It's finally all coming together. Trying to get the right cadence in these next two chapters was very difficult and I continually rewrote them until I finally felt happy with the pace and action (well as happy as I could get I guess). A lot is happening and threads that have been spanning universes and diverse times are all converging into one point. I hope you like these next two chapters. 18 is a shorter chapter, but 19 more than makes up for it. Part of the inspiration for this chapter came form a dark trance song I listened to on constant repeat after hearing it in one of my favorite DJ mixes.

I hope you all are staying safe and healthy! Enjoy!

"Humanity has expanded well throughout the Milky Way cluster at this point in their history. You've moved beyond the three galaxies that dominated the mid space-faring journeys before humans really mastered temporal fusion engines."

The Doctor talked with Wilf as they made their way through the town square, his constant chatter a strange counterpoint to the silence that seemed to fill the space as people moved about their business without looking left or right.

Donna frowned as she followed along behind the Doctor and her grandfather, her mind still preoccupied with the strange flickering of the golden filament as they moved towards the marketplace. It seemed to crisscross the area in front of them, almost as if it didn't know which way it was going before it would vanish once more.

She tried to focus on the Doctor's inane chatter in order to keep her head above the chaos that threatened to overwhelm her the longer they stayed on the planet.

The Doctor glanced at Donna from time to time, his eyes belying the concern that he felt for her but she would just smile at him and shake her head before resolutely walking ahead

"How many galaxies has humanity colonized, Doctor?" Wilf was looking up at the Doctor with unabashed wonder, his eyes shining as he hung on every word the Doctor was saying.

Donna laughed softly, happy that they'd decided to bring her grandfather on this trip even though they were most likely going to be walking into some kind of danger at some point. She knew that the Doctor would do everything in his power to make sure that nothing happened to Wilf, though she could sense that he was even more concerned than she was.

The sounds of the marketplace were a welcome relief from the foreboding silence that permeated the town square and Donna felt a little of the tension melt from her shoulders.

The Doctor was in his element as he took Wilf from stall to stall, his manner was easy going and engaging as he spoke to each of the vendors about their wares before they would move on. One would never be able to tell by looking at him, that he was being assaulted on all sides by searing winds of energy that should have driven him to his knees.

The Doctor led the way towards the center of the square when he felt something brush momentarily against his mind. It was enough of a nudge that he looked away from Wilf in surprise and scanned the square to see who or what could have connected with him in such a manner.

His gaze moved around the market, trying to focus on the energy around the people moving about the area and to not be distracted by the roaring energy from the temporal disturbances but the task was impossible.

He squinted as he saw a young, dark haired woman moving through the crowd towards another set of buildings. He frowned as he tried to see her timelines more clearly, but the blast of temporal energy shredded anything that was further than a few meters away.

"Doctor, what is it?" Donna asked when she'd felt the surprise that had jolted him momentarily.

The Doctor turned to look at Donna, the strange woman already fading from his mind as he shook his head and replied, "Nothing, Donna." His hand rose to rub the back of his neck as he focused once more on his two companions. "I thought I felt something for a moment there, but this planet is so chaotic right now that it just has me jumping at shadows, I think."

She frowned at his reply, but decided to remain silent as she continued her own perusal of the vendors and stalls around them.

Wilf had followed the Doctor's gaze as he'd scanned the marketplace, his initial excitement was beginning to fade as he realized that both Donna and the Doctor were truly struggling with every moment that they spent in this strange place. "Doctor, maybe it's a good idea if we go back to the ship. I'm worried about the both of you."

The Doctor laughed softly and clapped a hand on Wilf's shoulder before he turned back in the direction that they'd been walking and led the way once more down the crowded market street. "Nonsense, Wilf. There's a mystery on this planet right now. Aren't you the least bit curious to find out what's going on?"

Wilf shook his head with a laugh, "I'm just excited to be on my first alien planet, but I don't want the two of you to be hurt just because I'm after a jolly good time. We can always go to another planet that isn't going to hurt the two of you."

"Ha! As if that'll ever happen, Gramps. Trouble follows this one around like a lost puppy!" Donna motioned to the Doctor with her thumb and a laugh, though some of the tension seemed to have faded away with the comment.

The Doctor just laughed softly and shrugged his shoulders, his steps light as he led them towards another stall.

There were stalls with pottery and other cooking utensils, ranging from utilitarian to the gaudy while other stalls held fruits and vegetables and assorted dried goods, though the selection and supply seemed to be meager.

One area of the market seemed to be devoted to the sale of livestock and the stench that came from that corner of the market kept the area relatively free of the crowds that moved through other areas.

Donna moved quickly away from the livestock area of the market, though she was fascinated by the pictures of the different types of animals that seemed to be for sale.

"It's fascinating that so many animals would look so similar to the animals we've got on earth, Doctor. You'd think that there would be more variety once you get further into the universe."

"There's only so many ways to put together any animal if you think about it, Wilf. The gravity on this planet is comparable to that of earth, maybe a little heavier but not enough to really have that much of an impact on how animals evolve. Any of the stranger animals would've long since died off and been replaced by animals more suited for the environment and more likely to survive. A cow is a cow no matter which part of the universe you're in, just some cows may have six legs and four eyes but still they would look pretty similar to the animal on earth."

Wilf was transfixed by the Doctor's words, his gaze drifting to the pens that he could see on the other side of the marketplace and the different animals that milled around the different enclosures. "I suppose you're right, Doctor. I'd just expected something a little more…. alien, I guess."

"Oh don't worry, Wilf. I can assure you that there are most likely plenty of strange and alien creatures on this planet once you get out beyond the towns. I don't think we want to go out looking for them, do you?"

Wilf shook his head with a laugh, hurrying to catch up with Donna who had continued wandering away from the smelly pens but had now paused by a stall that seemed to be selling some sort of colorful fabric.

Donna looked up when the two of them came closer and smiled when she caught the tail end of their conversation. She remembered having almost the exact same conversation with the Doctor when they'd travelled to some of the more exotic planets during their time together.

"You also have to remember, Wilf, that we're in the seventh millennium and humanity has colonized many of the worlds out in these parts of the universe by now. Who knows what sort of interbreeding has been done with more terrestrial stock."

"It's been long enough that a cow may not even look like a cow back home, Gramps!" Donna quipped.

The Doctor paused when he heard her comment, his eyes lighting up before he agreed, "You're absolutely right, Donna. And they don't, by the way."

"They don't what, Doctor?" Wilf asked as he was completely thrown by the Doctor's comment.

"Look like a normal cow, Wilf. You'd be surprised how changed the Earth is in the seventh

millennium and it's not necessarily a change for the better. That's why there's such a push for humanity to colonize, first the Solar System, then the galaxy and beyond."

"You're walking with time. I can see it in your eyes and your steps."

The Doctor's head whipped around at the strange comment, his eyes scanning the crowd before he saw the elderly man seated on a bench in the shade of a building. "I beg your pardon?"

The man wasn't looking at the Doctor, his gaze was riveted on Donna as he pointed at her with a gnarled, bony finger. "Are you talking to me?" Donna asked as she lifted her hand to her chest. She felt a stab of fear at his words, words that were eerily similar to the final words that the augers had spoken to her on Bellatrix Prime.

"Yes, yes. Come here, child."

The old man was gesturing Donna closer to him, his eyes were nearly white with some form of cataracts but Donna knew that somehow he was able to see her perfectly.

"Hold on, Donna. I don't know about this." Wilf stepped close to Donna, suddenly worried by the strange old man who was interested in his granddaughter.

The Doctor put his hand on Wilf's arm, the touch causing the older man to look up at the Doctor in surprise but the Time Lord was completely focused on the exchange that was happening in front of them.

Donna looked back to the Doctor when she heard the man's request, her mind reaching out to him to try to figure out what he was thinking but he was staring with complete focus at the man and only paused to nod slightly to her before he returned to his study of the man.

Donna stepped closer to the old man, each step more hesitant than the last before she paused in front of him. "What did you say before?"

The old man shook his head and patted the bench next to him. "Sit down, child. I'm an old man and don't want to hurt my neck by looking up at you."

She took a deep breath, but felt that the request wasn't an unreasonable one and so she settled on the bench next to him making sure to keep some space between them for good measure.

"You walk with time. I see it in your steps and the steps of your companion. He's not what he seems, but he burns like the air around us. He burns like the planet has burned for nearly one hundred years."

The Doctor stepped closer, his hand falling from Wilf's arm as he whispered, "How did the planet start burning, Elder?" He wasn't quite sure how to address the strange man in front of him, but he felt that some form of honorific was important as this man was obviously aware of things that the people around him weren't.

The man's rheumy eyes seemed to roll back into his head at the Doctor's question, his voice suddenly lowering in pitch and echoing slightly as he recited, "The suns turned black and the land turned cold. The rivers turned to poison while the air turned cold and heavy. The beasts turned barren and the fields fell to waste. The stars fell from the sky and the change came over the land with no warning. From that day forward, the planet burned."

Donna's jaw dropped open when the old man seemed to come out of his trance, his breath leaving his body in a long wheeze before he shook his head and looked back at her through white eyes. "You're like him, but not like him. The two of you can help us turn back what happened, we've been waiting for you for so long."

"What are you up to, Grandfather? You know better than to talk to strangers." A younger woman came hurrying up to them, her eyes were flashing as she saw her grandfather struggling for breath and the strangers gathered around him.

"He was just talking to us, Miss. He was resting here in the shade and had seen us walking by." Wilf stepped around the Doctor to intercept the woman, his aged face was disarming as he smiled at her and tried to ease some of her concern.

"Don't listen to anything he says, he likes to talk about fanciful things and dreams he has."

"I don't think what he said was a flight of fancy." The Doctor turned to look at the younger woman, his eyes were sharp as they took in the similarities between her and the elderly man that was sitting on the bench in front of them.

"Well you don't know him, good Sir. He's been having these turns for years now, and they're just a bunch of gibberish."

The woman was irritated that she was explaining herself and her grandfather's health to complete strangers, she pushed past the tall man and reached down to help her grandfather to his feet. "Come along, Grandfather. It's time to head home for supper."

The old man allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, but he didn't stop staring at both the Doctor and Donna. He let himself be pulled along, though it was obvious that he was determined to follow at his own pace and not be rushed away from the trio.

"She was the last one. There have been no more for a long time and there won't be any more if it isn't fixed." The old man's words were surprisingly strong even as his granddaughter tried to hurry him away from them, her motions obviously trying to keep him from saying anything more.

"What do you mean?" Donna called in reply.

If the man answered Donna's question, it was drowned out by the crowd that swallowed him and his granddaughter.

"What in the world was that about, Doctor?" Wilf asked as he turned back to the Doctor and Donna. He wasn't ready for the look of horror on Donna's face and it was that sight that had him hurrying back to her side. "Sweetheart, what's going on?" Wilf settled on the bench beside his granddaughter and pulled her shaking body into his arms.

"He saw us, Gramps. He saw right through both of us and he knew."

"What do you mean, sweetheart?"

Donna shook her head as she bit down hard on her lower lip, her gaze glued to the Doctor as he was looking around the marketplace with new eyes. "I've been so blind! So completely thick to not see it when it was staring at me right in the face!"

"Why've you been thick, Doctor?" Wilf asked, but he could tell by the look on Donna's face that she already knew.

"Where are all the children, Gramps?"

Wilf startled at her question and started looking wildly around the marketplace, positive that he'd just missed the sight of children but that they were somewhere close by. "Maybe they're not allowed to come to the market? I mean, this is an alien planet and who knows what kind of customs they might have."

The Doctor was already shaking his head, his hand reaching into his pocket for his sonic screwdriver as he replied, "No, Wilf. There aren't any children. If what that man said is to be believed, there haven't been any children for a long time."

"Hang on, how'd you know that?"

It was Donna that answered, "She was the last one, Grandad. She was the last one."

Wilf looked between the Doctor and Donna, his eyes slowly widening at the realization, "But that would mean there hasn't been one for…"

"Decades, Wilf. Decades." The Doctor grimly replied.