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((No Such Thing as a Paradox: Part I))

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The Doctor grinned as we stumbled into the TARDIS and I laughed along with him, Clave curled around my shoulders. "You're horrible!" I scolded, though the smile refused to leave my lips. I smacked his shoulder when he grinned, running a hand through his hair. "That was just horrible, Doctor, you can't go around being perfectly honest all the time!"

"But it's a good quality," he answered, mocking me by attempting a poor imitation of my voice.

"Shut up," I retorted with a laugh. I swatted at him again, smacking his arm before flopping down into the captain's seat, gasping for breath. Clave purred as he slid from my shoulders and curled up in my lap. I stroked his head, shaking my head with an amused look. I watched as the Doctor chuckled, moving this way and that around the console and pressing buttons as the TARDIS hummed in my head, her tone gentle. My eyes narrowed. She knew I was still mad, and I was. Who wouldn't be mad at the cause of their death?

I shook my head to clear it when I huffed and the Doctor shot me a curious look. No need to think about that right now, I needed to focus on the present.

"Ali, what exactly did the Face of Boe say to you?"

I jumped in surprise at the Doctor's quietly spoken question. I flushed slightly, shooting back, "What did the Face of Boe tell you, Doctor?" He didn't answer and I sighed, shaking my head. "Exactly. I won't say anything about it if you won't."

He pursed his lips unhappily, watching as Clave blinked calmly at him, engaging the Doctor in a staring contest. He was the first to look away. The Doctor was, anyway. I smiled slightly and then was startled when he suddenly said, "The Face of Boe told me that I can't keep everyone safe forever."

I blinked in surprise, glancing up at him, but his back was to me and I couldn't see the emotion on his face. But I could hear it. He was anxious, sad, and even a bit angry. The TARDIS supplied the help with figuring out all of that. My eyes softened. "You knew that was true before, Doctor," I said gently, "You can't protect everyone and the ones you do protect can't live forever."

"I knew that," he muttered, "Everyone knows that. But it was the way he said it, as if it was some kind of warning. It worries me." He shook his head, then whirled around with a forced grin on his face. "Tell me what he told you now," he said cheerfully, his eyes dark.

I hesitated, then said slowly, picking my words carefully, "He told me to make the right choice when it comes to it. Not that I know what it is." Lies, all lies. There was no choice in what I'd have to do in the future. I didn't get to choose what I wanted to do. I had to die, and that was that. According to the TARDIS, she needed me. The Doctor would need me. So it would happen.

He smiled tightly, turning back to the controls and flicking a switch. "We'll have to be careful then. I won't let you get killed, I promised Mandy before I left and the Cybermen attacked."

My eyes widened and then I said hesitantly, "Doctor?"

He glanced over. "Yes?"

I hesitated, then shook my head, smiling reassuringly. "Never mind." I couldn't tell him. If I told him, he'd get angry and then dump me somewhere. He'd promised to never abandon me, but if it meant saving me, I knew he'd do it. It was just who the Doctor was. And I was needed. So I wouldn't tell him, even if it meant my death. "I'm going to go get something from my room, kay? I'll be back."

I ducked out of the control room, pursing my lips as my eyes glittered with tears.

I wouldn't tell him. He didn't need that on top of what he was already worried about.

About twenty minutes later, in the process of placing the fez I'd taken on top of my head (I had the longing to wear it for the day, no questions as to why), the TARDIS suddenly jerked violently. I shrieked, toppling over and slamming into the ground. It jerked another way, sending me rolling and I scrambled to get a hold of something. Unsuccessful, I somehow crawled out the door, tucking the fez into my shouldered bag. "Doctor?!" I cried uncertainly when I didn't see him right away in the control room.

The TARDIS moaned in my head just moments before the Doctor's head popped up from the other side of the control console and grinned wildly at me as the TARDIS stabilized. "Sorry 'bout that, not sure what happened." He paused. "Well…you know. For the most part. There was an electromagnetic field that's way too powerful that we're going to go see now, but other than that. Nothing out of the normal."

"Have we landed?" I questioned, climbing to my feet. I took the fez out of my bag, placing it on my head. He gave me a strange look; I stood my tongue out.

"Yes, it appears we're on the planet…" he paused, perching the familiar black frames on his nose and examining the screen. "Well that's not normal. Veli's usually a peaceful planet, pretty during this time of year even. Yet look at this."

I peered over his shoulder, surprised at what I saw on the screen. War torn country filled my eyes and I glanced at the Doctor. He met my eyes with his own, grinning. I giggled and took off running for the TARDIS doors. "Race you outside! Clave! You stay in here, buddy!"

The Doctor snatched up his trench coat, racing after me, grinning.

Who cares if we were acting like children? Exploring unknown places is fun, even if a little dangerous. Well, not a little dangerous, more like deadly and everyone wants to kill you, but who cares about a little bit of danger?

Obviously not us.

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

"Please tell me you're not going to do what I think you plan on doing," I said bluntly as the Doctor knelt on the ground, examining the dirt that was there, a fine sand. He glanced at me, then winked and took a pinch of it, licking it off of his finger. I made a sound of disgust. "How do you not have a million diseases by now?"

"Time Lord, remember?" he replied, then pulled his sonic screwdriver out, scanning the sand. "Hmm…there's a bit of sulphur and gunpowder in ground." He pursed his lips, tucking the sonic away and standing up. "Looks like there's a bit of bombing going on in this area…we should leave."

I glanced at him in surprise. I hadn't heard him say that before. "What do you mean "we should leave"?"

"I mean," he said warily, nodding in the direction in front for us. "We should leave. Go back to the TARDIS. Now."

I followed his gaze and was startled to see what could only be people (aliens) on horse-like creatures galloping towards us. Each held a strange looking gun, and their eyes glinted with anger. And the guns were aimed at us.

Oh. Well that's nice of them to do. "What do we do?" I hissed to the Doctor. He merely answered by raising his arms, hands up in surrender. "Doctor?"

"Do it," he murmured back. I did as he said and he turned his attention upon the furious aliens. They looked like a group of tribal humans. But there eyes were all a piercing silver. "Hm…interesting," he muttered under his breath. "A colony of ancient humans on another planet. They were taken over by something…" Louder, he said, "Look! We surrender! See? No need to shoot. Could you please put the guns down?"

One stepped forward, it's massive and terrifying mount snorting viciously. It opened its mouth, sawing at the bit in its mouth and revealed fangs. Slit pupils met mine and I froze in fear until it suddenly relaxed. Its rider seemed startled as the alien stepped closer against his will and nudged my chest. I gasped in surprise, gently touching its cheek and it made a content sound, rubbing his head against me. "…uh…"

The Doctor blinked, looking just as confused. "…Ali? What's it doing?"

"I don't know," I muttered back, scratching the creature's chin. It curled a lip but not angrily. It made a happy sound again, shaking its strange course mane out. I smiled, giggling. "He's kinda cute."

"And belongs to us," the person riding him growled, jerking harshly on the reins. The creature snarled suddenly, snapping at my hand as it scrambled back. I jerked my hand out of the way, hearing the sounds of fangs clicking together. The Doctor glared angrily at him, gently pulling me closer. "Why are two members of the human colony here?"

I fixed my fez, remaining quiet as the Doctor answered carefully, "We're not part of whatever colony you're talking about. My ship landed here and we got curious and wanted to check out the planet. I can show you my ship if you want, though I don't think she'll let you inside."

"That's what the last spies said," a woman with dark hair hissed. Her silver eyes flashed and there creature she sat atop of snarled, lashing its tail. Her gaze scanned us harshly.

I hesitated, then asked hesitantly, "You're at war with those annoying other people aren't you?" The Doctor shot me a warning look, but I ignored him, focused on getting us out of the situation alive. "They tried to kill us when we arrived. We came to help you and they found out, they weren't happy about us being here. But we escaped and came here. Kind of wrong to point guns at help from the…" Damn! What was the name of those people their Doctor had mentioned the other day?

He seemed to get what I was saying though, because he finished my sentence. "I agree with my companion. It is kind of wrong to point guns at the help the Shadow Proclamation sent you, isn't it?"

The woman and the leader exchanged startled glances. The leader narrowed his eyes at us. "Show us your papers. Prove it."

The Doctor reached into his pocket, pulling out the psychic paper. "See? Look, says right here. Officials of the Shadow Proclamation. We're also popular assistants of the Atraxi."

Never heard that name before. The Doctor pretended to tuck the paper into his pocket again, but instead shoved it into my hand when they weren't paying attention. I raised it, pretending to pull it from my own pockets and glanced at it to make sure it was correct before showing them. "See? We're fine, nothing bad about us. We could use some food if you have any though, came straight here from helping the…Atraxi, wasn't it?"

The Doctor nodded, shooting me an approving glance. I was doing well, his gaze said, keep it up. "Yep. Just came from helping the Atraxi capture a particularly nasty escape artist. We're a tad bit hungry. Got some food?"

The leader lowered his gun. The others followed suit and the creature he rode upon nuzzled at me again. "Of course." He glanced at the woman. "Karen, go fetch two more mounts for our guests. Tell the village to prepare for our welcome feast. Prepare as much food as they can."

Karen nodded, then whirled around and urged her mount into a dead run. She soon vanished over the hill, and the Doctor leaned over to me, murmuring in my ear, "Interesting. They kept the human body's name."

I blinked, whispering back as I took the fez off and shoved a hand through my hair, "You don't think the people, the real humans, are still alive in their heads, are they?"

The Doctor pursed his lips, glancing at me. "I can't answer that just yet. Look for signs that they might, though. I don't think the members of this species means any harm. They're just fighting for their planet is what I think is happening. The planet Veli must belong to them and they're fighting against the human colonies they were unsuccessful in capturing to chase them off."

"An acceptable reason," I decided. "I wouldn't want people invading Earth and chasing us off when we already lived there before they even noticed us."

The Doctor nodded his agreement though he looked uncertain. "It was a good idea to leave Clave in the TARDIS. It would have been harder to explain ourselves with him here."

I pursed my lips. "I hope he's okay while we're out…I don't want him to destroy anything. The TARDIS will get mad at everyone if he does and stop cooperating if he does."

The Doctor chuckled. "Yes she will."

A few moments later, Karen came back, flying over the hill with two new creatures running along behind her. She skidded to a halt beside us, throwing a set of reins to each of us. The Doctor eyed his own warily when it growled. Mine simply squealed, nuzzling my head and knocking the fez to the ground. I pouted, scooping it up and putting it back on my head. "Do you mind?" I complained to it, "I'm trying to wear the thing, not ruin it!"

The Doctor blinked curiously upon climbing onto his mount. "What's with the fez? I don't remember getting it for you or you bringing it with us."

"I didn't, I got it from someone," I mumbled, then grinned, swinging up expertly onto my own. I looked expectantly at the leader, who swung his creature around and it urged it in a trot. The Doctor and I followed suit. "And I don't feel like saying who, 'cause then I have to tell the whole story and it's a long one."

"Alright, alright, no need to get all huffy about it," the Doctor muttered back.

I frowned slightly when Karen suddenly appeared, leaning over to peer at my face. I narrowed my eyes irritably. "Do you mind?" I hissed. "I'm trying to ride and get to your home alive so we can help you, remember?"

Karen ignored my words, scanning my face before saying slowly, "Hey. Levi."

The leader glanced over his shoulder. "What is it?"

"I think," Karen said slowly. She licked her lips thoughtfully. "I think is that girl the one man was asking about. You know, the one that came to do a "checkup" and then went to investigate the other side and didn't come back?"

Levi paused, seeming to contemplate the idea before he nodded slowly in agreement. "I think you're right," he agreed, eyes narrowing in response. "What is your name, girl?"

I glanced at the Doctor and he nodded, eyes warning me to be careful though shining with curiosity. "I'm Ali. Alissa's my real name, but I prefer to go by Ali." I hesitated, then asked, "Who was looking for me? What did he look like?"

Karen glanced at Levi who gave a curt nod, answering silently that she could answer my question. "He said his name was John. He had a couple of people with him, but they disappeared after a while. Said he'd be back later after he'd checked over how we could defeat the other people, but…he never came back. What was that weird thing he wore, Levi?"

"Thing on his neck," Levi answered gruffly, refusing to turn around now.

My eyes widened and my face paled. "A bowtie? Was he wearing a bowtie and a tweed jacket?" I rasped. The Doctor cast me a sharp glance, curiosity evident on his face. I groaned when Karen nodded, lighting up at the word, having been unable to remember it. I let my head fall into one of my hands, shaking my head.

Why was he here again? I mean, don't get me wrong, it'd be nice to be able to ask bowtie man a couple of questions about what happened (because I obviously didn't get to meet that face of his after my Doctor and he would know what had happened). But why had he shown up once again?

The Doctor steered his creature closer, eyes narrowed. "Ali? Who are they talking about?"

I smiled dryly, "Oh, you won't know him just yet. Trust me, Doctor, you don't want to. Where did you say he went? The other side, right?" Karen nodded. "Good to know, maybe I'll go find him later. For now, let's get back and get some food. Yes?"

I could tell without even looking that the Doctor was quickly growing annoyed that for once, I seemed to know more about something than he did. He had no idea just how much I knew. I narrowed my eyes thoughtfully. Had bowtie man left before we'd arrived? He was the Doctor after the one beside me. He'd know that we were coming. Maybe he'd left before we'd arrived, along with however many companions he has.

I'd have to be sure.

If I could manage to get away without the Doctor noticing, which would be an interesting task to accomplish.

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

I easily sat perched on a small bench beside the Doctor, pursing my lips unhappily. The Doctor looked just as anxious as I felt, eyeing the people that peered curiously at us with a nervous expression. "Doctor," I murmured to him, leaning so that they wouldn't hear. "What are they doing?"

"I don't think they believe us as much as we thought," the Doctor said quietly in my ear. He sucked in a breath, nodding his head slightly before saying, "Well, at least the elder doesn't. And since the species in the human bodies seem to look up to the elder, which could be a large problem for us."

I chewed nervously on my look. "Please tell me we won't get killed."

"Can't guarantee that."

I moaned in frustration, throwing my head back, pouting when the fez toppled off, and staring up at the sky for a few moments. "Can't we make a run for it while everyone's distracted by waiting for the elder's decision?"

"Nope," he replied, popping the 'p'. "Don't worry, I'm sure we can talk ourselves out of this one."

I sighed, shaking my head. "Give me your sonic screwdriver."

He immediately became suspicious, leaning away slightly. "Why?"

I grinned, amused at his reaction before explaining, holding my hand out. He pouted but pulled it out and placed it in my hand. I slipped the sonic into my boot, explaining, "Nobody ever checks the boots. It's just in case they throw us into a cell or something. That way we'll have it and won't have to hunt it down."

The Doctor blinked. "…smart," he acknowledged, slightly grudgingly. I giggled. He was jealous that he hadn't thought of the idea. I bit my lip again, leaning against him with an impatient sigh. He reassuringly put an arm around my shoulders and squeezed. "Don't worry, I'm sure they'll come back and let us walk around soon. Can't take that long to make such a simple decision."

"Simple to us, yes, but maybe not to them," I sighed chidingly, reminding him that these aliens were on a different level then we were. "They look like they're around the seventeen hundreds for us humans."

The Doctor nodded his agreement. "True."

We fell silent for a few moments, and a decision finally seemed to be made. Levi suddenly appeared, his eyes narrowed as he practically growled, "You will leave immediately. The elder does not believe in killing you, though I'd like otherwise. If you are seen by sunset, we have permission to kill you."
My eyes widened and I glared at him, opening my mouth to shoot back an irritated word. But the Doctor pulled me to my feet, eyes gleaming cheerfully. "Thank you, we'll be on our way. You won't see us again. Come on, Ali, let's go back to the TARDIS.

I put the fez back on my head, making sure it was properly placed before smiling faintly. "Alright, Doctor." He pulled me in the direction we had arrived from, his eyes narrowed. I frowned. "What's wrong?" I murmured.

"They made us wait on purpose. By the rate the sun is descending, it'll set within two hours. We have a long walk back to the TARDIS. We won't make it in time," the Doctor said darkly. He held his hand out as we walked quickly and I hopped as I pulled the sonic back out of my boot. I scrambled to catch up with him and he took it back as soon as I offered it, tucking it into his suit. "I doubt they'll find us, but better safe than sorry."

"They have those things they ride," I murmured in realization. We really were screwed. We sped up to a jog.

Maybe, just maybe, we could make it back to the TARDIS on time.

But what about bowtie man?

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

As soon as we were inside the TARDIS, I dropped to my knees, panting heavily for breath. I'd need a long shower after that run. The Doctor tested the doors to make sure they were locked and then dropped down beside me, gasping as well. "Well that," I rasped, "was fun. Let's…never do that…again."

"Agreed," the Doctor muttered back, shoving a hand through his hair and grimacing when he forced himself to his feet. He moved over to examine the screen after pressing a few buttons, and I fought the urge to huff in annoyance. Once again, his gravity defying hair was perfect while mine was just everywhere.

"What are you doing?" I demanded once I caught my breath.

The Doctor grinned, glancing back at me with an amused look. "Nothing. Watching how far away they are. Not too far, they were fairly close. Ready to leave?"

I hesitated, tucking the fez back on my head, then said softly, "What about those other people?"

He glanced at me. "You mean that one you were discussing earlier?" I nodded, biting my lip, and he answered, "I can find them on the scans. We don't have to go anywhere to find them."

I contemplated this for a few moments, then gave a nod. "I still want to go find them," I said firmly. The TARDIS hummed her approval in my head and I paused. If I went into bowtie man's TARDIS, would that mean I was stepping into myself? Okay, no more thinking of that weird idea…

The Doctor pursed his lips. "Fine," he muttered, heaving a sigh. He whirled around the console and began to press buttons, his eyes narrowed with irritation. Something that rarely happened. I felt a flash of guilt but ignored it in favor of patting the control console with a sigh. I'd make it up to him. I had a feeling that it wasn't the fact that we were looking for people that had him irritable. It was that I knew them and he didn't. Well, sort of knew them. I only met two of them for five seconds, but that's not the point.

He jerked down a lever and the TARDIS moaned quietly and began to move, the lights flickering for a brief moment. I frowned. She was tired again. Not good. I patted the console again and she hummed, but remained silent in my mind, something that usually didn't happen.

After it had landed, the Doctor turned to me, voice firm as he spoke. "You need to stay here. I'll go speak to a few of the people that live here and see what I can find out and then we'll decide where to go from there. No moving the TARDIS and no coming out of it, got that?"

Clave hopped up to curl around my shoulders as I sighed, pouting with a nod. "Alright," I grumbled.

And then he was gone, ducking out of the TARDIS without another word.

Yep. He was mad.

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

A/N: Took me a while on this one! . Anyhow! Hope you enjoyed! Thanks to reviewers…

Guest: Yep. I accidentally put it like that, as that's how I've always spelt it up until now. I'm spelling it right now, but I'm not going to go back and fix it. I'm too lazy to do that. |D

Littlebirdd: That's good! :D …in a way I suppose. XD

Maren the fangirl: Glad you like it! Here you go! XD