A/N: Once again, I give my thanks to grapejuice101 for offering me ideas when I thought I was totally stumped. I'm excited about this chapter and hopefully you all like the little twists I've added. Please look at the link to my pinterest on my author's page. I posted pictures of the OC's introduced in this chapter.

I had some trouble with various parts of this chapter. I've hit a rather large writer's block again, so there are sections that are not as well written as I would like. Also, I'm aware that Peri may be a little out of character. I really like her, I just sometimes have trouble writing her correctly. So please excuse me for that.

"Diana? Diana, darling, wake up."

Letting out a moan of protest, I curled into a tight ball and snuggled closer to the pillow clutched between my arms.

"Diana, wake up."

"Shush," I grumbled, squeezing my eyes shut against the light.

There was a soft chuckle and then a hand brushing through my hair. I hummed, enjoying the soothing motion, and smiled. The pillow moved slightly and I tightened my grip on it, burying my head in the middle with another annoyed moan.

"Diana, could you let go please?"

I shook my head. "Go 'way," I mumbled. " 'm tired."

"I know. But if you let go of me, I can take you to your room and then you can sleep without me bothering you."

Annoyed by the talking and moving, I opened my eyes and wearily raised my head towards the voice. The Doctor was lying on his back, supporting his weight on elbows, and smiling at me. I looked down in confusion at my pillow and found that it wasn't a pillow at all, but was the Doctor's torso.

"Wha'?" I moved my arms from around his waist and shuffled back a few inches. "Doctor?"

He sat up and put an arm around my shoulder, gently pulling me against his chest. I leaned heavily against him and snuggled into his jumper. The Doctor's arm slid down to my back and supported me.

"Come on. Let's get you to bed."

I was a little more coherent now that I was partially awake, but I still wanted to go back to sleep. "I don't want to leave you," I mumbled with a shake of my head.

"I'll stay with you, then. Okay?"

I thought for a moment and then nodded. " 'kay."

The Doctor moved into a kneeling position and helped me stand up. Once I was on my feet, my head lolled to the side and rested on his shoulder. He glanced down at me and gently brushed my hair away from my eyes.

"I fell asleep on our date," I realized as we walked towards the TARDIS. "I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to."

"It's alright, Diana. The last few days have been very trying for you."

I looked up at the Time Lord and felt my heart begin to race. In the early morning light, his hair shone like gold and he looked beautiful. I smiled and wrapped my arms around his torso.

I guessed that I fell asleep again because the next thing I remember is the Doctor carrying me into my bedroom. He set me on the bed and helped me pull my jacket and shoes off. I rolled onto my back and curled into a ball, watching the Doctor pull off his own jacket and shoes.

"You're staying?" I asked hopefully.

He placed his things on my chair, then reached forward and slipped my glasses off. "Of course I'm staying," he assured me as he set my glasses on my table.

He adjusted the blankets and rolled them back, then settled into the bed beside me. I turned onto my side so I was facing him and curled up against him. The blankets came down over our bodies and I made a content sigh in the back of my throat. The Doctor supported his head with one arm bent beneath it and smiled sweetly at me. He started running his other hand through my hair.

"Thank you," I breathed as I started to slip back into unconsciousness. "For everything."

"Anything for you," he whispered, pressing a feather light kiss to my forehead.

I grasped at his jumper and pressed my hand against his chest, feeling the now familiar pattern of his heartsbeat. I sighed and inched closer to the Time Lord, taking comfort in his warmth. He let his arm fall to my waist and I fell asleep just a few moments later with the beating of his hearts echoing in my mind.

I woke up a few hours later feeling fully refreshed and relaxed. The Doctor had fallen asleep beside me and was snoring lightly. I eventually managed to wake him and after we spent a few minutes cuddling, he stole a brief, sweet kiss on the lips and climbed out of bed. We both slipped our jackets and shoes on, then I hurried to my bathroom to make sure I was presentable.

We walked hand in hand to the console room, where Peri was sitting reading a book. She over the top of her book at us, eyed our joined hands, and raised an eyebrow. "I'm guessing it went well last night," she commented.

I blushed. "Not like that, Peri."

"Uh huh. Well, I peeked outside while you two were off canoodling and there's still a blanket spread out on the ground outside."

"Oh, I completely forgot!" The Doctor quickly ran outside and grabbed the blanket, then came back inside with it folded over his arm. "Thank you for reminding me."

"Have you been waiting for us very long?" I asked.

Peri shook her head. "Maybe a few hours after he carried you inside," she answered with a shrug. "It's a date. I knew it wouldn't be some five minute thing."

"You really didn't mind?"

"No. You two are my friends and if you want to be alone together, then go right ahead. I won't stop you."

"Well, I appreciate you letting us spend some time together. I had a great time," I added, glancing across the console at the Doctor and smiling at him.

The Doctor grinned and began typing something into the scanner. "Well, Peri, how about I take you somewhere as thanks for giving Diana and I some time? Where would you like to go? There's a nice shopping mall about 300 years into your future you might like."

Peri set her book down ant walked over to the console. "Sure, sounds great."

The mall was, in fact, very nice and I enjoyed spending time with Peri. I had been lacking the ability to just talk about "girl stuff" that last few adventures I'd been on and found it relaxing to walk around and talk with Peri. She talked to me about her school and why she'd chosen to study botany, and I explained some of the wilder encounters I'd had over the last few months.

"So what did you get at the last store?" I asked.

Peri glanced down at her bag and shrugged. "Not much. They had some nice perfume that smelled like English lavender and I found a book called 'Genetically Improved Plants of the 23rd Century'. What about you?"

"I didn't get anything at the last store, but the store before that had a whole shelf full of discount holo-books. I grabbed a few different kinds. There was this one that was about a teenage girl who was thrown into the distant 21st century and had to adjust to her knew life as a moderately advanced homo-sapien."

Peri laughed. "Wow, really?"

"Yeah. I bought it just to see how inaccurate the writer is about everything."

My phone suddenly started buzzing and ringing in my jacket pocket. "Oh, gosh. My phone's going off, Peri. Hang on a sec."

I scrambled to grab my phone and answer it before the caller hung up. "Hello, who's this?"

"Diana?"

"Jack?"

"Good to hear your voice, Di."

I laughed. "Well, it's good to hear yours too, Jack."

In the distance, I heard Ianto shout hello to me Jack loudly shushed him. "Sorry about that. Ianto wanted to say hi."

"Aw, well tell him I said hi back."

"Anyway, I wanted to let you know that a letter addressed to you arrived earlier today."

"A letter? From who?"

Jack sighed. "It doesn't say. It just has your name, the Hub address, and about a dozen stamps all over the envelope. Oh, and there's a number two on the back of it. That mean anything to you?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't think so."

"Well, why don't you stop by and I can give it you?"

I glanced at Peri and smiled apologetically. "I can't. I'm sort of in the 23rd century right now and I'm with someone."

"Then I'll come to you."

"Wait, what?"

"Hang on a sec while I track your phone."

There was the sound of typing in the background. "Jack, what are you doing?"

"Aha, there we go! There you are. Earth, year 2284. Alright, Di, don't go too far. I'll be there in a minute, kiddo."

"No! Jack, I'm with the Doctor!"

"So?"

"And early incarnation. Like, four before he met you."

I was answered with the dial tone and I shoved my phone back into my pocket with a sigh. Peri suddenly cried out in surprise, her eyes locked onto something behind me. I turned and jumped when I spotted Jack standing a few yards away.

"Jack, I told you I'm with-"

"Yeah, yeah, do you want your letter or not?"

I extended my arm and rested my other hand on my hip. "Come here, you ridiculous-"

"Hello, who is this?"

"No."

Jack tossed the letter to me and I just managed to catch it. "I just want to say hi," he told me as he stepped past me.

"Yeah, and for you that's like second base." I sighed and walked over to Peri's side, putting an arm around her shoulders protectively. "This is Peri Brown and she's my friend."

Jack took her hand and pressed his lips against it, flashing her a wink and a wicked smile. "Captain Jack Harkness. Pleasure to meet you, Peri."

Peri's cheeks flushed light pink, but she had an almost disinterested expression on her face. "Uh, hi," she said slowly.

"You are gorgeous," Jack exclaimed.

"Thank you."

I happened to look past Jack and spotted the Doctor walking towards us. Letting out an alarmed screech, I shoved Jack backwards. He looked at me in confusion and looked ready to throw a tantrum, but I cut him off.

"The Doctor's right over there, Jack. He can't see you yet!"

"Easy, kiddo. I'm going!" He winked at Peri again and fixed the collar of his jacket. "I had better see you again, Peri Brown."

Jack disappeared with a loud pop, leaving Peri and I standing in the middle of the walkway. We glanced at each other and Peri stared at me in disbelief. She pointed to the area where Jack had been standing seconds ago and let out a little croak.

"What… just happened?"

I glanced at my letter, recognizing the TARDIS blue color and realizing what my next destination would be. "He has a vortex manipulator," I said. "It allows him to travel in time and space without a TARDIS."

"Who has a vortex manipulator?" the Doctor asked as he walked up behind me.

I turned and smiled up at the Time Lord, hiding the envelope behind my back as inconspicuously as possible. "Oh, just a friend of mine. Spoilers, Doctor."

"Ah, I see." He looked at Peri and smiled at her. "Did you two get anything interesting?"

Peri and I shared another look and we nodded slowly. "Yeah," I answered, "I think so. Why don't we go back to the TARDIS now?"

"You're ready to leave already?"

I nodded. "Yes, please."

Back in the TARDIS, I opened my letter. Inside was a white card lined in blue. I felt my heart drop to the pit of my stomach when I read the contents.

"22/04/11

16:15 MDT

37° 0' 38" N, 110° 14', 34" W

P.S. Bring your journal and psychic paper."

"Lake Silencio," I breathed.

"What?" I looked up to see the Doctor looking curiously at me. He smiled and gestured to the letter. "What's that?"

I swallowed nervously. "Theta, I need a favor."

His smile dropped and he walked around the console towards me. "Diana, what is it?" he asked, taking my hands in his. "Did something happen?"

"I need you to take me somewhere and you can't ask where or why."

"What? No, just tell me. It's okay."

I shook my head. "I can't tell you."

"Why?"

"Because it has to do with your future."

The Doctor sighed, realizing that I truly couldn't tell him anything. He looked into my eyes and nodded. "What do you need?"

"I have these coordinates… I need you to take me somewhere and never, ever look at where it is."

"Okay."

He moved his grasp to my wrist and guided me to the console. He positioned me in front of the scanner and the keyboard, then stepped to the side. "Type the coordinates in," he directed. "I'll show you how to do the rest."

I braced the letter against the top of the keyboard and quickly typed in the coordinates. I took the letter and put it back in its envelope, then stuffed it into my jacket pocket and looked up at the Doctor. "What now?" I questioned.

"Do you know the date and time?" I nodded and the Doctor looked back at the keyboard. "Put those in and press enter."

"Okay, after that?" I asked after following his instructions.

"Come here." I walked over to where he pointed and looked down at the console. "This knob here? This is the helmic regulator. It controls the accuracy of the TARDIS's navigation while in the vortex. One full rotation should do it."

I grabbed hold of the knob, took a breath, and twisted it in full rotation. "Now what?"

The Doctor moved me a few steps to the right and pointed to a switch. "Gravitic anomaliser. Generates a local field of gravity around the exterior of the TARDIS." I flipped the switch, then looked back at the Doctor. "Locking-down mechanism, right there. Then the phase controller right over here and finally, the dematerialization lever."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

I walked around the console to the lever and pulled it, making the ship wheeze and start to dematerialize. I looked at the Doctor in uncertainty, worried that maybe I had done something wrong, but he nodded at me and smiled.

"You're flying the TARDIS."

Ten minutes later, I was standing in front of the doors with a shoulder bag clutched in my hands. I had found my psychic paper and journal and stuffed them into the bag along with the letter from the Eleventh Doctor. However, the Fifth Doctor was uncertain about letting me leave due to my secretive behavior.

"I'll be fine. I know where I'm going and there will be other people with me. There's nothing to worry about."

"I'm still going to worry about you."

"Doctor, nothing bad is going to happen to me. But I am going to be late if you don't let me leave already." I stepped past him and flipped the switch that opened the doors. "I'll be fine. Look, in a few hundred years this will all make sense. I promise."

"Diana-"

"Theta, I have to go!" I said as I stepped out of the time machine. "You're waiting for me."

I closed the doors before he could protest again, letting out a heavy sigh. I knew he was confused and worried and I was flattered by his concern, but I also knew that his future self would be waiting for me. I gave the doors of the ship one final pat before I turned and started walking away.

The coordinates in the letter had led me to the side of a road that stretched right through the middle of a desert in Utah. I readjusted the strap of my bag and looked out at the landscape. The TARDIS clanged behind me and I turned around just as she began to dematerialize.

" 'Scuze me, ma'am," a gruff voice called across the road, "you lookin' fer someone?"

I looked across the road where a man was standing by a car, his Stetson pulled down to cover the top of his face. "Excuse me, sir, have you- Doctor?"

"Hey!"

I ran across the street and threw my arms around his neck with a laugh. He wrapped his arms around my waist and picked me off the ground to spin me around. I squealed and let my legs dangle above the ground until he set me back down.

"Hey," he breathed. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you," I countered, playfully flicking his nose.

"First date?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Were you on your first date with me or am I wrong?"

I smiled and nodded. "First date," I agreed.

"Knew it."

I stepped back a few paces and looked up and down at the Doctor's outfit. It hadn't changed much; a blue bowtie was knotted around his neck, he wore black jeans and cowboy boots, and finished the Western look with his off-white Stetson.

"I like the hat."

"Stetsons are cool," he replied with a grin.

"Of course they are, sweetie."

The Doctor promptly ignored my remark and jumped onto the hood of the car. "Come on," he said, patting the area next to him. "Sit with me."

I climbed onto the hood and plopped down next to him, letting him wrap an arm around my waist and pull me closer. I smiled and curled up against his side with my arms folded against my stomach.

"This is nice," I commented, "even if it is hot."

"They'll be here soon."

"I nodded. It'll be nice to see the Ponds and River again."

"River won't be alone," the Doctor added after a moment of silence.

I twisted my head and looked up at him in confusion. "Who else is coming?"

"Some family friends from your future. You don't know them yet."

"Who?"

"Well, River and Susan are coming together."

"Our Susan?" I asked.

The Doctor nodded. "Yes."

"But I thought… The Library…"

"This is before the Library for both of them. And Susan may look a little different this time. She's much younger now than she will be when she goes to the Library."

I looked ahead again as I took in what the Doctor had said. I ran a hand through my hair and sighed heavily. "Okay," I mumbled. "Right, so who else is coming?"

"Like I said, family friends."

"Is that why you have a car that seats eight?" I asked.

"Well it was either this or one with four seats and I wasn't going to let anyone sit on the roof." He glanced at the watch on his right wrist. "Well, they should be here any minute now."

I could hear a low rumble somewhere behind us and I turned to look over the roof of the car. Down the road about a mile was a big school bus and I knew the Ponds were on it. Sitting back down, I leaned against the Doctor and sighed.

"It'll be good to see the Ponds again. And Susan."

"They'll be glad to see you. They haven't seen you since their honeymoon."

"Which was right after that nonsense with the Pandorica, wasn't it?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yes, ma'am," he answered with his American accent.

I shook my head and laughed. "No. Please don't do that."

"What? Why? It's cool!"

"Not on you, it's not. It's terrible on you."

"Well what about you? You switch between accents all the time!"

"That's because I'm an American living with a bunch of British people! What do you expect? I'm surprised I don't have a Scottish or Northern accent, what with Amy's accent and your seventh incarnation rolling his r's all the time and then your ninth being from Lancashire or something."

The bus finally drove up alongside the car and stopped a few yards ahead of us. The doors squeaked open and I could hear Amy and Rory thanking the driver. Then the bus started driving back down the road, leaving the two behind with hulking backpacks slung over their shoulders.

"This is it, yeah?" Amy asked her husband, both of them focused on a map. "The right place?"

"Nowhere, middle of?" Rory clarified. "Yeah, this is it."

The Doctor smirked and lowered his Stetson over his face. "Howdy," he called.

The two turned around to see the Doctor and I sitting on the hood of the car. Amy let out a laugh and ran across the street when she recognized us.

"Diana, Doctor!"

"It's the Ponds!" The Doctor slid off the car and embraced Amy. "Hello, Pond. Come here."

Amy laughed and pulled back, bouncing on her toes in excitement. "So, someone's been a busy boy then, eh?"

The Doctor waved her remark away and stepped past her to grin at Rory. "Rory the Roman! Oh, come here!" The two hugged and shared a laugh.

Amy pulled me into a hug, then stepped aside so Rory could give me on as well. "Hey, you two," I said. "It's great to see you."

"We haven't seen you two in a while now," Amy noted.

"Did you guys have an okay trip?" I asked. "What do you think of America so far?"

The couple looked at each other and shrugged. "I like it," Amy answered with a grin. "It's different, but nice, y'know?"

Rory nodded, then let out a laugh when he noticed the Doctor's Stetson. "Hey, nice hat, Doctor."

"I wear a Stetson now. Stetsons are cool."

A gunshot echoed around us and the Doctor's hat flew off his head. I turned towards the source of the shot and spotted River, gun in hand, with another woman standing beside her with a grin.

"Hello, sweetie," River said as she holstered her gun.

The woman standing next to her was about the same height as River was and was laughing. She was a stunningly beautiful oriental woman with full curves and long legs. She was wearing a low cut, brown plaid shirt, brown cowboy boots, and jeans. Not unlike the Doctor, she was wearing a white Stetson on her head and had her light brown hair hanging down to her shoulders.

"Dad!" the woman exclaimed, rushing forward to embrace the Doctor.

"Hello, Susan!" he laughed as he held her close. "Oh, it's so good to see you!"

She pulled back and turned to me, a hopeful smile on her face. I smiled in return, feeling both a little awkward and surprised. "Hi," I squeaked. "So you're Susan?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"You look so… different from the last time I saw you. But that's in the future, so…"

"Wait, you've met me before?"

I nodded. "Yes, and I know who you are. I mean, the Doctor and I haven't… I haven't…" I sighed and glanced away. "I'm sorry, I don't want to disappoint you, Susan."

She smiled reassuringly at me. "It's fine, Diana."

"You don't have to call me that, actually. If it's weird, you can call me 'mom' or whatever it is that you would normally call me."

"Really?" Susan's hopeful smile returned and it warmed my heart. When I nodded, Susan's face lit up with joy and I felt thrilled to have made her happy. "Thank you."

"Oh, come here," I said, opening my arms. Susan immediately fell into my arms and gave me a warm, gentle hug. "It's good to see you again."

River came up behind Susan and looked between her parents and the Doctor. "Where are the others?" she asked.

Susan pulled back and looked expectantly at her father. "Are they coming?"

He nodded. "They should be here right about…." There was a loud pop behind us and a small whirlwind of dirt that followed. "Now."

I turned to see three people standing across the street where River had been only minutes ago. There were two women and a man; the women I had never seen before, but something about the man seemed familiar to me. I noticed that one of the women had a vortex manipulator on her wrist, so they needed a minute to compose themselves before anything else. I took that time to study them.

The first woman was a tall, beautiful woman with dark skin and wavy black hair that reached a few inches past her shoulders. She wore a pair of dark blue jeans, black converse, and a red plaid button-up with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. A denim bag was hanging over her shoulders by two straps and the vortex manipulator was around her wrist.

Next to her was a woman who, oddly enough, looked almost exactly like Elizabeth Taylor. She had thick black hair that reached the middle of her back and bangs that were curled and pinned to the side of her face. She was wearing a white tank top with an unbuttoned dark blue blouse over that, as well as faded jeans that fanned out slightly around her black cowboy boots. She had a bag that matched her friend's slung over one shoulder.

The man was, from what I could tell, only an inch or two taller than I was. He had golden brown hair that was slightly wavy, light blue eyes, silver-rimmed glasses, and light stubble across his jawline. He was wearing black pants, black shoes, and a sky blue button-up with the sleeves buttoned at the wrist. He had a black backpack clutched in his free hand and a gun holstered at his hip.

"Who're they?" I wondered as the group began to walk across the street.

The Doctor stepped forward to meet them and gave each person a hug, whispering something in their ears before finally stepping back and grinning at them. "Good to see you all. Glad you could make it. Diana, come here please." He took my hand and gestured to each person. "These are the family friends I told you about."

The Elizabeth Taylor lookalike smiled and extended a hand to me. "Josephine. It's nice to meet you."

"Hi. I'm Diana."

"Oh, we all know who you are. You just haven't met us yet."

I blushed. "Oh. Sorry."

"I'm Faith," the other woman said, extending her hand like Josephine had. "It's very nice to see you."

"Oh, same to you."

I turned to the man and smiled, tilting my head slightly to the side as I tried to think why he seemed so familiar. "Hi, I'm Alistair," he said in a light Scottish accent.

Then it clicked. "I know you!" I exclaimed as we grasped hands. "You're Lieutenant Smith, aren't you?"

Alistair smiled and nodded. "Yes, ma'am," he answered. "I see you've already met me."

"Um, do you remember that time we went driving around looking for that woman working for the Chinese delegate?"

Alistair nodded again. "Yes, I remember it well."

"Well, it's nice to see you again." I released his hand and looked at the two women, smiling politely. "It's nice to meet all of you."

The Doctor put his arm around my waist and smiled at them. "Well, now that introductions have been made, shall we get going?"

"Where are we going?" Susan asked.

"It's a surprise, Susan." The Doctor released me and clapped his hands together in excitement. "Now everyone jump in! We've got things to do!"

The Doctor took us back to the diner, where he had reserved three booths. The Doctor pulled me into the middle booth and told me to wait for him while he got me a drink. Amy and Rory placed their bags down on the seats across from me, then both left to get food and drinks for themselves. In the booth behind me, River and Susan sat in the seats connected to mine and turned so that they were facing us. Alistair, Faith, and Josephine quickly took the booth behind Amy and Rory's seat, all of them somehow managing to fit on one side.

When the Doctor came back, he set a soda and a small dish of French fries in front of me with a grin. "Thought you'd appreciate a snack," he said as he slid in next to me.

"You thought right. Thank you."

River poked her head in between the Doctor's and mine and smiled. "Aren't you two going to compare diaries?" she asked.

The Doctor shook his head. "No, Diana and I already know where we've been."

Susan gently tapped my shoulder and I turned to look at her. "Could you and I compare journals then?" she asked.

"Oh, Susan, I've only met you once before and that was in your future. I'm sorry."

"That's alright. What about the others? You said you met Alistair before."

I nodded. "Once. I was with your father's third incarnation and we were working with UNIT to stop the Master, who had created this machine that could control minds."

I leapt into the story of the Master and his machine, very briefly explaining what he had done to me and why. Even Alistair, Faith, and Josephine were intrigued by my story and they listened intently to every word I said. When I finished, they asked me questions about the machine and the Doctor helped me answer them when I didn't know the answers.

"So, what's happening then, Doctor?" Amy asked shortly after I finished my story. "Because you've been up to something."

The Doctor's answer was more serious than I remembered and it made me remember the true gravity of the situation. "I've been running, faster than I've ever run. And I've been running my whole life. Now, it's time for me to stop. And tonight, I'm going to need you all with me."

Amy nodded. "Okay. We're here. What's up?"

"A picnic. And then a trip. Somewhere different, somewhere brand new."

"Where?" Amy wondered.

"Space, 1969."

Considering it was the place the Doctor was going to 'die', Lake Silencio wasn't as dark and depressing as I thought it would be. It was strangely beautiful and calming.

The Doctor had promised a picnic, so everyone was tasked with setting up one part of the picnic. I had already laid out the blankets and pinned them down with rocks when the others started carrying the food over. River and Susan had just finished carrying the last of the picnic supplies out of the car when the Doctor walked around the car and stood beside me. I smiled at him and then reached back inside the vehicle to grab my shoulder bag.

"You know what's going to happen, don't you?"

I jumped and hit my head on the roof of the car. I moaned and rubbed my hand on the back of my head, sparing the Doctor an annoyed look. He smiled apologetically at me and took the bag out of my hands.

"Yeah, I do," I sighed. "Why?"

The Doctor lightly gripped my upper arm and pulled me close. "Diana, you cannot tell them. Even when you see me again, you cannot breathe a word of this to anyone. Not even me."

"I know that."

"Promise me."

"Don't you trust me?" I demanded, feeling hurt spark in my chest.

"Oh. Diana, love, of course I do. I-I didn't mean that," he assured me, his eyes turning sad.

I nodded. "I know. I'm sorry, I know you didn't mean it like that. It's just that… I feel guilty already. They're all so happy to be with you and when they find out what I was keeping from them..."

"I know it's hard."

"Hard?" I echoed incredulously. "Doctor, they all know about me. They know that I can see your entire future. How exactly am I supposed to explain me not helping you when they know what I can do, what I know about you?"

"You tell them that you don't know what's going to happen."

"You want me to lie them?"

The Doctor sighed heavily and took my hands in his. "I need you, Diana. I need to know that you will support me with this."

"But… You're lying to everyone you care about, your only friends, your own child."

"Yes, because I have to. You know I have to."

I nodded and looked away, his serious gaze almost overwhelming me. "Yes, I know," I said. "I just… I don't think I can pull this off."

"You can. I know you can, Diana." The Doctor moved one hand to cup my chin and he gently turned my face back towards his. "Look into my eyes."

I turned my gaze to his eyes and focused. In his left pupil was the tiny version of the Doctor, some kind of device in his hand and a sad smile on his face. Despite the serious situation, I felt a laugh rise up in my throat and I chuckled.

The Doctor spoke into the device as the larger version began to echo his words. "Hey, it's going to be okay. I promise. If it gets too hard, just grab your phone and talk to me."

"I can do that?"

"Watch this."

The miniaturized Doctor pulled a phone out of his jacket, typed something out, and then flashed me a grin. The larger Doctor merely stood and smiled at me, which made the situation feel a little awkward. Just a few seconds later my phone buzzed to alert me to a new message and I pulled it out of my back pocket.

"You sent me a message," I realized as I stared at my phone.

"See? Even when things get rough, you can still talk to me."

"Thank you," I exclaimed, throwing my arms around his neck in a tight hug. "I still don't want to do this, but thank you."

"This feels a little familiar," I commented as the Doctor began taking food out of the basket. "The scenery's a little different, though."

The Doctor smirked and glanced at me as he continued organizing the food. "Not exactly the Quiraing, is it?"

"Not exactly."

"I'm sorry," Amy interjected, "but what are you two talking about?"

"The Doctor took me on a date," I told the redhead.

"A few centuries ago," he added with a grin.

Amy looked between us in surprise. "So you two are dating?"

I glanced at the Doctor and he smiled a little shyly at me. He nodded and looked back at Amy. "Yes, Amy, we are."

"Finally," she sighed.

The rest of the group laughed. The Doctor took a bottle of wine out of the basket and began pouring the drink into separate glasses, then handing the glasses out. He offered me a glass, but I refused with a smile and a shake of my head. He seemed to have planned for that because he took a bottle of water out of the basket and tossed it to me.

Once everyone had a glass, the Doctor took the bottle in his hand and raised it above his head. "Salud!"

"Salud!" we all repeated before taking a sip of our drinks.

Rory spoke up after he finished his glass. "So, when are going to 1969?"

"And since when do you drink wine?" Amy added.

The Doctor looked at the bottle and shrugged. "I'm eleven hundred and three. I must've drunk it sometime." He tilted his head back and took a swig. I quickly jumped to the side just as he turned and spat the drink onto the sand behind him. "Oh, why it's horrid. I thought it would taste more like the gums."

"Eleven hundred and three?" Amy repeated. "You were nine hundred and eight the last time we saw you."

"And you've put on a couple of pounds," the Time Lord replied childishly. "I wasn't going to mention it."

"Be nice," I scolded, tapping my hand against his chest.

"I am," he whined.

"Well, be nicer."

The Doctor leaned forward and pressed a brief kiss to my lips. I froze in surprise and felt my cheeks flush red after he pulled away. I looked away in embarrassment and felt my heart plummet to my stomach when I spotted Susan and her friends smiling at the Doctor and I. The embarrassment gave way to guilt and I looked down at the ground.

"You okay?" the Doctor whispered.

I nodded. "Yeah."

He pressed his mouth against my ear, giving the impression of kissing me, but instead he whispered something else. "I know this is hard, but you have to do it."

I forced a smile onto my face so the others wouldn't suspect anything. Alistair was talking with his friends in another language again, River was flirting with Susan, and Amy and Rory were focused intently on each other. Seeing them all talking without any knowledge of what was going to happen made me physically hurt.

Beside me, the Doctor moved so he was reclining on his elbow. He gazed up at the sky and smiled a little. I followed his eyes and saw the moon hanging in the cloudless sky.

"Ah, the moon," the Time Lord sighed. "Look at it. Of course, you lot did a lot more than look, didn't you? Big silvery thing in the sky. You couldn't resist it. Quite right."

Rory's eyes grew wide. "The moon landing was in '69. Is that where we're going?" he asked.

"No. A lot more happens in '69 than anyone remembers." The Doctor smiled sadly and shook his head. "Human beings. I thought I'd never get done saving you."

Behind us, an old pick up truck drove up and parked a few yards away. An elder man jumped out and the Doctor waved at him. Alistair nudged Faith and Josephine and whispered something to them. Amy looked between the man and the Doctor in confusion. Susan turned to River, but River shook her head and held up a hand signaling to wait.

"Who's he?" Amy asked.

River suddenly jumped to her feet, staring out at the lake. "Oh my God."

I turned and stood, staring at the astronaut that had suddenly appeared in the middle of the lake. I looked back at River and wondered what she was feeling, seeing herself prepare to kill the Doctor.

The Doctor stood and took a deep breath. "You all need to stay back. Whatever happens now, you do not interfere. Clear?"

I grabbed his elbow and pulled him back to me. "Theta, wait-"

"No, Diana."

He pulled his arm out of my grasp and began walking towards the astronaut. I unconsciously took a few steps after him, but was stopped by a hand at my shoulder. Confused, I turned and saw River holding me back.

"That's an astronaut in a lake," Rory gasped.

"Isn't that an Apollo astronaut?" Josephine asked.

Amy nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

"Can anyone hear what he's saying?" Alistair asked.

The astronaut, now standing on the sand, lifted its visor. The Doctor spoke for a few moments to the astronaut, before finally bowing his head.

"What's he doing?" Amy asked.

The astronaut slowly raised its arm and my heart skipped a beat. The shot rang out a moment later and I let out a mix of a gasp and a shriek. The Doctor stumbled backwards, a cry of pain falling from his lips, and he fell onto his back.

Amy screamed the Doctor's name and ran forward, but River and Rory grabbed hold of her and kept her from interfering. I could hear Susan screaming and crying, then the sound of her begging Alistair to let her go.

"Amy, stay back!" River shouted. The astronaut shot the Doctor again and I flinched, suddenly feeling nauseous. "The Doctor said stay back! You have to stay back!"

"No!" Amy screamed. "No! Doctor!"

The Doctor struggled to his feet with his arms held in front of him. His hands were beginning to glow gold. He turned his head and looked at us, his eyes locking with mine. In that moment, I forgot that the Doctor wasn't actually dying. All I could see was the regeneration energy and the pain on his face.

I stumbled forward as the astronaut shot him again, the shock making my knees wobble and I fell to the ground. The regeneration stopped and the gold faded away to nothing as the Doctor fell on his back. Tears gathered in my eyes and my vision went blurry.

Susan shot forward and ran through the sand like a woman possessed. Amy tore herself from Rory and River's grasp and ran to the Doctor, sobbing and shouting his name. River ran after her mother with Rory right behind her. I watched in stunned silence as Susan fell to her knees by her father's body and began shaking him.

I was suddenly hauled to my feet. Confused, I looked away from the Doctor to see Alistair, Josephine, and Faith holding me by my arms. I looked back at the Doctor's body to see Amy and Susan sobbing over him. River was firing her gun at the retreating astronaut and Rory was standing over his wife in shock.

"Diana?" I turned back to Alistair and blinked. "Are you okay?"

"I-I… I feel sick."

Josephine let out a sob and Faith quickly pulled the girl into a hug. Alistair's eyes had started to well with tears. Without warning, I threw myself into his arms. Alistair rested his cheek against the crown of my head and began to cry silently.

"Pater, quid fecisti?" he breathed through his tears.

I pulled back and looked up at him in confusion. "What?" I croaked, my throat suddenly dry and scratchy.

Alistair shook his head. "Nothing, forgive me." He looked past me at his friends and then cleared his throat. "Excuse me."

He stepped past me and engulfed Faith and Josephine in a hug. They both buried themselves in his embrace and began sobbing into his chest. I watched them and felt my guilt begin to increase with each passing moment.

A hand tapped me on the shoulder and I turned with a startled gasp. "Hello again, Diana," the old Canton said with a sad, wrinkled smile. "I'm sorry."

I shook my head and wiped away the tears that had started to slide down my cheeks. "Thank you."

He nodded, then walked past me and began to approach the others huddled around the Doctor. Everyone was crying and still in a state of shock. I reached for my phone and pulled it out, staring at the screen for a minute or two. I looked at the message the Doctor had sent me and felt the tears start up again.

After minutes of waiting and considering my decision, I sent the Doctor a message: "I don't think I can do this."

He didn't respond when I knelt beside him and pressed a kiss to his forehead. He didn't respond when Rory, Alistair, and Faith placed his body in a boat and coated it with gasoline. He didn't respond when the ship was set on fire and pushed out into the lake. He didn't respond when the sun set over Lake Silencio and the boat burned up with him inside it.

Canton stayed behind to watch the Viking burial. Faith, Josephine, Alistair, and Susan were gathered together and Amy stood with her husband. River and I stayed beside each other and watched the boat as it illuminated the lake in the dark hours of twilight.

"Who are you?" River asked Canton, turning away from to stare at the man. "Why did you come?"

"The same reason as you." He reached inside his coat and pulled a TARDIS blue envelope addressed to him. On the back was the number nine written on the back. "Diana, Doctor Song, Amy, Rory. And you four. I am very sorry for each of you," he added as he looked at Alistair and the others. "I'm Canton Everett Delaware the third. I won't be seeing you again, but you'll be seeing me."

River drove us back to the diner. Alistair sat in the passenger seat, talking to River in what I thought was Latin. Amy and Rory sat next to each other, Josephine and Faith were huddled against each other, and Susan sat next to me. She was still crying, but her tears were silent and only broken by the occasional hiccup.

When we reached the diner, everyone got out in silence and trudged inside. I helped Susan out of the car and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, whispering whatever comforts I could think of to her. I took her to the booth the Doctor and I had sat at earlier, where she bent over and buried her face in her arms.

River had started pacing up and down the restaurant in thought, mumbling the same word over and over: "Nine."

Rory shook his head. "Sorry, what?"

Josephine and Faith sat down across the booth from me, both of them still crying and clinging to each other for dear life. The guilt of my promise to the Doctor weighed heavily on my heart. I knew what was going to happen, I remembered most of the details, but I couldn't do anything to help or to stop something from happening because I had promised not to.

"The Doctor numbered the envelopes," River said. "Diana, what number was on your envelope?"

"Uh, two," I answered.

"Alistair told me what he and his friends got. Susan got three, Josephine four, Faith five, Alistair six, you and Amy seven, and I got eight. Mr. Delaware had the number nine written on his envelope."

"So?" Rory asked.

"So, where's one?"

"What, you think he invited someone else?"

River laughed humorlessly. "Well, he must have. He planned all of this, to the last detail."

"Will you two shut up?" Amy snapped from her stance by the booth. "It doesn't matter."

River shook her head. "He was up to something."

"He's dead," Amy said.

But River was persistent. She knew the Doctor had something up his sleeve. "Space, 1969. What did he mean?"

"You're still talking, but it doesn't matter," Amy muttered, her hand pressed against her stomach.

Rory looked back at his wife. "Hey, it mattered to him," he said gently.

"So it matters to us," River continued.

"He's dead," Amy repeated.

"But he still needs us." Amy looked up at River and the older woman sighed. "I know. Amy, I know. But right now we have to focus."

Rory pointed a finger. "Look!"

I turned in my seat to see where he was pointing. I couldn't see very well, so I got out of the booth and pulled Susan up with me. While standing, I could see the blue envelope sitting on the table at the far back of the diner. Rory asked one of the waitresses behind the counter who had bee sitting at that table, but she gave him a vague answer that didn't help us.

River snatched the envelope up. "The Doctor knew he was going to his death, so he sent out messages. When you know it's the end, who do you call?"

"Er, your friends," Rory guessed. "People you trust."

River held the envelope in the air. "Number one. Who did the Doctor trust the most?"

A door at the back of the diner opened and from behind it stepped the Doctor, a straw in his mouth. He stopped mid step when he spotted us all gathered around in the middle of the diner.

"Hello, everyone."

"Dad?"

The tone of Susan's voice cut right to my heart and I felt tears start to form in my eyes. Susan let out a sob and rushed forward to engulf the Doctor in a hug. Faith, Josephine, and Alistair followed her lead and piled around the Doctor whilst mumbling incoherently in another language.

"This is cold," River breathed with a shake of her head. "Even by your standards, this is cold."

"Or hello, as people used to say," the Doctor replied, looking around at his friends in confusion. "I just popped out to get my special straw. It adds more fizz."

"Doctor?" Amy breathed in disbelief.

"Hey, hey, Susan, sweetheart. What is it?" he asked his daughter, rubbing his hands along her back in an attempt to comfort her. "What's going on? What are you all doing here?"

Amy shook her head. "You're okay. How can you be okay?"

"Hey, of course I'm okay! I'm always okay. I'm the King of Okay. Oh, that's a rubbish title. Forget that title." The Doctor glanced to Amy's left and smiled. "Rory the Roman! That's a good title. Hello, Rory. I'd hug you both, but I'm a bit attached at the moment."

Susan whispered her father's name and it tore at my heart. I stifled my tears, but only just barely. Seeing the woman I knew to be my future daughter sobbing over her father's death tore my conscience to shreds. I didn't think I could handle much more just seeing her so deeply hurt.

River stepped forward and tugged Susan off of her father. She kissed the girl's forehead, but never let her eyes drop from the Doctor's gaze. Then she whispered something in her ear and released her. Susan let out another sob and ran into my arms.

"Hey, sweetie, it's okay," I murmured, pressing my cheek against the crown of her head. "It's okay."

"Doctor River Song, nice to see you again. Been getting into any trouble lately?"

River slapped him hard enough for the sound to ring out nearly ten seconds later. He cried out, covering his cheek with his hand, and stood in shocked silence for a minute.

"Okay. I'm assuming that's for something I haven't done yet."

River nodded firmly, her eyes ablaze with hurt and anger. "Yes, it is," she spat.

"Good. Looking forward to it," the Time Lord replied sarcastically.

"I don't understand," Rory spoke up. "How can you be here?"

The Doctor stepped past Alistair and the others to grab the blue envelope from the table. "I was invited. Date, map reference. Same as you lot, I assume, otherwise it's a hell of a coincidence."

"River, what's going on?" Amy asked.

"Amy, ask him what age he is," she instructed her mother.

"That's a bit personal," the Doctor scoffed.

"Theta," I snapped harshly, "don't."

"Tell her," River said again. "Tell her what age you are. "

The Doctor finally relented, revealing his age with a roll of his eyes. "Nine hundred and nine."

Amy shook her head again, stepping forward slightly. "Yeah, but you said you were-"

"So where does that leave the rest of us, hm?" the archeologist demanded. "Jim the fish? Have we done Jim the fish yet?"

"Who's Jim the fish? And why is everybody angry with me?"

"I don't understand."

Rory looked to his wife. "Yeah, you do."

"I don't!" the Doctor shouted. "What are we all doing here? Why are my-"

"We've been recruited," River interjected, refusing to let him finish. "Something to do with space 1969, and a man called Canton Everett Delaware the third."

"Recruited by who?"

"Someone who trusts you more than anybody else in the universe."

"And who's that?" the Time Lord asked.

River and I looked at each other and said in unison, "Spoilers."

I'm hoping that wasn't too bad... Please leave a review and don't forget to take a look at my pinterest to see my OC's.