Wanderer of Time: Darkness Within

by Tinker16

The powers within have been steadily growing, buying time until the moment of remembrance. The moment swiftly approaches. Wanda's fears are coming to a head as she realizes what has been living inside her has only one purpose in the universe. And it holds no qualms in destroying any who gets in its way, even those who Wanda loves. (Part Three of the Wanderer of Time trilogy)

63. Ch 63: Moving On

Hello, one and all!

Welcome back to another update to the Wanderer saga. I hope that everyone has had a lovely week since the last update. Please enjoy and have an even more amazing week than the last! :)

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 63: Moving On

Clara sat there by the console in the control room, bored out of her mind. She tapped her fingers lightly against her chin as she rest it in the palm of her hand and her elbow on her knee. Her legs were crossed together as she sat on the grey metal floor of the control room, staring off towards the corridor. She waited for the Doctor to come back like he said he would. That was four hours ago. Four hours of her pacing around the room, waiting for the Time Lord to come back. Was this a normal thing for him? Promise to be back in time for things and then taking forever to show up? If this was a normal habit of his . . . she supposed she better start getting used to it now.

She let out another exasperated sigh. She thought he wanted to just spend some alone time with that younger Wanda who had shown up. Or 'First Wanda' as he liked to call her. It was interesting to see just how much of the whole 'changing face' thing that the blonde Wanda had mentioned. It really was a whole other face. But still Wanda? It was strange. The brunette Wanda was so much different. So much taller, and lanky, and shy. But also so much younger in the way she acted. That was one thing Clara most definitely picked up on. It was so strange thinking of that younger Wanda being the same Wanda that she knew. Clara was glad that she had been able to keep it cool when meeting the young Wanda. Not let the younger Wanda see her all flabbergasted. This only brought on so many questions that she had for the blonde Wanda when Clara saw her again. Like . . . what was it like to change faces? Did it hurt? Did it take a while to adjust? How far did the changes go? How many faces could she keep changing to? Just so many questions. And that was just over changing faces! There were still a million more Clara had still over this whole situation she found herself in with the Doctor and the Wanderer.

Clara hurriedly stood up when hearing footsteps echoing from down the corridor. Finally! She could not wait for them to get going, to see something . . . awesome. A small, faint frown appeared on her face when she saw only the Doctor coming into the control room. No younger brunette Wanda in sight. Then, Clara noticed the demeanour of the Doctor. Dejected. Miserable. Forlorn. Everything that just seemed . . . so sad. This reminded her of what younger Wanda had started to question about. On the Doctor's sad behaviour. Of course, Clara had noticed it. From both the Doctor and the Wanderer she first met. But she was not about to let them know that she noticed it. She was still in the process of getting to know them. How would they take it in realizing she knew something was wrong between them? Not only that, but with that brunette being a younger Wanda, and from Clara knew from time travel movies, it was always best to keep future knowledge a secret from past selves. Right?

"So . . . where's Wanda?" Clara decided to ask casually, staring at the Time Lord curiously as he trailed around the console. He blinked as if only now noticing she was there, pausing in step beside the TARDIS controls.

"Gone," he mumbled, going back to walking slowly around the console. Clara decided to follow along behind him, continuing with her questions.

"So she jumped away like the other Wanda did? You never did explain to me how she does that. Neither did she, for that matter," Clara stated, standing beside him as he started to look over the TARDIS scanner.

"It's complicated," the Doctor muttered gruffly, refusing to look at her or answer her questions. He glanced at her when realizing she was staring at him with a steady eye, not appearing amused by his short responses. "Look . . . it's too hard to explain. Just accept it as it is. That's what everyone else does."

"Okay," Clara sighed, frowning as she stared off for a moment before looking back at him. "Did she disappear just now?"

"No. About four hours ago." Slowly, he looked over to her, seeing the bit of annoyance on her face. "Ah . . . You've been waiting." He then frowned himself. "Were you waiting here the whole time?"

Clara's frown deepened. "Of course I've been waiting. You told me to wait here. So I waited here." She followed after him as he looked a bit flustered. "What took you four hours if she left?"

"Nothing. I was just . . . going through an old room of ours. You could say that I was . . . going over fond memories." He looked even sadder when saying this, stopping to stare up at the moving silver rotor above the console.

Clara looked up as well, seeing the three-layered spinning rotor of some kind. Strange circle symbols were all over the silver plates. Looking back at him, she glanced around the control room. "So now that you're done . . . Can we go now? You did promise me that we would."

"Not until Wanda comes back."

A frown appeared on Clara's face once more. "How long does it take for her to jump back in time?"

"Hours . . . Days . . . Weeks. It doesn't matter. I don't travel without her. Not anymore."

Clara watched him thoughtfully as he fiddled absently with a random knob on the console. "What do you mean 'not anymore'?" She saw a brief gloomy expression cross his face, but he continued on with just keeping his hands occupied. As though trying to distract himself. "Why am I here, then? If you don't travel unless she's here, why bother asking me to join you?"

The Doctor looked at her with his brows furrowed. "Do you not want to travel with us?"

"I'm not saying that. I'm just wondering why pick me up when she wasn't here in the first place? Couldn't you wait until she was with you again and just, I don't know, pick me up on a scheduled date or something? And why do you want me travelling with you, anyway? You two have each other. Why bring me into the mix?"

Very quickly the Doctor appeared hesitant. A bit nervous as well judging by the way he wrung his hands together. "Ah. About that. You see, Clara, I have a bit of a confession to make." The Doctor came over closer to her, looking less nervous now and more anxious. "You see . . . Wanda, the one you first met, has gone through . . . some difficulties lately. She needs someone to help heal her and move past it all. That's where you come in. She's rather fond of you, so, I was hoping that you'd be willing to be friends with her. Help her heal and whatnot. Just be there for her when she needs it."

Clara raised a brow at him. "So, basically, you want me around like a pet?"

The Doctor's eyes widened in alarm. "What?! No! I'm not saying that!" He sighed heavily, tapping his fingers on the console. "She's always said how much companions help her through difficult times. I thought . . . that maybe . . . you'd like to be a companion for her. Then maybe she'd finally heal in having a friend again." He glanced at her, looking sheepish. "Only if you want to, of course. I'm not going to force you to be friends with either of us."

Clara nodded, understanding what he was trying to convey. Though she gave him a curious look. "Why can't you help her? Aren't you two married or something?"

"Yes, we're married. But . . . I can't help her anymore. She . . . doesn't want my help. It's my fault she was hurt in the first place." The Doctor's hands tightened over the console as he stared at the controls distantly. "I wasn't able to protect them."

Clara could only stare at him, feeling at a loss. What could have happened to make him think that Wanda did not want him around? It did not seem as though Wanda did not want him around. Clara had seen it. His wife had stared at him just a frequently as he looked towards her. With the same look of longing as he would give Wanda in return. Were they both avoiding each other?

"Does this have anything to do with Wanda calling me her daughter?" Clara questioned curiously. She saw how the Doctor tensed, but she pressed on. "I heard what she said before that base station—the one that looked like you—got me. So . . . why did she say that?"

The Time Lord just stared at the companion, seeming at a loss of what to say. He opened his mouth a few times, before tightly closing it and shaking his head. He walked around the console, refusing to look at her now. With a pondering expression, Clara stepped towards him to continue in questioning but stopped short when a flash of white light hit the corner of her eye. She looked over to see blonde Wanda, the Third Wanda, standing just on the other side of the console. The blonde wore about the same clothing as she did before. It was almost as though she had not left them at all. The woman blinked for a moment as though trying to get her vision back. As soon as she looked at them more fully, she held a very soft, warm smile to them both.

"Hello again," Wanda said kindly, edging over to the console. "How long has it been since we've last met?" Clara glanced at the Doctor, seeing how he seemed to not want to say anything. He did nothing more than walking around the console as he began to flip random levers and turn different knobs, not once looking at the woman who had just arrived. This seemed to dishearten Wanda as her shoulders slumped a little and her smile dropped.

"First you—you know the taller brunette Wanda—left four hours ago. The Doctor was just about to take us somewhere awesome. Right?" Clara said, smiling happily at the blonde. She tried to keep things light between them. Until she figured out what was really going on between the two aliens, she wanted to seem as though nothing were wrong. Besides, it was not as though she could say much more than that. Right? Who knew what this Wanda knew and what other Wandas knew, so Clara felt as though she would always have to be careful in what she said.

"Ah . . . So, I'm here, then," Wanda said quietly, slowly recalling when she had been here as her First self. It had been so long ago . . . She felt surprised that she still remembered it, truthfully. She was just glad that the Doctor was still willing to be around her past selves. "So, somewhere awesome you say?" Wanda remarked as she walked around the console closer to Clara, flipping some of the TARDIS controls without thinking. Even now she went into the old habit of helping the Doctor out in the ship's flight.

Wanda let the Doctor do his usual when it came to the first trip with the companions. Always with showing off, of course. He led Clara excitedly outside, having her keep her eyes closed until the right moment. Then, of course, came the rambling about the place they had arrived to. It was a beautiful sight to behold, the Rings of Akhaten. It was a cluster of asteroids, really, that circled around a gigantic sun. The sun itself was far less harsh to gaze at like the sun from Earth. Much dimmer with the rusted red light it shone out to the surrounding planets. The largest asteroid of them all that passed by the one they had parked on. One which they saw the large marketplace of sorts was on the large rock floating around the sun in orbit. And, of course, the best part was the distance asteroid from the large marketplace. This one held the golden pyramid that shone with the light from the red sun. This being, of course, the pyramid of the Rings of Akhaten. A sacred site for the religion of the seven worlds which orbited the red sun. The same place for the Sound Singers of Akhate.

This was the same place the Doctor had brought Wanda a long time ago. During the same time of travelling with Amy. Then again when Rory joined them. If she remembered right, there might have been a brief moment once with Martha a long time ago, but . . . Wanda blinked, seeing Clara starting to bounce back into the TARDIS. She followed swiftly behind, not seeing the forlorn expression the Doctor had when staring at her.

The moment they arrived into the marketplace itself, Wanda and the Doctor both grabbed onto either one of Clara's hands. Each of them eager to lead her through the market area. It was more like a bazaar, really, in the way the market had been set up. It was a bit cramped of space for the different merchants and guests navigating around the bazaar. It was coloured in different shades of reds, organs, and yellows. So many different aliens walking about, making trades amongst one another. So many wondrous things to purchase. It was a sight to behold.

"Where are they from?" Clara asked the two holding her hands, staring around in pure amazement.

"Oh, you know, the local system, mostly," the Doctor replied with a shrug.

"Some just from the seven worlds around here. Others most likely travelled from at least a few good light years from their homes," Wanda added, smiling brightly at the companion. It was always so special that first time with a companion. Always so brilliant introducing them to the universe around them.

"And what do I call them?" questioned Clara, growing even more excited by the minute with all these new things to experience.

"Well, let's see . . .," the Doctor pondered out loud, looking around at the different species around them. He then pointed when noticing one race that he recognized. "Ah, there go some Pan-Babylonians."

"There's a group of Idrofits," Wanda pointed out, indicating to another cluster of aliens.

"A Lugarlirakush," said the Doctor, pointing in another direction.

"Oh, I see some Zaxonas over there. Might want to stay away from them. Had a run in with them once alongside River. Don't ask." Wanda smiled sheepishly, looking embarrassed by whatever had happened with that certain group of aliens.

"Uh . . . some Eukanians," the Doctor spoke next quickly, seeming to want to bypass any more mentioning of Zaxonas. "A Hooloovoo." One alien wearing a metal suit and a dark cloak came up, making the Doctor smile in recognition. He let go of Clara's hand briefly to give a normal greeting with the alien, which ended with a pelvic thrust in the end. The alien nodded merrily with the greeting before walking away. Once more the Doctor grabbed Clara's hand as he and his wife led the companion onward. "That chap's a Terraberserker of the Kodonian Belt. You don't see many of them around any more."

"Oh! Doctor, look! A Ultramanta!" Wanda exclaimed merrily, bouncing in excitement. That species was one of her favourites. They were always so polite. The Doctor beamed away, beginning to bounce in step as well.

"Oh-ho! So it is!" added the Doctor, grinning eagerly at his wife over Clara's head. "You know, I forget how much I like it here. We should come here more often."

"We so should!" agreed Wanda as she returned his smile. While the two chatted away about how much they had missed the place and what trips they should make in the future, Clara could not help but stare at them both curiously. So, it seemed as though they really did not have as much distance in their relationship as they both thought they did. More of they just felt unable to see past whatever it was they had gone through to move on together without someone else being present with them. Must be just having someone else along with them helped each other feel more at ease with talking together. So that way if they were to suddenly remember whatever it was that had brought them apart in the first place, they could fall back in just talking that person's ear off instead and try to forget about their worries. Clara began to wonder if they were even realizing that they were doing it, using her as a way to bridge the gap they had placed between each other. Well then, best she just force them to close up that gap. If the Doctor really wanted her help with his wife, then he would get it.

"Oh! What's that?" Clara cried with glee. She made quick work to let go of each of their hands, before placing said hands together and bouncing along forward to check out what she had spotted. The companion skipped ahead as the two travellers stopped short, staring at each other with taken back expressions. Wanda slowly tightened her grip on the Doctor's hand. Her eyes stared at him with a pleading look, as if asking him to not let go. Swallowing, trying to get the dry feeling out of his mouth, the Doctor gradually tightened his own grip as well. With hearts speeding up, he felt the edging bond between them. He kept his distance in the end, however, as he swiftly let go of her hand when feeling his stomach jump.

"Well . . . like I was saying, we should come back during a less crowded day. Much easier to navigate," the Doctor said, finishing up his earlier ramble.

"Yeah . . . it is rather crowded. Though, I always do enjoy festivals . . .," Wanda spoke quietly, gazing around the bazaar and trying not to let her face fall from its calm expression. The urge to cry was just there with how her hearts clenched when the Doctor let go of her hand. But she ignored the urge, ignoring her silly emotions as she kept a small smile on her face. The more important issue came when she realized that there was no Clara in sight. She let out a sigh. "Oh, dear."

"Yes?" answered the Doctor. He blinked when realizing she was not talking to him. "Oh, uh, I mean, what's wrong?"

"Clara's gone," said Wanda. She pointed forward of where they had last seen Clara. The companion had been looking over some sort of basket of exotic fruits. But now it seemed as though she had vanished into the crowd.

The Doctor gave an exasperated groan, marching forward swiftly to get after their silly human companion. "Why is it they always feel the need to wander off? Can't we have a companion for once that sticks by us?"

"Well, you didn't exactly tell her that she couldn't wander off. Rules, sweetie. You need to set the rules from the beginning. Or else things like this happen." Wanda gazed around, trying to think of where Clara could have gone to. "You go that way and I'll try this way. We'll call each other on the mobile phone when we find her."

"Ah . . . Afraid I can't. I lost my mobile a while ago." The Doctor rubbed his hands together nervously, seeming embarrassed. He averted his eyes away from hers when seeing the stern expression sent his way.

"You threw it into space again, didn't you?"

". . . I might have." A quick glance was given before he cleared his throat. "Best we go find her before she gets into any trouble." He then hurriedly walked off.

Wanda sighed in exasperation. He had left without coming up with a plan of where they should meet up. Again. Oh well. It was not as if she could not find her way on her own. She was more worried about Clara right now. So, she hurriedly walked off, wanting to catch up with Clara as quickly as she could. Weaving in between different groups of market goers, she ended up spotting Clara going through the bazaar very carefully, avoiding any passersby. Immediately Wanda realized something must be wrong in the way the companion edgily snuck through the back area. She sped up in pace, trying to get to the companion to see what had happened. Worriment over the companion's safety and happiness went through her. Had something frightened Clara? Wanda swore that if anything had shown her harm, she would give them something to be frightened of. No one touched her daughter . . . Ugh. No, no, no. That was not a good thought to have. Clara was a grown woman, with her own mum and dad. She was a close friend and companion. These thoughts of daughters had to leave Wanda's mind. For her own sanity.

When Wanda saw the little girl dressed in red robes behind Clara, the Wanderer remembered swiftly in what was happening. It was the Queen of Years. The little girl, named Merry Galel, was the chosen since a baby to be the vessel of the history of the Rings of Akhaten. As part of the religion of the seven worlds, which believed these rings were the birthplace of the universe. A nice story if one were to really read through the history—every chronicle, poem, legend, song—of this place. But not so nice with what happened to the Queen of Years. Lucky that they were here to stop it from happening to Merry, or to any other Queen of Years after this day. Though . . . Wanda wondered if there was a way to keep the Doctor from going through so much pain later? Just the thought of him going through something like that . . . She remembered crying when watching it on the telly back when she had lived in her pocket world. To live through it now . . .

When Wanda finally managed to squeeze by many different groups of merchants and buyers, she hurried her way over to where the TARDIS had been parked. She heard the soft talking coming from behind the ship, so she poked her head around the back, seeing Clara and Merry sitting down behind the TARDIS.

"Hello there!" Wanda greeted, giving a bright smile to both of them. Merry gasped in alarm, jumping up from the ground. Clara stood up more slowly and gave a pat on Merry's shoulder.

"It's okay. This is a good friend of mine, the Wanderer," Clara reassured the girl. "She's the one who this timey, spacey ship belongs to."

"Well, partially. My husband is the one who really the one who 'borrowed' the TARDIS a long time ago," Wanda said with a shrug. She crouched down to be more levelled with the small girl, smiling kindly. "Hello, Merry. I've heard you've been very frightened about singing later."

"How did you know that?" Merry asked curiously, staring at the woman in shock.

"Let's just say that I'm psychic," Wanda replied with a wink. "Tell you what, why don't we go explore around the TARDIS? I bet after some of my famous tea, all those worries of yours will just melt away. We could even share stories of all the time I and Clara were scared when we were young." She walked around to the front of the ship while Clara and Merry followed after her. Though the child was more wary in following after the strange blonde woman.

"But the box is so teeny. How are we going to fit?" Merry asked, trying to figure out why Clara and the Wanderer were so persistent in calling the box a spaceship. Wanda, with a playful grin, snapped her fingers. Instantly the doors swung open, allowing Merry to stare inside the ship. The girl's eyes went wide, staring at the interior in awe.

"So, about this special song of yours . . .," said Wanda as she and Clara led the girl inside.

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Clara and Wanda stood in the bazaar, waving with soft smiles at Merry as the girl joined up with her escorts. The girl gave them both a small smile as well, looking still nervous about what she was supposed to do later, but also a bit more confident as well.

"You're really good with kids, you know," Wanda said to Clara, smiling brightly at the companion. "Loved that story you told her."

"You're good, too," Clara countered, also giving a smile. "Have you worked with kids before? Love if you could give me some tips. Been working on getting my teaching certificate forever now."

"Well . . .," Wanda began, starting to think on what to say, "I've always had a soft spot for kids myself. For . . . certain reasons." Brief guilt and sadness swept over her. Memories of all the children lost in the past of the Time War and the Cult of Skaro experiments. Wanda shook these flashes away from her mind, not wishing to dwell on them.

A curious gaze came from Clara as she stared at the Wanderer in interest. "Do you and the Doctor have any kids?" She saw how Wanda stiffened on the spot. Then the blonde's shoulders slumped as gloom crossed her face. Immediately Clara felt guilty having asked such a question. "Sorry . . . I didn't mean to ask something personal."

"No . . . It's okay," sighed Wanda softly. "You see . . . I was going to be a mum. But I . . . I lost the baby." Automatically her hand went to her stomach, feeling the loss of her child. It weighed her down like a thousand suns, making her hearts crumble. "It was my fault. I promised the Doctor I would keep our child safe, but I broke my promise. I was foolish. I should have protected her better. But I lost her, our Ember. I lost our little spark."

Clara reached forward and pulled Wanda into a hug when seeing the tears slowly building up within the Wanderer's eyes. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea." She rubbed Wanda's back as comforting as she could. "And I'm guessing . . . that you think the Doctor blames you as well?"

"Why wouldn't he? I lost our daughter, his one chance of finally having a family again. I broke his hearts." Wanda wiped away her tears as she pulled away from the companion. She managed a small smile when gazing at Clara's kind brown eyes. "I have to apologize for the way I behaved when we first met. You see . . . when I dreamed of our daughter, she always had brown hair and eyes. When seeing you . . . I saw my daughter."

"And you latched onto the first person who reminded your dreams. Of what you dreamed about your daughter," Clara finished in Wanda's explanation. She nodded in understanding, gazing back with soft eyes. "I know how you feel. When my mum," Clara closed her eyes briefly from the painful memory, "when she died, there was this kind woman from my school. She was always good to me, so when mum was gone I latched onto her as well. I just wanted to feel like my mum was still there with me. It took me a while to realize what I was doing. But when I did, I just knew that I needed to move on. I needed to think of how she wanted me to live. Not stuck in the past, but moving into the future."

"There you two are!"

The two women looked over, seeing the Doctor hurriedly making his way towards them. It was a surprise to them when noticing they were the only ones left in the bazaar. Apparently, the place had cleared out while they had been talking.

"Good, you found Clara, excellent, let's go!" the Doctor said hurriedly. They had only just blinked when the Time Lord grabbed their hands and began to drag them off. The two ran to keep up with him, going through the marketplace towards some sort of amphitheatre. The Doctor skidded with them through the large entrance. They could see Merry standing on a pedestal facing the pyramid and the two escorts stood behind her. The theatre of festival goers all looked at the newcomers. Most had expressions of annoyance. The trio held embarrassed smiles as they muttered 'sorry' while getting a close seat to watch Merry's singing. The girl looked back at them once they were seated. Nervousness was written all over her face. But once Clara and Wanda waved merrily at her, Merry held a small smile of confidence as she turned back towards the floating pyramid in the far distance. They watched as the girl took in a deep breath before beginning her song. From the far-off pyramid, they heard a male's voice joining in song.

Wanda glanced at the Doctor beside her, seeing how he placed on the round glasses of Amelia's and pulled out a pamphlet to read over. It made her smile in seeing him wear the glasses. Seeing him keep a memento close to him from past companions was always so touching. None of the companions ever knew that he did that, either. There was always something he kept in remembrance to them. Precious things he could never part from. As the Doctor began to explain to Clara the event of the festival they were watching, Wanda glanced around when seeing all the people around them lifting up items in their hands. Items to offer to their god. Slowly the items turned into the sparkling golden lights, floating in the air and towards the pyramid far away. It was rather magical, really. Too bad it was soured for Wanda in knowing what sort of god they were worshipping.

It was shortly after the people of the amphitheatre began to join Merry in her song when the rumbling began. Merry looked back at the crowd in alarm with fear plastered all over her face. Everyone else looked confused, gazing around as if one of them might know what was happening. Then, a beam of golden energy shot out from the pyramid and at Merry, lifting the girl up into the air. The little child screamed as she was pulled towards the temple. Wanda shot up from her seat. Dark anger building up within her upon the threatening of a child's life. She did not even wait for the Doctor and Clara to react. She simply jumped over the few aliens in front of their seat and took off from the theatre.

"Wanda, slow down!" she heard the Doctor yelling from behind her.

"No! We have to save Merry! He's going to kill her!" Wanda shouted as she began to panic. "I can't let another child die! I just can't!" She was slowed down a bit when the Doctor grabbed her hand firmly. When she glanced over she saw the grim, yet determined, expression coming from him.

"And we never will. I promise," he said, voice strong yet soft. "Not one more child will be lost as long as we're around." She nodded, feeling her hearts swell with pride and love for her husband. Again, she was reminded of why she loved him so dearly. They made their way swiftly through the bazaar with Clara just behind them, coming over to the merchant, Dor'een. A merchant the Doctor had run into earlier while Wanda had been off looking for Clara. He made some quick barking noises to Dor'een. The merchant barked right back. The Time Lord then turned to Clara behind them.

"We need something precious," he said to the companion, waving a hand impatiently for her to hand something over for them to use.

"Well, you must have something," scoffed Clara in disbelief, staring at him in annoyance. "All the places you've seen, there must be something." The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"This," he said, pulling out his sonic screwdriver from his inner coat pocket. "And I don't want to give it away because it comes in handy." He knew it sounded rather harsh of him, but he also knew he would need the sonic later to save Merry. He could possibly look through his coat for other things within his dimensional pockets. Though that might take too long for him to sort through what he would be willing to part with.

"Don't worry you two," Wanda spoke up, stopping Clara from retorting angrily back at the Doctor, "I have something." She reached around her neck, pulling off the bronze necklace. It was the locket she had been given by Jenny all these years ago. The locket was faded by now. No longer functioning in the least. But it held so many memories of her and Jenny together. It held even more meaning now that she contemplated it. In losing Ember, Jenny became her one and only daughter. Someone whom Wanda knew she needed to be there for more often and to protect with everything. She really had been neglecting poor Jenny lately. Something which Wanda felt guilty about. How horrible and selfish was she in thinking so much about the daughter she lost when she had one waiting for her in a distant time?

Wanda gave the locket a tender kiss before handing it to Dor'een and said, "Here. This is a locket given to me by my adoptive daughter." The merchant took it, looking the locket over in her hands. Dor'een then stepped aside, allowing them access to the flying moped. "Thank you."

The Doctor hopped on first, with Wanda right behind him and wrapped her arms around him. Clara was next behind the blonde, doing the same in holding on tight. With the moped's engine revved up, they were off to save Merry. Their surroundings whipped by in a blur as they shot through the bazaar. Then past the amphitheatre. They drove right off the asteroid into empty space, going straight towards Merry who still floated away in a ball of golden light. Clara tried reaching for the girl, but there was no getting close enough to her. Soon, they sped right to the pyramid, with Merry screaming as she was sucked into the temple and the stone slammed shut behind her.

"Brakes! Brakes!" Clara screamed as they came hurtling towards the temple. The Doctor jerked the moped to the side, making them skid to a halt right before the door. Dust settled around them from the harsh landing. Each of them blinked in shock at how lucky they had been in not crashing into the pyramid. Wanda let go of the Doctor first before gently prying Clara's hands off of her. The Time Lord jumped into action as he ran over to the large temple door and began to scan it with his sonic.

"Oh, that is interesting, a frequency-modulated acoustic lock," he muttered quickly. He turned to the first person who came up beside him, this being Clara. "The key changes ten million zillion squillion times a second."

"Can you open it?" asked the companion.

"Technically, no. In reality, also no," answered the Doctor as he tried messing with certain settings on his screwdriver. He was about to give it a try when he felt a strong hand on his shoulder.

"Step aside," came Wanda's voice. Though it was not a voice of her own. It was the voice of the echoing universe. He moved to the side along with Clara, watching as Wanda, with the white glow forming around her, walked up to the stone door. She placed a bright glowing hand on the stone. Very quickly there came cracks all around the door before the entire thing crumbled and fell to pieces at her feet. She then stepped right over the grey dust, marching straight into the temple with purpose.

"Did she just—," Clara began to say, staring at the Wanderer in pure disbelief.

"Yep," the Doctor said slowly.

"And the door just—," she tried again.

"Yep," the Doctor answered her once more.

"Now she's heading straight for their god?"

". . . Yep." The Doctor hurriedly walked in, seeing how the white glow still stayed around Wanda as she marched towards those within. There was a singing man dressed in red like Merry kneeling on the floor. He continuously sang—though it was more like chanting—to the 'god' within a glass box upon a large dais. Inside was a mummified alien of some kind. They could see the mummified creature had its eyes barely open with glowing red eyes.

Wanda reached down to the crouching man, the Chorister, and yanked him up. The man halted in his song, staring in surprise at the Wanderer. Her eyes glowed fiercely at him, and she growled, "Leave." He was about to open his mouth to say something. "NOW!" The man swiftly closed his mouth and hit a button on a golden bracelet on his wrist, teleporting himself away from the temple.

"What have you done? You're going to wake him!" Merry cried in alarm, backing up closer to the glass case in fright. Slowly, Wanda breathed in and out, calmly herself. The white glow disappeared swiftly as she eased her anger down. She then smiled gently at the girl.

"Sorry if I scared you, sweetie. I just didn't want you to get hurt," she spoke softly. "Remember what I said while we were in the TARDIS? One of my biggest fears is people I care about getting hurt. Well, I was very scared just then seeing you getting pulled to this place."

"You didn't look scared," Merry countered.

"Yes, well, sometimes we grown-ups tend to look angry when we're scared," Wanda replied gently. They all jumped when the mummified alien within the glass case suddenly woke up with a loud snarl, banging its hands against the glass.

Merry backed up with a yell. "You've woken him!"

"No, no one woke him," the Doctor said as he came up to stand next to Wanda, beginning to scan the glass case with the sonic. "He is waking because it's his time to wake and feed. On you, apparently, on your story."

"Story? What do you mean story?" Clara asked as she came up on Wanda's other side.

"He feasts on souls," Merry whimpered as she backed away even more from the terrifying creature.

"Same thing. The soul's made of stories, not atoms," said the Doctor. "Everything that ever happened to us, people we love, people we lost, people we found again against all odds. He threatens to wake, they offer him a pure soul, the soul of the Queen of Years."

"Stop it. You're scaring her," Clara scolded as she saw Merry looking ready to cry as she slowly backed away from them all.

"Good. She should be scared, she's sacrificing herself, she should know what that means," the Doctor retorted, walking over the child. "Do you know what that means, Merry?"

"A god chose me," said the child.

"It's not a god. It'll feed on your soul but that doesn't make it a god," the Doctor said firmly.

"A true god would never demand a sacrifice over their people," added Wanda with a firm nod. "Only those who wish to use their powers over the weak will do something like that." Wanda held out a hand to Merry, staring at her with pleading eyes. "Please, Merry, come back with us. You don't have to give yourself to that thing." When seeing how much the girl was still frightened and hesitant to trust them, Wanda and the Doctor shared a look before each of them crouched down in front of the child and smiled kindly.

"Hey, do you mind if I tell you a story? One you might not have heard," the Doctor spoke softly. "All the elements in your body were forged many, many millions of years ago, in the heart of a far away star that exploded and died. That explosion scattered those elements across the desolations of deep space. After so many millions of years, these elements came together to form new stars and new planets and on and on it went. The elements came together and burst apart, forming shoes and ships and sealing wax and cabbages and kings." Wanda smiled lightly at him. Not only by how touching the way he told his story, but also his fun humour in adding in something from one of his favourite books.

"Until, eventually," the Doctor went on in his story, "they came together to make you. You are unique in this universe."

"Just think of that, Merry," Wanda spoke up gently as she and the Doctor both grabbed one of the girl's hand, holding it in comfort. "Out of the whole universe, there's just one you. Something so precious and irreplaceable. Now, how could we let someone let you go to something like that?" Wanda nodded her head at the creature in the glass case, which was still continuously snarling and growling at them all.

"There will never be another Merry Galel," the Doctor agreed with a firm nod. He and his Wanderer stood up as they both came behind the girl, holding her shoulder to let her know they were there for her. Now, they merely faced and addressed the creature on the dais. "Getting rid of that existence isn't a sacrifice, it is a waste." He jabbed an angry finger at the creature. It retorted in an enraged snarl, banging its fists against the glass.

"So if I don't, then everyone else . . .," Merry started to say, afraid that if she did not die here that all those people back on Akhaten would.

"Will be fine," the Doctor assured the girl.

"But how?" asked Merry when she glanced at the enraged god.

"Let us worry about that," Wanda said with a wink, holding out her hand for the girl to take.

Merry gazed back at the woman with big eyes, still looking scared yet more willing to trust them than she had been before. She then asked, "You promise?"

The Doctor glanced at Wanda, seeing the conflicted look on her face at the mentioning of a promise to make. He then crossed his hearts and smiled reassuringly at the girl and said, "Cross our hearts."

Soon, Merry slowly took each of their hands, holding on tight in trust. This seemed to make the creature on the dais even more enraged as when it slammed its fist against the glass, the case began to crack. Clara jumped from where she stood, hurriedly scooting over to the others. She had been so entranced by what the two travellers had been saying to the girl. It was so . . . loving in how they spoke to the little girl. They were both so caring to those who needed it most. It made the companion respect each of them even more.

Clara paused when the pyramid began to shake around them and the asteroid under their feet began to rumble. She looked around fearfully and said, "Something's coming. What's coming?"

"The Vigil," Merry breathed, her breathes starting to come out in a panic.

"And what's the Vigil?" questioned the Doctor warily. Whatever it was must not be good in how frightened the little girl seemed to be.

"If the Queen of Years is unwilling to be feasted upon—," Merry began to explain.

"Then they'll come to force her into it instead," Wanda finished in a growl as she watched the air in front of them be distorted by a black mass. Three robotic figures appeared before them. Each one wearing black suits and had very frightening faces. Wanda glared darkly at them, stepping in front of her loved ones. The white glow built up around her and her eyes glowed darkly.

"You're not touching a single hair on this child. She is protected," growled the Wanderer. With a wave of her hand, the robotic figures shook in place before eroding away into dust. As the glow disappeared around her body and eyes, Wanda looked back at Merry, nervous in having scared the child again.

"How did you do that?" Merry asked in awe-filled fright.

"It's complicated," Wanda said, trying to give her best smile to show that she only meant to use her powers to protect and not harm Merry. The girl seemed to not mind, merely holding onto the Doctor and Wanda's hands as they all quickly made their way out of the temple. They heard glass shattering behind them and the mightiest roar of them all coming from the 'old god.' The whole place began to rumble and shake as the sun behind the pyramid slowly grew brighter and brighter. The Doctor paused by the moped as Wanda helped Clara and Merry get onto the vehicle.

"I think I may have made a bit of a tactical boo-boo," he slowly told them, sounding extremely apologetic.

"Boo-boo?" Clara responded, half-way listening as she had Merry sit in front of her on the moped.

"More of a semantics mix-up, really," mumbled the Doctor as he turned back to the others. "I thought the Old God was Grandfather but it wasn't, it was just Grandfather's alarm clock."

"Yep. And now the big boy is awake and very hungry," Wanda sighed, coming over to stand next to her Doctor. They all looked up, staring at the sun which was shaking and radiating with power.

"Oh, my stars," Clara breathed, holding onto Merry tightly. "What do we do?"

"Against that? I don't know. Do you know? I don't know. Any ideas?" the Doctor replied rapidly as his mind raced to think of how to possibly fight against something so vast and powerful.

"But you promised. You promised," Merry whimpered in fright, holding onto Clara's hands in front of her just as strongly. The fear of her people and all the worlds around them coursed through her. "He'll eat us all. He'll spread across the system, consuming the Seven Worlds. And when there's no more to eat—." She stopped speaking abruptly when feeling a firm, yet calm hand pulling her chin up. Wanda crouched down in front of her, eyes blazing in determination. The mystical emerald eyes sparkled with energy. Something about these eyes which gave a peaceful feeling to Merry.

"That won't ever happen. Not while I'm alive," she whispered to the child. She reached forward and softly kissed the girl's forehead, pulling back with the kindest smile yet. "I promise you, Merry Galel. Everyone will live on this day." She stood up slowly, seeing the surprised look from Clara. Even though the companion did not really understand what just happened there, she felt as though something very important occurred for the Wanderer.

Taking a deep breath, Wanda straightened in her posture, turning to address the Doctor now. Before she could, however, the Doctor walked sternly up to her and said, "Whatever you're about to do, the answer's 'no.'"

"I can fight it. I have more than enough energy—," Wanda began to argue.

"No! With that big of a creature, it would burn you up if you tried to fight it!" he yelled, angry that she would even think to do something so foolish.

"We don't know that," she retorted crossly.

"And we don't know that it wouldn't!"

"Oh, like it matters if I die. As long as I take that thing out—." Wanda tried walking around him, marching to go off towards the parasitic sun.

The Doctor grabbed her and yanked her right back. He held her arms firmly, pulling her right up to face him as he even shook her. "You stupid woman! Don't you even think for a second about what will happen if you leave me?!"

"You'll be happier without me," Wanda grumbled, looking away from him. Guilt went through her when realizing she had said this out loud. She did not mean to make him upset. She only wanted to save them all. She was a monster, after all. What better way to show the universe that the monster it created could bring life instead of destroying it?

The Doctor felt his breath leave him. His eyes slowly widened in alarm and dismay. "What?"

"She thinks you blame her over your daughter's death," Clara spoke up, earning their attention. She had gotten off the moped, walking over to them as she stared at them both sternly. Seriously, they were acting like children. She glanced at Wanda next. "And he thinks you blame him. You know, instead of just assuming what each other thinks, why don't you just, I don't know, talk about it?" The two looked at each other with stunned expressions while Clara glanced warily over at the shifting sun. "But you two can talk about that later. What are we going to do about that thing?"

"We are going to fight that thing. You are going to take Merry back to the safety," the Doctor ordered the companion. He held up a finger before she could argue. "We'll handle this."

"Doctor," Wanda tried weakly. But she held her mouth shut when the Time Lord turned to her, holding her face in his hands.

"Where you go, I go. Remember that?" he said. He rested his forehead to hers, gazing steadily into her eyes. "We will never be apart. Not once. Not while my story still runs on. No matter what you think, I will always want you with me."

"Always?" Wanda breathed, feeling tears coming to her eyes.

"Through all of time and space and ever more," promised the Doctor, with all his hearts. With a quick peck on her lips, he then turned to Clara once more. "Off you pop."

Husband and wife waited until Clara and Merry were off before making their way back through the temple. Each of them holding onto the other's hand tightly, refusing to let go. Once they were on the other side of the pyramid, they came face-to-face with the gigantic parasitic sun. They saw how it opened its glowing red eyes and mouth, glaring at the two tiny travellers in front of it.

"Right . . . fighting . . .," the Doctor muttered. He glanced at Wanda. "Any ideas?"

"Just what I had originally thought of," Wanda sighed, shaking her head in regret. She only had one plan, feeding the thing all of the Time Vortex energy in her until it became too full and went back to sleep for eternity. Though the Doctor had been right. With how massive that sun was, it might have burned up her body in releasing so much energy.

"Well, we're most certainly not doing that," the Doctor grumbled. As he stared at the sun, he squeezed her hand tightly. "Did . . . did you really think I blamed you about Ember?"

"Yes. And you thought I blamed you?" Wanda snorted lightly, shaking her head with a sigh. "I can't believe we did it again."

"What's that?"

"Have another misunderstanding. You'd think after the whole marriage thing we would have learned our lesson." Wanda looked at him softly, smiling tenderly. "Promise that we'll talk about our feelings for now on?"

"Cross my hearts." The Doctor returned her smile with another squeeze given to her hand. "As soon as we get back to the TARDIS, we are having a long talk about all of this. I realize now it's something that's been long overdue." Both of them stiffened for a moment, then slowly relaxed and smiled when hearing the distance song coming from Merry and all the others from the amphitheatre. They were all singing for the Doctor and the Wanderer, giving them something to help them face the parasitic sun that had been feasting on souls for so long. Something very precious: hope.

"Okay, then. That's what we'll do. We will tell you a story," said the Doctor, speaking more to the sun now. Though, it was hard telling if the creature living in the sun even heard them. Then, the Doctor glanced at Wanda, not really comfortable bringing her into what he was about to do. But she held an unwavering gaze to his, seeming absolutely set in following him through whatever he had planned. "Let me do this first. I have more of a story to tell than you." She nodded, agreeing to this at least.

The Doctor let go of her hand, stepping up as he addressed the sun, "Can you hear them?" He pointed over his shoulder, off to where the singing grew stronger and stronger by the minute. A song of encouragement and hope. "All these people who lived in terror of you and your judgement, all these people whose ancestors devoted themselves, sacrificed themselves to you. Can you hear them singing?" The Doctor closed his eyes briefly, letting the song fill him up with its wondrous sound. He glared at the sun when hearing a distant rumbling growl from it. "Oh, you like to think you're a god. But you're not a god. You're just a parasite, eat now with jealousy and envy and longing for the lives of others. You feed on them. On the memory of love and loss and birth and death and joy and sorrow, so . . . so . . . come on, then. Take mine. Take my memories." He watched as golden tendrils came from the sun's mouth, going straight for him. "But I hope you've got a big appetite. Because I've," he grunted as the first tendril hit him in the chest, "lived," another grunt of pain left him as more continued to hit him, "a long life. And I have seen a few things.

"I've walked away from the last Great Time War," he continued, shuddering as he felt memories flowing through his mind. Images of his painful past coming forth. "I marked the passing of the Time Lords. I saw the birth of the universe and I watched as time ran out, moment by moment, until nothing remained. No time, no space. Just me!" Tears fell down his face as he remembered all the pain over his life. All the sorrows. "I walked in universes where the laws of physics were devised by the mind of a madman. And I watched universes freeze and creations burn. I have seen things you wouldn't believe! I have lost things you will never understand! And I know things. Secrets that must never be told, knowledge that must never be spoken. Knowledge that will make parasite gods blaze! So, come on, then! Take it! Take it all, baby! Have it! You have it all!"

The tendrils receded back into the sun as its eyes and mouth closed once more. It looked as though it shrunk a bit as the parasite living in the sun turned into itself. The Doctor slumped where he stood, rocking on his feet. He was about to fall over, but Wanda came up behind him, catching him gently in her arms before slowly lowering him down to the ground. Streaks of tears went down her face. A hiccup even left her as she tried to hold back in sobs. Seeing her Theta go through so much pain, reliving through all his sorrows and woes from the past, and knowing what he had lived through all his life . . . How could she ever help him feel happiness again after all of that?

"It's okay now, sweetie," Wanda whispered, kissing the Doctor's forehead. He gripped her hand tightly, staring back at her with tears in his eyes still.

"I love you," he breathed. "Whatever you may think, that will never change. You, my Wanderer, have given me . . . all the happiness I could ever ask for. You are, and always shall be, the best of what the universe could have ever given me." More tears spilling down her cheeks, she kissed his forehead once more before gently laying him down on the ground to rest. She then stood up slowly when seeing the parasitic sun building back up to strength. Its eyes and mouth opened once more, grinning wickedly at them all.

"Okay, my turn," she said quietly, stepping up to the edge of the asteroid. "Haven't had your fill yet? Well then, take your pick. There's plenty more here to go." She knew she needed to buy time. There was not truly enough story in her to give the sun as the Doctor had been able to provide, it would be enough to keep the sun busy until Clara arrived. Golden tendrils shot at Wanda, making her stumble back as it sunk into her chest. Flashes of her memories started to run through her head, making more tears run down her face from all the pain of her and Alpha's past.

"The Doctor's right. He and I have experienced more pain, loss, and sorrows than you could ever imagine," she began to speak, sucking in her breath as she tried to hold back in tears from all the horrid memories of the Time War—of Alpha's past—which flowed through her mind. Wanda relaxed her body, making the memories shift as she focused on something different. Something happier, full of life and joy. "But there's something else you'll never understand." Images of all her past love in her life went by: Rose, Martha, Donna, Jack, River, Amy, Rory, Clara, and most of all the Doctor. "Through everything, I know what memories I hold to my hearts to the most. For even though I have seen the worst of what the universe has to offer, I have also seen the best. I have seen ordinary people, willing to care, to forgive, to love, to sacrifice with all their hearts. I have seen beautiful things that no words could possibly describe. I have seen life flourish in the most impossible of places." Her tears turned to that of joy as all her memories turned to the Doctor. "And I have seen all of this because of one man. One brilliant, beautiful man. A man who is always willing to see the best there is, even if he feels ready to give up on the universe. Who holds such kindness in his hearts, striving to never be cruel. Someone who is always willing to take the time to help others heal when they need it the most. Even if he himself needs help in healing. A man whose light will always be brighter than any star in this universe. Especially yours!" She fell to her knees with a gasp as the tendrils took the last few memories she could give. Still, she smiled with tears of joy. "This man, is someone who I love more than the universe itself. Be damn what the consequences be of that."

Someone behind her wrapped their arms around her as the tendrils went away. She collapsed back into the Doctor's hold, gazing up at him as he smiled down at her in his grasp. He cupped the side of her face, bringing her up to him. They both met in their kiss, just holding onto each other in a tight embrace and letting their bond connect fully. She felt the Doctor shiver against her and hold her even tighter still. With hearts speeding up, Wanda could not help but sigh in relief. She had forgotten what this felt like. The everlasting joy and floating sensation between the two of them. For it was them and them alone in the whole universe. And they could not be any happier by it.

They pulled away when hearing someone coming over to them. Clara stood there, with her 101 Places to See book in her arms. She smiled down at them softly before looking to address the sun ahead of them. A sun that was slowly starting to build back up again.

"Still hungry?" she asked. "Well, I've brought something for you." She slowly opened her book, showing the sun the leaf within. She took it out, holding it up as an offering to the sun. "This. The most important leaf in human history." She repeated this again in full determination, staring steadily at the wicked sun. "It's full of stories. Full of history. And full of a future that never got lived. Days that should have been that never were, passed onto me." She held it up higher as a golden tendril came forth, slowly turning the leaf into light energy for the sun to absorb. "This leaf isn't the past. It's a whole future that never happened. There are billions and millions of unlived days, for every day we live, an infinity. All the days that never came. And these are all my mum's."

The Doctor and Wanda slowly stood themselves up next to their companion, watching as the sun's face twisted in pain. Each of them smiled, knowing that the sun had feast far too much this time. For there was a far difference between what was and what should have been. And for this, an infinity of possibilities, it was too much for the parasitic sun. It closed in on itself once more, to sleep forever now. Wanda leaned her head against the Doctor's shoulder, holding his hand tight in hers. He gently kissed her head, knowing what she was thinking. For he had been thinking of it, too. All the lost possibilities with their daughter.

XxXxXxXx

Wanda sat on the captain's chair in the control room, letting the Doctor and Clara give their goodbyes to the people outside of Akhaten. There was not much she wanted to say that had not already been said. All she had really cared for was to give Merry Galel a goodbye hug before wanting to be back with the TARDIS again. Wanda sighed, leaning back in the chair as she stared the ceiling above. Her mind and body at peace. More relaxed than she had been in such a long time. She really felt . . . as though everything was healed for her and the Doctor. Though there were still some things they needed to discuss, she knew that things were much better for them than it had been for so long now.

She stood up quickly when she heard the Doctor and Clara coming into the TARDIS. The Time Lord hurriedly set coordinates for them to go off-world, drifting through the Vortex in no particular manner. He then proceeded to go over to his wife and gave her a tight hug. Sighing, he patted her hair gently, smiling when seeing it was almost as long as it had been before she had cut it.

"Time for our talk?" Wanda whispered to him.

"I think Clara has something to say to us first, actually," he replied, pulling away to face Clara. The companion stared at them carefully as she contemplated her words.

"Look . . . before we go and do anything else, I just want to get some things straight," she began carefully. "First thing, Wanda already told me about her seeing me as your 'daughter.' I'm guessing you started to do that, too, right?" By the sheepish expression from the Doctor, Clara knew she was correct. "If you two want me to travel along, that's fine. But as me. I'm not a bargain-basement stand-in for somebody else. I'm not here to compete with a ghost. Besides, it's not healthy for either of you doing that. I understand your pain. Really, I do. But we all have to move on sometime. Even if it is hard." The two nodded in understanding, though with a bit of guilt hanging over them in doing that to Clara.

"Second," continued Clara. "If I'm going to be here, I'm also not going to play telephone for you both. If you need someone to mediate, I can do that. But not unless you're both willing to talk to each other."

"Of course," Wanda said, smiling politely.

"This was just a one-time thing," the Doctor assured their companion.

"Normally, we're very good a communicating with each other," Wanda added, nodding with her husband. Somehow Clara very much doubted that, but she was not going to argue them about it. She merely nodded curtly, walking off towards the corridor.

"Good. Then you two have your talk while I go to the kitchen for something to eat. Come get me when you're done," she told them before disappearing down the corridor and deeper into the TARDIS. Once she was gone, the Doctor turned to Wanda, holding both of her hands tenderly.

"Why would you ever think I could blame you over Ember?" he asked her gently.

"I could say the same thing," Wanda sighed, shaking her head. She stared down at their hands, thumbing his skin in a caress. "It was my fault, Theta. Not yours. I should have realized that something was wrong with the way things were for you in the future. I should have seen what the Master would do. I knew what he was capable of. I should have never allowed myself while carrying Ember to be around that man. I—I broke my promise in protecting her."

"No, I should have protected you both better," countered the Doctor with a shake of his head. "There could have been so much more I could have done to protect you both besides just that perception filter. I should have put us into retirement, or figured out a way to keep you from jumping anywhere dangerous again. I . . .," he sighed heavily in regret, "I should have told you the truth about your memories. I thought I was protecting you . . . but maybe if I had told you, then Alpha would have worked on keeping you in place until the baby arrived."

Wanda looked back up to him, seeing his watery eyes staring back at her. She scooted forward and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against him. He, in turn, rested his chin on her head and held her even closer. She slowly rubbed his back and said, "It was neither of our faults. It's time we stop blaming ourselves for something that . . . that was most likely out of our control. There's a possibility—though it's a horrible thing to think about—that it could have been a fixed point in time in our timelines. Nothing we could have ever done." On mentioning of 'fixed point,' she felt the Doctor stiffen for a moment before relaxing in their embrace once more.

". . . I hate those words," he sighed heavily. Gradually he pulled back to hold her face in his hands, gazing deeply into her eyes. "Clara's right. Time we've moved on."

Wanda nodded as she grabbed his hand and pressed it against her chest, letting him feel her rapidly beating hearts. "Theta . . . make me yours." She gave him a light smile with eyes lighting up happily when seeing the Doctor's breath hitch and him beaming in return. He then pulled her into a very heated kiss before lifting her up into his arms and carrying her down the corridor.

XxXxXxXx

Clara became bored with being in the kitchen, so she went wandering about after a while. It had been a few hours of just exploring when she began to realize that Wanda might have left again. It did seem to be a repeat from before, after all. Would she have to wait in the control room for the Doctor again until he felt ready to take her home? She wondered if she could just convince him to take her back and set up a schedule for them to go travelling again. It would help with how he never wanted to travel without Wanda. That way Clara would not be stuck bored on the TARDIS, and the Doctor would not feel pressured into travelling without his wife.

She passed by a sort of entertainment room. She glanced in, seeing a large television on the wall with a variety of different sofas and comfy chairs sitting in front of the telly. There was a snack bar of some kind on the far wall, equipped with a microwave on the counter. Most likely for popcorn making. Clara walked into the room, finding it interesting to see the television playing the end credits to a movie. From the looks of it, it was the Guardians of the Galaxy. Funny. The Doctor did not seem to be the sort to like movies such as that. Then again, it was a movie about adventurous aliens who saved worlds. Seem just like him now that she thought about it. And of course, Wanda would most certainly love movies like this. Without a doubt.

Clara blinked when realizing the two aliens were lying curled up together on one, rather comfy looking, sofa. Wanda was snuggled up on top of the Doctor, while the Time Lord under her had his arms wrapped closely around his wife. As though he were protecting her from any bad dreams. Each one wore colourful pyjamas that Clara could not help but smile at. She turned and left, only to come back a moment later with a large blanket in hand. Carefully she pulled it around them to cover them and let them sleep in warmth.

"Thank you, Clara," she heard the Doctor say quietly as she was just about to leave. She turned around, seeing how he still laid there with his eyes closed. Unmoving from his peaceful hold with his wife. The companion nodded in welcome before walking away once more. All the while, she wondered if he was thanking her for more than just the blanket.

XxXxXxXx

Woo! I believe things are finally back to normal for those two. Let's hope it stays that way. ;) What did you all think of the new chapter? I hope it was a good read. :) Please tell me what you thought of it in a review! It's always a delight seeing from you all.

Reviewers:

TimeWarrior42: Aww, I'm so touched that you're enjoying the story and Wanda so much. :) It really means everything to me knowing that the story brings readers such joy. I truly hope that you'll continue to find joy throughout the rest to come. Take care and hope to see you again soon. :D

lautaro94: Glad you liked it! Hope that this chapter was just as good. There will be a bit more Jack. But there will be much, much more of Jack in part four. I promise you that. :) I know there's a lot that goes beyond what we see in the show. Unfortunately, since none of it is truly confirmed to be canon to the lore, I'm stuck with mostly writing from what we see from television. Such as the Sarah Jane Smith Adventures, Torchwood, and Doctor Who. I hope that you don't mind the story just sticking with that lore. Take care until next time!

bored411: It has been rather rough. But now I believe things are going to get much better. Maybe not completely, but definitely better. :) At least all misunderstandings are taken care of. Let's hope they stay that way. ;)

swimmjacket: Yay! lol But never worry about that. I'm always happy seeing from you whenever you get the chance. :) Not one of my favs, either. But it was meant to be for our dear Wanderer. Glad you liked it all. I do believe that our Wanda is now on the way to move on and be on a better road than before. Agreed, so smart, yet so dumb haha. I really hope that you'll enjoy the ending. Even if it will be sad. I'm very nervous for part four. Nervous that many won't like it. I just hope that it won't be that bad of a read. Hope that you enjoyed the new chapter! Take care!

normandy1701: It's nice getting to see the two of them let loose. haha ;) As well as showing how good control the two of them are gaining over their powers. Not a whole lot of control, but better than what they used to be. Agreed, it was a very cute moment. Hope that you enjoyed the nice moment between the two of them in this chapter. :)

All The Stories Are True 24601: I do love intense moments from time to time. ;) No, Amy and Rory do not, and never will, know about what Wanda experienced there. The Doctor and Wanda would not wish for their companions to know things like that. Not something that is always healthy, but I understand why those two keep such secrets. But yes, they would most certainly be distraught by what poor Wanda went through. Aww, I'm not that good. *blushes* Seriously though, I know there are plenty of stories out there which are much better. However, I am very happy that this little story brings you such joy. :) Until next time!

FREYA ASTRID NOVA: Glad it helped a bit. :) I think we all needed a break. I hate making so many chapters back-to-back in hardships. But unfortunately, it was unavoidable. I'm sorry. :( Our dear Wanderer will be lost to us. Though Wanda will be happy in the end. Knowing where she belongs in the universe and knowing that she will be protecting those she loves, that is all she could ever ask for in her life. They are both cute puppies at times. :D So happy that you enjoyed it all. Hope you enjoy the new chapter, too!

Momochan77: Agreed, it really was a good step for Wanda to take. Not only with accepting herself but also facing her fears that has been plaguing her for so long. Don't worry, I feel proud of her as well. :) Hope you enjoyed the new adventure!

Arkytior's Song: Agreed! It just takes baby steps at times to get things back to normal and bring happiness back into one's life. :)

LovableAmethyst129: I feel you there. They really just need to learn to talk. At least Clara gave them a good smacking through words. Made them both realize just how silly they had been. All back to normal and finally talking now though. :) Also, I love SAO abridged! And you're right, they were acting just like that one time in the abridged. haha

TheMidnightwolf15: I'm glad you liked it. It always helps to have chapters as 'breathing points' from the hardships characters go through. I usually always try to make the story flow better so we get a breather every now and again. Unfortunately, it just did not turn out that way for the major part of this third part of the story. But definitely more breathers from now on as we see in this chapter. :) Nine doesn't get a lot of credit from people I think. Mostly because of him only lasting one season I believe. But yes, I would have to agree on the Rose part. Now, if I'm being honest . . . I actually really, really, really do not like Rose. At all. Not as a companion, and especially not as a love interest. I don't necessarily hate her. But I happily skip around many parts with her in them. And absolutely agree about Journey's End. I'm just glad that for this story's universe, Rose was a much more agreeable character for me to see hanging around Wanda. ;)

Kylie Winchester: Aww, well thank you. :) Also, I'm very happy that you're excited. I really, really hope that you'll enjoy part four when it finally comes out. :) Take care!

Jacqueline3005: Don't worry about leaving a review. I'm just so happy knowing that the story brings you such joy. :) It's also great knowing that the story has been bringing you happiness for so long. Thank you so much for sticking with the story! Especially since I know there's always better stories out there compared to this one. A much easier time for our dear Wanderer now is coming. :) Really hope that you have a wonderful week and to see you again in the future!

TheBlueRiver: Well, I hope it isn't too much sadness for you. :( Just hope that maybe this chapter helped a little more.

Whovianeverlark17: Yep! Everything seems to be in the clear between those two now. Let's just hope it stays that way. ;) Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter! Take care!

Faery66: Hope you will enjoy the rest to come. :)

Take care everyone!

~Tinker~