon carefully came around the corner of the aisle. "It wasn't me." He clearly was afraid that we were going to be angry with him for transforming back. "They attacked me. They saw me. I had to-"

His transformation tries to take over again, but he fights back despite how much it obviously hurts, to which the Doctor tries to soothe him.

"A commander came." He continued telling us what happened. "She turned me back!"

Osgood tried to reassure the Zygon. "We can help. We can help you. Doctor, we can help him, can't we?"

"I'm not sure." Came the Doctor's reply.

The Zygon held up his hand and electricity burst out of it towards the Doctor, making him stagger backwards for a few seconds. The Zygon sprinted away as the Doctor recuperated.

"Please!" The Doctor yelled out. "Come back! Come back!"

We set off to find the alien again. When we did find him, the Doctor attempted talking to him again, only for another bolt of electricity to shoot out from the Zygon's hand and graze the Doctor.

"Why? I was happy like this. I was happy here." The Zygon said, and I felt a pang of sympathy for him.

"I understand." The Doctor said.

"I can't change. I can't hide."

"Let us help you." Osgood offered.

"No! You're Truth Or Consequences."

"We're not. We're really not."

"I'm not part of your fight. I never wanted to fight anyone. I just wanted to live here. Why can't I just live?"

"We're on your side." The Doctor insisted.

"I'm not on anyone's side! This is my home."

"Listen. We are not them."

"I can't go back now! You've taken my life!" He raised his arm up to face his head.

"Wait!" My voice surprised me just as much as it did the others.

The Zygon flicked his eyes over to me. "They will kill me."

"Forget about that," I said. "What's your name?"

There were a few seconds of silence where I could feel all eyes on me before he answered my question, shakily. "Etoine."

"Listen, Etoine. Truth Or Consequences, they aren't deceiving. They're pretty straightforward, right?"

He nodded.

"So why would they trick you by acting friendly? Think about it. We can't be Truth Or Consequences, I mean, we're not even Zygons. We're not going to unmask every Zygon on this planet, but I'll tell you what we will do. We're going to fix this mess, and then we're going to fix you."

"How?"

"Trust me, we won't stop until we've found a way."

Seeing that he was still unconvinced, I kept on talking.

"I know it may seem like it's the end, but these events are just clouds blocking the sun. The storm will come to then, we'll keep you safe. Take it from me, what you're thinking of doing: It's not worth it."

After waiting for the seconds that seemed to drag on forever, he slowly lowered his hand from his head.

"I don't want to get involved in this conflict." Etoine said.

"I know, and I swear, you will only have to stay on the sidelines until we figure this out, okay? We just need to make sure Truth Or Consequences doesn't get to you."

He hesitated, but then nodded.

Smiling at him, we left the store. We were then greeted by Kate and what appeared to be two UNIT soldiers.

"Doctor!" She called out to him.

"Kate! Are you alright?" He asked suspiciously.

"Of course, I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"It's just I heard otherwise."

"I'm fine. Doctor, we know where the Zygon command centre is. We know where Clara's pod is. We can take you there."

"Well, how very convenient because that's just exactly what we're looking for."

Beside Kate, the two "soldiers" were glaring at Etoine. Defensively, I stepped in front of him, glaring right back at the two Zygons.

Arriving at the command centre, the Doctor announced, "well, they like a good cave, don't they? How many of these pods are occupied?"

"We don't know." Was Kate's answer.

"Which one is Clara's?"

Kate shone her light on an empty pod slot. "Well, that's strange, it was here before."

Behind Osgood, Etoine, and I, we could hear the sound of growling Zygons. It was Osgood who decided to speak up about it. "Doctor, I think they're Zygons."

Quickly, Osgood backed away from the Zygons in disguise. I grabbed Etoine's arm, pulling him away with me.

As we watched the soldiers transform into Zygons, the Doctor said, "oh, you cheeky little monkeys."

Behind us, we could hear Kate speaking into her Zygon communicator. "The Doctor is here."

Clara's voice came out from the other end. "Don't kill him. We need him alive."

"What for?"

"Because I just found out why it's called an Osgood Box. There's two of them."

The Doctor butted in. "Two Osgoods, two boxes, operation double. What did you expect?"

"What's in them, Doctor? Tell me. Now!"

"One box normalises all the Zygons."

"And the other?"

"Destroys them."

"Which is which?"

"Ah, that would be telling."

There were a few moments where nobody spoke in which I knew that Bonnie was retrieving Clara from her pod.

"Which box normalises the Zygons, Doctor? Tell me, or she dies."

He didn't have to ask who she was talking about. "No! This is war. You pull the trigger, you pay the price."

"Kill her!" Bonnie said without hesitation.

"The blue one, the blue one! The blue one normalises all your people!"

"Are you lying? Are you lying to me, Doctor?"

"No, I'm not. And when you open up the box, you'll see I'm not lying."

There was a pause in which Bonnie opened the blue box. "Doctor?" Another pause and she opened the red box, too. "Doctor!"

"Yeah, I know."

"Bring him to me!"

The Zygons advanced, and just as they were raising their arms, two gunshots rang out and both of the Zygons fell to the ground. Behind them stood Kate, who said, "Sorry Doctor, self-defence."

"You're you."

"I'm me."

"How did you survive?"

"Five rounds, rapid. I'm sorry, Doctor. I know you don't approve."

"Why does peacekeeping always involve killing?"

Kate dropped the Zygon communicator to the ground, destroying it with her heels.

"Is this the lot?" The Doctor asked.

"No, there are plenty more of them. They were the nearest." Kate looked up at Osgood. "You are you?"

"I'm me." Osgood assured.

"But human or Zygon?"

"Me."

Kate noticed Etoine. "What about him?"

"He was caught in the middle of Bonnie's fight." I defended. "Don't worry, he's not a baddie."

Kate nodded. "What are we dealing with?"

The Doctor explained to Kate what exactly was going on before we headed out. Upon reaching the Black Archive the Doctor immediately noticed the two Claras, pointing to both of them as he greeted each of them.

"Stop this. Stop this, please. Let me take both of these boxes away. We'll forgive, we'll forget, and the ceasefire will stand."

"No." Bonnie blatantly refused, and the Doctor's face fell.

Kate then moved over to the red box, opposite of Bonnie. "Doctor, which of these buttons do I press? Doctor, which one? Truth or Consequences?"

"Truth or Consequences?"

And so began the Doctor's negotiation with Bonnie and Kate. It was mesmerizing to watch, really. Seeing it on television was incredibly different from the real thing. The conviction in their voices, the facial expressions. The way you could see the entire room and everything going on in it, every movement. Whether it was the way Bonnie's hand clenched over the buttons or how Kate stared, still ashamed at her own actions, at Bonnie while waiting for her to make her decision after the Doctor's heartfelt speech. I actually flinched when he began that speech. I had actually had tears well up in my eyes the first time I watched it on television, and I was trying not to let the same thing happen then.

"It's hell, isn't it?" The Doctor's voice broke through my thoughts. "No one should have to think like that, and no one will. Not on our watch."

Then Bonnie did something I wasn't expecting. She looked at and addressed me. "You." She stated. "Emma. You didn't tell, just like I asked. You didn't give a warning, you didn't tell the Doctor about what had actually happened to Clara when he presumed her dead. How can there be peace, when we can't even trust our own?

I stood there, frightened as fuck. Red alert. Red alert. This is not how it went in my head. I was speechless, my mouth agape, glancing back and forth between the Doctor, who was staring at me questioningly, and Bonnie, who was staring at me accusingly. I wasn't sure which one was worse.

In the end, I was saved from my horror, but it came from the most unlikely of places.

"Bonnie." It was Etoine who spoke. "We all make mistakes, we are all flawed. But what matters is that we're alive. As long as we're alive, we can make room for something greater, something better. If we're dead, we can't improve from our mistakes, and others will simply repeat our foolish actions. Starting a war isn't going to help anyone."

All eyes were on Bonnie at this point, as she contemplated what Etoine said. Her facial expression changed, to which the Doctor said, "gotcha."

I was ultimately relieved. Things seemed to be getting back on track.

"How can you be so sure?" Bonnie asked, seeming unsure of herself.

"Because you have a disadvantage, Zygella. I know that face."

Then Kate decided to ruin the moment. "This is all very well, but we know the boxes are empty now. We can't forget that."

"No, well, er, you've said that the last fifteen times." The Doctor said as he took out his sonic sunglasses and pointed them upwards at the device on the ceiling, activating it and erasing her memory. Osgood set Kate down beside one of the shelves when she passed out.

Bonnie closed the lid of the blue box. "You didn't wipe my memory."

"No." The Doctor confirmed. "Just Kates. Oh, and your little friends here, of course. When they wake up, they won't remember what you've done. It'll be our secret."

"You're going to protect me?"

"Well, you're one of us now, whether you like it or not." Osgood said.

"I don't understand how you could just forgive me."

"Because I've been where you have." The Doctor told her. "There was another box. I was going to press another button. I was going to wipe out all of my own kind. Man, woman and child, I was so sure I was right."

"What happened?"

"Same thing that happened to you. I let Clara Oswald get inside my head. Trust me, she doesn't leave."

Soon after, we left the Black Archive and headed to the TARDIS, leaving Kate and the Zygons behind. We no longer had to worry about Etoine, Bonnie had said that she'd be able to find a way to cure his condition. It was one more victory, one more life saved. However, before leaving, something caught my eye on one of the boards of pictures.

The picture was small - pocket sized. I unpinned it so I could hold it in my hands. In the background was a white house surrounded by lush, green grass and sitting under a bright blue sky. In the center of the picture, though, stood eight goofily grinning preteens. All of which stood close together, like a pack, striking casual poses. And there, the fifth person in line, was me. I was leaning, my elbow resting on the shoulder of the freckled boy with bright ginger hair. I remembered that day. That was the day a member of UNIT was thrown into our universe and we helped him to get back to his own. He had taken that picture of us before he left. A few droplets appeared on the picture, and I noticed streaks of something wet running down my face.

In the distance, I could hear Clara calling my name, and I quickly wiped away the tears and shoved the picture into my jacket pocket.

"Hey, there you are. Is everything alright?" Clara asked, concerned.

"Yeah, sorry." I walked past her towards the exit, not allowing her any time to ask any more questions.

"The TARDIS." Osgood said in awe.

"The TARDIS." The Doctor repeated, showing off.

"What's it stand for?"

"What? Are you kidding me? Surely you know that."

"Well, I've heard a couple of different versions."

"I made it up from the initials. It stands for Totally And Radically Driving In Space."

Osgood obviously didn't believe him. I for one, couldn't believe that he took the credit for Susan's idea.

"Do you want to come? All of the future, all of history, all of the universe?"

"More than anything. But I think I have to stay. I've got a couple of boxes to keep an eye on, and a world to keep safe."

"Fair enough. Clara, Emma, would you mind, uh-"

"Mind what?"

"I'll see you in the TARDIS, okay?"

"Of course" I said.

"Yeah, sure." Clara agreed.

We each said our goodbyes to Osgood, then went into the TARDIS.

Clara went to fiddle with some buttons on the TARDIS, while I leant on the railing close to the entryway to the corridor.

Soon, the Doctor entered, and immediately congratulated me. When I looked at him, confused, he elaborated.

"By saving Etoine, you saved the planet."

I looked down at the grated floor, frowning. Yes, saving Etoine was a victory, but surely I didn't save the world because I saved him. After all, the Doctor would have been able to stop Bonnie if I wasn't there. By being there, I simply reminded Bonnie of all the bad in the world. I made a mess, that was all. I was just glad that Etoine was there to clean up my mess. Without a word, I walked away, disappearing down the corridor.

I could still hear whatever the Doctor and Clara said, though, and I stopped walking when I heard Clara say, "Doctor, we need to talk."

I knew it wasn't polite to eavesdrop, but have I mentioned my insatiable curiosity?

"Oh dear," the Doctor sounded less than pleased, "is this about that time with the Sherotnins because I told you-"

"What? No. Doctor, listen, this is about Emma."

I inched closer.

"Well, what about her?"

"Basically, she isn't very happy with how you've been treating her. She feels less like a person and more like an object that needs to be kept under security. It's like you're purposefully not letting her have enough freedom so that you can keep a close eye on her."

"Well, that's exactly what I'm doing."

"Doctor!"

"What? Oh, do you expect me to lie?"

"I expect you to let her be as much of an adventurer as you are! She's just a kid, Doctor. She needs the freedom to explore on her own!"

"It's too great of a risk, Clara!"

"Well, so is simply being with you, but you're not keeping me under lock and key."

The Doctor's huff could even be heard from where I was standing. "Fine, fine! Starting tomorrow she'll have the freedom of a bird."

"Thank you, Doctor."

"Don't thank me just yet."

I could hear footsteps coming closer and I dashed off to my room, knowing that's where Clara would be headed.

I didn't have to wait long before there was a knock on my door. Opening said object, I gave a quick smile to the woman standing there.

"Hey," she greeted. "I just had a conversation with the Doctor-"

I interrupted her, holding up my hand. "Say no more. I may have, uh, eavesdropped on you guys."

She smiled at that, her eyes filled with humour.

"Thanks, Clara."

"No problem at all, Em."

When she left, I laid down on my bed and pulled out that photo. Em. Didn't they use to call me that?

Staring at my lightly freckled face, at the person that I used to be, I became filled with nostalgia. That night, I cried myself to sleep.

So, my summer job is officially over, meaning I can spend the rest of summer working on fanfiction! I'll probably be able to get about two chapters up before the school year starts, depending on how long they are and how busy I'll be. Thanks for reading, and please review!