CHAPTER 17

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THE SECRET HISTORY OF AMY POND

As Amy started to get into her TARDIS and leave, Brian ran up to her and said, "Can I go along with you this time?"

"I'm not sure if you want to do that or not, Brian. I'm not going there for pleasure. This is serious business. I mean knowing me I'll probably wind up having people trying to . . . ," Amy started to say and then she stopped herself as she realized that her parents were still standing there and could hear her.

She quickly smiled at them and said nervously, "I'll have people trying to talk me into going back to Earth and to quit nosing around in old business. They'll give me a stern talking to I'm sure."

"They're not going to be attacking you there, are they?" Tabetha asked in a worried voice.

Rory couldn't help but smile at that. If Tabetha had seen Amy hip deep in dead or dying Daleks like he had after she had first become a Time Lady once more, she probably would have dropped over. She would have never believed that her daughter was feared throughout the galaxy as a mighty warrior. Sometimes he couldn't believe himself. She certainly hit him hard enough though on occasion.

I've never hit you that hard, you big baby! Amy's voice said in his mind.

Why does my face always look so red and swollen afterwards then? Rory complained with a grin.

Oh, shut up! Amy said as she tried unsuccessfully not to smile at him.

"Why are you smiling for, Amy? This is serious. I don't want you to go there if you're going to be in danger," Tabetha said.

"I'll be fine, Mum. It won't be anything that I can't handle. I promise. I mean I'm going to be a personal guest of the Lord President himself. You can't be safer than that," Amy said in a reassuring voice.

"How about if I go with her? Would that make you feel any better?" Brian asked.

"I suppose so. Would you?" Tabetha asked.

"I will if she'll have me," Brian said as he put the ball firmly back in Amy's court.

"Go ahead, Amy. Take him along and put your mother's mind at peace," Augustus said.

"Alright, Dad. Alright. Come on, Brian," Amy said as she dragged both him and Rory into the TARDIS in frustration.

Augustus laughed at the scene and wondered how Tabetha could possibly still think of their daughter as some fragile little flower after a lifetime of watching her in action. If anything whoever might try to bother Amy should be the one to be worried he thought to himself with a chuckle. He had no idea just how right that he was.

As soon as the doors closed and Amy set the coordinates for Gallifrey, she spun around and glared at Brian as she said, "What was that all about? Why were you so insistent on coming with us for?"

"I just wanted to travel with you for a while since I never get to see you anymore. Do you realize that I've barely laid eyes on Anthony since he was born?" Brian said.

"Fine! You can come along with us for a while, but don't blame me if someone's shooting at you before the day's over with," Amy said.

"You're worried about me, aren't you?" Brian said.

"Yes, of course I am. You're like another father to me," Amy admitted.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. It's so strange to see you at those controls instead of the Doctor," Brian said.

Amy smiled at him as she said, "To be honest, it's still strange to me too. I keep expecting to turn around and see the Doctor standing there at any minute asking me what I'm doing to the TARDIS. Sometimes finding out that I'm really a Time Lady just seems like some kind of a dream."

"Mum, Selene put hot sauce in my tea again!" Julia shouted at the top of her lungs from somewhere in the corridors behind the Console Room.

"Or a nightmare. Take your pick," Amy said with a sigh.

Brian laughed as he said, "You should probably go see about that."

"No, there's no need. That's what I have Karen for," Amy said with a grin.

"The other Amy you mean?" Brian asked.

"Yeah, she knows to step in and take care of anything involving the kids when I'm piloting the TARDIS. She actually enjoys it. She loves the kids just as much as I do obviously," Amy said.

"She also loves yelling just as much as you do," Rory said.

"You seem to love hearing it too or why do you insist on saying things that make me want to yell at you even more?" Amy said with a frown.

"You haven't really changed at all, have you?" Brian said as he looked at Amy in amusement.

"I'd like to think that I haven't," Amy said in a slightly worried voice.

"I don't think that you have at all," Brian said in a comforting tone as he looked at her with concern.

"Thanks," Amy said with a warm smile.

As the TARDIS materialized, Amy said, "Maybe you should stay in here, Brian. I'm not sure if the Lord President and the High Council would really want a human to come into the Council chamber. No offense."

Before Brian could say anything back to her though, a small army of guards working for the Castellan opened the TARDIS doors and quickly ushered him, Amy, and Rory outside. Amy looked at them in anger as she wondered just what was going on here.

"Hey, what is this?" Amy asked.

"We're just following orders. We've been told to bring you safely to the Lord President, and that's what we're going to do. We're giving you an armed escort there," one of the guards said.

"I can take care of myself you know. I don't need you to come along," Amy protested.

"Like I said, we're just obeying orders, Lady Cliodna," the same guard as before said.

"Who?" Brian asked.

"That's Amy," Rory whispered to him.

"Oh, yes. Sorry. It's going to take me a while to get used to that," Brian said.

The guards finally escorted the three of them to the Council chamber and left them there while they closed the doors behind them as they stood guard at them. They all looked up when Lord President Heldrin came into the room and sat down.

"Lord President, why were my family and I brought in here under armed guard like this? Are we under arrest for something because if we are I'd like to know what my husband and father-in-law could possibly have done since they only just got here?" Amy said in an extremely angry voice.

"I'm so sorry, Lady Cliodna. I didn't mean to upset or anger you or your family. I brought you in here under armed escort for your own protection. I'm afraid that it will become a regular thing for you from now on so I hope that you'll get used to it," Heldrin said.

"What are you talking about?" Amy asked warily as she began to automatically look around her for a way to escape.

"All Lord Presidents must be guarded at all times to prevent assassination attempts especially before they've been officially inducted into the Presidency," Heldrin said.

"I know. What does that have to do with us though?" Amy asked.

Rory's mouth dropped open as he guessed just what Heldrin was saying. He looked at Brian with shock, and he realized from the expression on his father's face that he had just realized the same thing that he had.

Amy, however, still didn't understand yet. She continued to look at Heldrin in confusion when he didn't answer. He just sat there in silence looking at her with a guilty expression on his face instead.

Amy glared at him as she said, "Well?"

The High Council all entered the room then and sat down. One of them remained standing though as he said, "Lady Cliodna of the House of Brightshore, it is my privilege to inform you that you have been named as the successor of Lord President Heldrin for the Presidency of the High Council of the Time Lords. Do you accept this responsibility?"

Amy looked at him in shock as she said, "What? Did you name me, Lord President?"

"No, the Council did. They believe that you are the one most suited to lead us in this time of crisis, Cliodna," Heldrin said.

"What time of crisis? What's going on?" Amy asked.

"We have only recently found out that the government and every level of Gallifreyan society has been infiltrated by agents of the Celestial Intervention Agency. We suspect that they are getting ready to stage a coup against the High Council and install their own puppet leadership in its place. They want complete and total control of the Time Lords so that they can reshape the Web of Time in their own image," Heldrin explained.

"What does that have to do with me though? I don't know anything about them," Amy said.

A member of the High Council spoke up and answered for Heldrin as she said, "You're the only one that we trust to lead us. You are the only person who we know for certain is not one of their hidden operatives."

"What about Heldrin? Surely you don't think that he works for them?" Amy asked.

The High Council looked at Heldrin suspiciously as the same Time Lady answered, "We suspect everyone."

"So you're all ready to stab each other in the back now on the off chance that one of you might be working for them? That's just so stupid! That's exactly what they want you to do," Amy said in disgust.

"We cannot afford to trust anyone these days. Not after the incident," another of the Council said.

"What incident?" Rory asked.

Heldrin answered this time as he said, "That's what started this current state of hysteria. We found out that one of the High Council was actually the current leader of the Celestial Intervention Agency, Goth, in disguise. He attempted to seize control of the Matrix but luckily his plan was foiled before he could do anything to it. Unfortunately, he fled before he could be captured."

"Yes, due to the incompetence of your guards. Or was it incompetence?" a member of the Council accused.

"Oh, wonderful! Don't you think that this is what Goth wants you to do is to fight amongst yourselves? You're just making his job even easier for him," Amy said as she rolled her eyes at them.

"You could help us. We would all rally behind you," the same Time Lady who had spoken to Amy before said.

"Why is that exactly? Why am I suddenly so trustworthy lately? Is it because I'm just so darn cute?" Amy said with a grin.

"Physical attractiveness was not a consideration in our choice," a member of the Council said as they all looked at her in puzzlement.

"That just went right over their heads, didn't it?" Amy said to Rory with chagrin.

"Yeah, I'm afraid it did. If it were me, I'd have picked you because you were cute though," Rory said with a wicked smile.

Amy smiled at him as she said, "I can always count on you, Mr. Pond."

"Lady Cliodna, if you would please focus on the matter at hand and stop flirting," a Council member chastised her.

"You really make me want this job a lot I tell you that. First you're all fighting with and suspicious of each other, and then you're telling me that I can't have a little harmless flirtation with my own husband. Is this the way life will be if I accept your position? If it is, then I'm not sure that I want it," Amy said in an annoyed voice.

"Are you sure that we can work with her? She's far too human now," one of the Council complained.

"Thank you very much," Amy said with a grin.

Brian smiled at that. Any worries that he had about Amy having changed were now all out the door. She was still the same Amy Pond that he had known all of her human life that was for sure.

"This High Council has appointed you as Lady President of Gallifrey because you are the one person who we know for sure is above suspicion. You cannot be a member of the Celestial Intervention Agency because we found out that they were behind what happened to your daughter, Sirona," a Council member said.

"What?" Amy said in a voice that had suddenly become cold and hard.

Heldrin took up the story now as he said, "We've discovered that it was Goth who sabotaged your TARDIS. Even back then, he was working for them. He was ordered to get rid of you because you refused to accept the official stories behind the apparent death of Arkytior and the sudden renegade status of Koschei and Ushas. You started investigating the details behind these events and causing trouble for them."

"They were my friends. Of course, I was going to find out the truth," Amy said.

"Yes and because the C.I.A. had been behind both of those incidents they sought to keep the real truth behind them from coming out. Therefore, they used Goth to try to shut you up. He sabotaged your TARDIS to attack you and turn you into a human who would be abandoned and forgotten on Earth forever. His plan was foiled though when it was Sirona who was subjected to this attack instead. He didn't give up there though. Once that plan failed, he made sure that the Cybermen found you and your then husband Oisin as you traveled together in space by broadcasting your exact coordinates on all of their frequencies. He hoped that the Cybermen would finally finish you off for him. He was overjoyed when you forgot about your investigations into the fate of your friends and refocused yourself on revenge against the Cybermen instead after they converted your husband into one of them. He had finally gotten what he wanted in a roundabout way," Heldrin said.

"How do you know all of this?" Amy asked in a voice filled with deep anger.

"He bragged about it when we confronted him. He was using what he did to you to prove to us just how intelligent that he was and to show how he was going to beat us in the end. He seemed to enjoy it as he said that he had been behind the worst events in your life without you even realizing it," Heldrin said.

Amy shook with anger and emotion, and Rory put his arms around her to comfort her. She embraced him and tried very hard not to cry out in anger or pain.

"I'm sorry, Amy. I didn't want to cause you so much pain. I didn't want to involve you in this at all, but the Council overruled me," Heldrin said in a sympathetic voice.

"I am sorry as well. I wish that we hadn't had to tell you this way, but it was necessary to impress upon you the importance of what we're asking you to do. You must work past your emotions and toward the greater good of Gallifrey. We need you to lead us against Goth and his forces so that he cannot gain control of this world. I shudder to imagine what Goth and people like him would do if they had the full power of the Time Lords at their command. How many lives would they ruin as they did yours?" the same Time Lady who had spoken to Amy before said.

Amy regained her composure and stood up with newfound strength in her eyes as she said, "What's your name?"

"I am Chancellor Flavia, Lady Cliodna," the Time Lady said.

"Flavia. Yes, the Doctor told me about you. You helped him once when President Borusa tried to gain immortality using the Ring of Rassilon. Thank you for your sympathy, Flavia. You too, Heldrin. I accept," Amy said in a solemn voice.

"Wait a minute. Amy, think about this first," Rory said.

"I want to stop them, Rory. I don't want anyone else to ever have to go through what I did. I'm going to take them apart and make sure that they never rise up again," Amy said.

"So your decision is final then? Be sure of this," Heldrin said.

"Yes, I will accept the nomination of the Presidency," Amy said as she looked at Rory apologetically.

"Then you will remain with us under our protection until the official coronation ceremony can begin. Your family is free to leave at any time though if they wish," Flavia said.

"I'm not going anywhere," Rory said.

"Neither am I," Brian said.

'Thank you. I'm sorry about this. I feel like I have to do it though," Amy said.

"Just be careful, okay? I think maybe Goth wanted this to happen; and if he did, that's not a good thing," Rory said.

"Rory's right. It sounds like Goth manipulated the others into choosing you out of fear. Maybe he thinks that you'll be easier to deal with then Heldrin," Brian suggested.

"I think you're right, Brian. I'll just have to prove him wrong then, won't I? Right after I crush his face in," Amy said in a hard voice.

"Don't get so emotional, Amy. It'll cause you to make mistakes," Rory said.

Amy smiled as she said, "That's the same advice I gave the Doctor once."

"You should listen to yourself then," Rory said.

"You're right. I am pretty smart after all," Amy said with a grin.

"Yes, you are. You're brilliant," Rory said as he kissed her.

Then the doors to the Council chamber opened once again as the guards escorted Julia, Selene, Sirona, Karen, and Oisin inside and quickly shut the door behind them once more. Amy immediately noticed that Julia was holding her arm in pain.

"What happened?" Amy asked.

"One of the guards was a little rough with me. They just barged into the TARDIS unexpectedly, and I didn't know who they were so I tried to get away from them. One of them grabbed me and hurt my arm," Julia said.

Amy held Julia close to her protectively and started to ask who had done this, but Selene beat her to it. Selene grabbed one of the guards and quickly wrapped her hands around his throat. The other guards all drew their weapons on her, but Heldrin quickly ordered them to stand down.

"Selene, stop!" Amy said.

Selene wasn't listening though as she said, "If you hurt my little sister like that again, I'll rip you apart. Do you understand?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause her any harm," the guard said.

"She's human, you moron, and you're much stronger than she is. She's just a little girl. You should have used more restraint," Selene accused him.

"I'm sorry," the guard said again.

"Don't do it again or I'll make you regret it!" Selene said in a cold voice.

Then she let the man go and went to join Amy and Julia. Selene embraced Julia as she said, "It's okay, Jules. You're safe."

"Remind me never to make you mad now that you're a Time Lady," Julia said as she tried to make light of the situation.

"I'm sorry if I upset you," Selene apologized.

"It's okay. Just try not to go so overboard next time, okay?" Julia said.

"Alright," Selene said.

"Oh, and Selene?" Julia asked.

"Yeah?" Selene asked.

"That was awesome," Julia said as she hugged her.

"I'm sorry about that. I'm not the only one in my family who tends to get a little emotional sometimes," Amy said to Heldrin and the High Council.

"It's understandable under the circumstances. Captain, I order you to dismiss that guard," Flavia said.

"Wait! Give him another chance. I don't think that he meant to hurt her," Amy said.

"Thank you, Lady President," the guard said.

"I'm not the President yet, but you're welcome," Amy said.

Selene looked at her in shock as she said, "Say what now? When did this happen?"

"A lot's happened in the last few minutes," Amy said.

"You're going to have me executed now, aren't you?" Selene joked.

"Mum, what's going on?" Sirona asked in confusion.

"Let me explain," Amy said as she told the others the whole story including what had really happened to Sirona. Sirona listened to this whole story in shock as Amy put her hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

Finally Sirona began to smile as she said, "He didn't win though. Not in the end. You're back, I'm back, and so is Dad. All of that effort, and he still couldn't keep us down forever. Maybe he's not as smart as he thinks he is after all. Either that or we're all just too tough to stay dead forever."

"I'd said it's a little bit of both. He's underestimated me and our family before, Sirona, and now he's underestimating us again. This time that's going to cost him," Amy said with a tone of absolute certainty in her voice.

Next: Amy prepares for her swearing in ceremony as Lady President while Karen and Oisin go out on their first date. Meanwhile Goth may be nearer to Amy than anyone thinks. He does seem to have a talent for disguise after all.