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Chapter 18: Amy Onboard
Amelia Pond was sleeping soundly in her bed. Not once did she wake up for the rather loud whooshing nose from outside. Nor did she stir from the creak of her door being pushed open. What did slowly wake her was a light tickling on her nose. Scrunching her face, she tried batting away whatever was trying to tickle her, but it remained persistent in raising her from her slumber. She blinked slowly as she tried clearing her vision to see what exactly was trying to get her awake. What she saw was the beaming and very close face of the Wanderer. Amy let out a startled scream, leaping away from the blonde girl. Wanda burst out in laughter, clutching at her stomach from the funny reaction of the ginger.
"That wasn't funny!" Amy exclaimed angrily, throwing a pillow at the blonde girl. She noticed how the Time Lady was now wearing different clothing than the last time she had seen her. Wearing a blue tunic, brown capris, and white Mary Janes, it made Amy shake her head at the strange fashion choice.
"Nah, you're right. It was hilarious," Wanda chortled, ducking as Amy threw another pillow at her once more.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Amy demanded in question.
"Picking you up of course," Wanda replied easily, grinning. "I promised you two years, didn't I?"
Amy blinked dumbly for a moment. "What?" Her eyes travelled to the calendar on her wall, then widened when realizing what night it was. All the x's on the past dates and the one large circle around today made her remember what she had been anticipating. Then her annoyance spiked up once more. "And you decided the best way to announce your arrival was by giving me a heart attack?"
"Oh, well, um . . . I just wanted to give you a laugh." Wanda gave a sheepish smile, then bounced up from the bed. She remembered how much River had made her laugh by doing the same thing over the years. Wanda assumed that Amy might like to be woken up the same way. Perhaps not everyone appreciated that sort of wakeup call. "So, you ready for the next adventure? The Doctor's waiting outside for us."
"He's here? Now?" Amy looked like a mixture of alarmed, embarrassed, and elated in hearing the Doctor was back. Not that she did not appreciate Wanda being here again, it was just, well . . . it was the Doctor.
"Yep, he's waiting by the TARDIS in the backyard." Wanda pointed to the window for Amy to look if she wished to.
Instantly, Amy was by the window, gazing down to see the gleaming TARDIS, as blue as ever, lighting up the night. Stepping away from the window, Amy seemed to hurriedly adjust her nightie as if ready to look presentable for the Doctor when she saw him. She had been thinking a lot about the Doctor and the Wanderer since they had left two years. Especially the Doctor. He had been popping up in her mind even more often than usual lately. For certain reasons that were actually supposed to occur tomorrow. Amy's face flushed as she still felt uncertain and embarrassed in thinking what she would be doing in the morning tomorrow. The rustling of clothing was heard, making Amy turn around to see Wanda messing with the wedding dress hanging on the cupboard.
"Lovely wedding dress. I bet this will look amazing on you," Wanda commented, ignoring the shocked noise Amy had made and how the ginger girl had pushed her away from the dress.
"It's not a wedding dress. It's just—a costume for my kissogram job," Amy said hastily, trying to bypass discussing the upcoming event at all costs.
"There's no reason to be embarrassed, Amy. You're just getting married," Wanda replied, bouncing to sit on the bed. She smiled brightly at the girl, understanding just how anxious she must be feeling. Wanda knew exactly how unnerving the idea of marrying, tying one's life to another, could be. But once the wedding starts to actually take place, all the nerves and anxiety just rush out the window as one realizes just how perfect the person they were marrying truly was.
"How did you . . . Right, future knowledge. Nevermind," Amy shook her head, forgetting about trying to figure out how exactly Wanda always seemed to know everything that had or would happen.
"Rory's a lucky guy," Wanda said merrily, swinging her legs as she grinned at Amy from the bed. "And you're a lucky woman." She winked at the ginger, giggling as Amy made a stuttered noise.
"Look, can we just . . . keep this to ourselves, yeah?" Amy walked over to the window again, gazing out nervously as if afraid the Doctor had heard the sudden announcement of her upcoming wedding. "I don't want the Doctor knowing about this."
Wanda opened her mouth for a second before closing it, bewildered by this statement. She raised a skeptical brow at the ginger girl. "Why?"
Amy appeared flustered, shifting from one foot to the other. "No reason."
Wanda furrowed her brows, bewildered as to why Amy wanted to keep something so important a secret. And why exactly keep it a secret from the Doctor? From the show back from Wanda's old universe, she remembered that Amy had originally did not get around to telling the Doctor until after the incident with the Angels at the crash of Byzantium. Or more like she just forgot to mention it, really. But since Wanda pointed it out, why would Amy still wish not to tell the Doctor? Shrugging, Wanda simply figured that Amy merely was too nervous to discuss the wedding with anyone at the moment. Especially the Doctor, since he did have the tendency to overreact at certain surprising news.
"All right then," Wanda said, hopping up from the bed. "Go ahead and get dressed. Unless you'd rather stay in your nightie, then that's fine, too. We'll meet you outside the TARDIS."
Amy gave the Time Lady an irritated look, scoffing as she crossed her arms. "What makes you think I'll go with you two? It's been fourteen years now. Why would I want to come after all this time?"
"Because you've still been marking the days in waiting for us to return." Wanda pointed at the calendar, having seen that right away since entering the room. Of course, the calendar had not been the only thing she had taken notice of. She also spotted the many drawings, dolls, and toys that Amy had made of the Doctor and the Time Lady herself. Wanda could not help but let a small smile appear on her face, feeling touched that Amy had created all of that and kept it all through the many years of waiting.
Amy winced, embarrassed that Wanda had seen the calendar. "So? That doesn't mean anything."
"Come on, Amy. I know you want to go." Wanda bounced up to the girl, smiling in expectancy. "You've wanted to go since you were a little girl."
"I grew up," retorted Amy.
"As we said before, 'You never want to do that,'" Wanda countered. Seeing how Amy still appeared to be irritated and firm in staying, Wanda gave the biggest pout, having cute eyes as she clasped her hands together in a pleading manner. "Please come with us? We really would love to have you onboard. Please?"
Amy's resolve faltered as the cute child-like look the blonde girl was giving her made it extremely hard to still feel angry. But she wanted to remain firm. "Why exactly do you two want me to come along?"
"'Cause we know what it's like to be out of place in the world." Wanda gave the girl a soft smile, gazing kindly. "You were thrown into so much so fast in your life. Taken from a home you've always known and loved into a very strange place that really didn't seem to want you living there. We've both been there, too. Still are, technically. Plus, we just really like you. You're amazing, Amelia Pond." She finished her sentence with a grin, hoping that this would convince the ginger girl to come along.
Amy let out a long breath, seeming to think it over. Finally, she decided. Though, truthfully, it was not a hard decision to make. If the Doctor was involved, then count her in. "Fine. But make sure to get me back here in the morning."
Wanda gave the girl a salute, nodding. "Yes, ma'am." Turning on the spot, Wanda bounded down the stairs and came outside to see the Doctor looking eager while standing by the TARDIS.
"So? Is she coming?" he asked in expectancy.
"Yep!" Wanda cheered. Both grinned and did a little excited jump. They held hands and faced the house as they waited for Amelia to come out to meet them. The Doctor rocked on his feet, letting out a small puff of breath. He gave a sideways glance at Wanda, adverting his eye quickly when he saw her turn to him. "Is something wrong, sweetie? You seem a little . . . tense."
"Nothing, dear. I'm fine. All is . . . good," he replied, nodding as though he were trying to assure himself of how 'fine' things were. When seeing Wanda's raised brow, he let out another huff. "Oh, all right, I did some . . . checking while you were inside talking to her."
"You were looking into that crack on her wall," Wanda said, nodding while the Doctor hummed thoughtfully.
"It's still there. Not visible, no. But still . . . just there within the fabric of time and space. A small wear in the universe. But why? Why here and why her?"
"Well, why did you think I wanted her on board? Besides her being amazing, the brilliant Pond she is. There's a lot we have to do to help her out." Wanda shrugged lightly. "And there's a lot she has to help us with, too. Just another family member joining us on the TARDIS."
The Doctor gave a big, eager smile. "Hmm, yes. And how exciting for someone new to explore with."
Wanda laughed, turning to face him. "I thought you've always said you prefer to travel just with me, hmm?" She rocked on her feet and poked him lightly in the arm, teasing him.
Turning to her, he shrugged. "What can I say, I've changed quite a bit. Besides, don't want you getting bored of just little old me being around all the time."
Wanda smiled, leaning up to lay her arms on his shoulders, pressing closer to him. "Oh, I'd never get bored of you, Spaceman."
The Doctor smirked playfully, pulling her closer by curling his arms around her thin waist. "Never ever?"
"Never ever." Each of them hummed in joy as they shared a tender kiss. Pressing their foreheads together, they chuckled lightly as they smiled at the other, relishing in the warmth they shared. They turned around to face the house when they heard someone coming. They watched as Amy came out into the garden in a plaid shirt, jeans, and brown boots. She kept her arms crossed, staring at the Doctor coolly.
"I decided to go with you. And you have to promise to get me back here in the morning," she stated curtly.
"It's a time machine. We can get you back for five minutes ago," the Doctor replied, looking at her thoughtfully as he wondered why she demanded this. "Why, what's tomorrow?"
"Nothing. Just stuff," Amy explained edgily, seeming nervous to discuss it. Wanda glanced between the two, wishing she could tell the Doctor, but knowing she could not since she had promised the new companion.
The Doctor nodded, seeming to take that as a fair answer. With a snap of his fingers, the TARDIS door then opened up for the newcomer, allowing Amy to hesitantly go inside. Both Time Lords held their own internal amusement when seeing how awestruck the girl appeared to be of the vast size of the TARDIS, turning in circles to stare at everything. Eventually, Amy got over the shock of the 'bigger on the inside' ship, watching the Doctor and Wanda spring up the stairs to the console and beginning to fiddle with the controls. Amy crossed her arms, staring carefully at them as if to study them as she walked up to the console as well.
"You know, I never believed you about the whole," Amy waved a hand around to gesture at the room, "big, blue box thing. Not even about the time machine. I was even starting to think that you were just a madman with a box." She nodded her head at the Doctor, making this statement to address him directly. The Doctor walked up closer to the girl, giving her a serious gaze.
"Amy Pond, there's something you'd better understand about me, 'cause it's important, and one day your life may depend on it," he said in an even tone. Amy stared at him, sucking in a breath as she feared of what he might say. But then the Doctor lost his serious demeanour as he gained a large grin. "I am definitely a madman with a box." Spinning around, he threw both hands out as if to point at Wanda in glee. "And this is my madwoman with a box." Wanda laughed in delight as the Doctor hopped up to her and gave her a loving kiss on her forehead.
Amy's eyes widened for a second before narrowing slightly. She felt a spike of jealousy wash over her as she saw the way the two of them held hands, their fingers intertwining, as they started fiddling with the controls on the console again. It had never really been something she had paid attention to in the past. As a child, the affection they shared had went right over her head, and two years ago with Prisoner Zero she had not noticed at all since she had been so overwhelmed with everything that had happened that day. But now, she really started to take notice of just how . . . close the two of them seemed to be. And really, she found herself not liking it at all.
"So, all of time and space, everything that ever happened or ever will, where do you want to start?" the Doctor asked Amy eagerly, giving her a boyish grin. Amy merely shrugged.
"I don't know. Everything?" she replied. She walked up closer to the console, letting her strange jealous streak slid away as her excitement built up, even beginning to smile eagerly as well. The Doctor nodded, grabbing onto a lever, letting his own excitement take over and kept a merry hand held with Wanda's as she bounced on the balls of her feet next to him.
"Goodbye, Leadworth," the Doctor said.
"Hello, everything!" Wanda exclaimed. And with a flip of the lever, they were off through the Time Vortex onto the next adventure with their new companion.
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Of course, the questioning began immediately, as any new companion eventually does. Amy began rambling on and on with questions, one being on whether or not the TARDIS was an actual spaceship or not. She really did not seem to believe neither the Doctor nor Wanda on the whole 'it's a ship through time and space' thing. So, to prove it, the Doctor halted the TARDIS in her journey through the Vortex and opened up the doors to show Amy the vast majesty of space outside. And still, she scoffed and did not believe them, saying how the space seen outside of the ship could always be just a projection or a magic trick of some kind. The Doctor returned the scoff, telling her, if she would like, he could prove fully that it was no mere fake picture or magic trick. She said to prove it, and it ended up with both the Doctor and Wanda holding onto the girl's ankles, letting the companion float safely just outside of the ship to experience the no gravity and full view of space. Amy could not stop the awestruck smile from forming on her face, and the Doctor and Wanda laughed merrily as they enjoyed seeing the awed expression of the companion.
They brought her back into the ship a moment later, laughing as she finally admitted to believing them.
"Told you it was a spaceship," the Doctor said, clapping a hand on the ginger girl's back. Amy laughed, shaking her head.
"That was really something," she commented on the experience of floating in space. "Do you both do that often?"
"Not really, no," the Doctor replied, humming in thought. He then grinned, turning to Wanda. "Would you like a go?"
"No, no. I think I'll pass," Wanda said, holding out her hands as a way to gesture her nervousness and uneasy in even thinking about going outside those doors while in space.
"Come on, it'll be fun," the Doctor said, smiling in encouragement as he grabbed Wanda's hand, pulling her closer to the doorway.
"Doctor, you got me to finally be okay with being near the doors. Why do you think I'll want to be hanging outside the doors?" Wanda countered, trying to continue in backing away from the doors.
Rubbing a gentle thumb over her hand, in a way that Wanda almost felt soothed by, the Doctor walked up closer to her and smiled in reassurance. "I know you still have a fear of heights. But trust me; I think this will help in getting rid of your fears."
"You're afraid of heights?" Amy jump in to question, holding a puzzled expression as she stared curiously at Wanda. "How can you be afraid of space if you're scared of heights? It's space. There isn't any real heights, is there?"
"Yes, I know," Wanda sighed, feeling silly that her irrational fear had been brought up into questioning. "I'm just . . . I don't like it, okay?"
"Well, why don't you try it?" Amy suggested. A sly smile appeared on her face as she bumped her elbow lightly into Wanda. "Come on, live a little."
"No thanks," Wanda said, rejecting the very idea. There was no way would she ever allow herself be hung outside in space for 'fun.' She had barely wanted for Amy to do the same thing earlier, but both the companion and the Doctor had been persistent. In the end, Wanda had only agreed when she decided that both the Doctor and she keep a hold onto Amy in allowing her to do such a dangerous thing. Shaking her head, the Time Lady pointed out the doorway, trying to change the subject and avoid both of them making her hang out the TARDIS.
"So, are we going to find out what that is?" Wanda asked, directing the attention of the Doctor and Amy to look out of the doorway.
The three of them crouched down when suddenly seeing the massive spaceship flying below the drifting TARDIS. It was truly a sight to see, with large skyscrapers that just jutted out of the ship and into space. Making the ship look more like a floating city than anything else. Or, perhaps more like a small country as there was an outer metal edge that was oddly shaped around the skyscrapers. The Union Flag had even been painted on the metal edge for decoration. Recalling the details in her mind, Wanda knew that this more accurate for the sight they were seeing, knowing that the spaceship was actually the Starship UK that held the entire population of the United Kingdom.
"Now, that's interesting," the Doctor remarked, staring down at the sight with high interest. He hurriedly stood up, going over to the console as his mind began racing in recalling what the sight meant. His mouth went on a ramble, thinking aloud really, as he started to fiddle with the controls. "29th century. Solar flares roast the Earth, and the entire human race packs its bags and moves out till the weather improves. Whole nations . . . migrating to the stars."
The rambling continue as the Doctor pressed a button on the console to close the TARDIS doors. Amy and Wanda were almost scooted right out of the ship, but luckily the Time Lady acted fast enough to pull back the companion before they were thrust outside of the old girl. Amy sucked in a frightened breath as Wanda patted her on the shoulder.
"And now you see why I'm nervous around those doors," she muttered to Amy, turning to walk over to where the Doctor stood.
Wanda absently listened to the Doctor continue on in his rambling, explaining everything about the spaceship outside and where it came from to Amy. Soon, the Time Lady let her mind wander as she pondered over what would come of the adventure ahead. Not only this new one right outside, but also others that she knew must be coming up soon. So many wonderful and too many horrible, the future seemed to almost weigh on her as she thought over the different possibilities.
Funny enough, her abilities did not seem to bother her as much as they used to in the past. When she had been younger, terrible headaches seemed to follow even when she would glance forward into the Doctor's timeline. She would still get headaches, of course. But they did not seem to have as strong of an impact against her. Though, she did still have her limit of only four peaks into the future per day. For still she would become faint and grow close to a seizure. Thankfully, she had only experienced a breakdown like that during the one time after the Reaper incident. But she had come close on quite a few occasions over the decades. And on all of those times, the Doctor would, of course, scold her greatly in allowing herself to become so exhausted from her abilities of insight. Still, she had to wonder why her headaches seemed to be lessened. Was it because she had grown used to the after effects of her abilities over the years? That would be the most logical conclusion she could think of at the moment.
Wanda attention was directed away from her thoughts when the Doctor began to explain to Amy about 'being observers only' when it came to visiting planets and such. No getting involved whatsoever was the number one rule. Wanda laughed internally. Yeah, right. And she was the snow queen of Pittsburgh. No wait—that made no sense. But still, it was ridiculous for the Doctor to say that. Really, she knew it was just Eleven trying to cut himself away from getting into such big trouble like he last did in his Tenth incarnation. Especially after the whole . . . Mars trouble. But still . . .
The scanner on the TARDIS flickered into life, making Wanda look away from the Doctor and Amy. It showed the image of a little girl, wearing a red jumper over a dress with a messenger school bag hanging off one shoulder, and sitting all alone in the middle of a crowded area. It was clear from the video showing that she was greatly upset, tears running down her face as she cried. Wanda felt her hearts clench, feeling torn at the sight of the crying child.
"So we're like a wildlife documentary?" Amy asked the Doctor as she tried to under what exactly it was that both he and Wanda did in their spaceship, time machine, whatever they wanted to call it. "'Cause if they see a wounded little cub or something, they can't just save it, they've got to keep filming and let it die." She then noticed the image of the little girl on the scanner. Her heart went out to the child in seeing the distraught nature of the little girl. "That's got to be hard. I don't think I could do that. Don't you find that hard? Being all, like, detached and cold?"
"Well . . .," the Doctor trailed off, not knowing on how to answer that. Truthfully, when he noticed the scanner showing him the crying little girl, he wanted nothing more than to run out there and comfort the child. However, he knew this would prompt them getting involved with the world, most likely falling into something dangerous along the way. And he had promised himself in regeneration that he would no longer place himself or Wanda in grave danger as they had been in the past. There was simply too much at stake now for them to keep jumping dangerously into the mix of things. Yes, it was better to play things safer now with certain plans on the way for them. Better to keep Wanda and their future safe and protected.
"Um . . . Doctor?" Amy spoke up, making him shake his head to clear his thoughts. She pointed to the screen in front of them. "What's Wanda doing?"
They both stared in surprise when seeing the Time Lady on the screen as well, crouching down next to the little girl and smiling kindly at the child. They could tell that she seemed to be trying to comfort the child. The small girl appeared startled by an adult suddenly taking an interest in her, getting up quickly to leave Wanda behind. Then, turning to the screen as if knowing they were watching, Wanda pointed sternly for them to get into the spaceship the TARDIS had arrived in with her. Promptly, after making this gesture, she turned and went after the little girl. The warmest smile grew on the Doctor's face, his hearts speeding up in their joyful beat as he only felt love for his Wanderer.
"That's Wanda for you. She can never simply stand by when seeing a child cry," the Doctor remarked fondly. He turned with a flourish and bounded out of the TARDIS. Amy looked back and forth between the scanner and the doors before hurriedly following after him.
After finding herself amazed with the futuristic surroundings and sightings of the ship's marketplace they had stepped into, Amy tried to keep up in listening to the rapid talking of the Doctor. He seemed to go on and on, constantly changing the subject between what was wrong with the society around them, then something about shadows, listing off all the things on the ship, observing a glass of water on the floor, and then rambling right back on with something being wrong with the place. Amy could barely keep up with him. He was like a mile a minute. Eventually, they finally spotted Wanda sitting on a red bench, with her arms crossed and pouting. The Doctor hopped over the back of the bench, sitting beside the blonde and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Amy came around the other side of the Time Lady, taking a seat as well. Though, not without resentfully noticing how the Doctor seemed to be rubbing loving circles on Wanda's shoulder.
"So, what are we up to here?" the Doctor asked casually, trying to figure out what Wanda had been up to since they saw her on the scanner.
"She won't let me talk to her. She's just too scared," Wanda huffed, nodding to the little girl who sat on another red bench a ways from them. The trio saw how quietly the child was sobbing, appearing to be greatly heartbroken. "I just wanted to give her a hug." Wanda sank slightly down in her seat, greatly distraught in not being able to comfort someone who was crying. Especially a child.
"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure we can get her to open up to us soon enough," the Doctor assured Wanda, smiling while giving her a light squeeze around the shoulders as a hug in reassurance. Amy frowned, not understanding why exactly the two seemed so determined to speak with one simple child.
"One little girl crying. So?" she brought up in question, gesturing a hand at the child.
"Crying silently," the Doctor commented, giving the child across from them a concerned look. "I mean, children cry 'cause they want attention, 'cause they're hurt or afraid. When they cry silently, it's 'cause they just can't stop. Any parent knows that."
"Are you a parent?" Amy questioned, starting to wonder about both him and Wanda. She felt another spike of jealousy go through her and a bit of dread to match. She tried ignoring it, knowing she was being silly in allowing her old crush on the Doctor to pop up again. She had moved on with Rory, and no silly crush should get in the way of her marriage. But still . . . the old feelings were there.
"Yes," Wanda said, answering for the Doctor when seeing the high hesitation and wariness on the Doctor's face. She understood how he never wished to discuss his family from the past, and she knew that it would take some time before he would be willing to open up about his past to Amy. But to Wanda, it did not mean that he should not discuss his current daughter Jenny. She was a part of their family after all. "He has a daughter named Jenny who lives on another planet that was terraformed. She's sort of a leader there now. And she likes to consider me 'mum.'" Wanda smiled and snickered when seeing the beyond shock on Amy's face.
"Are you her mother?" Amy asked edgily, sounding a mixture of unease and irritated by this news.
"No, no. Adopted more like," Wanda explained. When seeing the companion's expression changed, Wanda began wondering why exactly Amy suddenly seemed so relieved by this.
"Right, so then you had a kid with someone else, then?" Amy asked the Doctor. She saw this strange relief on the Time Lord's face after Wanda explained about Jenny, almost as if he had been nervous that Wanda had said 'yes' about something else entirely.
"Nope. Just me," the Doctor replied. "Jenny was created using progenation: taking my DNA, a sample of diploid cells, splitting them into haploids, and recombining them in a different arrangement. Growing the offspring of choice through a quick process within a machine, spitting out a sort of 'child' of the donor of the sample of DNA."
"Basically, he's both the mum and the dad," Wanda clarified the Doctor's rapid explanation when seeing the blank stare of Amy.
"Okay, then," Amy said slowly, as if unsure what to think about that. "So, is that your only kid or—."
"Anyway," the Doctor said, raising his voice loud enough just to get the two girl's to focus on task at hand again, "hundreds of parents walking past this spot and not one of them's asking her what's wrong, which means they already know, and it's something they don't talk about. Secrets." He pointed out to the different passersby, all whom which walked right past the crying child, directing their eyes firmly away from her direction as they seemed determined to focus on anything else but her. "They're not helping her, so it's something they're afraid of. Shadows, whatever they're afraid of, it's nowhere to be seen, which means—."
"It's everywhere," Wanda finished for him, watching carefully as the little girl got up and left quickly.
"Exactly. Police state," the Doctor agreed, slapping a hand on his knee. Nodding her head slightly, Amy glanced up to see the little girl in the red jumper was gone.
"Where did she go?" she asked in shock, looking around to see where the child could have vanished to.
"She's heading to Deck two hundred-seven, Apple Sesame block, Dwelling fifty-four A," Wanda listed off calmly. "Her name is Mandy Tanner, age twelve, brilliant in class as she always receives the highest marks on her test." Blinking in bewilderment, Amy stared at Wanda in disbelief in hearing all of this information.
"How did you know all of that?" Amy questioned. "Did she drop a wallet or something?"
"Nope," Wanda said, popping the 'p' at the end. "Like I said before, I just know things. Sort of like I've got a telly in my head that likes to keep me informed about what will happen, has happened, and might happen." She had already gone into more detail with Amy about the other universe and the Doctor Who show back on the TARDIS when the companion had been asking more and more questions. But, of course, the subject of the possibilities was never really brought up until later. Hopping up from the bench, Wanda grabbed Amy's hand and pulled her up.
"So, we need to go ask Mandy about the Smilers," Wanda said briskly.
"The what?" Amy asked.
"I'm guessing the Smilers are those, right?" the Doctor spoke up, standing up next to them. He pointed over to the glass booth holding in an android of sorts. It had sort of a porcelain face, which smiled creepily at everyone walking by. It wore large dark robes that made it look like a strange judge of the area. When truly, it was sort of a judge of justice within the ship, though, in Wanda's opinion, the justice the android ran was based on a very flawed system.
"What about them?" Amy questioned, not quite sure what made the creepy looking androids so special. "They're just things."
"Yes, but look. They're everywhere," Wanda pointed out, gesturing to all the many booths that surrounded the place. And this was only one section of the ship. There were countless more everywhere else.
"And they're clean," the Doctor added in. "Everything else here is all battered and filthy. Look at this place. But no one's laid a finger on those booths. Not a footprint within two feet of any of them. Look." Gazing around, the companion began to see what exactly the Time Lords were pointing out. It made the androids in the booths even more unsettling to look at. Wanda then began tugging on Amy's hand, in a hurry to get to Mandy and make certain that the little girl was all right.
"Come on, we need to catch up," Wanda persisted.
"What are we supposed to do?" Amy scoffed, not sure why exactly Wanda wanted her to come along to go to the child. She would much rather stick around with the Doctor and let Wanda do the caring child stuff.
"Two people are better than one in comforting someone," Wanda countered, pulling Amy's hand. The Time Lady then looked at the Doctor. "We'll meet you back here in an hour. Or well, I should say we'll try to meet you back here."
"Right, then, I'll see you both here later," the Doctor stated merrily, clapping his hands together as he already began to think rapidly on what he should do next.
"What are you going to do?" Amy asked the Doctor.
"What I always do. Stay out of trouble," the Doctor replied. Wanda snorted loudly, shaking her head as she chortled.
"Yeah, right, Mister Trouble Magnet," she chuckled. "I still say you smell of trouble every day."
"Okay, so I'll try to stay out of trouble," the Doctor countered, turning to stroll off back through the marketplace.
"Oh, and sneak peek: You need to search below for the truth of the ship," Wanda said loudly over the noise of the marketplace. The Doctor waved a hand over his shoulder, indicating that he had heard her.
Wanda steered Amy away, getting her to head off to a stairwell with her. They needed to catch up with Mandy if they wished to comfort the child in her seemingly lost friend, Timmy. Well, there was also getting the information about the ship, but Wanda was more or less focused on just giving the child cheer at the moment.
"So, when you say that you 'know' things, is it more than just already seeing your . . . 'show' for your old universe?" Amy began to question as they walked down to another deck on the ship.
"Yes," Wanda replied, "you could say that." They walked along with the crowd of the busy area, trying to figure out which direction they needed to go to next. While Wanda gazed around to for a sign pointing them to Deck two hundred-seven. "I actually do have the ability to look into time itself, in a way. Mostly just the ability to see the Doctor's timeline, and the effects that both he and people may have within his life. It's an ability I discovered to possess when I arrived here to this universe."
"So . . . it's more than just advanced knowledge then," Amy remarked carefully. Pointing a finger at a sign, they saw where they needed to move to next. As they both walked through the crowd, Amy continued her questioning. "Does the Doctor have . . . similar 'abilities.'"
"Somewhat, yes. It's more like I can see the whole web while the Doctor just sees the railroad that carries time," Wanda explained. "And he really can't 'see' into the future like I can. He just knows and sees all the details of history, what is meant to be and not to be and what will be."
Amy frowned, her brows creasing as she pondered over this. "So . . . can't you just tell us everything we need to know?"
"Sorry, but no. Wish I could, but it would just lead to disaster. I can only really give 'sneak peeks' of what is to come. Everything else is just spoilers."
"Spoilers?"
Wanda smiled lightly, giving a shrug. "It's a term I learned to use from my sister. It basically means 'sorry, I can't tell you or else the universe might blow up.' In which case, sometimes it does. Now there's a sneak peek for you." She tapped Amy on the nose, giggling at the annoyed expression the ginger girl threw at her.
Amy flicked Wanda's hand away from her face. "And who is this sister of yours?"
"You'll meet her in the future. Sometime soon, in fact." Wanda skipped forward, bouncing down more steps as they moved onward.
Amy made sure to keep up with the bouncing blonde, wishing to ask something else that had been dwelling in her mind. "What about, you know, you and the Doctor? Are you two . . . siblings or something?"
Wanda stopped short, looking at Amy in bewilderment. Where the heck did that assumption come from? True, they did act similar and had parallel ideals in life, like many siblings might have. But it almost seemed as if Amy knew that the two Time Lords were indeed not related and that she merely wished that they were not as close as they seemed to be.
"Um, no. No, we're not siblings," Wanda replied, shaking her head slowly. Then, she began to chuckle, realizing that Amy must be joking. "Oh, that was a joke, wasn't it? Human humour? Very funny, Amy." Moving onward again, behind her Amy frowned in disappointment and hurriedly sped up in pace.
"You say 'human' like you're not a human," Amy scoffed, finding it odd on how both the Doctor and Wanda would sometimes say things like that. The way they acted sometimes Amy swore they were . . . which they could not be . . . right? "You both aren't . . . alien, are you?" Amy stared at Wanda carefully as if studying what the blonde's response would be.
Wanda rolled her eyes. "Of course we are. What else would we be?"
Amy blinked, opening and closing her mouth slightly, feeling stunned. Snapping her mouth closed, she shook her head and stared in confusion at Wanda. "But you both look human."
Wanda chortled lightly under her breath, giving the ginger a small grin. "Yeah, and you look like a Time Lord." She patted merrily on the companion's shoulder when seeing the perplexed stare, knowing that sometimes it was just too hard to understand the thought of 'aliens.' "Look, not all other lifeforms have the typical 'alien' appearance as humans like to think. We're not all big-eyed and green. Many look just like humans, though there can be some differences here and there. Truthfully, I haven't always been a Time Lord."
Amy blinked. "Huh? What do you mean? What were you before?"
"I was human. Just like you."
Amy's jaw dropped a little ways, blinking in complete disbelief. "What?! You were human?" She frowned, suddenly getting a thought. "Can any human do that? Could I become a Time Lord if I wanted to?"
"No, no. It doesn't work that way. I'm just a freak of nature really." Wanda let out a small huff. "The one and only Wanderer who changed species. How more strange and freaky can you get?" She shook her head sadly, staring off to a wall up ahead. "At least I can be here to keep the Doctor company."
"Why do you say that? Aren't there more Time Lords around?" At Wanda's silent response, seeing the way the Time Lady held such a deep sorrow in her eyes, Amy knew the answer. Her gaze softened as she stared at Wanda. "What happened to the rest?"
"Gone. All of them," Wanda sighed heavily in remorse, staring off at nothing. Though she knew this was not exactly true, technically the Time Lords were not truly 'gone' during this point. Shaking her head, Wanda snapped out of her thoughts. "As for why they're gone, that's something you'll have to ask the Doctor. I'm not really the one who should be telling you this in the first place."
"So, then, what are you and the Doctor to each other?" Amy probed for answers, needing to know where exactly she stood in the group. "Being the last of your kind and everything . . . are you two . . . married?" This last word came out tensely, making Amy realize just how much her old crush of the Doctor seemed to be affecting the way she spoke and acted around Wanda.
"Umm . . . well, our relationship is complicated. Let's just leave it at that."
Wanda felt that it was neither the time nor the place to be discussing such topics. Truthfully, she wanted to clarify everything right then and there to Amy, but the Smilers seemed to be watching their every move while walking from Deck to Deck. They would most likely be listening in as well. Wanda did not particularly want random strangers knowing this, for they might use it against the Doctor later if the situation came to that. Plus, it was hard judging at the current point in time if the Doctor considered her his 'wife.' She knew that sometime in the future (or would it be past?) that the Doctor knew of their upcoming marriage. She did not know when exactly he knew, therefore she had to keep it a secret from not only him but others as well. However, she could always clarify to Amy if the girl was truly confused about Wanda and the Doctor's relationship. However, before she could speak, Amy's next words made Wanda speechless.
"Do you think the Doctor would be open to being with someone else?" Amy wondered aloud. The companion's eyes widened as Wanda froze in her tracks, staring at the ginger in pure disbelief at what she had blurted out.
"W-what?" Wanda stuttered in question, suddenly feeling uneasy by Amy's questioning.
"I didn't mean that," Amy stated hastily, hoping to recover from her stupid mouth letting her thoughts slip out. She did not wish to ruin whatever sort of friendship that was building between her and Wanda. The blonde girl may start becoming suspicious and skeptical with having Amy around if her crush of the Doctor was revealed.
"What did you mean, then?" Wanda quizzed, feeling at a loss as to why exactly Amy seemed to be acting so weird and asking such strange questions. Wanda also felt a strange spike of defensiveness spark up within her as something told her things were not quite right between Amy and the Doctor. But before Wanda could delve into what exactly the new companion was trying to say or indicate, they were distracted when spotting Mandy up ahead from them.
Hurrying along, they raced to catch up with the child, needing to get things done for the day. Wanda pushed aside her worriment of Amy's strange question as she figured that perhaps the new companion was merely nervous by, well, everything. That was what usually happened with new companions in the beginning. So, Wanda focused her mind on the task at hand and let the subject drop away from her worried mind completely.
Reaching the lower levels of the spaceship, they came into an alleyway of sorts. Different pipes were steaming around them and the place appeared to be run down as trash laid here and there, the walls were covered in grime, and graffiti could be seen spray painted on a few places. Walking ahead, the two older girls halted in their steps when a younger girl's voice spoke up.
"You're following me," stated the voice of Mandy. Turning around, Wanda and Amy saw the young girl leaning against a large, graffiti-covered, barrel as she stared at the two adults in suspicion. "Saw you watching me at the marketplace."
"We just wanted to make sure you were all right," Wanda said, stepping up towards the child.
"I told you before, I don't need any help," Mandy spoke curtly, straightening herself up as if bracing herself for an argument from an adult. "Why don't you just leave me alone?"
"I want to help," Wanda told the girl evenly. "We both do." She waved to Amy. The companion waved lightly, having a small crooked smile on her face as if wondering what exactly Wanda wanted her to do or say.
"Please, just leave me alone," Mandy pleaded, not wishing to deal with strangers who might get her in trouble and sent away, the same that had happened to her best friend Timmy. She walked around the two, trying to keep moving forward to her home. Wanda and Amy followed after her.
"Mandy, please—," Wanda began to say. The little girl turned on the spot, looking fearful.
"How do you know my name?" she breathed in alarm. Wanda held a kind stare, trying to let the girl know that they were not here to harm her.
"We know about your friend Timmy. The one who didn't get good marks on his test," Wanda explained quietly, trying not to let the Smilers that were placed around hear them. "We know where he's at and would like to help you find him again."
"It's impossible. He's gone and I'll never see him again." Many sniffled, feeling a wave of sadness wash through her as she knew this was true.
Walking up quickly, Wanda hugged the child, wishing nothing more than to rid Mandy of her sadness. "Now, don't talk like that, sweetie. There's always hope." She crouched down, making herself eye level with the child as she kept gentle hands on Mandy's shoulders. "We'll find Timmy, safe and sound. I promise." She could tell that Mandy did not believe her, but Wanda knew that in the end, the child would be reunited with her best friend once more.
"What's that?" came the question from Amy, turning Wanda and Mandy's attention towards the large, red striped tent with a yellow caution gate surrounding the area next to them. White signs decorated the gated area with the words Keep Out painted on. An even larger sign hung above the place reading Magpie Electrical. Wanda frowned, recognizing the name for a moment before shaking her head and focusing her attention back on the tented area.
"Don't know. Let's go check it out," Wanda said to Amy merrily, opening up the gated area to walk towards the tent. Amy followed along behind the Time Lady while Mandy stayed behind while staring at the two in alarm to their actions.
"You can't go in there," she told them, gripping onto her messenger school bag's strap tightly from nervousness of their behavior. "There's a hole in the road. We have to go around." Both Wanda and Amy turned, grinning cheekily.
"Don't mind us. We just can't resist a 'keep out' sign," Amy said, smiling when hearing Wanda giggle in delight to her response. Turning together, they crouched low to see the rather large, old lock on the ends of the tent, keeping any from trying to get in. Fortunately for them but unfortunately for the secrets of the ship, Wanda had her screwdriver with her. Flipping up her tool and giving it a kiss, the tool buzzed as it unlocked the tent for them.
"You know, you and the Doctor never did explain what those tools of yours does. What are they exactly?" Amy asked as she watched Wanda place the slender device back into a pocket.
"It's my sonic screwdriver," Wanda explained as she pulled the lock away from the tent.
"And that tells me . . . what exactly?" Amy responded, frowning as she crossed her arms.
"It's like a screwdriver . . . but sonic."
"Oh, well then, that explains everything," Amy said sarcastically, rolling her eyes in response.
Wanda scoffed, shaking her head. "Well, it is screwdriver that's been made sonic. Look, just think of it as a universal remote. Expect instead of changing the channels on the telly, it does about anything else that you want it to. Except wood. It doesn't do wood." Pushing back one of the flaps of the tent, they both peeked inside to see nothing but darkness. The older girl's stared warily inside as Mandy shifted anxiously on her feet behind them.
"So . . . any idea what's in there?" Amy whispered to Wanda, keeping her voice low so that Mandy would not hear.
"Nope," Wanda replied with a small pop at the end. "I can't really remember."
"But you can see into the future," Amy countered with a scoff.
"Doesn't mean I always look ahead for all the answers," Wanda interjected. "I like to be surprised every once and a while. It gets boring when you know everything." Amy shrugged, somewhat agreeing and understanding this. They crawled forward inside of the tent, ignoring Mandy's pleas for them to stop.
Once inside of the darkness of the small tent, Amy reached over to find an old torch for them to use. Winding it up, the light flicked on for them to finally make out what was inside the darkness. Their eyes slowly widening in shock, they could only stare in disbelief at the sight before them. It was a large tentacle of sorts rising up from the metal of the ship, waving slightly in the air as it seemed to almost stare at them. It had some kind of sharp stinger at the end, looking ready to strike at them.
"Ooh, now I remember," Wanda mumbled under her breath. "I remembered what was below, but not what was coming above. Right. Stupid me." She chuckled nervously under her breath as the tentacle leaned back to strike. Pushing Amy back out of the tent in a rush, Wanda leaped out of the way just as the stringer tried to strike at the companion and her. Rolling over towards another end of the tent, Wanda breathed out in a panic as the tentacle turned to strike at her again.
"Wait, please!" she cried out, holding up her hands as a gesture of peace. "I'm not here to harm you. I know what you are!" She rolled away again as the tentacle hit at the ground. She stood up, facing the incoming tentacle head on, hoping that the true creature it was connected to could hear her. It might not work, but she had to try. As the tentacle leaned back to strike again, Wanda rushed forward and placed a firm hand on it. "We're here to help the children!"
She felt it freeze under her touch, swaying slightly as it seemed uncertain by what was happening or what exactly Wanda was saying. It felt ready to continue its strike, though it was hesitant to do so now. She knew she needed to try and communicate with the star whale, the true secret of Starship UK, and let the whale know what she, the Doctor, and Amy were here to do. Closing her eyes, Wanda concentrated to connect with the whale's mind. It was hard since technically the tendril she was touching was only on the whale's back, very far away from the mind itself. But it seemed that the whale helped her along as it reached out to her as well. She gasped once their minds connected, feeling an overwhelming sense of pain. She could hear its wailing cry of agony, feel its torment. It made her knees buckle as tears began to stream down her face. Then, its thoughts rang through her mind.
Please, tell them to stop. I only wish to help the children. the whale spoke to her. Its deep voice rang old, wise, ancient. Like the stars themselves. But there was such misery in the voice as well. A deep pain that broke Wanda's hearts.
You can never stand to see children cry. To see them scared or in pain. Wanda replied, quivering as the tears rolled down her cheeks. She breathed in shakily. I understand that, I really do. I can never stand to see them cry, too.
We turn pain and misery into kindness. the deep voice, the kindest voice she had ever heard, agreed. To bring light to those who deserve a brighter future, who still have so much to live for in this life. Wanda felt a caress of sorts across her mind as the whale tried to ease the pain they shared. She closed her eyes, feeling almost as though the star whale were trying to relieve her of some old and forgotten torment she had endured long ago. Something to which she knew must be locked away within her mind, a tightly locked memory buried away behind the barriers in her head. The secrets to herself which she might never fully understand or know.
You, who is the first and last of her kind, a child in her own way, understands what it means to protect the future. We care for the young, the innocent, for they are our futures. Wanderer, tell them I will not leave. I will always protect their children. the whale said to her, gently removing the connection from them.
Opening her eyes, she saw how the tendril had actually gently laid on her shoulder, rubbing affectionately against her cheek. Petting it soothingly for a moment, Wanda backed away once the tentacle move from her shoulder.
"I promise the Doctor, Amy, and I will end your pain today. I swear," she whispered softly, barely a breath above the hissing noise of the steam outside the tent. The tendril sort of nodded as if showing her the star whale had heard and understood. Nodding in return, her steps were light as she made her way back over to the entrance of the tent, peeking out carefully to see who might be outside.
She knew by now the Winders (half human-half Smiler individuals) would be outside to capture her and Amy. They would send both of them to the voting booth, to vote on whether to forget about the star whale or protest. Protesting would be a no brainer to Wanda, as she felt nothing but disgust in what the humans in charge of the ship were doing to the creature below. However, she knew that Amy would choose the latter, as she feared the choice the Doctor would have to make might be too much for him and break his hearts in the process. Wanda understood why Amy felt the need to keep the Doctor away from the truth, and really, if it had been herself under a similar situation and did not know that things would turn out all right, she might be tempted to make the Doctor leave without knowing as well. Luckily, though, things turned out all right in the end for everyone.
When seeing no one standing outside of the tent, Wanda let out a breath of relief at first, then suddenly felt confused. Wait a minute . . . the Winders should be out there waiting for her as well. Even Mandy was gone. Why did they just take Amy away? Did they think that the tentacle inside the tent had killed her or something? How rude of them. They didn't even bother checking to see if she was dead? The nerve.
Letting out a huff, Wanda stomped out of the tent and marched away from the area. Great, now she needed to find out where the voting booths were, and she had no idea on where to start looking. That's just peachy. Oh, wait, there's her Second incarnation coming out in her again. That sass and sarcasm, it would just never go away would it? Shaking her head, Wanda began to feel worried for the taken Amy. She hoped the companion was doing all right. In the end, Wanda knew the girl would be fine, but it still did not mean that she would not worry about her friend.
Coming onto a different level of the ship where things were still empty and quiet of people, Wanda spotted the Doctor climbing up a set of stairs from the lower levels of the engine room. She could see him holding a device in his hand, staring intently at the screen as he seemed to be following something.
"Doctor!" she called out to him, waving a hand as she jogged towards him. Looking up in surprise, the Doctor smiled brightly upon the sight of his Wanderer.
"Wanda, you wouldn't believe what just happened," he said once she stood beside him. "Found the engine room and it's completely fake! It's only there for show. So, the real question now is how exactly is this ship moving through space when there are no engines?" He waved the device in his hand for her to see. "Was given this by some mysterious woman in a red cloak wearing a mask. Apparently, she's just as curious with the strange occurrence of this ship as we are." Grabbing her hand, he began walking off to continue following where the device in hand was guiding him. Then he abruptly stopped short when realizing someone was missing. "Where's Amy? Did something happen?"
"Yes and no. She's fine if that's what you're wondering," Wanda told him, giving his hand a squeeze. "If we keep following that tracking device, we'll find her."
"Ah. Perfect," the Doctor responded, giving a nod and continuing on in their walk. "So, what did the two of you find? Anything interesting?"
"We caught up with Mandy again. But didn't get really anywhere in talking with her. Kind of got distracted by this sort of 'root' tendril coming up into the ship," Wanda explained as they strolled along down the way. "These Winders took Amy away, but left me behind when they thought the tendril had killed me." She was jerked to a halt by the Doctor, forced to turn to face him as he stared at her in alarm.
"What? You had been close to dying?" He grabbed her by the arms, appearing frightened by this thought.
"No, no . . . Well, maybe. But I managed to get the tendril to calm down in the end." She meant to say the star whale, but she was not sure if that would count as a bad spoiler or not. She did not look into the possibilities to see what exactly she could or could not tell the Doctor in the beginning of their arrival here. Which really, in hindsight, she should have.
The Doctor's face became stern. "So, you just walked up to this dangerous thing and thought you could calm it down?" With Wanda's nod in response, the Doctor gritted his teeth together. "What were you thinking, Wanderer?"
"Um . . . I guess I was just going with it." She gave a sheepish grin, knowing that once again she did not really think things through. It really was not too bad, but still the star whale could have ignored her attempts to speak with it and kill her on the spot. She had just wanted to ease its mind and help it understand that its suffering would be over soon. But then again, she was an adult and the star whale did not like anyone except children. It could have easily killed her off without a thought.
"Heh, I guess I still have that brash streak in me," she chuckled weakly. "Sorry, didn't mean to make you worried or upset." The Doctor gave an exasperated sigh, shaking his head.
"I guess I should be used to it by now," he muttered. Leaning forward, he gave her a gentle kiss, thumbing softly at her cheek. "Just try to stay out of trouble, okay? Don't start becoming a magnet for danger like me, all right."
"Too late," she giggled, grinning cheekily.
Rolling his eyes and shaking his head, the Doctor moved them along by grabbing Wanda's hand once more as he knew they needed to get to Amy. Sure, that woman in the mask might have said she was safe, but it still did not mean that he felt anxious for a new companion's safety. It was never a good sign in the beginning to have a companion be thrown into danger. Though, then again, it had been becoming a habit with their first starting adventures.
"Theta, I just wanted to let you know now that Amy is going to make a choice that you might not agree with," Wanda began to speak quietly, squeezing his grasp hand lightly. "You should know, though, that she did it in the end because she thought she was protecting you. I understand why you'll be angry with her, but I can also understand why she made the choice she did. If I was in her shoes, I might have done the same as well."
"Oh? And what choice is that?" the Doctor asked, wondering where this had come from. What sort of mistake was Amy about to make?
"Keeping a dark secret hidden so the truth does not hurt the one we care for," Wanda whispered. She felt the Doctor's hand tightening around her hand, making her response by thumbing his skin gently. "I think you can understand that more than anyone."
"Yes . . . I suppose I can," the Doctor said in a soft tone.
They stayed silent for a moment, either one knowing what to say. Finally, Wanda was the one to speak up. "Is hiding the truth really helpful, though?" She glanced him from the corner of her eye, judging his reaction to her words. "Wouldn't it be better . . . just to tell someone the truth? I think . . . I would like to know."
"No. You don't. Trust me." The Doctor's tone came out hard, strict, unmoving to be persuaded by Wanda's soft words.
Wanda let out a small sigh. "Right. I'll just have to remember on my own, then." After a moment, she sucked in a breath as she felt warmth beginning to build up within her. "Okay, so, when you find Amy, make sure to tell her this from me: Remember the children, and it's okay to push that button. And for you: just know that the third option isn't always the best one."
"All right . . . Why exactly do you want me to tell Amy this?" He turned to look at her in question, but held a disappointed smile when seeing the white light beginning to build around Wanda. "Ah. I see."
"Sorry. It looks like I can't stick with you or Amy on this adventure. Oh, actually, you should probably explain the whole 'wandering' thing to Amy. We never really did get around to telling her." Giving him an apologetic smile, she leaned up to give him kiss.
The Doctor immediately held her close, thumbing at her cheek as they shared their chaste kiss. Pulling away, he rested his forehead against hers. "I'll see you around, then."
Wanda smiled warmly, caressing his cheek as well. "See you around, sweetie. I love you."
The Doctor grinned, feeling his hearts beat in delight, as they always did when hearing those words from his Wanderer. "I love you, too."
With that said, Wanda left in a flash of light.
XxXxXxXx
Well, I wonder where the next adventure will take place for everyone. Leave your thoughts and comments in a review and there just might be a sneak peek in the next chapter. ;)
Reviewers:
Jesuslovesmarina: Hi! :) I'm just so overjoyed that you liked it! I thought you might like that part. I know I did lol ;) It really is a perfect line for him, especially as it does ask a good question. Who is the true imaginary friend here. ;) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Until next time!
XxXxSleepingAngelxXxX: Hello! So good to see you again. :) No worries on repeating things, I do it all the time myself, too. I understand completely on the social anxiety and how hard it is. It took me years to even post the story up on this site because of my anxiety and social phobias. And I still get highly anxious every time I post a chapter or reply to reviews. Just know that I'm always here as support and never one to judge another. :) Thank you so much for your kind words. They mean the world to me. :) I really hope you enjoyed the new chapter! And to talk to you again real soon. Take care! :D Also, no worries on the login. Happens all the time. ;)
singingKatelyn: lol Thank you! I'm so happy you enjoyed it. :D You're a wonderful person, too!
grapejuice101: Thank you, as always. ;) I really hope you liked the new adventure Wanda went on. Any guesses as to where she might go next? ;) I always will! Thank you for so many years for support! You're the best! :D Until next time!
heroherondaletotherescue: Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that you were having a bad day. :( I really hope that things have gotten better though! And I'm happy that the last chapter made things a little bit better for you. :) Here's to hoping this chapters comes to you on a much better day and just adds more awesomeness to your life. :D And if the chapter doesn't help, then I hope this response helps more. :)
bored411: Eh, maybe just a little bit of tension. lol ;) Hope you liked how things went in this chapter!
Ronin Kenshin: Why thank you. :)
All The Stories Are True 24601: :D Thank you! Yes, actually. I used to live in the UK briefly during my childhood because of my family being in the military. Sadly, I don't remember much of it, and I didn't have much experience exploring the UK either with me being stuck at home with my mother at the time. Wish I could have spent more time there, but maybe again someday. :) Yep, I do currently live in the States. Do you live in the UK? I loved to know all about it, if you don't mind of course. :) Until next time! 3
Shinonome Sakuya: Thank you for such a lovely review. :D I'm always so happy to hear from you and other readers. They truly are in the honeymoon stage at this point. That, or they're just very lovey-dovey with each other lol ;) Spoilers on when the Tenth Doctor finds out. As for the wedding ceremony, unfortunately, that was something that only happened for the Doctor and Wanda off-screen (which was actually between Eleven and Third Wanda). Something very short and quick that never had a chance to make it officially into the story. Maybe I can do a special chapter in a sort of outtake story for it someday, but at the moment I have no plans for it. But good news, we will be seeing when River meets Ten. :) I really hope you enjoyed the newest chapter. Take care!
Momochan77: Aww I'm so glad! :D They make me smile, too. And also my favorite episode. Wanda really is great to Rory. Just as he's great to her. I think it's especially showing as Rory helped First Wanda in many small ways boost her own confidence, so later Wandas would definitely feel the need to help him just as much. :) Plus, Rory is the very first person she met from this universe. I think that might also be a factor of why Wanda feels a special connection to Rory. So glad you enjoy their moments together! Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter! Until next time!
NeoGnat: Happy to be back! And so happy to see you again! :D Hope to see you again in the future!
Crystal-star-Tyler: Trying to keep an update schedule. I'll at least update every other week or so. I'm just so excited to be back and to see all you lovely readers again. :) And I promise not to update every 5 months again ;)
Whovianeverlark17: Thank you! I'm so happy you liked it. :) Ah yes, definitely spoilers lol ;)
N7SpaceHamster: No worries on not reviewing. I'm just happy to see you whenever you have the time for I know how crazy life can be. :) It's always great to talk with you and to see all what you have to say. And I definitely love, love long reviews! Writer's block is always a horrible roadblock for me. But I am most certainly pushing through to make certain all the chapters are there and ready for you lovely readers. :) Oh yes, definitely more interesting in Wanda not remembering everything. For both her and us lol ;) As for the Master, he does have some parts to play. As for how significantly . . . well that's just spoilers for now. The Doctor does become mightly possessive of Wanda as things go on. As for why, still up in the air on that one. As well as for those promises. Glad you enjoy the interactions between Amy and Wanda. :) And Wanda's rambling personality. Also so happy you liked Wanda's interactions with Roy as well. Things were most certainly different from Wanda's show versus our own. So, there might be some surprises for both us and Wanda later down the road. Wanda most certainly wants to push more about her past, but being with the Doctor for so long she mostly has learned to just not push too much on certain things. Mostly because she doesn't want to upset the Doctor more than anything. I'm just so happy you loved so many things from the last chapter. :D And, I hate saying it, but Third Wanda is most definitely my favorite Wanda, too. lol ;) Sorry First and Second. I love you both, too! Just love Third a little more lol. Until next time! Take care and have a joyous day/night! :D
Once again, thank you so much to all reviewers and readers! Each one of you is just too beautiful!
~Tinker~