London: November 7th, 1987

"Aunty Eris? Do you think we could get some ice-cream?" six year old Luka asked as he swung of the red heads arm, his eyes wide and pleading.

Aries raised an amused eyebrow as she turned to Luka's father. "What do you think, Jamie?"

"Please! Please!" Luka's pleading was joined in by another that decided to try an hang off Jamie's arm with the same expression.

"I don't know?" Jamie said slowly as he picked Mickey up, "What did your parent's say?" he asked the boy, already knowing the answer.

Mickey scrunched up his nose, "Nana said I could if I was good," he whined before quickly adding when Jamie just raised an eyebrow at him, "I didn't get into trouble all week."

Aries shook her head at the pair as she lifted Luka up, which was becoming harder as the boy grew. "How about this?" she said, drawing the children's attention. She bopped Luka on the nose as she continued, "If you both can behave and promise not to get any on your clothes, we can get some after the wedding."

"But aunty," Luka pouted.

"No buts, young man," Jamie scolded lightly, "We don't want you looking like a mess for Stuart and Sarah's big day."

"But Aunty Eris can do that wavy thing?" Mickey tried.

"I could," Aries agreed and both boys brightened, "But if we get ice-cream now, you can't play at the park."

"But-" the boys begun together, only to be cut off by another voice.

"You boy's aren't trying to argue with your aunty, are you?"

The pair seemed to wilt as Jamie and Aries placed them back on their feet and they turned to the voice.

"No mummy," Luka said as he rushed over to his mother when she knelt down and opened her arms.

"Sure you aren't," Mary said with a smile, ruffling her son's hair.

"We weren't," Mickey said defiantly, his chest puffing out.

Mary just shook her head as she approached Aries and kissed the red heads cheek. "I really do thank you for this," she said quietly as she pulled away.

Aries shook her head with a smile, although Jamie and Mary could see the sadness behind it. "It's the least I could do, Mary," she said before turning to Jamie, "Your mother was probably one of my closest friends and as much as I want to go..."

"I know," Jamie told her softly, resting a gently hand on her shoulder, "And I know that Mother will understand."

"Now come on you two," Mary cut in as she turned to the two boys, "You two need to get ready, otherwise there will be no park to go along with the ice-cream."

The boys were quick to rush out of the room, Luka dragging Mickey along as Mary followed after them as they excitedly talked between themselves.

Aries smiled slightly as she watched them leave. "Thick as thieves, those two," she muttered, her smile growing ever so slightly.

"I really can't thank you enough for taking Luka with you today," Jamie spoke up after a moment and Aries looked to him. "I know that he should be there-"

"Jamie," Aries cut in gently, "I highly doubt that Nancy would want Luka to see her in the state she is in," she turned her gaze back to where the trio had left when there was giggling as Mary tried to get the boys ready, "And he's still a child. Luka will understand why you didn't take him."

"I hope so," Jamie murmured.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Aries said as she quickly left the room, causing Jamie to frown before she returned, "Could you give this to Nancy for me?" she asked, handing over a letter.

Jamie looked at it curiously, noticing the faint red hue coming from the envelope before nodding as he accepted it.

"It's not a solution," Aries said, seeing his expression, "Alzheimer's isn't something I would wish upon anyone, let alone someone I consider family but the letter might give you a few more lucid memories with your mother."

Jamie's eyebrows raised in surprise as he looked up from the letter.

"I would...I'd suggest getting her to open it while you are alone, however," Aries added as an afterthought, "Otherwise there may be a lot of questions."

"Thank you," Jamie swallowed as he looked back at the letter before pocketing it away in his coat. He looked back to Aries and pulled her into a hug and caused her to stiffen in surprise, "Really, thank you Aunty."

Aries' expression softened at the title, having not heard it coming from Jamie in so long. She hugged him back, "You're welcome, Jamie."

"Now, no telling your parents," Aries said firmly as she handed over two ice-cream cones to the eager boys.

She shook her head as they cheered at each other and took the cones off her, only to almost end up wearing them. With a chuckle, the red head turned back to the shop owner who just raised an eyebrow at her.

"Aunt's secret," she tapped the side of her nose before she paid for the ice-cream, causing the man to laugh as they left.

"Can we go to the playground afterwards?" Luka asked as they left the shop.

"Yeah," Mickey agreed as he tried to eat his ice-cream and hold onto Aries' hand, only managing to wear more than what made it into his mouth, "I wanna play on the swing."

"You'd need to finish them quickly, then," Aries told them as they walked towards the playground near St Pauls Church, "Don't want the other children knowing you had ice-cream, do you?"

Luka and Mickey exchanged looks of horror before trying to finish their ice-cream as quickly as possible and Aries was silently thankful that she had her magic as she noticed how much of a mess the pair had made on their suits.

Suddenly the hairs on the back of Aries' neck raised and she felt a chill run down her spine and she stopped walking, her eyes narrowing as she looked around for whatever could have caused the sensation.

"Aunty, everything alright?" Luka questioned when he noticed Aries' had stopped walking.

His voice snapped Aries from her thoughts and she managed a smile as she looked at the boys, whom where both watching her with similar expressions.

"Yeah," she lied, raising an eyebrow at their clothes, "But you two aren't. How is it supposed to be a secret ice-cream if you're displaying it all over your clothes."

The boys looked guiltily down at their clothes, noticing that she was right, but not a moment later, the mess was gone.

"What mess?" Mickey asked cheekily and Luka just grinned at Aries.

"Come on, you two," Aries said with a fond shake of her head, "Otherwise there will be no time for the swing."

That had the boys moving again, though Aries frowned and glanced behind them, feeling as though she was being watched.

Aries watched on with a small smile as Mickey tried to catch Luka as the older boy ran around the playground.

"Luka, slow down!" the younger boy shouted as Luka managed to evade Mickey's attempts of capturing him.

Someone sat down beside Aries and she looked to the newcomer.

"How do you make it seem so easy?" Odessa Smith asked with a tired sigh as she watched her four year old son enjoy himself with his best friend Luka.

Aries turned her gaze back to the boys, having to bite her tongue on what she really wanted to say to the other woman.

She had no idea why Odessa stayed with her husband when anyone could see that the woman was clearly unhappy. But Aries felt it wasn't her place to tell another how to live their life and Odessa was old enough to make her own decisions. It wasn't that the red head could really relate to what Mickey's mother was going through, never having been in a relationship herself.

"It's always simpler to believe that it looks easier for someone else," Aries said instead, "Luka is quite a handful at times and is just as stubborn as his father. Add in his mother's temper and it's almost like an tornado had hit when he throws a tantrum."

Odessa looked at Aries with a dubious expression and the red head sighed when she saw it. "But you make it look like you've been doing it for decades," the woman stated, "Yet I don't believe you have your own children."

"No, I don't," Aries confirmed with a frown.

"Have you thought about having your own one day?" Odessa questioned curiously.

Aries snorted, unable to help herself. "I believe it takes two to tango," she said, only for her face to warm at the memory of what she had said during the Blitz and she closed her eyes tightly, feeling as though she wanted to go back and kick her past self for her naivety as her embarrassment grew.

Taking her expression for something else entirely, Odessa smiled, "But you have your eye on someone?" she questioned.

Aries chocked on air, her eyes snapping open as she looked back to Odessa. "Wh-why would you think that?" she sputtered, feeling her cheeks grow even warmer and she didn't need a mirror to know they were red.

"I can see it in your eyes," the woman remarked as she looked back to the children, "The way you look at them. The longing that appears in your expression."

"Oh, no, no, no," Aries quickly said, "I'm quite happy to be an Aunt," her expression turned a little sad, "And besides, I highly doubt there is anyone out there for me," she added, having believed the moment she realised that she had stopped aging that she would be alone.

Sure, Aries had Jamie, Mary and Luka, but they were their own family and even if they were close now, one day they would either move on with their own lives, or die. And if the pain she was going through with losing Nancy was anything to learn from, Aries didn't believe she wanted to experience the same thing with someone she actually loved.

Odessa quirked an eyebrow. "If you say so," she remarked before getting up and headed towards her son. She paused and glanced back to Aries. "There's somewhere out there for everyone, Eris. You just have to look," she added before walking away.

Aries watched her go over to Mickey and Luka and begun pushing Mickey on the swing. The red head's eyebrows furrowed as she absentmindedly ran a finger over the back of her hand, tracing the mark where the nanogenes had once affected her. A warmth grew in her stomach when she thought of the only person who had managed to turn her head, but she was quickly to shake herself from where her mind was going.

No, she scolded herself, How many times have you done the exact same thing. Stop assuming that just because he was concerned that it meant something. Stop thinking it was something more. Shoulders sagging, Aries looked up to the blue sky as she leaned back on her hands, unable to not feel saddened by the thought, And besides, why would he stay here when he has all of time and space to travel, she finished, closing her eyes.

"Aunty Eris!" Luka screamed and Aries' eyes snapped, only to quickly roll out of the way when she saw something diving towards her.

All her previous thoughts were gone as she got to her feet and sent a blast of red energy towards the creature as it shook itself off, but her magic didn't seem to do anything but annoy it.

"Luka! Get Mickey to the church!" Aries shouted, realising that they were the only ones left in the playground and the older of the two wasted no time in doing just that as he dragged Mickey along, knowing that his Aunty would try and stop them.

She looked back to the creature and her eyes swirled red. Aries flung her hands forwards and a shield of red energy surrounded her as the creature tried to attack her again.

Not moments later, Aries' eyes widened in surprise and alarm when a second creature appeared out of thin air and joined in with the first as they tried to get to her. She could hear the screams coming from the direction of the church and it only caused her to grow angry at the thought of these things harming anyone, but most of all Luka and Mickey.

With the thought of the two boys in danger, Aries' magic seemed to strengthen as her protective fury grew and she sent the creatures flying as her shield blew outwards. She stood there, staring the creatures down as they were quick to recover. Her hair whipped around her as a breeze blew around her.

"You won't have them," she growled as the creatures launched themselves at her again.

There was a crack, and Aries was gone.

"Luka, where's Aunty?" Mickey asked in a terrified whisper as he looked around the church frantically, holding onto his friends hand tightly as the pair watched the adults scrambling around.

"She'll be here soon," Luka tried to comfort the younger boy, although he couldn't help but worry about his Aunty after he had heard the screams coming from outside. Luka's eyes flickered to the adults by the church entrance before back to the trembling Mickey and he swallowed. "You know that Aunty Eris can do anything," he added quietly.

"But they took mummy," Mickey exclaimed as tears filled his eyes, "What if they took Aunty as well?"

There was a crack behind the pair, making the boys jump and spin on the spot.

"They can try," Aries said with a grin before letting out a huff of air when she had both Luka and Mickey hug her. "Hey, I'm fine. Everything will be fine," she assured them, even though she had no idea what the creatures were or why they were here.

"They took my mummy," Mickey sobbed as tears streamed down his face.

"Hey now, little Mouse," Aries said as she managed to crouch down to be more at the boy's level, "You remember that story I told you? The one about Luka's daddy?" she asked quietly as she wiped away his tears.

Mickey sniffed and nodded as Luka spoke up, "You and Nana stopped the bad bugs, didn't you."

Aries couldn't help but chuckle at what Luka referred to the nanogenes as. "No, that was your Nana that stopped them," she reminded him, "But I-"

"They can't get in," a voice cut Aries off and she stood up, her eyes wide as she saw the Doctor at the now closed doors of the church, "Old windows and doors."

"Aunty, what is it?" Luka asked, seeing her expression and looked to where Aries was looking.

"Luka, Mickey," Aries said, causing the boys to look at her in confusion, hearing her tone, "I want you to stay right here. I need to speak with someone."

"But you can't go," Mickey stated, grabbing Aries hand, "What if the monster's come back?"

Aries knelt before the child as she removed one of her necklaces. "This will keep the monster's away," she told Mickey softly, glancing to Luka as she showed them the pendant, "The wolf is a mighty protector and wont let any harm come to those who carry this."

"What about the snake and bird?" Luka asked curiously, never having heard his Aunty speak of her necklaces.

"The snake is the wolf's friend and it helps the wolf protect their friends, just like the phoenix. When you carry this, nothing will be able to harm you," she told the pair as she placed the pendant in the Mickey's hand. Her eyes flashed as she did so, causing the pendant to glow red as Mickey held it and he looked to her with wide eyes.

"They like you," she told the boy before she grasped his shoulder, "Now I want you to stay here with Luka, okay."

Mickey nodded and Luka grabbed his empty hand, "I'll watch him until you get back," the older boy said, trying to seem brave and caused Aries to smile.

"I won't be long," she told them before she moved off towards the Doctor, who was currently having an argument with Jackie Tyler.

"...unless I sort this out. Now, if you don't mind, I've waited a long time to say this. Jackie Tyler, do as I say. Go and check the doors," the Doctor ordered, and Aries raised an eyebrow as Jackie did just that. "Should have done that ages ago," the Time Lord muttered as he turned around, only to stop short when he saw Aries.

"I'm kind of afraid to ask how you know Jackie Tyler," the red head remarked, her eyebrows furrowing as once again the Doctor looked shocked to see her, "But after she had Rose, I think I worked out how."

"Aries, what are you doing here?" the Doctor asked, his voice filled with concern and worry at the fact that his Nesdra was here and it caused his hearts to beat faster in his chest.

"I should be asking you that," Aries replied with a frown, wondering what the Time Lord was doing there.

"Eris," the groom, Stuart approached the pair, looking to Aries while the Doctor looked to his Nesdra in confusion, "My dad was out there."

Aries was about to open her mouth to say something, but the Doctor spoke up, "You can mourn him later, right now we've got to concentrate on keeping ourselves alive."

"My dad had-"

"There's nothing I can do for him," the Doctor cut the man off, only for Aries to shoot him a look.

"What's wrong, Stuart?" the red head asked, looking back to the distressed groom.

"He had this phone thing," Stuart explained, showing them an old brick phone, "I can't get it to work. I keep getting this voice..."

Aries frowned as she accepted the phone and dialled a number, only for her frown to deepen as she listened to the voice that came through.

"Watson, come here, we need you. Watson, come here, we need you."

"But, that's Alexander Bell," she said as she handed the phone to the Doctor for him to listen as well.

"You're right," the Doctor stated, "That's the very first phone call," he handed the phone back to Stuart, "I don't think the telephone's gonna be much use," he remarked as he glanced at Aries, his eyebrows creasing slightly before he shook his head and moved off.

"But someone must call the police!" Stuart called after him, causing the Doctor to pause.

"Police can't help you now. No-one can," the Doctor said, loud enough for the other guests to hear him and Aries couldn't help but wonder what he was talking about. "Nothing in this Universe can harm those things. Time has been damaged and they've come to sterilise the wound," the Doctor continued as he turned to look at his companion, his eyes narrowing slightly, "By consuming everything in sight."

"Is this because..." Rose trailed off, her voice shaky.

Aries looked between the Doctor and Rose as the Time Lord just stared at his companion, not saying a word.

"Is this my fault?" the blonde continued, and Aries couldn't help but wonder what she had done as the Doctor's expression clearly said that it was her fault.

The Doctor walked passed Rose, though Aries was quick to follow, needing answers.