History exam countdown: 3 days

Work done: 1 out of 3 topics

Status: screwed

'Rachy Babes': arg, I can remember sitting my French exams, hated every second of them. Really? As much! Wow. No pressure there. Lol. I must admit, I found that chapter quite a lot of fun to write. This one however feels a little blotchy because I'm introducing a sort of emotional theme for the series that's only been hinted at before and it's a little stuck out but I can't get it to merge. Oh well, I'm sure it'll be ok. Fawks is going to have to deal with it, however she may enjoy Jacks last sentence. As for the diary I havn't decided yet but if I do use them I'll be calling on you for some help. Erm Slovenian…no…no idea what she's talking about *shifty eyes*

'Sashaxh': I'm glad you liked it :) well I can tell you they don't exactly listen to the Doctor but they will end up on the TARDIS, not because I didn't want to work more of Idris in. I love her and Winter together, but because there's a new storyline I'd like to bring in and because I feel this ep mainly features around the Doctor's emotions and pushing Nemo and Jack into that wouldn't be an asset to the storyline. But keep the ideas coming!

'sonotalady': Yes, I do wish it wasn't as easy to avoid studying as it is. However what do you expect if you give a girl amazing shows like Dr Who to write about :) the kissing thing was completely out of the blue actually, it sort of just happened. Oh dear me, Eurovision. Well, not telling papers every little thing about himself puts him up a level in my books but still, I think we are in agreement about the daft song. But then again that's what Eurovision is about in the end. Stupid songs.

'AliceIvyRose': Thank you :) I hope you like the rest of it as much.

Seems like it was yesterday when I saw your face
You told me how proud you were but I walked away
If only I knew what I know today

I would hold you in my arms
I would take the pain away
Thank you for all you've done
Forgive all your mistakes
There's nothing I wouldn't do
To hear your voice again
Sometimes I want to call you but I know you won't be there

Some days I feel broke inside but I won't admit
Sometimes I just want to hide 'cause it's you I miss
You know it's so hard to say goodbye when it comes to this

Would you tell me I was wrong?
Would you help me understand?
Are you looking down upon me?
Are you proud of who I am?
There's nothing I wouldn't do
To have just one more chance
To look into your eyes and see you looking back

Christina Aguilera - Hurt

'The House' turned out to be…well a creature. A creature with a hard shell that was so big it had its own atmosphere. The whole planet was a creature. A creature that could take control of Uncle and Auntie. They all sat in a small alcove with a hole covered by a grate in the corner through which you could see the green light that House gave off. He offered them peace and food. (Which Winter looked over at on the table and scrunched her nose up at.) 'We're not actually going to stay here are we?' Rory asked.

'Well it seems like a friendly planet.' The Doctor replied. 'Literally. Mind if we poke around a bit?' he asked.

'You can look all you want, go, look.' Auntie grinned at them, 'house loves you.' She reached out and touched Amy's face. She recoiled slightly but attempted to keep as still as she could.

'Come on then gang, we're just going to, see the sights.' Winter smiled and pulled Jack out of the room. They wandered steadily through the corridors and followed the Doctor as he systematically checked every corner. Winter heard a call in the distance and grinned as the Doctor shushed everyone. Rory stepped forwards.

'So as soon as the TARDIS is refuelled we go yeah?'

'No! There are Time Lords here. I heard them and they need me.'

'You told me about your people and you told me what you did.' Amy reminded him. Winter began swaying around the room, almost waltzing. Jack watched her stand on the tip toes of one foot and point the other like a dancer as she looked through a high window.

'Doc.' He sighed, 'she's gone again.' The Doctor turned around to look at the dancing young woman and frowned.

'Nemo.'

'The pirates cat and the thief's fish I'm a walking oxymoron.' She sang suddenly frowning, 'she's mine. But…but…I love you. It is real,' she growled but suddenly her face went blank and she began singing again, 'it is, it's, Daisy Daisy, give me your answer do, I'm…' she looked up at Jack with sad eyes but laughed, 'I'm half crazy.' She put her hand to her head and mock fainted. Jack reached out and caught her.

'Anyone would think you'd been at the 'Malibu' again.' He chuckled. She smiled.

'Pretty eyes.' She leant over and licked his neck.

'OOOkay!' Jack jumped up with her in his arms. 'I'm taking her back to the TARDIS. It's all very well but something's obviously affecting her here.' He swept past them all and carried Winter back through the caves, passing through the alcove with the hole in the ground and out into the junkyard where he placed her on the floor, unlocked the TARDIS, dragged her away from the junk heap she had immediately wandered over to and pulled her inside the TARDIS.

The moment she was inside her head snapped up and her eyes were suddenly alert again.

'How did we get in here?'

'I carried you.' He sighed. She pulled a face and moved over to the Captain's chair.

'Oh what did I do this time?'

'You licked me.'

'Oh well that's nothing new.' He laughed and turned as the doors opened and Amy walked in with Rory at her side.

'Have you seen the Doctor's other Jacket?' Rory asked.

'He's wearing it.' Winter replied.

'No, the other one.'

'Yeah, he's wearing it. The original is in the wash after he blew up that black blob creature and we both got covered in goop.' Jack smiled fondly at the memory. A loud clanging noise startled their conversation and they turned to look at the door. Winter hopped up off the seat and went to try the lock. 'It's jammed.' She told them. Jack headed over to her side and tried to force the door open.

'It's not jammed, it's locked.'

'I don't believe it, has he locked us in the TARDIS?' Amy asked angrily.

'I'm sure it's just a mistake.' Rory told her as she paced over to the phone and punched in a number. 'No sonic screwdriver,' she told the Doctor at the other end, 'also the doors seem to have locked behind us. Rory thinks there's a perfectly innocent explanation but, I think you lied to us.' She paused, 'What we're not good enough for your smart new friends?' another pause as the doctor answered her, 'Doctor what are you talking about?' he appeared to hang up just as she was half way through speaking to him, 'We don't have much…choice.' She put the phone back down and sighed, running a hand through her hair. She got up and began pacing up and down the room.

'Amy I'm sure he'll be fine.' Jack told her, 'Just calm down, we'll get this sorted. Worrying won't help anyone. We need to think.' She shook her head.

'He's not trusting us and he's getting emotional, this is bad. This is very very bad' She told them. Rory looked over at Jack and was half way through a shrug when his eyes widened and his shoulders tensed.

'Yep.' He pointed towards the doors and they turned to see misty green light shining through the windows. 'I think it probably is.' Jack pulled winter back from the doors and they watched as the light got brighter and brighter. Amy rushed straight over to the phone as it started ringing. She pressed buttons and pulled levers as she spoke.

'Doctor, something's wrong... We can't you locked the door remember!' the cloister bell began to ring and the ship began to move of its own accord. Jack and Winter steadied themselves against the railings and gripped each other's hands as the rocking ceased and the whole room went silent. Rory began speaking to Amy and Winter looked up at Jack.

'Any ideas?' she asked, looking around the dark room. He shook his head and pulled her in for a hug. 'Yeah,' she told him, 'me too.'

'You're half right, I mean, you are in the TARDIS. What a great adventure.' The four of them looked up as House's voice echoed through the room. The very sound of his gravely tone sent shivers down winter's spine. 'I should have done this half a million years ago. So, Amy, Rory, Nemo, Jack, why shouldn't I just kill you now.'

'I'd like to see you try.' Jack stated. A shot of green gas burst from the console and sped straight down his throat and nose. Winter screamed as he burst to dust at her side.

'You didn't have to do that!' she yelled. 'He was just bragging. You didn't have to…' She felt Amy at her side as Rory tried to convince House to leave them be. The other woman pulled her away from the dust that now coated the glass floor. Winter could see specks of it start to clump together and she took in an unsteady breath. He'd be back. But it would be painful.

'So entertain me.' House told them, 'Run.' Amy gripped Winter's hand and pulled her up the steps, racing through the corridors, into the inner TARDIS. 'So are we having fun yet?' he asked as they hurtled down an unknown route, 'I'm rather enjoying the sensation of you running inside me.' Amy overbalanced as they came to a large hole in the corridor floor. The gravity lift. Rory reached out and grabbed her but there was no one there to grab Winter. She slipped out of Amy's grip and fell. Amy screamed after her as her body bashed around on the side of the wall. With a sudden flash back to falling through the door that lead to the rocket heading to utopia, Winter stuck out her arms and grunted as they caught on another corridor floor, knowing the wind right out of her. She pulled herself onto the side and groaned.

'It's alright.' She shouted up. 'I'm ok, carry on without me.'

'We can't just leave you.' Amy yelled.

'You can and you will.' She yelled back. Then the lights went out. Winter shivered and turned slowly on the spot. There was a figure in the distance. Tall, lanky, male. A voice echoed around the room, repeating just one word, over and over again. 'Scrap'

'Who are you?' he asked. She went to take a step back but remembered the hole behind her and stood her ground as he edged closer.

'What do you mean who am I? Who the hell are you?' The lights along the floor flashed on and winter gaped at the man before her.

'Andy!' he frowned at her and took another step forward.

'How do you know my name?'

'It's me! It's me Nemo! It's Scrap!' the boy glared at her.

'You're not her. You're messing with my head. Where's my sister? What have you done with her?'

'Andy it's me.' He grabbed her arm and forced her up against the wall, she hit her head and winced but when she opened her eyes he stumbled back.

'Your eyes….Scrap.' she nodded tearfully.

'Andy it's me.'

'No!' he screamed. She flinched as he hissed at her. 'You're not my sister. House had shown me what you've done. You've killed people. So many people.' Winter's eyes widened in horror at the images of the dead soldiers, the silence, the creatures that had ended up dead by her hand.

'And you're… you have a girlfriend AND a boyfriend!' She shook her head as he screwed up his face trying to understand.

'Please Andy, I…I love them.'

'You...you can't be my baby sister. YOU CAN'T BE!' he roared. 'WHO ARE YOU!' She backed away from him, towards the other end of the corridor, shaking her head as she went, tears trickling down her face.

'No, no, I'm not, please, Andy…please don't leave me here….please, I didn't, I'm not…don't leave me…don't leave me without saying you love me…PLEASE!' the lights flickered back on and he was gone. She spun around and slammed her hands against the wall. 'I've got to get out.' She told herself. Wiping her tears she rounded the corner and saw a ladder leading up. Without a seconds thought she started climbing. Her heart telling her exactly where she needed to be.

As she climbed she thought. Did he really think that? No, would, would he really think that. She had no doubt whatsoever that the apparition of Andy was House's doing. But what if he was right. When she looked back on her memories of the past few years she couldn't help but pick out the moments she was no proud of, the moments she was certain he would have hated her for. Idris calling her Scrap back on the junk yard planet had reminded her of all those people she had left behind. To be honest she'd been thinking about them more and more lately. That was the reason she'd asked Jack if they could go back and see Gwen while they hunted for the astronaut. All this travel had broadened her mind to all sorts of possibilities but still, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was forgetting the people that had once mattered to her the most. Not once had they visited Ianto, Owen or Tosh' graves. She hadn't looked in on Gwen and Rhys, or the kids down at Andrew house and now House was playing on her guilt. Well he could just keep trying, because Jack was slowly and painfully re-growing his tissue and she wasn't going to let a big green glowy thing mess with her feelings. She would deal with them later.

Her hand grabbed air and she looked up, pulling herself onto the floor and heading down the corridor. She came to a door that wouldn't open and heard a squeal to her side before Amy flung herself into her arms.

'You're alright, you're Ok!'

'I'm always alright.' Winter echoed tiredly.

'Purple slider, purple slider.' Rory chanted as he fumbled with the panels. Winter's head snapped up.

'The purple slider is inside.' He groaned.

'Then how do we get inside.'

'There's a pass code. You need the code.'

'Where do I get the code from?' She grabbed his head and looked into his eyes.

'Relax.' He flinched as Idris sent him a message telepathically.

'Crimson, eleven, delight, Petricorn.' He repeated, then he looked up at the door and Winter let go. 'What do I do, do I say it? Erm Crimson, eleven, delight, Petricorn,'

'No, no, no.' Winter snapped, 'The TARDIS interface is telepathic Rory.'

'You don't say it you think it.' Amy realised. She immediately closed her eyes and began chanting the words as she thought about them. Winter pressed up against the doors and slapped them as they opened, pushing her way through and rushing over to the console. She was surprised to see that this was the old version, the last Doctor's console room. The coral pattern, the beaten up chair. The messy console. She'd missed it. 'What is this place?' Amy asked. 'Another control room?' Winter nodded.

'This was how I first saw the TARDIS, we're back in this one because… well I can only guess because of me.' She shrugged at Amy's confused expression. 'What, I've been melancholy lately.' she smiled and turned to Rory. 'Right what do we need?'

'Shields.' He replied.

'Easy peasy.' She grinned and flung up the levers at her side before flicking the purple sliders across. 'Anything else?'

'Move!' Amy yelled. Winter turned to see the ood advancing on them.

'woooo, what have you done to piss the ood off.' Rory shook his head.

'House is controlling him.'

'Oh that's just what we need.'

'How did you find this place, it's not on my internal schematics.' House's voice brought back the gravity of the situation as Winter, Amy and Rory huddled by the captain's chair. 'I had hoped you three could join nephew as my servants. But you three are nothing but trouble.' As the ood advanced to kill them on House's order, Rory received another telepathic message.

'Where are you coming through?' he asked, obviously the answer was that they weren't sure because his reply was to raise his hands and sarcastically say, 'Oh great, thanks.' He turned to Amy and Winter and said, 'Hold on.' Winter leaped for the railings, holding on for dear life as a bright light burst into the old TARDIS console room. When the light receded she looked over and laughed. He'd built a new TARDIS. A new console anyway, a console made up of all the bits of TARDIS that had been scattered over the junk yard. So that was why she was sad, she had known somehow that those were TARDIS'. She felt the little stone in her pocket and then rushed over to the Doctor, throwing her arms around him.

'My Doctor.' She whispered. He glanced around the room and frowned.

'Where's Jack?'

'Re-atomising in the other console room.' The Doctor nodded then turned to Idris when she called.

'How do you walk around in these things?' Idris asked.

'pfft,' Winter smiled a little, 'You should try wearing heels.' She walked over to Idris and sat down next to her.

'Oh but your sad.' Idris told her.

'No I'm not. I'm fine. I'm always fine.

'No you're not. I know you, I see through your eyes. That's why I'm picking this body thing up so quickly, I'm used to being you. Where's the Pirate?' Winter leant against Idris who pulled her head onto her lap. The strange woman stroked her hair gently.

'He's in the console room. The one from this time frame.' The Doctor interrupted their conversation by talking to Amy. He pointed at Winter and Idris and smiled.

'This is my TARDIS.' He put his hands on her hips. 'Except they're both women. They're women…and they're my TARDIS.'

'Technically,' Winter put in, 'She's more TARDIS than me.' The Doctor frowned at her.

'When did you catch on?'

'The same time she did.' Winter replied, 'I just forgot it all when I became me again and then it was a lot of complicated stuff. What you think I wouldn't recognise the voice that sings me to sleep every night?' Idris looked down at her fondly. Amy however was speechless.

'She's the TARDIS?' She forced out.

'And she's a woman, she's a woman, and she's the TARDIS.'

'Did you wish reeealy hard?' Amy asked as Winter and Idris got to their feet.

'Shut up, not like that.' The Doctor countered.

'Hello.' Idris greeted them, 'I'm sexy.' The Doctor sighed and put his hands on his hips again.

'Oh,' he looked over to where Amy and Rory were smirking, 'Still shut up.' He warned them. Winter stuck by Idris' side as House talked once more.

'Environment has been breached, Nephew, kill them all.' They glanced around looking for the ood but it was gone.

'Where's nephew?' Rory asked.

'He was standing right where you materialised.' Amy told the Doctor. His face showed is realisation and Winter rolled her eyes.

'Oh, what is it now.'

'Well, he must have been redistributed.'

'Meaning what?' Rory asked. Winter pulled a disgusted face as the Doctor answered.

'You're breathing him.'

'Doctor.' House realised the Time Lord's intrusion and spoke again, 'I did not expect you.'

'Well that's me all over isn't it. Lovely old unexpected me.

'The big question is now you're here, how to dispose of you. I could play with gravity.' Winter felt the pressure on her body increase tenfold as the gravity in the room changed. She struggled against the feeling of compression, as though there were a cow sitting upon her chest. Then as quickly as it had changed it was back to normal. 'Or I could evacuate the air from this room and watch you choke.' Suddenly she couldn't breathe.

'You really don't want to do that!' the Doctor yelled.

'Why shouldn't I just kill you now?' Winter pulled her hands up to her throat as the air sped back into the room.

'Because then I won't be able to help you. Listen to your engines. Just listen to them. You don't have the thrust and right now I'm your only hope of getting out of your bubble through the rift.' Winter pulled herself up onto the side of the console. 'Into my universe, and mine's the one with the food in. you just have to promise not to kill us, that's all.' Winter pulled back from the console and stumbled over to Idris, laid out on Rory's lap. The Doctor followed her and took her hand. 'not long now old girl. Just hang on.'

'I always like it when you called me old girl.' Idris muttered. Winter nodded.

'Makes us feel special, loved.' Winter curled up at Idris' side. The woman wrapped an arm around her and she sighed. Clinging onto the her tightly.'

'You want me to give you my word?' House asked. 'Easy, I promise.'

'Fine, alright I trust you.' The Doctor replied, 'Just delete oh thirty per cent of the TARDIS rooms, you'll free up the thrust to get us through.'

'What's he doing?' Winter whispered.

'Being extremely clever.' Idris breathed out.

'Yes, I can delete rooms, and I can also rid myself of vermin. If I delete this room first. Thank you Doctor, very helpful.' Winter closed her eyes and hung onto Idris' bodice. 'Goodbye Time Lord, goodbye little humans, goodbye Idris.' A white light shone through the lid of her closed eyes and she felt Idris' grip slacken.

'Yes I mean you could do that but it just won't work.' Winter opened her eyes and sat up, they were in the new console room, lying on the glass flooring. 'Hardwired failsafe,' the Doctor explained, 'Living things in rooms that are deleted are automatically deposited in the main control room.' Winter felt a hand on her back and looked up to see Jack in nothing but a pair of trousers covered in oil from the box in the corner alcove. She breathed a sigh of relief and pulled him toward her, leaping off the floor and relishing the feel of his arms around her. 'Thanks for the lift.'

'We are in your universe now Doctor why should it matter to me which room you die in.' House replied, 'I can kill you just as easily here as anywhere. Fear me, I've killed hundreds of Time Lords.'

'Fear me.' The Doctor countered, 'I've killed all of them.' Suddenly realisation dawned on his face and he glanced over at Amy and Jack and Winter. 'Oh yeah, you've won, oh you can kill us in oodles of really inventive ways.' He paced over to Amy and Winter realised as he made Amy, Jack and herself clap the creature, he was wasting time, but time for what? 'Yep you've defeated us, myself, my friends here, and last but by no means least the TARDIS herself here, a living consciousness you ripped out of this very control room and locked up into a body and look at her.' Rory looked up at them.

'Doctor, she's stopped breathing.'

'Enough.' House called, 'That is enough.'

'No!' the Doctor yelled, 'you forced the TARDIS into a body so she'd burn out safely a very long way from this control room. A flesh body can't hold the whole TARDIS matrix and live. Look at what just a tiny spark of it did to my friend here.' He motioned to Winter who blushed slightly, 'look at her body house.'

'And you think I should morn her?'

'No, I think you should be very, very careful about what you let back into this control room.' He growled, 'you took her from her home, and now she's back in the box again and she's free.' His companions watched in awe as golden light erupted from Idris' mouth and spurted out into the console room. The light surged into every nook and cranny of the console and they witnessed the struggle between the green and gold lights as they clashed together. In a burst of gold the TARDIS defeated House. 'Look at my girl! Look at her go!' Winter watched the light twirl around her as it slipped back into the console. Home once more.

'Doctor.' Everyone looked up in shock to see Idris stood on the bottom step of the staircase leading up to the rest of the TARDIS rooms. 'Are you there? It's so very dark in here.' He stepped forwards towards her and took in her form, it was as if it were made up of shafts of light.

'I'm here.' He reassured her.

'I've been looking for a word. A big complicated word but so sad, I've found it now.'

'What word?'

'Alive. I'm alive.' Everyone turned away from the conversation, though they could hear it seemed wrong to watch them talk. But Winter looked up when she felt the TARDIS' gaze upon her back. 'Look after my sister for me.' Winter swallowed hard and drifted forwards.

'S…sister?'

'My sister. My family.'

'I've never had a sister.' Winter whispered.

'I've always been your sister. Ever since we met but I cannot protect you from what is to come.'

'What are you talking about?' Idris turned back to the Doctor and smiled at him.

'There's something I didn't get to say to you.' She told him.

'Goodbye.'

'No. I just wanted to say. Hello, hello, Doctor, it's so very, very nice to meet you.'

'Please.' He begged, 'I don't want you to.' And then she left, in a haze of white light the TARDIS disappeared from the room and the wheezing sound returned to the console.

Winter looked over to the others and nodded towards the door. They left single file, leaving the Doctor alone with her. She didn't speak to him, just let him slowly work his way around the console, checking everything twice. Finally he turned to look at her.

'Why aren't you talking? Why aren't you telling me that she's still here with us, or that she had to go some time.' Winter shook her head.

'Because that's not what you want to hear. You know it's all true and you don't need me patronising you.'

'Then what are you hanging around here for?' he asked.

'In case you wanted a hug.' She replied simply. He looked at her for a moment and she witnessed the tears build up in his eyes as he nodded slowly. She stood up and took his hand pulling him into her arms. He latched onto her and she felt his tears dampen her top but she kept her arms wrapped around him, holding him tightly because after all his talk and thinking was done, he didn't need a lecture. He just needed some comfort.

TTT

Later that evening Winter crawled into bed with Jack. He wrapped an arm around her and she snuggled into her side. Luckily the TARDIS was able to retrieve their room from the deleted files but Amy and Rory were quite happy with their new room.

'Are you alright?' Jack asked her warily.

'Do you think he'd be proud of me?'

'Who?' she refused to look at his face, choosing instead to run her fingers over his chest lightly.

'Andy.' He frowned but sat up and pulled her with him, forcing her to look at him.

'Without a shadow of a doubt.' He replied. She looked up at him earnestly.

'Really.'

'I think he only wanted you to be happy. If he could see you now, well, I think he'd be over the moon.' She smiled and leant forwards pressing her lips against his. They lay back down and he ran his hand up and down her arm before commenting cheekily. 'Besides, your 'sister' seemed quite taken with you.' She thought back to the kiss back on the junk yard planet and hit his chest, blushing furiously.

'Shut up.'

Review? :D