Don't ever be a stage manager. They'll tell you that it's fun and then you accept. Before you know it you're herding cats- I mean theater kids- I mean cats.

I'm going to be taking an editing class tomorrow, where I'll edit this chapter. So for the most excellent quality wait until about ten or eleven o'clock eastern standard time.

I'm thinking of renaming this fic "Broken". Thoughts?

*Disclaimer* Still- still don't own Doctor who. I'm teenager-aged, I wasn't even born when this show started. My dadwasn't even born!

Bear in mind the triggers this chapter

I can hear a pair of feet coming down the stairs and turn to The Doctor, my eyes widened. For a long moment he stares at me, and then looks around the room for a way out. I've obviously done this more than him so I take charge, grabbing his wrist and shoving him under the kitchen table in the corner of the room. I'm fairly certain we can't be seen through the table cloth, but I push myself against the wall anyways.

The space is too small for both of us to fit comfortably. The Doctor is breathing right down my neck, and I'm losing circulation to my feet, but all I focus on is the sound of footsteps getting steadily closer.

I hold my breath while she turns on the coffee pot. She pulls out a chair and sits, her feet tapping anxiously on the floor. I pull myself back further, so we're only inches away from touching. I clench and unclench my fist, nervousness building up in my chest steadily. Any second now she's going to move just a tiny bit closer and we'll be exposed. Any slight movement, a sneeze, a cough, anything, and we're exposed. What happens after that I can't even imagine, probably-

I'm drawn out of my thoughts by the Doctor taking my hand, squeezing it between both of his. I exhale slowly, closing my eyes. If I just focus on this, this small piece of interaction, I'll be okay. I squeeze back,

I nudge the Doctor with my elbow and crawl out from underneath, and manage to make the ten feet between us and the doorway next to the staircase without being seen. I turn around and gesture for the Doctor to follow. He's less stealthy, making so much noise I'm certain he will get us caught. The woman doesn't turn around, and I'm grateful that the staircase is out of her line of sight, because now all we have to do is walk up them completely silently, and once the door is open, I jump out, closing the door and covering it with the rug immediately.

I take a deep breath. We're not in the clear yet, this place is still closed, and we're still not supposed to be in here. The Doctor is already walking towards the door when this thought crosses mind. We're cut off by the man that we first saw walk in here. He's crossing his arm and glaring at us.

"How did you get in here?" He demands harshly.

Lie. I need to lie. And it needs to be believable. I wrack my brains, trying to come up with something quickly. I'm good at lying, but I know full well the consequences if I screw it up. Actually, this guy could probably do much worse than my dad, if his appearance is anything to go on.

"The door was unlocked. We're looking for a set of twelve dining room chairs, do you deliver? I live just down the road and-"

"This store is closed." He says firmly, his voice full of aggression.

"Yes, well, as I said, the door was unlocked."

"I can assure you it was not!" He says. "Well, I can assure you that it was." I say, raising my eyebrows at him.

He turns around, apparently going to check, and the Doctor pulls out his sonic, unlocking the door. The man opens it, and turns the doorknob. I smirk at him, raising my eyebrows. His face is flushed and his ears go red.

"Leave." He practically growls.

"You read my mind," I say, taking the Doctor's hand and walking out the door.

We're about a hundred meters away from the antiques shop when I finally let out a breath.

"That was… Something." I say breathlessly.

"You're a very good liar." He says, smiling approvingly at me.

I laugh. "Yeah, years of experience and four really good role models…" I smile. "When I was six, Jacob and Riley gave me "lessons". Apparently, my tells are biting the inside of my cheek and pulling on my ear."

He laughs. "Did you catch on?"

"Not until I was about eight or nine." I say, letting go of his hand as we approach the T.A.R.D.I.S. "Apparently, six year olds aren't that great at lying convincingly."

"Hey, next time we decide to go into some place we're not supposed to, because someone does something suspicious, promise me that we'll have something along the lines of a plan."

"Plans aren't really my thing." He seems genuinely serious, and I don't know whether to laugh at that, or demand to be brought home because of that. I laugh.

"We could be one of the bodies on that table, you know. We could've died. That was reckless." I say.

"Sort of like getting into a bigger-on-the-inside phone box time machine with a mad man."

I nod. "That too. God, I'm having a day."

I blow air out of my cheeks, shaking my head.

"You're handling it wonderfully, though." The Doctor offers.

"So, what do you think of what we saw?" I ask, getting more serious.

"What do you think we saw?"

"Uh, well… it's very, area fifty one-ish." Lame. What else? I need something more. I know more.

"This is a really big secret, for some reason, so it's…" It's all over social media. Everyone knows about it but no one's knows what it is. Literally everyone know about aliens, so there's absolutely no reason to cover it up.

"It's a cover up," I say. "They're covering something up."

He beams proudly at me, "Very good, Ada!"

"Why are they covering it up, then?" I ask. "It's a spaceship crash, not the end of the world."

I think about every time I've tried to cover something up. Why I did it. Usually when I knew I'd be in trouble, because I knew Dad would hate me for it. I did it because I knew I was in the wrong.

"It's something they did."

He grins at me, "Yes, Ada!"

I can't help but grin back at that. His smile is contagious and I feel really proud of impressing him.

The smile is wiped from my face, however, when there's a knock at the T.A.R.D.I.S. door.

"Expecting anyone?" The Doctor questions. I shake my head, staring curiously at the door. I don't think I should be worried. The Doctor is simply staring at it like it's no big deal, so it probably isn't.

He opens the door, popping his head through. I peer behind him, trying to get a view of what's going on. There are two soldiers, both armed, standing in the doorway. In front of them is probably their commander.

"Afternoon. Can I help you?" The Doctor asks cheerfully.

"Step outside. Both of you." The man says, his tone harsh and his face indifferent.

The Doctor turns to me, raising his eyebrows at me as if asking me what I think. I guess my face shows that I'm really scared because he smiles encouragingly at me, mouthing 'it'll be okay'.

I nod, and, following his lead, put my hands on my head, walking out the door.

There are guns on us as soon as we step out, and I swallow, trying to wipe all signs of fear from my face. The Doctor is completely nonchalant about the whole thing, he's casually looking around the landscape.

My hands are shaking, my heart is pounding, and I think I'm about to die.

"You do realize you're travelling in an illegal machine, in a restricted government area."

The Doctor and I share a glance.

"How do you know about the T.A.R.D.I.S.?" The Doctor asks defensively, like this man is talking about his first born.

"We're very aware of you, Doctor." The man smirks.

I glance at the Doctor, he's examining the man, frowning.

"Take them away, boys."

They took us to a small cell near where we had been investigating in handcuffs. They never said it outright, but I'm sure they intend on killing us.

Any hope we had of escaping was lost when they had the Doctor empty his pockets, taking away his sonic and everything else he had on him. They took my phone as well, locking it up in a gym locker on the other side of the room.

I stare at the wall now, chewing my lip. My wrists ache from the handcuffs, just enough for me not able to ignore it.

"I probably should've seen this coming." I say.

"How would you have predicted this?" The Doctor asks good-naturedly.

"Well, when you're running away with some stranger, you sort of have to accept that it will probably end with you locked up in a basement."

He laughs at that, not looking at me.

"Not my basement, though."

I shrug. "Basically the same in the end."

There's silence for a bit, which I wind up breaking.

"What's going to happen?" I ask.

"I don't know."

Again with the lying.

He does know what is going to happen. We're going to die, which isn't too hard to figure out. I'm not sure how I feel about this fact. It's one of those things that you always assume you'll be scared to death of. That will weigh on you like a ton of bricks. How I feel now, though, is numb to the entire situation.

"I'm sorry, Ada." He says quietly.

I turn to face him, and he has his eyes fixed on the ground, his face somber. A thousand emotions flash through my head, and I find myself wishing that there was some way to tell him that he didn't do anything wrong. That I don't regret any of this. When it comes down to it, a life where I never met him is just not worth it. I would've given up a long, long time ago if it weren't for him.

Instead, I shrug nonchalantly. "It's not your fault."

He nods, his eyes still fixed on the ground.

I fiddle with the chains, trying to find a comfortable place to rest.

"Do your wrists hurt?" He asks. I shrug again, not really committing to anything.

"Ada… Why didn't you tell me?" He asks. "I could've done something." His voice cracks on the last syllable and my heart breaks.

"I couldn't… I- I wanted to, sometimes. Really." I swallow, making a point of not looking at him, but at the ground in front of me.

"You were my only friend, you know." I offer awkwardly. "I didn't think you were real for a while. The T.A.R.D.I.S. was the main reason, thought I was dreaming or something." He chuckled at that, and I turn to see him smiling briefly.

"You also seemed really mental."

He laughs, "I do give off that sort of vibe, don't I?"

"It would help if you didn't stumble around asking what year it is."

"Fair enough," he snorts.

The tension in the air lessens after that, until the door opens and the scientist walks in. I watch her, trying to figure out why she would be here. Her hands shake as she fumbles with the keys and she unlocks the cell door.

"What's going on?" The Doctor asks, sitting up and more alert now.

She kneels down next to me, and mumbles loud enough for the Doctor to hear, "Please don't say anything, just follow my lead."

She pulls keys out of her pocket and unlocks my handcuffs, then moves on to the Doctor. I get to my feet slowly, watching as she fumbles to find the correct key. I catch The Doctor's eye and mouth "What do we do?"

He glances between me and the woman and nods slightly. I follow close behind him, the woman following behind us.

I feel as though I'm marching to my execution. I can't explain the feeling. I know she won't kill us, but there's something unnerving about every step I take down the hall.

She points to the office at the end of the hall, and opens the door. Inside, there's a desk with paper completely covering it. On top is a laptop which is still on, and I think what might have once been coffee spilt on the rug. She locks the door behind her and stares at us for a long moment.

"I'd assume you've already figured it out." She says breathlessly.

"Bit obvious," The Doctor shrugs.

"More than a bit." I add.

"Just…" She closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Tell me- tell me everything you know."

I glance at the Doctor, shaking my head slightly, cueing him to go.

He takes a deep breath, ready to launch into an explanation. "For the past three years, you've been secretly communicating with the alien race called the Plekah. It all started when you found their ship crashed, and you discovered them. Helped them recover, then sent them on their merry way, after you studied them. Figured out how to help them recover, developed a computer program that could figure that out for you. But it was faulty, not as efficient as it could be, so you needed to continue your research. They owe you, and they're perfectly happy to do whatever you need. Every couple of months they visit. Until—"

"Until it went wrong." The woman interrupted, her eyes downcast and filled with shame. "Three people are dead. Six of them are dead. And for what? Science." She laughs tearfully, shaking her head.

Two tears stream down her face as she looks up. "I- I did this. It's my fault. This was all my idea- it all happened too fast. It escalated too quickly and everybody quit." She chokes, wiping the tears away. "And now it's all military run. Then The Doctor show's up. The world's ending. I did this."

The Doctor is frowning, staring at her. "I followed all of that. Mostly all. All except one thing," He pauses, pointing at her. "How do you know who I am?"

She frowns, staring at him for a minute.

"You've saved so many people, cultures, worlds. So many people are in your debt. Did you really think that no one noticed?" She stares at him, looking hurt for a second before shrugging it off. She turns to her desk and grabs a bag, handing it to the Doctor.

"Oh, this is yours." She hands the Doctor a massive bag, which I recognize as the one ne emptied his pockets into.

"Excellent!" He starts trying to stuff everything back into his pockets, which will likely take a few minutes.

He throws a few things at me, which I manage to catch. "Could you-" I catch the sonic. "Could you stop!" He finishes ruffling through the bag and throws it on the floor.

"I was meaning to get rid of that anyways."

He looks at the woman, perking up. "What's your name?" He asks.

"Lynn." She replies, smiling. "Lynn Mathews."

"Good. Good name, keeps things simple for me."

She looks uncomfortable, staring at the floor. "What do I do, Doctor?"

"Don't keep it a secret." He says.

"It'll ruin this whole project."

"Do you want this project to continue?" I interrupt impatiently. "God, it's one thing to exploit an entire race of beings, but three people are dead." I bite my lip, looking away briefly before lowering my voice.

"Do you honestly think this program should continue?" She looks down, shaking her head.

"You're right." She mutters.

"I'll—" She stops. She stops, staring at the ground for a few moments. I share a look with the Doctor. I'm not sure what to do here, it's all new territory to me.

"I'll post it all on social media."

My head snaps in here direction and my eyes widen.

"I'll livestream it all. Explain it. This can only happen because no one knows it's happening."

This is certainly going to be something. I can already imagine the uproar this will bring from, well, everywhere. Over the past couple of days, the mystery of all of this has been broadcast on every news channel and social media site there is, it's very bad. This sort of thing will not be forgotten.

"Do you want me to be in it?" The Doctor asks.

Lynn shakes her head, typing something into her computer.

"This started with me, I'm going to end it." She says firmly.

"I don't expect I'll survive this," She says. "Stay out of the camera's view." She mumbles, gesturing to the Doctor and I.

"When they come, hide in the panic room. They don't know the password." She wipes a tear from her eye and composes herself, clicking a few buttons on the screen and beginning the stream.

"Hello, America. And the rest of the world." She smiles sadly, "I'm Lynn Abbott, and I'm here to tell you exactly the situation in the town of Dana." The Doctor bars the door with a bookshelf after checking that the door is locked. I silently help, lifting the bookshelf bit by big until it's pressed against the door. I tune out the explanation, not needing to hear it again.

After she gives an entire explanation, she pauses, thinking for a long moment.

"Ada," The Doctor whispers. "Come on."

She starts talking again, but I'm not listening. I'm more focused on how little time we appear to have left.

"Give her a minute," I murmur.

"…that's how- that's how it came to this. I'm so sorry,"

She reaches into her draw and before I can make out what's happening, she presses the gun against her head and pulls the trigger.

The Doctor grabs my wrist and pulls me to the metal door in the back of the room. I feel my shoulders start to shake and I sob without making a noise, tears beginning to make their way down my face. The Doctor pulls out his sonic and uses it to open the door. He stares at Lynn for a long moment before locking the door behind us.

The room is completely soundproof, though there is a screen that can connect to a camera outside and show us what's going on.

I slide down the wall, my face in my hands. I can't even begin to comprehend what has just happened. It can't have been real, it just can't!

"Ada," The Doctor mumbles, rubbing my back. I flinch at the motion, the bruises from earlier aching sharply. He withdraws his hand quickly, like I'm made of glass.

"Ada, look at me." He says softly. I shake my head, intend on staying exactly as I am- motionless, covering my eyes from the world.

"We- we have to go back for her! Use the T.A.R.D.I.S.!" My voice is strained, and I finally look at him. My eyes are probably bloodshot, and I know my bottom lip is quivering, making me look like a baby.

"Ada, we can't." He mumbles, looking ashamed.

"Why not!?" I shout with absolutely no authority. "It's what you do, fix people! Help them! If you don't do that then what's the bloody point of you!" I know my words are something I will regret soon, and that they hit close to home, but I can't bring myself to care.

"It's a fixed point in time." He mutters.

"What?" I spit.

"Her death is a fixed point in time, if I alter it, it could cause some serious paradoxes. There's nothing I can do."

The screen that shows us the outside clicks on as the bookshelf falls, and a couple of seconds later, three soldiers barge in, pointing their guns around the room.

The Doctor turns it off a second later.

I'm crying to hard I can't breathe. Every time it seems like I will, I only let a shallow amount in before I sob again. I feel dehydrated, and my head aches when I finally start to calm down. I realize that the Doctor is holding me, his arms wrapped around me and my head on his chest. I know I should be uncomfortable here, but I can't find the energy to do anything. Instead I let him hold me, and enjoy the feeling of comfort this gives me before drifting into sleep.

We left shortly after that. Authorities arrived and swarmed the place- they wanted everything over quickly. They asked a lot of questions- some I'm not sure I answered right. There really was no explanation as to how we could just let Lynn die. They let me go after I started crying again.

The T.A.R.D.I.S. was still where we left it, which I hadn't expected. Apparently it was protected by something. No army could get in there.

Now, I'm sitting in the doorway of the T.A.R.D.I.S., staring at the stars with my legs swinging outside. I rest my head on the side and listen to the Doctor's feet move around the console, doing something to them. I'm convinced that I can see the entire universe from here, every single star.

I pull out my phone and snap a picture, then throw it into my duffel bag.

There's too many things about the world I don't know. I didn't have any idea that aliens like the Doctor could walk around without anyone noticing, or that we were making contact with aliens in secret, or that time travel is real when I woke up this morning. Now, everything is different. Everything in the world has shifted. Maybe not in reality, but certainly from my perspective.

The Doctor sits down next to me, not saying a word for about a minute.

"I suppose- I suppose you want me to take you back there, then?" It's supposed to be an offhand comment, but it comes across as a question.

"I guess so." I mumble, glancing at him.

He nods slowly, looking sad.

"It's not always like this," he says. "I made a mistake, bringing you here."

Oh. I didn't know that he thought this was a mistake- a tragedy, sure. But it really seemed like he wanted this to happen. I thought he genuinely wanted me there, not that I was forcing myself on him.

"The idea, in theory, worked. I forgot how it ended. I would've taken you somewhere fun, happy. I'm so sorry, Ada."

I frown, "It wasn't all bad."

"It's like a mystery. The kind you'd see in movies, or books. Adventure. It was fun."

He furrows his brow at me, turning to face me.

"You really think so?"

I shrug, smiling. "Yeah,"

My phone dings and I ignore it.

"You don't have to go, you know." He offers.

I blink, turning to him. He's looking at me with a smile, and hope in his eyes.

Doing this. This, full time. Solving mysteries like this, having adventures. Losing people, risking my life. I think back to earlier today. Was that today? The hurt I felt. All alone, no siblings left at home, and nothing to live for. And I consider what this could mean for me. I could run away and never ever come back, or I could run and be back before Dad gets home. Every single option is available to me with absolutely no pressure.

"Just to clarify, it's always this dangerous?"

He nods.

I take a deep breath, and say with absolute certainty, "I'm in."

When I was six or seven, I was watching Snow White with my sisters and I had this abrupt realization. I didn't have to be discontent with the ending. I didn't have to wonder if they ever got married or had kids. I could make it all up! So I made them both listen to me ramble my ideas for what happened to them after, to what happened to the dwarves, and what if their troubles weren't quite over? Bear in mind I was very small, and all the ideas I had sucked, (But in a cute way, because I was basically a baby) but the idea that I've always loved the idea of FanFiction is mind blowing. And look how far I've come.

I need reviews! I don't know what's wrong or right with this Fic without your opinions. You don't even have to say anything except that you're reading!

Thank you for reading, I'll see you next Thursday!