A/N: Alex's outfit for this chapter can be viewed on my Tumblr, under the name 'darksideofparis'.

It was a rainy night in Arles, France. Thunder rumbled overhead and lightning flashed violently in the sky. The rain banged down like hail. All in all, the weather seemed to perfectly match the mood in Vincent Van Gogh's cottage.

The artist screamed uncontrollably. Dr. Gachet and a nearby local woman had been able to move him to the couch, but were unable to do anything else. Vincent continued to scream, tears falling down his face as this latest fit seized hold of him like a wildfire.

"Vincent, can you hear me?" Dr. Gachet called. "Please!"

Madame Vernet simply rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in an exasperated manner. "It's not enough he goes drinking all-round the town. Now the whole neighborhood has to listen to his screaming!" she complained.

Dr. Gachet gave her a stern look. It was truly unbelievable the way some people acted. "He's very ill, Madame Vernet!" he retorted before turning back to Vincent. Luckily, the man had calmed down a bit, his screaming reduced to mere whimpers.

Dr. Gachet stepped over beside Madame Vernet. She was standing before a strange painting he had not seen before. It was resting next to two of Vincent's other works, one a vase of sunflowers made out to someone named Amy, and another of beautiful red roses in a hazel-colored vase. Dr. Gachet knew that this one, Ally's Roses, was the talk of the town, and was the only one anyone wanted to buy. Vincent, for some reason, refused to sell it though.

"Look at this," Madame Vernet said, waving a hand to the latest painting. "Even worse than his usual rubbish!" She cocked her head a little and squinted at the canvas. "What's it supposed to be?"

~Living the Life of Ally~

Dr. Bracewell kept a tight grip on the painting in his arms as he walked to the Prime Minister's office. Above him, the ceiling rattled, sending flakes of concrete tumbling down as another German air raid made its way through London. He ignored it though. This painting was far more important than those blasted Germans.

He quickly reached the Prime Minister's office. He gently knocked at the open door. Winston Churchill looked up. "Yes, what is it?" he barked.

"A painting, sir."

Winston frowned. "A painting?" he repeated. "How is that going to help us defeat the Germans?"

Bracewell gave him a very patient look. "With respect, sir," he said as he walked to the desk, "I really think you'd better take a look at this."

Winston grasped the painting and lifted the protective covering off it. Once it was unveiled, he set it on the desk and stood up. He looked at Bracewell questioningly.

"It was found behind the wall, in an attic in France," Bracewell explained. "It's genuine. It's a Van Gogh."

"Why bring it to me?" Winston wondered.

"Because it's obviously a message, and you can see who it's for."

Winston shrugged. "Can't say I understand it."

"You're not supposed to understand it, Prime Minister," Bracewell said. "You're supposed to deliver it."

~Living the Life of Ally~

Rain pounded against the barred window of River Song's cell. Thunder rumbled and lightning occasionally flashed, as it did all the time here. This continued weather pattern should have been annoying, but River had long grown used to the practices employed by the Stormcage Containment Facility.

She was writing in her diary just as the phone outside her cell rang. A nearby guard answered it. "Cell four six two. The Doctor?"

River looked up on this. She quickly tossed her diary aside and rushed to the bars of her cell. "Do you mean Dr. Song?" the guard asked whoever was on the other end of the phone.

"Give me that!" River demanded, stretching a hand out through the bars. "Seriously, just give it to me. I'm entitled to phone calls."

Though the guard looked reluctant, he handed over the phone. River clutched it to her ear. "Doctor?" she asked.

"No, and neither are you," Winston Churchill retorted. "Where is he?"

"You're phoning the Time Vortex," River explained. "It doesn't always work. But the TARDIS is smart. She's re-routed the call." River looked up, giving the guard a wary look. "Talk quickly. This connection will last less than a minute." She turned around in a weak attempt at privacy.

Almost a minute later, the guard demanded, "Dr. Song! Are you finished with that?"

River turned back around and disconnected. As she passed the phone to him through the bars, she took a quick look at the guard. He was young and fresh-faced, clearly new, and that made him entirely vulnerable. She smiled sweetly at him. "You're new here, aren't you?"

The guard shrugged sheepishly. "First day," he admitted.

River's smile turned a little sad. "Then I'm very sorry," she apologized, before yanking the guard down by his collar and kissing him.

She released him after a few seconds, grateful that she had had the sense to put her hallucinogenic lipstick on today. Acting quickly, she packed a bag and loosened the bars on the window. River glanced over at the guard. He was looking a little glassy-eyed, meaning that the lipstick's effects were getting to him. She yanked a mascara off her nightstand and hastily scribbled a little stick-figure of herself saying 'bye' on the wall. Then, in just a few short seconds, she was gone.

~Living the Life of Ally~

It didn't take River long to figure out where to go next. Winston had told her that he was supposed to save the painting for her in the future. Where else would a painting be safe but in a museum? Better yet, what about the Royal Collection?

River trailed her flashlight along the dark halls of the Royal Collection. She was amazed by the amount of empty frames here and by how the paintings that were here were dangling from their frames, just barely hanging on. Either this place had been robbed a lot or the Royal Collection just wasn't well maintained.

Thankfully, the painting River was looking for was still here. She studied it for a few seconds, taking it in. Taking a deep breath, she tore it from the frame and rolled it up. Now she needed to get out of here. She raced towards the stairs. She was about halfway up when the lights suddenly came on. River looked over, stunned to see the Queen of England standing before her, a gun in her hand.

Okay, robbed a lot then, she decided.

"This is the Royal Collection, and I'm the bloody Queen," Liz 10 told her. Since her encounter with the Doctor, her body clock had been switched off. A fine streak of gray now decorated her hair. "What are you doing here?"

River held up her hands in a non-confrontational pose, the painting still clutched in one hand. "It's about the Doctor and Alex, ma'am. You met them once, didn't you? I know they came here."

Within an instant, Liz's demeanor changed. Her face broke out into a smile and she lowered her gun. "The Doctor and Alex?" she breathed.

"They're in trouble," River informed her, stepping closer. "I need to find them."

Liz frowned. "Then why are you stealing a painting?"

River unrolled the painting and held it out to her. "Look at it," she urged. "I need to find the Doctor and Alex, and I need to show them this."

~Living the Life of Ally~

The Maldovarium nightclub was especially popular tonight. Music and laughter drifted through the beaded curtain that led to the private table River was sitting at. Across from her was a blue-skinned alien. Dorium was the best conman around and that was why River had gone to him first.

"Well now, word on the Belt is you're looking for time travel," Dorium commented.

"Are you selling?" River inquired.

Dorium snapped his fingers. A second later, an alien stepped through the beaded curtain, carrying a large wooden box. "A vortex manipulator," Dorium said as he took the box. "Fresh off the wrist of a handsome Time Agent."

Not Jack Harkness, I hope, River thought. The Doctor had vaguely told her about Jack. As she recalled, it was shortly after the Doctor and Alex visited Torchwood and Jack had hit on the brunette. Needless to say, the Doctor's comments about Jack hadn't exactly been good, even though he did consider the man a friend.

Dorium opened the box, took one look, and sighed. "I said off the wrist." He glared pointedly at the alien as he handed the box back to him. Once the alien had walked off, Dorium added, "Not cheap, Dr. Song. Have you brought me a pretty toy?"

River reached up and took off one of her earrings. "This is a Calisto Pulse. It can disarm micro-explosives from up to twenty feet."

"What kind of micro-explosives?" Dorium asked, taking a sip of his wine.

River smiled at him, a great, big crocodile grin she had learned from Alex. "The kind I just put in your wine."

Dorium spat, but he knew it was too late. The micro-explosives were already inside him. It looked like River was going off with a brand-new vortex manipulator, no charge.

~Living the Life of Ally~

Amy sat beneath the TARDIS console in the little swing the Doctor used when he made repairs. She peered closely at the diamond engagement ring in the little red velvet box. It had been almost a week since she found it in the Doctor's jacket. She wasn't sure why she was hanging on to it, but she got the feeling that it was important she do so.

She wanted to ask the Doctor why he had an engagement ring in his jacket. Was it for her? Amy shook her head. No, that was just ridiculous. It was probably for Alex. That made more sense. But the Doctor and Alex weren't dating, far from it actually. Also, this ring was too big for Alex's small fingers. Amy got the suspicion it might fit her just right though.

She was just about to edge the ring out from the box when the Doctor's head appeared, hanging upside down. "Vavoom!" he cried.

Amy quickly hid the ring-box in her hand and stared at him weirdly. "Va-what?" she repeated.

A second later, Alex's head appeared right next to him. "You have to admit, that was pretty stupid," she remarked, Amy snorting in agreement.

The Doctor quickly stood, pulling Alex up as he did so. Alex darted to the Doctor's side by the console as Amy ran up the stairs, shoving the ring-box in her jacket pocket.

"I can't believe I've never thought of this before!" the Doctor cried as he began to work the controls. "It's genius!"

"What is?" Alex questioned. She hated not knowing things.

But the Doctor ignored her, concentrating on piloting the TARDIS to wherever he wanted to take them. A moment later, the familiar wheezing, groaning materialization noise rang out and the TARDIS landed with a thump. "Right! Landed. Come on!" he cried, grabbing Alex's hand to pull her to the doors.

"Where are we?" Amy questioned as she hurried after them.

"Planet One," the Doctor explained, stopping in his tracks on the platform to turn and answer her. Beside him, Alex about fell, but caught herself. "The oldest planet in the universe. And there's a cliff of pure diamond, and according to legend, on the cliff there's writing. Letters fifty feet high. A message from the dawn of time. And no one knows what it says, because no one's ever translated it. Till today."

"What happens today?" Amy asked.

"The TARDIS translation systems, right?" Alex guessed.

The Doctor nodded. "The TARDIS can translate anything. All we have to do is open the doors and read the very first words in recorded history."

Alex beamed. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!" She immediately ran off, still clutching the Doctor's hand. Amy giggled a little as she watched this role-reversal. Usually the Doctor was pulling Alex after him; now it was the other way around!

They all hurried out the door. Alex looked around excitedly at the vast jungle terrain they were currently in. She then turned to the huge diamond cliff in front of them. It shined in the sun. It was so dazzling and shiny that Alex actually had to cover her eyes so that she could see the massive writing on it. But once she did, her face fell.

On the cliff were the massive words Hello Sweetie, along with Old High Gallifreyan symbols that Alex guessed were coordinates. She groaned. She did like River a little bit, the woman wasn't all that bad, but Alex really didn't want to see her. Did that big-haired blonde actually think she could just leave a message and coordinates and the Doctor would come to her, like a puppy coming to the crooned finger of his master?

The Doctor stared at the cliffs, totally silent. Beside him, Amy laughed. "Vavoom!" she smirked.

"Don't tell me," Alex said. "We're going to wherever those coordinates are."

"Yes," the Doctor confirmed, although Alex noticed it was slightly hesitant. He looked over at her, remembering her and River's last encounter. While it seemed as though the two didn't outright hate each-other, there was some kind of rivalry and tension between them. "Are you okay?"

Alex nodded, her face blank, and she crossed her arms. "Why wouldn't I be?" she asked. "We get to visit the slutty poodle again." With that, she turned on her heel and calmly walked back into the TARDIS.

The Doctor winced. "Did she—"

"Yes," Amy confirmed, a little surprised that Alex had called River that. Well, at least it wasn't anything more vulgar.

The Doctor sighed and headed for the doors. This should be fun, he thought.

~Living the Life of Ally~

A little while later, the TARDIS materialized at the area River had directed them to. The Doctor was the first one out, followed by Amy, Alex dead last.

"Right place?" Alex asked. She looked around curiously. They had landed on a hill at the edge of some woods. It was a nice, calm afternoon. The wind rustled through her hair, making it fan around her face and her white dress with a pink and blue floral pattern gather around her skinny-jean clad legs.

"Just followed the coordinates on the cliff face," the Doctor said. He looked down and checked his watch. "Earth. Britain. 1:02 a.m." He frowned and tapped the watch. "No, p.m."

"I think you mean A.D.," Alex told him. She pointed down below them where several tents had been pitched, Roman soldiers walking amongst them.

"That's a Roman Legion!" Amy breathed.

"Well, yeah," the Doctor said. "The Romans invaded Britain several times during this period."

"Oh, I know," Amy revealed. "My favorite topic at school. Invasion of the Hot Italians."

The Doctor stared at her and Alex snickered. "And guess who got marked off for the title?" Alex added. Amy only shrugged.

Alex turned to study the legion some more. Just as she did, she spotted movement heading their way. "Doctor!" she cried as a Roman soldier ran up to them.

The soldier saluted, pounding a fist over his heart, before dropping to his knees. "Hail, Caesar!" he panted, causing the Doctor to frown in confusion.

"Hi," the Doctor slowly replied.

"Welcome to Britain! We are honored by your presence."

"Well, you're only human," the Doctor blurted. He moved his hand in an upwards motion and in a more commanding voice, ordered, "Arise, Roman person."

"Why does he think you're Caesar?" Amy murmured as the soldier stood.

Alex watched as the soldier stood. It was then that she noticed the soldier had a dark shade of lipstick on the corner of his mouth, the print in the shape of lips. "Cleopatra will see you now."

The Doctor held tight to Alex's hand as they were led through the Roman legion camp. Around them, soldiers bustled to various places, some polishing weapons and metal, others eating, a few laughing. It seemed so nice and peaceful, completely the opposite of where River would send them.

They soon reached a large, grand tent. It looked fit for a queen or even Julius Caesar himself. The soldier held the tent flat up and the time-travelers all ducked under. Alex blinked a little as she stepped inside, soon able to take in the sight before her.

It was River, elegantly dressed in royal Egyptian clothes, complete with a black wig on her head. Two servants were tending to her, fanning her with enormous fans. River lounged on a couch, a goblet almost at her lips. She lowered it long enough to smile at them. "Hello, sweetie," she said to the Doctor.

"River!" Amy exclaimed. Why that girl liked River, Alex would never understand. "Hi."

The Doctor approached River, a scowl on his face. He kept a tight grip on Alex as he went over to the woman. "You graffitied the oldest cliff face in the universe!" he scolded.

River didn't seem bothered though. "You wouldn't answer your phone," she retorted. She then looked over and smiled slightly at Alex. "Hello, Ally."

"River," Alex nodded. "And I don't like to be called that."

"I need some form of entertainment when I'm around you," River said. Alex opened her mouth to reply, but closed it after a moment. She guessed she couldn't argue with that.

River clapped her hands twice and one of her servants handed her a rolled-up sheet of paper. River waited until they had left before holding the paper out in offering to the Doctor.

"What's this?" the Doctor demanded, eyeing the paper but not taking it.

"It's a painting," River explained. "Your friend, Vincent." This seemed to be the magic word, for the Doctor grabbed the painting and began unrolling it as he headed towards a nearby table, Alex a step behind him. River followed them. "One of his final works," she added. "He had visions, didn't he? I thought you two ought to know about this one."

The Doctor finished unrolling the painting and spread it out across the table. For a moment, there was total silence as they all stared at it. Finally, Amy breathed, "Doctor? Doctor, what is this?"

Alex stared in horror at the painting. It appeared to be some version of Starry Night, only this one featured the TARDIS exploding in the middle. Well, at least it was well done, Alex thought before shaking her head, unable to believe her cynicism. Focus, Alexandria Nicole!

"Why is it exploding?" Amy continued to press. The Doctor only sat down heavily in a nearby chair and sighed. Alex went over to him, sitting on the armrest. The Doctor wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

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

"What, something's going to happen to the TARDIS?" Amy asked hysterically.

"It might not be that literal," River assured her while the Doctor and Alex looked at each-other, remembering the piece of the TARDIS the Doctor had pulled out from the crack in the Silurian's cave. "Anyway, this is where he wanted you. Date and map reference on the door sign, see?"

"Does it have a title?" Alex asked.

"The Pandorica Opens," River revealed.

"The Pandorica?" Amy repeated as the Doctor softly snorted. "What is it?"

"A box, a cage, a prison," River replied. "It was built to contain the most feared thing in all the universe."

"And it's a fairy tale, a legend," the Doctor insisted. He stood up to pace, Alex remaining on the chair. "It can't be real!"

"If it's real, it's here and it's opening, and it's got something to do with your TARDIS exploding," River retorted as the Doctor grabbed some nearby scrolls and spread them out over the painting, not wanting to look at the disturbing image any longer. "Hidden, obviously. Buried for centuries. You won't find it on a map."

"No," Alex agreed, her brain having already figured it out. She stood up and walked over to them. "But if you buried the most dangerous thing in the universe. . ."

"You'd want to remember where you put it," she and the Doctor finished together.

River sighed. "So annoying," she muttered.

But the Doctor and Alex ignored her. "It has to be at some kind of landmark," Alex figured.

"Exactly," the Doctor confirmed. He leaned down close to the map, almost to where his nose was touching it. "Something that will last for a thousand years, even longer, without any damage."

Alex scanned the map, her finger running over areas that, in her time, were completely modernized. But then, she spotted one area she knew hadn't changed at all. "What about here?" she asked, tapping her finger to a certain section of the map.

"Where?" the Doctor murmured, looking at a completely different area.

Alex sighed and grabbed a piece of his hair, causing him to jump with a high-pitched yelp. Alex directed his head to the spot she was indicating before releasing him. The Doctor rubbed the back of his head a little, but quickly forgot all about it as he saw the area Alex had decided on. He grinned. "Brilliant!" he enthused, kissing Alex on the forehead. He turned to a baffled looking River and Amy. "Can you arrange some horses for us?" he asked River.

"Yes," River confirmed.

"Where are we going?" Amy demanded, peering over at the map.

The Doctor raced out of the tent, Alex just behind him. "Stonehenge!" they shouted as they raced off.

~Living the Life of Ally~

A little while later, the four rode their horses to Stonehenge. Everybody had been shocked to learn that Alex did not know how to ride a horse, despite the Doctor's protests that she had 'grown up in the horse capital of the world'. Since there was no time to teach Alex how to ride, she had ended up sharing one with the Doctor. Her arms were wrapped around his waist and her eyes tightly shut as the horse galloped at speeds she was sure would cause her to fall off if she let go of the Doctor.

Much to Alex's relief, they eventually came to a stop just a short distance away from the large stone monument. "That was horrible," she shuddered as the Doctor helped her dismount.

He shook his head at her. "I'm teaching you how to ride," he told her. "It was hard to concentrate with your nails digging into my sides." Truthfully, he hadn't minded at all. He could feel Alex's frantic heartbeat against his back and her nails had not been digging into him. The fact that she was so close to him had been a serious delight for him.

The Doctor and River headed off to scan the stones. Alex and Amy hung back to stare up at the monument. "How come it's not new?" Amy asked, noticing how old the stones looked and that a few had already fallen down. In fact, it looked exactly the same as the modern-day one.

"Because it's already old," River explained, not even looking up from her work. "It's been here thousands of years. No one knows exactly how long."

Alex went over to the Doctor, balancing on her tiptoes to look over his shoulder at his sonic screwdriver. "Maybe we should figure out how old sometime," she suggested.

The Doctor looked over his shoulder to smile at her a little. "Perhaps, Ally."

"Okay, this Pandorica thing," Amy began, heading over to River. "Last time we saw you, you warned us about it, after we climbed out of the Byzantium."

"Spoilers," River warned. She placed a finger over her lips, telling Amy not to say anything more.

But Amy didn't seem to get it. "No, but you told the Doctor you'd see him again when the Pandorica opens."

"Maybe I did," River casually agreed, "but I haven't yet. But I will have."

"Time travel, Ames," Alex explained, stepping away from the Doctor and over to her friend. "She meets us in the wrong order. Her past is our future." Amy nodded, getting this logic.

"Doctor!" River called. She examined her equipment with a puzzled expression on her face. "I'm picking up fry particles everywhere. Energy weapons discharged on this site."

"If the Pandorica is here, it contains the mightiest warrior in history," the Doctor explained, jumping up to stand on one of the rocks.

"Half the galaxy would want that," Alex realized. She felt the terror inside her increase by a thousand as she thought of the Daleks or any of the other races the Doctor had told her about getting the power inside the Pandorica.

The Doctor nodded grimly. "Maybe even fight over it. We need to get down there."

Alex hung back as the Doctor hopped off the rock and began helping River with whatever they needed to do to get down to the Pandorica. She looked up at the blue sky, feeling a sinking feeling in her stomach. She was so worried something bad was going to happen. Was this what creatures like Prisoner Zero and Rosanna had been warning them about? Alex wasn't sure what silence falling had to do with the Pandorica opening, but she was sure she'd find out soon enough.

Alex was so caught up in her thoughts that, at first, she didn't even notice the Doctor approaching her. He tapped her on the shoulder, but she didn't respond. Frowning worriedly, he knelt down in front of her and waved a hand before her eyes. Alex jumped and looked down to meet his gaze.

"Ally?" he whispered. He reached out and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Are you okay?" Stupid question, he thought. Of course's she not okay!

"I'm fine," Alex said.

The Doctor gave her a look. "Alex."

Alex sighed. She couldn't lie to him. "I'm just. . . I'm just worried, that's all."

The Doctor nodded. "I know. So am I."

Alex smiled a little at the thought of him worrying. But she knew that if the Doctor was worried about something, then it wasn't a good thing. "This Pandorica. . . What could possibly be inside it? What could be so horrible that war would practically be unleashed over it?"

The Doctor sighed. He stood up and pulled Alex into a hug. "I don't know," he admitted, keeping her tightly in his arms. He kissed the top of her head. "But I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you."

~Living the Life of Ally~

It was nighttime by the time the Doctor and River were able to figure out how to open the hatch that led down to the Pandorica. Alex watched, curious and a little bit afraid, as River placed a device on each corner of the center altar stone inside Stonehenge. She stood back and tapped into her handheld. "Right then," she murmured. "Ready."

A moment later, the sound of moving machinery filled the air. The group watched as the rock slowly slid away to reveal a stone staircase leading downwards. River shined a light down into the dark abyss.

"The Underhenge," the Doctor murmured, clearly in awe. He gripped Alex's hand tightly and went down the stairs.

Using his free hand, the Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and held it out in front of him, ready to ward off anyone or anything that may try and harm them. The group went single file down the stairs and through a narrow tunnel, before finally going into a larger room with torches along all the walls. The Doctor lit one with his sonic, River lighting hers with his. They then went to a large door. The Doctor and River unbarred the door before pushing it open.

They found themselves in a much larger room. In the center of the room was a giant box with matching circular symbols on all four walls. "It's a Pandorica," the Doctor breathed.

"More than just a fairy tale," Alex commented. She stepped closer to the box, but suddenly found herself tripping. She managed to catch her balance, but jumped back in surprise when she saw what she had tripped on. It was the severed arm of a Cyberman.

"Doctor," she whimpered, remembering what the Doctor had told her about the Cybermen. She found it horrifying that humans from the future would willingly robotize their bodies and remove all their emotions.

The Doctor raced over to her and pulled her away from the arm. "I know," he murmured, seeing her terrified expression. He hated seeing her so scared. He hoped he could settle this Pandorica business quickly so he could get her out of here. "Don't worry. It's probably nothing."

Alex didn't believe that for a minute, but nodded anyways. She knew the Doctor was trying to comfort her and not scare her any more than she already was. "Will you tell me about the Pandorica, Doctor?" she asked.

The Doctor seemed a little hesitant, but finally nodded. Grasping Alex's hand, he inched closer to the Pandorica until he could finally place his hand on it. His face fell slightly as he realized the Pandorica was truly here. "There was a goblin," he began, "or a trickster, or a warrior. A nameless, terrible thing, soaked in the blood of a billion galaxies. The most feared being in the cosmos. And nothing could stop it, or hold it, or reason with it. One day, it would just drop out of the sky and tear down your world."

"How did it end up in there?" Amy asked, getting the courage to use her voice.

"You know fairy tales," the Doctor replied. "A good wizard tricked it."

River groaned. "I hate good wizards in fairy tales," she confessed. She passed her torch to Amy so that she could examine the Pandorica as well. "They always turn out to be him."

Alex smirked. "As it should be."

The Doctor smiled down at her. "Thank you, Ally."

Amy shook her head, deciding to say something before they could start flirting. "So, it's like Pandora's Box, then?" she asked. "Almost the same name."

"Sorry, what?" the Doctor said, placing his torch in a handle near the giant box.

"The story," Amy elaborated. "Pandora's Box, with all the worst things in the world in it. That was my favorite book when I was a kid."

The Doctor ran his sonic on one of the circles on the side of the Pandorica, before turning to Amy and approaching her, a frown on his face. Alex followed, as usual.

"What's wrong?" Amy asked as he came up to her, still frowning.

"Your favorite school topic. Your favorite story," the Doctor listed. "Never ignore a coincidence, unless you're busy. In which case, always ignore a coincidence."

Alex frowned at him. "That doesn't sound like something you should do." The Doctor ignored her, suggesting that she was probably right.

"So can you open it?" River asked him.

"Easily," the Doctor replied, walking back over to the Pandorica. "Anyone can break into a prison. But I'd rather know what I'm going to find first."

"You won't have long to wait," River informed him. She had her handheld up to a side of the box, scanning it. "It's already opening. There are layers and layers of security protocols in there, and they're being disabled one by one. Like its being unlocked from the inside."

"How long do we have?" Alex asked, crossing her arms as she stared at the box in wonder.

"Hours at the most," River guessed.

"What kind of security?" the Doctor asked.

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

The Doctor shook his head in amazement. "What could need all that?" he wondered.

"What could get past all that?" Alex said. Although she wasn't sure what the things River listed were, she knew they were major obstacles not everyone could get past, let alone unlock.

"Think of the fear that went into making this box," the Doctor muttered, not really paying attention to Alex. "What could inspire that level of fear?" He approached the box and placed a hand on it. "Hello, you. Have we met?"

"So why would it start to open now?" River asked.

"No idea," the Doctor admitted.

Amy cleared her throat, not liking that she was being ignored. "And how could Vincent have known about it?" she questioned. "He won't even be born for centuries."

The Doctor looked at the pillars leading from the door to the Pandorica. Using the sonic on them, he announced, "The stones. These stones are great big transmitters, broadcasting a warning to everyone, everywhere, to every time zone. The Pandorica is opening."

River frowned as she listened to his words. "Doctor, everyone, everywhere?" she repeated.

"Even poor Vincent heard it, in his dreams," the Doctor went on, not seeming to hear her. He began pacing back and forth in front of the box. "But what's in there? What could justify all this?"

"Doctor, everyone?" River repeated, louder this time.

"Anything that powerful, I'd know about it," the Doctor insisted, continuing to pace. "Why don't I know?"

"Doctor, you said everyone could hear it," River reminded him.

Alex's eyes widened as she realized what River was saying. "So who else is coming?" she finished.

The Doctor stopped pacing, his eyes widening as he stared at them. "Oh," he realized.

"Oh?" Amy repeated. "Oh, what?"

River and the Doctor exchanged a glance, the former quickly marching to a nearby pillar. "Okay," she began, pressing her scanner to it, "if it is basically a transmitter, we should be able to fold back the signal."

"Doing it," the Doctor called back as he scanned the stones with his sonic.

"Doing what?" Amy demanded, looking around at them.

"Stonehenge is transmitting," Alex explained.

"It's been transmitting for a while," River added. "So who heard?"

"Okay, should be feeding back to you now!" the Doctor called to her. After a moment, he asked, "River, what's out there?"

"Give me a moment," River said as she studied her scanner intently.

"River, quickly. Anything?" he pressed.

River made a slight sound of horror, causing everyone to look at her. She was staring at the scanner in horror, which didn't do anything to help calm Alex down. "Around this planet, there are at least ten thousand starships," she reported.

"At least?" Alex scoffed. That was a big help!

River gave her a slightly irritated look, but it quickly went away as she turned back to the scanner. "Ten thousand, a hundred thousand, a million, I don't know!" she cried. "There's too many readings."

"What kind of starships?" the Doctor demanded.

They didn't have to wait long for the answer. As if on cue, a voice came out from the scanner. "Maintaining orbit!" a Dalek voice called out.

Another Dalek chimed in. "I obey. Shield cover compromised on ion sectors."

"Daleks," Alex breathed. She wasn't scared of the Daleks, per se, but she was scared of the events that could possibly happen now that they were here.

"Scan detects no temporal activity," the first Dalek reported.

"Soft grid scan commencing!"

"Reverse thrust for compensatory stabilization."

"Daleks, Doctor," River said, as if Alex hadn't said anything at all.

Still, her words forced the Doctor into action. "Yes," he chirped as he began pacing again, this time tossing his screwdriver from one hand to another to bring the nerves home. "Okay, okay, okay. Dalek fleet, minimum twelve thousand battleships, armed to the teeth. Ah! But we've got surprise on our side. They'll never expect four people to attack twelve thousand Dalek battleships . . . because we'd be killed instantly. So it would be a fairly short surprise." He hit himself on the head with the screwdriver. "Forget surprise."

Suddenly, a new voice rang out from the scanner. "Course correction proceeding."

"Doctor, Cyberships!" River called out, now standing at a new pillar.

"No, Dalek ships," the Doctor insisted. "Listen to them! Those are Dalek ships."

"Yes," River conceded. "Dalek ships and Cyberships!"

"Well, we need to start a firefight," he suggested as River darted to another pillar. "Turn them on each other. That's easy. It's the Daleks. They're so cross—"

"Sontaran!" River interrupted. "Four battle fleets!"

"Sontarans?" Alex repeated. She'd never heard the Doctor mention them before.

"Sontarans!" the Doctor repeated. "Talk about cross, who stole all their handbags?"

"Terileptil," River announced. She blinked at all the new incoming reports before quickly beginning to list all of the aliens outside. "Slitheen, Chelonian, Nestene, Drahvin. Sycorax, Haemogoth, Zygon, Atraxi, Draconian. They're all here for the Pandorica."

During this, the Doctor's face had fallen considerably. Daleks and Cybermen were one thing, but all those species alongside them? It was insane! He'd be insane for even attempting to fight them. He turned around to look at the Pandorica, the common denominator in all of this. "What are you?" he asked, looking at the box in a mixture of awe and disbelief. "What could you possibly be?"

Suddenly, he turned and ran toward the exit, pausing only to grab Alex's hand and pull her along. River and Amy ran after them all the way up to the top. Once above ground, they stopped and stared. The dark sky was filled with numerous spaceships, their lights flashing as they whizzed by.

"What do we do?" Amy murmured at the sight.

What can we do? Alex thought. No, there had to be some way to solve all this. Alex trusted the Doctor. She was sure he'd be able to find some way out of this.

"Doctor, listen to me," River demanded, causing Alex to look at her. River actually looked properly scared and worried. "Everything that ever hated you and/or Alex is coming here tonight. You can't win this. You can't even fight it. Doctor, this once, just this one time, for Alex's sake, please, you have to run!"

"Run where?" the Doctor retorted.

"Fight how?" River challenged.

Alex felt her heart race at the thought of so many aliens hating her and wanting to do nothing more than destroy her. For God's sake, she'd only met a couple! How could she have made such an impression? Well, she was with the Doctor, for a start. And River was from the future and likely knew her stuff.

"I hear the Lake District's lovely this time of year," Alex suggested.

"Oh, the Lake's District's lovely," the Doctor remarked. "I should take you girls there sometime. They do the most amazing scones in 1927."

Alex laughed a little before returning her gaze to the thousands of starships overheard. "You're going to fight them, aren't you?"

"How long have you known me, Ally?"

"Long enough to know that you like trouble," Alex quipped. "Seriously, it must be your middle name or something."

"Nah," the Doctor dismissed. "My middle name is quite more dreadful than that."

Alex laughed again, grateful that he was able to make her do this. "But seriously," she said, sobering, "how exactly are you going to fight them?"

The Doctor gave her a little grin. He pulled out a pair of binoculars and looked through them. "The greatest military machine in the history of the universe," he answered, lowering the binoculars to wink at her.

Amy frowned. "What is?" she asked. "The Daleks?"

"No," the Doctor said, frowning a little at her guess. "No, no, no, no, no. The Romans."

Alex thought about this for a moment. She wasn't quite sure how a Roman legion could help against thousands of aliens with futuristic weapons that she could only dream about, but decided not to question it. The Doctor didn't steer her wrong . . . all the time, anyways.

The Doctor tucked the binoculars away and turned to River. "River, you and Alex go to the camp for help. We'll need a lot of men, but use your best judgment."

"Excuse me?" Alex cried. She glared up at him. "I am not leaving you!"

The Doctor frowned at her. "Sorry, Alex," he said in a voice that was far from apologetic, "but did you not hear that those aliens are also here for you, as well?"

"You've faced aliens before!" Alex argued. "Far more than River has probably!"

"I'm right here," River muttered, but even she knew to be quiet when they started their infamous rows.

"Alexandria Nicole, don't argue with me," the Doctor warned.

"Don't call me that!" Alex shot back. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes in an attempt to look intimidating.

"Well then, don't contradict me!"

"I'm only contradicting you because you're being an absolute idiot!"

"Oh, very mature, Alexandria!"

"Stop calling me Alexandria!"

Amy sighed and looked at River wearily as the two continued to argue. "Do they do this a lot?" she asked.

River nodded. "Sadly, yes."

"River needs your help!" the Doctor now argued.

"No, I don't," River objected.

"See?!" Alex cried, vindicated.

"Alexandria, do as I tell you!" the Doctor ordered.

"Is he asking to get slapped?" Amy muttered.

Alex apparently thought so too, for she narrowed her eyes at him even more. They resembled tiny little slits now. "Do you want me to slap you?" she cried.

Not particularly, the Doctor thought. Instead of saying this though, he gritted his teeth and growled a little, grabbing Alex's hand and dragging her over to the shadows of a stone arch. "Why must you argue with me?!" he hissed. "Now?! When there's bloody Daleks and Cybermen and God knows what else in the sky!"

"Because I'm scared!" Alex snapped. She paused for a moment, her ragged breathing the only sound between them. "I'm scared of you and/or Amy dying and me not being able to do anything about it, or those aliens getting me and/or Amy and you not being there because you're off somewhere and refused to have me with you. Believe it or not, Doc, but I don't want you dying over this Pandorica!"

The Doctor was silent for a moment as he processed her words. He had no idea she was that scared. He'd seen her scared, like during the Weeping Angel adventure, but her fear was so much deeper this time. He had no idea she looked at him that highly, the same way he looked at her.

Within a split second, he'd pulled her into a tight hug. "Ally," he murmured into her hair. "Nothing is going to happen to you. I promise you. I told Marigold that I would protect you until my dying breath, and that is exactly what I plan to do."

"I know," Alex replied. And she did know that. The only problem was that she didn't want it to come down to that, the Doctor dying or her. Both would open up deep sadness in the surviving member, something neither of them needed. "But please don't make me leave."

The Doctor sighed. He knew by now that Alex would just sneak back here if he ordered her to go off with River. "Okay," he allotted. "Fine."

Alex jumped in his arms, causing him to rock back on his feet a little. "Thank you!" she cried. She jumped out of his grasp and over to Amy. "Come on, Amelia! Let's go look at that Pandorica!" With a slight yelp from Amy as Alex dragged her away, the girls ran back down to the Pandorica.

The Doctor shook his head a little. "You just can't say no to her, can you?" River asked as she came over to him.

"Please tell me she follows orders from me at least once," the Doctor begged.

River smirked. "Spoilers."

The Doctor groaned. "Right." He glanced over his shoulder, checking that the girls were down in the Underhenge, before stepping closer to River. "Can I ask you to do something for me?"

River blinked. "Anything," she assured him.

The Doctor was silent for a moment before he began talking. "If anything should happen to me—"

"Nothing will!" River interrupted.

He eyed her critically. "But if something should, I want you to go to the TARDIS and take Amy and Alex back home. Make sure they're safe. Check up on them, especially Alex." He paused and then added, "And be nice to her when you do it."

"I'm always nice to Alex!" River argued. The Doctor gave her a flat look. "Okay, most of the time," she corrected.

"What is this rivalry between you two about anyways?"

River shifted a little, clearly uncomfortable with the question. "I'll go get those Romans for you," she said, turning away. "And don't worry. I'll protect Amy and Alex on the off chance something happens to you. Which it won't." She then hurried off to her horse and a second later, galloped away.

A/N: SO sorry about not updating yesterday! Our internet at home is being crappy and slow and while it will let me on some sites, it won't let me on FF. Lucky my dad has a computer in his office at the school he works at. :)

Notes on reviews. . .

SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister - Lol, glad you liked the fluffy bits at the end! I loved writing those. :) Yeah, I had to add that part about the Constitution in. It seemed like something Alex would say. :)

SopherGopherroxursox - It was rather fan-freaking-tabulous, huh? Lol, glad you liked those parts! :) JTTCOTT is a shortened form of the title 'Journey to the Center of the TARDIS', an episode from Season 7.

ElysiumPhoenix - Yep, she fell off a chair. Lol, no, I don't practice teasing. It just comes out that way. :} Yeah, I thought it would be interesting to see how people view the Doctor and Alex together. They are very, very couple-like aren't they? :) I haven't really thought about what's in the files, but I can say that Alex is documented in them. That'll be brought up in 'Death of the Doctor'.

Gwilwillith - Let's hope they don't explode. :) Thanks!

ShadowTeir - Yes, I did do that. :( But the dreams kind of evened things out. :) Here's the first part of the Pandorica chapters! I think there's more fluff in 'The Big Bang' than 'The Pandorica Opens' but I'll let you all be the judge of that. :)

TheGirlWhoWaited - Glad you liked the chapter! Hope the first part of the Pandorica episodes didn't disappoint! :)

Guest - Me too.

Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass - I don't really like tea, but to each his own. :) Lol, yeah, I'll probably think that when we get to WWII. Hmm, I've never thought of Alex having her old TARDIS. I think the current TARDIS is pretty good so far. :) In 'The Impossible Astronaut', Alex will witness the Doctor's death and the astronaut will try to do something to her. }:)

MidnightDarkskiesbluemoon - Thank you! I'm glad you love it! :) I can't say when they'll be together! I want it to be a surprise. :) Hmm. . . I will say a lot happens in 'The Impossible Astronaut' and 'Day of the Moon' and we know that Alex won't be in 'The Snowmen'. The reason for that will be brought up and elaborated upon in 'Journey to the Center of the TARDIS'. :) Alex's mind abilities and the reason's for them will be revealed eventually. :)

tardis-tea-time - Thank you! :)