Hello and welcome to this story!

This is and will be one of the only author notes at the beginning of a chapter because I feel like they ruin the flow of a story, so from now on any notes or updates I have to make will be strictly at the bottom of the chapter (there will be a few exceptions when warning need to be made). As it is, this author note has some important information about the story so I recommend you read it before getting into it.

First of all, I do not have an update schedule. I update a new chapter as soon as I finish writing and editing it, a process which can take anything from a few days to a week or two. I will try my best to update a new chapter at least once a month. Because of how quickly I upload these chapters, sometimes mistakes and rushed scenes might be posted. Any major errors will be fixed as soon as I notice them, but I don't plan on going back and editing the story until it's finished, so please be mindful of that as you read.

This is a story about an OC jumping through the Dodctor's timelines, strictly from 9-12 adventures. I will not be writing every episode, and there will be a couple of original adventures as well. The entire story is set from the character's point of view, and so although there is a lot of story that happens on the sidelines. Unless the character herself notices an event or conversation they will not be shown, only refrenced. There will be a slight deviation to canon at some point which will affect certain events, but the main plotline of the overall storyline will remain the same.

Be aware that this story will contain at some point mentions of violence, death and trauma. If these aren't things you're comfortable with, I highly suggest you find another fic to read because this story gets angsty and dark at time. I do try to never be vivid in my descriptions, but you know best what you can handle. Continue with caution.

Lastly, I do not own Doctor Who or any of it's characters. This story was written for entertainment purposes only.

I hope you enjoy and have a wonderful day.

Time was away and somewhere else,

There were two glasses and two chairs

And two people with the one pulse

(Somebody stopped the moving stairs)

Time was away and somewhere else.

-0-0-

I woke up slowly, a faint prickling sensation on my back pulling me to the land of the living. With a groan, I moved to pull whatever it was that I had fallen asleep on out from under my back, thinking it must have been a wire or a brush.

My hand met something unfamiliar.

Eyes shooting open, I glanced back in surprise to see that I was laying on a pile of hay and not on my bed like I assumed. I frowned.

"What the-"

Turning my head to the side and squinting in the dark room, I saw the walls were made out of stone, blocky and covered in moss. I had no idea where I was or how I got there.

Where was I before this?

Looking to the other side, I found nothing of interest besides a familiar blue box, a real life replica of a TARDIS. It looked vibrant, standing tall above me even as I stumbled to my feet in confusion. I reached out to touch the wood, feeling it vibrate with a muted hum, like a silent generator. I had seen real life replicas of the TARDIS before, but none of them had ever made any noise.

There must have been something on the inside making it move. I tried the door, the obvious answer, but it was locked shut.

I don't know what I expected.

"Hello?" I called out, turning my back to the box.

With no answer, and still no idea how I ended up in the small shed, I turned to the only other door in the room. Thankfully, this one wasn't locked.

The first thing that hit me when I walked out was the smell. It was mossy and humid, which made sense considering I was surrounded on all sides by a forest. There was a small dirt path leading away from the shed I had come out of, but no other building or humans around from what I could tell, confusing me further.

"Hello?"

Still no answer.

Beginning to feel frustrated at whatever elaborate prank this was, I began to walk along the path. My pockets were empty when I checked, frustrating me further. No wallet, no phone, no nothing. After a solid minute of walking, I called out again, but the only sounds I could hear were birds chirping.

Was the person behind this waiting for me at the end of the path? Who would even do something like this?

It couldn't be my coworkers. I wasn't close enough with any of them, barley talked to most besides what was absolutely necessary. I thought of my cousins, but Lily hated practical jokes, and Daniel would never let it go this far. He would have jumped out from behind the shed to scare me, and then taken me out for burgers and fries.

I turned around, the shed still barley in view from behind the cover of trees. There was no one there. I looked forward and continued to walk.

For the next few minutes, my mind raced as I considered a million different possibilities. Elaborate prank continued to hold the most likely position, but kidnapping was making a close second. It would explain my lack of belongings. Abducted by aliens? Not likely, but not completely ruled out.

By the time the tree's cleared out to show the road splitting into two directions, my legs were aching and I was tired. I would have flipped a coin to decide which direction to continue towards, but I didn't have any, so I spun around with my finger pointing out until I stopped.

Left it was.

-0-0-

I did eventually find a nearby town not far out, but it was nothing like what I was expecting. All the buildings looked old, most of them made out of brick. There wasn't a car in sight, and the entire town was surrounded by forest and farm land.

Wherever I was, it was far away from the cities I had grown up in.

"Excuse me," I tapped the shoulder of the first person I saw. It was an older gentleman with a mean face, but I tried not to let it faze me. "Hi, sorry. I seem to be a bit lost at the moment. Can I borrow your phone?"

I was met with a confused the face, the man's eyebrows pinching together in a way that made him look almost mad. "Borrow my telephone?"

"Uh, yeah. You know," I mimed the action of calling someone, but his nothing seemed to process. Taking another look around, I began to notice that something was off.

The clothes people were wearing was odd, enough that people were giving me strange looks for my clothing. There were no cars, this guy had no idea what a phone was, and the location was an old town. Even the way they talked reminded me of my grandfather before he died, and he was from the 1920's.

Had I accidently walked into a 1920's convention? Maybe the TARDIS I had seen before had nothing to do with a prank, and was instead also part of a convention. Things started to suddenly make sense.

Of course this guy wouldn't have a phone, or be able to help me out. He didn't want to break character.

I winced. "Never mind. If you could just tell me where I am …"

"You're in Farringham, Miss," he replied, nose scrunched up.

"Right, of course," I nodded, the location making sense for this convention. "Thank you."

Figuring there was nothing else the man would be able to tell me without ruining the imagination behind whatever role play game they were playing, I decided that my best chance to get home would be finding the main road. I could get a ride from some kind stranger or a phone to call for help.

I spun around on my feet to walk away, but nearly toppled over a young woman who had been standing behind me. I apologized, head still focused on my thoughts, only to be stopped with a hand on my arm.

"Chloe!" I was pulled into a hug by the strange woman, too shocked to do anything about it. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you."

When she pulled away, I managed to get a good look at her face. With dark kind eyes and even darker hair pulled back neatly, she looked familiar, but I was unable to place it. She was dressed up in the same old fashioned dress that the others in the town were.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met," I told her with a tight smile, trying to play along while still getting back home.

Her face fell.

"You don't recognize me?"

There was something sad about seeing heartbreak on someone else's face, watch as they seem to crumble in front of you like a dry pastry. Looking closer, I could see the dark bags beneath her eyes, the ashen color to her otherwise rich skin.

I took a deep breathe in disbelief.

"You!" Her eyes lit up at the recognition on my face, nodding her head slowly. "You're Freema Agyeman!"

Her expression flattened out once again, frustration growing. "What? No, it's Martha. Don't you recognize me?"

The way she said the words made it sound like I should know who she was acting as, but I wasn't a big fan of historical dramas so I assumed that she must have accidentally mistook me for someone else in this roleplaying situation. Maybe they were filming something and I accidentally walked onto set?

I raised my hands, trying to give her a knowing look as I slowly backed away. "Look, I really think you have the wrong person."

Freema followed close, reaching out to me in a panic.

"Chloe," She began, but I interrupted.

"Seriously, I really should- Woah!" My back hit something, and I spun around in worry. "I'm so sorry!"

The man I had bumped into was tall, far taller than me, and I had to look up just to see his face properly. Soft familiar brown eyes looked down at me, an equally kind smile already beginning to form on his face as he took me in. While his eyes lingered momentarily on my jeans (something that would have been out of place in the middle of the scenario they were playing), he didn't say anything.

"No worries," He assured me, giving me another look over with raised brows. "Are you all right?"

The voice he spoke with, soft and yet commanding all the same, was so familiar that for a second I forgot that he had even asked me a question. Shaking my head to brush away the momentarily lapse in attention, I glanced back at Freema and then back at him.

"I'm fine," I assured them both, giving an awkward curtsey in farewell. "I'm afraid I have somewhere to be, so I, uh, bid thee farewell?"

I started to walk away, ignoring Freema's calls. The man I had bumped into seemed to grab enough of her attention that she didn't run after me, their voices catching up faster than her legs ever could.

"Didn't you recognize her? She looked familiar, didn't she?"

"I sincerely hope you weren't bothering that young lady, Martha." The voice was scolding, and I paused as flashes of something rang in my head. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

I could see him walk away in the corner of my eye, and Freema huffed. She watched him as he went, her eyes sad and frustrated once again, the kind you saw in someone who had been through so much that they could almost scream.

I almost wanted to comfort her. Her voice was resigned when she spoke next, nothing more than a whisper that only I seemed to hear.

"God, I wish you were still the Doctor."

And then her eyes caught mine, and I froze. Flashes turned into screaming realization, like someone had suddenly beaten the information back into my brain with a sledgehammer. The man I had just seen wasn't just some ordinary stranger off the streets.

Holy shit that was David Tennant!

As Freema began to walk towards me again, it hit me again, so hard I was surprised I didn't visibly flinch. She was the actress that played Martha, as in Martha Jones. It had been a while since I had seen her in that role, but combined with David Tennant it was obvious now exactly who she was pretending to be.

Martha, Freema, whoever she was – she was standing in front of me now. She must have spotted something in my eyes, or maybe she took me not running away as a good sign, because there was hope back in her eyes. Hope and expectations for something I didn't understand.

"Please, Chloe. You have to help me," She told me, sincere in both words and body language. "You have to remember. Don't you know who I am?"

I squinted at her. Was this part of a script? What kind of sick prank was this even supposed to be? But she wasn't backing down, nobody was running out to yell surprise, and there were no cameras to be seen. This felt real.

Part of me felt I should just walk away, continue on my way back home and away from all this craziness. The other half of me nodded slowly, mouth moving without my permission.

"You're Martha. Martha Jones."

She nodded, grabbing my shoulders in excitement. "Yes! Do you remember now?"

How could I ever forget? It had been a while since I watched the older seasons of Doctor Who, but this show was my entire childhood. It had never been an issue of forgetfulness. Because even if I knew what they were doing, I still couldn't understand why.

Why would Freema Agyeman and David Tennant dress up and play pretend with a random stranger in the middle of nowhere? Maybe they weren't the actual actors and instead just look-a-likes.

But then why would they be here? What message were they trying to get across to me? Maybe it was a game. Was I even supposed to be here? None of this was making any sense.

"What do you want from me?" I asked her, gently pulling her hands away. "How am I supposed to help when I don't even know what's going on?"

She frowned, desperation creeping into her eyes. "A hint. I just need a hint, like you usually give. One of your spoilers, please." I imagined that if she still had a hold on me, she would have shaken me roughly to get across her point.

"A hint? Hint for what?"

Didn't she already know what was supposed to happen? Why ask me about what she had to do and not just read the script. Was there even a script? Was all of this an improvised? My head was reeling trying to figure things out, and I wanted so desperately for someone to tell me it was all over, save me from this hell.

I wanted it all to stop.

"I'm sorry, I can't," I began, pressing my hands against my face in hopes of easing my growing headache. "I just want to go home."

And this time, when I took off, I didn't look back.

-0-0-

After what felt like hours, as the sun dipped below the horizon, I began to give up on in my efforts to reach civilization. It seemed that nobody in the area was willing to help a strange lost looking girl, and they absolutely refused to break character.

Only one person offered to let me use their phone, but then had taken me into their house and shown me an antique that looked older than my grandfather. I was informed that the only way back to the cities was by those who owned a car (a very few select people) and none of them planned to travel back for at least a week.

I felt as frustrated as the Freema look-a-like had been.

So like a child throwing a tantrum, I sat down on the ground and spent the rest of the day waiting for something to happen and returning the dirty looks I was given. I was tired, and hungry, and scared.

No, I was terrified.

The longer the act went on, the more I started to wonder if it actually was a joke or prank. It had long since lost its humor. And if everything going on was real, and these people weren't just pretending for my sake, then somehow I had ended up in a place far from home, and in a time long before my own.

I didn't want to think about that.

A loud laugh shocked me out of my thoughts. A few feet in front of me, a young couple passed arm in arm towards a brightly lit building. It was only then I noticed that large groups of people were heading towards the same place, the sound of music and laughter drifting out into the cold air where I sat.

Was there a party going on? Perhaps a celebration of sorts. I hugged my knees closer to my chest, watching the passing legs with disinterest. In the cover of night, nobody seemed to be giving me much of a second glance anymore, leaving me to wallow in my own misery.

Maybe I really was stuck in the 1920's for all of time. Or maybe I would freeze to death on the cold night and wake up back in my own bed. My warm bed, with its fluffy soft blanket and perfectly firm pillows. I would lean back with a warm cup of chocolate milk and a good book.

Or, more realistically, my phone so I could scroll through social media. Whatever.

Despite my eyes being wide open, it took me a few seconds to realize that there was a pair of feet not moving, and that someone was standing in front of me. I looked up, preparing to rudely tell someone to go away.

"Chloe? Chloe Ackermann?"

Oh great. Does everyone in this town know my name?

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at the young boy standing above me, raising my chin to see him properly. He was a young teenager, or perhaps just baby faced, with neatly combed hair and what looked like a school uniform.

"What do you want?"

The boy shook his head in disbelief, hand holding something out to me. I squinted at the object, barley able to make out a circular shape in the dark. There was something familiar about it, something calling me to reach out towards it, but I held my fingers tightly to my body instead.

"It's really you," The boy breathed, voice deeper than I would have expected. Definitely baby faced then. "You're here."

He looked amazed to see me, like a child discovering their imaginary friend was actually real. I gave him a tight smile.

"Yeah, it's me. Can I help you?"

He looked confused, waving his hand a little. "You don't- I thought you might want this."

I glanced back at the circular object and then back to his face. In the dim light, I couldn't really see the expression he was making, but he seemed serious. I frowned, shaking my head lightly.

"Look, whatever you're selling, I'm not interested," I told him, getting annoyed. "So do me a favor and go bother someone else. Okay?"

My demeanor must have been off-putting, because the young boy didn't answer. Instead, he pulled the object in his hand closer and stared at me. I looked away, expecting him to just walk away like everyone else around us, but he stayed rooted in his spot. And then I hear him whispering softly to himself.

Baffled, I turned around to ask him if he had a problem, but I found that the boy wasn't just whispering to himself, but to the object in his hands. Even stranger, it was glowing! In the dull orange light it gave off, I suddenly realized that the object he was holding was a pocket watch with strange markings on it.

And it was whispering back to him.

He closed the watch suddenly and the light disappeared, the whispering gone with it. He nodded to himself, almost entranced. "Right, I understand. Too early." The boy spotted something, another couple walking around the corner, and he turned on his heels without another word.

I watched him walk away, the events of the past few seconds running around my brain rapidly as I tried to make sense of it. The fob watch, the golden light, the whispers of a familiar voice. Martha. The Doctor.

The moment I realized what was going on, I stumbled up onto my feet and began to run.

"Wait!"

That wasn't just special effects. The tendrils of light had drifted like smoke, curling around his hand and the surrounding air, and although I couldn't make out the words, I felt as if the voice itself had resonated through my head.

My head was pounding along with my footsteps as I ran towards the same building everyone else in town had disappeared into. I caught sight of the boy's back just as he entered, and blinded by my objective, I almost didn't notice the man standing at the front door.

He held out a hand to stop me from entering.

"Sorry Ma'am," He said, giving me a weird look. "No stragglers allowed."

I gaped at him. "What?"

"I'm sorry, but those are the rules."

I let out a groan, about to turn away and find a back entrance I could sneak into, when someone called out towards me. "Chloe?" It was Martha, sliding to a stop next to me.

The man in front of the building let out a huff at her, wagging his fingers. "Staff entrance I think, Miss."

Martha gave him once hard look before grabbing my hand, pulling us past him with a growl. "Think again, mate."

The man was so shocked that he didn't stop us, Martha leading me through the building with a strong grip. Every step she took was with purpose. The music got louder until we reached the entrance of a small venue, people already dancing across the floor and talking in small groups, but my eyes drifted immediately to the only one who mattered.

David Tennant, or whoever he may be, stood in line waiting to be served a drink. Martha let go of me and gave me a pleading look.

"Look, I know that something's going on with you right now, but I really need your help. We have to make the Doctor remember who he is."

I blinked at the familiar scene, ignoring her as I searched for a lone boy. She gaped at me as I pushed past, sticking as close to the walls as I could get to avoid getting in anyone's ways. With a grumble under her breath, Martha walked in the opposite direction to do whatever it is she had planned by herself.

The boy I had seen outside was sitting next to a table in the corner. He was almost hiding, eyes stuck on something else across the room, so he didn't notice me approaching until I was already next to him.

"Hey, kid," I grabbed his shoulder, and he almost jumped in surprise. "That watch. Where did you get it?"

The watch in question was clutched close to his chest, like he was afraid I would snatch it out of his hands. It was odd, since he practically offered it to me outside. I couldn't tell if he had changed his mind, or if someone had once again mistaken me for someone else. Someone who looked like me. And had my name.

He must have changed his mind.

"I-" The young boy hesitated, shooting a wild look to the side. "I got it from Mr. Smith, miss."

I scowled. "None of this miss stuff. You know who I am, you said it outside. How did you know who I was?"

He held out his hand, holding out the watch again, almost instinctually. Once again, I felt a call to reach out and touch it, the same whispers from before tickling the back of my brain like rampant thoughts.

The boy gaped. "You can feel it, can't you? He told me," He said, nodding at the watch. "The man in the watch. The Doctor."

His gaze shifted, nodding once again to something across the room. From here, I could see Martha talking with the man from before, trying to convince him of who he was. She held out a sliver object with a blue tip, one that I recognized even from far away.

I turned back to the boy, and he held out the watch more insistently, urging me to take it. I held out my hand, letting it hover above the top, slowly lowering until I could brush the tips of my fingers across the smooth and surprisingly warm metal.

At the entrance, a loud crash drew the rooms' attention. Like a scratched record, the music came to a halt and was replaced with a round mustached man yelling out to grab people's attention. The boy jumped back, hiding the watch behind him in fear.

I sucked in a breath, pushing myself in front of him.

"Silence! All of you!" The man urged, causing people to cluster together into a group, all trying to get away from him.

Only one lone and bewildered man from the other side of the room spoke up, demanding to know what was going on. He was promptly vaporized by the mustached man, and everyone gasped and yelled in fear.

I stared at the dusty remains of what had once been an innocent man. There was no way for an entire human body to just disappear in an instant like that, no possible way to replicate the horrible smell of burnt flesh and clothes that lingered in the air for just a second.

There was no way that hadn't been real.

He had just been killed. Really, and undoubtedly, dead.

Anyone who hadn't already moved away from the man did then, while those who were already separated cowered in fear.

"We asked for silence!" A lanky young teen in fancy wear screamed. His eyes were wide and wild, like that of a rabid animal. "Now then, we have a few question for Mr. Smith."

"No, it's better than that!"

A little girl with a red balloon jumped from her perch at once of the tables, skipping over like a man hadn't just been murdered. Her face and voice was emotionless as she joined the other aliens at the front of the room.

"I heard them talking, earlier. It's the teacher, he's the Doctor," She said.

The teen boy made a weird face. "You took human form," He taunted.

"Of course - I was born human," Mr. Smith insisted, eyes darting around in confusion. "I was born as human as were you, Banes. And Jenny! And you, Mr. Clark. W-what is going on? This is madness!"

"Oooh, and a human brain too- simple, thick and dull," Banes continued to mock. The little girl smiled, but her eyes remained blank.

"But he's no good like this," The other woman, Jenny, whispered to her family.

"We need a Time Lord," Mr. Clark stated.

"Easily done," Bane replied, taking a step forward and raising his gun. "Change back."

Around us, people gasped and pushed farther away, blocking my view from what was happening in the front. Even though I couldn't see him, I could imagine the panic that would begin to rise of Mr. Smiths' face, his frantic voice reaching the back of the room.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Change back!" Bane yelled.

From behind me, the boy reached out to grab my hand. I turned to look at him as he placed the fob watch into my hand silently. He gave me a knowing look. I nodded softly, clutching the watch tightly.

"I literally do not know-" Mr. Smith continued, being cut off from a scream.

I snapped my head around, trying to see what was going on. Martha screamed at someone, and I remembered that she was probably grabbed by one of the aliens. I held my breath, pressing my thumb to the top of the fob watch for when I had to open it.

"She's your friend, isn't she?" Jenny snarled. Martha made a sound that sounded an awful lot like a scoff. "Doesn't this scare you enough to change back!?"

"I don't know what you mean!"

Not giving them a chance to involve anyone else like they would have, I immediately opened the watch and let the whispers escape. They were softer than before, the same golden light rising up like smoke.

The noise, or perhaps the smell, was enough to draw the attention of all the aliens in the room. Thankfully, the timing didn't seem to matter either, as Martha still used the opportunity to slip out of Jenny's grasp and grab her gun. With a twist, suddenly it was Jenny being held prisoner.

I closed the watch immediately, handing it back to the kid.

"All right! One more move and I shoot," Martha threatened. She pointed the gun at Bane with purpose.

"Ooh, the maid is full of fire!" Bane snapped, his eyes betraying the rage he held at her threat.

"And you can shut up!"

Martha shot the gun at the ceiling, all the pent up anger and frustration from before finally making an appearance. The aliens seemed to accept that she was dangerous, taking necessary precautions.

"Careful, son of mine. This is all for you, so you can live forever," Mr. Clark said.

As he spoke, I began to push my way through the crown, moving closer to the main entrance of the building. There were two scarecrows, and one of them turned to me at the movement, but thankfully didn't do anything. I bit my lip, now having a closer view of the front of the room.

"Shoot you down!" Bane yelled maniacally. He didn't see too afraid, or maybe that was just the crazy leaking out. He raised his own gun, the people around my flinching instinctually.

"Try it, we'll die together," Martha breathed out.

Despite her bravo, she looked terrified. For a solid second, both of them staring at each other, I was actually afraid that he might shoot her. He even tilted his head, as if he was considering it.

"Could you really pull the trigger?" Bane questioned, smiling at the silence that followed. "Looks too scared."

Martha's eyes widened. "Scared and holding a gun, it's a good combination. Do you want to risk it?"

Another second of tense silence, and Bane looked around. His weird smile never faltered, not even as he slowly lowered his gun. People let out simultaneous breaths of relief, and Martha glance over at me.

"Chloe, get everyone out," She began. "There's a door out the side, right over there."

When I didn't move, the matron moved into action, ushering people towards the exit. I could only stare at her with wide eyes, feeling like my feet were glued to the ground, until it was only me and the Doctor still in the room.

I hesitated running after the crowd.

Martha glanced back. "Go on Mr. Smith."

"What about you?"

"I think you should escort your lady friend to safety, don't you?" She replied sadly. There was only a moment of pause before he did just that, and she looked at me next. "Chloe, get out of here."

I shook my head. "I'm not leaving without you."

"You don't even know me," Martha hissed, "Just go!"

I bit my lip, looking back at where my childhood hero just left. I thought if anyone would have stuck around to see this through, it would have been the Doctor. But the man that just left wasn't him, and someone had to take his place.

"You don't have to do this alone," I assured her, moving directly behind her to cover her back.

Martha was silent for a second, a smile of relief pulling at the corners of her mouth, before she pushed Jenny away and back towards the others. She waved her gun at them when Mr. Clark raised his own weapon at her.

"Don't try anything! I'm warning you, or sunny boy gets it."

"She's brave, this one," Bane said as they moved forward. Martha stepped back.

"I should have taken her. Would have been much more fun. So much spirit," Jenny added.

Something in her demeanor changed, an almost sad acceptance pulling Martha's face into a frown. I moved to the door, urging her to hurry.

"What happened to Jenny, is she gone?" Martha asked, slowly walking backwards.

Jenny smiled, something dark and evil. "She is consumed, her bodies mine." Her head tilted to the side, as if she was talking to a child, voice condescending.

"You mean she's dead." Martha stated.

I felt something grab me from behind, and I screamed. Martha turned around in surprise, but the scarecrow grabbed the gun out of her hands, loosening its grip enough for me to push it away. With no weapon, no plan, and no protection, Martha yelled at me to run.

And so I did.

We both stumbled out of the building gasping for air, neither one of us taking a chance to look back. While Martha ran off towards the school, I made my way in the opposite direction. I ran as far as I could, back to the forests I had first appeared in, hoping I could hide among the trees. This was not a fight I wanted to be involved in.

As I reached the edge of the forest, I began to feel something tug in my stomach, like a gut feeling telling me I was heading in the wrong direction. Low branches scratched my arms and I ran past, the bottoms of my feet aching and my lungs burning, but still I didn't stop moving.

I had to keep moving.

In the darkness, I could hear the distant sounds of gunfire. I flinched, dropping to the ground like a sack of potatoes, feeling scared and confused. I breathed loudly, gasping for air, my chest burning.

Hotter than I thought possible, a sudden burst of color bled through the darkness, and I let out a gasp. My hands were glowing brightly, the warmth flowing through my veins and down my body, like liquid gold. I began to panic.

"No. No, no, no, no. This can't be happening," I breathed out.

I shot to my feet, the burning and tingly feeling spreading through my whole body, as my sight was engulfed by the bright light. I felt the floor give out under me, only for a second, before it was replaced again. I blinked away the light, turning towards the occupants of the room.

Martha let out a sigh of relief at the sight of me. "Chloe! Thank god, it's you!"

She pulled me into a hug, arms wrapped around my waist as tightly as she could, but I quickly pulled away. I was still breathing hard from my run in the woods.

"How-"

"What in god's name is going on!?" Mr. Smith yelled. He looked lost and scared, exactly how I felt in the moment.

"Trust me, if I knew, I would tell you," I breathed out, shaking my head in confusion. I turned to Martha. "How did I get here? I was in the woods, far away."

She shook her head in disbelief. "You jumped, like you always do. Has that never happened before?"

"Jump? I didn't jump, I fucking teleported," I replied, just as an explosion rocked the earth.

Everyone struggled to keep their balance, and they all ran to the window just in time to see more bombs falling on the horizon. I grabbed the table in front of me, my knees feeling weak. I closed my eyes tight, hoping that maybe if I tried hard enough I could wake up.

Wake up from this horribly vivid nightmare.

"They're destroying the village," Miss Redfern murmured sadly.

"The watch!" Mr. Smith turned around, grabbing the pocket watch from the boy's hand. He walked over to the corner, looking intently as he listened to its whispers. "This is what they wanted?"

"Can you hear it?" The boy asked curiously.

Mr. Smith shook his head in disbelief. "He's asleep, waiting to awaken."

"Why did he speak to me?"

There was a moment where it seemed like all the tension in Mr. Smith's body evaporated, his back straightening and his face smoothing out in confidence. "Oh, low-level telepathic field. You were born with it. Just an extra synaptic engram causing-" And then the tension snapped, and suddenly the man standing in front of us was back to normal.

Mr. Smith gasped lowly in surprise at what he had just said, looking at the watch in a combination of disdain and horror. "Is that how he talks?"

"Yes, that's him. All you have to do is open it and he's back," Martha encouraged.

And let him die in his place, I thought as an explosion rocked the earth again.

Mr. Smith didn't seem happy either, looking over at Martha in disgust. "You knew this all along and yet you watched while Nurse Redfern and I-"

"I didn't know how to stop you," Martha defended, stepping forward. "He gave me a list of things to watch out for, but that wasn't included."

"Falling in love? That didn't even occur to him?" He said, looking horrified.

Martha faltered, eyes darting towards me. "No."

"What sort of man is that?" He cried out, near tears, "And now you expect me to just die?"

And for that, nobody seemed to have anything to say. Martha backed down, all the fight seeming to leave her as she grappled with exactly what she was asking him to do, the conflict clear on her face. The other two only look on in horror, faces remorseful. I watched them for a second, making my mind up as another explosion sounded in the distance.

I stood up slowly, taking shaky steps forward. Everyone turned to look at me as I approached Mr. Smith, holding out my hands in a non-threatening manner.

"Mr. Smith, was it?" There was distrust and weariness in his eyes, but he nodded none the less. "My name's Chloe." He didn't say anything, but a quick look behind me and all I could see was Martha's reassuring nod.

I stepped closer.

"I'm going to be honest with you. I have no idea what's happening to me, how I got here, or why. But I do know one thing." I nodded to the window, to the now red sky outside. "People are dying out there. And if you choose not to open that watch, that's fine, but all those people are going to keep dying."

"But why me," He insisted, face frantic. "Why do I have to be the one to save them?!"

I swallowed harshly. "Because the Doctor is the only one who can stop those aliens. All those people out there, they need you to be brave."

With a deep breathe, I moved towards the window and looked out at the sky, thinking about the hero I had grown up with. If this life was as real as it felt, I didn't want this to be the end.

"The Doctor can save more than just those people out there. He's always saving people. It's what he does. And if you let him out, you get to save those people with him. You can save so many people, save entire worlds, do things you wouldn't even be able to imagine. You can be a Doctor too."

Martha let out a sigh. "Oh, look at you. That's the Chloe I know."

"It's getting closer," The boy stated at another explosion.

I let out a sigh. Even though he thought over my words, Mr. Smith still didn't look convinced. He shook his head, grabbing the watch and letting out a gasp.

"I'll give them the watch! Just the watch, then. They can leave and I can stay," He said desperately.

"It doesn't work like that!" Martha exclaimed.

"She's right." I eyed Miss Redfern in the corner of my eye. "And we all know it. This is something that has to be done."

She looked up from the journal she had been reading, her eyes wide and full of understanding. She knew what she had to do. I nodded slowly, confirming her thoughts. With the hopes that everything would turn out the way it should, I stepped back.

"Martha, kid," I gestured to the door. "Let's give them some space."

Martha looked like she wanted to argue, but I gave her a glare and she reluctantly followed me out of the cottage. Outside, the sounds of the bombs was louder, impossible to ignore. Martha hugged us both with one arm.

I closed my eyes briefly, trying (and failing) to block out the world around me. I could smell the smoke in the air, wind brushing through my hair and the sound of destruction. I bit my lip as I tried not to think of all that was being lost. All that I was losing.

The next bomb was so close I swore I could feel the heat.

After a minute, the front door slammed open, and the Doctor was walking out. He barely glanced at us as he walked towards the fields. Martha cried out after him but even then he didn't stop, just telling her that he would be back before he disappeared into the night.

Miss Redfern walked out after him, heartbreak clear on her face. Even though I didn't know her, I still offered out a hug.

"I'm sorry," I told her, know that it wasn't easy to lose someone you loved.

She didn't say anything to me, but she didn't really need to. Together we both watched the falling sky, longing for a past neither of us would ever get back.

-0-0-

"So this jumping, you ever going to explain that?"

Martha was pacing in front of the TARDIS where the Doctor had left it. He had told us he would be back soon, left to go talk to Ms. Redfern. I knew for a fact that he would offer her the chance to come with us, but she would turn him down.

"The Doctor can explain it to you," Martha said, looking distracted. When she noticed the Doctor walking up the hill, she moved to stand next to me in the rain.

I tilted my head curiously.

"Right then, molto bene," He said, hands in his pockets.

Martha frowned, "How was she?"

"Time we moved on."

I stopped Martha from saying anything else with a shake of my head, knowing there was no use. The Doctor looked over at me, his eyes full of emotions I couldn't even begin to understand. He looked like he wanted to say something, but turned back to Martha instead.

"I never did say thank you, for looking after me," He said with a smile. Martha smiled back and accepted his hug.

"Doctor, Martha, Chloe!"

The Doctor pulled away as the boy from before ran over. "Tim, Timothy Timber."

I nearly smacked my head. That was his name! Timothy!

"I just wanted to say goodbye," he said with a smile, "And thank you. Because I've seen the future and I now know what must be done. It's coming, isn't it? The biggest war ever."

"You don't have to fight," Martha pointed out.

"I think we do."

There was a silent acceptance in Timothy's eyes, the kind that only kids of this era held. I felt sad, knowing that an entire generation would have to grow up in this war, thinking that it was something normal. I admired their bravery and the sacrifice they made.

"But you could get hurt," Martha continued, trying to convince him.

Tim didn't look convinced. "So could you, traveling around with him, but it's not going to stop you."

Martha looked like she wanted to argue some more, but one glance to the Doctor and she decided to stay silent, knowing he had a point. The Doctor dug around in his pockets, pulling out the very same fob watch that had once held his memories.

"Tim, I'd be honored if you'd take this," He said, holding it out to Timothy.

The young boy accepted it with a frown, looking down at the silver watch with confusion. "I can't hear anything."

"Oh, yeah. It's just a watch now. But keep it with you," He told Timothy, "For good luck."

As Martha said her goodbyes, I took a step to the side to let the Doctor unlock the TARDIS, taking a second before stepping in. From behind me, I heard the Doctor say something to Timothy as Martha followed me in, but I didn't pay much attention to what it was.

I walked slowly along the grated floors, taking in the bright flashing lights and strange noises. The entire room was bathed in a bright orange glow. Although from the outside the TARDIS sounded like a muted generator, from the inside it sounded more like a dull hum with the occasional whirring sound coming from the console.

It was beautiful, striking, and overwhelmingly impossible.

The Doctor paused as he ran towards the console, giving me a knowing look.

"What do you think?" He asked me as he began flipping switches.

I pinched my arm behind my back, wincing slightly at the feeling. "It's a little smaller than I expected."

Martha's mouth dropped open in surprise before she let out a laugh, while the Doctor looked downright scandalized. Even while the TARDIS shook wildly, he remained frozen, and it wasn't until I almost fell to my feet that he continued moving, shaking his head as he went.

"Smaller," he muttered, pulling down a large lever that stopped the shaking. "That's definitely new."

Martha let out one last giggle before she opened the doors, the Doctor brushing past me with a smile. Following the other two, I stepped out into the future, to a memorial for those who fought in the war that just a few seconds ago hadn't even happened yet. It took in as much as I could to really process the change in location.

The actual ceremony quickly drew my attention. Even from afar, Timothy spotted us almost instantly, a smile growing on his now older and wrinkled face. He had a family, and people who loved him. He lived a full happy life.

It was the end of his story.

"It's weird," Martha noted, as we walked back into the TARDIS. "Two seconds ago he was just a little boy. Now, he's old enough to be my grandfather."

The Doctor hummed, walking around the console as he told her a little of history about the war. I listened carefully, but unlike Martha, I didn't speak. I was almost afraid to break the scene in front of me, so familiar that I was afraid if I moved it would break the illusion.

Eventually though, like all things, the moment had to end. Martha mentioned that she was tired and heading to bed, lingering for a moment as if she wanted to say something to me. But then she simply walked past with a goodnight.

There was a lingering sadness in her eyes.

I walked slowly, tracing my finger over the smooth metal of the ships console as I did. The silence was thick, and I had a feeling the Doctor wasn't going to make the first move. So I walked closer, stopping only a foot away from where he remained hunched over, pretending he didn't notice me.

"So, I've had an interesting day," I began, swallowing hard. "Woke up in a shed. Got attacked by aliens, and scarecrows. Met a madman with a box."

My attempt at humor was ruined by the shakiness in my voice, like a lump was stuck in my throat. I wasn't sure if I was going to start crying or laughing hysterically. The Doctor finally looked up, his gaze heavy.

His eyes flickered from my face down to his hands. "I'm sorry."

"What happened? How did I get here?"

"I don't know," He replied, voice tight.

"How do you know who I am?"

The Doctor finally looked up at me, and there was a sadness there that I wasn't expecting. It reminded me of late night house visits and rainy days sitting on wet grass, memories of everything I had lost.

I couldn't begin to understand why he was looking at me like that.

I wasn't sure I wanted to.

"Chloe, something happened to you," He began, "I'm not sure what, or how it works, but it didn't just move you into this world. It … changed you."

Being in a parallel world, where apparently the Doctor was more than just a fictional character, made sense considering everything I had experienced. But I didn't feel any different than before, and I wondered what exactly about me had changed.

Was I still human? Or did this alien universe somehow alter my DNA too?

"Does this change have anything to do with the magical teleportation thing I did before?" I wondered, remembering the warm feeling that had spread through my body. That definitely had never happened before. "Martha called it … jumping?"

Like someone had flipped a switch, he was moving again. He trailed around the console as he talked.

"Oh, yeah. It's not quite a teleportation as it is a molecular transfer of your atoms," The Doctor tugged on his ear awkwardly. "Of course, that particular term probably stemmed from the fact that you're connected to my particular timeline."

"What?"

"As you like to put it, you're constantly 'jumping' through my time stream," He simplified.

I tilted my head down, eyes darting around as I processed the information. "Wait, you're saying that this … thing I do, makes me teleport to you?"

"Through my timeline," He supplied, hands now in his pockets. "My past, or my future, never quite meeting in the right order."

"Like River," I realized, shaking my head at the absurdity of it all.

Of course nothing about this could be simple. If what The Doctor was saying was true, then even if he did manage to find a way to get me back to my own universe, whatever had changed me would just bring me right back.

The Doctor tilted his head in confusion. "Who's River?"

I frowned. "Oh, right. You haven't met her yet."

"What?"

"Spoilers," I offered, giving him a pinched smile. I ran my hand through my hair. "So, I guess I'm probably not going to get to sleep in my own bed tonight."

Or ever, I thought pitifully.

"You have a room, if you're tired," The Doctor pointed out.

Had I not been grieving the loss of my old life, I might have laughed at the thought. Me, having a room on the TARDIS. It was like a dream come true, except I haven't had dreams like these since I was a child, back when I believed in fairy tales.

Back when I believed people like the Doctor could exist.

And yet here he was, right in front of me as real as could be. If I stepped forward and placed my hand on his chest, I didn't doubt that I would feel a heartbeat (or two in his case). Apparently even the impossible was possible when you grew up.

The thought made my mind race.

I wondered if someone would have to cover for me at work, since I would never show up. Or maybe when this whole thing was over, and whatever had happened to me wore off, I would just wake up back in my bed as if it never happened.

But this felt too real to be a fever dream. Was it even possible to tell if something was a dream while you were living it? My brows furrowed tightly at the thought. What if my entire life before this was the actual dream, and this was reality?

"You look like you're thinking about something very hard," The Doctor said, still staring at me intently.

I wondered if he had been staring this entire time. My cheeks began to warm. "Uh, yeah. I'm just having a bit of an existential crisis, thinking about the meaning of life and all that stuff."

He smiled for the first time since I met him, a real genuine smile. "A friend of mine always told me you shouldn't think about the meaning of life unless you're drunk or its 3am."

"Well, I'm sure it's 3am somewhere," I pointed out. "And since you have a time machine, it can be 3am whenever you want it to be."

The Doctor rolled his eyes at that thought, pulling a lever on the machine. The shaking was minimal as we moved to floating through what I assumed was space, meaning I didn't have to hold on to the rails tightly this time. Instead, I admired the cool metal under my hand.

"It's really pretty," I said, mostly to myself, but still loud enough for him to hear. "For a spaceship, she's beautiful."

As if the TARDIS could hear me, the room let out a loud warping hum, and the colors brightened for a split second. I glanced up in surprise.

"Well then, it's no wonder she likes you so much," The Doctor laughed. "Flattery will get you everywhere."

I scoffed. "It wasn't flattery, I was just saying the truth." The ship didn't react again, but I almost felt as if she was content with my words. I couldn't help but feel like I had made a friend. "Still, with a ship as beautiful as this one, I bet my rooms bound to be amazing."

It was a subtle way for me to let the Doctor know I was ready for the day to end, and he sobered up quickly. With a little nod, he showed me that the hallway Martha had disappeared through earlier was lit up.

"The TARDIS will show you the way," He assured me, looking away.

I nodded slowly, patting the railing fondly. "Right. Well, I guess it's off to bed for me."

Like Martha, I paused at the hallway entrance, expecting something else. But the Doctor didn't look back, not even saying goodnight like he had with Martha. I shook my head, and walked away. Just like he said, the lights in the corridor guided me down unfamiliar halls to a nondescript door that I assumed was my bedroom. I opened the door slowly, unsure of what to expect.

I inhaled so quickly that it made my chest burn. I couldn't help but raise a hand to my mouth in shock, not having expected it.

Two steps forward, and I felt like I walked into the past. It looked like my childhood bedroom, just as I remembered it. The posters on the walls, the smell of cherry lip-gloss, the purple covers that I had once thought too childish.

Everything looked so familiar that I was convinced for just a split second that I had to be dreaming, all the fantastical dreams of escape that only a child could come up with. Just a little kid dreaming of her childhood hero to take her away from the big bad world.

But there were too many oddities that I slowly began to notice. The bed was bigger, and the wallpaper wasn't peeling. There was a shelf on a wall that once held a window, filled with small objects and souvenirs that I didn't recognize, possibly from my future.

I sank into the soft sheets, once again unable to help but cry at the sudden emotions that overcame me. Once I started, it was impossible to stop. Curling up on the sheets, I cried myself to sleep. I cried thinking about the home that I would never be able to go home to, and the unknown future I would have to deal with.

In the morning, I would be brave. When I woke up, I would accept my fate and make the most of it, living through the adventure of a lifetime. With time, I would be okay.

But for now, I would mourn.

-0-0-

Time was away and she was here

And life no longer what it was,

The bell was silent in the air

And all the room one glow because

Time was away and she was here

- Meeting Point by Louis MacNeice