So, I finished my BA, spent a couple months in and out of the hospital, spent a few months recuperating at home, moved to another country(just the U.S., nothing exciting), and finally started a fancy-ass grad program. More recently, I just attended a huge family reunion and got the flu. Good times.

How was your year?


Part 1, Chapter 12

"What's your plan then?"

The Doctor looks over at Jenny and winks. "Haven't got one. I never do."

This does not please her in the least. "Seriously? My friend's son is in there, and you haven't bothered to make a plan?"

"Don't worry," Amy says, patting Jenny's shoulder, "he'll figure something out. Eventually."

"I can't believe that," Jenny says. "No, I mean it. I actually don't believe that. You had to have had some sort of intention. Why else come here?"

Amy removes her hand from Jenny's shoulder. "Actually," she says, "I was the one who wanted to come here," she admits. "The Doctor didn't want to go. Sulked a bit, to be honest."

Jenny scowls. "So you don't have a plan," she said to the Doctor.

He tries not to grin. "Nope."

She whirls around to face Amy. "Have you got a plan, then?"

Amy pauses, taken aback. "I wanted to see what you did."

Jenny briefly looks over at Rory, who is steadfastly looking at the floor. She looks back to her father.

"Is this a test?" she asks him. He doesn't reply, so she continues. "Like, do I have to prove myself or something?"

The Doctor is vaguely horrified. "Of course not!" he cries. Amy shushes him.

"Cause I can, you know. I can do it. I can prove it," she says, as though she's daring anyone to say otherwise.

Rory's first instinct is to tell Jenny that of course she doesn't have to prove anything, we'll figure something out, when the Doctor crosses his arms and smirks. "Go on then. Prove it," he says to her.

She nods. Astonished at the Doctor's behaviour, Rory watches her closely. There's something in her eyes that's stubborn and eager and incredibly scared. He hopes the Doctor is lying about not having a plan, because if this really is some sort of game he's playing with her, he'd damn well better make sure she gets through it alive.

Jenny takes a deep breath.

"Right then, can we not kill him and still manage to get the egg open?" she asks the Doctor. He's genuinely curious about what she did in the first place, and if she needs to 'prove herself to him' in order to motivate herself, he's happy to oblige.

The Doctor opens his mouth to reply, even though he doesn't have an answer ready. It's never stopped him before. As words begin to crystallize in his mind, he realizes she's not expecting a reply. Even though she's looking directly at him, she's somehow looking past him. He recognizes this look. This is one of his looks. Interesting. He watches her with a new sense of scientific curiosity. He's never experienced it from the outside. To be honest, he finds it a bit disconcerting.

"Can we even kill him?" she continues. He has to admit, he's really not pleased with her line of inquiry. She goes silent, distant and glassy eyes fixed on his, and the Doctor notes that he'd prefer she think aloud.

Several meters away the giant yellowish hairless mammal from space grunts loudly as he claws at the egg, and the scraping sound echoes around the room. Everyone's attention snaps back to the problem at hand, including Jenny.

Her mind appears to have cleared, the Doctor notices. He's less pleased when he sees the grin on her face. He's seen that look before, in a variety of situations, on a variety of faces. It usually precedes either theft or extensive property damage. He's not technically a fan of the latter (even as he recognizes the hypocrisy of that statement), but he's completely against the former. And he'll be damned, he thinks, if his daughter thinks she can do either of those things.

The Doctor's raising his eyebrow, about to say something to that effect, but she ignores him to grin at the person who's closest to the entrance of their little alcove. Rory points at himself, and when she nods, he starts to protest.

Amy shushes him. "You're closest," she whispers loudly.

"Is there any possible way you could whisper louder?" the Doctor asks. Amy punches his upper arm.

"What do I do?" Rory asks Jenny, in an appropriately quiet whisper.

"Just go to the far wall," she responds. "Please," she adds. Without further ado, he slinks off, rubber-soled shoes cushioning the sound of his steps.

She nods at Amy. "You too," she says. Amy responds with a look.

"Doctor," Amy pleads, "tell me you've got a plan."

"Of course I haven't. She does. We're helping." He points at Jenny.

"Doctor..."

"Amelia..."

"Seriously. I mean it. Don't let the...the thing happen." She gives him a meaningful look, which is totally unnecessary because he's been thinking about it almost nonstop since he met Jenny five minutes ago.

Frankly, he's a bit insulted that Amy would think he'd forget about it. Of course he'd remember that Jenny's supposed to die sometime in the next several minutes. It is possible, he thinks, that she just regenerates. She's already been through at least one successful regeneration. He doesn't want to chance it, however. He's already seen her die enough times already. If time can be rewritten, he thinks, then he's going to do it right here. Right now.

Jenny's staring at the far wall containing the palaeolithic axes. To the Doctor she says, "Dad."

He smiles at that. Can't help it. "Hmm?"

"Think you can knock him out?"

"Rory?"

"No," she replies, somewhat taken aback, "the big bloke." She points to the giant yellowish hairless flying mammal, who appears to be having little success clawing a hole in the egg. Rory, who is still within earshot, makes sure to shoot his very best dirty look at the Doctor. Over Jenny's head, they briefly make eye contact, during which the Doctor smirks unapologetically.

Jenny continues. "I mean with the screwdriver. Like, at a certain frequency."

"That's a good question. I have no idea," he tells her. "Let's find out."

He raises the sonic screwdriver and aims it at the giant yellowish hairless flying mammal. He's fiddling with the screwdriver without pressing any buttons. The giant yellowish hairless flying mammal, who is apparently smarter than it looks, then notices that something is pointed at it. It briefly pauses in its clawing and slowly looks up at the Doctor and Jenny. They both hold their breath. Rory immediately freezes in mid-step, and Amy appears to be trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible, which is next to impossible considering her hair colour and the fact she's wearing a yellow cardigan. Neither of them are exactly cowering, but they're both certainly on the way there. Then the Doctor presses the button. The screwdriver makes its distinctive whirring sound.

Instead of cracking the egg, like the Doctor had been expecting, the sonic screwdriver causes the display cases in the room to shatter. Rory yelps as he's showered with shards of glass for the second time this evening. Amy appears to have perfected the 'cover your face and drop to the ground' method of facial protection. Jenny and the Doctor, being on the other side of the room, are completely free from the glass.

As Rory's hoping the wetness on his forehead is from sweat and not blood, and Amy's shaking the glass out of her hair, the Doctor looks at Jenny.

"Not what I expected," he tells her. She nods. And then she notices it.

"Think we can work with that?" He asks her.

She's grinning. "Definitely."


Next week? Same bat time, same bat place?