V
Back in time

20th Century
Planet Earth
England
London
1943

April finds herself lying on her stomach, her face in something that feels like grass. Her ears are ringing loudly, obscuring her hearing from anything else. Her head hurts from the fall. Yet she doesn't remember landing, only falling.

As she slowly breathes in, she can heavily smell the soft damp grass, mixed with the smell of a bonfire and fumes. The smell only becomes stronger the more she breathes in. This gives her a little motivation to remove her face from the damp grass. April eventually manages to roll onto her back and tries to get the world around her into focus. It is night time for sure and April's first thought is that she suspects she must be lying in the little grass area in the cul-de-sac and that Bruce has decided to leave her out there. But once the ringing in her ears stops and the sound of planes flying overhead, guns firing and bombs exploding in the distance can be heard, April knows that she is no longer in the cul-de-sac.

And probably no longer in Wandsworth.

When her vision finally becomes clearer, April realises that the night sky has more of a brown hue to it rather than black and glittering with stars. Thick clouds are dotted around here and there and April can see bright flashes behind these clouds which evidently do not look like lightning strikes. She then starts to wonder how long she has been lying there since it was only mid-morning when she left the house.

With a groan, April props herself up on her elbows for a short while before slowly sitting up. Her head pounds heavily and spins. Her head suddenly starts to rush and she feels like she might be sick.

When another bomb explodes in the distance, April has a look at her surroundings. However her head is hurting so much she isn't too sure of what she is seeing is really there. She is still in London definitely, but where in London is not clear.

Fear and dread suddenly hits April as she watches the sky. British wartime planes fly in and out of the clouds and fire at something in the distance. April's head starts to feel heavy as she leans back on her elbows again. She remains there and waits until her head calms down. As it does, she notices a grey stone wall not far in front of her. There are about half a dozen posters stuck to the wall, all saying the same thing: HE WILL ATTACK WITHOUT WARNING.

April snorts in disbelief as she finally pushes herself onto her feet and walks over towards the posters. It is clear that she has been transported back in time to the Second World War and April takes this fact surprisingly calmly. She knows who is behind it.

"Doctor," She mutters as she runs a finger gingerly over a rip in one of the posters. "Oh no you don't!" In a flurry of panic, April takes a step away from the wall just as someone in the distance calls her name.

April spins around to see him – the man who calls himself a doctor – this time, running towards her, rather than away. His long brown coat still wavering behind him. April narrows her eyes as he gets closer to her and is surprised how tall he is in comparison to his hologram. Once he reaches her side, he takes her firmly by the hand, but April's first reaction to the touch of another person is to snatch it back.

Momentarily April holds her hand he tried to take to her chest as she glares up at him. The Doctor looks down at her, worry and frustration in his eyes. April frowns at him as he watches her, breathing heavily.

"April, I don't care what you think of me but we need to get away from here now!" The Doctor warns.

April nods and before she can think twice about it, she finds herself running alongside the Doctor through wartime London. It is an urgent matter and for some unknown reason, everything starts clicking into place for April. Like running off with a stranger - who claims to have known her parents - during the Blitz is a normal thing to happen to her. But right at this moment, April is more concerned about running as far away as they possibly can, in fear of a bomb landing on them.

Not being a good runner herself, April struggles to keep up with the Doctor's standards and struggles to catch her breath after a while. The smoke around them from fires and bombs does not exactly help. The Doctor notices April slightly lagging behind and reaches to push her forward. However this gesture reaching towards her is enough to get April to run faster.

They turn corners, taking back alleyways, jumping over garden fences and running down neighbourhoods. A bomb explodes on a road they are about to turn into, so the Doctor finds another route which extends their running time.

They eventually reach a children's park and when April hesitates for a brief second, the Doctor shouts at her to open gate and go straight into the blue police box. Finding out that the gate is locked, April clambers over the low iron gate and runs towards the blue police box that is hidden behind a slide. She stops at the sight of the box, holding her hand to her stomach to catch her breath.

"So this is your ship. This is your time machine." April says in a mocking tone as she hears the Doctor behind her fumbling for keys. She doesn't quite believe it as it seems too bizarre. A part of her finds it rather amusing that this is actually happening, yet she finds that she can't smile. Not right now.

The Doctor unlocks the door and turns to look at April. "Just get inside. It's safer."

April opens her mouth to return with a snide comment but the sound of a bomb falling right above their head stops her. Despite the fact that she is not too keen on this conman, April still feels like she wants to save her own life. It is a feeling she had not felt since the death of her parents.

She feels the Doctor pushing her in through the doors of his ship so quickly they both end up falling flat on their faces on metal flooring. The door slams shut just as the bomb explodes outside. The ship merely shakes.

For a brief moment there is silence. Silence in the ship and silence outside. However this is quickly followed by a a rumbling sound as the Doctor jumps to his feet and runs forward. April hesitates for a second before she slowly pushes herself up off the floor and takes in her surroundings.

"Welcome to my ship!" The Doctor gleams with pride.

April blinks a couple of times as she slowly turns around in a circle, examining every little detail around her. What shocks her most is the fact that it feels like they have stepped into a completely different dimension seeing as the room around her is so large. They are not in the tight, square room to fit inside a police public call box.

She admires the huge stone-like pillars that is a lighter colour to the yellowish walls. The walls are covered in hexagonal shapes all ranging in sizes from the top of the walls to the bottom. The walls curve upwards and ends at a circular roof. On both sides to April are two metal rails that lead to the door they came in through. In the middle of the ship is some sort of round console with green lights radiating off its surface. In the middle of the console is a long, light green tube that attaches to the ceiling. April admits to herself that the structure of his ship is very beautiful and peculiar and almost alien.

"This is one of many rooms in my ship," The Doctor continues. "I've called her the Tardis. It stands for Time and Relevant Dimension in Space. She'll take you anywhere in the universe. With a few presses of buttons and leavers here and there, she'll take you anywhere you want," The Doctor looks down at the console as he strokes it before snapping back to look at April's quizzical face. "Anything you would like to say?" He seems as excited as a child at Christmas and April can tell that he has said this many times before. His words seem a little too over rehearsed and it makes April feel a little sorry for him. Maybe he is a lonely man. Yet she can't help but to not feel too impressed at all. It takes a lot to impress April and this isn't that impressive. Maybe it's because of the Doctor's charm or the slight arrogance he has when talking that irritates her. April doesn't know why she ran off with this man when her parents always taught her to stay clear of the people you have a bad encounter with them on the first time. She didn't even ask to come here. He's pulled her back in time without her consent. Surely that's kidnapping? She recoils a little.

April stands up and brushes off invisible dust from her jeans. She then watches the Doctor for a moment before pointing her thumb to the doors behind her. "Pull to open?"

The Doctor's wide grin drops very quickly and he frowns. "What?"

"You pushed them open."

For a moment the Doctor looks quite amused before he seems awkward and lost for words. "Oh right, this is very new," he mutters more to himself as he scratches the back of his head. "First it's Doctor What and now you won't even mention that it's bigger on the inside..."

"Yeah I can see that. I don't need to state the obvious."

The Doctor looks at April, unsure of what to do. "Well it's my ship so I don't always abide to the rules."

"Why am I not surprised?" April muses.

There is a long pause of silence between them as the Doctor watches April standing there uncomfortably on the bottom step. The Tardis lets out a hum to fill their awkward silence.

"So, April, you have the whole of time and space in front of you. Where do you want to start?"

April glares at the Doctor in disbelief and steps up to the same level as him and the console. "Where do I want to go?" she hisses. "You took me from my home and pulled me through a dustbin to wartime London during the Blitz. Even after I told you no. Is this some sort of sick joke? Who are you? Doctor who?" April takes a step closer as the Doctor laughs nervously. "There I asked your question for you. What doctor are you? A doctor of space and time travel? Do you think I ever had a choice in this?" She jabs her finger harshly in his chest with each syllable.

The Doctor takes a step back and stumbles over a leather chair, yet he manages to gain his balance as he laughs again nervously, one hand gripping onto the console.

"Look, April," He begins. "We've started on bad terms very quickly and I apologise for any inconvenience but let me just explain and set this straight."

April folds her arms across her chest. "Are you an alien?" She asks as the console hums again.

"Yes," The Doctor replies carefully, a bit cautious of her response, but she lets him continue. "I am. An alien with two hearts and can change my face after wearing out my body. Time Lords we called ourselves but I'm the last of my kind," The Doctor looks down at the console, knowing that he has to gain her trust and therefore tell her as much truth as he can currently bear. "I stole her not long before my planet and my people died and I've been travelling since. But I don't travel alone. My companion, Rose. Rose Tyler. I've left her home for a short while. And I built a cyborg called Terry. She looks human but she isn't. I uhh...I had to create her in this battle we got ourselves trapped in. They're both back in London in your time."

April is silent for a brief moment.

"Is this what you do? Pick girls up off the corner, tell them you're a Doctor and whisk them across the universe?" April's voice seems harsher than she intended but she just feels highly unimpressed. More than anything she feels lost. She doesn't want to be here with the Doctor and yet she doesn't want to go home.

The Doctor frowns. "But I am a doctor!" He protests.

"Yeah and I can see that!" April retorts as she rolls her eyes. "Did my parents put you up to this?" She snaps. "Before they died? Have you been stalking me for the past few years or something?"

"No." The Doctor responds very quickly as if trying to push the subject aside.

"You're acting like you know me and that I would want to travel with you. You haven't even apologised. How would you feel if someone took you from your home without your consent?"

The Doctor and April are both silent for a while as April quickly remembers that he just said that his home destroyed.

"Sorry." She mumbles.

"That's okay..." the Doctor cocks his head slightly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." She lies.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine," she insists. "I don't know if this is actually happening or if I just really hit my head on that dustbin and am actually dreaming."

"This is real," The Doctor says. "You're parents didn't send me. I know of you because of them but I just stumbled across you while on the look for something else. Thought I'd drop by and that you'd want to meet me."

"Why do I feel like that's a lie?"

"It's not," but even the Doctor knows he doesn't mean it. "You're parents used to talk about you all their time. Their intelligent daughter who always dreamed of seeing the stars."

"So you'd thought you'd con me here to take me to the stars in this ship?"

"I'm not a conman, April!" The Doctor snaps a little harshly but quickly stops himself. "I'm a friend. You can trust me. I want you to trust me. You don't have to stay with me. I'm not going to force you. But I'm sure you'd like a little escape from your life in Wandsworth?"

Then with a sigh, April turns on her heel and walks across the room. She sits on the step facing the door. She pulls her light grey hoodie sleeves over her balled fists and folds her arms over her stomach as she slowly starts rocking back and forth. She listens to the Doctor's footsteps as he goes to sit down next to her.

"Who is that man you're living with?" The Doctor asks tentatively

"Bruce Fey," April replies without hesitation. "He's just a close family friend."

"A close family friend who attacks you?"

"He doesn't attack me," April lies, ignoring the fact that she knows the Doctor doesn't believe her. "He just loses his temper often."

The Doctor watches April's profile before slowly reaching forward to touch the cut across her cheek bone. However before he can touch her, April moves away in an instant. It is almost like a sudden reaction to her: she feels the need to remove herself from any human contact. April knows the Doctor is studying her as they sit there and for a moment it feels like she can understand what it is he is thinking.

"Well, April Hollerford," The Doctor says with a smile on his face, although is voice is dull and forced. "We're going to have a lot of fun, aren't we?"

"I just don't know why you thought kidnapping me was okay."

"It wasn't kidnapping."

"Forcing me back in time when I so no. That's kidnapping."

"Okay I'm sorry."

April sighs heavily.

"Do you want to go back home? I'll take you back. A minute won't even have passed."

April hesitates as she picks at the dry skin around her fingers.

"No." April responds after a while.

"What can I do to help?"

"Shall we start again?"

It isn't long before April starts to explore the Tardis, checking out the wires and cables under the metal flooring of the console. She takes a walk down the corridors which are long and bent in all different directions. They lead to different rooms including a three storey high wardrobe, spare bedrooms, a swimming pool, an old bar, a library and many other rooms which April can't remember off the top of her head as there are so many. When she returns to the main console room, the Doctor offers to take her around to see London in 1943.

To the Doctor's surprise, April takes the offer.

It is only to April's surprise to see that it is broad daylight when she steps out the Tardis. It only seems like a few minutes ago that it was night time and bombs were falling on their heads. The bombs have stopped and as she looks at the park around her, she knows that it was only the following day since the bombs were dropped. The park is a mess and so are the neighbourhoods surrounding them. The Doctor stands by her side and squints in the bright daylight. He looks at April.

"Shall we go?" He asks as he offers her his arm. April, ignoring his arm, nods and they walk on together side by side with quite a gap between them.

They pass through the deadly quiet streets of London. There are a few people out as they push wheelbarrows, cleaning the rubble off the streets and throwing buckets of water over the remaining fires. April starts to feel a little self-conscious as most people stop to stare at both her and the Doctor, their eyes filling with hatred. April, realising that she is still wearing jeans and a hoodie, knows that she isn't in the right sort of clothing for wartime London.

"I feel like I should help them." April whispers to the Doctor, feeling exceedingly sympathetic to the people around her who have lost homes; wives lost husbands, fathers and brothers in the war or even in the bombings.

The Doctor looks down at April and nods to an old man who is bent over, trying to brush away the rubble from his front garden. April turns back to the Doctor and shakes her head, asking him if they can move on. She is too afraid to interfere with history.

"It feels like a set-up," April mumbles to the Doctor as she glances around a ruined London. "Like this is a film set and not history."

"Well you are a part of history now. It does take some getting used to."

As they pass through the city of London, the Doctor tries to lighten her mood by pointing out different historical facts all over the city. Some from centuries ago and some that are millions of years in the future. However, April occasionally finds herself correcting the Doctor once he gets a date wrong or a small fact incorrect. The Doctor looks a little embarrassed but pretends that he is only testing April's knowledge on the world.

Although the constant scowl is still planted on April's forehead, the Doctor does notice a very slight change in her mood as she seems very slightly happier than she was when they first met.

"Tell me more about Rose." April says when they turn down an alleyway.

"Why do you want to know?" The Doctor asks with a half-smile on his face.

"I just want to see if she's a real person and not just a con to make me believe that you're not just a lonely wonderer. Or a conman."

The Doctor looks a little hurt for a split second but then takes in a deep breath before speaking. "Some people get scared when they meet me for the first time. Even Rose was but she settled down very quickly. Unlike you. You seem to have taken this all in very easily. Much like your parents."

April shrugs as she balls her fists up in her hoodie pockets. "I've seen some crazy things," her scowl increases. "Did they ever travel with you?"

"No," the Doctor replies softly. "But they did know about me."

"There's so little I know of them," she glances at the Doctor. "They lived a double life, didn't they? The life with me and the life everyone expected of them. And then a different life I know nothing of. There seems to be more of my family than I know of. I mean for all I know, I could have a long lost brother or something."

April's words strikes the Doctor like a warning but he dares not say anything. April is very curious and she is correct. There is so much she does not know. But right now, the Doctor does not know where to begin in explaining anything. The Battle of the Cytracik for one. He quickly changes the subject.

"Wait till you get out there, April Hollerford," The Doctor says, pointing up at the grey sky as they stop walking. "I promise to take you up to see space for real and see the stars. And who knows? Maybe you will be the first female to land on Mars."

The April stares at the Doctor. Mrs Wimble said the same thing to her. "You said that you left Rose at home. How come?"

The Doctor starts walking on again as he starts to explain the story. "It was to keep her safe from the battle. I couldn't risk losing her."

April looks thoughtful for a moment. "The battle that lost you your home?"

"No, that was the Time War. Many years ago. The Battle of the Cytracik it was called. It happened not so long ago in London, but I don't think you would remember it." The Doctor looks down at April but she shakes her head. However the world Cytracik seems somewhat familiar but she doesn't know how. It is better left unsaid. "Well it was a battle between humans and some aliens over some object called the Cytracik and I just couldn't run the risk of losing Rose, so I sent back home to her own time until the battle was over."

"But the battle is over. Why haven't you got her back?" April asks.

The Doctor hesitates. "Well the fighting has stopped but I don't think that the battle is over yet," He looks at April gravely. "And I don't think it will be for a while. But that's nothing for you to be concerned of. If you want to know, I stumbled across you because I was looking for the Cytracik to destroy it."

"How do you destroy it?"

"No idea."

April nods. "What is the Cytracik, am I allowed to ask?"

"Still trying to figure it out. But it looks like this." the Doctor reaches for his inside coat pocket and pulls out a folded sheet of lined paper which has been ripped out of a notebook. He unfolds the paper and shows April a rough sketch of a black box. "A contemporary version of Pandora's box, I guess you could say. It is said that only the most powerful can open it. And that is why the battle started. Everything in the universe has become selfish. I'm not the only one looking for it. But I'm the only one wishing to destroy it."

April, with her head at a slight angle, examines the sketch of the Cytracik. However the Doctor quickly folds the paper and hides it in his coat pocket as if desperate to move away from this subject.

The Doctor then smirks a little as his voice suddenly changes to a lighter tone. "And as for Terry, I just needed extra help with a situation I got myself stuck in. It involved Henry VIII, a roast turkey and a yellow stocking."

"That's clever," April retorts sarcastically. "So this is what you do then, Doctor? You travel the world and get yourself stuck in situations and more or less change history all the time."

"I try to avoid the main history plots," The Doctor lies but he knows April doesn't believe him. "Besides Terry has helped me a lot. She may look human but she has a mind of a genius."

April finds a ginger cat walking along the top of a wall. Once it sees her, it jumps down off the wall and meows loudly. April bends down to fuss lovingly over the cat before picking it up in her arms and scratching it under his chin. She shows him to the Doctor; however he isn't too keen to pet the cat.

"What about you, April? Anything I don't know?" He asks, turning away from the cat.

April avoids the Doctor's eye contact. "There isn't a lot to say," She says as she walks on with the cat still purring happily in her arms. "I've been fascinated with astronomy for as long as I can remember."

"Anything about your family?"

April eyes the Doctor suspiciously as the cat jumps out of her arms and runs off in the opposite direction. "You said that you knew my parents. You know that they died five years ago on my thirteenth birthday."

"They died in a car accident."

"Bullshit! I don't believe a word of it, Doctor! How do you know anyway?"

The Doctor hesitates. "I was there when they died."

April's frown deepens. "Then tell me how they died."

"I told you they died in a car accident," The Doctor insists. "I was walking along the road when I saw it happen just further up the street. I was going to join them in a meeting. I stayed by their sides. They were dead by the time the ambulance arrived."

"So you may have something to do with the phone call dad received that morning."

"I don't. I just stayed with them when they died."

April waves her hand clumsily as if to tell him to stop talking as tears start to fill her eyes. "And you say meeting me wasn't a coincidence?"

The Doctor laughs. "Trust me, April Hollerford. I was just hoping around from time to time and sometimes I get pulled to certain places I'm familiar with, like your home. And because I met you, the time portal, what has been a little messed up recently, pulled you through the dustbin, not me. My ship told me what was happening and I ran to you and get you out of the way of the bombs."

"That's the truth?"

"I swear on my life."

April breathes out loudly. "I guess I may believe you, Doctor."

The Doctor smiles gleefully before they stop to look up at the sky that is quickly darkening by grey clouds. He feels a droplet of rain splash on his cheek.

"We'd better get back to the Tardis." He says, wiping the drop of rain off his face before continuing down the alleyway. April follows him and just as they reach the exit, April finds herself back in the park and the Tardis is only a few feet in front of her. April quickly turns around to try and understand how they came from the alleyway that is located somewhere else in London, to the park in a matter of seconds. It is as if they have been transported without realising.

April opens her mouth to speak but the Doctor cuts across her before she can.

"It's a technique a company called UNIT developed. They used to be able to open any door to any building to get to their main base. They gave me the gift to be able to get to my ship if I was thinking about it. It's been pretty useful." The Doctor takes out a key from his coat pocket and looks at April's scowling face.

Two things cross April's mind: the first is that she wonders why the Doctor chose to run when he found her instead of using this trick, and the second is the mention of UNIT.

"United Nations Intelligence Taskforce."

"That's the one." The Doctor says as he pulls out the Tardis key.

"What is that?"

"They were a scientific and military base that tracked down everything to do with aliens and spacecrafts. They were good friends of mine and your parents."

"Were?"

The Doctor pauses and looks somewhat downtrodden. "They were killed in the Battle of the Cytracik."

April purses her lips. "Sorry." She mutters and she truly is. "They must've been close to you."

The Doctor nods. "Well the majority of them I guess you could say," He then smiles. "Come on, I think it's about time we go somewhere else. Anywhere in history or the future would you like to see?"

After searching through the three-story high wardrobe, April finds a decent and suitable outfit to wear as the Doctor dances round the console blaring out some Mozart as the Tardis flies through time and space. When it lands, the Doctor and April stand by the front door and look at each other. The Doctor smiles in hope to receive one back from her but only receives her scowl. As he reaches for the door handle, April rests against the door to stop him from opening it.

"Are you sure that once these doors are open, we are going to step out to a completely different time and place to where we were in 1943?"

The Doctor's smile broadens. "And I look forward to watching your face to see it." The corner of April's lips twitch ever so slightly. The Doctor pulls open the door and April is the first to step out on the stone pavement. However before she she can step out fully, she quickly jolts backwards as a horse and carriage speeds past her.

Although impressed with the change in date, April isn't so impressed that the Doctor parked so close to the edge of a road. The Doctor notes this too as he looks at his big blue box and mutters something under his breath. He then turns and look at the long road stretched out in front of them. In the distance is the Globe Theatre which can be seen over the different roofs of the houses in front.

"April 1611," The Doctor takes a step forward with his arms outstretched proudly in front of him. "And April Hollerford, I have booked tickets to see the opening night to one of William Shakespeare's most famous plays." He turns back to look at April with raised eyebrows.

"Macbeth," April nods. "That's clever," She looks at the Doctor and only remembers saying the same thing before but sarcastically. "And I mean it."

The Doctor nods and stands by her side again, looking out at the Globe. "And what a show it's going to be."

The Doctor and April walk through seventeenth century London towards the Globe Theatre. April watches the people they pass in awe, fascinated by the idea that she is walking through history. Everyone around her has their own lives and their own story during the seventeenth century and they have no idea what is to become of the world in the next century. She listens to the way they speak and try to figure out what it is they are speaking about.

"You must learn, April," The Doctor whispers, taking note of the streets becoming more crowded with people the closer they get to the Globe. "That you should never reveal your true identity because if you end up in trouble, it'll be a difficult story to tell to find your way out. Let's say I'm now John Smith and you can be…" He pauses in thought. "Mrs Robinson."

April glares at the Doctor, clearly unimpressed with his train of though. "Mrs Robinson?"

"What? It's not such a bad name."

"I hate you." She mutters, shaking her head.

The Doctor smirks as they reach the entrance. A guard who is standing by the wooden doors stop them in their tracks. The Doctor reaches for the inside of his coat pocket and takes out what looks like a small black wallet, yet as he opens it and shows it to the guard, one half of the wallet reveals a plain scrap of paper to it. The guard nods and welcomes them to the Globe, stepping to the side to let them pass. The Doctor nods and walks on, followed by April.

"Psychic paper," The Doctor says, waving it in his hand, just as if he's reading April's questioning mind. "It means I can get anywhere around the universe as anyone I wish to be and people would believe me at the sight at my…well I guess you could call it identification." They stop walking momentarily as they peer down at the psychic paper. April notices that the paper suddenly has John Smith's name across the top, followed by a date of birth and occupation.

April snorts. "John Smith is King James I servant?"

The Doctor quickly tucks the paper into his coat pocket. "Well he has to be someone."

They both ascend the steep wooden stairs which eventually leads them to a balcony view. The Doctor allows April to pass through the doorway first as they step out on the balcony and edge pass other audience members to take their seat in the middle.

"And I had to get the best seat in the house." The Doctor muses, impressed with himself. April sits down on the wooden bench, admiring the view of the stage down below.

It isn't long before the show starts and April watches the opening performance of Macbeth in awe, watching the male actors dart around the stage. She is entertained not only by the performance but also of the audience's reaction as they gasp in shock horror when the three witches chant their songs and Lady Macbeth plots her husband to murder King Duncan. The Doctor leans over and points out Richard Burbage who is playing Macbeth. April was never one to go to the theatre to see a show, but there and then, she finds herself enjoying every moment of it.

By the end of the performance, the audience stands up and a loud roar erupts. April and the Doctor both stand up with everyone else. April starts applauding but the Doctor stops her as the audience start shouting in horror from the performance. Screams are thrown across the Globe as the actors scuttle away to hide behind the stage. April watches the people around her cursing the play and that is when they both decide to leave and allow history to continue its course.

Seventy-five years before, the Doctor and April are standing in the middle of a crowd of people standing outside the Tower of London, awaiting the news of Anne Boleyn's execution.

Five hundred and fifty-five years into the future and the Doctor and April are standing in another crowd of people watching a spacecraft being launched into the sky as the German's are set to land on the moon and plant their flag next to the American's flag. April is pleased that seventy-six years into her future and no one attempts to fly to Mars.

One hundred and seventy-seven years before and the Doctor and April are sitting at a large round table with Captain Smith, Bruce Ismay, Thomas Andrews and other people whom the Doctor isn't able to remember their names, on the first night out on the RMS Titanic since it set sail from Southampton docks. The guests are delighted with the stories John Smith tells about his travels with his adequate but moody companion, Mrs Robinson.

Three hundred and eighty years before, the Doctor and April find themselves in a pickle in Hampton Court...

April stands with her back up against the oak walls, which reminds her of the walls to her therapist's office. The Doctor, however, is hiding in the large wardrobe to her right.

"Is he gone yet?" The Doctor asks, whispering through the gap between the doors.

April peers from behind the bend in the wall only to see an empty corridor. "The coast is clear for now."

The Doctor comes out of the wardrobe and brushes away the mothballs from his jacket.

"That was too much of a close shave." The Doctor mutters but then notices April's eyes widen in fear as she looks over his shoulder.

"And it looks like you'll be losing your head soon."

The Doctor turns to see some of the King's men hurtling towards them at full speed. "Run!" He shouts as they do so, running from room to room, slamming the doors behind them. They end up in a bedroom and both dive under the large double bed.

"Now you've done it!" April hisses at the Doctor as they squeeze under the bed, hoping not to be seen. "You should've known that Henry VIII wants to kill you after your incident with the roast turkey over supper!"

"April you asked me to take to you this era so you could meet him!" The Doctor snaps.

"You could've gone back in time to before you pissed him off! Now he wants our heads!" She covers her mouth with her hands as the door bursts open and in come the guards, followed by Henry VIII himself shouting for John Smith. They search the room, checking the drawers and cupboards. The Doctor delicately takes out his sonic screwdriver, which he has introduced to April after they managed to get stuck in the engine room while Titanic was sinking. As he turns it on, something in one of the other rooms down the corridor smashes, allowing the King's and the guard's attention to turn to the sound and run out the room.

The Doctor and April crawl out from under the bed and open the door to the balcony. As they step through they find themselves at the end of the garden where the Tardis is parked.

During their travels around the world, the Doctor starts to teach April more about the Tardis and their history together. After a long deliberating thought, he starts to teach her how to fly the ship and what every button and leaver on the console does. To his surprise, not only does April pick it all up very quickly and it isn't long before she knows how to fly the Tardis, but the Tardis allows April to fly her.

"This has never happened before," the Doctor announces in wonderment. "I have never seen my ship allow someone else but me fly her. And I didn't think you would understand her controls as easily as you do."

"It's not exactly difficult." April replies.

April takes out her astronomy books and they study together. The Doctor teaches her more about the wonders of the universe, the parts she does not know of, and yet he finds himself learning other things about astronomy and the stars from April which he had not known before. However he keeps this to himself. He starts to notice more of the knowledge that April contains in her brain, and knows that it came from her parents, especially her father.

The Doctor watches April's confidence slowly develop as she starts to relax more around him as their friendship grows a little stronger. She trusts him more and doesn't judge him so much as she did before. Nor does she accuse him for lying to her, even if she still doesn't believe everything he says. Yet the scowl still remains on her face and she still doesn't allow any physical contact between them. This makes the Doctor curious as to why she is so afraid of people touching her.

Every night, the Doctor allows April to sleep for a few hours before they will go on to travel the next day. The Doctor stays up all night long, occasionally talking to the console, pacing around, or fixing some of the wires. However April's nightmare still appears every time she falls asleep and the fiery pain she has when she wakes up is gradually becoming more painful as the days wear on. She has noticed that since she's been with the Doctor, there is a sudden increase in the pain.

One day, April finds herself sitting on the chair, one leg hanging down and the other tucked under. The Doctor is below the console fixing some wires that seem to be a little faulty. As April stares blankly at the door, she suddenly gets flashbacks of Bruce beating her back at her house and whenever she closes her eyes, she gets the image of the Black Lighthouse, which will jolt her back to her senses.

The scars on April's wrists starts burning again. She looks down at her sleeve-covered arms, gasping at the sudden burning sensation. She then realises that since she's been with the Doctor, all her thoughts of wanting to kill herself has vanished. All of a sudden she feels more willing to stay alive and travel the world with the Doctor. She has this sudden desire to learn more about the universe.

She admits to herself that in some strange way, the Doctor has mentally saved her life. Only in the sense that he has opened her up to life away from depression and suicide. Although their meeting was not planned, running away with him that night during the London blitz has stopped her from ever killing herself, or ever wanting to physically hurt herself. And it is only now that this has occurred to her.

But then she wonders if the Doctor has realised the impact he has made on her life. But perhaps this sudden change is because of the way she has changed the outlook of her own life. The Doctor has showed her a new way of living her life and April has only just accepted it. Maybe he has helped herself.

April suddenly feels a rush of courage to admit to the Doctor and tell him everything about her depressive state she was in before and everything Bruce did to her. But then she suddenly remembers something her therapist told her during one of their first sessions.

Mental health feels like one is fighting a war. However the enemy's strategy is to make one believe that there is not a war occurring.

April sinks back into her head as she realises how ill she is. Maybe opening up to the Doctor might be another step forward to helping herself out.

"Doctor." April calls, but then the phone sitting on the console starts to ring, stopping her from saying anything further.

The Doctor is there by the phone in a heartbeat and a broad smile breaks out on his face when he answers it.

"Hello, Rose Tyler!"