Hello, and welcome back, readers! ;)
Just six chapters to go before the very end. I hope everyone is excited for finally meeting Third Wanda. I know I am. :) Though, I am rather nervous on what you guys will think of the next part to come. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you all will like it. :)
Also, Warning: Mentioning of dark themes and blood.
Well, enough from me. Onto the chapter!
XxXxXxXx
Chapter 53: The Doctor's Darkest Hour
She did not know where she was. All she could feel was emptiness. It was like she was floating in a gentle breeze. Carried on whispers through the stars. She wanted to open her eyes, to see what the whispers where or what was gently rocking her through the emptiness. But they refused to open, remaining firmly shut. All she could do . . . was listen.
It was like a million, million people all whispering at once. Echoing distantly, but yet speaking right next to her ear at the same time. Some of the sounds were of laughter. Children playing. Friends sharing a joke. A family enjoying each other's company. Some were of tears. A man crying over the loss of his wife. A mother mourning the loss of her child. A child crying in fear, missing their parents. Some were of anger . . . of hate. Violent. Spiteful. Aggressive. Wrathful. Resentment. Jealously. Rage. Madness. All evil and horrid things mixed together. These seemed to be the loudest whispers of them all.
She cringed away from this. Wanting nothing to do with such evil. Such hatred. She wanted the laughter. The happiness. But the more she tried to listen to the good, the more the bad seemed to overtake everything else. Becoming overpowering and killing off all the good. Destroying everything in its wake. Leaving only the wicked. Only the corrupt. Only the cruel. It was an endless cycle. An endless torment. There was nothing that could be done to stop it. Unless . . . someone put an end to it. Someone to step in the way and cut the line. Ending the cycle once and for all. But who?
Suddenly, she felt everything rushing back into her. Her mind jumped to life as memories came flowing back into proper place. It forward through everything all at once. Letting it see what she had been doing all these years. Letting her see all the people she loved. Letting her see the one man she loved more than anything. The Doctor. Her Doctor. Her Theta. She remembered!
Wanda gasped as she felt herself coming back into reality. Her eyes finally snapped open and saw Eleven hovering over her worriedly. Him on one side of her and Clara on the other, both smiling widely with joy as Wanda lay on the dirt floor of the dying TARDIS of Trenzalore. She blinked at them, feeling dazed.
"How are you feeling?" the Doctor asked her quietly.
"Um . . . like crap, actually," Wanda answered lightly. It was true. She felt like she had been run over by a steam engine. Twice.
"That's just side effects of being taken out of time. It'll pass," the Doctor assured her, helping her sit up. Wanda wobbled slightly, feeling woozy. She turned to look at Clara, seeing the girl perfectly fine and happy.
"So, I take it everything went okay? You saved the day and became the Impossible Girl?" Wanda asked her.
"Yep!" Clara bounced happily in place. "Kinda scary at first, but I'm glad I did it."
"Good," Wanda smiled at her, giving her the biggest hug, holding the girl close, happy to have the wonderful companion with them. "You are brilliant. I'm going to make sure I keep telling you that."
"Oh, you do," Clara laughed, pulling away from the Time Lady. The Doctor grabbed onto Wanda next and hugged her tightly.
"I thought I'd lost you forever for a while there," he breathed into her ear.
"Never," Wanda replied gently, rubbing his back fondly. She smiled, elated that everything had turned out all right in the end. She had been worried greatly for Clara for some time, but the possibilities had shown her everything would turn out fine for the girl. So, Wanda knew there had been nothing to truly worry about. Except . . .
"So . . . what happened to me, exactly?" Wanda asked the Doctor, letting go of him to stare curiously at him. "You said 'taken out of time.' Why was I removed from time?" The Doctor tensed, seeming unsure how to answer that.
"Uh . . . um, you see . . . ah, Clara?" he turned to the girl. Clara blinked at him and scoffed.
"Don't look at me. I don't have the answers," she told him.
"Well, you're no help," the Doctor grumbled at her. Wanda crossed her arms, staring sternly at the Doctor.
"Doctor," she said in a low tone as if warning him to start explaining. He nervously clasped his hands together, opening and closing his mouth slightly. Then, Wanda felt the warmth spread through her and the light began to appear. The Doctor looked almost relieved in seeing the light.
"Oh, darn. I guess I'll have to explain later, then," he said lightly with pretend disappointment, giving Wanda a cheeky smile. She rolled her eyes, giving him a smack on the head.
"Idiot," she grumbled, which then Clara and the Doctor both laughed at her response.
The white light pulled her away from her two smiling friends into a dark hallway. Alarms were blaring overhead with red lights flashing. Wanda stood up from the ground, wondering where the heck she was. From the looks of it she would have to guess . . . ah! There were cells here. She must be in Stormcage. Which means River was nearby somewhere. And judging by the sound of the alarms, the woman was either breaking in or out.
"Oh, turn it off. I'm breaking in, not out."
Wanda turned, seeing a tipsy looking River, in a beautiful dress, who stood by the wall speaking into a phone. Wanda noticed how the woman had ice skates hanging from one arm, as well as having some sort of furred warmer for her hands. River gave a hiccup, putting the phone back on the holder. Wanda beamed at her, bouncing over to her sister.
"Hello, sweetie! How are you doing?" Wanda asked her brightly. River beamed at her with a delighted expression upon hearing Wanda calling her 'sweetie.' River would always be the one other person Wanda would ever call sweetie. Mostly because it was the one close thing that bonded them in the beginning.
"Hello, yourself," River replied with a warm smile. "Where have you been off to?"
"Oh, a long ways off into the future. Too many spoilers for me to tell you," Wanda told her, coming around the woman's side to link their arms together as they walked down the hall. "But I know where you've been. Off having a nice date with the Doctor now, hmm? Let me guess . . . ice skating on the Thames in 1814 for your birthday with Stevie Wonder singing under the London Bridge?"
"Right on the dot as always," River remarked, smiling away. "But you're off about one thing. You were there too, sweetie."
Wanda frowned, pondering this for a moment. "Oh . . . well, I hope I didn't spoil your date with the Doctor. I know how you two don't get a lot of moments together."
River nudged the Time Lady's side affectionately. "Sweetie, it wouldn't have been a good birthday without you. In fact, you made it all the better when you used the sonic to break the ice on the Doctor. You sent him right into the Thames." River laughed heartedly. "Oh, you should have seen the look on his face. It was priceless! Best birthday present ever."
Wanda laughed with her, keeping a note to do that in the future. "I bet he wasn't too happy about that."
"Well, he was once someone promised to help him warm up in the TARDIS." River sent her a wink and sly smile.
This in turn made Wanda shake her head lightly. "Great. Now I've got the image of you and the Doctor without bunk beds in the TARDIS. Blah!"
River smirked and chuckled, highly amused by the Time Lady's reaction. Oh, if only she knew. They continued to stroll happily together until they ran into a dark figure of a Roman in the middle of the hallway. Wanda sighed heavily, knowing the time had come.
"Hello, Rory," Wanda said softly. Rory stepped more into the light, looking grave.
"Hello, Wanda, Doctor Song," Rory said, looking between the two of them. "Didn't exactly expect to find you here, Wanda."
"I know. I didn't expect to find myself here, either," Wanda replied with a shrug. The Roman looked to River, suddenly seeming uncertain and axious.
"Sorry. H-have we met yet?" he asked the woman. "Time streams—I'm not quite sure where we are."
"Yes. Yes, we've met," River said quietly, staring at him in awe. Then, she saw the clothes. She started to pull out her diary, but Wanda stopped her with a gentle hand.
"You don't have to look," Wanda whispered, lowering the woman's hand as she stared gravely at River. "I can tell you that this is it. It's Demons Run." River stiffened, then her shoulders slumped slightly.
"Oh, please don't say that, sweetie," River breathed sadly.
"I'm sorry," was all Wanda said, giving the woman a hug. Rory shifted his eyes over the two women, wondering why they were acting as though someone were about to die.
"They've taken Amy. And our baby," Rory told them, making the two women pull away from the hug and face him. "The Doctor's getting some people together. We're going after her, but he needs you, too. Both of you. I'm really glad that I found you here, Wanda. I think we're gonna need someone you knows the future to tell us what to do."
"No," River said sternly, facing Wanda fully. "Wanda, you can't. You promised."
"I know. Don't worry, sweetie. I never break my promises," Wanda said calmly. She turned to Rory, sending him an even stare. "You know I can't interfere with the timeline, Rory."
Rory's expression saddened even more when hearing this. "But . . . this is Amy. Our baby. Please . . . can you at least promise me that we'll bring them back home safe?" Rory stepped toward the Time Lady, looking ready to plead.
Wanda lowered her gaze to the ground, not able to meet the father's eyes. "I can promise you that your family will always return to you," she said quietly. Rory sighed, looking eased by those words. Though, only slightly. He knew he still needed to be on guard until he had Amy and his child both within his arms. Safe and sound.
"All right, then, we better get going," Rory said, turning to walk back where he came from.
"I can't," River spoke up, making him halt in his tracks. Rory turned, frowning with confusion. In disbelief that River would ever turn down helping the Doctor. River stared sadly at him. "Not yet, anyway."
"I'm sorry?" Rory retorted back angrily.
"This is the battle of Demons Run, the Doctor's darkest hour," River explained steadily, though with her eyes wavering. "He'll rise higher than ever before and then fall so much further. And I can't be there till the very end."
"Why not?" Rory asked carefully, confusion by her explanation. River simply gave him a soft smile.
"Spoilers," she breathed. She looked at Wanda who stared sadly back. "Remember your promise. Do not change anything. No matter how much you wish to."
"I know," Wanda sighed heavily. She gave River one last hug, knowing how scared the woman must be in the Doctor finally finding out who she truly was. Wanda remembered River had been on the show. But, as she pulled away from the hug, Wanda noticed how the woman did not appear as scared as she remembered. Huh. Maybe she just recalled it differently? Wanda walked over to Rory, linking her arm with his and walking them both back to the TARDIS parked down the hall.
"So, you in that Roman outfit," Wanda said lightly with a smile. "You really do look like a hot Italian." Rory scoffed while Wanda snorted and laughed.
XxXxXxXx
Wanda stood in a dark corner, watching the Colonel Manton give a speech to the soldiers of Demons Run, in a large gathering hangar for the crowd. The group working for the Silence had gathered a massive army. An army, waiting to kill the Doctor. To end his life, forever.
Over her dead body.
Wanda tightened her hands into fists, hating the way the Colonel talked of the Doctor. But remained silent as she watched the Headless Monks standing behind the Colonel. Though she watched one Headless Monk in particular. She had been dressed like a solider herself, camo uniform and everything, as undercover, blending right in without any of them realizing. Well, she always did carry the military look well in this body. None had even batted an eye as she walked amongst them, gathering information for the Doctor and setting up their trap.
The Doctor had been conflicted upon her coming into the TARDIS with Rory after they left Stormcage. Half of him wanted her to go into battle with him, more or less because he wanted his Wanderer close by. But the other half wanted her far, far away, nowhere near a battle. Not ever. He never wanted her to be a solider for him. However, Wanda managed to 'convince' him to let her come.
Which by 'convince' was more or less her smacking him on the head and saying angrily, 'How dare you think I'd ever not run to the rescue of our Amelia Pond! I'm going there, kicking some arse, whether you like it or not.' This seemed to earn her some compliments for her sass from Vastra and Jenny, who had both already joined the TARDIS group already. They had been both greatly shocked when Wanda bounced up and hugged them both tightly.
"I'm so glad to finally meet you officially!" Wanda had said in excitement after she had stepped away from hugging Vastra and Jenny.
"Um . . . we're happy too, ma'am," Jenny had replied back politely, though with some uncertainty heard in her voice. She had even glanced at Vastra for some sort of explanation for the Time Lady's happy demeanour around them
"Call me Wanda," Wanda had insisted to Jenny, nodding to Vastra as well. "Funny actually seeing you two again as I had actually just been with you guys just a few minutes ago." Wanda then walked around the two, leaving them both looking confused by that statement.
Then, of course, Wanda swiftly gave Strax a hug as well once she spotted him standing in the corner. This had earned her an angry remark immediately.
"Unhand me woman!" Strax had shouted, pointing at gun at the Time Lady in anger to being touched. To which Wanda rolled her eyes, snorted, and then smack the Sontaran on the head.
"Stop being a moron and put the gun away," the Time Lady then scolded him. Strax grumbled and did so, finding it remarkable that anyone would dare hit him over the head while he was pointing a gun in their face. Of course, then the Sontaran earned a dark glare from the Doctor, making Strax mentally note never to point a gun at the Wanderer ever again.
Wanda thought over these events that had occurred within the TARDIS before their infiltration into Demons Run. A brief happy encounter over the dread and looming battle over their heads. She only kept her fingers crossed tightly; hoping Rory and Amy would forgive her for what was to come. For her not acting to save their child from years of fright and living without them. The only peace of mind Wanda had was in knowing Mels would find them, grow up and be raised by them, and become the wonderful and amazing River Song. Her friend and marvelous sister.
"Surprised!"
Wanda shook her head, snapping herself out of her stupor of memories and fears. Mentally scolding herself of letting her mind wander. She would have to make sure not to do that in the future.
The Doctor had finally revealed himself to the soldiers. It was time to act. She watched in slight amusement at everyone's gasp and stepping back from the platform where the Doctor stood. Even though they had been hired to kill him and all held guns while he did not, they were still terrified of him. Which . . . was not exactly a good thing. People's fear of the Doctor was the main reason why they were here in the first place, afterall.
"Hello, everyone! Guess who," the Doctor called out merrily as he stepped up to the edge of the platform, still wearing the old Headless Monk robe. He raised his hands lightly, smiling at the crowd of Cleric soldiers. "Please, point a gun at me, if it helps you relax." All did at that remark, training their weapons pointedly at him. Even the Headless Monks raised their electrical swords, ready to attack. The Time Lord stared down at them in slight humour. "You're only human."
"Doctor, you will come with me right now," Colonel Manton ordered the Time Lord, keeping his pistol aimed at the Doctor's head.
Wanda glared darkly at the man, feeling a strange urge within her to march up there and punch the Colonel for even daring to aim a gun at her Theta. She shook this feeling off. It was strange . . . She never felt violent or temperamental before. It had been the same feeling she had back on Trenzalore when Simeon put his hand on the Doctor. It was . . . a possessive feeling. Something she had never once, in her entire life, ever felt or experienced. Odd . . . But she would have to ignore it for now. Perhaps think it over later.
"Three minutes, forty seconds," was the Doctor's response to the Colonel's demand. He turned and waved at Amy, who stood within a room high above, with her hand pressed to the window looking below. "Amelia Pond! Get your coat!" The Doctor threw the hood back over himself as all the lights went out and threw them into darkness.
Everyone within the room gasped in fear. A muttering and babbling spread throughout as all the soldiers began to panic. All kept their guns in their hands, aiming around to try and see in the dark to where the Doctor could have gone. The lights came on a few seconds later, with the Doctor now gone from the stage. Only a Colonel Manton remained standing with his pistol still pointed up and two Headless Monks standing behind him.
"I'm not a phantom," the Doctor's voice echoed throughout the vast room of the hangar. "I'm not a trick. I'm a monk." This made all the soldiers point their guns at the Headless Monks standing around the edges of the room. Which in turn made the Monks pull out their red, electrified swords at the ready. A shot was fired, knocking a Monk down. Then all hell broke loose.
Clerics and Monks started attacking each other left and right in a frenzied panic. Colonel Manton worked to calm them down, to keep the peace. The Doctor came over to where Wanda had been hiding by the door leading to the intercom system. She smiled at him, glad the plan had worked. She knew it would, but her normal anxiety still kicked in and she had pinched her thumb some. They both discreetly opened the door with their sonic and made their way inside.
Now, all the Time Lords had to do was make it to the announcement system. Making sure the Silurians, the Judoon, and Commander Strax were materlized in to surround the disarmed Clerics. Then at call Danny Boy and his other group of Spitfires would attack the Demons Run communications systems. Making sure none of the other enemy fleets comes in to stop them from saving Amy.
All of this was done, making all the soldiers stand around down below in the hangar in stunned silence. High above, the Doctor gave a laugh over the intercom as he and Wanda stood on a platform, watching all of this unfold. Wanda grabbed the mic from the Doctor, glaring down at the Colonel and his soldiers.
"This is what happens when you mess with our family," Wanda sassed. "Also, don't slump, Colonel. It's bad for your spine."
"Just what I was saying, Wanderer! You have nurse instincts as well!" Strax called from below, sounding ever so pleased with the unfolding events of winning the battle. Wanda giggled, setting the mic down. The Doctor beamed at her, grabbing her hand as they hurried off.
XxXxXxXx
"Sorry, Colonel Manton, I lied. Three minutes, forty-two seconds," the Doctor said lightly to the Colonel.
The main group of Strax, Vastra, Jenny, Dorium, and the captive Colonel, along with the two Time Lords, had gone to the control room after making certain the base was theirs. The Doctor sat on the control room seat, facing the Colonel coolly as the Time Lord leaned back in the seat with his hands folded together. The Colonel was currently behind held at gunpoint by Strax. Dorium stood behind the two. Vastra and Jenny stood with Wanda close by the Doctor. No one noticed, but Wanda held an uneasy expression and was pinching her thumb behind her back.
"Colonel Manton, you will give the order for your men to withdraw," Strax instructed the Colonel curtly. The Doctor's eyes flashed darkly. Wanda shifted on her feet, growing even more uneasy in knowing the Oncoming Storm was about to make an appearance.
"No. Colonel Manton, I want you to tell your men to run away," the Doctor spoke up harshly.
"You what?" the Colonel asked, unbelieving to the certain words the Doctor wanted him to order.
"Those words: 'run away,'" the Doctor repeated, his light green eyes staring coldly at the man before him. "I want you to be famous for those exact words. I want people to call you 'Colonel Runaway.' I want children laughing outside your door because they've found the house of Colonel Runaway, and when," the Doctor stood up suddenly, storming over to the man, pointing his finger harshly at the Colonel and glaring menacingly at him, "people come to you and ask if trying to get to me through the people I love . . ."
He paused after shouting the last words full of rage and fury. Vastra leaned back slightly, unsure what to think of the Doctor's demeanour. Wanda winced, keeping her eyes averted. Yes, there was saving their family, but . . . the Doctor's actions and words now were different. They were . . . dark. Fully of hate and wrathful vengeance for those who hurt his family. She did not like seeing him like this. It . . . scared her. She did understand why he felt this way, but . . . She just hoped he had never acted like this whenever she had been in trouble.
" . . . is, in any way, a good idea . . . I want you to tell them your name," the Doctor finished speaking after his short pause. He gave a dark smile. "And don't think me being angry is anything new."
"The anger of a good man is not a problem. Good men have too many rules."
The Doctor turned, seeing the eyepatch woman standing in the doorway of the control room. She was being held at gunpoint by a few Silurians. The Doctor glared at her, knowing she was the one to cause all of this in the first place.
He felt his anger, still boiling around within him, begin to rise. All he could think, the entire time of them rescuing Amy, was what if it had been Wanda. What if his Wanderer had been taken, along with their future? Of course, he was just as furious with them taking Amy as he would have been if they took Wanda . . . No, wait, scratch that. He knew for certain he would have been a little more than furious if they had taken Wanda. But, still, the role today might have been reversed. It might have been Third Wanda stolen from him, as well as Em—
He hurriedly moved away from that thought. Not wishing to contemplate it for even a second.
"Good men don't need rules," he replied to the eyepatch woman, going towards her angrily. "Today is not the day to find out why I have so many." He glared darkly at her while she stared back warily.
"Give the order," the woman told the Colonel. The Doctor was shocked that the woman had given in so easily, but let it slide. Knowing she must simply understand when she had been beaten. The Doctor moved away, letting the Colonel give the order over the controls.
The Doctor grabbed Wanda's hand, leading her out of the control room as he left the others to take care of the woman and the Colonel. Not wanting her to be around this tense atmosphere any longer. He had lost his cool a moment there. He hoped she did not think poorly of him for letting the Oncoming Storm side of him come out briefly. She squeezed his hand though, assuring him that she did not think any less of him.
As they walked past the eyepatch woman, Madame Kovarian, Wanda glanced at her. It was brief. Only a few seconds. But the way the woman stared at Wanda, with a dark glint within her eyes, it was as if she knew something. Something dreadful and terrible that Wanda did not. Something about Wanda herself that the woman held above her. A way to destroy the Time Lady and her family. That look Kovarian held . . . it sent shivers done Wanda's spine. And she did not think it had anything to do with the woman already having Melody within her grasp either. No . . . It was something more than that.
Wanda ignored her growing dread, pushing onwards to keep walking with the Doctor. She just wanted to find Amy and give the new mother the biggest hug ever. But along the way to Amy's room, Wanda could not stop the anxious feeling from swimming within her.
XxXxXxXx
"Ew, kissing and crying," the Doctor commented in disgusted. He and Wanda had waited outside after helping Rory, with child in his arms, get inside the room that kept Amy captive. Both Time Lords knew the husband and wife need a moment together after everything they had been through. Then the Doctor bounced excitedly forward, unable to wait any longer to see his Pond again. Wanda tried to stop him, wanting to give Amy and Rory some more time and privacy together. But the Doctor dragged her right along into the room. She elbowed him the moment he made his comment to the sight before him.
"Oh, shut up, idiot," she scolded lightly.
"We-we-we'll be back in a bit," the Doctor said, pulling Wanda back from the room, highly embarrassed in seeing the two Ponds snogging in such a way. Was this how they felt whenever he and Wanda did the same? No wondered Amy always seemed frustrated with him.
"Oi, you two. Get in here, now," Rory called out to the Time Lords. Wanda yanked the Doctor back into the room, giving him a look to say 'be good.' She bounced down the stairs first, beaming away at the two happy Ponds.
"Amy! I am never letting you out of my sight ever again!" Wanda exclaimed in joy, throwing her arms around the ginger. Amy laughed, happily returning the hug. Wanda let go, looking down at the baby. She stared more sadly than cheerfully like the rest of them, knowing what the child truly was. She felt another twinge of guilt going through her. Another impulse to blurt out where the real baby was during this current moment, to plead to Rory and Amy how sorry she was in letting it happen in the first place. But Wanda remembered the promise she made to River and the impulse went away as she sucked in a steady breath, smiling at the babe. The Doctor came up, smiling away at the baby as well.
"My daughter. What do you think?" Rory asked them.
"She's beautiful," Wanda whispered, gently tickling baby Melody's cheek. The baby gurgled, staring up at Wanda with wide eyes. Wanda smiled softly in response and the baby gurgled even more, waving a tiny hand at the Time Lady.
"Hello. Hello, uh . . . baby," the Doctor said, looking awkward in being there with the child of Amy and Rory.
"Melody," Amy told the Doctor.
"Melody? Hello, Melody Pond," the Doctor replied, smiling at the baby. He suddenly dropped his smile, looking at the baby in keen interest, mumbling under his breath. "A name I've met three times now." Shaking his head, he smiled away once again, letting that thought wander away for now. He would think over that recurring name for another time.
"Melody Williams," Rory corrected the Doctor's use of the name for the baby.
"Is a geography teacher. Melody Pond is a superhero," Amy countered, smiling down at her daughter. The Doctor went over to Amy, giving her a warm hug. Amy laughed, pulling away from him. "I-I knew you were coming. All of you. My boys and my Wanderer." Baby Melody cooed some more.
"It's okay, she's still all yours," the Doctor assured the baby. "And, really, you should call her 'mummy,' not 'big milk thing.'" Wanda snorted, bumping into him lightly with her hip as he smiled at her and gave a wink.
"Okay, what are you doing?" Amy asked him, highly confused as to who he was talking to.
"I speak baby," he answered as if it were obvious. Amy raised a brow and looked at him as if he were mad. Not that he was not mad in the first place.
"No, you don't," Amy scoffed.
"Oh, yes, he does," Wanda said lightly. She smiled at the shocked expression of Rory and Amy. "He speaks everything." Baby Melody cooed and gurgled again. The Doctor adjusted his bow tie.
"No, it's not. It's cool," he replied to the baby's insult. Everyone laughed at this, letting themselves feel at ease in this blissful moment. Suddenly, Vastra came into the room, leaning her hands against the railing on the stairs above them.
"Doctor! Take a look. They're leaving," Vastra called out loudly to the Time Lords, earning the groups attention. The small group turned to look out of the large window within the room, seeing the Clerics being marched away by the army the Doctor had brought. Vastra held a small smile of victory. "Demons Run is ours, without a drop of blood spilled." The Doctor walked closer to the window, gazing down at the sight of their achieved goal, feeling glad that everything had worked out fine in the end.
"My friend, you have never risen higher," Vastra noted as praise. Wanda shifted on her feet at that comment, knowing the moment was coming. The darkest hour was approaching.
XxXxXxXx
Wanda stood in the TARDIS, listening to baby Melody crying outside. Amy had taken her daughter out when the ship's humming had upset the baby. The Time Lady heard Strax and Rory arguing over whether or not the baby was hungry. Wanda snorted, finding their argument to be amusing.
"Doctor, I think she's just tired," Wanda said lightly, as she heard the Time Lord approaching from the TARDIS corridor.
"Yep. That's what she keeps saying," the Doctor agreed as he hurriedly walked back into the control room. He had rushed off the moment baby Melody had begun to cry, knowing what the infant really needed.
"Oh, is that your cot?" Wanda asked, smiling at the small wooden and old looking cot. She frowned when she noticed words on the sides of the cot. Should that not be Gallifreyan writing? It sort of looked more like English to her. Though the Doctor turned it away from her before she could have a better look at what it said.
"Spoilers," the Doctor said, sending her a wink. He leaned over to her, giving her a peck on the forehead before turning to go out. But then he halted, seeming to suddenly have a second thought about something as he swiftly set the cot down on the floor and walked back over to her. He surprised Wanda by grabbing her in a strong grip, pushing her against the console as he promptly gave her a firm kiss. She blinked, stunned by his behaviour, but felt herself give into the sensation of their kiss as the Doctor's hand began to caress the side of her face. He then pulled away, leaving her breathless as he thumbed her cheek.
"If it had been you . . . If they had taken you the same way they had taken Amy . . .," the Doctor mumbled quietly. Fingers twitching, his grip tightened as his eyes darkened. "I don't what I would have done."
"But they didn't take me," Wanda assured him, worried by the Oncoming Storm look within his eye. She rubbed soothing circles on the hand placed upon her face.
"They did once," he corrected her, his voice coming out gruff in remembering that horrid day.
"Yeah," Wanda agreed quietly in thought. She frowned as she pondered over that long and distance day. So many decades ago had the Silence kidnapped her. In the very beginning of her regeneration, too. Funny how it almost seemed like yesterday, though still feels as if it had been a life time ago. "You never did tell me why exactly they had taken me in the first place. I mean, what had been the point? They didn't really achieve anything from it, and they didn't turn me into a Ganger. Unless . . ." Her eyes widened slightly in fear. "Oh, god, Doctor, please tell me I'm not a Ganger."
The Doctor chuckled, his eyes softening as the storm passed. "You're not a Ganger. Trust me, I made certain of that." He leaned forward to kiss her again, but stopped when the crying of Melody grew even louder.
Wanda smiled and patted his hand. "Better go help Melody get some sleep."
"Right." He gave her another peck on the forehead, turning to pick back up the cot again and walked out to fix the situation of the crying baby.
Wanda remained leaning against the console. She stared forlornly at the open doors, listening to the cheerful babbling of the others outside. Closing her eyes and sucking in a shaking breath, she kept herself from another impulse to simply rush out there and tell them what was about to happen. The urge so great in wanting nothing more than to give the Ponds their happy life with Melody, as well as River a happy life with her parents. It truly was a struggle for Wanda to keep her cool and not cave into breaking the promise to River.
Wanda walked out of the TARDIS after hearing Amy and Rory both asking the Doctor why the Silence wanted their baby. But the Doctor refused to answer, going off to the control room where Vastra and Dorium were. All trying to figure out what exactly the Demons Run base was really for. Amy looked at the direction the Doctor walked off to, clearly annoyed in not getting any answers. She turned around when hearing Wanda walking out of the TARDIS.
"Wanda, can you please tell us what's going on?" the young mother asked, hopeful that she could get some answers from the Time Lady instead. Wanda simply shrugged lightly.
"Sorry. Spoilers. My lips are sealed," Wanda replied, walking towards where the Doctor went to.
"Is it some kind of spoiler that will, I don't know, rip a whole in space or something?" Rory asked sourly.
"Sort of, yeah," Wanda remarked. Rory nodded as if understanding.
"Ah. Got it," he said, looking back down at his daughter. Amy rolled her eyes, hating that Wanda could not tell them. She really wished the Time Lady could actually give some real answers for once without causing chaotic consequences. They turned when hearing Strax telling someone angrily to drop their weapons. They saw how the Sontaran was holding a young, female soldier, Lorna Bucket, at gun point.
"I found it listening at the door," Strax told them as he pushed the girl towards them.
"Strax, it's okay, she's not a danger to us," Wanda told him, gesturing for him to lower his weapon.
"I will advise for us to keep it restrained until otherwise proven," Strax said gruffly, keeping his weapon trained on the girl. Wanda felt her left eye give a slight twitch.
"Okay, let me say it a different way. Strax, put the damn gun down now," Wanda said sternly, eyeing him strictly. Strax lowered his weapon in quick fashion, not wanting to cross the Time Lady, for she had one hell of a piercing gaze. Wanda nodded to him. "Thank you, Strax. Now, then, Lorna, tell us what you heard Madame Kovarian say."
While Lorna hurriedly explained Kovarian's plan for attack, upstairs in the control room, the Doctor stared at a large computer screen. Dorium had hacked into the computer systems, showing them the scans the base had taken from baby Melody. A mixture of human and Time Lord DNA appeared on screen. This shocked the Doctor greatly, making him wonder how this could have possibly happen. Vastra questioned the same thing. Starting to wonder if the Doctor had some secrets he wished to share with them.
"That's not all the DNA they have," Dorium told them, gaining their attention before either one could begin arguing over whether or not Melody was indeed human. Dorium typed on the computer, making the screen change to show them another DNA strand. A genetic code that seemed to be Time Lord . . . but something was wrong with it. Far too many strands packed tight and close together to the same genetic code of that of a normal Time Lord. In fact, many strands held some sort of energy within that seemed to shine brightly upon the screen. Some glowing strands that even seem to pulse and move as the three observed the scans and records the enemy had collected.
"What sort of DNA is that?" Vastra asked, staring closely at the screen in completely bafflement. "It's like nothing I've ever seen before." Next to her, standing stiff with hands tightening into shaking fists, the Doctor felt a chill of dread course through him.
"Where did they get this?" the Doctor questioned quietly, feeling his dread starting to build up the longer he stared at the familiar genetic code.
"According to their records they extracted it from the Wanderer," Dorium replied, pulling up the file.
A video popped up. Wanda was shown within the same room from 1969 where the Doctor had rescued her from the Silence. The video was recording the Time Lady lying on the metal bed of sorts with the many tubes sticking within her. Audio picked up on the video as the machine above that the tubes were connected to had been activated, sending the Time Lady screaming in agony as white glowing energy surrounded her body. The video went fuzzy as she began thrashing about in the restraints holding her down, sobbing as she was heard pleading for them to stop. The machine above her seemed to be struggling in taking the white energy from her, even spurting with electricity as it almost seemed to be fried by the backfire of overloading white glow from Wanda on the video.
"Turn it off!" the Doctor barked, not wishing to see the video any longer. Dorium hurriedly shut it down.
"Sorry," muttered the blue man, knowing it must not be pleasant to see one's lover in such a state.
"Doctor, what was that?" Vastra asked carefully as she eyed the Time Lord.
"Nothing," the Doctor muttered, turning his head away from the two. "Let's just focus on Melody and figuring out why she's part Time Lord, shall we?" The Doctor moved away, not wishing to think of what else they had done to Wanda that night. He stopped short upon Dorium's next words.
"But according to this, since they were unsuccessful with their main goals, they simply took a DNA sample," Dorium told them. "They experimented with it." The Doctor turned quickly, going back over to computer.
"What experiments? Show me, now," he instructed the blue alien. Dorium typed rapidly, making more records appear on screen along with another video.
"Apparently, they tried splicing the DNA onto a soldier of theirs. This is the outcome," Dorium stated, making the video run.
It was a woman on screen within a clean white room. A young, pale, and very thin, almost boney woman with long black hair that seemed to hang over her face in a mess, clearly unclean over a long period of time. She held her head as she rocked on the plain, white bed. She was heard crying as if in great agony, muttering rapidly to herself and twitching in a jerking motion very so often. The woman even burst out laughing in a manic, almost hysterical way, before promptly jerking herself back to reality. Sobbing again as she gripped her head even tighter. The door next to her bed, in the white cell of hers, opened, allowing a few scientists come in, seeming to wish to check up on the woman. Suddenly, she jerked her head up to stare at them, her eyes wide and blood shot. She screamed savagely and lashed out at them with her hands clawed out to scratch them and her teeth bared like an animal. The scientists backed up, afraid of the woman. She stood up from her creaking bed, panting in almost a growl as she faced the camera and scientists more fully.
There was a blinding white light and the scientists were heard screaming in terror and torment. Then there were soldiers shouting to stop her. The woman screamed some more in screeching rage. More people were heard screaming in pain. Then gun shots rang out, and the last sound was that of a body collapsing to the floor. The white light disappeared, allowing the video to show the soldiers had killed the woman. She looked at peace as she lay on the ground, with a relieved smile on her face as piles of gray dust surrounded her, stained red from the blood leaking out of her dying body. The video ended there. The computer showed this as records of the last tempt to work with the DNA any longer.
"Doctor . . . what was that?" Vastra asked. She glanced at the Doctor, seeing him shaking as his face had drained of all colour. "Doctor, why would the Wanderer's DNA cause such a thing?"
"Dorium, erase it. Erase everything. Make sure they have absolutely no records of Wanda's DNA," the Doctor spoke in an unnerved, wavering voice. Though voice still sounding strict and stern in his order.
"Doctor—," Vastra tried to speak.
"Do it, now!" the Doctor shouted, shaking in rage. Dorium hurriedly turned to the computer, doing as he was told. Vastra walked swiftly up to the Doctor as the man tried walking away, looking determined to gain some answers.
"Doctor, the Wanderer—what is she?" Vastra asked in firm tone.
"She's a Time Lord. And that's all you need to know," the Doctor said, curt with his words.
"Is she really? Or is that just what you consider her to be?" Vastra questioned, staring carefully at the Doctor's eyes. She saw how they wavered for a moment before he turned swiftly around, keeping his back to her.
"It doesn't matter, now let's not discuss this," the Doctor retorted. He stood rigidly; refusing to turn back around to meet the other two's questioning gazes.
"Doctor, is she a Time Lord or isn't she?" Vastra asked firmly. The Doctor spun around to face her.
"She was born a Time Lord! Isn't that good enough?!" the Doctor shouted angrily at her. He froze and stiffened greatly, his eyes going wide as it seemed he let something slip that he should have not said. Vastra and Dorium both glanced at each other, then stared back at the Time Lord.
"If she was born a Time Lord, then what is she now?" Dorium questioned curiously.
"I said I don't want to discuss this," the Doctor gritted through his teeth. He turned around, gripping his hands tightly into fits at his sides.
"Doctor . . . whatever she may be now, is she a threat to others?" Vastra asked him, uncertain for the answer she would receive from him.
"No. Wanda would never hurt anyone on purpose," the Doctor replied quickly, ready to defend his Wanderer.
"Not on purpose, but would she on accident?" Vastra continued to question.
The Doctor did not speak for a moment, remaining silent as he thought over this carefully. "There's been moments in the past . . . But it wasn't her fault. She didn't mean it. It wasn't even her, anyway."
"And what moments have these been?" Vastra questioned. The Doctor gazed at her for a long moment over his shoulder, then shook his head.
"Let's just figure out the mystery to Melody," the Doctor said gruffly, clearly showing that the discussion of Wanda was over. Vastra let out a slight huff, but remained silent of her plaguing questions. If the Doctor said that she did not need to know . . . then she trusted him. For now, anyway.
XxXxXxXx
Oh, man. That was intense. Now things are really starting to come together. Wonder what will happen next? Just have to wait and see for the next chapter. ;) And if you enjoyed the new chapter, please leave a review. I always love any feedback you guys wish to give the story. Whether it's ideas, thoughts, comments, or even pointers on how I can do better for all readers and the story. :)
Reviewers:
grapejuice101: Well, you probably have even more questions now. lol ;) But don't worry. As I've said before, all will be answered within part three. And only six more chapters to go until then. :) I'm excited for the next part as well. I really hope you'll like it. :) Hope to see you again soon!
GracefulWolvesInTheNight: Everything's fine so far. Hopefully things will stay that way for Wanda. Yay! I'm so happy that you're excited for the next part! :D I know I am, too. And yes, there will definitely be more Jack in part three then any other. ;) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Take care!
10th Squad 3rd Seat: Nope. Well, it still is for now. But not in the far future. Glad you enjoyed the last chapter. Hope you liked the new one as well. :)
Guest: Hello! Yay! I'm so happy that you're enjoying the story so much. :) Oh yes, the 50th anniversary adventure will be happening. Just not until part three. I hope that you'll like it, 'cause I have big plans for when that adventure arrives. ;)
Tayla: Yeah, pretty much. lol ;) It was intense there when she was gone. But she's all back and all right now. For now, at least. I really hope that you'll like Third Wanda. :) I'm keeping my fingers crossed until part three. I know I'm excited as well. ;)
PhoenixTheTimelady: Wanda got back all safe and sound. As to how, that'll just have to wait until later to be explained. ;) You could say that Bad Wolf was sort of keeping Wanda alive. Sort in a trance state, one might say. But if I say anything more, that'll just be spoilers. ;) So glad that you enjoyed it, though. :D Hope you liked the new chapter, too. Until next time! :)
Raging Pansies: Yep. Always with the action and drama with this story. lol ;) Sorry that you didn't like the last chapter all that much. :( But I hope this one is better for you. :) And don't worry. All questions will be answered in due time. ;) Until next time! Take care!
Justus80: Yeah. Now that I think about it, the Great Intelligence is kind of like that. But I guess very story has a villain like that. Yep, only six chapters to go now. I think we'll all miss Second Wanda. But technically, she'll still be alive and well within Third Wanda. Just like the Doctor with all his incarnations. They never really die or leave. They're always just there when you need them. ;) But I really do hope that you'll like Third Wanda whenever she shows up. :)
A Week Of Sundays: Yay! Glad you enjoyed it. :) Hope you liked the new one as well. And that you'll like Third Wanda. I'm excited for you and everyone else to see her. :)
Jesuslovesmarina: Well . . . it was quite a lot of someone's nature, that's for certain. ;) Guess we will just have to find out what exactly Bad Wolf did to Wanda for later. As for Trenzalore, the show itself sort of established that moment sort of being an alternate timeline for the Doctor. That it did happen, but then it didn't. Like a possibility that could have been. At least, that's what I took from it. Twelve only sort of mentioned it very briefly and the official wiki for Doctor Who just says it was an alternate timeline, so that's what we know for now at least. It'll be interesting if they elaborate so more on that, though. :) I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter! Take care!
bored411: Woot! I'm so happy that you enjoyed it. :) I hope you liked the newest chapter just as much. Well . . . she didn't technically 'die.' But close enough, I guess, with being taken out of time and all. Oh, yes, definitely crazy. lol ;) As you've seen for yourself within this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. :) Take care and hope to see you soon!
jb: Yay! So glad that you're enjoying it. :D Hope you liked the new chapter just as much as the rest of the story. :) Until next time!
Lady Artimes Blaine: lol Hope this was a quick update for you. ;) And that you liked it as well. Hope to see you again for the future! Until next time! :)
Squidtastik: Woot! I'm glad for no headaches. :) So happy that you enjoyed all the emotions and drama from the last chapter. Well, he didn't really go into his grave to get Wanda. Just Clara. Wanda was just sort of . . . being withheld from the Doctor as punishment for letting her get hurt. Again. Anyway, story for another time. ;) I really hope that you enjoyed the new chapter as well. Take care and see you next time! :)
Myrtle Turtle 1: Hello, and welcome to the story! I'm so happy that you're enjoying it. :) I can tell you now that Wanda is definitely not Aleena. But I can't say any more than that, for that will be spoilers. ;) And don't worry, you're totally fine and most certainly do not sound dense. :) Aww, thank you so much. I'm so glad that you think so. :) I'm just so happy that you're liking the story and Wanda so much so far. I hope the enjoyment continues throughout the rest of the story. :) And don't worry, Wanda will realize the Doctor loves her . . . eventually. lol ;) I'm excited for when Third Wanda comes out too and for what everyone will think of her. I hope it's good things. :) I also hope to see you again for the future! Take care! :D
Arosen Time: Thanks! I'm glad it was good and more wonderfululler. :) Well . . . I think we can wait for a while. It will be a interesting, yet terrifying moment when Alpha finally does arrive. Yes, it was a pretty confusing episode wasn't it? Nope, no Twelve. Not in this trilogy, at least. But that remains to be seen. ;) Not too soon yet. Second Wanda still has six chapters to go until the very end. ;) Until next time, friend! :)
Audrie-13: I'm so glad that you liked it. :D Sorry that it made you cry. :( Hope it wasn't a really bad cry, but sort of a good one? Hope you liked the new chapter and that it made up for the crying. :)
Maren the fangirl: Yep. And now six chapters left. I really hope that you like Third Wanda, too. :) But I am glad that you've enjoyed Second Wanda so much. No breaks planned at the moment. I'll be updating the third part just like normal as I've done with all the other chapters. Hope with everything being so suspenseful that it's still all good. ;) I think chapter might even have added on more suspense. lol ;) As for the wedding . . . well, we'll just have to wait and see for now. Hopefully everything will turn out all right. Until next time! See you soon! :)
TwitchPotter: lol Hopefully there's no more suspense for a while. Or . . . maybe not. ;) Oh, nothing wrong about it. I sort of adore her as well. lol ;) And you know, I totally think she is doing just that. lol ;) Nope, not dead. Just taken out of time for a moment there. But she's all good and alive . . . for now, anyway. Hopefully things will stay fine for a while. Now, for questions: Hmm . . . I can't really say how the idea for Wanda and her adventures came about. It was just a small idea that popped into my mind one day. I tried ignoring it, thinking it was something stupid. But it just wouldn't go away. So, eventually, I began writing it down, thinking it would pass once I wrote out a few pages. But then a few pages soon became over 2,000 pages. lol I actually worked over it for two years before getting the courage to post it onto the site. I was really nervous about letting anyone see it, for I was afraid no one would like the story, or Wanda, or even the idea of an OC going through the Doctor Who universe like that.
I have to say, as advice for your story, I think the best approach is to start thinking in timeline format. It sort of helps me. Write down all the major points you want to hit within your story, and then work outwards on smaller points. Sort of like a web. Then tie it all together from there. :) And research. Lots and lots of research. I have so many sources up whenever I write or even edit over a any chapters. Wiki is your best friend. Trust me. ;) And no worries on questions. I'm always happy to answer any and all questions you or anyone else might have. :) And if you'd like for faster responses to any questions, just send me a PM and I'll be glad to reply as soon as possible. :) And thank you for all the support. It's always so lovely to see you again. :D You're totally awesome. Take care and hope to see you soon for the future! :)
loveneverdies115: Woot! So happy the you enjoyed it. :D Hope you liked the new one as well. ;) And no words can describe on how awesome you and all other readers are. :) Take care!
Jutemay: Last chapter was pretty crazy wasn't it? What happened to Wanda . . . will just have to be explained for another time. Yep. Another mentioning of Alpha. Something which will be coming up soon for the future. ;) As for the grave, that wasn't technically Wanda's real grave. Just a fake one placed there as a message for the Doctor. I hope that you're well, too! :D No worries. I'm just happy seeing from you whenever you get the chance. :) Hope things don't stay too busy for you, and to see you again soon for the future! Take care!
And that's all folks! Thank you all so much for all the lovely reviews! And for those who didn't get a chance to review or just didn't feel like it, no worries. I'm just so happy that everyone is still reading and enjoying the story. :) I hope everything goes well for everyone and that all of you are having a wonderful day. Take care to all! :)
~Tinker~
