A/N: Let's all say hello to 11 for the very first time! Matt Smith was my first Doctor and so he has a special place in my heart. I'm very, very sad to see him go and will certainly never forget him, even if I do absolutely adore Peter Capaldi.

Also, the majority of this chapter was written on the wattpad app. So I'm pretty sure some mistakes are present. I apologize in advance for such. I'm not entirely happy with a of it, but I want you guys to get it ASAP.

Eleven looked somewhat startled to see us, his eyes wide and dancing from me to his younger self. "I don't remember this," he said slowly. "No. I almost, sort of remember. I think."

"Doctor?" I asked in confusion, taking a half step forward.

"Yes?" the two incarnations answered.

"You... aren't-... I don't understand."

"Ah, yes. Sorry. My mistake." He looked around at his friends from another life and smiled sadly. "I should go."

I rushed forward with my arms spread. "Wait!"

"Diana," the older incarnation started softly, "don't worry. Everything's fine."

"It's the Pandorica, isn't it?"

Eleven gently reached out and cupped my cheek, smiling fondly at me as his thumb ran across my skin. "Your British accent's becoming more prominent."

"Doctor-"

"Merry Christmas, Diana."

He dropped his hand and pressed ashore series if buttons on his vortex manipulator. I jumped when he disappeared with a spurt of crackling, blue electricity. Three came up behind me and placed his hand in mine.

"Who the devil was that?" Alistair demanded.

"Are you alright?" the Doctor whispered.

I nodded. "I think so."

"Do you want to go home?"

"Yeah."

Alistair stood and repeated his question. The Doctor released my hand and turned to face the Brigadier with a semi-polite smile. I watched the two in silence, thinking over the Eleventh Doctor's appearance.

"A friend of mine, Brigadier, nothing more," the Doctor said causally. "A Time Lord."

"A Time Lord?" Alistair repeated.

A dull ache began in my arm, starting in the exact spot where I'd been shot by the Autons and quickly spreading to the rest of my body. With a twinge of sadness, I realized that I was leaving. I'd been allowed a month with the Doctor and it seemed that my time with him was over. All I could hope and pray for was that I would see my Doctor again.

"A Time Lord?" Alistair asked incredulously.

"Yes, a Time Lord. One of the good ones. Or so I like to think. Now if you'll excuse us-"

"Doctor?" I asked softly, tears gathering in my eyes.

He turned around with a partially raised eyebrow and a smile. "Yes, my dear?"

I slowly reached my hand towards his and laced our fingers together. Tears were clouding my sight as I looked from our joined hands to the Doctor's face. "I'm sorry," I said simply.

The Doctor's face fell instantly. His eyes seemed sad as they gazed into mine. A sigh escaped his lips as he very gently said, "Oh, my dear girl." He squeezed my hand in farewell. "My dear Diana."

I forced a smile onto my face. "I'll be back soon. I hope."

My eyes slid closed for the briefest of seconds and when they opened again, I was back in the TARDIS I had come to call home over the last month. Hope flared up in my heart as I looked around the console room. "Doctor?" I asked with a smile.

"Diana!"

The Doctor came running into the console room with a wide and elated smile on his face. I rushed forward and threw my arms around his neck as his came around my waist and held me close. He laughed into my hair and I rested my cheek on his shoulder.

I pulled back and looked up into his eyes. "How long have I been gone?"

"Nearly a day now. It's Christmas afternoon."

My arm started to ache again and I winced as the pain twisted through my shoulder. The Doctor noticed and knew as well as I did that I was still going to leave. He pulled his arms back and reached a hand into the breast pocket of his red velvet coat. When he pulled his hand back out and held it in front of me, I saw that he was holding a delicate silver necklace with a round silver pendant on it.

I hooked my finger around the chain and held it in the air so I could look at the pendant. "Is this... Gallifreyan writing? Doctor?"

The chain was long enough to slip over my head without unclasping it, so the Doctor quickly did so. The pendant hung just above my breasts and rested flat against my chest. "This necklace is a promise, Diana, a promise to you." He took my hands in his and gently pressed my knuckles to his lips. "That I'll never leave you."

I was pleasantly surprised by his gesture, but had no time to think about it. The pain in my arm snaked around to the rest of my body and I knew that my time with my Doctor was really over. I stared up at him.

"I know I have to go. I can feel it. But..."

He lowered our hands and gazed sadly at me. "But?"

"I don't want to. I want to stay with you."

"I know, my dear." He took a breath and again raised my hands to his mouth for a farewell kiss. "I shall miss you."

I rested my head on his chest and sighed. I could feel him and the rest of 1970 fade away around me as my eyes closed. Goodbye, Doctor. Until we meet again.

"My lady queen, she was found unconscious on the border of the camp."

My eyes flickered open and I saw a man in Roman soldier attire standing above me. Standing across from him was a woman with black hair, wearing a semi-revealing white robe and elaborate golden jewelry; it was River Song.

"What should we do with her, my lady queen?" the soldier asked. "Is she dangerous?"

River arched an eyebrow and chuckled. "Well, seeing as she is Princess Diana of the Amazon tribe, I should suggest that you get her off the floor."

The soldier turned and hurriedly helped me to my feet, muttering apologies and prayers begging for forgiveness. I nodded slowly at him, glancing at River for reassurance. "Thank you, soldier. The gods are pleased with you for finding and aiding me," I told him with as much of a royal persona as I could muster.

"Thank you, princess. You are most gracious."

I lanced at River again and repeated the words she mouthed to me: "I know."

Once the soldier was dismissed, River rushed forward and hugged me tightly. Then she pulled back and looked me over. "Where are you? Can't have done much yet. You're still young. And you're accent and dress... You are early, aren't you, love?"

"You could say that," I answered slowly.

"Yes, very early... Which one were you with?"

"Three."

River smirked. "Oh, I like him. All silver-y and dashing."

I smiled and nodded. "I like him, too," I said in eager agreement. "And he's so handsome."

"You're smitten," River responded with a grin. "And don't argue. I know you are. But that doesn't matter right now. The Doctor should be here soon and we need to get you some proper clothes."

"How soon?"

"A day at the most. A few hours at the least. I tried calling him, but he never answers his phone. Now you'll have to wear a dress while the servants and soldiers are around, but you can borrow my spare jeans and shirt."

I put a hand over my Gallifreyan necklace and nodded somewhat absently. The Doctor's words echoed in my mind as I rubbed the writing with my thumb. "This necklace is a promise, Diana, a promise to you. That I'll never leave you." I smiled and felt a little happier.

I was wearing the light blue gown and handsome gold jewlery River had let me borrow, eagerly awaiting the appearnce of the Doctor and Amy. However I had refused to wear any necklace other than the one the Doctor had given me, keeping my other jewelry in a small leather pouch tied at my waist with a sash. She then had me wear leather sandals with straps that reached the middle of my calf. River had then pulled the front strands of my hair back and pinned them to the back of my head, then attempted to curl my remaining hair. The end result had me looking very Romanesque and feeling a little strange.

One of the Romans had rushed into our shared tent breathing hard, explaining that Caesar and "the girl with the fiery hair" had appeared less than a mile out of camp. I was anxiously fiddling with the Gallifreyan pendant around my neck as I sat down next to River on a mat. She had two servants on either side of us wave feather fans to keep us cool while we waited for Amy and the Doctor.

"I think he's here," River commented softly, taking a sip of her wine. "Can you hear the camp? It's bustling with activity."

I nodded. "Yeah. I hear it."

She smiled and gently patted my knee. I took a deep breath and wrapped my fingers around the pendant, turning my hand into a fist. My eyes were glued to the tent flaps in front of us.

"River? Is it weird that I'm excited to see him?"

River laughed and shook her head. "No. I don't think so."

She raised her golden cup to her lips and took a long drink, her eyes trained on the opening to the tent. My breath stuck in my throat when the Doctor stepped through the opening, fiery haired Amelia Pond behind him. I released my grip on my necklace and smiled.

"Hello, sweetie," River said flirtatiously.

Amy was surprised to see us. She tilted her head slightly to the side and offered us a half smile. "River, Diana. Hi."

The Doctor looked fondly at me. "Diana. I've been looking all over for you. But never mind that. You," he said to River, ponting an accusing finger at the woman. "You graffitied the oldest cliff face in the universe."

"You wouldn't answer your phone." River stood up and waved her hands dismissively at the servants. She placed her cup on the floor, opened a small chest where the painting was hidden, and walked over to the Doctor with it in her hands.

"What's this?" he asked as he took it.

"It's a painting."

"From Vincent," I elaborated before River could. The Doctor unrolled the painting and stared at it. "It was one of his last paintings."

River heaved a deep sigh. "He had visions, didn't he, Doctor? I thought you ought to know about this one."

I shyly reached forward and put my hand on the Doctor's elbow. He glanced back at me with an unreadable expression on his face. "I'm sorry. For what's going to happen."

He gently gripped my wrist and pulled me into a breif hug. "I know, Diana. I know."

"Doctor? Doctor, what is this?" Amy tucked her hair behind her ears as she inspected the painting closely. "Why is it exploding?"

"I assume it's some kind of warning."

"What, something's going to happen to the TARDIS?"

"It might not be that literal," River explained. "Anyway, this is where he wanted you. Date and map reference on the door sign, see?"

"Does it have a title?" the Time Lord asked.

" 'The Pandorica Opens'," River and I said simultaneously.

"The Pandorica? What's that?"

River sent me a worried glance. "It's a box, Amy. A cage, a prison. It was built to contain the two most feared beings in all the universe."

"Wait, what?" I interrupted. "Two? It's only supposed to hold one person."

"It's a fairy tale, a legend. It can't be real."

"But Doctor," I tried. "It's not a legend. It is real and it's only supposed to hold one person."

"If it is real, it's here and it's opening, and it's got something to do with your TARDIS exploding." River shook her head when the Doctor reached for a map of the surrounding land. "Hidden, obviously. Buried for centuries. You won't find it on a map."

"No, but if you buried the most dangerous beings in the universe, you'd want to remember where you put them."

I kept silent while River ordered for horses to be saddled. The Doctor had been acting strange around me, sparing me brief glances and tiny smiles that I could only see out of the corner of my eye.

"You look nice," the Doctor told me.

I looked up at him in surprise. "T-Thanks. I borrowed all this from River. Except for the necklace. Well, you already knew that. You gave it to me."

"I remember." He smiled at me and then looked down at his feet. His hands twisted seemingly nervously in front of his stomach. "How are you?"

"Fine... How are you?"

"Fine."

"That's good."

We were silent for another few minutes. Suddenly the Doctor cleared his throat. "I haven't seen you for a little while."

His comment worried me and I wondered for a moment if maybe I didn't get to see him for long periods of time. "How long?"

"Oh, just a few days. Almost a week... Amy's been keeping me company."

"Well, that's good."

"Diana, I-"

"You can come back and change now, Diana," River said as she stepped out from behind the dressing curtain. "Your clothes are folded on the floor."

I looked up at the Doctor and smiled before walking behind the curtain and changing out of the dress into the borrowed jeans and shirt. The horses were brought to the tent almost immediately after I finished changing. That was when I realized that we were one horse short.

"River, bit of a problem. There are four of us and three horses. Is somebody walking?"

She smirked and smoothly mounted her horse. "Well, you'll just have to ride with somebody, won't you?" Then she dug her heels into the horse's stomach and they took off at a canter.

"Oh, you would do something like this," I grumbled.

The Doctor, who had been petting his handsome white gelding, looked over his shoulder at me. "Where's your horse?"

"Apparently the Roman legion is out of horses."

He smiled. "Come on. You can ride with me."

I raised an eyebrow and hoped it was a distraction from the blush that was steadily growing on my cheeks. "Really?"

"Sure. I'll help you up."

I shyly approached the horse, running my hand against his muzzle and cooing softly to the animal. The horse snorted and butted his nose against my hand. I laughed and scratched his neck. "Aren't you a pretty boy? Hm? Yes, you are. You're a pretty, snow white horsey. Yes you are."

"Diana? I do hate to break up this lovely scene, but we are in a rush."

"Oh. Sorry." I kissed the horse's cheek and then moved to saddle, placing my hands on it for balance. "Shouldn't you get on first?"

"No, it's alright. I can sit behind you." The Doctor knelt next to me and laced his fingers together. He looked up at me and grinned. "I'll give you a boost."

After a few minutes of awkward hopping and scrambling for something to hold onto, I finally managed to get myself in the proper sitting position. The Doctor then put his foot and swung himself onto the horse behind me. His arms came around my waist to grab at the reins. I was about to protest that I get off and sit behind him instead when he dug his heels into the horse's stomach and we took off. Far ahead of us, we saw Amy and River galloping wildly in the direction of Stonehenge.

"Oh my God!" I cried as I held onto the horse's mane. "I've never gone this fast on a horse before!"

The Doctor flapped the reins in his hands and spurred the horse to go faster. "Isn't it fun?" he asked excitedly, his mouth close to my ear.

The horse jerked forward to catch up to Amy and River and I grabbed at the Doctor's arms to steady myself. "Doctor! Can't we go a little slower?"

"Not a chance! Come on, boy, ya!"

I leaned into the Doctor's chest and grimaced. "Woah!"

The Doctor leaped off the horse with a boyish grin. Amy and River were already waiting for us, watching us with smiles and their hands on their hips. I remained frozen on the horse, terrified from the insanely fast pace the Doctor had encouraged the horse to gallop at.

"Wasn't that exciting?" he asked.

"No. Now can somebody help me down before I fall down?"

With a laugh, the Doctor put his hands on my waist and slowly helped me down. As soon as my feet touched the ground, I sighed and leaned heavily against him. "You alright?" he asked.

"Y'know, I used to like riding horses. Now I don't think I'll be getting on one again for a very long time."

River took a scanner out of the pocket of her puffy white jacket and started scanning the surrounding rocks. The Doctor took out his sonic and pointed them at each rock, then glancing at the screwdriver for the readings. Amy and I had absolutely no idea what any of the scientific mumbo jumbo meant and stayed far away from the instruments the two were using.

"How come it's not new?" Amy asked.

River looked up from her scanner to answer. "Because it's already old. It's been here thousands of years. No one knows exactly how long."

"Okay, this Pandorica thing. Last time we saw you, you warned us about it, after we climbed out of the Byzantium."

River held a single finger to her lips. "Spoilers."

"No, but you told the Doctor you'd see him again when the Pandorica opens."

"Maybe I did, but I haven't yet. But I will have." River glanced back down at her readings with concern written across her face. "Doctor, I'm picking up fry particles everywhere. Energy weapons discharged on this site."

"If the Pandorica is here, it contains the two mightiest warriors in history. Now, half the galaxy would want a piece of that. Maybe even fight over it. We need to get down there."

"And how are you going to do that?" Amy asked. "The sun's already going down, so you won't have much time to do it."

River and the Doctor stood close to each other, comparing their readings, and started asking questions. I understood none of the large science words they were throwing at each other and wished that I was smart enough to comprehend the many things that the Doctor could. Maybe then I could be of some use to him instead getting myself hurt like I did with Three.

River placed a special device on each corner of what both she and the Doctor had called "Altar stones". Then she stepped back in line with three of us and nodded. I looked up at the beautiful night sky where countless millions of stars shone down on us and knew that another countless bunch of millions of alien spaceships were up there watching us.

"Right then. Ready."

The Altar stone started to shake, then slowly move aside. The Doctor pulled his sonic out of his coat pocket and held it out in front of him to light the underground staircase in front of us.

"The Underhenge," he muttered.

River encouraged me to follow him with a nod of her head. I stepped forward and started down the stairs after the Doctor. He paused halfway down the stairs and looked back at me.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, my eyes darting from his face to the shadows dancing behind him in the unknown.

"Take my hand."

I looked back at him and slowly put my hand in his waiting one. "Is something wrong?" I repeated nervously.

"No. But I know you don't like the dark."

The Doctor smiled and squeezed my hand comfortingly, leading me down the remaining steps. To our right was an old torch covered in cobwebs and resting in a metal holder against the wall. He pointed the sonic at it and it burst into flames. River, who had found another torch, walked towards us with her torch pointed in our direction. Once hers was lit, we all approached the large barred door that stood in front of us.

I released the Time Lord's hand and stepped back to stand next to Amy. The Doctor and River looked at each other and lifted the heavy wooden brace barring the door. Then they pushed to door open to reveal the Pandorica. As soon as my eyes fell upon it, I felt my heart sink. Not only would the Pandorica lead to pain and heartbreak for everyone present, but I had already stumbled across a problem that I hadn't expected to experience.

"It's the Pandorica," the Doctor said in awe.

River exhaled shortly through her nose. "A little more than just a fairy tale."

The Doctor's foot brushed a Cyberman's severed arm lying on the floor. It was then that I remembered the Cyberman and rushed forward to grab his arm. "Doctor, I'm so sorry. I forgot. I completely forgot. But there's a Cyberman, a live Cyberman here. He's looking for more organic material to upgrade himself."

He nodded. "Do you know where he is?"

"No," I answered with a shake of my head. "But this arm tries to attack you later, so you should deactivate it. Or whatever it is you're supposed to do. And the body comes after Amy later, so... We should look out for that."

"Hold the torch for me."

I took it from his hand and held it away from my face so I wouldn't accidentally catch my hair on fire. The Doctor pulled his sonic out and set to deactivating the cyber arm. River touched Amy's arm and waved for her to follow her to the Pandorica. I watched the redhead stare in wonder and curiosity at the Pandorica.

"What's in there?" she asked.

"There was a goblin," the Doctor explained from his seat on the ground, still at work on the arm, "or a trickster, or a warrior. A nameless, terrible thing, soaked in the blood of a billion galaxies. And he had a constant companion, a being from another universe that had killed countless millions in defense of its warrior. Some of the legends say that they were friends, others say that they were lovers. The most feared beings in all the cosmos. And nothing could stop the warrior, or hold it, or reason with it. One day it would just drop out of the sky and tear down your world. And his companion, upon failing to reason with it, would tear down your world right alongside it."

The changes in the story sent chills down my spine. I wondered what could possibly be the Doctor's companion in the Pandorica, which of his companions it could be that would help him tear apart a planet like he had said.

"How did it end up in there?"

"You know fairy tales" the Doctor answered as he stood up. "A good wizard tricked it."

He waltzed right past me with a cheeky grin, handing me the cyber arm. I squeaked in alarm and threw it away from me in a panic.

River looked up from her scanner and walked towards Amy with a shake of her head. "I hate good wizards in fairy tales. They always turn out to be him."

"So, it's kind of like Pandora's Box, then? Almost the same name."

The Doctor looked back from the Pandorica to Amy. "Sorry, what?"

"Doctor, I have a bad feeling about this," I said, rubbing my arms. "I'm sorry Amy, but... Things are wrong here. This is completely wrong. There shouldn't be room in the Pandorica for two people, there should only be room for one. And the story! It's all wrong. None of this is right and I... I don't understand why it's different." I looked up at him and searched his eyes with mine. "Do you understand what I mean?"

He nodded. "Don't worry. I understand." He dropped his hand and walked towards Amy. "What were you saying, Amy?"

"The story. Pandora's Box, with all the worst things in the world in it. Like this Pandorica holds the two worst beings in the world. Pandora's Box was my favorite book when I was a kid. What's wrong?"

The Doctor's face had grown serious and concerned while Amy was talking. "Your favorite school topic. Your favorite story. Never ignore a coincidence, unless you're busy. In which case, always ignore a coincidence."

"Or we could just not ignore the coincidence," I mumbled.

"So can you open it?" River asked anxiously.

"Easily. Anyone can break into a prison. But I'd rather know what I'm going to find first."

I felt guilty that I couldn't tell him what was waiting for him when the Pandorica opened, that his fate was in that box. But I was also curious to know who the addition of the second being and companion to the Doctor would be.

River looked down at her scanner , which was pressed against the Pandorica. "You won't have long to wait. It's already opening. There are layers and layers of security protocols in there, and they're being disabled one by one. Like it's being unlocked from the inside."

"How long do we have?"

"Hours at the most."

"What kind of security?"

"Everything. Deadlocks, time stops, matter lines."

The Doctor looked up at the box in wonder. "What could need all that?"

"What could get past all that?"

"Think of the fear that went into making this box," the Doctor said as he dragged his fingertips across the Pandorica's surface. "What could inspire that level of fear? Hello, you. Have we met?"

I let out a strangled sob and turned away from him, my hand clamped over my mouth. He could be so innocent in this incarnation, so ridiculously silly. It physically pained me that the blood soaked monster the Pandorica was built for was him, the Doctor. River's words from "A Good Man Goes to War" came to mind even as the Doctor came to my side and hugged me, asking what was wrong.

"You make them so afraid. When you began, all those years ago, sailing off to see the universe, did you ever think you'd become this? The man who can turn an army around at the mention of his name. Doctor. The word for healer and wise man throughout the universe. We get that word from you, you know. But if you carry on the way you are, what might that word come to mean? To the people of the Gamma Forests, the word Doctor means mighty warrior. How far you've come... And all this, my love, in fear of you."

"Diana, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Doctor, this is going to break your hearts. When you find out what the Pandorica is for. It broke my heart when I found out." I shook my head, wishing with all my heart and soul that the Pandorica wasn't for him, wishing that I could fix it. "I wish I could fix it."

Amy cleared her throat. "Ahem. I'm sorry, Diana. Really. But I have a question." I nodded and let her continue. "How could Vincent have known about it, about the Pandorica opening? He won't even be born for centuries."

The Doctor kissed my cheek. "It's going to be alright. I promise," he whispered before looking back at Amy. "The stones. These stones are great big transmitters, broadcasting a warning to everyone, everywhere, to every time zone. The Pandorica is opening."

River looked alarmed. She glanced at me, seeming to realize that I knew what was happening. "Doctor, everyone everywhere?"

"Even poor Vincent heard it, in his dreams. But what's in there? What could justify all this?"

"Doctor, everyone?"

He sighed, ignoring River, and shook his head. "Anything that powerful, I'd know about it. Why don't I know?"

"You do know," I breathed. "The answer's right in front of you. It's staring you in the face."

"But what is it, Diana? I don't understand what it is."

River stepped forward, drawing the Time Lord's attention. "Doctor, you said everyone could hear it. So who else is coming?"

"Oh."

"Yeah," I said in despairing agreement. " 'Oh' is right."

Amy looked at all three of us in confusion. "Oh? Oh, what?"

"Okay," River began as she tried to find a way of stopping the transmitter signal. But I knew it was pointless. "If it is basically a transmitter, we should be able to fold back the signal."

"It's no use," I said as the Doctor stepped away from me. "Stonehenge has been transmitting the signal for a really long time now and everybody's already here. They're up there, waiting in the sky. Thousands, maybe even millions, of ships. Daleks, Zygons, Silurians, Sontarans. Anything and everything that has ever hated you is up there, Doctor. Waiting for the Pandorica to open."

River nodded grimly as she checked her scanner. "Around this planet there are at least ten thousand starships."

"At least?" Amy asked in shock.

"Ten thousand, a hundred thousand, a million, I don't know. There's too many readings."

"Doctor," River said slowly as she stared at her scanner, "Cyberships."

The Doctor swallowed and scratched the back of his head. "Well, we need to start a fight, turn them on each other. I mean, that's easy. It's the Daleks. They're so cross."

River continued checking her scanner as more results popped up. "Sontaran. Four battlefleets. Terileptil. Slitheen, Chelonian, Nestene, Drahvin. Sycorax, Haemogoth, Atraxi, Draconian. They're all here for the Pandorica."

The Doctor looked back at the Pandorica. "What are you? What could you possibly be?" He heave a deep sigh and started chewing on his lower lip. He grabbed my hand and started walking in the direction of the doors. "Let's go."

"Doctor, wait!" Amy exclaimed, running after us. "What are we gonna do?"

"Come along, Pond, River."

He pulled me up the stairs and out onto the grass outside. Countless numbers of spaceships were buzzing around in the sky, zooming past Stonehenge at wild speeds. I tightened my grip on the Doctor's hand as I looked around at the spaceships in awe-inspired fear.

"Doctor," Amy tried again, "what do we do?"

River touched his arm and looked pleadingly at him. "Doctor, listen to me. Everything that ever hated you is coming here tonight. You can't win this. You can't even fight it. Doctor, this once, just this one time, please, you have to run."

"Run where?" he countered.

"Fight how?"

The Time Lord smiled. "The greatest military machine in the history of the universe."

"What is?" Amy asked in confusion. "The Daleks?"

"No. No, no, no, no, no. The Romans." He turned to River, my hand still firmly grasped in his. "River, I need you to go back to the camp and get as many soldiers as possible to come back. Do you understand?"

She nodded. "What are you going to do, Doctor?"

"I'm not sure. But I'll figure out something."

"Be careful, River," I added. "Take care of yourself."

She smiled kindly at me. "I'll be back before you know it. And you two," she said in reference to Amy and I, "take care of him."

I saluted River with my free hand. She gave us all one last look and ran off to where she'd tethered her horse. The Doctor didn't even wait for her to mount her horse before he left. He tugged on my hand and pulled me back down the stairs so he could continue his investigation of the Pandorica.

I found that even looking at the large box made me sad and I had to stay as far away from the Pandorica as possible while still managing to be in the same room as the Doctor. Even if he or Amy would call my name and try to involve me in a conversation, I would just mumble lowly and keep my back facing them and the Pandorica.

"Diana, what's wrong?" the Doctor asked me softly, approaching me from behind and placing his hand on my upper arm. "You're acting very strange."

"I don't like the story of the Pandorica and I don't like what's going to happen. And something's changed, the story's different this time and I don't know-... I'm scared."

"Why? You know I'll protect you. I won't let anything happen to you."

Surprised and a little confused, I turned and looked up into the Time Lord's eyes. I found it difficult to understand the way he seemed to care about me. "Doctor, I used to know everything about you. And there's still a lot about you that I do know, but the Pandorica is only supposed to hold one person. You and River both said that there is another person who is a constant companion of the creature the Pandorica was built for. Where I come from, the way I know this story, that's not right. And it scares me because I know that if there's something different, I can't guess the future as easily. I won't be able to tell what's going to happen and instead of trying to help you, I could end up doing something really wrong. Do you know how scary that is?"

"Diana-"

"Do you?" I shook my head and looked away as tears of frustration and fear started to form in my eyes. "Back when I was with you, your third incarnation, I had nightmares. I didn't tell you because I thought you'd laugh at me. But I had horrible, horrible dreams. Sometimes I dreamt the Autons had killed me instead of only hurting me. Sometimes I dreamt that they killed you. But I also had dreams about your other selves and the villains they faced. I dreamt that I had forgotten some part of the story and because I forgot and failed to help you like you needed, you died. Or were hurt. Or we both died. And those dreams scared me to death." I looked back at him and swallowed hard. "I don't want those dreams to come true."

"They never will. Diana, in the many, many long years that I've known you, you've never done anything that put me in danger. Not like your dreams portrayed. I promise."

I blinked rapidly to make my tears lessen a little. "I told you that you were all I had left. I meant it. Now that I'm here in this universe without my mother and grandmother, you're the only family I have. I don't want to lose that."

The Doctor was silent for a while, his slow and steady breathing the only response to my questions. After a few minutes, he exhaled softly and cleared his throat. "I know that you are still... early in our timeline and that there is a lot you don't know about... us yet. But I really do understand that you're afraid and... that you're worried. I have been afraid and worried for you many times over the years. So, I understand. I really do." He paused and shook his head in frustration. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I was going to say something and I lost it... I'm rubbish at comforting you sometimes."

For the first time that day, I truly laughed. "You're doing fine," I reassured him. "Thank you."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Amy trying to look casual as she stared at us. Her left eyebrow was cocked and the hint of a smirk was on her face. I looked up at the Doctor and smiled. He smiled back and I could tell he was pleased that I wasn't upset anymore.

"You should go look at the Pandorica, do some scans or whatever scientific stuff it is you do."

He leaned forward and kissed the crown of my head. "My brilliant Diana," he said happily before jumping away to inspect the Pandorica.

Amy stretched her arms and followed the Doctor. "So what's this got to do with the TARDIS" she asked.

"Nothing, as far as I know."

She looked at me expectantly. I raised my hands and shook my head. "Spoilers, Amelia Pond. Sorry."

She pursed her lips and nodded once. "But Vincent's painting. The TARDIS was exploding. Is that going to happen?"

"One problem at a time, Amy. There's force field technology inside this box. If I can enhance the signal, I could extend it all over Stonehenge. Could buy us half an hour."

"What good is half an hour?"

The Doctor pressed his ear against the surface of the Pandorica. Then he pulled back and scanned it again with his sonic. "There are fruit flies live on Hoppledom Six that live for twenty minutes and they don't even mate for life." He paused and furrowed his eyebrows. "There was going to be a point to that. I'll get back to you."

I gathered my courage and slowly walked towards the Pandorica. While the Doctor was busy scanning it, I reached out my hand brushed my fingertips against the cold stone. The feeling sent a series of chills down my spine.

"Who are you?" I whispered. "Who are you? Who could you possibly be? Who would help him tear down planet after planet and not try to stop him?"

Amy called the Doctor's name. "Could you come here?" she asked.

"Amy, I'm busy."

"It's important." The Doctor sighed and walked over to her. She held up a red ring box with a smile. "Are you proposing to someone?"

"I'm sorry?"

She waved the box playfully and smiled. "I found this in your pocket. Are you and Diana...?"

I felt my heart flutter in my chest and wondered if Amy's suspicions were correct. Was the Doctor actually going to-

"No. No, no, that's... a memory. A friend of mine. Someone I lost. Do you mind?"

"It's weird. I feel, I don't know, something."

The Doctor had a hopeful look on his face and I wondered if maybe he was proposing to her instead. "People fall out of the world sometimes, but they always leave traces. Little things we can't quite account for. Faces in photographs, luggage, half eaten meals, rings. Nothing is ever forgotten, not completely. And if something can be remembered, it can come back."

It seemed as if he was trying to jog Amy's memory, trying to make her remember something. His words stirred something in my chest and in my mind and for an instant, I thought I had forgotten somebody. The name "Rory" fell past my lips and immediately after, I shook my head in confusion. Rory? Who's Rory?

"So, was she nice, your friend?"

I turned away from their conversation and looked back at the Pandorica. It was tall and wide and imposing. I couldn't understand why the story had changed, why the Pandorica was built for two people, or how it might change the course of events. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to find out why things had changed.

The strange sensation of something wrapping around my ankle startled me and I looked down to see a Cyberman's head by my feet, metal coils wrapping around my legs. I had just called the Doctor's name in a panic when it somehow pulled me to the floor and tried to drag me away.

"Doctor!" I screamed.

"Diana! Stay perfectly still! Don't move!"

I huffed and squeezed my eyes shut. "Yeah. Sure. I'll just sit here and wait for the bloody Cyberhead to assimilate me. No need to panic."

He was behind the Cyberhead and talking excitedly to himself. "If I can deactivate it, then-"

"Doctor, behind you!" Amy suddenly called.

I looked up and over my shoulder to see the body of the Cyberman standing behind the Doctor. It brought its arm down on the Doctor's back and he fell instantly. I gasped and struggled to make the Cyberhead release my legs.

"Oi! Metal man!" Amy yelled. I looked at her and saw that she was holding a torch and waving it in front of her. "Come and get you me!"

I struggled against the Cyberhead, but its grip on my legs only tightened painfully. "Amy, no! Get out of here! Go get help! Hurry!"

The Cyberman's body started jerkily approaching Amy. She waved the torch again and backed up a little. I reached down and tried to untangle the metal wires around my legs. The Cyberhead suddenly opened up to reveal a skull which immediately fell out onto the floor. I screamed in terror and tried to kick at the head. The doors started opening and closing on my feet, trying to reach my head so it could assimilate me. With a grunt, I thrashed to the side and threw my legs against the Pandorica multiple times until the Cyberhead released me.

"You will be assimilated," it told me.

I scrambled to my feet and tried to run away so it wouldn't shoot a dart into me. But as I tried to run for cover behind the Pandorica, I saw that Amy was having a difficult time with the Cyberman. She was swaying back and forth and still swinging the torch in front of her.

"Amy! Amy, be careful!"

"You will be assimilated," the Cyberhead repeated in a halting, mechanical voice.

I rushed forward to try and help her just as a dart went whizzing past my face. I squeaked in shock and raced forward, putting my arm around Amy's back to support her. She leaned heavily against me and moaned in pain.

"Amy, give me the torch. Give me the- Thank you. Now, can you stand? On your own?"

She mumbled absently, her eyes half closed and her body limp against mine. I saw the Doctor unconscious by the base of the Pandorica and then noticed the Cyberhead making its way towards us.

"Oh, God," I breathed. "Doctor, please wake up. Please. I don't know what to do."

Amy's breathing relaxed into a slow pattern against my neck and I knew she was asleep. Quickly yet gently, I put her on the ground and turned to face the Cyberman. It had grabbed its head off the floor and reattached it to its body.

"You will be assimilated."

"Sword," I mumbled. "A sword would be really useful right now."

"You will be assimilated."

I looked back at Amy and then over at the Doctor. "Somebody wake up, please."

"You will be assimilated."

"Oh, shut up!" I snapped. "Do you have any idea how annoying that is? I'm trying to think!"

A little dart shot out of the Cyberman's arm and hit me in the neck. I pulled it out of my skin and threw it to the floor, disgusted and in shock. My vision started to swim in front of me as the Cyberman approached.

I swung the torch angrily at its head. It repeated its warning of assimilation and I hit it again, this time with more force. Then I stumbled over my own feet and fell, the torch flying out of my hands and hitting the floor with a thud that echoed in my ears.

"You will be assimilated."

I kicked lazily at the Cyberman's legs. "Don't think so," I mumbled as I passed into unconsciousness.

"Oi, wake up you," said a feminine Scottish voice. I groaned and tried to open my eyes a little. "Diana. Wake up."

I groaned again and sat up. Hovering above me was Amy Pond, her red hair hanging down in my face. "Amy?" I asked groggily.

"Hello. You've been out for a while. Longer than me."

"Yeah, we'll you fell asleep on me while I was trying to fend off that Cyberman."

Amy smiled and laughed. "Yeah, you're back to your normal self. Now come on. Sit up and say hello to the Doctor. He's been worrying over you."

She helped me to my feet, an arm around my shoulders to steady me. I looked around and noticed I had been moved to a solitary corner of the Pandorica chamber. "Where is he?" I asked Amy.

"Right over there talking to that soldier."

"Thanks."

Amy nodded and walked away, towards the doors. I watched her leave and then started in the direction Amy had pointed.

"Doctor?" I asked loudly, holding a hand to my head.

The Time Lord looked around the soldier and smiled. He walked towards me and pulled me into a warm hug. I exhaled softly and rested my head on his chest, smiling.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as he put his hands on my shoulders and pulled back.

"My head hurts. But I'm fine otherwise."

"Rory said he saw you fighting that Cyberman when he came in."

"Rory?" I repeated. "Who's that?"

The Doctor's face fell. "Oh, Diana. Not you too."

"What?"

"You don't remember Rory?"

"Who's Rory?" I asked in confusion.

"Rory Williams!" the Doctor said, concern and confusion written across his face. "Don't you remember Rory? Amy's boyfriend from Leadworth. He's your friend."

I shook my head. "I've never heard of anyone called Rory Williams."

"Diana, there are cracks in time. There's going to be a huge explosion in the future, on one particular day. And every other moment in history is cracking around it. The cracks are everywhere now. Get too close to them and you can fall right out of the universe. Rory fell through one of those cracks and his existence was wiped from time. He was never born. But you remembered him. Amy didn't, but you and I did. You can't forget him now."

"Doctor," said a gentle voice from behind the Doctor, "how did I end up here?"

"Who's that?" I asked.

"That's Rory," the Time Lord said with a sigh. He looked away from me and looked at Rory. "I don't know, you shouldn't have. What happened? From your point of view, what physically happened?"

Rory glanced at me with a sad expression. He took a deep breath and looked back to the Doctor. "I was in the cave, with all of you. I was dying, and then I was just here, a Roman soldier. A proper Roman. Head full of Roman stuff. A whole other life, just here like I'd woken up from a dream. I started to think it was a dream, you and Amy and Leadworth. And then today, in the camp, the men were talking about the visitors. The girl with the red hair. I thought you'd come back for me. But she can't even remember me."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut up."

Rory and I looked curiously at the Doctor. "What?"

The Doctor threw the ring box to Rory and laughed. "Go get her," he encouraged the man.

"But I don't understand. Why am I here?"

The Doctor turned back to me. He had the smallest of smiles on his faces. There was something in his eyes that told me that what he was about to say was not only meant for Rory, but or me as well. "Because you are. The universe is big. It's vast and complicated and ridiculous, and sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen and we call them miracles, and that's the theory. Over nine hundred years, and I've only ever seen one or two, but this... This is brilliant." He looked back at Rory and smiled widely. "Now get upstairs. She's Amy and she's surrounded by Romans. I'm not sure history can take it."

The Doctor had contacted River somehow as he was studying the Pandorica. I sat next to him, silently observing the Roman soldiers that had gathered underground.

"The TARDIS, where is it? Hurry up."

"Don't raise your voice," River suddenly whispered to the Doctor. "Don't look alarmed, just listen. They're not real. They can't be. They're all right here in the story book. Those actual Romans. The ones I sent you, the ones you're with right now. They're all in a book in Amy's house. A children's picture book."

The Doctor looked up at me from his position on his back. "What are you even doing there?"

"It doesn't matter. The TARDIS went wrong." River's voice faltered for a moment. "Doctor, how is this possible?"

"Something's using her memories. Amy's memories."

"But how?"

A flash of pain shot through my head. I groaned and put my hands over my forehead in a feeble attempt to make the pain go away. The Doctor looked at me in worry.

"What is it, Diana? What's wrong?"

"I-I... I remember," I breathed. My vision blurred and then went back into focus. "Rory. I remember Rory. A-And... Oh God, I remember what's going to happen."

The Doctor, now even more concerned for me and his other companions, frantically spoke to River through the communicator. "You said something had been there."

"Yes. There's burn marks on the grass outside. Landing patterns."

"If they've been to her house, they could have used her psychic residue. Structures can hold memories, that's why houses have ghosts. They could've taken a snapshot of Amy's memories. But why?"

"Doctor, who are those Romans?" River asked worriedly.

The Doctor looked at the soldiers. "Projections, or duplicates."

"But they were helping us. My lipstick even worked."

"They might think they're real. The perfect disguise. They actually believe their own cover story, right until they're activated."

"Doctor, that Centurion."

River's words triggered a response from me. I took the communicator out of the Doctor's hand and held it to my mouth. "River, get out of there," I whispered frantically. "It's a trap. Get in the TARDIS right now. You'll be safer if you stay in the TARDIS. Are you in there already?"

"No. I'm on my way."

I could hear the TARDIS doors slam behind River and her quick footsteps. Something seemed to explode in the background

"River?" the Doctor and I asked simultaneously. "River? River, what's happening?"

"I don't know. It's the engines. Doctor, there's something wrong with the TARDIS, like something else is controlling it."

"You're flying it wrong."

"I'm flying it perfectly," River snapped. "The TARDIS taught me."

"Where are you? What's the date reading?"

I knew River's response and felt scared that I couldn't help her. "River, do anything. Get out of there. Any other day, any other time. Please. Anything!"

"It's the 26th of June, 2010. What does that mean?"

The Doctor took the communicator away from me and spoke to River is hushed tones. "You need to get out of there now. Any other time zone. Just go."

"I can't break free," she cried.

The Doctor ran a hand through his hair and stood up, pacing back and forth. "Well, then shut down the TARDIS. Shut down everything!"

"I can't!"

A horrible, grating voice echoed in the background. "Silence will fall. Silence will fall."

"Someone else is flying it. An external force. I've lost control."

"River," I called. "River, just hold on. I know how this ends and we'll rescue you. I promise."

The Doctor looked at me, fear obvious in his eyes. "How could someone get control of the TARDIS? Why?"

A high pitched noise suddenly filled the chamber. All the Romans slumped over for a moment, then jerkily straightened like the store dummies Rose would have experienced when he met the Doctor.

The Doctor was painfully oblivious to anything going on around him. "Listen to me, just land her anywhere. Emergency landing, now. There are cracks in time. I've seen them everywhere, and they're getting wider. The TARDIS exploding is what causes them, but we can stop the cracks ever happening if you just land her."

"It's not safe," River responded.

Just then, the Pandorica started to open. A brilliant white light flooded out of the box and engulfed us.

The Doctor lowered the communicator. "Well, now. Ready to come out, are we?"

River's side of the line crackled with static. "Doctor? I'm down. I've landed."

"Okay, just walk out of the doors. If there's no one inside, the TARDIS engines shut down automatically. Just get out of there."

I could hear River running down the stairs in the console room. "I'm going."

"Run!"

"Doctor! Doctor, I can't open the doors!"

I grabbed the Doctor's jacket sleeve and pulled hard. "Doctor! Look!"

"Amy!" he cried in a panic. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Because it has to happen! I can't change it! I want to, but I can't!"

"But Amy-"

"Will be fine because you save her. Please, you have to trust me!"

River was panicking in the TARDIS. "Doctor, I can't open the doors! Doctor, please, I've got seconds!"

The Doctor lowered the communicator and stare at the Romans, then the Pandorica. "Plastic Romans. Duplicates, driven by the Nestene Consciousness, eh? Deep cover, but what for? What are you doing? What's in there, eh? What's coming out?"

"The Pandorica is ready," one of the Romans said haltingly.

The Doctor didn't understand. He tilted his head to the side in confusion. "What, do you mean it's opening?"

A large white Dalek suddenly beamed into the chamber between us and the Pandorica. "You have been scanned, assessed, understood, Doctor. You have been scanned, assessed, understood, Wolf of Time." Immediately after the Dalek finished speaking, the red and yellow Daleks beamed in right behind their leader.

"Scanned? Scanned by what, a box?"

I grabbed the Doctor's free hand and squeezed it tightly. "Doctor," I breathed, terrified.

The white Dalek responded, "Your limits and capacities have been extrapolated."

Cybermen, Judoon and Sontarans beamed into the chamber after the Daleks. One of the Sontarans held his gun in one hand as he took his helmet off. "The Pandorica is ready," he sad gruffly.

"Ready for what?" the Doctor asked.

"Ready for you and our companion," the Dalek responded.

Two Romans came up behind me and tore me away from the Doctor. I screamed and fought against their iron grips on my arms. "Doctor!" I screamed. "Doctor, help me! I haven't done anything! Please!"

The other creatures watched me in silence as I was dragged away from the Doctor. I tried to kick at the Romans but tripped over their legs instead and fell forwards. I managed to yank one arm out of their grasp and turn around so I could see the Doctor across the chamber. He too was struggling against his Roman-Auton captors.

"Doctor!" I screamed through my tears of terror. "Please! I've only just met you! I haven't done anything!"

The Roman I had pulled my arm from raised his hand and hit me across the mouth. I could see the Doctor suddenly throw one of his guards to the floor, then do the same to the other. He tried to run towards me, fire and anger shining in his usually playful and happy eyes. A Cyberman stepped forward and twisted the Time Lord's arms behind his back.

"Let her go!" he shouted hatefully. "She's innocent! She's done nothing wrong! Release her!"

The white Dalek rolled forward. "She has been identified as Diana Scott, lifelong companion of the Doctor's, the Rage of the Vortex, the Wolf of Time. She has been sentenced."

I was suddenly thrown backwards into the Pandorica. My back hit the stone seat and cracked painfully. My arms were gripped and harshly pinned to the chair as I was clamped into the Pandorica by my head, waist, wrists, and ankles. The Doctor was dragged in after me, then fastened into the seat next to me.

The Doctor struggled against the metal clamps, but to no avail. "You lot," he began breathlessly, "working together. An alliance. How is that possible?"

"The cracks in the skin of the universe," the white Dalek screeched

"All reality is threatened," the Sontaran leader continued.

The Cyberman that had pulled the Doctor along behind me stepped back and watched us. "All universes will be deleted."

"What? And you've come to me for help?"

"No," the Sontaran leader snapped. "We will save the universe from you!"

"From me?"

The Cyberman took another step back. "All projections correlate. All evidence concurs. The Doctor and his eternal companion will destroy the universe."

"No, no, no. You've got it wrong! I'm trying to save the universe! We both are!"

"The Pandorica was constructed to ensure the safety of the Alliance."

"A scenario was devised from the memories of your other companion," the white Dalek added.

The Sontaran nodded. "A trap the Doctor could not resist."

"The cracks in time are the work of the Doctor. It is confirmed."

"No. No, no, not me, the TARDIS!" The Doctor smiled and tried to laugh off the accusation. "And I'm not in the TARDIS, am I?"

"Only the Doctor and his companion can pilot the TARDIS," the Dalek said.

The Doctor cried out and fought against his metal bounds. "Please, listen to me!"

"You will be prevented."

"Total event collapse! That's what will happen if you lock us in here! Every sun will supernova at every moment in history. The whole universe will never have existed. Please, listen to me!"

"Seal the Pandorica," the Cyberman ordered.

"No! Please, listen to me! The TARDIS is exploding right now and I'm the only one who can stop it!" The Pandorica doors slowly closed in front of us. "Listen to me! Please!"

The doors slid shut with a loud bang and a hiss of air. I let out a strangled sob and hung my head. The only lights inside the Pandorica were tiny, light blue dots along our head clamps and they weren't nearly enough to stay my fear of the dark.

"God, please," I breathed. "No. No. Doctor! Please!"

He sighed. "I'm sorry, Diana. I am so, so incredibly sorry."

"Rory!" I cried as tears poured down my face. "Rory, please!"