2014
"…and I didn't see Amy again until the day I sent her and Rory back," Gabrielle said. "After that, I vowed nothing would make send a human back again."
Martha said, "Until those kids knocked over their headstone."
"I lost my temper," Gabrielle said. "Rory was my friend and Amy was kind to me. How dare these punks despoil their resting place? I decided to teach them a lesson. And the rest, to coin a phrase, is history."
"Yes," the Doctor said. "So all we need now is for me to get to Madame Vastra and arrange the money for Amy and Rory." He touched a switch on the console. "You won't need the Tardis' telepathic circuits now," he said as he put a neckless around Gabrielle's neck. "Pretty much the same thing with a perceptual filter so people think you're talking. And a little Heisenberg compensator so you'll have trouble perceiving us as alive." He pointed the screwdriver at the necklace. "That way, you should be able to move while we're looking at you."
Patches of flesh tones appeared on Gabrielle's body. They spread and they were facing a dark-haired young woman in a greed dress with dark wings.
Clara said, "Wow. Some perceptual filter."
"That's not me," the Doctor said. "This must be what she looks like when she's not being looked at."
Gabrielle was studying herself in a monitor's reflection. She smiled. "I was hoping this is what my flesh form looked like but of course, there's no way to check. Thank you, Doctor."
Danny said, "Right. Well, that's all well and good. But we might as well cut to the chase: Which one of us is going back to Winter Quay in 1938 and holding the door against the onslaught of angels?"
The Doctor turned to Danny. "No one."
"Oh, come on, Doc!" Danny said. "You think I don't know how this goes? Who gets to make the heroic sacrifice? Come on, sahr! Volunteer someone."
Martha warned, "Mr. Pink-"
Danny turned to her. "It's time you lot woke up and saw what he really is." Back to the Doctor. "Well?"
"In the first place, no one is going," the Doctor said. "Not only do I not want one of you to go, the journey is impossible for several reasons."
"Name them," Danny challenged.
"All right," the Doctor said. "I didn't hear anything when I was on the roof, so we'd need a Sontaran pulse rifle with a directional silencer, and I don't have one."
Danny frowned. "What's a directional silencer?"
"It directs almost all the sound at the target," the Doctor explained, "so no one to the side or behind would hear it, especially if you're not paying attention, and I wasn't."
"Call that a silencer, Doctor?"
"The Sontarans do, P. E. They have a slight problem with subtlety."
Clara nodded. "And how. Five minutes with Strax and you will understand."
The Doctor went on: "In the second place, Winter Quay is in a timeline that no longer exists. So it is impossible to get to. And even then, landing the Tardis in 1938 would destroy New York. So it's doubly impossible."
"So you say," Danny said.
"Yes, so I say," the Doctor said. "Or do you know someone else who knows time travel as much as I do?"
"Precisely my point. No one can gainsay you, so you can say whatever you want. You say you can't get the Williamses back. I say that's a load of bollocks."
"Excuse me?" the Doctor growled.
"Bollocks," Danny shot back. "You mean you, the great Time Lord, couldn't have figured out a way to rescue them? Of course you could have! But you didn't. They weren't stuck in the past because Gabrielle sent them there. They were stuck in the past because you *deliberately* left them there to die!"
"Mr. Pink!" Martha shouted.
"Danny!" Clara said.
The Doctor waved the girls off. "Danny, it broke my hearts to leave Amy and Rory behind. If I could have saved them, I would have."
Danny clapped his hand. "Well done, sahr! Magnificent performance. But still a load of bollocks. In fact, I don't believe you when say you can't go to 1938. We were just there. So it was bit bumpy. No problem."
"We went *past* 1938, Danny. We stayed in the time vortex; we didn't try to land."
"Bollocks."
Martha said, "All right, you two, that's-"
The Doctor began angrily setting controls. "All right! You don't believe me? Fine. Let's go for it! April 3, 1938. Nine AM local time."
"Helps to be punctual," Danny said.
"And let's aim for Time's Square!" the Doctor said.
"Always wanted to see it. Do I have my camera?"
The Doctor came back to the main control lever. "You won't see it Danny. New York will blow up. Might take us with it."
"Always wanted to go out with a bang!"
"Or maybe Earth will go, too! You may never have existed!"
"Great! Won't have to visit Clara's parents again!"
"I mean it, Danny! I pull this lever, we get a front row seat at a mushroom cloud."
"I'll bring marshmallows. Come one, Doctor, let's do it! Go for the gusto. You say we'lll blow up? Put your money where your mouth is."
The Doctor's hand gripped the lever but he couldn't pull it.
"You can't do it," Danny said. He turned to Martha, Clara, and the other UNIT troops. "This is what he really is." Back to the Doctor. "You're all talk. You're great at getting people to lay down their lives for you. But you will never do it yourself. You don't have the guts to put your life on the line when it counts."
"YOU WANT TO SEE GUTS?" the Doctor shouted. "I'LL SHOW YOU GUTS!" He slammed the lever over hard. The time column groaned to life.
Clara's eyes widened. "Doctor you didn't…I mean tell me you weren't going to…"
Alarms started going off.
Martha said, "Oh…my…"
The Doctor looked at the time column. "Oh, crap."
Danny said, "You didn't-"
Sparks flew from the console, the room shook, the lights blinked, as alarms went off and red warning lights Clara had never noticed before started blinking. Everyone found a railing and held on for dear life. Then a voice said from the speakers, "Collision alarm, collision alarm…"
A 'WHAM!' shook the Tardis.
"We've hit something!" the Doctor said. "Damage looks superficial." He punched buttons. "Canceling coordinates. She's pulling out of it…there's a good girl….stand by for emergency landing…."
The Tardis thudded to a stop.
The Doctor checked the console. "Well, we haven't gone far in space. We're on Fire Island, still in the New York City area. October 6, 1957. Sputnik's been launched. Bit chilly for a dip in the ocean."
Martha opened the doors, then pointed at the Doctor and Danny. "You two. Now!"
Danny and the Doctor followed Martha; Gabrielle trailed behind them.
Martha paced back and forth on the beach. It was a chilly day, but Martha didn't notice the waves crashing near her. "Of all the stupid, stupid…I don't believe this! All right, Pink, maybe I shouldn't be surprised. But you, Doctor, how could you do something so reckless? You're hundreds—thousands—of years old, and yet there are times you act like a-"
"Oh, boys?" Clara called from behind them. She was standing by the Tardis and smiling sweetly. "Boys? You should see this. You too, Gabrielle."
The Doctor, Danny, Martha and Gabrielle followed Clara around the side of the Tardis. There, they found the side of it depressed with a human-shaped dent. And in the middle of the dent – about waste-height—were the twisted and crushed remains of a manual typewriter.
Clara said, "Well, then, I guess we know where that got to. And we know who's ultimately responsible for Amy and Rory getting stuck in the past."
Martha said, quietly at first, "You two don't like each other. I get it. You have issues. Fine. You want to beat the snot out of each other when this job is over. Be my guest. But because I'm rather fond of the idea of living in the time and place I'm used to, I think I speak for all concerned when I say it would be very much appreciated if you two would KEEP THEM IN YOUR PANTS UNTIL WE GET HOME!" She stalked back into the Tardis. Clara followed her.
Gabrielle rubbed he Doctor's shoulder. "It was getting old. I'd been meaning to replace it. And you did save my life…" she trailed off then followed Clara and Martha.
The Doctor and Danny were left looking at the dent.
What was left of the typewriter fell out of the dent, onto the sand.
Danny said, "I just insulted Clara's parents. Probably not a good idea."
"I shouldn't think so, no," the Doctor said.
"One of the guys I served with is into woodworking, antique restoration. He could have a look at it."
"Actually, strictly speaking, that's not wood. The Tardis will fix itself on the way back. But thanks for the offer."
"No problem…So, Doctor, Madame Vastra's next?"
"Victorian London, Danny. Hop, skip, and a jump."
"Need us along?"
"No, but the team could probably use a bathroom break and some tea. Jenny's is actually very good."
"That sounds like a good idea."
