The Pandorica Opens

"Vavoom!" the Doctor shouted as he poked his head down beneath the glass floor, hanging upside down, as he looked at Amy, sitting in the harness as she jerked up, shocked.

"Va-what?" she frowned.

He picked himself back up and ran to the console, he and the Professor dancing around it, flicking switches and turning knobs as she joined them.

"I can't believe I've never thought of this before," he shook his head as he made his way to the Professor, "Leave it to you to come up with it," he kissed the side of her head, "It's genius."

The Professor laughed and pulled a lever, "Landed!"

"Come on!" the Doctor cheered, taking her hand and rushing for the door.

"Where are we?" Amy asked, following them.

"Planet One," the Professor explained, "The oldest planet in the Universe. There's a cliff of pure diamond and, according to legend, on the cliff there's writing, letters 50 feet high, a message from the dawn of time.

"And no one knows what it says," the Doctor nearly bounced up and down in excitement, "'Cos no one's ever translated it. Till today."

"What happens today?" Amy laughed.

"Us!"

"The TARDIS can translate anything," the Professor reminded her, quite excited as well, "All we have to do is open the doors and read the very first words in recorded history."

The Doctor grinned and threw the doors open, stepping outside and onto a tropical looking planet with large mushrooms scattered in the tall grass around them. They stopped short, looking up at the cliff face and the message written there.

'HELLO SWEETUMS' with a few symbols below it.

"Sweetums?" Amy raised an eyebrow.

"That's me," the Professor sighed.

The Doctor looked at her, thinking about the message on the Home Box, "So…she wants your help this time?"

"I think she just alternates," she remarked, shaking her head, "I can't believe she did that!"

Amy smirked, "Vavoom!"

~8~

The TARDIS materialized on a hill, the trio stepping out. Amy squinted, looking around, "Right place?"

"Just followed the coordinates on the cliff face," the Professor nodded.

"Earth," the Doctor agreed, "Britain," he checked his watch, "1:02am. No, pm…" he stopped, "No…AD."

They looked out at a large Roman encampment.

"That's a Roman Legion," Amy smiled.

"The Romans invaded Britain several times during this period," the Professor remarked.

"Oh, I know. My favorite topic at school. 'Invasion of the Hot Italians.' Yeah, I did get marked down for the title."

A breathless Roman soldier ran up to them, saluting with a fist to his chest, "Hail, Caesar!" he knelt down.

"Hi…" the Doctor glanced at the Professor curiously, she could only shrug.

"Welcome to Britain. We are honored by your presence and that of your Tesserarius."

"Well, you're only human. Arise...Roman person."

"What's a Tesserarius?" Amy whispered.

The Professor shook her head, "Basically the Roman version of a sergeant."

"Right…and why does he think you're Caesar and a sergeant?"

The soldier stood and revealed a smudge of lipstick on his face, "Cleopatra will see you now," and with that, he turned and walked off, leaving them to follow him to the encampment, right over to a tent. They stepped in to see River Song, dressed as Cleopatra, being waited on by two servants.

"Hello, sweetums," River smiled at the Professor, getting up to hug her, before nodding at the Doctor, "Sweetie."

"River!" Amy smiled, "Hi."

"You graffitied the oldest cliff face in the Universe," the Doctor mock glared at her.

"You wouldn't answer your phone," she clapped her hands and the servants left. She walked over to the seat and pulled out a scrolled canvas, handing it to him.

"What's this?"

"It's a painting. Your friend Vincent," he snatched it from her and began to unroll it, "One of his final works. He had visions, didn't he? I thought you ought to know about this one."

"Doctor?" Amy frowned, seeing him stiffen and look at the paper in shock, the Professor's eyes wide beside him, "Professor? What is it?" she walked over, only to see a picture of the TARDIS exploding, "Why's it exploding?"

The Doctor moved and put the picture on the table set up before him, all of them gathered around, looking at it.

"I assume it's some kind of warning," River remarked.

The Doctor moved backwards, plopping down into a chair, the Professor moving over to stand beside him, her hand on his shoulder, offering what comfort she could. Both of them were shocked and a bit concerned about what the painting could mean.

"Something's going to happen to the TARDIS?" Amy asked.

"It might not be that literal," River shook her head, "Anyway this is where he wanted you. Date and map reference on the door sign, see?"

"Does it have a title?" the Professor asked, hoping for more clues.

"The Pandorica Opens."

"The Pandorica?" Amy shook her head, "What is it?"

"A box," the Professor rubbed her forehead, this was not good, "A cage. A prison. It was built to contain the most feared thing in all the Universe."

The Doctor stood and started to pace, "And it's a fairy tale, a legend. It can't be real."

"If it is real, it's here and it's opening," River told them, "And it's got something to do with your TARDIS exploding," the Doctor turned and pulled out some maps of the area from a nearby vase, "Hidden, obviously. Buried for centuries. You won't find it on a map."

"No," he agreed.

"But if you hide a weapon you need to be able to find it again," the Professor reasoned.

He nodded, "Bury the most dangerous thing in the Universe, you'd want to remember where you put it."

~8~

The quartet raced up a hill on horseback, straight for Stonehenge, hopping off their horses and rushing to the center of it. The Doctor soniced the stones lying on the ground while the Professor rested a hand on the ones standing up. River pulled out a scanner and typed some commands into it.

"How come it's not new?" Amy frowned, looking around.

"Because it's already old," River shrugged.

"It's been here thousands of years already," the Professor nodded.

"No one knows exactly how long."

"Well no one human."

"Ok…" Amy trailed, seeing a similarity forming in the conversation between River and the Professor, much like when the Professor and the Doctor spoke, "This Pandorica thing. Last time we saw you, you warned us about it, after we climbed out of the Byzantium."

"Spoilers!" River put a finger to her lips.

"No, but you told the Doctor and Professor that you'd see them again when the Pandorica opens."

"Maybe I did. But I haven't yet. But I will have."

"Oh my God, you're just like him!" the Professor pointed at the Doctor, "You speak Doctor!"

River laughed at that and shook her head, "Wait till I start speaking Professor then things get truly frightening."

The Professor eyed the woman a moment. She must have spent quite a bit of time with the both of them if she was able to understand them more than half the time. She'd seen River easily keep up with them during their conversations, and the way she acted around them, so comfortable, she had to have been around them for a good long while. When, though, she wasn't sure.

River's scanner beeped and she looked down at it, "I'm picking up fry particles everywhere. Energy weapons discharged on this site."

The Doctor jumped onto a large stone, "If the Pandorica is here, it contains the mightiest warrior in history."

"Half the galaxy would want a piece of that," the Professor sighed, walking over to him.

"Maybe even fight over it."

"Oh they would definitely fight over it."

The Doctor smiled a bit and jumped off the rock, taking her hand, "But they'd have to get past you first wouldn't they?"

"Oh yes," she laughed before she hummed in thought, "I wonder who would win, the mightiest warrior in history or 'the greatest warrior the Universe has ever known?'"

"Oh you," the Doctor told her, smiling at her, "No doubt about it."

It felt odd to be happy that she was a fighter, to be honest. But, she was far more in control of herself. So sure of herself and strong, a strength and a confidence that flowed out of her in everything she did. And he had to admit, in his opinion, it was all rather sexy...

She blushed just a bit, catching that last thought and the small smirk he'd sent her when he saw her blushing as a result. She cleared her throat, "First though, we should see who this warrior is."

He nodded, giving her a little kiss, before he turned to the rock he'd jumped off, putting his ear to it, "We need to get down there."

~8~

Lights were set up all around Stonehenge by the time night had fallen. River placed a device on the corner of a large stone in the center of it and stepped back, "Right then. Ready?" she pressed a button and the rock slid to the side, revealing stone steps underneath. The Doctor stepped forward as River grabbed a torch from her pocket and switched it on.

"The underhenge…" he breathed.

He pulled out the sonic to use as a torch and made to go down first when the Professor pulled him back, shaking her head with a playful roll of her eyes. She pulled a small torch from his pocket and took out her blaster and, holding one over the other at her wrist, headed down the steps first, the Doctor behind her with River and Amy.

The stairs led them to a narrow passage, straight to a large double door with a board across it. River moved over to the side wall and grabbed an actual torch, lighting it. The Doctor and Professor lifted the board off and, with a nod to the Professor, pushed it open. The Professor entered first, looking around quickly, scanning the room before nodding them in.

They were in a large, cavernous room, with a large box sitting before them, intricate circular patterns carved on each side.

"It's the Pandorica…" the Professor breathed, spotting it.

"More than just a fairy tale," River remarked.

The Doctor walked towards it and stepped on something. He glanced down to see the arm of a Cyberman, glancing at the Professor who saw it as well, nodding that she would keep an eye on it as he continued on.

"There was a goblin," he began, putting a hand on the box, "Or a trickster, or a warrior. A nameless, terrible thing, soaked in the blood of a billion galaxies. The most feared being in all the cosmos. And nothing could stop it, or hold it, or reason with it. One day it would just drop out of the sky and tear down your world."

"How did it end up in there?" Amy shook her head.

"You know fairy tales. A good wizard tricked it," he walked around the other side of the Pandorica as River handed Amy her torch and pulled out a scanner.

"I hate good wizards in fairy tales," River muttered, "They always turn out to be him. Just like the good witch is always the Professor."

"So it's kind of like Pandora's Box, then?" Amy asked, looking around, "Almost the same name."

"Sorry, what?" the Doctor looked at her.

"The story. Pandora's Box, with all the worst things in the world in it," she said as he soniced it, "That was my favorite book when I was a kid," he stopped and walked over to her, "What's wrong?"

"Your favorite school topic," he stated, "Your favorite story."

"Never ignore a coincidence," the Professor remarked, crouching down and eyeing the designs.

"Unless you're busy," he countered, "In which case, always ignore a coincidence," and walked back over to her.

"So can you open it?" River asked as she joined them.

"Easily."

"Anyone can break INTO a prison," the Professor agreed.

"But I'd rather know what we're going to find first."

River's scanner beeped and she looked at it, her eyes widening, "It's already opening. There are layers and layers of security protocols in there, and they're being disabled, one by one. Like it's being unlocked from the inside."

"How long do we have?" the Professor looked at her.

"Hours at the most."

"What kind of security?"

"Everything. Deadlocks, time stops, matter-lines."

"What could need all that?"

"What could get past all that?"

"Is that going to happen to me?" Amy cut in. The women turned to face her, "If I spend enough time with them," she nodded at the Doctor and Professor before focusing on River, "Am I going to start talking like that too? All switchy?"

River blinked and the three of them exchanged a look, the Doctor and Professor sharing one themselves as though just realizing that River had basically been switching speech with the Professor.

The Doctor cleared his throat, unable to really answer that, "Think of the fear that went into making this box," he muttered.

"What could inspire that level of fear?" River agreed, though she cast a small glance back at the Professor.

Among the higher species she was a bit of a frightening person to come in contact with, especially with the tales of what she'd done during the war. But then again...her gaze drifted to the Doctor. The Doctor could be equally, if not more, frightening than the Professor. When the Professor came, alone, it was never a good sign, but...when the Doctor arrived...you never really knew what he would do, when he would forgive, when he would retaliate…

"Hello, you," the Doctor breathed, "Have we met?"

"So why would it start to open now?" River shook her head from her thoughts.

"No idea."

"Hmm, and how could Vincent have known about it?" Amy wondered, "He won't even be born for centuries."

The Professor's eyes widened as a thought struck her and she grabbed the Doctor's sonic right out of his hand, flashing it around at the pillars and reading the results, "These stones are giant transmitters, broadcasting a warning to everyone, everywhere, to every time zone that the Pandorica is opening!"

"Professor..." River's tensed at her words, "Everyone, everywhere?"

"Even poor Vincent heard it in his dreams," the Doctor muttered, looking at the sonic's readings with the Professor, "What's in there, what could justify all this?"

"Doctor, everyone?"

"Anything that powerful, we'd know about it," the Professor shook her head.

"Why don't we know?" he frowned.

"You said everyone could hear it," River cut in, "So who else is coming?"

"Oh..." he breathed.

"Oh?" Amy frowned, "Oh, what?"

River ran to a pillar and pressed her scanner against it, "Ok, if it is basically a transmitter, we should be able to fold back the signal…"

"Doing it," the Doctor snatched the sonic back and flashed the pillars once more.

"Doing what?" Amy shook her head.

"Stonehenge is transmitting, it's been transmitting for a while...so who heard?" River tried to explain to her.

"Ok, should be feeding back to you now," the Doctor turned to her, "River, what's out there? Getting anything?"

"Give me a moment."

"River, quickly, anything?"

River's mouth dropped open, "Around this planet, there are at least 10,000 starships."

"At least?" Amy's eyes widened.

"10,000, 100,000, 1 million, I don't know. There's too many readings."

"What kind of starships?" the Professor asked, tension coiling in her gut.

"Maintaining orbit," a Dalek voice echoed throughout the cavern.

"I obey," a second Dalek responded, "Shield cover compromised on ion sectors."

"Daleks..." Amy gaped, "Those are Daleks."

"Scan detects no temporal activity."

"Soft grid scan commencing."

"Reverse thrust for compensatory stabilization."

"Daleks," River looked at the Time Lords.

"Launch preliminary armaments protocol."

"Yes, ok," the Doctor nodded, trying to think, pacing, "Ok, ok, ok…"

"Dalek fleet," the Professor stated, "Minimum, 12,000 battleships, armed to the teeth..."

"But we've got surprise on our side!" he spun to her mid-pace, "They'll never expect four people to attack 12,000 Dalek battleships!"

"Because we'd be killed instantly even with my help. So it would be a fairly short surprise."

"Right, forget surprise."

"Cyberships," River called.

"No, Dalek ships, listen to them, those are Dalek ships."

"Yes. Dalek ships AND Cyberships."

"We can start a fight!" the Professor reasoned, "Turn them on each other."

He nodded, that could work, "It's the Daleks...they're SO cross..."

"Sontaran," River added, "Four battle fleets."

"Sontarans?" the Professor frowned as their enemy list grew, and she had a feeling that wasn't even a fraction of the ones who had come.

"Talk about cross, who stole all their handbags?" the Doctor laughed nervously, moving closer to the Professor.

"Terileptil," River continued, "Slitheen. Chelonian. Nestene. Drahvin. Sycorax…" the Doctor shook his head, grabbing the Professor's hand and backing up towards the Pandorica till his back hit it, "Haemo-goth. Zygon. Atraxi. Draconian. They're all here. For the Pandorica."

"What are you?" he looked at the Pandorica.

The ground began to shake and they ran for the stairs, River and Amy following. They rushed outside to see the sky full of lights, ships whizzing about over them of different sizes and makes and technologies.

"What do we do?" Amy asked.

"Doctor, Professor, listen to me!" River turned to them, urgent, almost scared for them, "Everything that ever hated you is coming here tonight. You can't win this Doctor. Not even you can fight this Professor. This once, just this one time, please, you both have to run."

"Run where?" the Doctor shook his head, his grip on the Professor's hand tightening.

"Fight how?"

"The greatest military machine in the history of the Universe," the Professor breathed.

"What is?" Amy frowned, "The Daleks?"

"No," she shook her head, a small inkling of hope, "The Romans!"

~8~

Amy lit more torches as the Professor and Doctor examined the Pandorica, the Doctor scanning it with his sonic, the Professor using River's scanner that she'd left there along with her bag, her Vortex Manipulator as well.

"So what's this got to do with the TARDIS?" Amy asked them.

"Nothing, as far as we know," the Doctor sighed.

"But Vincent's painting...the TARDIS was exploding, is that going to happen?"

"One problem at a time."

"There's force field technology inside this box," the Professor reported, "If we can enhance the signal, we could extend it all over Stonehenge."

He nodded, "Could buy us half an hour."

"What good is half an hour?" Amy frowned.

"There are fruit flies on Hoppledom 6 that live for 20 minutes and they don't even mate for life," he paused, "There was going to be a point to that. I'll get back to you."

Amy pulled out the ring box from her pocket, having hidden it there when the Doctor surprised her earlier, "So...are you two planning on renewing your vows or something?"

"Sorry?" they both asked, looking up at her.

"I found this in your pocket," she held up the box.

"No," the Doctor walked over, "No, no, that's, uh...a memory. A friend of ours, someone we lost…" he reached for the box but Amy was reluctant to let it go, "Do you mind?"

"It's weird, I feel...I don't know. Something."

"People fall out of the world sometimes," the Professor said softly as she walked over, "But they always leave traces. Little things we can't quite account for. Faces in photographs, luggage, half eaten meals...rings...nothing is ever forgotten Amy, not completely. And if something can be remembered, it can come back."

Amy snapped the box closed and tossed it back to the Doctor, "So, was she nice, your friend?"

The Doctor put the ring back in his pocket and glanced at the Professor, 'Should we tell her?'

She held his gaze a moment before nodding, 'She's remembering more than even I thought possible,' she agreed, 'We need to see how much that crack on her wall affected her.'

He turned back to Amy as she went back to the Pandorica, "Remember that night you flew away with us?"

"Of course I do."

"And you asked us why we were taking you and we told you there wasn't a reason. We were lying."

"What, so you did have a reason?"

"Your house," the Professor turned around to look at her.

"My house?"

"It was too big, too many empty rooms."

"Does it ever bother you, Amy, that your life doesn't make any sense?" the Doctor asked her.

Suddenly a laser fired out of nowhere.

Amy screamed and they all scrambled behind the Pandorica.

"Ok, what was that?" Amy gasped.

"Need a proper look," the Doctor breathed, "Got to draw its fire, give it a target."

"How?"

"You know how sometimes I have really brilliant ideas?"

"Yes..."

"I have better ones," the Professor cut in and, before he could open his mouth or do something stupid like run out there with his arms spread high shouting 'look at me, I'm a target!', she grabbed her blaster and ran out behind the Pandorica, firing quickly, "It's alright!" she called, "I got it!"

They both poked their heads out to see something smoking on the ground, a metallic arm.

"Cyberarm," the Doctor looked own at it, "Arm of a Cyberman."

"And what's a Cyberman?" Amy asked, slowly walking out after him.

"Oh, sort of part man, part robot."

"The organic part must have died off years ago," the Professor crouched down.

"Now the robot part is looking for fresh meat."

"What, us?" Amy frowned.

"It's just like being an organ donor, except you're alive and sort of screaming."

"I think I managed to scramble its circuits," the Professor added, "But don't touch it. It could still have a default emergency program running, backup power or something..."

"Nah," the Doctor waved her off, "Been down here for centuries, that power's probably died off by now," he reached out for it, only to be electrocuted a moment later, falling back, unconscious.

The Professor shook her head, "I really hate you sometimes…" she muttered, moving to kneel beside him and check on him when…

"Professor!" Amy screeched, falling backwards as a metal cable wrapped around her legs.

"Amy!" she jumped up and ran over to see Cyberman's head trying to pull itself closer to Amy with its cables. It grabbed Amy's wrists, pulling at her. She aimed her blaster and fired, striking right through the wires. It released her, dropping to the ground, the front seam opening and the skull of the previous occupant falling out.

She ran over to Amy's side, hauling her up with one hand and ushering her back. The head started to open and close, clamping, firing a small dart at Amy's neck in the process.

"You will be assimilated!" the head shouted.

"Yeah?" Amy glared, "You and whose body?"

Just then heavy footsteps stomped their way towards them.

"Oh, you're just as bad as the Doctor!" the Professor grumbled as the body of a Cyberman approached them, missing its head and left arm. It picked up the head and replaced it, reaching out to them as it came nearer.

"Blast it!" she shouted.

"I can't!" the Professor remarked, "There's no organic tissue left to make it stop, its running on automatic!"

Amy turned and grabbed a nearby torch, swishing it around to try and defend them, but stumbled, her arms losing strength as whatever was in the dart took effect.

The Professor moved to take it from her when the Cyberman slashed, knocking it out of Amy's hands. She grabbed the girl's arm and pulled her towards a pair of doors that led to a small room in the back, shutting them behind her and pulling Amy back.

The Cyberman pounded on the door a moment before it fell silent. The Professor inched closer and pressed an ear to it, before jumping back as a sword was shoved through the door. It swung open to reveal the Cyberman, pinned and sparking to the door, a Roman soldier behind it.

"Who..." Amy breathed, squinting as she grew more drowsy, "Who are you..."

The soldier pulled off his helmet to reveal…

"RORY!" the Professor gaped.

"Professor," he nodded to her and smiled at Amy, "Hello, Amy," Amy took a step towards him before fainting. Rory caught her quickly, "Whoa, whoa!" and carried her to a stone table, setting her down. He caressed her hair a moment before turning to the Professor and pulling her into a hug.

The Professor's smile faded as she pulled back, "Oh Rory…I'm so sorry…"

He frowned, about to ask her what she meant, when another soldier entered, "Sir, the man's coming round."

"Professor?" the Doctor shouted, "Amy! Where are they?" before running into the room, straight to the Professor and hugging her tightly, taking her face in his hands to check on her though she swatted them away and laughed.

"They're fine, Doctor," Rory assured him, "Amy's unconscious though."

The Doctor rushed over to Amy next, "Ok…" and flashed her with the sonic, "Yes, she's sedated, that's all. Half an hour, she'll be fine. Ok, Romans, good, we were just wishing for Romans, good old River. How many?"

"50 men up top, volunteers. What about that thing?" he pointed at the Cyberman.

"50? Not exactly a legion."

Rory nodded to the soldier and he left, "Your friend was very persuasive, but it's a tough sell."

"Yes, we know that, Rory, I'm not exactly one to miss the obvious."

"Yes," the Processor nodded, "It only took him 90 years to realize he loved me…and another 802 to realize I loved him as well. Not oblivious at all."

"We need everything we can get," the Doctor rolled his eyes at her, ignoring her a moment, turning to a chest and pulling out two large guns.

"I see what you mean about how you find me and guns now Doctor," she remarked, eyeing him a bit.

To his credit, he blushed fiercely as her eyes trailed over him, before shaking his head, "Ok, Cyberweapons. This is basically a sentry box. So, headless wonder here was a sentry. Probably got himself duffed up by the locals. Never underestimate a Celt."

"Doctor..." Rory began.

"Hush, Rory."

"Why leave a Cyberman on guard though?" the Professor asked, enjoying seeing how long it would take the Doctor to realize he was, in fact, talking to the never-born Rory Williams.

"Unless it's a Cyberthing in the box!" he realized.

"Ah but why would they lock up one of their own?"

"Ok, no, not a Cyberthing, but what? What?"

"I think you're missing something obvious. Don't you Rory?"

The Doctor nodded and turned to Rory, "Something big, something right slap in front of me, I can feel it!"

"Yeah, I think you probably are," Rory nodded.

"I'll get it in a minute," he shrugged and strode out of the room.

Rory turned to the Professor, a bit concerned, "He's really not THAT oblivious is he?"

"He's really not exactly oblivious…he just...can't think as fast as me at times. Just give him a moment…or five…and he'll come around."

A moment later there was a clatter as the Doctor dropped the weapons and slowly reentered the room. He walked right up to Rory and stared at him, poking him in the chest till he swayed, "Hello again."

"Hello."

"How've you been?"

"Good. Yeah, good. I mean, Roman."

"Rory, I'm not trying to be rude, but you died."

"Yeah, I know, I was there."

"You died and then you were erased from time. You didn't just die, you were never born at all, you never existed."

"Erased? What does that mean?"

"How can you be here?"

"I don't know. It's kind of fuzzy."

"Fuzzy?"

"Well, I died and turned into a Roman. It's very distracting!" he turned and ran a hand across Amy's cheek, "Did she miss me?"

The Doctor and Professor glanced at each other, unable to answer.

There was a loud whooshing and rumbling beside them and they ran out, into the main cavern, to see the Pandorica's symbols glowing green. The Doctor pulled out the sonic and flashed it as the soldiers looked on.

"What is it?" Rory asked, "What's happening?"

"The final phase," the Doctor breathed, "It's opening," he set a hand on it as the gears began to turn. He walked over to it, examining it closer when the comm. beeped.

"You're surrounded," River's voice called, "Have you got a plan?"

"Yes!" he shouted as the Professor held the comm. up for him to lay on the ground, sonicing the bottom of the box, "Now hurry up and get the TARDIS here. We need equipment!" he sighed, looking at it, "What are you? They're all here, all of them, all for you. What could you possibly be?"

~8~

As the ships of their enemies flew overhead the Doctor's voice echoed into the night, "Sorry, sorry, dropped it…hello, Stonehenge! Who takes the Pandorica, takes the Universe. But bad news, everyone..." he jumped onto a large, flat stone with the Professor, "'Cos guess who? Ha!" he grinned into the comm. using it as a microphone, "Listen, you lot, you're all whizzing about, it's really very distracting. Could you all just stay still a minute? Because we are talking!" the ships stilled, "The question of the hour is, who's got the Pandorica?"

"Answer..." the Professor reached out and moved his arm so he was holding the comm. between them, "We do."

"Next question, who's coming to take it from us?"

"Come on! Look at us for once with no plan, no backup, no weapons worth a damn."

"Oh, and something else, we don't have anything...to...lose!"

"And doesn't that just terrify each and every one of you."

"So if you're sitting up there in your silly little spaceship, with all your silly little guns, and you've got any plans on taking the Pandorica tonight, just remember who's standing in your way."

"Remember every black day we ever stopped you."

"And then, AND THEN, do the smart thing," he grinned and tossed the comm. to the Professor.

"Let somebody else try first."

The Doctor laughed, holding out his arms, daring them to try something, and the ships took off. Rory let out a laugh of triumph as the Professor tossed him the comm. and they jumped down.

"That'll keep 'em squabbling for half an hour!" the Doctor winked, "Romans!"

~8~

"They're still out there," Rory remarked as they stood in the cavern again, "What do we do now?"

"If we can stop whatever's in this box getting out, then they'll go home," the Professor said.

"Right."

The Doctor looked over, seeing something past Rory's shoulder, and frowned, "Rory, we're sorry, you're going to have to be very brave now."

Amy walked over, rubbing her head, straight past Rory and over to the Doctor, "Oh, my head."

"Go 'ahhh,'" he opened his mouth.

"Ahhh."

"Don't do that Amy," the Professor remarked, "It was just your basic knockout drops. Go get some fresh air and you'll be fine."

"Is it safe up there?"

"Not remotely, but it's fresh," the Doctor grinned.

"Fine," she turned and nearly bumped into a smiling Rory, "Oh, you're the guy, yeah, the one who did the...swordy thing."

And his smile faded, realizing the horrible truth, "Yeah."

"Well, thanks for the swording. Nice swording," she tapped him on the shoulder and walked off.

"No problem. My men are up there. They'll look after you."

"Good. Love a Roman!" she waved over her shoulder and headed up the stairs.

"She doesn't remember me," he breathed, watching her leave before turning back to them, "How can she not remember me?"

"Because you never existed," the Professor told him quietly.

"There are cracks," the Doctor tried to explain, "Cracks in time. There's going to be a huge explosion in the future, on one particular day. And every other moment in history is cracking around it."

"So how does that work?" he frowned, "What kind of explosion? What exploded?"

"Doesn't matter, the cracks are everywhere."

"And if you get too close you can fall right out of the Universe," the Professor added.

"So I fell through a crack and now I was never born?" he ventured.

"Basically," the Doctor nodded.

"How did I end up here?"

"We have no idea," the Professor admitted, though very curious, "What happened? From your point of view, what physically happened?"

"I was in the cave, with you two and Amy. I was dying and then I was just here, a Roman soldier. A proper Roman. Head full of Roman...stuff, a whole other life. Just here like I'd woken up from a dream. Started to think it was a dream. You two and Amy and Leadworth. Then today, in the camp, the men were talking about the visitors, the girl with the red hair. I thought you'd come back for me. But she can't even remember me."

"Oh, shut up," the Doctor smirked.

"What?"

He tossed him the ring box, "Go get her."

"But I don't understand. Why am I here?"

"Because you are?" the Professor shrugged, for once not having an answer, "The Universe is big. It's vast and complicated and ridiculous..."

"And sometimes," the Doctor added, "Very rarely, impossible things just happen and we call them miracles."

"Well, that's the theory at least."

"900 years, never seen one yet, save finding the Professor again."

She smiled at him gently as he wound an arm around her waist, holding her close, he was her miracle as well. She turned to Rory, "But you know what though? This would do us."

"Now get upstairs, she's Amy and she's surrounded by Romans. We're not sure history can take it."

Rory smiled and headed back up after his fiancé.

~8~

"The TARDIS, where is it?" the Doctor asked into the comm. as he and the Professor stood before the Pandorica, "Hurry up!"

"Don't raise your voice, don't look alarmed, just listen," River hissed to them.

The Professor glanced back at the soldiers before tugging the Doctor off to the side, "Go on."

River quickly explained what she'd found at Amy's house after the TARDIS brought her there, what she'd learned, "They're not real," she added, "They can't be. They're all right here in the story book, those actual Romans, the ones I sent you, the ones you're with right now. They're all in a book in Amy's house, a children's picture book."

"What are you even doing there?" the Professor asked.

"It doesn't matter. The TARDIS went wrong. How is this possible?"

"Something's using her memories, Amy's memories."

"But how?"

"You said something had been there?" the Doctor frowned.

"Yes, there's burn marks on the grass outside, landing patterns."

"If they've been to her house, they could have used her psychic residue," the Professor ventured, "Structures can hold memories, that's why houses have ghosts. They could've collected echoes of Amy's memories."

"But why?" the Doctor shook his head.

"Who are those Romans?" River countered.

"Projections. Or duplicates."

"But they were helping us. My lipstick even worked."

"They might think they're real," the Professor guessed, "The perfect disguise. They actually believe their own cover story, right until they're activated."

"That centurion..." River began, "There's a picture of him as well. It's a trap, it has to be. They used Amy to construct a scenario you'd believe, to get close to you."

"Why?" the Doctor asked, "Who'd do that? What for? It doesn't make sense…" there was a shuddering and they could hear the console sparking, "River? River!"

"River, what's happening?" the Professor called.

"I don't know, it's the engines," she replied, "There's something wrong with the TARDIS, like something else is controlling it."

"You're flying it wrong," the Doctor reasoned.

"I'm flying it perfectly!" she shouted, "You helped teach me."

"Where are you?" the Professor asked suddenly, "What's the date reading?"

"It's the 26th June, 2010."

"You need to get out of there now!" the Doctor's eyes widened, "Any other time zone, just go."

"I can't break free."

"Then shut down the TARDIS," the Professor tried, "Shut down everything!"

"I can't!" there was silence a moment, "Someone else is flying it. An external force. I've lost control."

"But how?" the Doctor shook his head, "Why?"

Suddenly a high-pitched whine echoed through the cavern, forcing the two Time Lords to cover their ears, dropping the comm., not noticing the Romans drop into a bent position behind them.

"Listen," the Professor straightened, grabbing the comm., "Just land her anywhere. Emergency landing, now."

"There are cracks in time," he nodded, "We've seen them everywhere, and they're getting wider."

"The TARDIS exploding is what causes them, but we can stop the cracks ever happening if you just land her!"

"It's not safe," River shouted.

A light started to shine behind them as the Pandorica started to open, the two ends near the corner sliding away from each other. They slowly turned to face it.

"Well, now…" the Doctor breathed, "Ready to come out, are we?"

"I'm down!" River called, "I've landed."

"Ok," the Doctor took the comm., "Just walk out of the doors."

"If there's no one inside, the TARDIS engines shut down," the Professor agreed.

"Just get out of there."

"I'm going," River shouted.

"Run!" the Doctor called before dropping the comm. and taking a step towards the Pandorica, sonicing it.

"Doctor!" River shouted a few moments later, "Professor! I can't open the doors!"

The Professor bent down to pick up the communicator when she spotted the Roman soldiers advancing.

"Doctor!" she shouted as a soldier grabbed her arm, twisting it behind her so she couldn't grab her blaster. The Doctor ran forward, trying to help but was grabbed as well.

"Doctor, I can't open the doors!" River shouted over the comm., "Professor, please, I've got seconds!"

But they could do nothing, both being held tight by two Roman soldiers each and led away from the Pandorica and the communicator.

"Plastic Romans," the Professor told him, trying to twist away from the soldiers, but their grip was too tight, "Duplicates, driven by the Nestene Consciousness," she had sensed the plastic undertones with Rory when he hugged her but had hoped for a different outcome than this.

"Deep cover, but what for?" the Doctor asked, "What are you doing? What's in there, eh? What's coming out?"

The duplicates took position, the two holding the Doctor moving to stand facing the Pandorica so he was facing away from it while the two holding the Professor stood near the back door, facing it so she could face him.

"The Pandorica is ready," one of the soldiers reported.

"What, you mean, it's open?" he asked.

"You have been scanned," a Dalek stated, "Assessed. Understood. Doctor," he looked over his shoulder to see the white, red, and blue Daleks materialize beside the Pandorica.

"Scanned?" he frowned as he was moved to face them, "Scanned by what, a box?"

"Your limits and capacities have been extrapolated," a Cyberman added before three of them appeared, along with Judoon and Sontarans.

"The Pandorica is ready," one of the Sontarans agreed.

"Ready for what?" the Professor shouted.

"Ready for him," the Dalek turned its eyestalk to the Doctor.

They looked past the soldiers to the Pandorica, seeing a chair with restraints set up within the white light. The Doctor tried to pull away, the Professor trying to pull out to help him when the soldiers hauled him towards the chair, Silurians, Hoix, Roboforms appearing as he was dragged over.

"Restrain the Professor," a Dalek ordered, swiveling the eyestalk to her.

Two Cybermen stomped over to her and grabbed her arms from the duplicates, pulling her back to the wall. The Doctor kept his eyes on her as she struggled while he was forced into the chair, his arms and legs clamped down as a large yoke descended around his shoulders. His enemies were gloating, but his gaze was focused on her.

As the Cybers stepped back he could see she had been chained to the wall. There was a large heavy metal collar around her neck attached by a chain to the wall, along with heavy manacles around her ankles and wrists and chains crossing over her chest and around her waist, tethering her to the wall so she couldn't move to help, far too much like how the Master had restrained her.

"You lot, working together, an alliance..." the Professor called, unwilling to be beaten just because she was restrained, if she could figure out what they were up to then there was a chance of using it against them, "How is that possible?"

"The cracks in the skin of the Universe," the Dalek began.

"All reality is threatened," the Sontaran agreed.

"All Universes will be deleted," the Cyberman stated.

"What?" the Doctor shook his head, "And you've come to us for help?"

"No," the Sontaran stated, turning completely to the Doctor, "We will save the Universe from you!"

"From me?"

"All projections correlate," the Cyberman replied, "All evidence concurs. The Doctor will destroy the Universe."

"No, no, no. You've got it wrong."

"The Pandorica was constructed to ensure the safety of the alliance."

"A scenario was devised from the memories of your Companion," the Dalek added.

"A trap the Doctor could not resist," a Sontaran smirked.

"The cracks in time are the work of the Doctor. It is confirmed."

"No," he shook his head, "No, no."

"Not him!" the Professor shouted, "The TARDIS. Clearly he's not in the TARDIS, is he?"

"Only the Doctor or the Professor can pilot the TARDIS," the Dalek stated.

"Please, listen to us!" the Doctor tried.

"You will be prevented."

"Total event collapse!" the Professor tried to get through to them, "Every sun will supernova at every moment in history."

"The whole Universe will never have existed!" he shouted, "Please, listen to us!"

"Seal the Pandorica," the Cyberman ordered.

"No!" the Professor screamed.

"Please, listen to us!" the Doctor shouted.

"The TARDIS is exploding right now and we're the only one who can stop it!"

"Listen to us!"

"No! Doctor!"

The Pandorica slammed shut.

To be continued…

A/N: I know that with how I've been describing the Professor, she would most likely be 'the most feared thing in the Universe' BUT, the Doctor has made more enemies, flying out, having all those adventures without her before the war and most of them know that the TARDIS is the Doctor's, the Professor may be able to pilot it but to them the TARDIS belongs to the Doctor so it would be more his fault if it exploded. And I feel like most species that heard of the Professor during the Time War believe she died in it, that the Doctor was the only one to survive. They don't know she's there till she tells them who she is, and by then...well, it's too late for them isn't it? (lol). There'll be a bit more about that, commenting on it, in the next chapter :)

As for the next chapter, I did this in Smith and Jones, since this is based around the Doctor/Professor's POV, the next chapter won't begin as the episode does but will follow the Doctor/Professor's timeline. No Doctor appearing with a mop and fez right in the beginning.

Also, today will be the last day to vote for/against a Dream Lady chapter/one shot, just so you know.

And congrats you guys! You've beaten the reviews for Recuperation! With three chapters left after this one, I don't think we'll be beating Relapse though, but that's ok. Just the fact that you guys are reading this story and the reviews (which really are amazing and inspiring) that you do drop mean more to me than the numbers of reviews.