Chapter 14
The Doctor stared at the gruesome body of Atala, a frown on his lips. He glanced at Matt. "Did you-?"
Matt shook his head and pointed at Bryce.
"Oh, right." The Doctor nodded, a finger scratching his upper lip. He didn't expect Matt to kill someone, and was glad that he didn't, but seeing Matt's despondent expression, he guessed there was more to the story.
Matt took a deep breath and launched into a rapid fire explaination of what had come to pass while the Doctor was sleeping. Unfortunately he was on mute.
The Doctor stared at him with a vaguely amused expression before finally stopping him. "I have no idea what you're saying, Matt."
Matt huffed silently.
"You could… mime it, I suppose," the Doctor suggested.
Shooting him a sardonic glare, Matt shook his head. No. Fix me, he mouthed.
The Doctor tapped his lip thoughtfully, "Honestly Matt, I wasn't even out for a whole hour and you managed to run into one of the three things in the whole bloody universe that could mess up the connections in your head."
Fascinating, Matt mouthed.
"Sorry, what was that?"
Just shut up and fix me.
Rolling his eyes, the Doctor shined his screwdriver over him and immediately Matt's voice returned.
"About time," he murmured. His chest was tight with guilt and it made him irritable. How horribly useless he had been... It had taken Bryce, a Scott from the 12th century, all of three seconds to stop Atala in nearly impossible conditions. Matt,on the other hand, had been given the perfect chance to kill her, but was too afraid to do anything. Atala's words taunted him, pounding through his skull. "Pathetic, that's what you are, mister Matt."
The Doctor gave him a small smile. "And you're not Scottish to boot."
Nodding, Matt's eyes met the Doctor's. "I want to go home."
Surprise colored the Doctor's face. He frowned, looked his mirror-image up and down, and sighed sadly. "If that's what you want."
Relieved, Matt's shoulders slumped. "You can do it then? You can bring me back home?"
The Doctor shrugged. "I can't, but if I can convince the TARDIS, there shouldn't be a problem."
"Thank you," Matt replied.
Their attention was drawn away from the conversation as Bryce coughed and opened his eyes. He had fallen unconscious from the exertion after killing Atala. Now it looked like the Doctor's treatment was taking effect. Breathing deeply, he sat up, looked directly at the Doctor, and spoke with sharp clarity.
"Amy! She was injured by that thing! You have to save her!"
The Doctor's face went white. "Stay and recover, Matt!" he called over his shoulder, already out the door.
"Like heck." Matt stumbled to his feet. His head was pounding and he still felt extremely weak, but he followed the Doctor anyway. Matt's hands shook as he opened the TARDIS door. Was Amy okay? Did he get her killed on top of nearly killing everyone else?
Bryce stumbled after Matt and it didn't take long for the three men to locate Amy. She was shivering in the mud, pain clear on her face. Her hands were sticky and red with the blood flowing from her abdomen. But she was alive and Matt heaved a breath of relief. He wasn't sure he would survive the guilt if she died.
"Pond..." the Doctor murmured, the concern clear in his eyes.
She looked up at him with unfocused eyes. "Tell the Doctor, Matt. Atala's in the TARDIS- in the- the-"
"It's alright now, Amy. The Doctor's gonna fix you," Matt interrupted, bending down next to her.
The Doctor's eyes flicked up to Matt, seemingly unsurprised at Matt's disregard of his command. "I am so sorry, Amy. This is going to hurt." He turned to Matt. "Help me."
Matt nodded, and together they carried Amy into the TARDIS, Bryce trailing fretfully behind.
Matt stood outside of the sick bay, arms crossed. It didn't take long for the TARDIS to patch Amy up, and soon she was sleeping peacefully. He watched her for a moment, breathing in and out slowly. His relief was palpable as he leaned tiredly against the glass window looking into the room.
"She'll be fine," the Doctor murmured.
"Good."
They had said goodbye to the Scots after giving them the cure to the disease. Bryce was the most reluctant to let the Doctor, Matt, and Amy go.
"Will you return?"
"Probably not."
Bryce sighed resignedly. "Then I wish you and your friends good luck, Doctor. I have never met such extraordinary sorcerers."
Matt stood silently next to the Doctor, waiting for the response he knew was coming.
"Actually, we're not-"
"Leave it," Matt murmured immediately. "He won't understand the truth."
The Doctor considered this for a moment and then shrugged. He waved goodbye to Bryce and stepped into the TARDIS. Pausing only for a moment, Matt was about to do likewise when Bryce placed a hand on his shoulder.
His eyes were wet and pleading. "Keep her safe, Matt of Smith. Promise you will protect Amy."
Gravely, Matt nodded. "Absolutely."
As he shut the door, he wondered if he could keep that promise.
Rubbing his eyes, Matt yawned. He clutched a soft blanket in his fist, half-forgotten nightmares fragmenting in his mind."What a horrible dream…" Matt murmured. Never in his entire life had he dreamed so vividly. White sheets were tangled around him, and morning light from a curtained window gave the room a soft, pleasant feel. He sat up and glanced around. It was the room he had inhabited when he still lived with his parents. He was home. Posters lined the walls, and a fish swam in a small fish tank. The Annihilator was the guppy's name, if Matt's memory served him well. A twin-sized bed, a desk, and a deep-blue swivel chair occupied the room. Groggy, Matt stood and realized he was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. He must have forgotten to change out of them last night. Shaking his head, he glanced around for the suitcase he had brought with him on his trip. It was nowhere to be found. Matt frowned. Did he forget to bring it up when he arrived last night? When did he even arrive last night? He couldn't remember at all.
He must have been literally sleeping on his feet!
Shrugging, Matt opened up his old dresser and was surprised to see clothes folded neatly within. He was certain his mother had cleared the dresser out years ago. "Weird," he said, taking out a pair of jeans and a dark blue t-shirt that slowly faded to white at the bottom hem. He quickly changed into the pants. Pulling the shirt over his head, Matt fumbled for the doorknob and exited the room. "Mom? Dad? You up y-?"
His words froze in his throat the moment he pulled down the hoodie. A metal hallway extended into eternity to the right and left, and the floor hummed with life under his feet. "Oh," he croaked.
Not a dream then.
"That was cruel," Matt said aloud. He was still in the TARDIS. The room wasn't really his room. It just looked like it.
The TARDIS nudged him mentally, the equivalent of a shrug. She sent him a picture of a little girl staring at her feet guiltily, and Matt understood that fooling him had not been her intention. She was attempting to help him feel at home.
Sadness and homesickness filled his chest. "Well you're not doing a very good job of it," Matt spat, and immediately wished he could take back the words.
Red flashed behind his eyes. Anger, or more possibly, hurt.
Crap.
"Sorry!" he spoke quickly, realizing she was retreating. "I didn't mean to offend you. I'm just- I'm sorry."
The TARDIS sent him a raised chin and feet walking away. He sighed. Daggonit. He'd need to come up with a better apology than that.
But not now.
"Who're you talking to?"
The Doctor.
Matt jumped visibly, swiveling toward his twin. Where the heck did he even come from? The Doctor was wearing the same clothes he always did, but at the moment he was barefoot. Interest and slight confusion shone through the Time Lord's eyes.
Opening and closing his mouth, Matt fumbled for an answer. He knew that most people didn't communicate with the TARDIS, and his ability to do so would only raise questions he didn't know the answers to. "Would you believe me if I said myself?"
The Doctor snorted. "That would be unlikely."
Nodding, Matt rubbed his nose rapidly and pointed at the Doctor's feet. "Why are you barefoot?"
"Because I want to be. You are avoiding the question."
"Question? Avoiding? What?" Matt edged around him and began walking swiftly down the hall. He hoped he was going the right way. "So... how's Amy?"
The Doctor's frown deepened. "Much better. Eating breakfast I believe."
"Good. Great. Fantastic. You used to like that word, didn't you? Fantastic?"
"Matt!" The Doctor sighed, exasperated. He caught up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder "Who were you talking to?"
"You know, you tend to be really annoyingly persistent."
"It's my special super power."
"Really? That's nice. Breakfast?"
"No."
Matt exhaled dramatically. "For Rassilon's sake, leave me alone!" He realized his mistake the moment he spoke.
"Ah!" The Doctor pointed at him, eyebrows raised. "Why did you say that?"
"Say what?"
"That's my saying. 'For Rassilon's sake' is something only I say, so why would you say that?"
Matt threw his hands in the air. "I don't know! I just said it! It happens! People say stuff! It doesn't mean anything!"
"Who said it meant anything?" the Doctor countered. "You're right. People just say stuff, and you've been inundated with my lifestyle for years. Why shouldn't you slip up sometimes?"
Matt paused, surprised. He nodded. "Yes! Exactly!"
"But who were you talking to?"
Huffing, Matt stopped walking for a moment and looked the Time Lord square in the eye. "If you must know, I offended the TARDIS by telling her that making my room look just like my room at my mother's house was totally confusing and really not helpful. She got mad at me, and I tried to apologize but she just walked away." Then Matt opened a door on the right side of the hallway and stepped out of view.
The Doctor's jaw dropped. He stood frozen, completely stunned. The conversation that Matt described wasn't possible. No one could talk to the TARDIS like that except-
"Amy!" Matt interrupted the Doctor's thoughts. Matt stood in a quaint kitchen reminiscent of Amy Pond's. He grinned upon seeing her at the kitchen table, a half-eaten muffin and a cup of tea in front of her. The redhead was pale, but otherwise looked no worse for wear. Any evidence of her wound from the night before was gone. The technology of the future is absolutely miraculous, he thought.
Shaking his head, the Doctor stepped into the kitchen and allowed himself one baffled look at his mirror image. The mystery of Matt… Then he shoved the issue into the back of his mind. He didn't have enough evidence to make any conclusions.
A soft smile curved Amy's lips, peeking from behind a cup of tea. "Matt. Doctor."
Matt sat down in the chair next to her. "You feeling alright?"
"Yes. Finally." Amy took one last sip and set the cup down. She looked toward the Doctor. "So what are we gonna do today?"
The Doctor, who was busily searching through the refrigerator, dropped a box of fish fingers in his hand. "Do? We're not doing anything! You're still recovering!"
"Am not!"
The Doctor rolled his eyes, picked up the box, grabbed some vanilla custard and plopped down across from the two humans. "No. You are. I know these things."
Matt snorted. He stood up and got himself a glass of milk and a bowl of dry Honey Nut Cheerios which was sitting on the shelf as if it was waiting just for him. "You're not even a real doctor."
A protest rose to the Doctor's lips. "I am too!"
"No you're not. I know these things."
Huffing, The Doctor ripped a fish finger out of the box and shoved it into his bowl of custard. He hated it when people shot his words back at him. "And you're so much more qualified, Matt, eating Cheerios without milk!"
Matt gawked. "Excuse me, that has nothing whatsoever to do with my qualifications. And I am eating Cheerios with milk, it's just not all mixed together!" He leaned forward and wrinkled his nose at the Doctor's breakfast choice. "And besides, you're one to talk. Fish fingers and custard!"
"It's delicious!"
"No one in their right mind thinks so." Matt threw a handful of Cheerios into his mouth, swallowing it and then sipping his milk. "It is ridiculously easy to irritate you."
"Congratulations."
"Or maybe it's my special super power."
"Do you want me to throttle you?"
"That depends. Then I can reach your bow-tie and who knows what might happ-"
Suddenly Amy banged her cup against the table. "Excuse me!" she cried.
They stopped, turning to look at her.
She just shook her head. "It is ridiculous and a bit ironic that you, Doctor, like to mix things that don't go together, and you, Matt, don't put together things that should be together, but it is not worth fighting about!" She stood up. "And also, I feel good enough to leave the TARDIS. So there!" With a flip of her hair, Amy walked out of the kitchen.
Matt glanced at the Doctor. "Are we going to follow her, then?"
"I don't think we have a choice," the Doctor replied, shrugging as he got to his feet.
Swiftly Matt stood, snagging his bowl of Cheerios on the way out. He wanted to be annoyed at the Doctor, but it wasn't the Time Lord he was really mad at. It was himself. Maybe if he just went home he could pretend none of this happened: that he was actually a good person.
Ring, ring! A phone rung in the console room. A few turns and Matt stepped into the room itself. Amy leaned against the console, debating whether to answer it or not.
Rolling his eyes, Matt grabbed it while still munching on his Cheerios.
A deep voice resonated inside the telephone, and Matt froze. Great. He knew that voice.
"Doctor!" he cried, pulling the phone to his chest. "It's the Prime Minister!"
Amy choked, eyes wide. "Did you just say-"
"Which Prime Minister?" The Doctor interrupted, skipping into the room.
Matt continued to ignore the man on the phone, who was shouting for his attention. "The British one," he answered sarcastically.
"Please don't."
Matt rolled his eyes, and placed the phone against his ear. "Hello Winston Churchy- or whatever. I'm sure you have a problem, so as soon as the Doctor takes me home, he'll be right there." Then Matt hung up. Amy and the Doctor looked at him with shocked faces.
"Well come on, then." Matt gestured at the TARDIS console. "I think you press these," Matt leaned over and tapped a pair of levers, a set of green buttons, and wound up another strange contraption.
Immediately the TARDIS took of, flying steadily. Surprise filled Matt's eyes, and he stared up at the time rotor with his mouth open.
"How cool is that!" he burst. "They taught me the real thing!"
Blinking, Amy gave Matt a long look. "You… can fly the TARDIS."
Nodding rapidly, Matt scampered away and vaulted over a stair railing so that he stood by the front door. "They gave me a manual!"
"Seriously?"
The Doctor, who said nothing this entire time, now finally got over his shock. "I threw the manual away!" he choked.
"In a super nova or something, right?" Matt asked. "Maybe it popped out in my universe or something? I dunno! Somebody gave me a manual with all sorts of pictures and everything." He paused, thinking. "Course, I only know the maneuvers that were necessary for the show, which is slightly inconvenient to us, but hey, hopefully we don't die!"
"That would be unfortunate for you lot, wouldn't it?" the Doctor murmured. He quickly adjusted several settings so that they kept flying on the right path
"Any old idiot can fly her, Doctor." Matt murmured, glancing anxiously at the door. Hopefully the TARDIS would actually land where he wanted it to. "It's getting her to listen that's the problem."
"Good point." The Doctor conceded, following Matt to the front door.
Amy shook her head, her hair spilling down her back in loose waves. Her hands rested on hips that were covered by a lavender mini skirt. She bounded down the steps and her fingers brushed Matt's arm.
"It doesn't work on him." Matt blurted suddenly. "You think it'll work, but it doesn't. Wearing skirts doesn't do anything. He's like a child." Then Matt popped his hand over his mouth, shock in his eyes. Where did that come from?
Amy's was just as shocked as Matt was. "Wh- what?"
The Doctor glanced back and forth between the two of them. "Did I miss something?"
Slowly, Matt removed his hand. He blinked and suddenly seemed to jolt back into reality. "Sorry," he murmured. "I think I'm a bit odd today." Amy's eyebrows rose incredulously and Matt pointed at her. "No. Don't say anything."
"I wasn't gonna!"
"Yes you were!"
"No I-"
"Can we please go outside now?" The Doctor interrupted, bouncing on his heels. "This should be home, Matt. Are you quite certain you want to leave?"
Matt was silent for a moment, remembering what he was about to do. His thoughts tumbled over each other, arguing for his attention. He wanted to stay, but at the same time... He wasn't cut out for this. He preferred his nice life of fame in a universe where aliens didn't exist. He didn't want to die, and he was ashamed of his cowardliness. If he just went home, he could go back to pretending he was someone great. He could be adored and influence people's lives without ever being in real danger.
But then there was another part of him saying that running away just because something was difficult was even worse than acting like a coward in the first place. It was weak. Pathetic. He would be proving Atala right.
But Matt supposed he must be weak. He certainly wasn't strong enough to do this, not like the Doctor.
Taking a deep breath, he nodded resolutely. "Yes. I'm certain."
With a flourish, the Doctor stepped aside so that Matt could open the door. The Doctor's eyes dropped to the floor. Was he really going to let such a mystery walk away? He was Matt Smith for Rassilon's sake. He sighed inwardly. He didn't want to hold him against his will, but he felt that he would regret this...
Meanwhile, Matt's eyes wandered to Amy and guilt stabbed his heart.
"Promise you'll keep her safe."
"I promise."
Matt sighed. Not only am I a coward, I'm an oath-breaker too.
And he supposed that if that was truly who he was, then there was nothing he could do to change it, so why try?
Taking a step toward the door, his fingers brushed the release latch. He pulled it open, stepped out-
And was met by three gun barrels to the face.
The TARDIS wasn't done with him just yet.
AN: I can't believe season eight is almost over! Then I'll have to WAIT again! NOO!
On a happier note, thanks for all the amazing reviews! They are amazing. that was a bit redundant.
Anyway, please leave more REVIEWS!