A/N: updated 1/8/2020

"Should she be shaking like this?" Aria asked as the Doctor raced around the console, a mad grin on his face. He ignored her question, something that would soon become routine, and instead pointed vaguely at the controls opposite of where he stood.

"Rose, hold that one down!"

The blonde stared at him, laughter flickering in her eyes. "I'm holding THIS one down!"

The Doctor glanced at her briefly before turning back to look at the screen in front of him as his hands flew across the switches. "Well, then hold them both down!"

Aria rolled her eyes at both of them. "It's not gonna work," she called from where she stood. Her smile widened as she felt the TARDIS's amusement at the other two.

"Quiet you," the Doctor pointed at her teasingly before leaning around the controls to meet Rose's eyes. "I promised you a time machine, and that's exactly what you're getting!" He distractedly pressed a few more buttons and levers, not noticing Aria undo his actions and pull separate levers. "Now, you've had a look at the future; let's have a look at the past!" He looked proud of himself once he proclaimed the fact, only expecting the best from his TARDIS, of course. As the ship continued to tumble through the time vortex, he seemed to have more of an idea of where they were going. "How does 1860 sound?"

Aria had a feeling that they weren't going to land in 1860. As she clung to one of the coral structures in the TARDIS, she mused to herself about it all.

Rose, Rose Tyler: now this most definitely was the girl that had been mentioned so often by two of the voices in her watch, sometimes even a third. The girl acted all innocent and almost... as if she could do no wrong.

Aria didn't like people like that. No one was perfect, and people who thought that they were justified in everything they did usually ended up causing problems for not only themselves but also everyone around them. Thinking you were perfect or could do no wrong would eventually end up with someone dead, Aria was certain of it. Besides, it wasn't hard to tell Rose had a thing for the Doctor. The two traits combined would lead to something bad.

"Hold on, here we go!" Aria snapped back to the present as the Doctor made his excited warning. She inwardly groaned, the TARDIS's erratic movements already proving to her that he had no control over any driving situation. Her evidence was given that moment as the ship jarred to a stop, knocking the Doctor and Rose off their feet and into each other. The only reason Aria hadn't fallen was from her tight grip on the ship's structure. She couldn't help but smile as the other two burst out laughing, but closely watched the blonde's expression as she ever so quickly glanced at the Doctor with a slight bit more than friendly admiration.

"Blimey!" Rose said as the two rose to their feet. The Doctor grinned once again.

"You're telling me!" He turned to look at Aria. "Are you both alright?"

Aria almost snickered as a flash of annoyance crossed Rose's face at not being the center of his attention. "I'm not sure, you're the doctor" she said with teasing emphasis on his chosen name. Both she and Rose broke into a fit of giggles.

"Same with me! Nothing's broken... did we make it? Where are we?" She attempted to read what was on the TARDIS's screen.

The Doctor looked over her shoulder before raising both arms triumphantly. "Give the man a medal! Right where we wanted to be: Earth, Naples; December 24th, 1860." He pointed to each on the screen as he said them, moving over to let Aria see once she sauntered over.

"That's strange..." Aria trailed off confusedly as she read.

Rose nodded. "Yeah, it's Christmas."

The other girl shook her head. "No that's not it," she murmured, but low enough so the Doctor wouldn't hear. He wasn't focusing on her anyways, as he was gesturing Rose towards the door. "All yours."

The blonde glanced all around before letting her gaze rest upon the Doctor again. "But... think about it. This Christmas, in 1860, only happens once and then it's gone." Her tone became near accusatory. "Except for with either of you." Aria didn't bother to even look at her, which just added fuel towards Rose's argument. "Anything that's dead, you can go back and see. A hundred thousand sunsets ago, all in your reach." She crossed her arms. "No wonder you never stay still." Her smile returned as she looked back at the Doctor.

"Not a bad life," he concluded. He knew, and so did Aria, that that wasn't the only reason he kept running, but he tended to push thoughts like that far away.

"Better with two."

This little English girl was really starting to piss Aria off. The raven haired girl's eyes narrowed. The TARDIS vibrated softly beneath her fingers as an angry tear slid down her face and hit the console. She tuned out what the other two were saying and centered her world on the warmth of her fob watch, still hung around her neck. Her fear of the Doctor taking back the accessory had vanished now, as he would have by then.

A gentle hand placed on her shoulder caused her to look up, slightly surprised when she found herself looking into the Doctor's clear eyes. "Aria, tell me really, are you alright?"

She faintly smiled and nodded. "I was just cross-checking the landing information. I hate to tell you Doctor," even though she was doing her best to keep from laughing, "but this ain't Naples." The alien rolled his eyes before walking to the underbelly of the console and bending down, allowing his to peer up into the wiring. He snatched his screwdriver out of one of his pockets before flicking it on. Aria wasn't sure if he was actually fixing something or faking it. "Where'd you send Rose off to, Theta?"

He kept his eyes fixed on whatever was in front of him. "Well we couldn't send her off into 1860 dressed as she was. She'd be considered half naked!"

Aria looked down at herself, wondering how she'd be viewed. Skinny jeans, converse, and a long sleeve under a leather jacket. Not exactly what was considered "appropriate" for women at that time either. "What about me?"

"What about you?"

She stuck her tongue out, knowing he didn't see her do it. "Won't my apparel be scandalous?"

"Nope!"

"Why not?"

He looked up, an honest glimmer in his eyes. "Because you'll be too busy saving their lives for them to care." He opened his mouth, ready to elaborate if Rose hadn't unknowingly chosen that moment to twirl back into the room. Aria almost facepalmed as he caught sight of the blonde with his mouth still open as his brain attempted to process the image of the pretty blonde in her long pink skirt and black corset with a matching shawl draped over her shoulders. "Blimey!"

Rose jokingly pouted. "Don't laugh!"

"He's not." Rose looked just as surprised as Aria felt when she heard herself speak. "You really do look gorgeous, Rose." Their eyes met, and Aria felt as if the girl hated her a bit less now.

The Doctor's voice cut into the moment. "That is considering..." he died off, looking away from Rose to mouth a questioning "What was that about?" in Aria's direction. The sound of the sonic screwdriver finally stopped.

The younger girl crossed her arms. "Considering what?"

The Time Lord looked back up at her as if disappointed. "That you're human!" Aria literally facepalmed.

"Now I understand the arrogance that caused the "Lord" part of your species' name," she groaned.

Rose laughed, forgetting about the Doctor's backhanded complement. "Doctor, aren't you going to change?"

He finally jumped to his feet, mock offended. "Can't you tell I've changed my jumper?"

"No," the girls chorused. He glared at the two before making his way towards the door, only to be intercepted by Rose.

"You two," she pointed at both of them in turn, "stay there! You've done it before. This is mine!" She skipped down to the door as best she could in high heels and a dress.

Aria looked up as the Doctor's pinkie finger softly interlocked with hers. "Why didn't you say you haven't done it before?"

She didn't want to lie to him, but she wasn't sure how much she was allowed to say. "Because that would be lying." The Doctor rocked back onto his heels, but Aria pulled him out through the door before he could say anything and before Rose could wander off.

The thing that struck Aria first was that the snow seemed just like snow that had fallen in her time, 150 years later. Still white and fluffy, still adding to the whole delicate holiday image that went hand in hand with Christmas. The street was narrow, only a single gas lamp giving a light that reflected off the snow, showing the cream color buildings quite easily. A picture perfect winter town.

The crunching of snow under feet alerted Aria that the Doctor wasn't waiting up for the two girls to come to grips with the situation. She turned towards the blonde, offering out her arm. Rose looked at her with a querying expression, but accept the gesture. The two, now arm in arm, walked off together quickly to catch up to the Doctor.

"I got the flight a bit wrong," the Doctor said as he scanned a newspaper he had just bought off a rugged man on the side of the street. His eyebrows were drawn together in a mix of confusion and annoyance.

"I don't care," Rose shrugged with a smile, eyes wide as she gazed at the busy road like a child on Christmas morning.

Aria laughed. "I told you that something was off!"

He grumbled under his breath as he fell in step beside the girls. "It's not 1860, it's 1869."

This still didn't diminish Rose's excitement. "I don't care."

"It's Cardiff."

"HA!" Aria thrust one hand into the air, blushing as the two chuckled a bit. "I told you we weren't in Naples," her expression sliding into one of subtle triumph.

Rose glared at her in annoyance, whether from only being in Cardiff or Aria calling out the Doctor's mistake, the younger girl wasn't sure. "Next time, why don't you try flying it then?" she hissed.

Aria stopped in her tracks, wrenching her arm from Rose in the process. Her fob watch pulsed softly, its own way of comforting her when her temper rose. She had no respect or time for anyone who would treat her like that. The Doctor was the one constant in her life, whereas this girl had barely even met the man and she was standing up for him because of a crush. She had no patience for someone who would insult her so blatantly, especially when the Brit hadn't even given her a damn chance before acting so rudely. She was acting out of fear that Aria would take the Doctor away from her.

The three travelers looked up at the marble steps of the theatre building in front of them as screams broke out from inside. A panicked crowd of people all dressed in formal wear began to flood out from the building inside. Several ladies were crying about a ghost and an old woman as they were assisted down the steps by some gentlemen.

The Doctor grinned. "That's more like it!" He tossed the paper over his shoulder before running in excitement towards the chaos, shoving his way through. Rose followed him, calling out his name as she went. Aria attempted to enter the building in the same fashion, but was caught unaware as a hand reached out to grab her wrist from the side of the steps, pulling her out of the crowd.

She wobbled unsteadily at being jerked aside so suddenly, and her fingers grasped onto the thick coat of the person that grabbed her. A long trench coat… now that was something that wasn't normal for this time period. Her eyes still wide from surprise, she looked up to see who had snatched her.

She found herself staring at a strikingly handsome man (not that she'd admit it out loud). His brown hair was longer than the current Doctor's and stuck up a bit, though not enough to be labeled as spiky. It was pushed more to one side than the other, yet still managed to fall over a bit of his forehead. Nothing blocked the intensity that resided in his bright eyes. They bored into her own hazel eyes making it take an extra moment for her to think straight (although she blamed it on her shock).

"Why did you do that?" she asked bluntly. This person clearly had some motive for singling her out, and she was simultaneously annoyed that she was separated from the Doctor and Rose already.

The man smiled, and if teeth could shine, Aria was sure his did. "Well hello to you too."

Interesting. An American, in 1869 Wales?

Nevertheless, Aria glared at him. "I don't normally say hello to kidnappers, thank you very much," she replied snarkily, finally twisting her wrist from his grip.

To her surprise, the man didn't become angry; he only seemed confused. "You don't know me?"

"You haven't introduced yourself yet, so no."

He took a step back from her. "This is your first time?"

Aria unconsciously sighed in misplaced guilt. She was getting so fucking sick of meeting people in the wrong order; it was almost like toying with their emotions. She couldn't control this fact either, which just made her feel way worse. He had to look at her and know that he was a complete stranger.

The universe was a cruel mistress sometimes.

She didn't apologize though– it wasn't solely her fault that they were meeting out of order. It was the side effects of time travel. Instead, she gave him a small smile. "What's your name?" It was worth a shot, even if she knew the risks.

"Messing with time can be dangerous," he unknowingly echoed her thoughts almost word for word.

"Yeah, but you kind of threw that out the window when you dragged me over here." He sighed, running a hand through his hair, and she crossed her arms in annoyance. "Look, how about when I do see you next time, I just pretend I haven't met you?"

She wasn't expecting him to laugh. "You do that," he said, before shrugging and offering his hand. "I'm Jack Harkness."

Aria hesitated before shaking his hand. "Aria Gles, but you probably already knew that."

Anything the two of them might've said next was interrupted by a shocked cry from the street. "What did you do to her?!"

Aria furrowed her eyebrows in worry as she turned towards the shout. "That sounds like Rose! What did they get into already?" She glanced back at Jack Harkness, her braid brushed up against her shoulder as she moved, and it was as if a light bulb went off above her head. "Wait," she told him as she untied the ribbon that kept the braid in. "Wear this," she tied it around the wrist of the hand she shook, "and if I see you wearing it, I'll know this already happened for you."

This time, it was the Doctor's voice that reminded her of what was at stake. "Rose! Aria!"

Jack Harkness tipped his head towards the street, indicating she should go catch up before the Doctor ran off somewhere. "See you later, Aria."

"Nice to not meet you yet, Jack Harkness," she replied cheekily, before running off to join the Doctor. She didn't look back, knowing he'd already be gone.