Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or Apollo 23 by Justin Richards. Those belong to the BBC and BBC Books respectively.

A rasping breath wracked the Doctor's whole body. He wheezed and choked, coughing until his throat was raw. The ground beneath him was warm and sharp, like tiny knives cutting into his palms as he pressed them down in an effort to steady his body.

He was lying on his back, staring up at an azure sky. The faintest wisp of cloud skittered across his vision. The sun was a burning disc that hurt his eyes.

Slowly, as the coughing and gasping died away and he caught his breath, the Doctor pushed himself upwards. He sat, staring around at the undulating landscape. Not the gray, barren moon, but the warm sandy desert. He climbed to his feet.

The lines of receptors were gone. The link was broken and they would be back on the moon. There was no sign either of the Doctor's helmet or of Colonel Devenish. The Doctor sighed and shook his head sadly, knowing all too well what that must mean.

"Sabotage," he murmured. The stiff desert breeze ruffled his hair and blew up a ground-hugging swirl of sand. "Sabotage and murder." He licked his finger and held it up, gauging the direction of the wind.

Deep in the heart of Texas, the Doctor remembered Devenish had said. Texas was enormous – the second largest U.S. state. But he was sure someone had mentioned that Base Hibiscus was close to Houston. Assuming that the quantum link had actually brought them to Texas somewhere near the base. If not, he could be anywhere. There's no guarantee that this is even Earth, he thought.

"Could be worse," he said to himself. "It might have been Alaska."

After a while, the Doctor was beginning to wish it was Alaska. Without the helmet, his spacesuit wasn't sealed and the heat got trapped inside. He could tolerate extreme temperatures that humans couldn't, but even Time Lords had their limits. He stripped off the spacesuit and staggered on in his slacks and shirtsleeves, bow tie hanging untied around his neck. The breeze was cooling, but it whipped up the sand and blew it in his eyes so that he could hardly see.

In the distance, peering through the bright sun and the stinging sand, the Doctor could see a dark cloud. More sand, swirling across the desert towards him. A sandstorm? God forbid it, he thought as he looked around for a possible shelter. But there was none whatsoever.

As the whirling sand got closer, the Doctor saw that it was kicked up by a jeep, racing towards him through the desert. It slowed to a halt a few meters away, the engine idling. Three uniformed soldiers jumped out of the back of the jeep and ran towards him, unshouldering their assault rifles.

The Doctor stood up and reached out to sake the nearest soldier's hand. The soldier did take his hand, but dragged the Doctor forwards before spinning him around and wrenching his arm up behind his back. Together with another soldier, he marched the Doctor over to the jeep and shoved him roughly over the bonnet.

The Doctor gasped as his cheek pressed down on the hot metal. "Ouch! Careful!"

"This is a restricted area," another soldier barked.

"I kind of guessed that, actually."

"What are you doing here? How did you get in?"

"I'm helping." The Doctor forced himself upright. He raised his hands in the air and turned around. "I've got papers, a pass, authorization, everything."

"Show me."

"Rightio." The Doctor shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. Except the pockets weren't there, and neither was his jacket. "Ah. Sorry. Left my paper – my papers, I should say – in my jacket. I'd go and get it but it's a bit of a way away."

"Gets hot out here," one of the soldiers said. It was the first half-friendly tone the Doctor had heard. "How far away's your jacket?"

"Quite a way, actually," the Doctor admitted. "I left it on the moon."


It seemed like an age before anyone came. The girls watched through a mass of pipes and cables. The soldier continued to stand in exactly the same spot, not moving at all.

"We have to stop doing this," Alex smiled to Amy.

Amy laughed a little under her breath, glad that Alex was able to make her laugh even in their situation.

Eventually, Nurse Phillips arrived, as they had expected she would. She sighed when she saw the charred mass of fused cables and wires. She inspected the soldier's face, gently turning it from side to side. "Come with me. We'd better get you to the medical center."

The soldier jerked upright at the sound of her voice. His shoulders straightened and his eyes opened again.

"Follow me. Let's get you sorted out."

Since they knew where the two were headed, the girls waited until they were long gone before emerging from their hiding place.

By the time they reached the medical center, Nurse Phillips was bandaging the soldier's hand. He sat on a chair in the small reception area. His face was cleaner, but showed several slight burns. He seemed to be behaving perfectly normally as he glanced up at Amy and Alex and smiled. But there was no recognition in the look.

He should know who I am, Alex thought, noticing this. I gave him several foot-shaped bruises on his back.

"What happened to you?" Amy asked.

"Oh, stupid accident," the soldier explained. "Burned my hand trying to fix a toasted sandwich."

"Your face as well, by the looks of it," Alex commented.

"Eye-level grill," Nurse Phillips dismissed. She finished attaching the bandage with surgical tape. "There, all done. Get a salad next time."

"Sure thing." The soldier stood up. "Sorry to be a bother."

"You remember what happened?" Alex asked, trying to keep the disdain and anger out of her voice. Even though the soldier didn't seem to have any memory of sabotaging the systems, Alex still felt angry at him for possibly causing harm to the Doctor.

Nurse Phillips frowned at her, but said nothing.

"Yeah," the soldier said. "Sure I do. Pretty much."

"That's fine," Nurse Phillips told him. "A touch of shock, that's normal. You'll be all set in a day or two. No worries."

"No worries," the soldier repeated, his voice devoid of expression. Then, happily, he added "Hey, I feel better already. Thanks."

Talk about a speedy recovery, Alex thought.

"Can I help you?" Nurse Phillips asked as soon as the soldier was gone.

"We thought maybe we could help you," Amy lied. "We heard there was a soldier injured."

"Oh?"

"One of the other men…saw him coming in, I guess. We didn't know how serious it was…"

"That's kind of you. But as you see, I'm managing fine."

"As we see," Alex agreed, privately thinking that she was doing it a little too well. "Sorry, didn't mean to imply you couldn't cope."

"It can be difficult with just me," Nurse Phillips admitted. "Professor Jackson has some medical training though, so that helps."

"I'm sure it does," Alex smiled but Amy noticed it was a crocodile one; fake and sinister, like one the Doctor would give an enemy.


One word changed everything. As soon as the Doctor mentioned the moon, the soldiers' demeanor completely changed. They helped him into the back of the jeep, and one even offered him chewing gum. The Doctor declined. All he could really concentrate on was that Alex and Amy were still stuck on the moon and he needed to get back to them.

Alex, you mean, his subconscious told him. The Doctor did his best to ignore it.

"My spacesuit is about half a mile that way," he explained. "Any chance we can swing by and pick it up?"

"No problem," the driver assured him. The jeep then sped away, kicking up a storm of fine sand behind it.

Half an hour later, with the Doctor's spacesuit – but not his helmet – recovered, they arrived at Base Hibiscus. The base was made up of a collection of low brick-built structures. It looked every bit as incongruous sticking up from the desert as Base Diana had on the moon.

Guards on the gate waved the jeep through, and it screeched to a halt outside one of the low buildings. A sentry on duty outside glanced suspiciously at the Doctor before waving them all through. The interior of the building was more like an office than a military base. There were gray carpet tiles on the floor and blotches of color in expensive frames on the wall.

"You know," the Doctor said, looking at these, "modern art isn't really as bad as it's painted."

One of the soldiers was generous enough to smile. They continued in silence in the elevator to the third floor, where the Doctor was shown into an office. The door closed behind him, and he found himself facing an important-looking soldier across an imposing desk.

"I'm sorry if I'm supposed to know who you are," the Doctor said, sitting down. "General?" he hazarded, seeing the stars on the man's shoulders.

"General Walinski, and that's fine. I don't know who you are either. Though that is a bit more of a problem, given I've recently checked the files of everyone who's supposed to be on Base Diana."

"Guessing I wasn't on the list."

"Damn right you weren't. So who are you, and how did you get there? More to the point, how did you get back?"

"Well, that's a little difficult really. I'm an expert, sent in to help. They're having a bit of trouble with their quantum link, though I expect you know that."

"It's been noticed. Go on – you were sent to fix the link."

"I did fix it. But then it went wrong again and dumped me back in the desert. Colonel Devenish…" The Doctor's voice trailed off.

Walinski leaned forward. "Cliff Devenish – what about him?"

"He was with me, fixing the receptors. He didn't make it. I'm sorry."

Walinski leaned back, nodding slowly. "Good man, Devenish. So how come you made it back and he didn't? Chance, was it? Luck?"

"A bit of both," the Doctor admitted. "And maybe I can survive a little longer without oxygen."

Walinski leaned back even further. "You see, the trouble I'm having here is that people are dead and you turn up out of nowhere and seem to be an expert on a top secret system. I don't know if I can trust you."

The Doctor sucked in his cheeks. "That's your problem, not mine," he retorted.

"Don't be so sure."

"Devenish trusted me, if that helps. At least, he told me he did."

"You could be lying," Walinski pointed out. "Though you don't look like a liar."

Don't go betting on that, the Doctor thought, thinking briefly of the times he had to lie in the past. Aloud, he said "Good liars don't. But Devenish trusted me enough to agree when I told him the systems had been sabotaged."

Walinski's eyes narrowed. "How did you get to Diana?"

"My assistants, Miss Pond and Miss Locke, and I went up from the shopping center where the astronaut appeared."

Walinski visibly relaxed at this. "Typical CIA. They sent their own team up – local Brit team, I guess – and they didn't even tell us."

"Actually, Miss Locke is American," the Doctor said, figuring the General could be even more persuaded to help if he learned another American citizen was trapped up there. "Alexandria Nicole Locke."

Walinski nodded and stood up, towering over the seated Doctor, and strode to the door. He pulled it open and shouted "Get Agent Jennings in here now!"

Jennings arrived almost at once. He was nearly as tall as Walinski and just as broad. Unlike the General, Jennings was wearing a black suit. He also wore glasses, the lenses as dark as the suit.

"This Doctor guy one of yours?" Walinski demanded.

"Not so far as I know," Jennings answered.

"Hi, by the way," the Doctor said.

Jennings ignored him. "But Control doesn't always consult me personally before putting agents into the field. You want me to double check?"

The Doctor stood up. "Look, this is all very cozy and matey and fun, and we can play 'my boss is bigger than your boss' for as long as you like. But my friends are up on your moonbase, and there's no way for us to get to them and there's no way for them to get to us. Whether you know it or not, something's sabotaging your systems. They deliberately cut you off from the moon, and they did that for a reason. Now, I don't know what that reason is, not yet. But I think we should find out, don't you?"

"And why do you think someone would sabotage a base that's operated without problems for forty years?" Jennings inquired.

"I didn't say someone, I said something." The Doctor looked from Jennings to Walinski, and saw that they were both watching him closely. "And I don't know why. But if I had to hazard a guess, and I think I'm probably more qualified than anyone else here to do that, then I'd say…" He hesitated, wondering if the two men would be ready for what he was about to tell them.

"Yes?" Walinski prompted.

"I'd say you were being invaded."


Captain Reeve had organized rooms for the girls. Both were tempted to tell him about what they'd seen and overheard. But when it came down to it, neither were sure they could trust anyone. Captain Reeve seemed pleasant and friendly enough – certainly in contrast to Major Carlisle. But maybe he was just a bit too laid back.

Could it all be an act? Alex wondered, remembering her suspicions about everyone here acting like something they weren't, like actors in a play.

God, when she saw the Doctor again, right after hugging him, she was going to slap the hell out of him.

"Looks like you could be staying with us for a while," Reeve said.

"Any news of the Doctor and Colonel Devenish yet?" Alex asked, the coil in her stomach tightening to where it was causing her physical pain.

"No. But it's a tricky job. The Colonel was on local comms only for some reason. Wasn't talking to us. That's not normal procedure. But they've got enough air for a few more hours yet, so Major Carlisle says we should leave it to them. They'll shout if they get a problem, or if they don't, we'll go looking when their air gets low."

"You seem to have a lot of spare living space," Amy said, noticing that Alex didn't look assured by this news. It seemed wise to change the subject.

Reeve nodded. "The number of people stationed here varies. We have capacity at the moment."

Amy nodded. She and Alex hadn't seen that many people. A few scientists in Jackson's team, Nurse Phillips, and the soldiers. "How many here at the moment?"

"Maybe twenty in all. Major Carlisle could tell you the exact number."

Reeve left the girls to 'settle in', though Alex wasn't sure what he thought they needed to do to settle in. It wasn't like they had anything to unpack. "I'm going to stay in here with you, if that's okay," Alex decided. She really didn't want to be all alone in a strange moonbase where she couldn't trust anyone. She didn't want to leave Amy alone either.

"It's fine, and thanks. I'm kinda nervous myself." Amy stretched out on the bed and stared up at the plain white ceiling. "No cobwebs," she announced. "Do they even have spiders in here?"

Alex shrugged and sat down in a nearby loveseat. "Some could have wandered through the quantum link, but they wouldn't survive for more than three seconds."

It was pointless conversation and they both knew it. The only reason they were even attempting it was to try and distract themselves from the worry that plagued them.

"I'm going to doze for a few minutes," Amy decided after a few minutes of total silence. "Just until the Doctor gets back. He won't be long. You know he won't leave us here alone."

Alex nodded and picked at a loose thread on the loveseat. "Go ahead." She could use some time to think anyway.

Amy was awoken what seemed like seconds later by a knocking at the door. She rolled over to see Alex was standing on the other side of the room, evidently in the process of pacing. "Who is it?" Amy called.

"Downham, ma'am."

Downham was a soldier. He stood to attention when Amy opened the door. "Yes?"

"The Doctor would like to speak to you ladies," Downham said, noticing Alex just over Amy's shoulder.

"The Doctor?!" Alex cried, feeling her heartbeat race in excitement. Yes! He was alive!

"You can cut the 'ladies' stuff," Alex told him, rushing over as her system pounded with adrenaline. "I'm Alex and that's Amy."

"This way…miss." He marched off down the corridor.

"How long was I asleep?" Amy asked Alex as they followed Downham down the corridor.

"About two hours."

"I hope you weren't bored."

"No, I was fine," Alex assured her. "Gave me some time to think."

"So, where are we going?" Amy asked Downham, wondering why the Doctor hadn't just come to find them – or Alex – himself.

"Communications Room."

"And that's where the Doctor is?" Alex asked hopefully. She needed to see him again, like he was the sun and she was one of those dying dinosaurs. Ooh, bad analogy. Still, the point was clear.

"Not exactly," Downham said carefully, noticing her desperation to see the Doctor again. "You need to speak to him on the radio link. They're bouncing the signal off a couple of satellites so we can have voice contact."

"Voice contact?" Amy repeated as Alex's heart plummeted. "Hang on – where exactly is the Doctor?"

The soldier hesitated in mid-stride, just slightly. "Base Hibiscus. He's on Earth, ma'am."

EARTH?! Alex mentally shrieked. She felt another burst of hatred run through her towards the soldier who had unknowingly caused the sabotage and the people or things that had forced him to do it.

One thing was for sure; she was going to get the Doctor back and then, they would take care of the people here.

Captain Reeve was already talking on the radio when the girls arrived in the Communications Room.

"General Walinski, he's the officer in charge of Hibiscus," Reeve said quietly to the girls. Louder, he said "Sir, I have Miss Pond and Miss Locke with me now, if the Doctor's still there."

To the girls' surprise, the General ignored Reeve and kept on talking. "…which means that our number one priority must be to get the quantum displacement link operating again." He paused, then went on. "Glad to hear that, Reeve. The Doctor is just here."

"He's a bit slow on the uptake," Amy said quietly.

"There's a few seconds' delay," Reeve explained. "Should be more, but your Doctor friend has done something to boost the signal, but there's still a delay before they hear us, and another before we hear their reply."

"I had a teacher like that," Amy recalled.

"I'll give you guys some privacy," Reeve said. "I gather the Doctor wants to talk technical with you two without us non-techies getting confused and interrupting."

"I hope he wasn't too rude about it!" Alex called after Reeve as he left. He closed the door behind him, leaving Amy and Alex alone in the room.

"Pond, Ally! Good to talk to you." The Doctor's voice was slightly tinny over the speakers. "Sorry I'm stuck down here. What do you mean?!" He suddenly sounded offended. "Of course I wasn't rude!"

"A few seconds delay," Amy said. "This is going to be fun."

"Now the first thing you girls need to know," the Doctor said, "is that there's a slight delay… Oh. You do know. So it'll be a few seconds before you hear my reply to your question."

"Gotcha," the girls said.

"But I expect Reeve's clued you in, so you probably know that too, right?"

"We do," Amy confirmed.

"What do you mean by 'Gotcha'?"

"No, no," Amy protested. "That was last time. The 'Gotcha' was for the slight delay bit."

"Or was that your answer to the last question? Right, guessing it was… Ah, yes, you just said."

Alex sighed loudly. This was fun. "Look Doc, is there a point to this conversation, or did you just call up to be all smug about having got back to Earth and left me and Amy stranded up here?" She paused a second before adding "And, either way, it's lovely to hear from you, Doc."

"She thought you were dead," Amy added helpfully.

Alex was about to protest but the Doctor's voice was just coming through. "You're probably wondering why I've called, and it's not just me being smug about…" He hesitated, then went on. "Oh, you are. And it's lovely to hear you too, Ally." Another pause, and then "Alex! You have very little faith in me! It takes a lot to kill me! And, no need to worry, I'm not going anywhere."

"Doctor?" Amy interrupted, before the two could begin flirting. "I'm guessing you have things to tell us, and we certainly have things to tell you. So rather than getting behind each other all the time, why don't you go first?"

"Absolutely…yes," the Doctor said. Then, after a pause, "You go first."

"Me?" Amy questioned.

"Oh, I'M going first?" The Doctor sounded surprised. "Okay, if you're sure."

"I'm sure."

"You want to go first? Is that what you mean by 'me'?"

"No, no it isn't." Amy was getting exasperated while Alex giggled a little.

"Sure you want to go first?" He paused, allowing Alex to imagine Amy's voice coming out of the speakers at Base Hibiscus. "Good, off you go then."

Obviously, they were going to have to go first. But before either girl could start, the Doctor said "Sorry, what do you mean by 'No, it isn't'?"

In an effort to end this madness, Alex jumped in. "Doctor, just shut up. Whatever you're saying, whenever you hear this, just shut up and listen to me and Amy, otherwise I will find a way down there and slap you into a new regeneration. Got it?"

"I've obviously misunderstood," the Doctor was saying. "So let me tell you what's going on here, and you just won't BELIEVE what-," He broke off, apparently now hearing Alex's threat. "Oh, all right then. No need to be so violent Ally. Shutting up now. Off you go."

Amy's hands were like claws in front of her, miming the action of wringing the absent Doctor's neck while Alex just glared at the microphone, her eyes turning from light green to dark. Taking deep breaths, the girls then took turns describing what had happened to them. They told him about speaking to Liz Didbrook, and about seeing Nurse Phillips, Professor Jackson, and Major Carlisle go into the Process Chamber, Carlisle never coming out. They described their fight with the soldier – Alex was positive she heard the Doctor chuckling a little as she described how she jumped onto the soldier's back – and how he had just sort of switched off before being sent to the medical center by Nurse Phillips.

"And there he was, having his hand bandaged as if nothing had happened," Amy was saying now. "Well, nothing except he'd burned his hand. How can he not remember? And how can he think this is all normal? I mean, I know the military aren't always the sharpest tools in the box, but even soldiers must have some critical abilities. They have to be able to shoot guns, don't they? So you'd hope they can tell one end from the other at least. Maybe I've been overestimating…"

"Um, Amy?" the Doctor interrupted. "I know Alex said not to interrupt, but just so you know, I've got General Walinski with me here still. And a couple of other military people. Sorry, should have mentioned that earlier. It might be a bit late to tell you that by the time you hear me."

Amy closed her eyes and cringed awkwardly while Alex stumbled back against the wall, her hands covering her mouth in a weak attempt to hide her laughing. "No, but seriously," Amy said quickly, "I was just kidding. I think soldiers are great. Lovely…uniforms. Sorry, Doctor, what was that? Oh, and a great sense of humor too, so they'll know what I mean."

There was an awkward pause that seemed to last forever, punctuated only by Alex's now audible snickering. Then, a voice Amy recognized as the General from his conversation with Captain Reeve earlier, said levelly "That was a long few seconds."

"Longest of my life," Amy muttered.

"Alex, stop snickering!" the Doctor scolded.

Alex quickly quieted, pushing herself off the wall and back over to Amy. "Don't be so harsh, Doc. It doesn't suit that handsome face of yours." Clearly, Alex was suffering from Flirt-With-The-Doctor withdrawal. "Anyway, that's what's been happening with us. So, the soldier's mind was affected somehow and it's got to be from Jackson's process. Jackson said he had programmed him and it seems Nurse Phillips is in league with him as well. To be honest, neither of us knows who to trust anymore." She paused, realizing just how alone she felt without him, even though Amy was standing right next to her. "I miss you, Doc. So does Amy. When are you coming back? We need you here." I need you here.

There was another long pause. Then the Doctor's voice came through. "My turn now, then, if you've finished." There was a slight sputtering of embarrassment as Alex's comment about his face came through. "Uh, uh…hmm, t-thank you, Ally. What? Oh, yes, I miss you girls too. Coming back? Well, slight problem there because the quantum link needs to be mended at your end. And I don't think there's anyone up there who can do it. Or at least, no one who wants to."

"You've confirmed Colonel Devenish's sabotage theory," Walinski jumped in. "Though we still don't have a motive, unless the Doctor's right."

Right about what? Alex wondered. She wanted to ask this, but she figured her question would be answered in a moment.

Sure enough, the Doctor started explaining. "You're spot on about Jackson's process," he told them. "I don't know if Jackson is behind it, but the process has been hijacked. You remember I said that there's a void left by removing the patient's memories? And it needs to be filled with something else? I think that's what's happening. Something has found the empty spaces and sneaked in. Maybe that's how these 'Blanks' you mentioned are being programmed and controlled. Or perhaps that's a separate application of the process. But something is fixing on the blank spaces in the mind and taking up residence there."

"You mean, like downloading software onto a blank bit of hard disk of computer memory?" Amy asked. "Sorry," she added.

"I wish I could think of a good analogy," the Doctor went on, oblivious. "Something went wrong with that poor Prisoner Nine, and Jackson put some of his own memories into the man's brain. That was how he knew ME, and how he recalled setting up the process in the first place. What Jackson does is he erases a bit of someone's memory, and into that space…" He paused. "Yes…" He paused again. "Oh, that's very good, yes. That's exactly what it's like. Downloading, I like that. Actually, I don't like it at all, but the analogy is good."

Alex rolled her eyes. "So who's downloading stuff into people's brains?"

"The question is who's downloading stuff into people's brains," Walinski said.

"You both think so," the Doctor said. "Well, the answer is – I don't know. But it's something that has an affinity with the human brain. Something that can transmit into the mind itself. Something that has a purpose in doing just that. Something that definitely ISN'T human."

"And that has hostile intentions," Walinski added.

"Seems that way," the Doctor agreed. "Hold tight, girls. I'm going to try to fix things from down here. I'll find a way to reconnect long enough for me to get back, then I can sort out the alien invaders, and we can all go home. Easy."

"Oh yeah, easy," Amy said. Even over the radio, she could tell from his tone that the Doctor was more worried than he was letting on. Alex looked worried as well. She had started pacing again, at least.

"Just make sure no one else gets to find out about this," the Doctor said. "You're right not to trust anyone… Oh, glad you think so. But it probably won't be so easy…"


In another room on Base Diana, the Doctor's voice came clearly through a small speaker wired into the main communications system.

"I'll talk to you two again soon. If you need to call us, you can talk to the General here, or Agent Jennings. Or you can ask for Candace Hecker. She's in charge of research and…stuff. So she'll know what you're talking about. Probably. As much as anyone, anyway. Just sit tight till I sort something out."

The uniformed figure in the room reached out and turned off the speaker. The Doctor was a problem, even stranded back on Earth. They would have to make sure he never got back to the moon.

A/N: Duh, duh, duh! Another cliffhanger! But not as horrible as the one in the last chapter. :)

Notes on reviews...

The Type 40 TARDIS - Thank you! I'm so glad you like the story, the original adventure, and Alex's character! :D I am going to do 'Death of the Doctor' from the Sarah-Jane Adventures. And yes, this will extend into Season 6 and beyond! :)

ElysiumPhoenix - I have a habit for evilness, don't I? :) This chapter had another cliffhanger, but not as horrible as the last chapter. :)

SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister - Nope, he didn't die. :) Sorry, no double updates, unless I happen to be in a REALLY good mood...or it's my birthday. :)

SopherGopherroxursox - Yes, yes I did end it there. I'm so evil! :} Glad you like this novel-adventure! :) Actually, the leather thing in Martha's first episode was called a Slab, but I'm sure there's been another Blank at some point on the show. 50 years old after all... :)

dream lighting - Glad you like the 'Apollo 23' adventure! And don't worry, they'll be okay, but that doesn't mean I can't mess with them a little. :) I am doing 'Death of the Doctor' and Sarah-Jane and Jo will have some reactions to Alex. :)

ShadowTeir - I'll take the evil thing as a compliment. :) Don't feel bad about not reading 'Apollo 23' though I do recommend it. It's a pretty good book that characterized the Doctor and Amy pretty well. :) Glad you liked the chapter!

Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass - Lol, I'm not Moffat, but I'll take that as a compliment! :) Ooh, I've never thought about that! Hmm... The Oncoming Ally? No, may need to work on that. :) Yep, I'm doing more of the books, though another one won't appear until Season 6. So far, I have the books 'Touched by an Angel', 'Paradox Lost', 'Dead of Winter', 'Hunter's Moon', and I recently got 'Shroud of Sorrow', the first book to contain Clara. I haven't written these up, but I will say that 'Hunter's Moon' is very, very dramatic and suspenseful. }:) I know, I watch Doctor Who now and I wish Alex was there! I also imagine the other OCs I have dreamed up - one of them I'm in the process of writing - in the episodes. :) Hmm...my favorite constellation is Andromeda, because I like the story behind it. I love Greek mythology! :)

moonsword17 - I'll take that as a compliment, thanks! :)

rycbar15 - I know, not much fluff in this. :( On the bright side, we did see Alex suffering from the same fluff-withdrawal and her attempts to flirt with the Doctor. :) Right now, I'm working on the 'Death of the Doctor' chapters and after that there's 'A Christmas Carol' and then, Living the Life of Ally will be done!

Gwilwillith - Thanks!

TheUltimateGuest - No problem! And thanks! :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and to those that followed/favored this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!