I opened my eyes to find Theta standing over me. He gave me a weak smile, "Twelve minutes into the past." He lifted me up and carried me down the stairs and into the room where the Pandorica was held. My body was weak and I could feel it decaying inside. He sat down in the Pandorica with me in his lap, my head against his chest. He began to wire up the vortex manipulator into the Pandorica,
"We do this and the universe come back…"
"But we won't…" I placed my hand on his cheek,
"I'd rather die in your arms than die alone." He kissed my hand,
"And I won't live without you."
"I was going to marry you…" He leaned down and slowly kissed me. I kissed him back as the tears streamed down my face. He pulled back and rested his head against mine,
"I wouldn't marry anybody else."
"I love you Theta…so much…"
"I love you too Phoenix…I love you with all my hearts…" He shut his eyes and I shut mine. We stayed that way for the longest time.
"DOCTOR!" The others came running in but Theta still hadn't moved. I could here the others but it was hard to hear over the pounding that was growing in my head.
"Why did they tell us they were dead?"
"We were a diversion." I felt Theta's head being lifted off of mine. "Long as the Dalek was chasing us, he could work down here."
"Doctor, can you here me?" This voice was closer and clearer. River must be her. "What were you doing?" There was another pause before I heard another voice,
"What's happening?" Rory. Good old Rory.
"Reality's collapsing. It's speeding up. Look at this room."
"Where'd everything go?" Amy, poor Amy.
"History's being erased. Time's running out. Doctor, what were you doing? Tell us!" She was shaking him. I felt my own body shake. "Doctor?" I felt his grip tighten a bit and I felt his chest heave with struggled breaths.
"Big…Bang…Two."
"The Big Bang. That's the beginning of the universe, right?"
"What and Big Bang Two is the bang that brings us back? Is that what you mean?"
"Oh…" River was beginning to catch on,
"What?"
"The TARDIS is still burning. It's exploding at every point in history. If you threw the Pandorica into the explosion, right into the heart of the fire…"
"Then what?
"Then let there be light. The light from the Pandorica would explode everywhere at once, Just like he said."
"And- and that would work? The would bring everything back?"
"A restoration field, powered by and exploding TARDIS, happening at every moment in history. Oh, that's brilliant. It might even work!" I heard the sound of the sonic before her voice took over again, "He's wired the Vortex Manipulator to the rest of the box."
"Why?" Amy. The concern was making her voice crack,
"So he can take it with him. He's going to fly the Pandorica into the heart of the explosion." I heard someone talking but it was muffled by the pounding in my head. I felt someone touch my cheek and I struggled to open my eyes. When I did I saw that was Theta. I opened my mouth but nothing came out. I heard a strangled cry and looked to my left to see Amy,
"Hi…" It took him a moment but he responded,
"Amy Pond…the girl who waited. All night, in your garden. Was it worth it?"
"Shut up. Of course it was."
"You asked me why I was taking you with me, and I said…'No reason.'… I was lying."
"It's not important."
"Yeah, it's the most important thing left in the universe. It's why I'm doing this… Amy, your house was too big. That big, empty house. Just you."
"And Aunt Sharon."
"Where were your mum and dad? Where was… everybody who lived in that big house?"
"I lost my mum and dad."
"How? What happened to them? Where did they go?"
"I… I don't…"
"It's ok, it's ok. Don't panic. It's not your fault."
"I don't even remember."
"There was a crack in time in the wall of your bedroom. And it's been eating away at your life for a long time now. Amy Pond…all alone. The girl who didn't make sense. How could I resist?"
"But how could I just forget? How can I forget you and Phoenix?"
"Nothing is ever forgotten, not really. But you have to try." The place shook and I could feel the earth shake beneath us,
"Doctor! It's speeding up!" Amy lifted the Sonic and pressed the button once before placing it in his pocket,
"There's going to be a very big bang- Big Bang Two. Try and remember your family, and they'll be there. How can I remember them if they never existed?"
"Because… you're special. That crack in your wall, all that time, the universe pouring into your head. You brought Rory back you can bring them back too. You just remember…and they'll be there." She pulled back and out of the box.
"You won't. Neither of you will."
"You'll have your family back. You won't need your imaginary friends any more." The box began to take hold of him. Theta let out a weak laugh, "Amy Pond…crying over us, eh? Guess what?" The box was starting to close
"What?"
"Gotcha!" And with that the box closed. He hit a few buttons on the communicator then dropped it while he panted. I felt everything leaving me and I opened my mouth and forced the words out,
"Goodbye…" My eyes slid shut and I saw everything flash before me. Everything that happened from when we were in the box all the way back to when we landed in Rome. Then I gasped and my eyes shot open and I sat up straight. I felt someone's arms around me,
"It's alright, you're alright." I looked beside me,
"Theta." He smiled and pulled me to him and held me in a tight hug,
"I told you I wouldn't loose you…" I looked around and noticed that we were in the TARDIS. I gave him a questioning look and he shrugged.
"What happened?"
"We escaped, then, Brilliant! I love it when we do that. Legs, yes. Bow tie, cool." He reached up to his head and shrugged, "I can by a fez." I rolled my eyes,
"You are not buying a fez. But what happened to me? Why am I here?" He opened his mouth to say something when I heard another voice. Actually it was the Doctor's voice,
"Now, the beach…the beach is the best. Automatic sand."
"Automatic sand? What does that mean?" Amy? We stood up and saw ourselves and Amy.
"It's automated, totally."
"Ignore him. He doesn't understand that you have to explain theses things with more detail." That was me.
"Oh."
"Cleans up the lolly sticks and…"
"No, hang on! That's last week when we went to Space Florida." Amy was in shorts and a tropical shirt with sunglasses on and I was in my shorts and tank top. The Doctor was fiddling with the controls. "We're rewinding. Our- our- our time stream…unravelling, erasing. Closing. Big Bang reversed everything that's happened. So…"
"I wasn't poisoned." He smiled,
"No you weren't. But now we're going back… to the beginning of it all." He turned around and I followed suite and saw the crack. The crack in time. The crack was getting smaller, "Hello, universe. Goodbye Doctor and Phoenix." He turned around and looked at Amy who had her back to us, "Amy?" Slowly she turned around and looked around the place. She looked right through us, "Amy?" Then there was a bright light and we were being thrown back again. Back to when we met Craig. We were out on the street just outside the flat. And there was Amy delivering the letter, "Ah. Three weeks ago, when she put the card in the window. Amy!" She looked up towards us but didn't seem to notice that much, she seemed much more interested in the cat she was petting, "I need to tell you something!" She walked away, "She can hear me! But if she can hear me…" Slowly we turned around and saw a small crack on the ground then we were thrown back in time. The Doctor was gripping my hand but I felt myself loosing his grip,
"Theta!"
"Phoenix!" Our hands separated and I fell away from him. When everything stopped I found myself outside my house again. Just before the TARDIS landed. I heard the crash and I ran to the front I saw myself talking to him,
"Doctor! Amy! Rory!" The Doctor looked my way and stared at me for a second before looking back at me. I opened my mouth to say something but was thrown back again. I saw everything flying before me. All my life in Wales was going by. It all lead to one moment. The moment I said goodbye to the Doctor. The trainers, the suite, the coat… they all made me smile. We were standing outside of Cardiff,
"Jack's around here somewhere. He won't know who you are yet but he'll help you. Just tell him your one of my friends." I laughed,
"He'll never let me out of his sight then." He chuckled as well. I saw the tears streaming down my face and I saw the pained look in his face that I had missed before. He lifted my chin so my eyes met his,
"I will be back." I watched as I wrapped my arms around him and he held me back. I saw him fight off his own tears. I saw him as he buried his face in my hair.
"Promise me. Promise me you'll come back." I saw him shut his eyes and blink away the tears. He pulled back and took my chin and looked me in the eyes,
"I promise." With that he leaned forward and kissed my head before entering the TARDIS. She watched it vanish before falling to her knees and crying. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I jumped. I turned around to see the Doctor. My Doctor. Suspenders and bow tie. He took my hand.
"I promised… I promised I'd never leave you." He looked towards the crack, "I thought if she could hear me…could hang on somehow. It took me back to the night I met her, the night I would have met her. She won't remember us. Not much. Just a story in her head." He sighed, "A daft old man who stole a magic box and ran away with a girl of the stars." He sighed and at that moment just how long the years had been for him, "The cracks are closing. They won't close properly till we're on the other side… We don't belong here anymore." He sighed, "I think I'll skip the rest of the rewind. I hate repeats…" I kissed his hand and he kissed my cheek. And with that we walked into the crack and it snapped shut behind us.