Once Upon Another Time: Book 1 (Archived)

by Artemis Sherwood

Diana mysteriously falls into the universe of the Doctor and he quickly becomes a part of her life. But something's not quite right. Why isn't he married to River or in love with Rose? How did she come to the Doctor's universe? What are these powers of hers that the Master is so obsessed with? (1-12/OC) Inspired by "Jumping Through Time" by AnaDona; chapters 1-3 edited.

27. The Silver Nemesis: Part 1-2

A/N: I'm a little nervous about this chapter. There were things that I wanted to address in the Doctor's different personalities and that whole disagreement they've been having... So I just really, really hope that this isn't too crummy...

I also have this stupid thing where I wrote down ship names for Di and the different Doctors, plus the Master and other male characters in the DW series. So go ahead and check that out if you'd like. I'll be publishing it within the hour. :)

The Doctor smiled a little sadly at me. I looked down at my hands and saw that the rest of my body had become transparent. I saw the rest of the TARDIS fade away into the familiar sight of the multi-colored vortex.

l turned as my body was propelled forward and I looked around for the comforting sight of the TARDIS. The old girl was nowhere to be seen. I was alone in the vortex once more. I called out to the ship from my heart, singing the song she had sung to me when I had first been lost in the vortex, and she answered within an instant.

My dearest Diana, she called to me. Oh, my darling Wolf. I am coming for you. Our thief is coming for you.

True to her word, the TARDIS appeared beside me in the vortex. She spun wildly next to me and opened her doors to me. I could see past the doors a short man wearing a knitted vest covered in large question marks, a white coat, and tan colored tweed pants. Next to him stood a beautiful young woman in a puffy leather jacket, the top half of her hair pulled back in a small ponytail.

"Professor!" Ace exclaimed, pointing at me through the doorway. "Look!"

The Doctor turned and saw me, his eyes growing wide when I slowly waved my hand at him. He ran to the doors and held an arm out to me. "Diana, grab my hand," he instructed. "I'll pull you in."

I kicked my legs in the wind of the vortex and moved a few inches closer to his outstretched arm. Our fingers brushed against one another's for a moment and then I managed to grab the Doctor's hand. He grimaced and pulled me in as quickly as he could. As he was tugging me inside the TARDIS, his foot slipped and he fell backwards, pulling me with him.

I landed on top of him with a yelp as soon as he hit the ground. The Doctor let out a grunt, his hands flying to my waist and pinning me against him. My hands flew to his shoulders and the rest of my body was stretched along his. I felt the back of my dress hitch up around my thighs and instantly squeaked in embarassment. Ace awkwardly cleared her throat as l tried to pry the Time Lord's hands from my waist.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly, rolling his 'r's in the pleasant way that I loved as the TARDIS doors closed of their own accord.

"Yes," l answered with a nod. "And I'm surprisingly glad to see you."

"Surprisingly?"

I pressed my lips together in frustration, stubbornly hiding my delight to see the Doctor and be rescued from the vortex behind my anger and annoyance. I didn't want to forgive him for our fight, and yet I also wanted to forget about it and continue our close and friendly relationship. "Surely you remember the Aztecs, Doctor," I said a little coldly as I slipped off of his torso and onto the floor. Then I gestured to my dress with a roll of my eyes.

The Doctor seemed slightly confused at first, but he quickly realized what I was talking about. "Diana, I thought we had a fine time then," he said a little slowly.

"Oh, did you?" I felt my my stubborness instantly turn into frustration. How could he have so casually dismissed my feelings? "So you just casually forgot about when I told you that your third self is an arrogant arse and tried to control me? And that I was nearly sacrificed and that we all almost died? Is that something you just tend to forget?"

His face fell and he let out a soft sigh. "Of course not, I just-"

"Because that genuinely hurts my feelings, Doctor."

"Just let me explain!" He got to his feet and brushed his backside off, then looked a little shyly at me. "I didn't forget. I swear, Diana. I really didn't. And I didn't intend to hurt your feelings. Truly."

I stood up and let out a sigh, staring quietly into the Doctor's eyes. I could see truth in his eyes and felt my anger dissipate slightly. He said my name again, using that one word to beg for forgiveness.

"I'm still mad at you," I said shortly. "But I'm not as mad as I was before."

"Professor, what are you two talking about?" Ace questioned in annoyance. "And why is she wearing that?"

"It's nothing, Ace," the Doctor responded, lowering his eyes and staring awkwardly at the floor. He walked over to the console and pulled on the materialization lever. "Now, then. Are you two rrready for a superb performance by the finest jazz quartet on Earth?"

Ace smiled and jumped in excitement. "Come on, Professor! Let's go!"

The Time Lord opened the doors and Ace ran out immediately, her hair flying behind her. I looked back at the Doctor and quirked my lips slightly upwards. He smiled and walked around the console to stand in front of me.

"Would you like a change of clothes, perhaps?"

I glanced down at my Aztec clothes and felt my face turn bright red. "Oh. Gosh, yes. Please. I forgot I was wearing these."

He laughed and his eyes sparkled brilliantly. "I'll wait outside with Ace, make sure she doesn't wander off. And remember, it's November. Bit chilly outside."

"I'm sure it's nothing compared to Woman Wept," I answered.

---

The TARDIS had already prepared new clothes for me once I entered the wardrobe. She had laid out a lavendar colored shirt with three quarter sleeves and a v-neck, a pair of dark blue jeans, a long white sacrf with a red question mark on both ends, and a pair of black converse. I smiled and gently patted the wall in thanks.

"You know me too well, old girl," I said fondly.

I quickly got dressed and placed the First Doctor's coat on a chair in the wardrobe, knowing the TARDIS would be able to take care of it, then hurried to my bathroom to wash my face of any grime I might have obtained during my last adventure. Once I had cleaned up, I rushed back to the console room and saw that the Doctor was waiting just outside of the ship with the doors still open.

"Doctor?"

He turned immediately, his lips curling upwards into a wide grin upon seeing me. "Ah, at last." He held his hand out to me, his question mark umbrella hanging from his other arm, and waggled his fingers playfully. "I'm afraid Ace couldn't contain herself any longer and she ran off."

"Thanks for waiting," I said softly, feeling a little shy after my angry outburst.

I lowered my head to avoid the Doctor's gaze, but he quickly placed his hand under my chin and made me look back up at him. His brow was furrowed and I could see genuine worry and concern in his eyes. My stomach flipped when he gently ran his thumb across my jaw and let out a slow breath.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I-I'm... fine."

"Are you?"

I quickly searched his eyes as I tried to find an answer that wouldn't worry him. "I don't really know," I answered slowly. "I feel sort of... empty."

He leaned forward and pressed his lips against my forehead. "Maybe some music will make you feel better, hm?"

I shrugged. "I guess."

"Diana, I really am sorry about the Master and the way I reacted..."

"It's okay."

"No! No, it's not." The Doctor brought his other hand up to my cheek, his umbrella bumping against my arm. "Diana, it is not 'okay'. I know you're modest and shy and forgiving, but the way I treated you was absolutely not 'okay'. Do you understand?"

Before I could answer, Ace called out from a distance, "Professor! Come on! The gig's starting!"

"I don't suppose you've ever heard The Courtney Pine Jazz quartet before, have you?" the Doctor asked with a light smirk. I shook my head silently and smiled. "They're fantastic. You'll love them."

After a moment of staring at each other, the Doctor pulled his hands away from my face and stepped back. He smiled when I stepped past him and looked around at the scenery. The TARDIS had landed in a green field of grass next to a small river. Oh, I remember this, I realized. The Silver Nemesis. Oh, great. The psychopathic British lady.

"Something the matter?"

I looked back at the Doctor and shook my head. "No, just thinking. Place looks familiar." Well, it's not a lie. Really... "How deep d'you think that water is?"

"Oh, I'd say about ten or fifteen feet," the Doctor told me as he took my hand and twined our fingers together. "By the way, this place is called Black Jack's Mill. I don't think you've ever been here before."

"Oh, well," I said with a shrug. "Must've been mistaken." I pointed across the river where Ace was standing and laughed. "I think she's ready to go and sit down, Doctor."

---

The Doctor, who seemed to sense that I was still upset about our first fight, refused to let me sit any farther than a foot away from him during the entire performance. Ace was perfectly content to sit across the table from me and ignore me, which made me think that maybe I'd met a companion of the Doctor's who didn't like me at all.

"You're not too warm, are you?" the Doctor whispered in my ear. "Or too cold? I can lend you my coat."

"Uh, no. I'm fine."

"Oh. Right."

He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap, staring straight ahead at the musicians. Less than a minute later, he looked back at me and reached for my hand. I looked at him with a curious expression and he grinned.

"Do you like them?"

"Yes. They're very, very good."

"Oh, marvelous."

About five minutes later, the Doctor looked back at me. "You're very quiet," he noted.

"I tend to be so," I said softly, not wanting to interrupt the performance.

"You're still quite mad at me, aren't you?"

"Annoyed and just a bit offended, yeah."

"I'm sorry," he offered. "Really."

Annoyed, I looked over at him with narrowed eyes. "You brought me here to listen to good music, not to hear you apologize fifty million times over."

Just ten minutes later, after the Doctor had shut his mouth and stopped trying to grab my hand, Ace spoke up. "I could listen to them all afternoon," she said with a smile.

The Doctor nodded. "And so we shall."

Ace then picked up a newspaper from the table with a headline that read "Meteor Approaches England".

"Have you seen this?" Ace asked, pointing to the back page of the paper. "Charlton picked up three points."

The Doctor completely ignored his younger companion and said, "This is my favourite kind of jazz, straight blowing." Then his pocket watch beeped.

Ace narrowed her eyes at the Doctor. "I hate people whose alarms go off during gigs."

He ignored the girl's comment and pulled his pocket watch out of his pocket. "What's this?" He opened the watch and nodded once. "Ah, it's a reminder."

"Well, go on, then."

The Doctor gestured to the watch with a wave of his hand. "Well, obviously, at this precise moment it's a reminder to change course for another destination."

"Where's that?"

He sighed and looked up at the sky. "I've forgotten. Oh, we'll have to go back and find out."

"Oh, Professor."

The Doctor stood, pulled my chair out for me, and offered me a hand as I stood. I was thrown off by his gesture and found that my earlier frustration had dissipated slightly.

"Excuse me, would you mind signing my tape?" I heard Ace ask the main player in the quartet as the Doctor and I started for the TARDIS.

We both stopped and waited until Ace had retrieved her tape to continue walking. "Don't you find it embarrassing asking for autographs?" the Doctor asked.

Ace smirked and tucked her tape into her jacket pocket. "Not as embarrassing as forgetting what you set your alarm for."

"Well, I probably arranged it centuries ago." I started to pull on the Doctor's coat, wanting to get him out of the line of fire of the gunshots I knew would come at any second, but he misunderstood me. He gave me a strange look and tilted his head to the side. "What, here? In public?"

"I'm not trying to kiss you, you idiot!"

The sound of bullets whizzing past my ear made me scream. The Doctor grabbed me by the arm and pulled me down so I was crouching next to him.

"Get down!" he ordered Ace.

He looked over his shoulder at Ace and gestured for her to follow him. He released my arm and ran forward, out of the large bush we had hidden behind. I ran as fast as I could after him with Ace right next to me. When I reached the trees, I skidded to a stop and threw my arms around a tree trunk to keep myself from falling. The Doctor grabbed my by the arm again and pulled me out of sight.

"Who are they?" Ace asked.

"Couldn't see," the Doctor responded. "Quick, the TARDIS."

We ran out from behind the trees and started across the bridge that led to safe passage to the TARDIS. More gunshots followed us and hit the ground next to our feet, causing us to jump to the side to avoid being hit. The Doctor waved his arms wildly in the air before reaching for my hand as we fell into the water next to each other.

I opened my eyes underwater to see which way was the right way up, but the water was too murky to see in. Panic started to set in when I couldn't find the Doctor under the surface, even when I was waving my arms and legs in every direction. I knew I had to stay under the water so the shooters wouldn't see me and try to kill me, but I hated being underwater when I didn't know how far away the bottom was from my feet.

Oh, God, please don't let me drown, I thought desperately. Don't let me drown!

A hand clamped down on my shoulder, then pulled me backwards. I gasped when my head broke the water's surface and started flailing my arms for something to grab onto. The Doctor had pulled me out and his hand was still on my shoulder. Ace had already climbed out of the river and was holding onto the Doctor's umbrella, which he was holding onto with his other hand.

"You're not going to drown!" the Doctor shouted over the roaring of the water. "I've got you!"

I grabbed his upper arm and pulled myself out of the water, kicking my legs to propel myself forward. Once I was able to put my feet on solid ground, the Doctor pushed on my back from behind to help me up and over the edge of the river. Ace held a hand out to me and helped me the rest of the way up, then let the Doctor climb up after me.

"Diana, are you alright?" the Doctor asked, kneeling next to me after I collapsed on the grassy river bank.

I nodded wordlessly, then shot up into a sitting position. "My glasses!" I exclaimed as tears pooled in my eyes. "My glasses! They're gone!"

"So?" Ace asked. "You can get new ones."

I shook my head and buried my face in my hands. "No. My mom gave me those glasses. My mom-..."

The Doctor pulled me into a hug, the sleeves of his coat squisking as his arms tightened around my shoulders. He rested his chin on top of my head and gently patted my back as I started to cry.

"What's the big deal?" Ace asked in confusion and a hint of annoyance.

"She's lost her family, Ace," the Doctor told her. "She can never see them again and that was all she had left of her mother."

Ace was silent for a few moments before she let out a soft, "Oh. 'm sorry."

The Doctor turned his head so that his mouth brushed against my temple. He murmured something in another laguage and sighed. "It's okay, Diana. It's alright."

I put my arms around his back and hugged him tighter than before, forgetting completely about any disagreements I might've had with him and simply letting him comfort me as I began to miss my mother more than I ever had before.

---

"There. Don't you feel better after a shower?" I looked up at the Doctor, my eyes red and tired from crying. A part of my heart felt empty as I started at him and I wanted desperately to fill that hole again. "What would you like to wear? Something new? Or the same thing? The TARDIS can clean your clothes in a matter of seconds."

I fiddled with the sleeve of my bathrobe. "Why are you standing outside of my bathroom door?" I finally asked.

"I was worried about you."

"Why?" I snapped. "I'm not suicidal."

"Diana, I know that. I just didn't want you to feel alone-"

"Well, I am. I'm completely alone. I haven't got my mom or my grandma, not that it matters that I can't ever get back to the people who raised me. I don't have my friends or my pets or anything from my home. I'm alone."

"But you're not. You have me."

I scoffed. "Oh, because you just make everything better. I was brought into your life, not the other way around. You have no idea what it's like to lose everything precious to you in the mere blink of an eye," I snapped bitterly. "So just go away."

"Diana, wait-"

"No! Why the hell should I listen to you? You were the one who decided to control my life, you self obsessed prick!" Once I started shouting, I found that I couldn't stop. All my anger, sorrow, and pain poured into my words and I took it all out on the Doctor. "I'm not letting you lord yourself over me." The anger, hurt, and frustration I had been bottling up inside me started to resurface. I set my jaw and stared the Time Lord straight in his eyes. "Just 'cause I'm a weak and pathetic little mortal human doesn't mean that I can't defend myself!"

The Doctor stared at me in confusion. "What are you talking about? Where would you get such a ridiculous idea?"

"Earth, about 1971," I explained angrily. "I asked Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart to get me a job so I could support myself if I ever got separated from you and you tried to manhandle me."

"What? Manhandle you?"

I rolled my eyes. "You grabbed me by the arms and shook me! Who the hell does that? Would I ever do that to you? No, I wouldn't have to because you're a man and you're the bloody doctor, so you can do whatever the hell you want! That's just fantastic for you, isn't it?"

"No, that wasn't what I meant-"

"Well, I'll just leave poor, stupid, defenseless, useless, unwanted Diana at home while I go and save the world!" I shouted as tears pooled in my eyes. "Did you ever stop and think about how that made me feel?"

"I never wanted to hurt you," he insisted firmly.

"You tried to control me!"

"To protect you!"

I shook my head in frustration. "Don't you trust me at all?"

"Diana, of course I do!"

"Then why can't you trust me to take care of myself?"

"I can." The Doctor moved his arms as he spoke, trying to accentuate his words. His brows came together in frustration and worry. "You've proven yourself a hundred times over that you can take care of yourself, but that hasn't happened to him yet. All he knows is that the Master wants to kill him and kidnap you. He- I want you safe, Diana. That's all I've ever wanted. Don't you understand that?"

I turned away and crossed my arms over my stomach. "I dont understand you. You treat me like any other companion, then all of a sudden I turn eighteen and you're snogging me senseless and just making me fall totally head over heels for you, and then you go and treat like a stupid china doll! You make me feel stupid and embarassed and completely useless! It genuinely hurts me that you think I can't take care of myself. Maybe I can't and maybe I do get absolutely terrified sometimes, but I can learn how to fight," I snapped. "I'm smart enough to figure out how to defend myself."

The Doctor reached his arms out to rest his hands on my shoulder, but I immediately pulled back. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I truly am." I turned my head away and glared at the floor. "Diana, I've only ever wanted to keep you safe."

"Why?" I mumbled.

He paused for a moment that lasted an eternity. "Because I care about you... I love you," he said finally, "and I want to keep you from harm. I want to protect you. If I could put you in the TARDIS and keep you there, I would but only because I don't want to lose you to somebody like the Master. I can't lose you."

I ran a hand through my hair, then wiped away the tears that had already fallen down my cheeks. "Well how the hell am I supposed to respond to that?" I mumbled angrily. "Here I am pouring my heart out to you and you drop something like that on me."

The Doctor sighed. "Diana, what I did was wrong. You and I both know that. But I truly mean it from the bottom of both my hearts when I say that I am sorry!"

"If you're so worried about me, then teach me how to throw a punch! Or give me a gun or a knife. Give me some way to take care of myself so that you don't feel the need to treat me like a damsel in distress."

I started to move past him, but the Doctor lightly gripped my arm by the elbow and held me back. "Doctor," I began in a warning tone, "let go of me."

"Diana, I just want you to listen to me. Please."

"What else could you possibly have to say?"

"I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say, how else to say it. All I want, all I've ever wanted, is to keep you safe. You mean more to me than I can say, Diana. That's why I worry constantly about you and protect you. Can't you understand that?"

The Doctor's words hit me in my core. His words reminded me of something my mother had once said to me after a particularly horrible fight and I could feel my lower lip start to tremble. Knowing that I was about to cry, I turned so that the Doctor couldn't see my face. My shoulders started shaking and my chin dropped down to my chest. Silent tears gathered in my eyes and they flowed easily down my cheeks.

"Oh, no," the Doctor said softly. He put one arm around my shoulders and pulled me against his chest as my entire body began to shake from the effort of staying silent. "No, no. Diana, don't cry."

"I want my mom," I said in a strained, childlike voice.

"I know, my dear. And I would take you to her if I could."

Every emotion I had felt in the past three months of my life swelled to the surface and came out through my tears. "Why is this happening to me?" I asked through my tears. "What did I ever do to deserve this?"

"Nothing. None of this is your fault."

I placed my hands on the Doctor's forearm, which was resting against my collarbone, and let out an ill contained sob. "I just want my family. Why did I have to come here and find a family waiting for me? Why couldn't I have just died? I don't... I don't want to remember that I had a life before all of this. I don't want to remember that I was going to have a normal life and go to college and just be a normal person because I can never have that again!"

"Diana..." The Doctor moved his hands to my shoulders and turned me around to face him.

"I just want to be normal again," I whispered as more tears fell down my cheeks. "I don't want to keep leaving you and going to God knows where. I never know where I'm going. I hate it!"

"I know. So do I."

I fisted my hands in his vest and stared at one of the question marks to distract myself. "I just want to stay in one place like normal people are supposed to do."

"But you're not normal. And that's not a bad thing," he added quickly. "I wouldn't ever change anything about you."

I tightened my grip on his vest, then let out another sob as my tears started to lessen. "But I want to be normal. I... I want my old life back."

The Doctor ducked his head so that it was closer to mine. He gently put a hand against my cheek and asked, "Without me?"

I looked up into his eyes and shook my head slightly. "I don't know. I... I just want my mom."

He stayed silent for a few moments before speaking again. "Get dressed and then come outside with me. Some fresh air will be good for you." I nodded and started to walk past him when he called, "Oh, er... Where did you put your phone?"

"I don't know," I answered slowly. "I think it was in my pocket when I was with the Aztecs..."

"Don't worry about it." He smiled and waved his hand dismissively. "I'm sure the TARDIS took care of it for you. I'll look for it while you're dressing."

"Okay."

---

The Doctor wasn't the only one who realized that I needed some time alone. The TARDIS hummed faintly as I walked through the halls. I ran my hand along the wall and kept my eyes trained on the ground.

"Sometimes I wish you were real," I told the ship. "A human that I could talk with. I don't think Ace likes me at all, so she's out of the question, and the Doctor... Well, I don't know how I feel about him."

The TARDIS hummed, her tone turning curious. She flashed the lights overhead once, as if asking me why I said what I did. I smiled and patted the wall gently.

"My feelings are just sort of jumbled up right now, Sexy. I shouldn't feel the way that I do about him. I should be crying more often, mourning the loss of my family like a normal person, but I don't. I think about him and I shouldn't." She hummed and flashed her lights again. "I just feel so confused. I shouldn't like him the way that I do. I get butterflies in my stomach when I see him or even think about him and I always want to be around him, even if I'm frustrated with him. And when he kisses me... It's the most amazing feeling in the world.

"But I can't! I can't let myself like him. He's supposed to fall in love with River and Rose. And Martha, she's supposed to fall in love with him. How can she do that when I'm fawning over him like an idiot? Or Sarah, even. She and Four were so in love. And Clara? Sexy, I've ruined everything just by exisiting, let alone by having the biggest more-than-a-crush on him. What am I supposed to do?"

The ship didn't answer me, and I didn't expect her to, but I wished that she could. I wanted to run to her, to run to my mother, and know that it was alright to feel as I did. I desperately wanted to forget about the fight Three and I'd had, forget my fight with Seven, and let things be the way they were before. But I couldn't let go, wouldn't, let go of his mistake and ignore my stubborn pride. I wanted my life to be the way it was before I woke up on the Space Station speaking to the Face of Boe.

I eventually made my way to the wardrobe, where the TARDIS had already arranged new clothes for me to wear. Hanging on a small metal clothes stand was a lavendar colored shirt with three quarter sleeves and a v-neck, a pair of dark blue jeans, a long white scarf with a red question mark on both ends, and a pair of black converse at the foot of the stand.

I grabbed the scarf and ran my hands over the question marks. For some reason, I thought back to my experience with the Master and the five Doctors. I remembered my other selves huddled around me. "The Doctor loves you," one of them had told me. "Don't give up on him, even when he makes mistakes." "But don't hate him for that. He's just trying to take care of you."

"Oh my God," I gasped, bringing one hand up to cover my mouth. "Doctor... I must have hurt him so badly."

The TARDIS hummed again, trying to comfort me and soothe my worries. I looked up at the ceiling and shook my head sadly. "Oh, Sexy, I've really hurt him, haven't I? I mean, I know he needed to hear how I felt, but..."

I quickly changed into my new clothes, then ran back out to where I had last seen the Doctor. He wasn't there, so I immediately ran in the direction of the console room. As I bounded through the doorway, I saw the Doctor stand up from behind the console. He had my cell phone in his left hand and his off-white coat had been abandoned to the floor.

"Diana, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"Theta, I'm so sorry."

"What?"

I looked down at my feet, my boldness dissolving and turning into painful shyness. I awkwardly rubbed the back of my neck and let out a tiny sigh. My heart was thudding wildly like a drum inside my chest.

"I'm sorry," I finally said in a low voice. "For shouting at you."

"Diana," he began slowly, "what... exactly brought this on?"

"I was rude and I didn't even consider your feelings-"

"You were mad," he said gently. "And now you're not..?"

I ignored his searching gaze and nervously untucked my hair from behind my ears. "I am... I'm not really sure what I'm feeling right now. If that makes sense. I just need some time to think."

He nodded. "Yes, I understand." He sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Diana... I really am sorry."

"Yeah."

He sighed again and looked down at his feet. "Perhaps you would like to help me carry Ace's new cassette player out?"

I nodded. "Sure."

"Alright. I'll grab my coat and you can fetch that duck over there."

I turned to where he was pointed and raised an eyebrow when I saw the duck in a corner of the console room, grooming itself. It lifted its head and stared at with me its beady little eyes and quacked in annoyance.

"Who are you quackin' at, mister?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

"Diana," the Doctor said in a sing-song voice, "it's a duck. It can't talk back."

"I know that! Clot."

"I'm not a clot."

"Yes, you are- Oi, don't bite me, you stupid bird!" I shook my leg to make the duck release its grip on my pants, but it stayed attached to me. "I'll turn you into dinner in a second, little guy. Let go!"

The Doctor, laughing softly under his breath, came to my side and knelt next to the duck. He put his hands on either side of the duck's stomach and squeezed gently. "Now, you let you go of her," he told the animal.

"Didn't you say that they can't talk back?" I asked in a patronizing tone.

"I never said that they couldn't understand."

"Sonic it! Sonic the duck!"

The Doctor looked up at me in confusion. "Sonic the duck?" he repeated incredulously.

"Yes! Sonic it! Do the... thingy," I said, waving my hands in a vague gesture that didn't really mean anything.

"I don't have a screwdriver anymore," he replied, his accent growing thicker as he grew more frustrated.

"Well then get one!"

"Don't you have yours?"

I shook my head. "I don't even have one, you stupid duck whisperer."

"Duck whisperer?" he repeated, rolling his 'r's and letting his Scottish accent turn thicker than I had ever heard it. "Diana, you are ridiculous!"

"Just get the damn thing off of me- Ah!" The duck had let go of my pants, but then decided to fly away and return with a loud squak as he landed on my head. I waved my hand in front of his face, but ended up getting two of my fingers bitten. "Doctor!"

"I've got it!"

He jumped to his feet and grabbed the duck, pulling it off of my head as it kicked its webbed feet out behind it. I scrunched my nose in disgust at the bird and shook my head. The Doctor then rushed over to the doors and set it on the ground.

"That thing is posessed," I told him.

"Ace!"

I looked around the edge of the TARDIS doors and saw Ace catapulting rocks into the river with her slingshot. "Yeah?" she asked absently.

"Duck!" the Doctor exclaimed with a grin.

Ace instinctively covered her head with her arms and ducked, but the Doctor laughed. He motioned for me to get the cassette player and then shooed the duck forward with his foot.

"No," he laughed as he stepped out, "duck."

"Oh." She spotted the cassette player balanced on my shoulders and smiled. "Great. Now I can play my tape."

"Afraid not."

Ace frowned. "Why not? It's my tape deck. You built it for me."

The Doctor took the player off of my shoulders and set it on the ground. He grabbed my uninjured hand and helped me sit without falling. Then he sat down next to me, the cassette player on my right side and just out of his reach unless he leaned across my legs.

"Yes, I know I built it for you to replace the one that was destroyed by the Daleks, but-"

"So? It's my tape deck and I want to play this."

The Doctor sighed. "This is more than just a tape deck. And besides, we've more to worry about than just listening to your tape."

"Yeah." Ace nodded and looked at the river for a moment before looking back at the Doctor. "So who were they, anyway? Who'd want to kill us?"

"I'm afraid there's an infinite number of possibilities. What concerns me more is my alarm. Got to find out what it was supposed to be."

I wondered if maybe it wouldn't be dangerous or disastrous to tell the Doctor what his alarm was about, despite what I had said to him in his first incarnation. I wanted to have the adventure with the Nemesis done and over with for good. Cybermen had always terrified me and I wasn't too keen on having to fight against them with the Doctor and his trusty umbrella as my only sources of protection.

"Can't you remember anything about it?" Ace asked.

The Doctor hummed in frustration as he stretched himself across my folded legs. His back was against my stomach and his chest was against my legs, leaving me feeling extremely flustered. He pressed a few buttons on the cassette player and then pulled back. "I'm afraid not. Obviously the arrangements were made in rather a hurry. They are important. I've given them a terminal rating."

"Sounds nice."

"It means that some planet somewhere faces imminent destruction."

"Earth," I mumbled, nursing my two bitten fingers.

"Sorry?"

I looked at the Doctor and sighed. "It's Earth. Might as well tell you. You were going to remember in about a minute, anyway."

"Professor? DId you forget that the Earth was going to be destroyed?"

The Doctor grimaced and shot me an awkward look. "Well..."

"You mean the world's going to end and you've forgotten about it?"

"I've been busy," he insisted.

"I remembered," I added, giving the Time Lord a pointed stare.

Ace shook her head. "Doctor, how long have you known?"

"Well, in strictly linear terms, as the chronometer flies, I've known since November the twenty third, 1638."

"Can't you do something?"

"Oh, Ace. Of course I can. I'm the Doctor."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, here we go again," I mumbled in annoyance.

"Diana, don't get mad with me. I am the Doctor and I can fix it."

Ace got to her feet and slipped her jacket on. "Please don't start fighting again, you two. I can't stand it. I get it that you're married an' all, but-"

"Ace," the Doctor snapped, "be quiet."

"Married?" I asked. "What do you mean, married?"

The Doctor placed his hand over mine and smiled unconvincingly. "Nothing. She was just joking." He looked back up at Ace and narrowed his eyes. "Weren't you, Ace?"

She huffed and shrugged. "Sure. If it makes you two shut up."

Ace walked back into the TARDIS, leaving behind her slingshot and the Doctor's umbrella that had been sitting next to her. I looked back at the Time Lord beside me and raised an eyebrow. "Doctor?"

"Yes?" he asked innocently.

"What did she mean?"

"Nothing, my dear. Absolutely nothing."

I shook my head. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach that told me there was something he wasn't telling me. "I know your past, your present, and your future and as far as I know, you don't get married for another few incarnations. So there's no way that Ace could have mistaken me for another companion that you would've married."

He stood and brushed himself off, then walked over to his umbrella and shook out the remaining water. He remained silent and continued to pick up everything and stuff the smaller things into his pockets. When he came back to my side to grab the cassette player, I put my hand over his and got to my knees.

"Doctor, don't do this to me again. Don't keep the truth from me."

"Diana, I can't. I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to."

"But I want to understand. Obviously we're not married, so who was Ace talking about?"

The Doctor finally looked into my eyes and I gasped when I saw the pain shining in his eyes. "Doctor-"

"I can't."

"Theta. What are you hiding? Just tell me. I won't judge you, if that's what you're worried about."

He quickly pulled on the casette player's handle and stumbled backwards. "I'm sorry. I can't. I just can't."

Ace was waiting for us when we entered the TARDIS. I followed silently behind the Doctor and refused to speak a word to him as he closed the doors and set the ship into flight. As much as I hated to admit it, I felt betrayed. I had let my feelings for the Doctor grow over the many weeks that I had lived with him and hadn't bothered to keep myself from falling for a man who shouldn't exist. Even knowing that he was married to River hadn't hurt me quite like the Doctor's avoidance of the truth had, although the pain of that knowledge had diminished when River herself told that they weren't married.

I have to ask her about that, I reminded myself.

I thought over all the times that the Doctor had shown his feelings for me. When I first met him on Space Station One, he had kissed me and claimed to have seen me for the first time in five years. He kissed me again as Eleven, reassuring me that he was there to protect me after our experience with the Pandorica. Then Nine again in the TARDIS, his hands against my neck and his declaration of love for me. I recalled my time with Five and the Master, how he had kissed me softly and briefly. Then I remembered Six and all the times we had fought and that, in the end, he had made me so happy and kissed me in the TARDIS as we danced. I finally remembered Three and how he had kissed me before I fell asleep the night before our fight. The memories made me smile, but I still felt confused by his actions, even though I loved our moments together.

Why? Why do our lives have to be so complicated? Why can't they just be simple and normal? I'm a normal girl. I want to actually live like one. Why can't I live in the same order as him? Why can't he just tell me the truth?

"Diana? Are you coming?"

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up from the console to see the Doctor standing across from me. I nodded wordlessly and rushed out of the open doors, feeling my cheeks flush red. Ace was standing just outside and was gazing at all the incredible things crammed into the room.

The Doctor followed me out and shut the doors behind him. He stepped towards a stuffed bear and started to pet its muzzle. His hand caught on the sharp teeth and he yelped in pain, making Ace and I laugh a little.

"Ow," he mumbled sadly.

"Professor, look at all this stuff."

"That's exactly what we've got to do, look at all this stuff." The Doctor pointed ahead of us and gestured to the aisle on the left. "You take that one. Diana and I'll take this one."

I gave him a confused expression. "Wha-?"

The Doctor grabbed my elbow and jerked me to the side. I grumbled angrily and batted at his hand until he let go. He gave me a sad expression that reminded me of a puppy, so I promptly turned my back on him and started looking at all the artifacts piled up against the wall.

"What's it all for?" Ace asked.

"Presents."

Ace scoffed. "Nobody gets this many presents."

The Doctor laughed and tugged on my sleeve, gesturing for me to follow him as he advanced down the aisle. "Well, if you were a lady who travelled-"

"I am."

"Yes, you're not always invited, but you are, you get presents, and then you need somewhere to store them."

Ace nodded and continued picking up various things and inspecting them for a moment or two. "Who does it all belong to? I mean, where are we?"

"Windsor," the Doctor answered.

"Windsor? We're in the castle?"

The Doctor reached past me and grabbed an enormous African mask, holding it up to his face and laughing. "This is new," he noted.

I rolled my eyes and shoved past him. "Moron," I muttered.

"Well, I thought it'd be a lot posher than this," Ace said as she gestured to the dingy walls.

"It probably is, upstairs, but we're in the vault. I'm looking for a silver bow we want to borrow."

I turned around so I could step past the Doctor, but stopped when I saw that he had grabbed a fez and placed it on his head. A smile worked its way onto my face, against my better judgement, and I squeaked.

"What?" he asked.

"Fez!"

Ace looked at me over the pile of artifacts in the middle of the room and raised an eyebrow. "Are you alright?" she asked slowly.

I nodded and put my hand over my mouth, stepping past the Doctor and forcing my smile to disappear. I could feel the two staring at me as I looked through the jumbled mess of things splayed across the floor. I heard Ace ask the Doctor about my mental health, but he just ignored her and walked slowly after me.

"Professor, you said borrow. But we can't go nicking stuff in here."

"It's only temporary."

"It's probably treason. I'm too young to go to the Tower."

The Doctor then sighed heavily. "Listen, Ace, do I have to remind you that the safety of the world is at stake?"

"It might make a difference if you'd let me know what was going on, Professor, but I suppose there's no time."

He smiled and nodded. "Precisely." Overhead, the lights started to flicker and I immediately panicked and prepared myself for an attack of Angels. The Doctor looked back at me and quickly gripped my hand. "There's even less time than I thought. Please, let's hurry."

I looked down at our joined hands and considered Ace's statement. If it is true, which it totally isn't, I told myself as the Doctor placed the fez on my head and dragged me forward through the piles of artifacts, then a few things would make more sense. That thing with Barbara and Susan and when Nine kissed me on the Space Station and all those remarks that the Master made about me and River's comment in the library. Oh, God, no! Susan! If she's the Doctor's daughter and I married the Doctor... No!

"What's wrong?" the Doctor asked worriedly.

"Hm?"

"You... You cried out."

I felt my face flush and I looked down a the ground. "N-Nothing," I mumbled, finding that I couldn't look him in the eyes. "It's nothing."

"Diana... Please."

I pulled my hand away from his and held my arms to my chest. My revelation had startled, confused, and scared me and I didn't want the Doctor to know, especially since he had most likely already married me. Susan... This doesn't make any sense. I'm barely eighteen, so when did I marry him? Did I in fact marry him or am I just overthinking everything? When did he marry me...? Time can be rewritten, especially when someone who never should have existed is alive...

"Don't... Don't touch me, please. Not right now." I knew that those words would pain the Doctor more than anything, especially after our fight and the fact that he was apparentally married to a future me, but I wasn't ready to let my feelings for him show until I could sort everything out. "I'm sorry, but... I really need to be on my own right now."

Suddenly, an explosion shook the building. Next to the Doctor, a large stone bust started to fall off its pedastal but he managed to catch it before it crashed. Then he put it back in its place and heaved a sigh. Ace looked from him to me and back to the Time Lord.

"Was that a bomb, Professor?"

The Doctor shook his head. "No, that was the return to Earth of a comet called Nemesis that has been in orbit for exactly three hundred and fifty years."

"You're amazing, Professor, being able to tell all that just from the noise."

"Wasn't difficult, really. It was me who launched it into space in the first place," he said casually as he looked around the room. "This may qualify as the worst miscalculation since life crawled out of the seas on this sad planet."

"Nobody's perfect." Ace stepped forward and grabbed a silver bow case that was resting on a trunk. "Hey, is this the bow?"

"The bow was in the case," the Doctor explained.

Ace read over the description that was written on the case. "Ah. This case contained the bow of Nemesis, property of the Crown, which disappeared mysteriously in 1788. Legend has it that unless a place is kept for the bow in the Castle, the entire silver statue will return to destroy the world."

"For once legend is absolutely correct. It has just returned." All the lights turned off and I gasped, grabbing at the Doctor's arm despite my request of no contact. He gently patted my arm and pulled me closer; I let him. "Oh, now this."

"It's just the electricity." Then the lights came back on and I jumped away from the Doctor, avoiding his questioning and worried gaze. "It does that sometimes, even in the 1980s," Ace said jokingly to the Doctor. "What I want to know is, how can a statue destroy the world?"

"I'll tell you three hundred and fifty years ago."

Once we were safe and sound inside the TARDIS, the Doctor set her in flight. I placed the fez on the console and sighed. He looked up from the panel of levers and switches in front of him and I could see hurt shining obviously in his eyes. I had to looked away to keep from crying out of guilt.

I wish Rose was here. Or even Sarah or Jo. They'd know what to say to make me feel better.

"You said you were gonna look for my phone," I said finally. "Did you find it?"

"Yes."

"Could I see it?"

The TARDIS landed and the Doctor stepped around the console, stopping in front of me and holding my phone out. I took it without looking at him and then turned around to stare at the console. Ace shook her head and opened the doors on her own, stepping out to leave us alone.

"I'm going to, uh, stay in here," I told the Doctor. "I need to call someone."

"Do you hate me?" he asked after a moment.

I whirled around immediately. "What?"

"Do you?"

"How could you even think that?" I snapped. "I may be mad at you, but I don't hate you."

He left without another word and closed the door loudly behind him. I slumped against the console and let out a shuddered sigh. Tears had started to cloud in my eyes again and I felt as if everything in my life was suddenly falling apart.

"I'm so angry," I muttered as I looked at the two phone numbers in my contact list. "God, I'm so angry! Why is it that when I get angry, it's always my fault? He was the one who treated me wrong! I just want to be angry for once and let my feelings out and then Ace said that we were married and I just need to be alone so I don't have a mental breakdown and now he thinks I bloody hate him! Why does this have to be so difficult?"

I couldn't bear to call the Doctor and even I did, I wouldn't know which one I would get. But maybe Jack would know what to do or even have Rose's number. So I called flirtatious captain I had always loved and hoped that he be able to give me some advice.

"Hey there, sexy."

I rolled my eyes. "Jack."

"How's my Diana?"

I sighed heavily and ran a hand over my eyes to wipe away the tears that were forming. "Not good, Jack. I'm really not good."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"It's... It's the Doctor. We had an argument and I got really, really angry and we were making up, but... Jack, he's married. His companion said that he's my husband. But I'm not married! I don't know what to do!"

"Easy, sweetie. What did you fight about?"

"I asked the Brigadier to help me get a job and the Doctor tried to force me not to... It was just frustrating and he physically shook me and I ran away-... He shouted at me and then the Brigadier tried to make me reconsider. It was just bad, Jack." I heard a muffled sound in the background and a man cry out in pain. "Jack? What just happened?" The voice of Nine came through the phone as he started shouting at Jack. "Jack, did you slap the Doctor?"

"I punched him," he said casually.

"Jack! Why did you do that?"

"Jack," I heard Nine shout, "what the hell was that for? And who are you talking to? Give me that phone!"

"Please don't," I begged. "I can't. Not right now."

"Sorry, Doc," Jack replied, "I'm afraid I can't."

I shook my head and sighed in frustration. "Jack, punching him is not going to make a difference. I just-... I called you because I don't know what to do."

"Hang on a sec. Let me get to my room so big ears doesn't eavesdrop." There was a pause for a few seconds and then the sound of a door shutting. "Okay. Now we can talk."

"What should I do?" I let out a shaky breath and felt my shoulders shudder. "The last few days have been so crazy."

"Diana, just start from the beginning. The very beginning."

I paused for a moment. "What do you know about me, Jack? About my past and where I came from and everything?"

"I know everything. Hell, I'm pretty sure I know a few things that you don't even know about yet. I know how you first met him and how he first met you. All of it."

"So you already knew about our fight?"

"No. You didn't mention that to me before."

"Oh." I explained the fight in greater detail, everything that happened with the Master afterwards, my adventure with the Aztecs, and the events that had already happened with Seven and Ace.

"Diana, sweetie, I am so sorry."

"It's not your fault, Jack. It's fine. But... What should I do? I don't know how to act around him. I mean, I never in my entire life imagined that anyone would ever want to marry me - I know, I have major self-confidence issues - and knowing that he's married to a future me... I don't know, it's really shocking and scary. Right now I don't know how I feel about him because I'm already pretty frustrated with him and trying not to stay mad since he's apologized, but I've also had the biggest crush on him for years before I even came to this universe and it just got worse when I ended up travelling and living with him. And then there's all my memories of my mom and home and they won't go away and whenever I feel happy, I feel so guilty for it."

"Diana, you can't feel guilty for being yourself. I think it's probably safe to say that right now, your mom is still alive, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"So don't feel guilty for being happy. You're a young woman, you need to get out there and have fun! That's what your mother would want for you and we both know that. I know it's hard. Believe me. I know how hard it is to lose your family."

"I know, Jack," I said, thinking back to the horrible way that he had lost his own mother. "I know."

"But you can't let that hold you back or else you'll never move on. You'll never be able to actually live if you can't move on. That doesn't mean that you forget them because you never will, but it does meant that you have to accept what's happened and learn to live with it."

I sighed as a tear rolled silently down my cheek. "I know... You're right. Now that I've actually heard someone say it, I know you're right and that I have to do it, but it's so hard and... I don't want to. I know it sounds really stupid, but those glasses were literally all I had left of my home. My mom got them for me and I-"

"Diana, you have to let it go. I know that sounds harsh, but it's the only way you can ever move on. You have to let go of that pain and move on."

"How?"

Jack sighed. "I'm still learning myself," he admitted. "But I'll let you know when I figure it out."

I laughed through my tears and nodded. "Okay... Okay."

"Better?"

"A little, I think," I answered with a shrug. "But I wish I could see him in the incarnation I fought with just so we could make up face-to-face, y'know?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Diana?" Seven called outside of the TARDIS doors.

"Is that him?" Jack asked. "His voice is different."

"Yeah. He's sort of Scottish now."

The Doctor called for me again and Jack laughed. "Perhaps you should get back to him," he suggested. "Call me back when you have a moment alone. Tell me how everything is, okay?"

"I will... Thank you, Jack. You're the best big brother I never had."

He cleared his throat. "Take care of yourself, sweetie."

"Bye."

"Bye."

I stuffed the phone into my back pocket and took a deep breath. I smoothed my hands over my hair and made sure that I looked presentable before stepping out of the TARDIS to face the Doctor again.

"Lady Peinforte's nothing if not original," the Doctor was telling Ace as I closed the door behind me. He was standing next to a desk where an old man was slumped over, his hands covering many stacks of yellowed papers. "I'm afraid this poor man was employed for his useful rather than his ornamental qualities. He's a scholar." The Doctor lookes over the man's papers and nodded. "He's done remarkably well. In a matter of months since I was last here, he's calculated the exact time and date when a comet called Nemesis will land on this planet. The twenty third of November."

I decided to stay out of the conversation since I already knew what was going to happen. I also needed a few more minutes to think over everything that had already happened.

"1988," Ace said softly.

The Doctor's smile turned into a disgusted grimace. "And Lady Peinforte's rewarded him with her usual generosity."

"So the bow belonged to her?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, no. Not to her. To a statue of her. She made the statue from the silver metal that fell out of the sky into that meadow out there." He walked around the desk and across the room to a smaller table with a chess board on it. "Hm, this game is going rather badly."

"Professor."

"Don't worry, Ace. There's no one here now, apart from our late friend. Lady Peinforte's around all right, in Windsor, but three hundred and fifty years in the future."

"But how can she get to 1988?"

The Doctor waved his hand. "She uses the silver arrow, of course, and she had some basic rudimentary knowledge about time travel. Black magic, mostly."

"Black magic?"

"Mmm. And what you might call a nose for secrets." He walked over to the cauldron boiling in the fireplace and sniffed it's contents. "Oh, dear."

"So it wasn't just silver, this stuff that fell from the sky?" Ace asked.

The Doctor shook his head. "Unfortunately, Lady Peinforte discovered it was something rather more unusual. A living metal. Validium."

"Living metal?"

"Yes, Ace. With just one purpose. Destruction."

"But if you launched it into space, how come it's capable of destruction?"

"Later, Ace," was the only answer he gave as he dragged me back into the TARDIS.

He set the ship into flight and stared across the console at me. I alternated between looking from the console to his eyes, unsure of what to do or say. I could see that he was hurt by what I had said to him earlier and I wanted to apologize, but I didn't feel ready to talk about what I was feeling. When we materialized, the Doctor stepped out of the ship without even acknowledging me. I looked down at my feet and told myself not to feel bad because I had probably hurt him more than he had hurt me.

We had materialized somewhere I had never been before, but the Doctor seemed to know that I was confused and told me that we were in Windsor Castle. He tugged on Ace's jacket sleeve and started to pull her out of the TARDIS.

"I've been here before," Ace said as she looked around.

"Déjà vu?" the Doctor asked.

"No, with the school."

"Oh, very droll. I haven't been here since they were building the place." I rolled my eyes and found myself becoming annoyed with the Doctor again. "You remember the way around?"

Ace shook her head. "Not really. Windsor Castle's a big place."

The Doctor smiled and nodded. "Quite right. What we need's a guide. Come on."

A small tour group was walking past us and the Doctor grabbed both mine and Ace's arm and pulled us along after him. We stayed at the back of the group as the tour guide made grand gestures to the surroundings.

"...Tower, and also further over there is the Mary Tudor Tower. Those gargoyles have been there for about five hundred years. They were built in 1509 originally, and the..."

"Come on," the Doctor whispered. "This way."

"But this is fascinating," I protested.

"I'll take you here during Elizabeth's time, alright? Now get a move on."

He gripped my wrist and pulled me after him along a path. A sign above us read : No Admittance, Royal Apartments. Ace and I looked at each other a little nervously. I could tell that she was as unsure about the Doctor's plan as I was, even though I already knew that we would be fine and she didn't.

"Professor, I really don't think we should be doing this."

He pointed to a large archway. "This way? What do you think?"

Ace rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I don't know. I might be able to tell if I actually knew where we were going. We didn't actually cover the Royal residential areas on the school trip." She stopped and looked around when she yeard the sound of soft talking and footsteps. I looked through the archway where I saw a woman with about seven Corgis walking around her. "There's someone coming."

I gaped at the sight and had to blink several times to make sure that I wasn't seeing things. "That's the-..."

"Act as if you own the place," the Doctor suddenly said.

Ace and I gave him incredulous looks. "Do what?" she asked.

"It always works. We own the place."

Ace called out when the Time Lord started walkng along, twirling his umbrella and keeping his other arm around my waist. I wasn't comfortable with the contact, but didn't say anything so as not to draw attention to ourselves.

"How annoying," he said casually. "I can't place that woman for the life of me."

"That's the bloody queen, you idiot," I whispered.

"Doctor!" Ace shout-whispered.

She grabbed the back of his coat and pulled him backwards, making the Doctor lose his grip on my waist as he stumbled back. I lost my footing and fell onto my side just as the queen started to turn her back on me. I made such a loud noise, however, that she turned and saw me.

"Oh, my!" she exclaimed in surprise.

I froze in my spot, unsure of what to do. Would she have me arrested for trespassing? What if she thought I was an American spy or something? I could only hope that I wouldn't get in too much trouble and end up in prison.

"Diana, my dear, is that you?" My jaw fell to the floor. I quickly jumped to my feet and smiled nervously at her. "Well, don't just stand there gaping at me. Come here!"

I ran forward and stopped a few feet away from her. "Yes, of course, your Majesty. Sorry, Your Majesty. Highness. Er, Queen." I smiled a little awkwardly and started rubbing my upper arm. "Sorry."

"Will you never remember my proper title?" she asked sternly.

"Uh... I'm American. No! I mean, yes, I'm American and the whole royalty thing is just sort of... uh, different for me. But, hey, I'm trying."

"Hm." She looked me up and down and raised an eyebrow. "Walk with me."

"What?"

"I said, walk with me. Come along." She turned and started walking back into the castle and I followed in silence. I could hardly believe what was happening to me. "You've changed since we last met."

"H-Have I?"

"Yes. Your face. It looks... younger."

"Well... I just, y'know... I wash it..."

Oh, my God. You have got to be kidding. You meet the one and only Queen of England and this is how you talk to her? Like an idiot?

"And where's that man you were with last time? The Doctor, was it? He was quite an interesting fellow."

"Is... he?" I asked slowly.

"Doctor who, I wonder? He never gave his name."

"Um, Theta. He prefers to go by Theta or Theta Sigma, but usually just Doctor."

"I see." She looked back at me and stared straight into my eyes. "Are you with him today?"

"Well... Yes, but I've... sort of lost him. I think." I glanced over my shoulder where the castle door wew had already passed through was starting to close. "We had a fight... row... I don't know. Whatever I'm supposed to call it. I keep mixing up my accent and the British accent and your words and our words... Anyways, uh... Yeah. I lost him."

"Then you should go and find him. I give you my trust and hope that you understand what that means."

I nodded seriously, my eyes wide and just a little afraid. "Yes, Your Majesty. I understand completely. Thank you."

"Goodbye, then."

"Oh, uh... Look, I'm really sorry, but could you give me directions to get outside? I always get lost in here," I added with a slightly unconvincing smile.

---

I managed to find my way outside to where the the Doctor, Ace, and I had first joined the tour group, then found the TARDIS parked against the wall of the castle. I sighed in relief and patted my hand agaisnt the ship's doors. She hummed in response to my touch, which made me smile.

"Hey, old girl. Glad to be back." I exhaled heavily and leaned agaisnt the doors as I looked around, hoping to see Ace and the Doctor running towards me. "So, apparently the Queen of England knows me? Wasn't expecting that, but at least I can cross one more thing off the bucket list."

The ship hummed again, this time the sound was more comforting and soothing. I smiled and rested my head against her. "I guess you heard that conversation with Jack, huh? And you probably know what happened with Three?" She hummed again and I assumed it was in agreement. "Any suggestions?"

My phone suddenly started beeping in my back pocket. I pulled it out and flipped it open to see that I'd recieved a text from the contact labelled "TARDIS". I looked back at the ship with a confused smile. "This you, sexy?"

I looked back at the phone and opened the message. It read: All I can tell you, my dearest Wolf, is that the Doctor cares for you more than you can understand right now. What he did was wrong, but it was out of love for you. Much like your feelings for him, they are complicated. You have to try and forgive him. That is all I can say for now.

I decided to write back to her and see if we would be able to communicate that way all the time. I responded: I want to forgive him. I just feel so confused and mixed up right now... I think it's because of the glasses and the fact that I haven't really cried over my mom ever since I came here. Delayed reaction, much, huh?

The ship responded almost immediately: You are only human, Diana. The Doctor knows that. Do not hate him for his mistakes for he is trying to right them. And do not hate him for things that will happen. No matter what Ace may have said, it should not change your feelings for him. Let him explain himself when he is ready.

I was about to reply when I heard the Doctor call my name. I looked over my shoulder to see the Doctor and Ace running towards me. The Doctor pulled his key out of his pocket and threw it to me as I stuffed my phone back into my pocket. The chain caught on my finger, which kept it from falling out of my hands.

"Unlock the doors!"

Behind the two were three guards running after them, shouting and waving their arms. I hurriedly unlocked the doors and pushed them open, then ran to the console so I could close them once the Doctor and Ace were inside.

"We... are never... doing that... again," Ace told the Doctor between gasps.

The doors closed just as the guards managed to get within a few feet of the TARDIS. The Doctor leaned against the console, his chest heaving, and looked up at me. I could see worry in his eyes and wondered if he had been concerned for me the entire time we were seperated.

"You okay?" I asked softly.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Ace? You okay?"

She glared at me in response, so I nodded and looked back at the Doctor. He exhaled and bowed his head.

"So," I started, feeling a little less nervous about being around the Doctor after my discussion with the TARDIS. "Where to next?"

---

"Now I want you both to he very careful," the Doctor instructed Ace and I as he opened the doors.

"Find it. Find it!" a man was shouting a short distance ahead of us.

"I only hope we're not to late," the Doctor muttered as we watched the soldiers. He grabbed my hand and looked worriedly down at me. "Just in case something should not go according to plan-"

"Professor, you never have a plan."

"I'm sorry."

"Professor."

Ace started running and the Doctor ran after her with a strangled yelp, his hand still wrapped around mine. His free hand was pressed against the top of his head to keep his hat from flying away and his question mark umbrella swung wildly from his elbow. I kept my free hand wrapped around my scarf and kept my eyes trained on the Nazi soldiers head of us.

"It's okay," I said after taking a deep breath.

The Doctor looked down at me in confusion. "You forgive me?"

I didn't know what else to say, so I repeated myself. "Just... It's okay."

The soldiers heard us coming and turned, their guns pointed directly at us. The Doctor put his other hand on Ace's shoulders when we came up behind her. I swallowed nervously when I saw the guns shining in the sunlight.

"Er, don't be afraid," the Doctor said with a nervous laugh. "We won't harm you."

"How did you get here?" one of the soldiers asked gruffly, his German accent very thick. "I searched that section, there was no one there."

The man whom I knew was the leader of the project spoke up. "Never mind, Karl. You will see many signs and wonders in the days to come." To the Doctor he said, "Give me the arrow of Nemesis."

I looked up at the Doctor and squeezed his hand. He smiled weakly and said, "Fortunately, I haven't seen it since 1638, when it disappeared along with the good Lady Peinforte."

"Rubbish." The leader pointed to Ace. "You. Where is the arrow?"

"I don't know anything about it," she answered firmly.

"She really doesn't. And neither does this one," the Doctor added, pointing to me with his free hand. "Allow me to explain, Ace." He turned so he and I were facing Ace with our backs facing the soldiers, then dropped my hand. "For the validium to become active, it must have a sufficient quantity of critical mass. The statue alone is no good without the bow."

"I have the bow," the leader stated as the Doctor and I turned around again.

The Doctor smiled coldly. "And the arrow. Now, if someone could put the bow and arrow into the statue's hands-"

"They have the power of life and death, not only over this Earth but any planet in existence. You seem remarkably well-informed for someone who claims to know nothing."

"I simply notice what is obvious. You, apparently, don't."

I grabbed the Doctor's arm and shook my head, stepping in front of him slightly. "Don't antagonize him."

"No, you must tell me. What do you mean?"

The Doctor pointed with his umbrella to the small group of policemen laying dead by the crashsite of the Nemesis. "You see those policemen there?" he asked. "They've been attacked by technology more advanced and more terrible than you could imagine."

"What technology?" one of the soildiers asked.

The Doctor continued, "And you might also have observed the electricity supply being drained over the last few days."

"Like at the castle?" Ace questioned.

"Yes, Ace."

"Tell me where the arrow is," the leader demanded. "I want you to tell me where to find the arrow!"

"I'm glad to say I can't."

The leader took a step forward and pointed to me. "Then we will shoot her. And if that fails to motivate you, then we shall shoot the other one."

I whirled back to face the Doctor. He quickly took a step forward to grab my arm, but the leader took out a handgun and pressed the barrel against the base of my neck. "Doctor," I breathed, forgetting everything except that fact that I was probably about to die.

"Let her go," the Doctor snarled.

"Tell me where the arrow is."

"I said. Let. Her. Go. I will not ask a second time."

Behind the Doctor, I saw a large silver spaceship flying through the atmosphere. I suddenly remembered what would happen next and looked back to the Time Lord in the hopes that he would know what to do.

"Don't move!" the Doctor shouted as the spaceship landed.

He gestured for me to step forward, so I ducked out of the line of fire of the leader's gun and rushed into the Docotr's waiting arms. The soldiers were all occupied by the appearance and landing of the spaceship, for which I was grateful. But when the occupants of the ship started to step out, I felt my heart plummet to the floor. I had been dreading the arrival of the Cybermen since the moment I knew which adventure would be taking place.

"Doctor," I whispered as tears started to blur my vision. "I'm scared."

He sighed and put an arm around my shoulders. "I know. I'm so sorry."

"Professor, what are they?"

"Cybermen," the Doctor and I said simultaneously.

The soildiers suddenly opened fire on the Cybermen, which made me jump. The Doctor pulled me closer to him and grabbed Ace's sleeve. "Take cover," he instructed us as he pulled us down to the ground so we were crouching.

I stared wide-eyed at the Cybermen and shook my head fearfully. "But-"

He moved his arm and jumped to his feet, then ran towards the Nemesis and leapt into the crater it had made on impact. Ace cried out for him and copied his actions, jumping into the crater after him. I looked over my shoulder at the soldiers as they fell one by one and then looked back at the Cybermen.

"Diana!' the Doctor shouted. "Run!"

"I can't!"

"You have to! Run! Please!"

Everything suddenly felt as if it was moving in slow motion. I scrambled to my feet and ran as fast as I could for the Doctor. Bullets and bursts of electricity were flying past me. I tripped just as I reached the crater and fell, my torso leaning over the edge of the crater and my lower body still on the upper ground.

The Doctor grabbed me by the arms and pulled me down the slope. I gasped and wrapped my arms around his neck as he gently lowered both of us to the ground. I rested my cheek against his shoulder and let my mouth brush his neck as I curled up and pressed myself against him. He tightened his arms around me and sighed heavily.

"Don't ever do that again," he told me harshly. "Ever."

"What were you doing?" Ace demanded. "You could've been killed!"

"As if you care," I snapped as a few tears started to roll down my cheeks.

"Look here, Miss Cry-About-Everything-Under-The-Sun-Because-I'm-Whiney, you've been so pathetic with being scared and crying and not liking the Doctor and then liking him again! I don't get why he'd ever marry some whiney little-"

"Ace, that's enough," the Doctor snapped. "Now is not the time."

I pulled away from the Doctor and stared right into Aces eyes. "Well, y'know what? I'm human and I'm not perfect and I'm insecure and I'm scared to death and I have lost everything that I ever cared about! I confused and I'm hurt and I am so beyond feeling lost. So just shut up and leave me alone because you have no idea what I've gone through!"

There was an explosion in the background and suddenly a Cyberman fell into the crater. I screamed and fell backwards against the Doctor. He put his hands on my shoulders and pushed me behind him.

"Where did that come from?" he wondered.

Ace shrugged. "Didn't see."

The Doctor leaned forward to examine the arrow. "A Cyberman killed with an arrow? But that's ludicrous, unless..." He spotted the silver arrowhead and nodded. "Of course, the head's made of gold."

"That's real gold?" Ace asked.

"Yes. The only substance to which they're vulnerable."

"Classy."

Ace started to reach forward to grab the arrow, but the Doctor and I both grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She glared at me and looked ready to yell at me again, but I cut her off before she could say more than a single word.

"It's poisoned, genius," I snapped. "I was only saving your life. Don't mind me."

The Doctor nodded and tapped a finger against his chin. "Gold dipped in poison. Lady Peinforte's calling card."

Ace yanked her arm out of my grip and looked over the edge of the crater. "I really think we should be getting out of here, Doctor."

He nodded. "I really think you're right. Now both of you, run. Run as fast as you can for the TARDIS."

He started climbing out of the crater while Ace and I did the same. As soon as we managed to get out, Ace and I took off running as fast as we could go. I looked over my shoulder to see the Doctor running away from the Nemesis with a silver bow in his right hand and his left holding onto his hat.

"Go!" he shouted.

I turned my head and saw Ace run into the TARDIS just ahead of me. I stumbled in after her and held the door open for the Doctor. In the distance behind him, I saw the Lady Peinforte raise her own bow and arrow and aim for the Doctor.

"Doctor, hurry!"

He ran into the TARDIS, straight into my arms, and the doors closed immediately behind him. I heard the the thud of an arrow lodging itself in the door as the Doctor and I stumbled backwards and fell. Ace flipped the dematerialization lever as my back smacked against the console floor and the Doctor landed on top of me.

I groaned in pain when the bow stabbed me in the stomach and his left knee impacted my thigh. His free hand slapped against the floor next to my head and my hands immediately flew to his chest to keep him from crushing me any more than he already was.

"You two are absolutely disgusting," Ace grumbled. "Can't you save the snogging for later?"

"Ace!" I cried in protest. "We're not snogging!"

The Doctor smiled nervously at me and, keeping the hand with the bow pressed between my hip and the ground where it was, lifted his other hand to his hat and tipped the brim to me. "Erm, hello," he started.

"Care to get off?" I asked.

"Oh." He looked down at me, with my hair splayed around my head and my chest still heaving from the running and shouting, then looked back into my eyes. "Yes. Sorry. Yes... Yes. Sorry. I'll... get off."

I raised an eyebrow at him as he awkwardly crawled off of my torso and jumped to his feet. I watched his cheeks turn slightly pink and looked back at Ace, who also noticed that he was blushing.

"Professor? You alright?"

"Yes. Perfectly fine, Ace. Now then." He clapped his hands together and flinched when the bow dug into his skin. "Ouch."

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked.

He glanced at me with wide eyes for only a second before looking down at the console. "Yes. Fine. Now let's land."

We rematerialized in Lady Peinforte's home in Windsor. When I stepped out of the TARDIS behind the Doctor, I noticed that the body of the man from our first visit had disappeared. I grabbed the Doctor's arm before he could move too far into the room.

"Just... be careful," I warned him. "Nothing should happen, but... Just to be safe."

Ace came up behind me and looked around me at the room. "I don't like this place."

"We're just passing through," the Doctor assured us.

I stayed close to the Doctor as we walked around; the room gave off a haunted atmosphere and I hated every moment of it.

"What happened to the body?" Ace asked. "It's gone."

"Yes." The Doctor tapped his forefinger against his chin, then reached behind him to grab for my arm. He ended up grabbing both ends of my scarf instead, but still used it to pull me forward. "Someone's moved the chess pieces, too." He started rifling through papers lying on the desk and, after a minute of searching, waved a small card in the air. "Voila!"

Ace and I gave the Doctor a questioning look. "Is that what we came here for?" Ace asked.

"Our friend the mathematician was a genius, but he needed a little help to get started." The Doctor then walked over to the fireplace and tossed the card onto the burning logs. He looked over at Ace, who had just shivered, and then looked at me. "Cold?"

"I really don't like this place, Professor. Can we make a move?"

"Yes." The Doctor approached the chess board and moved one of the pieces. Then he turned back to me and sighed. "Let's go."

He stepped past me and went into the TARDIS after Ace. I followed and leaned against the doors once they closed. As the Doctor danced around the console to set the ship in flight, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sent the TARDIS a message: Is it wrong that I'm not mad at him anymore? I asked the ship.

No. He has apologized for his mistakes and has sincerely meant it.

I sighed and quickly looked up at the Doctor. Ace was right. First I'm mad at him, then I'm not, then I'm mad again, and then I'm fine... Is that shallow?

The TARDIS hummed angrily as soon as I sent the message. I looked up at the ceiling as she flashed the lights. Ace and the Doctor looked over at me in confusion. I smiled in embarrassment and looked back down at my phone.

"That was me," I said softly. "Sorry."

"What do you mean?" Ace asked.

I gestured to the ceiling and answered, "We're having a... discussion and the TARDIS disagreed with something I said."

The TARDIS had responded to me almost immediately afterwards: You have no reason to think that of yourself and every reason to change your feelings. So much has happened to you already and there is still so much for you to experience and learn. Your decisions and feelings will change and that's alright. It's alright to be afraid and it's alright to be mad. Do you understand?"

I responded with: Yes. I just don't want to act wishy-washy. I know I've been doing that lately.

Do not berate yourself for being yourself.

The TARDIS didn't speak to me again after that, but I felt that there was a lot more she wanted to tell me. When she landed, the Doctor glanced at me again and raised his eyebrows in silent questioning. I shook my head; I wasn't going to tell him anything because it was a private conversation with the ship and I wasn't ready to talk about it just yet. I needed to decide if I was going to stop being mad at him and let our relationship become normal again.

---

I stepped out of the TARDIS after the Doctor and Ace, looking around at our surroundings to find that we had landed a crossroads. I looked back at the TARDIS doors and saw the arrow sticking in the left side. Resting a hand against the door, I smiled at the ship and started to reach for the arrow when the Doctor stopped me.

"Poisoned, remember?" I nodded and he turned back to Ace. "Now then, Ace. Validium was created as the ultimate defence for Gallifrey, back in early times."

Ace pressed her lips together and fiddled absent mindedly with the silver bow in her hands. "Created by Omega?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"Rassilon."

"And?"

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at Ace as turned back to face us. "And none of it should have left Gallifrey. But, as always with these things, some of it did. Diana, could you go back inside and grab the tape deck?"

"Professor-"

"Please?"

I went back inside the ship to grab it, but found that it wasn't in the console room at all. Then I realized that I had seen Ace holding the tape deck behind her back, only I hadn't been paying attention. I turned back to the doors and saw that they had closed.

"Doctor?" I asked in a loud voice.

I pushed against the doors, then walked over to the console and pressed the button for the doors; nothing happened. Panic gripped my heart and I ran to the doors and pressed my palms against the surface.

"Doctor? Doctor! What's going on?"

My phone suddenly started beeping in my back pocket. Confused, I grabbed it and flipped it open. The TARDIS had sent me another text: This is the Doctor. I've programmed the TARDIS to send you this once Ace and I have left. I know you'll be mad at me for this and you have every right to be, but I'm just trying to protect you. The Cybermen are dangerous and they know how special you are to me. If they discover you're here, they'll kill you. The Lady Peinforte also knows about you. She knows all my greatest secrets and you are one of them. She'll kidnap you, kill you, do anything possible to turn you against me or kill you and I cannot allow that to happen. I hope that you will be able to forgive me if we return. Please remember how much you mean to me.

I shook my head and closed my phone. There were no words that I could think of that could express my anger, frustration, and betrayl. He had apologized for the first time that he had tried to stop me from doing something, apologized again for withholding the truth, and then he had to go and lock me inside the TARDIS?

I slammed my hands against the doors and cried out. Then my legs started to wobble and I sllowly slid down to the floor with my head in my hands. I threw my phone to the ground, crying when it fell apart upon impact. The TARDIS hummed in an attempt to soothe me, but it didn't work. I felt sick to my stomach and my head ached.

I got to my feet, leaving my phone in pieces on the floor, and ran out of the room. My heart was pounding heavily in my chest and the rush adrenaline from my anger was pumping through my veins. I felt strong and powerful from my anger.

"I knew that this incarnation was manipulative, but I didn't think he'd do that to me," I mumbled. "But that was stupid of me. It's always about the Doctor and what he wants, never about how I feel."

As I stormed through the hallways of the ship, I felt a strange feeling start in the pit of my stomach. I put a hand against the wall and leaned heavily against it as the feeling increased. A low groan of pain escaped my lips. I looked over at the wall and gasped when I saw it and my hand grow translucent. The wall of the TARDIS slowly turned visible again, only it had changed colors.

My hand faded back and I shook it, worried that it would turn see-through again. I stumbled away from the wall and looked around. I guessed that I was with Eleven when I noticed the dark blue and gray colors of the walls.

Wiping the tears of anger from my cheeks, I turned and started down the hallway in search of someone. I didn't want to see the Doctor, and yet at the same I didn't. Maybe if I could talk to Clara, I would feel better. Or if I could another phone, I could call Jack-

"Oh, I'm sorry," said a young man as he bumped into me.

I stumbled backwards and would have fallen if the man hadn't grabbed my forearms. I looked up into his dark skinned face and was startled; I had never seen him before. He smiled kindly at me, as if he knew me, and laughed.

"Careful, Diana," he said with a smile.

"Who are you?" I stammered.

"What?"

I pulled my arms out of his hands and took a few steps back. "Who are you? How'd you get on the TARDIS?"

He put a hand over his heart. "It's me. Danny. Danny Pink."

I shook my head fearfully. "I don't know you. I've never seen you before." When he took a step towards me, I put my arms out in front of me and stumbled backwards another few steps. "Stay away from me!"

"Diana, it's me."

"I'm already in a really bad mood and I'm pissed off, so don't try anything," I warned.

"Diana, it's me. How do you not remember me?"

Two pairs of footsteps started echoing through the hall. I looked past Danny and saw Clara and an older man running towards us. The man had silver and gray hair that curled just slightly. He wore dark blue pants and a matching dark blue jacket with red lining, a dark blue cardigan, and a white button up underneath. It took me a moment to recognize him in my startled state, but I realized that it was the Doctor.

"What's wrong?" the Doctor asked when he reached us.

"We heard shouting," Clara added.

I looked from Danny to Clara to the Doctor and then back to Clara, avoiding the gazes of both men. "What's going on?" I asked softly. "Who is he?"

"Who, Danny?" I nodded and after a moment, Clara gasped. "Oh. You haven't met him yet, have you?"

"No."

Clara smiled and patted Danny's arm. "Danny works at Coal Hill School with me. He's alright."

"Alright?" Danny repeated. "Ouch."

"Oh, you know what I mean."

"Sorry," I mumbled awkwardly, keeping my eyes fixed on the ground.

Danny gently put a hand on my shoulder, giving me a reassuring smile when I gave him a startled look. He nodded once and said, "It's alright. I was a little worried there. Are you alright now?"

"Yeah."

"Good." He let his arm drop to his side, then looked over at Clara and the Doctor. "Well, I'm gonna head for the kitchen for a snack. Clara? Care to join me?"

She glanced at me and nodded. "Sure. You know where to find us," she told the Doctor and I as she walked off with Danny.

I turned around with the intention of going to my bedroom, but the Doctor stopped me with a gentle hand on my wrist. "Wait," he said in a low voice. "Diana."

"What?"

"Look at me, will you?"

I yanked my wrist away from his hand and crossed my arms over my chest. "What do you want?"

"You were with the Nemesis, weren't you?" he asked.

I whipped around to face him, my jaw set and my eyes narrowed. "Yes. You just locked me into the TARDIS, then sent me a bloody text. I mean, you could have handled that a little better, don't you think? You could have at least said it in person instead of tricking me! Then again, that incarnation always had a knack for lying and manipulating his friends. So I guess I really shouldn't be surprised, should I?"

"Diana-"

"I've been lied to so many times in my life by people who are supposed to care about me. So don't you start, too."

"Diana, I had to."

"Like hell you did! Do you ever think about anyone other than yourself? You wanted to protect me. That's great, but did you ever stop and ask me what I wanted? No!

"And, really? You're just going to continue to lie to me? I am sick and tired of being lied to! My mother lied to me, my father lied to me, my best friends lied to me, my ex-boyfriend lied to me." I stopped when I noticed the surprised look on his face. "Oh, didn't I tell you about how he cheated on me twice? Does that make you change your mind about lying to me and tricking me?"

"You don't understand-"

"Oh, I think I do. I might be only eighteen years old and just a pathetic little human girl with a broken heart, but I'm more mature than you think. I've been through all sorts of crap in my life and I don't need any more from you, the one person in this entire universe that I thought I could trust!"

With those final words, I pushed the Doctor in the chest and ran away as tears started to fall down my cheeks. I didn't want him to see me cry and I didn't want to hear him make excuses. All my life I'd heard excuses and all I wanted was for someone not to give me one.