Oh no. He was late. Quickly, Matt placed his hands on Isabella's shoulders. "You need to run. Get out of here as soon as you can. There's a trap door that Amy just opened. Go down it and you'll run into two men, my brother and another man. Tell them that I'm with Amy and then keep going. Your father is waiting with his boat. Do you understand?"

Shakily, Isabella nodded, eyes not focusing on his face. "Thank you."

Matt smiled softly and let go.

They waited until the sounds of Amy and her captors had disappeared and then Isabella raced to the trapdoor. Casting her one last look, Matt turned away and ran quietly in the direction the vampires took Amy.

He had done all he could. Now it was up to Isabella to survive.

It did not take long to reach the slightly cracked door. A green light seeped from within like ooze from a wound. Carefully, so as not to be noticed, Matt shifted the door open and crept inside.

Amy was strapped to a chair, a drip bag full of blood above her. Her eyes held fire and she clenched her fists. "Do not touch me," she spat.

Calvierri and Francesco only laughed. "She's a feisty one."

Francesco hummed in agreement. "I do like her."

"I know, darling. She's yours if she survives the process."

Rory was going to kill him. Forget destiny. Matt wasn't going to just sit there, waiting for the Doctor to show up. He'd already messed up everything by saving Isabella anyway. Before he could talk himself out of it, Matt stepped forward.

CHAPTER 26

Think. He needed to think. Be clever. Swiftly, Matt cast his gaze around the small dungeon. Amy was strapped to a chair with a tube in her wrist. Francisco grinned wickedly as his fangs flickered into existence. He leaned toward Amy's neck, and Matt still hadn't moved. Closer and closer and-

Forget being clever.

Darting forward, Matt jumped at Francisco, shoving him backward. Francisco, startled, flung his arms out, tangling them in the tubes, blood bags, and the metal fixture holding them up. It crashed to the ground, spurting blood from the bags. Francisco let out a cry of rage.

"Darling? What-" The Signora got no farther, Matt aimed a wild kick at her waist, missed, and ended up falling, taking her down with him.

Eh. It worked, didn't it?

Calvierri let out a shriek like a wild cat and tried to claw him off. "Guards! Guards, some-something is in here!"

Were there even guards, or was that just a go-to response of queen-y evil fish vampire things? No time find out. Matt was already up again. He quickly undid the straps on Amy's wrists and ankles. "Hi," he said, more calmly than he felt.

Amy grinned. She jumped out of the chair, and Matt snatched her hand. "About time. The Doctor and-"

"They should be right around the corner by this time."

Struggling to stand in her elegant dress, Calvierri shrieked in rage once more, starting toward them. Francisco stood as well, sword drawn. His hands dripped with blood.

"That's disgusting," Matt noted. He pulled Amy around the man and toward the door.

"Oh, no you don't!" Calvierri shrieked. Blimey, that woman had lungs. Gills. Whatever.

Francisco charged forward and swept his sword through the air at random. Matt ducked beneath the shining steel and shoved Amy out the door. She yelped and grabbed a fistful of his jacket. "Run?"

"Yup!" Without thought, Matt slammed his right hand against the inside of the prince's wrist, and with the other, he grabbed the hilt of the sword, slamming the hand and the sword apart.

And there he was. Sword in hand. Francisco looked just as surprised as Matt. Matt stared at the sword in shock for a second but had to clumsily duck beneath Francisco's flying fist. He saw that disarming move in a movie once. He stumbled backward, pushing Amy. "Gogogogogo!"

They ran, their footsteps echoing in the halls.

"Did you- did you see that! I can't believe it worked!" Matt shouted.

"What did you do?" Amy replied, not slowing. "Invisible, remember?" Calvierri and Francisco raged behind them.

Oh yeah. Matt rolled his eyes. "One cool thing, Amy. I do one cool thing and no one else can see it.'

They rounded a corner and nearly barreled into Rory and the Doctor. The Doctor grinned. "Oh, good. We were afraid-"

"We actually kinda need to get out of here. Matt got them really mad."

Thanks, Amy, Don't mention that I just did the coolest thing ever.

The universe hates me. It is well established at this point.

"Quick, this way." Rory grabbed Amy's arm and they raced down the hall. Matt ignored the Doctor and his rambling mouth as he pumped Amy for information. Rory was wide-eyed and stumbling and Matt stumbled too, but he grinned.

In a distant, rather unimportant part of his mind, Matt realized he was being rash. He was a cautious person. Usually. But, right now, he had little trouble hushing his concerns. It was much easier to run and run and laugh and not think about the possible consequences of intervention and timelines and… stuff.

Perhaps it was the conversation he had had with River and then the Doctor that made him feel reckless. He didn't have to think about that if he was trying to fix everything around him.

It didn't really matter, honestly. Matt raced down a dark tunnel, unintentionally leaving his friends behind, in his zeal to make sure Isabella survived. He needed her to survive. If she didn't then maybe he couldn't save anyone. What was the point if he couldn't make things better?

With his heart pumping in his throat, the stolen sword in his hand, and the strangled shouts of his assailants behind him, Matt suddenly was reminded of a book he read as a child. Rather like Bilbo stumbling with Sting through goblin tunnels…

Don't get distracted.

He reached a door that would let out into the light and only now did he stop and look around, breathing heavily. Where was he? Matt frowned. On top of that, where was everyone else?

Great.

Nothing familiar met his eyes and he cursed quietly. If only he'd watched where he was going. The door before Matt could lead anywhere. Suddenly Matt felt an itch somewhere in the back of his mind. He stilled. Was it true you knew when someone was staring at you? Matt didn't know but he did not dare say a word, lest he brought attention to his hidden location. He was still invisible, after all.

Why was it every time he was alone, something weird happened?

Deciding he'd rather face whatever was outside than the author of the unsteady feeling in his chest, Matt fumbled for the latch behind his back and opened the door. He took a step backward, still searching up and down the shadow-filled corridors, and when his foot hit nothing but air, he was nearly too off-balance to force himself back inside. With his stomach lurching at the displacement, Matt scrambled for the door frame and clung to it. He glanced down.

The door was on the edge of the building and dropped directly into the canal. Who in their right mind thought this was a good place to put a door? The green canal sloshed below, and Matt stared at it for a moment in shock. He'd almost ended up very wet. And did he mention that canal smelled absolutely disgusting?

Carefully, Matt shut the door again.

He needed to think.

But thinking was apparently not his strong suit at the moment because his mind was drawing a total blank.

Where was everyone going to go after they left? He searched his memories and came up with vague images of fake gunpowder before it came to him.

"They're going back to the gondolier's house," he said out loud to himself. "Right?"

Probably. Yeah, yeah. That was right.

Matt turned to find another exit but stopped in surprise. Where there once was a long candlelit hallway, there was now only a blank wall.

Frowning, Matt approached the wall and poked it with his finger. It hit the cool white-washed bricks, and he pursed his lips. Well, it was worth a try. If Potter could do it…

No, no. He was getting distracted again.

With a sigh, Matt turned around. This time, the icy itch in the back of his mind increased almost painfully. He shivered, staring at the white wall that was once the door into the canal. Was it too obvious to mention that something strange was going on? Matt turned in a slow circle.

There was nothing but white brick walls all around. Boxed in.

He gulped. This did not happen in the show.

If something different was happening… then it was because of his influence; he was the only variable.

Was this because of Isabella?

That made no sense, though. She was just one girl. A girl from a century without running water, for that matter. Or maybe this was the vampires, and the show just had not touched on this sort of technology last time? Matt frowned, staying as still as he could. No one could see him. He was fine. This was an empty box, for all they knew. But no one boxed in empty air. No, somehow, someone knew where he was. But what did it want? Was this a mistake?

The vampires had holograms to disguise their appearance, could they disguise a hallway? Quickly, Matt pressed on the walls again.

No, they were very real.

Great.

What now?

He couldn't risk saying something and revealing himself if they didn't know he was here… But hadn't he spoken out loud earlier? Shoot. Was that how they knew?

Then again, he was assuming they actually were trying to capture him for some reason. And there didn't seem to be a reason that he could think of. If anyone, the Doctor was bigger bait-

Wait.

What if they thought-?

"Hello."

Matt spun around, nearly tripping. He said nothing but stared at the woman who had suddenly materialized, calculatingly.

She had an equally calculating gaze with blood red eyes and curly, woolen white hair. She wore an all white robe and had her hands clasped behind her back. At a glance, Matt guessed that she despised children, was fond of efficiency and spent more money than she ought.

Her eyes darted around the room. At least she couldn't see him. "I am the Shadow Architect," she said pointedly.

Matt's eyes widened. Wasn't that the leader of the Shadow Proclamation? He vaguely remembered something during Ten's time… What the heck did she want with him?

"What do I owe the pleasure?" he asked quietly.

"Don't be daft. This is not pleasurable for me or you." She pursed her lips. "I am here to dispose of a threat before it becomes a problem."

Matt nodded slowly, thinking fast. The itch in the back of his mind was becoming detrimental to his attention but he forced himself to think about it and let it grow. "Uh huh." he said, "And what exactly does that mean?"

"A friend of yours, Doctor, a man by the name Matthew Smith, poses a problem in the future."

That was… interesting. So she did think he was the Doctor.

"If you would work with us to eliminate him now, at the first place he deviated, it would be most helpful."

That would be Isabella, then. His deviation?

He really couldn't just catch a break, could he?

The itch-turned-headache, according to Matt's hastily constructed plan, was large enough now that he had to blink rapidly to see straight. "What exactly has Matt gotten into in the future?" he asked hoarsely.

"He is a notorious meddler like yourself, I am afraid."

"Ah. And why aren't you arresting the Doctor, ah, me then? I've been meddling a lot longer."

The woman said nothing. These serious powerful types really did get on his nerves.

Suddenly something clicked in Matt's mind and his vision flickered for a moment.

There we go. He caught a glimpse of a cobblestone street and red hair.

Come.

Then a wave exhaustion crashed over Matt and he stumbled, just barely catching himself on the wall. Black lined his sight and he rubbed his eyes, but the blackness overwhelmed him for just a moment.

The cold supplied by the jewel stuck to his chest suddenly receded and Matt heard the Architect suck in a sharp breath.

His brief lapse of consciousness had cost him his invisibility. The jewel tumbled off his chest and Matt caught it, folded up the metal clamps and stuffed it into his pocket. No point now. Only at this moment did he realize he was on one knee. Matt stood shakily and wished he didn't have to look like a wimp at the worst moments.

He heard a cocked weapon and dragged his eyes back up to the woman. She was stiff as stone, a handgun outstretched toward Matt's head.

Her red eyes were wide and for a moment, Matt wondered if she was afraid… which was weird.

"You," she spat out. "You tricked me."

"Technically-"

"Do not speak, silver tongue."

Matt cocked his head. Silver tongue… Interesting nickname. "Like the god, yes? Loki was called silver tongue, I believe." Matt frowned confused, "Why exactly am I-?"

"I said, silence."

Matt stared at her and narrowed his eyes.

"What did you do just now?" she asked.

Matt said nothing, as commanded, which successfully irritated the woman. "You may speak when I address you."

"That's a relief. It was going to get a bit awkward…" What exactly was it that suddenly turned on the sarcasm the moment a gun was pointed in his direction? Was this a new thing or had he just not noticed the last time? Whatever. He rubbed the back of his neck, thinking. "What was your question again?"

"What did you do?" The woman's eyes were so expressive Matt wondered how she managed to look impassive before. Or maybe that was just the aftereffects of that headache…

"Well, I used to be an actor, but now I'm kinda just traveling through time with this guy who looks like me and… do you really want to hear that whole story because it's really long and probably-"

The Architect cocked her head. "I am pointing a lethal weapon at you, Mr. Smith. Do not toy with me."

"Oh, so it's 'Mr. Smith' now. I really didn't mind Silver Tongue. Very dramatic, really." He just needed a few seconds more…

"Tell me where you get your foreknowledge, and I will kill you quickly."

Matt pursed his lips. "You know, I don't think I'll tell you. I mean, the fact that you have to point a gun at me to get me to say it kinda makes me think I shouldn't."

The Architect narrowed her gaze at him, and, for a moment, Matt caught a whiff of fear in her expression that disappeared instantly. Was she really scared of him? Why did the leader of the Shadow Proclamation herself feel the need to come deal with him anyway?

Matt didn't know and it rather frightened him. To be honest, he didn't really want to know.

"I am not threatening you for information. The weapon is for protection."

Confused, Matt nodded slowly and then glanced down at himself. What was that supposed to mean? "Look, lady. I took a karate class, like, once when I was ten, and it was a complete disaster. The only thing I could possibly use against you would not be stopped by your gun." It probably wasn't a good time to mention he didn't really know how to use said-advantage.

"If you are referring to your ability to muck about in my mind, Mr. Smith, you would be disappointed. These walls absorb psychic energy."

Matt frowned. "That's a thing?"

The Architect ignored him. "I imagine that is why you were incapacitated when you attempted such an action."

"I think incapacitated is a bit of a strong word. Momentarily overcome, maybe?"

The woman's jaw tightened. "I do not have time for this, boy."

"Boy, now. We're degrading, I see."

"Listen to me!"

Matt listened. But not to her, but rather to the strange whirring sound just behind him…

"You will tell me what you know and how you know it and then you will not attempt to escape."

Matt barked out a laugh, wondering if he had to be mad to find humor in such a dire situation. "I don't know who you think you are, but I am not about to just go belly up for you." She didn't even have psychic walls that worked right. He'd gotten past them, hadn't he?

Pink rose to her pale cheeks as anger finally reared its head. "Fool."

"Naw, you said before, I'm clever. Got a silver tongue."

From behind him, a hand grabbed a fistful of Matt's jacket. With a smirk, Matt fell backward through the wall and…

Out into a marketplace. Chickens clucked and the sun shined far too brightly. It smelled of the canal and spices and sweat. Matt fumbled for balance and ended up clinging to the Doctor until he realized what he was doing. Releasing himself, Matt grinned at his bow-tied mirror image. "Your timing was impeccable for once."

They were amid a steady stream of people who jostled them back and forth. Matt's headache spiked for an instant. They both quickly jogged out of the flow.

"What did you do?"

"Funny, I was just asked that-"

"Matt," The Doctor's voice was soft, but Matt did not miss the steel behind it. He would not back down.

Matt glanced up and down the street. "First, how did we get here?"

"You were in a time bubble. Creates a sort of eternal waiting room wherever you like."

"But I was in the castle."

"Location becomes irrelevant. It's complicated. Took me a while to track you down. That was an interesting bit of telepathy to get my attention, by the way. Bit harsh, but effective." The Doctor frowned. "Amy and Rory and the others are back at the house. I told them to go ahead."

Matt nodded, and they began jogging back toward their temporary base. "Can the people who had me find me again?"

"If they exit, they could end up in several different locations. So no, not for now."

Matt edged around a particularly large individual and tried to pose his next question casually. "Have you heard of the Shadow Architect?"

The Doctor stopped walking for a moment and then started again. "Yes. Yes, of course. Dear gods, was she in there? What does she want with you?"

"Apparently I am a bit of a bad apple in the future."

The Doctor muttered something obscene beneath his breath. "She was cutting you off at the beginning."

"Or trying to," he replied cheerily.

With a cocked head, the Doctor appraised him. "You're taking this rather well."

Matt smirked wryly. He had too much of an identity crisis in the present to have room to worry about the future. Shrugging, they turned into a less crowded alley. "I imagine this mood won't last long. I've got rather testy emotions of late..."

The Doctor was silent for a moment. "You didn't answer my question. What did you do to prompt her to come?"

He supposed he couldn't delay forever. Slowly, Matt came to a stop. "Isabella. Have you met her?"

"The daughter? Yes, she's back with Amy and Rory." The Doctor cocked his head at him. "What about her?"

So he didn't know then… Maybe the Doctor wasn't as all knowing as he implied. Then again, Matt should have expected that. Despite all his faces, he was just one man after all.

"I might have, well, saved her."

Silence.

And then the realization: "She was supposed to die." The Doctor shut his eyes with a sigh and then opened then once more. "You should not have done that."

Matt took a step back and frowned, sparks of irritation in his chest. "No, I should have. I did, and it's done and I couldn't just let her die." Surely he understood that?

"But if she was supposed to-"

"So what!" Matt crossed his arms over his chest. "Who decides this stuff anyway?"

"Not you."

Matt shut his mouth with an audible click. That was legitimate. He pursed his lips stubbornly. "It doesn't matter now. She was supposed to die ages ago by this time. I know I shouldn't have, but she's one girl. Just one girl and if I didn't do anything…" He trailed off and picked up again. "So if you're angry, then I don't care. There's no reason to travel in time if you can't make things better." Where exactly all of that came from, Matt wasn't sure. He had not really thought about it before speaking.

The silence was so profound Matt that could hear water gurgling nearby.

Matt looked up. The Doctor's confliction shined clearly in his eyes. His voice was soft as he began pacing unconsciously. "There are times and events and things that must happen. But there are so many people who get lost in the cracks. That history forgets. The key is knowing who is who."

Matt cocked his head. "And Isabella? Which one is she?"

"I don't know. I hope for your sake that she is a forgotten one. But... I only know what I was taught in school." The Doctor looked quite old as he chewed his lip. "Sometimes I know, but usually we just have to guess and hope for the best." Matt appraised the Doctor, curious. The man knew a whole lot, but he did not know everything and he admitted it and he hoped to God he was doing the right thing anyway, Matt reasoned. Before he could think to say anything, the Doctor slapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, you rebel, let's get back to Amy and Rory and hope you didn't cause some sort of cosmic expungement."

After all, there was still twenty minutes or so of the episode left, Matt remembered. The adventure was far from over.

AN: We're back! Thanks to Psitta D for editing! I figured it was such a waste to let this sit when so many people were still looking at it and asking for more. This has always been one of my more popular stories, and it astounds me how many people still read it even though I hadn't updated it literally since December. Besides, I love this story, really, I do. Please leave a glorious little review as a tribute to the awesomeness of Matt Smith and the Doctor and their collective lack of coordination.