A/N: Totally forgot this last week. So... late Merry Christmas to all of you! xD And hopefully a great start into a new year! x3

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A wall of Romans and aliens was blocking the way to the Pandorica. The Master strode forward, never halting and shooting one after the other with his laser screwdriver. Next to him Roka knifed her way through at least as many, without ever halting.

But there were too many. Eventually they were stopped and were held tightly at both arms. Not even the Master could escape with his inhuman strength, and all he could do was to let out a frustrated cry.

No one listened.

The doors of the Pandorica closed with the last plea of the Doctor reverberating through the chamber.

And somehow... the universe ended.

Roka had awaited to see explosions or fire, or anything at all, to hear and feel something.

But there was just nothing.

And then even the aliens were gone.

From one moment to the next she wasn't held anymore and could move freely. Surprised she stumbled forward and bumped against the Master. Around them was nothing but tons of dust and a few dark grey carcasses of aliens and Romans.

And silence.

Slowly the Master turned around to her. He was slightly trembling and clenched his eyes shut, teeth gritted. Roka stretched a little and cupped the side of his face. His lids opened slightly, revealing a pain too deep for anyone to bare. He took her hand and a deep breath.

"It's over," he mumbled, voice shaking. "Everything."

"Yeah, seems quite like it. What happens now?"

She wasn't certain if she really understood the weight of the current situation. She knew the Doctor had been the only person to stop the TARDIS from exploding. And now he was locked away, which had caused all of reality to... have never existed? It only made partially sense, also the fact that she and the Master were the only two that weren't affected by it.

Roka stood still, watched his desperate eyes moving about, his mind uselessly searching for a way out, for some way to fix this. But there was none. His forehead dropped gently against hers and he took her hand to press a kiss to it.

"Nothing happens," he murmured. "Nothing will ever again. Reality ended and we're nothing but an afterimage. We'll fade too. Soon."

Somehow she couldn't help it. The Master had managed to bring her smile back after so many years, and now it sometimes was so hard to keep it back. Like now.

"So, once again we might be the only two things left in existence. Stranded on a small, fading piece of reality in the eye of the storm."

Noiselessly the Master laughed a little to himself, although his eyes shimmered wet. It wasn't sadness she saw there. It was anger and the knowledge of being utterly defeated.

"No dancing this time," he said softly. "I think I'm done with that. But..." He stroked a hand along her face and leaned a little closer down. "Before we vanish... I want to remember every bit of you. There won't even be memories where we go, but... just once, okay?"

Even now she hesitated, retreated just a tiny little bit as he leaned in closer. It was instinct, but she could see the hurt in his eyes nonetheless, so she corrected her movement and approached, eyes locked - maybe forever - and their lips only a breath apart...

"Doctor!"

The voice let them stumble away from each other, surprised and somewhat shocked. Both saw Rory storming down the stairs at the same time. He slithered to a halt in front of them, his hand held the Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver.

"I... I have to open the box," he stammered. "The Doctor he... he gave me his screwdriver. Outside. But he is still inside, you understand?"

"Ha!" The Master clapped his hands together and his eyes suddenly filled with a newly lit fire. "Bloody brilliant idiot!"

He snatched the sonic out of Rory's hand and stormed to the Pandorica. Roka stayed behind, still a little flushed from the moment before. Rory peeked at her from the side and she hastily turned her head away and followed the Master.

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They got the Doctor free and after that they had found Amy.

Dead.

Rory turned out to be one of the plastic soldiers. Only a duplicate of the original, created by the Nestene consciousness. But Amy's memories had worn an imprint of him so powerful it had restored him fully.

Sure, he was plastic. And a Roman. But still and fully Rory Williams.

"Don't worry," the Doctor assured. "She'll be safe. The box only needs her living DNA, and she told me, she went to the national museum as a child. I'd be damned if this box won't land there one day. Well... if this one day will still exist then. Hard to say how long this small pocket of reality will stay alive."

"So, you're just guessing?" Rory tossed in flabbergasted.

"Yes, yes I am." The Doctor threw his hands up and let them fall against his legs. "But it's the only thing I can do right now. Guess and hope." He pointed at Rory. "I've got a future somewhere. And somehow this has to lead us to the exact moment where I hand you my Sonic."

"Yeah, it's as good as it can get." The Master shrugged. "But what good will it bring to save the girl?"

"Well... it's the thing I do, isn't it?" The Doctor held up an explaining finger. "So by doing what it is I do, I probably will end up in my own future, right?"

The other Time Lord rolled his eyes. "Maybe. But I'm not very eager to wait two thousand years for your little princess. And your TARDIS exploded... how again did that happen anyway?"

"Wish I knew... We'll never learn if we don't prevent it. So hush! Call your own TARDIS, Master. Always bragging about remote control, so get her here."

"I can't," he grumbled and folded his arms. "She probably already vanished from existence. At least I can't get any signal from her."

"What about this?" Roka interrupted and held out her wrist to them. Her Vortex Manipulator was attached to it. "You think it still works?"

"You bet!" The Doctor clapped and hugged her tight, before he loosened the straps and put the VM on himself. "It's probably safer when I use it. So come, you two, chopp, chopp. Into the future! Rory, don't make such a face, nothing can get into that box."

"This box needs a guard."

"No! Rory... no. Don't even think about it."

"Ugh, leave him be, if he wants to," the Master drawled. "We've got better things to do. And no one needs a coward like him anyway."

The Doctor completely ignored him and was only fixated on the plastic Roman in front of him.

"Two thousand years, Rory. You won't even sleep. You'd be conscious every second. It would drive you mad. Have you any idea what you're doing there?"

"Will she be safer if I stay?" The so called coward suddenly looked a lot braver than a lot of people the Master had ever seen. "Look me in the eye and tell me she wouldn't be safer."

"You..."

"Answer me!" Rory demanded.

"Yes... She will be." The Doctor sighed defeated.

"Then how could I leave her?"

His look was determined, his posture showing no sign of fear of facing the task ahead. It reminded the Master of how he used to feel a certain respect towards the man. A mere human, but willing to risk and do plainly everything to protect Amy.

He observed Roka next to him and wondered if he himself would do the same. Would he truly be that crazy? She peeked up at him, met his eyes and then hastily turned her head away.

No, probably not.

Her behaviour was obvious enough. She didn't want him any closer than necessary, and he doubted this would ever change much.

He was chasing shadows again.

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Somehow they ran, somehow they found Rory and Amy too, two thousand years in the future and fully restored, somehow the Doctor saved River from the time loop inside the still exploding TARDIS and even more somehow they ended up at the Pandorica once more.

And yes, somehow they planned to reboot the whole universe.

Roka still couldn't believe it. Either the Doctor was completely out of his mind now, or more brilliant than anyone of them could have ever expected.

It didn't prevent him from getting shot by a Dalek, who had been hit by the light of the Pandorica. It had, however bought him enough distraction and time to sneak away from everyone and wire himself to the box.

But he had calculated his own strength wrong. Maybe for the first time in his life.

When the group arrived at the Pandorica, he sat inside, unmoving. The Master pushed River out of the way, ripped the Sonic Screwdriver out of his friend's limp hand to let it whirr over the Doctor's lifeless body. It confirmed what he had been afraid of, and in rage the Master smashed his fist against the box, scraped his knuckles bloody and let out a tirade of courses towards the man in the Pandorica.

"Oh," River let out behind him, probably unaware of the severity of his state. "Oh, I get it, Doctor."

"Get what?" Amy wanted to know. Her eyes constantly darted towards the box, her mind unwilling to accept what she was witnessing there.

"The TARDIS is still burning," River explained, "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," came the toneless voice of the Master from right behind them. His face showed no emotion, his eyes were empty and cold. "The light from the Pandorica would explode everywhere at once, just like he said."

"That would work?" Roka asked doubtfully. "That would bring everything back?"

River glanced at the box and at the Doctor inside and nodded. "A restoration field powered by an exploding TARDIS, happening at every moment in history." She smiled sadly. "Oh, that's brilliant... It might even work. He's wired the vortex manipulator and himself to the rest of the box, so he can take it with him. He's going to fly the Pandorica into the heart of the explosion!"

"No... he won't."

The Master looked her dead in the eye, saw how every hope dwindled from them as she realized the truth. Roka glared at him, then at the box and the unmoving Doctor. Never before had she seen a darkness like this in his eyes. She stepped next to him and took his hand, but this time he didn't seem to even notice.

"No," River whispered. "No, you're lying. You're... He can't be... He's just unconscious, isn't he?"

She clenched her hand to a fist and looked so eager to smash it right into the Master's face. But she didn't. Although he had a look on his face as if he wouldn't even mind. Right now they were in the same position, having lost one of the most important people in their life.

He held her desperate gaze, arms folded protectively over his chest. Everything right now happened way too fast to properly process it. Roka glanced back at the box, wondering if he really could be... dead? The Doctor?

No, that simply couldn't be. She swallowed hard and looked back at the Master.

"One of us has to go with him," he mumbled. "He's wired himself into the machine so none of us would sacrifice themselves... Oh stupid, stupid Doctor." He sighed and closed his eyes. "You fool. You thought you would make it just long enough, didn't you?"

"Wait... Sacrifice?" Roka cocked a brow at him. It was hard to see him so devastated, unfazed as he might try to look. But that phrase right now had sounded so very wrong.

River placed a hand on her shoulder. "He would be the heart of the explosion. All the cracks will close, but... he'd be stuck on the wrong side. Trapped in the neverspace. The void. He..."

"...will have never existed," the Master closed. "Together with whomever decides to go with him."

A rough shaking went through the whole museum, sending everyone stumbling around for a bit. It stopped after a few seconds, but therefore the burning TARDIS was shining brighter than ever before above their heads. Not long, and everything would be gone forever, no matter what they did or didn't do.

"I'm certainly not going," the Master grumbled with furrowed brows. "Not planning to vanish."

Rory and Amy exchanged a quick look and hugged each other tightly. No, it would be cruel to send any of them away, right when they had found together again.

"I guess it's easy," River mumbled. "I'll go. You lot stay save." She already rushed to the Pandorica and leaned inside.

River was a good choice, Roka thought. Somehow she seemed to be really close to the Doctor, even though he didn't know why, yet. He probably would have learned one day. But now he never would.

Yes, River was a good choice, Roka thought once more, a shiver running down her spine. The thought of having never existed... it haunted her. It had never, not even once, left her mind. For so long no one had been able to remember her very existence. But in her actions she had managed to burn herself into the memory of the universe. She had left so many traces, had left the symbol of a crow for everyone to remember... no... that wasn't true. She had left it for the Master.

So he would find her one day.

And he had searched for her for so long.

He had burned the memory of her into his entire timeline, into his very essence, making him literally unable to ever forget her.

"If something can be remembered... it can come back," she mumbled.

"What do you say?" the Master asked, his eyes returning from some dark place inside his own head.

Roka looked up at him. "You can't ever forget me," she stated.

He huffed and turned his head away. "Was probably the stupidest thing I've ever done."

"No..." She shook her head and stepped away from him. "No, I think it was the best thing you could do."

She saw how it dawned on him what she was referring to, eyes widening in disbelieve. Quickly he jumped at her and grabbed her arm.

"What in the universe do you think you're doing?!" he shouted.

River turned around and faced them, curiosity and concern on her face.

"Amy brought Rory back!" Roka defended herself. "Only because she remembered him! The Doctor said, her memory is strong, because of the crack in her wall."

"Yeah, I heard that too," River seconded and nodded towards Amy. "Time poured through your head for years. That made you special. I bet, it's the reason he took you along in the first place. Never can resist a mystery."

Roka tore at her arm, but the Master refused to let her go, even when another tremor went through the museum.

"Don't you get it?" she enquired. "You can bring me back! Amy too. Both of you together. And then... maybe the Doctor as well."

"But..." Amy swallowed. "What if it doesn't work?"

Roka let her eyes wander over everyone and swallowed. "Then it won't matter much. I've never been real my entire life. Nothing would change. The... time with all of you..." She took a deep breath. "I really enjoyed it. Really, really did. But you two..." She nodded at Amy and Rory. "You have to stay together. And I bet there are people waiting for River too. And..." Her eyes wandered to the Master. No, no one was waiting for him. He was all alone. The same way as the Doctor and herself. Still, a small smile wandered to her face. "Maybe it wouldn't be so bad for you to forget me," she mumbled. "I can't give you, what you want from me. And it was cruel of me to ask you to stay anyway."

Finally he let go of her arm, his eyes cold and empty. He didn't move when she walked to the Pandorica and squeezed herself inside somehow, her small size giving her an advantage. But when she reached out for the button to close the doors, the Master rushed over and put both hands to either side of the opening.

"I don't care. I'll bring you back," he stated determined.

Roka nodded and reached out for the button. When the doors closed she looked up at the Master.

"My last wish. Do you still remember it?" she asked.

Puzzled he glanced back and shook his head.

One last time she smiled at him.

"Don't be so lonely."

Then the doors closed.

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Everything was a blur of colours and sounds and impressions. She hadn't expected the Pandorica to actually fly, had no idea how the Doctor had managed to do that with just her Vortex Manipulator. There was no time for fear, no time to think about anything at all.

There was only...

Roka woke up, lying on her back inside the TARDIS. Next to her was the Doctor, but he suddenly sprang to life, shooting up and glancing around.

"I'm alive!" he called out. "And still there! Legs! Legs are good." He reached up. "Bowtie, perfect. And..." The Doctor turned his head and saw Roka. His face dropped immediately and he jumped to his feet. "Oh... no... no, no, no! What have you done? Why are you...?"

"You screwed up," she grumbled and got to her feet. "You died down there, I think. So someone else had to fly the Pandorica."

The shock in his eyes was deep and only overshadowed by pain at her words.

"No," he mumbled again and looked away. "I've damned you. I wanted to protect all of you!" Tears were in his big eyes, his breath trembling when he stared at her.

Roka shrugged. "Don't beat yourself up over it. It's too late for that. And somehow we are still here, aren't we?"

Right as she said it there suddenly were noises behind them. And not just any. They both turned around and watched a weird scene of themselves standing around the console. The Doctor was doing something to his tech, Amy was asking some questions and Roka stood aside, only watching.

The Doctor remembered. "That was when we went to space Florida."

"What... is this?" Roka waved a hand at the unfolding scene.

"My... our timeline is rewinding." He turned around and pointed at a crack in one of the walls and murmured, "Hello universe, Goodbye inmates."

Once more he turned and looked at Amy, called out her name. And she... reacted. She looked around, took down her sunglasses, but she didn't see them standing there. Then she shrugged and ran after the past-Doctor.

"Oh, that's..." he started.

But then everything blurred and smeared and Roka felt a pull in her stomach, saw images rushing by so fast it made her dizzy.

Then she stood inside the TARDIS again. Not the Doctor's though. The lights in here were greenish in colour and the whole atmosphere was darker and calmer. The image jolted once more, putting her inside the room she had chosen.

There she saw herself and the Master. She stood pressed against the wall, he was about to leave the room, his hand on the door handle.

"Was there... anything?" he asked, his voice holding a cautiously neutral tone.

Her past self closed her eyes and after a few seconds breathed, "...nothing."

The Master left the room, and Roka followed, her heart aching. She didn't want to see him so hurt. It hadn't been fair how she had acted towards him. Carefully she reached out a hand, but was afraid of what might happen, would she touch him.

"Master?" she whispered.

He whirled around, shock on his face. But then he shook his head and murmured, "No, it can't be."

The scene smeared and Roka got tossed through time again. She closed her eyes to block out the dizzying images. When she reopened them, she still found herself in the Master's console room. But this time he was alone, sitting on his sofa with a book in hands and his glasses high up his nose.

The sight always amused her. He looked so ridiculous with glasses. But right now she couldn't find it in her to laugh and only stared at the lonely figure in front of her. Only then did she notice that something was off. First of all it was the fact that she was nowhere to be seen, and then it was this weird shift in the air, like a tingling of electricity.

The Master seemed to notice too, because he looked up and searched the room for something.

"You really could talk to me, you know," he sighed. "Just once..."

Roka's mouth dropped open and she trod closer. It didn't seem as if he could actually see her. But whom was he talking to, then?

It struck her like lightning. This was the time he had been searching for her. The Master had told her about it, only briefly, but he had. Some version of her future self had materialized in his TARDIS and had somehow guided him to her current self.

But with her death this timeline should have vanished, shouldn't it? It had never really happened?

Then again, Roka wasn't an expert on how time worked. So often it made no sense to her at all what was happening around her. One time things just never happened, others they somehow did anyway. One thing was a paradox, and the next wasn't although, to her, it should be.

"You've been travelling all alone for this entire time, haven't you?" he asked the silent air. His voice sounded sad. "Are you... lonely? Mhm... I bet you are. How else could it be..."

Tears stung her eyes and she wanted to speak up, but once again she felt the weird vibration in the air. As if something was drawing energy from her. Something or... someone. Roka realized it could be herself, lost in the TARDIS, nothing more but a mere ghost. She took a deep breath and focused on the vibration, concentrated on giving it as much of her essence as she could, although she had no idea if it would do anything at all.

After a while it vanished. The Master glanced back at his book and started to read again, but this time aloud.

Roka swallowed and stepped a little closer, not daring to touch him. Instead she only sat next to him on the sofa and listened for a while.

The world smeared and faded again, time pulled her further backwards. Roka tried to focus on the images, tried to catch one to maybe get some control over where she would land next. And it seemed to work, in a way.

Not in the intended one, but the pull dragged her a lot farther back than the times before, and she almost feared to be stuck now, when finally the images slowed down and she found herself in a hospital. Roka swallowed hard and barely dared to look at the unfolding scene.

It was the day her father had died. He lay there in his hospital bed, morbidly decorated with tubes and all sorts of measuring devices. A small monitor next to him beeped in a slow rhythm. Her child self was there too, standing unseen next to his bed, crying silent unheard and unseen tears.

At that time the glitch had rendered her completely invisible to everyone, unless she physically bumped into them. And even then they couldn't keep her in their minds for longer than a few minutes. She hadn't dared to remind her father, but he had nonetheless.

Maybe people on the brink of death could see through reality and grasp what is invisible to others. Whatever it had been, his hand suddenly was on hers, and when she looked up through tears-filled eyes, he had smiled at her. A smile that made her forget his now bald head, the sunken-in eyes and the ragged breaths he took.

"Don't cry, little Gin," he said softly. "You aren't alone. Not forever."

And then he looked behind her, directly at Roka. A smile sat on his dry lips, he nodded in her direction and then closed his eyes.

Forever.

An arm lay itself around Roka's shoulders. She turned around, saw the Doctor next to her and wrapped both arms around him to hide her tears.

"It's alright," he spoke and gently rubbed her back. "It's alright, dear. But we can't stay here any longer. The cracks are closing. But as long as we stay on the wrong side, they can't do that properly."

She sniveled and took a deep breath, nodded.

"Will they be okay?" she asked. "The others? All the people we love and care for?"

His sad look bore into her eyes. The Doctor didn't have an answer. He couldn't know. The universe would be a different place without them, the outcome unpredictable.

"They will live," he only answered and smiled sadly. "Come, let's go."

He held out his hand to Roka and she carefully took it. It was warm and it reminded her of her father's hand she had held as a child.

They didn't look back.