Chapter 11: The Big Bang
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.
PREVIOUSLY
The Dalek said, "You will be prevented."
The Doctor said, "Total event collapse!"
The Vixen begged, "Every sun will supernova at every moment in history. The whole universe will never have existed! Please, listen to me!"
The Cyberman ordered, "Seal the Pandorica."
"No! Please, listen to us! The TARDIS is exploding right now and we're the only ones who can stop it! Listen to me!" The Pandorica slammed shut.
1,894 years later… A young girl was praying. "Dear Santa, thank you for the dolls and pencils and the fish. It's Easter now, so I hope I didn't wake you." Amelia Pond knelt beside her bed, eyes closed, saying her prayers. "But honest, it is an emergency. There's a crack in my wall." She turned to the wall where there was a crack spreading across it. "Aunt Sharon says it's just an ordinary crack, but... I know it's not, because, at night, there's voices. So please, please, could you send someone to fix it? Or a policeman. Or..." She heard the sound of rushing wind. "Back in a moment." Amelia got up from the floor, picked up a torch from the nightstand, ran to the window and pulled back the curtain to look outside. There was nothing out there. She looked up at the sky and saw the moon, but there were no stars.
Amelia was sitting in the parlour, facing her Aunt Sharon and a psychiatrist, Christine, who was looking at a painting of the night sky, complete with stars. She said, "It's a lovely painting, Amelia. And what are all these?"
Amelia replied, "Stars."
Aunt Sharon sighed, "Oh, Amelia!"
Christine said, "Tell you what, shall we go outside?" They went out to the garden. "What do you see, Amelia?"
Amelia replied, "The moon."
"And what else?"
Amelia said, "Just the dark."
Christine said, "But no stars. If there were stars up there, we'd be able to see them, wouldn't we? Amelia, look at me." She faced Amelia. "You know this is all just a story, don't you? You know there's no such thing as stars." Amelia said nothing but looked up at the sky.
Amelia lay in bed listening to her aunt and the psychiatrist. She walked slowly to the top of the stairs. The voice were much clearer. She watched as they crossed from the kitchen to the parlour. Christine said to Aunt Sharon, "It's quite common, actually. Throughout history, people have talked about stars in the sky. God knows where it comes from."
Aunt Sharon said, "I just don't want her growing up and joining one of those Star Cults. I don't trust that Richard Dawkins."
Just as Amelia stood up to go back to her room, a figure outside slipped something through the letter slot. Amelia ran down the stairs. It was a brochure for the National Museum. She opened it and center of the page, circled, was the Pandorica. On the back was a note written in red ink: 'Come along, Pond'.
Amelia and Aunt Sharon walked up the steps into the museum. Amelia tugged her aunt through the foyer and past a number of exhibits. "Come on, Aunt Sharon."
Aunt Sharon said, "Look at that! That's good, isn't it?"
"Not that! This way."
Aunt Sharon replied, "But we're not looking at anything."
Amelia said again, "This way!" She saw the room housing the Pandorica and broke free from Aunt Sharon's grip. On the way, she saw two strange creatures encased in stone. Daleks.
Aunt Sharon called after her, "Amelia!"
Amelia pushed her way forward to stare at the Pandorica and, as she went to drink her soda, the cup was grabbed from her hand. She turned around to see who took it but she couldn't see anyone with her drink. When she turned back, there was a yellow Post-it note stuck on the Pandorica. 'Stick around, Pond'.
Aunt Sharon called, "Amelia!" Amelia hid as her aunt entered the room. "Amelia? Amelia?" She left the room. "Amelia!"
As the day went on, the crowd in the room thinned out. An announcement was made over the tannoy. "Amelia Pond, please go to the reception, please. Your aunt is waiting for you there. Amelia Pond, please go to..."
At night, Amelia came out of hiding from one of the exhibits, knocking part of it down. "Sorry." She walked down the hall towards the Pandorica exhibit, the displays a little creepier now in the night. She ducked under the cord surrounding the Pandorica and removed the note. She places a hand on the object and it began to glow green. Hearing mechanical noises, she ducked back and watched as it opened.
The beam from the light expanded to the outer exhibits, including one of the Daleks. Inside the Pandorica was Amy. She said, "OK, kid. This is where it gets complicated."
1,894 years ago… The Rory duplicate was resting against a log, Amy's body across his lap. Rory said, "So the universe ended. You missed that. In 102 AD. I suppose this means you and I never get born at all. Twice, in my case. You would have laughed at that. Please laugh! The Vixen said the universe was huge and ridiculous, and sometimes there were miracles. I could do with a ridiculous miracle about now."
The Vixen appeared wearing a red fez, carrying a mop and wearing her usual leather outfit, her sword at her side. She said brightly, "Rory! Listen, she's not dead. Well, she is dead, but it's not the end of the world. Well, it is the end of the world. Actually, it's the end of the universe. Oh, no. Hang on!" She tapped some coordinates into her vortex manipulator and disappeared.
Rory called, "Vixen? Vixen!"
The Vixen reappeared without the mop and the fez. She said, "You need to get me and the Doctor out of the Pandorica." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her sonic screwdriver.
Rory said, "You're not in the Pandorica."
The Vixen replied, "Yes, we are. Well, we're not now, but we were back then. Well, back now from your point of view, which is back then from my point of view. Time travel, you can't keep it straight in your head. It's easy to open from the outside... just point and press. Now go." She handed Rory the screwdriver and disappeared only to reappear. "Oh, when you're done, leave my screwdriver in her top pocket. Good luck!" She disappeared again.
Rory asked, "What do you mean? Done what?"
Rory used the screwdriver to open the Pandorica. The Vixen and the Doctor were sitting inside and they looked at him, amazed. The Doctor asked, "How did you do that?"
Rory replied, "Vixen, you gave me this." He held up her screwdriver.
The Vixen pulled out her screwdriver. "I'm glad if I would have, this Roman armour is uncomfortable. But, no, I didn't."
Rory said, "You did. Look at it."
The Vixen stepped out and held her sonic screwdriver to the one in Rory's hand. They sparked. The Doctor stepped out and said, "Temporal energy. Same screwdriver, at different points in its own time stream. Which means it was Vixen who gave it to you. Vixen from the future."
The Vixen grinned, "I've got a future, that's nice." She looked behind Rory at the petrified remains of their enemies. "That's not."
Rory nodded, "Yeah. What are they?"
The Doctor said, "History has collapsed. Whole races have been deleted from existence. These are just like after-images. Echoes, fossils in time. The footprints of the never-were."
Rory asked, "Er, what does that mean?"
The Vixen said, "Total event collapse. The universe literally never happened."
"So, how can we be here? What's keeping us safe?"
The Doctor replied, "Nothing. Eye of the storm, that's all. We're just the last light to go out."
The Vixen asked, "Amy. Where's Amy?"
Rory took the Vixen and the Doctor to Amy's body. The Doctor squatted down beside it and lifted back the blanket covering her. Rory said, "I killed her."
The Doctor sighed, "Oh, Rory!"
Rory asked, "What am I?"
The Vixen said, "You're a Nestene duplicate. A lump of plastic with delusions of humanity." She used her sonic on Amy.
Rory said, "But I'm Rory now. Whatever was happening, it's stopped. I'm Rory!"
The Doctor said, "That's software talking."
Rory asked, "Can you help her? Is there anything you can do?"
The Vixen replied, "Yeah, probably, if we had the time."
"The time?!"
The Doctor stood up. "All of creation has just been wiped from the sky. Do you know how many lives now never happened? All the people who never lived? Your girlfriend isn't more important than the whole universe."
The Vixen face palmed herself, knowing exactly where this was going. Rory whipped the Doctor around and punched him, knocking the Time Lord to the ground. Rory growled, "She is to me!"
The Vixen helped the Doctor up and laughed. "Welcome back, Rory Williams!"
The Doctor said, rubbing his cheek, "Sorry, had to be sure. Hell of a gun-arm you're packing there."
The Vixen said, "Right, we need to get her downstairs. And take that look off your plastic face, Rory. You're getting married in the morning!"
The Vixen, the Doctor and Rory placed Amy in one of the seats of the Pandorica. Rory asked, "So you've got a plan, then?"
The Vixen replied, "Bit of a plan, yeah. Memories are more powerful than you think, and Amy Pond is not an ordinary girl. Grew up with a time crack in her wall. The universe pouring through her dreams every night. The Nestenes took a memory print of her and got more than they bargained for. Like you. Not just your face, but your heart and your soul." She placed her hands to either side of Amy's face and closed her eyes. "I'm leaving her a message for when she wakes up, so she knows what's happening." She stepped out and the Doctor used his sonic to close the Pandorica.
Rory asked, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing?"
The Doctor replied, "Saving her. This is the ultimate prison. You can't even escape by dying. It forces you to stay alive."
"But she's already dead."
The Vixen said, "Mostly dead. The Pandorica can stasis-lock her that way. All it needs is a scan of her living DNA and it'll restore her."
Rory asked, "Where's it going to get that?"
The Doctor looked at his watch. "In about 2,000 years."
Rory said to the Vixen, "You gave me this." He held up her screwdriver.
Amy fell down on all fours, gasping heavily. Amelia asked, "Are you all right? Who are you?"
Amy sat on the floor, "I'm... fine. I'm supposed to... rest. Got to rest, the Vixen says."
Amelia asked, "What vixen?"
Amy replied, "She's in here." She tapped her head. "Left a message in my head like I'm an answerphone. Where am I?" She looked around. "Hang on. National Museum, right? I was here once when I was a little..." Amy looked up at Amelia in realization. "Yeah, complicated." She stood up in front of Amelia. "Let's see, it's what..." She put a hand on Amelia's head and measured against her body. "1996?" She walked around the room.
Amelia asked, "Who are you?"
Amy said, "It's a long story." She saw a panel depicting the history of the Pandorica. "A very long story."
The Vixen typed something into her vortex manipulator. Rory asked, "She's going to be in that box for 2,000 years?!"
The Doctor replied, "Yeah, but we're taking a shortcut. Vixen's vortex manipulator. Rubbish way to time travel, but the universe is tiny now. We'll be fine."
Rory asked, "So the future's still there, then? Our world?"
The Vixen replied, "A version of it. Not quite the one you know. Earth alone in the sky. Let's go and have a look." She held her arm out. "You put your hand there. Don't worry, should be safe."
Rory said, "That's not what I'm worried about."
The Doctor said, putting his hand on the Vixen's wrist, "She'll be fine. Nothing can get into this box."
Rory said, "You got in there."
The Vixen grinned, "Well, there's only one of us. Each. I counted."
"This box needs a guard. I killed the last one."
The Doctor said, "No. Rory, no. Don't even think about it."
"She'll be all alone."
The Vixen said, "She won't feel it."
Rory snapped, "You bet she won't!"
The Doctor said, "2,000 years, Rory. You won't even sleep, you'd be conscious every second. It would drive you mad."
Rory asked, "Will she be safer if I stay? Look me in the eye and tell me she wouldn't be safer."
The Vixen sighed. "Rory..."
Rory snapped, "Answer me!"
The Vixen nodded, "Yes. Obviously."
Rory asked, "Then how could I leave her?"
The Doctor asked, "Why do you have to be so...human?"
Rory replied, "Because right now, I'm not." He walked to the other side of the Pandorica and the Doctor began pressing buttons on the Vixen's manipulator.
The Vixen pulled her arm away and took off the manipulator. "I'm not going with you."
"What?!"
The Vixen strapped her manipulator on the Doctor's wrist and said, "Doctor. I have to stay. Amy's my responsibility."
Rory called from the side of the Pandorica, "Our responsibility."
The Vixen rolled her eyes. "Fine. Our responsibility. But I have to stay. If something happens to Rory, Amy will still need a guard."
The Doctor asked, giving in, "Why do you have to be so human?"
The Vixen leant in and whispered, "Because I used to be Rose Tyler. And as much as I can try, I can't run away from that."
The Doctor smiled and kissed her long and hard. He pulled back and said, "I love you."
The Vixen kissed his hand and nodded, moving away. "Love you too. See you in 2,000 years."
The Doctor said to both of them, "Listen to me. This is the last bit of advice you two are going to get in a very long time. Rory, you're living plastic, but not immortal. I have no idea how long you'll last. And you're not indestructible. Stay away from heat and radio signals when they come along." Rory put on his helmet. "You can't heal, or repair yourself. Any damage is permanent. Vixen, you've only got limited regenerations. 2,000 years is a long time, don't use them all up. So, both of you, for God's sake, however bored you get, stay out of..." The Doctor disappeared.
Alone, the Vixen and Rory nodded at each other. They pulled out their swords and sat down at the edge of the Pandorica, starting their long vigil.
"According to legend, wherever the Pandorica was taken, throughout its long history, the Centurions would be there, guarding it." Amy was watching a video presentation on the Pandorica and its guardians. "They appear as an iconic image in the artwork of many cultures, and there are several documented accounts of their appearances and their warnings to the many who attempted to open the box before its time. Their last recorded appearance was during the London blitz in 1941. The warehouse where the Pandorica was stored was destroyed by incendiary bombs, but the box itself was found the next morning, a safe distance from the blaze. There are eyewitness accounts from the night of the fire of two figures in Roman dress, carrying the box from the flames." Tears fell down Amy's cheeks. "Since then, there have been no sightings of the two Lone Centurions, and many have speculated that if they ever existed, they perished in the fires of that night, performing one last act of devotion to the box each had pledged to protect for nearly 2,000 years."
Amy breathed, "Rory. Vixen. Oh."
"Exterminate!"
Amy and Amelia turned to the room's entrance. Amelia asked, "What's that?" Amy ran and pushed Amelia behind her as the Dalek moved towards them.
"Exterminate!"
The Doctor appeared between Amy and the Dalek. "...Trouble." He saw the Dalek. "Oh!" He saw Amy and Amelia. "Two of you? Complicated."
The Dalek screamed, "Exterminate! Weapons systems restoring."
The Doctor took Amy and Amelia by the hand. "Come along, Ponds." He ran.
"Exterminate!"
The Doctor stopped at an alcove display representing North Africa. He stumbled into one of the mannequins and took the fez from its head. Amy asked, "What are we doing?"
The Doctor replied, "Running into a dead end, where I'll have a brilliant plan, that basically involves not being in one."
A night guard in a black leather jacket came around the corner with a torch. The Doctor, Amy and Amelia hid behind the Pandorica. The woman called, "What's going on?"
The Doctor whispered to Amy. "Get out of here. Go! Just run!" Amy didn't leave.
The Dalek turned to the woman. "Drop the device."
The Doctor said, "It's not a weapon. Scan it. It's not a weapon, and you don't have the power to waste!"
The Dalek said, "Scans indicate intruder unarmed."
The woman asked, "Do you think?"
A voice called from behind the Dalek, "Hey, trashcan!" The Dalek swivelled it's eyestalk around to see a man dressed in a night guard outfit. His hand opened to reveal a gun which he fired at the Dalek's eyestalk.
"Vision impaired! Vision..."
The guards moved out of the shadows and to reveal themselves as Rory and the Vixen. They watched as the Dalek was drained of energy. The Doctor arrived from the Pandorica room, his sonic at the ready. Amy was behind him. Rory asked, "Amy?"
Amy cried, "Rory!" She ran to him and they hugged.
Rory said, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. It just happened."
Amy said, "Oh, Shut up." She kissed him.
The Doctor breathed, "Vixen."
The Vixen ran to the Doctor and kissed him like there was no tomorrow. Well, there was no tomorrow. "Hello, Doctor." She pulled away and smiled. The Doctor grinned at her and started to scratch his head. He then touched the top of his head to find his fez gone.
The Vixen winked at him and put the fez on her head. She held up her vortex manipulator and grinned mischievously before walking up to Rory and Amy and coming up between them. "Yeah, shut up, cos we've got to go. Come on!"
Rory said to Amy, "I waited. 2,000 years, I waited for you."
Amy said, "No, still shut up." Cue the long kiss.
The Doctor came up to them and said, "And break! And breathe! Well, somebody didn't get out much for 2,000 years."
Amelia tugged on the Vixen's sleeve. "I'm thirsty. Can I get a drink?"
The Vixen strapped on her manipulator and pulled her sword and its belt out from behind an exhibit. She secured it on and asked Amelia, "Oh, it's all mouths today, isn't it?!" She put the fez on Amy's head but she shoved it back at the Vixen, who looked back at the Dalek. "The light! The light from the Pandorica, it must have hit the Dalek."
The Doctor saw the Dalek's weapon move. "Out, out, out!" He rushed Amy and Rory out as the Vixen grabbed Amelia's hand.
Rory closed the door behind them and the Vixen and the Doctor soniced the lock. The Doctor asked, "So, 2,000 years. How did you two do?"
Rory replied, "Kept out of trouble."
"Oh. How?"
The Vixen replied, "Unsuccessfully." She realized she still had the fez and put it on her head. She then picked up a mop, planning to use it to block the door.
Rory said, "The mop! That's how you looked all those years ago when you gave me the sonic."
The Vixen grinned, "Oh! Well, no time to lose then." She activated the manipulator and disappeared.
The Vixen appeared at Stonehenge wearing a red fez and carrying a mop. She said brightly, "Rory! Listen, she's not dead. Well, she is dead, but it's not the end of the world." She reappeared in the museum foyer next to the Doctor. "Oops, sorry." She used the mop to block the door. The Doctor pulled the fez off the Vixen's head and put it on his own.
Amelia asked Amy, "How can she do that? Is she magic?"
The Vixen disappeared again and reappeared in front of past Rory without the mop. She said, "You need to get me and the Doctor out of the Pandorica." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her sonic screwdriver.
Rory said, "You're not in the Pandorica."
The Vixen replied, "Yes, we are. Well, we're not now, but we were back then."
The Vixen reappeared in front of the group. She said, "Right, let's go then. She and the Doctor headed up the stairs but then she stopped. "Wait! Now I don't have the sonic, I just gave it Rory 2,000 years ago." She tapped on the manipulator. She said to past Rory, "Oh, when you're done, leave my screwdriver in her top pocket." She disappeared again.
The Vixen said, reappearing in the museum foyer once more, "Right then." She reached into Amy's pocket and pulled out her screwdriver.
The Doctor said, "Off we go!"
The Vixen stopped again. "No, hang on." She turned to Amelia. "How did you know to come here?" Amelia reached into her coat pocket and pulled out the pamphlet and the sticky note. "Ah, my handwriting. OK!"
The Vixen rushed to a stand and grabbed a pamphlet before rushing a desk to grab the note. She then activated her manipulator. The museum pamphlet slipped through Amelia's letterbox and the Vixen crept away. The Vixen grabbed Amelia's drink from her hand before disappearing.
She reappeared and gave Amelia her drink. "There you go, drink up!"
Amy asked, "What is that? How are you doing that?"
The Vixen replied, "My vortex manipulator..."
The Doctor said, "Cheap and nasty time travel. Very bad for you. I'm trying to give it up." The Vixen rolled her eyes.
Amy asked, "Where are we going?"
The Vixen replied, "The roof."
At the top of the landing, another Vixen and another Doctor appeared, their jackets smoking. They both fell down the stairs and rolled to a stop. The Present Vixen rushed over and used the sonic on them. The Doctor knelt next to her, examining their future selves.
The Vixen said, "Doctor, it's us."
Rory asked, "Vixen, Doctor. How can it be you?"
Amy asked, "Is that you two?"
The Doctor replied, "Yeah, it's us. Us from the future." Future Vixen opened her eyes, sat up, grabbed the Present Vixen and whispered in his ear before falling back to the floor unconscious.
Amy asked, "Are you... I mean, are they... Are they dead?"
"What?" The Vixen stood up. "Dead? Yes, yes. Of course they're dead." She climbed over his body and went up the stairs.
The Doctor followed. "Right, we've got 12 minutes."
The Vixen nodded, "That's good."
Amy asked, "12 minutes to live? How is that good?"
The Vixen replied, "You can do loads in 12 minutes... suck a mint, buy a sledge, have a fast bath. Come on, the roof!"
Rory said, "We can't leave you two here, dead."
The Vixen asked, "Oh, good! Are you in charge now? So, tell me, what are we going to do about Amelia?"
Rory turned around and Amelia was gone. The cup from her drink lying on the floor. Amy asked, "Where did she go?"
Rory and Amy ran down the steps. Rory called, "Amelia?"
The Doctor said, "There is no Amelia. From now on, there never was. History is still collapsing."
Amy asked, "How can I be here, if she's not?"
The Vixen replied, "You're an anomaly. We all are. We're all hanging on at the eye of the storm, but the eye is closing, and if we don't do something, reality will never have happened. Today, just dying is a result. Now, come on!" She and the Doctor headed off.
Amy shook her head. "They won't die. Time can be rewritten. They'll find a way. I know they will."
Rory covered Future Doctor and Future Vixen with his jacket and sweater. The Doctor called, "Move it. Come on!" Amy and Rory ran up the stairs after the Vixen and the Doctor."
The Vixen climbed out of the stairwell and onto the roof. The Doctor, Amy and Rory followed. Amy asked, "What, it's morning already? How did that happen?"
The Vixen replied, "History is shrinking. Is anybody listening to us? Universe is collapsing. We don't have much time left." She used her sonic on a satellite dish.
Rory asked, "What are you doing?"
"Looking for the TARDIS."
Rory said, "But the TARDIS exploded."
The Doctor replied, "OK, then. She's looking for an exploding TARDIS."
The Vixen removed the dish from its mounting. Amy said, "I don't understand. So, the TARDIS blew up and took the universe with it. Why would it do that? How?"
The Vixen stood on a raised section of roof. "Good question for another day. But for now... total event collapse means that every star in the universe never happened. Not one of them ever shone. So, if all the stars that ever were are gone, then what is that?" She pointed to a large ball of fire in the sky.
The Doctor said, "Like I said, she's looking for an exploding TARDIS."
Rory said, "But that's the sun."
The Vixen turned back and asked, "Is it? Here's the noise that sun is making right now." She held up the dish and amplified the sound of the TARDIS with her sonic. "That's our TARDIS burning up. That's what's been keeping the Earth warm."
Rory said, "Vixen, there's something else. There's a voice."
The Vixen said, "Yeah. I don't hear the voice but I can feel these two feelings in my mind. Calling out to me." She adjusted the settings of her screwdriver.
Amy said, "I can't hear anything."
Rory pointed to his ear. "Trust the plastic."
River's voice was heard. "I'm sorry, love."
Then Jenny's voice was heard. "I'm sorry, Mum." They both overlapped and repeated.
Amy asked, "Vixen, that's River and Jenny. How can they be up there?"
Rory said, "It must be like a recording or something."
The Doctor said, "No, it's not a recording. The emergency protocols..."
The Vixen smacked her head. "Ow. But, of course, The TARDIS has sealed off the control room and put them into a time loop to save them. They are right at the heart of the explosion."
River and Jenny connected the wires as the TARDIS continued to spark and explode. Their attempts to open the door set more sparks flying from the console. They rushed to the doors to the TARDIS to open them only to be met by a stone wall. River said, "I'm sorry, love."
A tear rolled down Jenny's face as she whispered, "I'm sorry, Mum." River looked back over her shoulder as the console exploded with a bright light. The sequence started over again.
The Vixen appeared as the girls ran to the door. She grinned, "Hi, girls. I'm home." Jenny laughed in relief.
River looked at her watch and asked, "And what sort of time do you call this?"
The Vixen reappeared on the roof with Jenny and River.
River caught sight of the others. "Doctor! Amy!"
Jenny asked, "And the plastic Centurion?"
The Doctor replied, "It's OK, he's on our side."
Jenny asked, "Really? I dated a Nestene duplicate once... swappable head, it did keep things fresh." The Vixen gave her a look and Jenny gave a nervous chuckle. "It's a joke."
River said, "Right then, I have questions. But number one is this... What in the name of sanity have you got on your head?"
The Doctor replied, "It's a fez. I wear a fez now. Fezes are cool."
With a look from River, the Vixen grabbed the fez from the Doctor's head and threw it into the sky as River shot it.
The Doctor said shortly. "Oh!"
"Exterminate!" The Dalek appeared, levitating up the side of the building.
The Doctor said, "Run, run, move, move. Go! Come on!" The Vixen covered their retreat by holding up the satellite dish as a shield as the Dalek fired. They climbed back through the stairwell.
The Doctor used his sonic screwdriver to seal the hatch. River had her gun aimed at it, Jenny had her sonic pen out and the Vixen had unsheathed her sword, just in case. River said impatiently, "Doctor, come on."
The Doctor shushed her. "Shh. It's moving away, finding another way in." He climbed down the ladder. "It needs to restore its power before it can attack again. Now, that means we've got exactly," He checked his watch. "four and a half minutes before it's at lethal capacity." He continued down the stairs.
Rory asked, "How do you know?"
The Vixen replied, "Because that's when it's due to kill me and the Doctor."
Jenny asked, "Kill you? What do you mean, kill you?"
The Doctor snapped, "Oh, shut up, never mind. Sorry. How can that Dalek even exist?"
The Vixen said, "It was erased from time and then it came back. How?"
Rory said, "You said the light from the Pandorica..."
The Vixen explained, "It's not a light, it's a restoration field, but never mind. Call it a light. That light brought Amy back, but how could it bring back a Dalek when the Daleks have never existed?"
Amy said, "OK, tell us."
The Doctor said, "When the TARDIS blew up, it caused a total event collapse. A time explosion. It blasted every atom in every moment of the universe. Except..."
Amy finished, "Except inside the Pandorica."
The Vixen said, "The perfect prison. Inside it, perfectly preserved, a few billion atoms of the universe as it was. In theory, you could extrapolate the whole universe from a single one of them, like cloning a body from a single cell. And we've got the bumper family pack."
Rory said, "No, too fast, I'm not getting it."
The Vixen replied, "The box contains a memory of the universe, and the light transmits the memory. And that's how we're going to do it."
Jenny and Amy asked in unison, "Do what?"
The Vixen grinned, "Relight the fire. Reboot the universe. Come on!" They continued on.
Jenny, Amy and Rory exchanged looks as River caught up to the Time Lord duo. River said, "Vixen, Doctor, you're both being completely ridiculous. The Pandorica partially restored one Dalek. If it can't even reboot a single life form properly, how will it reboot the whole of reality?"
The Vixen asked, "What if we give it a moment of infinite power? Transmit the light from the Pandorica to every particle of space and time simultaneously?"
River said, "Well, that would be lovely, dear, but we can't, because it's completely impossible."
The Doctor turned around, "Ah, no, you see, it's not." He tapped her on the forehead. "It's almost completely impossible. One spark is all we need."
Jenny walked up and asked, "For what?"
The Vixen turned around and whispered, "Big Bang Two! Now listen..." She and the Doctor were shot by the Dalek and they fell to the floor.
The Dalek trundled down the hall. "Exterminate! Exterminate!"
River and Jenny knelt at the Vixen's side as Rory took Amy out of the way. He pulled shocked Jenny back and said, "Get back. River, get back now!"
The Dalek screamed, "Exterminate!"
Rory fired at the Dalek and it was drained of energy again. River whispered, "Vixen. Doctor. Vixen, it's me, River. Can you hear me? What is it? What do you need?" Struggling, the Vixen pulled the Doctor's hand on her wrist and activated the manipulator. River looked around. "Where did they go? Damn it, they could be anywhere."
Amy said, "They went downstairs. 12 minutes ago."
River ordered, "Show me!"
Amy said, "River, they died."
The Dalek said, "Systems restoring! You will be exterminated!"
Jenny started forward, a look of murder in her eyes. Rory pulled her into his arms as she whimpered. He said, "We've got to move. That thing's coming back to life."
River said, "You three go to the Vixen and the Doctor. I'll be right with you." Amy and Rory left. Jenny walked up to River. "Go, Jenny."
Jenny snarled, "If you know I'm the Vixen's daughter, then you also know why I'm staying." River nodded.
The Dalek said, "You will be exterminated!"
River growled, "Not yet, your systems are still restoring. Which means your shield density is compromised." She took her gun from its holster.
Jenny held out her hand with a determined look and River handed it to her without another word. Jenny adjusted the settings and said, "One Alpha Mezon burst through your eyestalk would kill you stone dead."
The Dalek said, "Records indicate you will show mercy. You are an associate of the Vixen and the Doctor's."
Jenny said, "The Vixen doesn't show mercy. And I'm her daughter." She aimed the gun. "Check your records again."
"Mercy!"
Jenny said, "Say it again." River was pretty impressed. Not anyone can make a Dalek beg for mercy.
The Dalek pleaded, "Mercy!"
Jenny hissed, "One more time."
The Dalek said again, "Mercy!"
Amy and Rory arrived on the stairs where they left the Vixen and the Doctor's 'bodies'. Rory's sweater and jacket were still there, but no bodies. Rory asked, "How could they have moved? They were dead! Both of them!" He ran down the stairs. "Vixen? Doctor!"
Amy said, "But he was dead!"
River and Jenny joined them. River asked, "Who told you that?"
Amy replied, "The Vixen did."
Jenny and River walked calmly down the stairs. River said, "Rule one. The Doctor lies. Rule two. The Vixen lies."
Amy asked, "Where's the Dalek?"
Jenny replied, "It died."
Jenny, River, Amy and Rory made their way through the exhibit hall. Ahead of them, Amy saw the Vixen and the Doctor inside the Pandorica. "Vixen! Doctor!"
Rory and Amy stopped while Jenny and River went to check on the Doctor. Rory asked, "Why did she tell us they were dead?"
Amy answered, "We were a diversion. Long as the Dalek was chasing us, they could work down here."
Jenny asked the Vixen, "Mum, Dad, can you hear me? What were you doing?"
The sun came closer and became brighter. Rory asked, "What's happening?"
River replied, "Reality's collapsing. It's speeding up. Look at this room." The displays were empty.
Amy asked, "Where did everything go?"
Jenny replied, "History is being erased. Time is running out. Dad, what were you doing? Tell us! Mum?"
The Vixen slowly came to. "Big... Bang... Two."
Rory said, "The Big Bang. That's the beginning of the universe, right?"
Amy asked, "What, and Big Bang Two is the bang that brings it back? Is that what you mean?" The Doctor came to and gave a small nod.
River realized what they were doing. "Oh!"
Jenny asked, "What?"
River explained, "The TARDIS is still burning. It's exploding at every point in history. If you threw the Pandorica into the explosion, right into the heart of the fire..."
Amy asked, "Then what?"
Jenny said, realization dawning on her face, "Then let there be light. The light from the Pandorica would explode everywhere at once, just like they said."
Amy asked, "That would work? That would bring everything back?"
River said, "A restoration field, powered by an exploding TARDIS, happening at every moment in history. Oh, that's brilliant. It might even work!"
Jenny pulled out her sonic pen and ran it along the wires. "Mum's wired her vortex manipulator to the rest of the box. And herself and Dad."
Amy asked, "Why?"
River replied, "So they can take it with them. The Vixen's going to fly the Pandorica into the heart of the explosion."
The sky was now a brilliant orange. Amy and Rory were standing together, just watching. Rory asked, "Are you OK?"
Amy asked, "Are you?"
Rory replied, "No."
"Well, shut up then!" Rory took her in a hug.
River came out of the Pandorica. "Jenny's with them right now."
Jenny asked the Vixen, "What's going to happen to you two?"
The Vixen replied, "You're my daughter, my essence, literally. You'll be able to remember us."
Jenny asked, "But I spent all that time trying to find you. What am I going to do now?"
The Doctor said, "Jenny, I want you to go and be friends with Amy about two years before her wedding. She won't remember us, so you'll need to watch her. Closely."
Jenny nodded tearfully and hugged both of them. "I love you."
The Vixen smiled, "Love you too."
Jenny came out of the Pandorica and said to Amy, "Amy... They want to talk to you."
Amy asked, "So, what happens here? Big Bang Two? What happens to us?"
River said, "We all wake up where we ought to be. None of this ever happens and we don't remember it." She gave Jenny a look, who looked down.
Amy said, "River... tell me they come back, too."
River inhaled sharply. "The Vixen and the Doctor will be the heart of the explosion."
Amy asked, "So?"
Jenny spoke up. "So all the cracks in time will close, but they'll be on the wrong side... Trapped in the never-space, the void between the worlds. All memory of both of them will be purged from the universe. Neither of them will ever have been born. Now, please. They want to talk to you before they go."
Amy asked River and Jenny, "Not to you?"
Jenny said, "They know me too much to talk."
River replied, "And they don't really know me yet. Now they never will."
Amy walked slowly to the Pandorica. "Hi."
The Vixen said, weakly, "Amelia Pond. The girl who waited. All night in your garden. Was it worth it?"
Amy said, "Shut up. Of course it was."
The Doctor said, "You asked us why we were taking you with us and we said... 'No reason'. We were lying."
"It's not important."
The Vixen nodded, "Yeah, it's the most important thing left in the universe. It's why we're doing this. Amy, your house was too big. That big, empty house. And just you."
Amy added, "And Aunt Sharon."
The Vixen asked, "Where were your mum and dad? Where was... everybody who lived in that big house?"
Amy said, "I lost my Mum and Dad."
The Doctor asked, "How? What happened to them? Where did they go?"
"I... I don't..."
The Vixen reassured her, "It's OK. Don't panic. It's not your fault."
Amy whimpered, "I don't even remember."
The Vixen said, "There was a crack in time in the wall of your bedroom and it's been eating away at your life for a long time now. Amy Pond, all alone. The girl who didn't make sense. How could we resist?"
Amy asked, "How could I just forget?"
The Doctor said, "Nothing is ever forgotten, not really. But you have to try." The ground shook.
River called, "Vixen! It's speeding up!"
The Vixen said to Amy, "There's going to be a very big bang. Big Bang Two. Try and remember your family and they'll be there."
Amy asked, "How can I remember them if they never existed?"
The Vixen grinned, "Because... you're special. That crack in your wall, all that time, the universe pouring into your head. You brought Rory back...you can bring them back, too. You just remember, and they'll be there."
Amy backed away. "You won't."
The Doctor said, "You'll have your family back. You won't need your imaginary friends anymore." He laughed weakly. "Amy Pond... crying over us, eh?"
The Vixen asked, "Guess what?"
"What?"
The Vixen whispered, "Gotcha." The Pandorica closed.
Amy walked slowly backwards, not taking her eyes from the Pandorica. The Pandorica began to glow. River said, "Back! Get back!" She pushed Amy out of the way. The Pandorica launched into the sky.
The Vixen nodded to the Doctor as she sent a message via her communicator before dropping it to the floor as the pain increased.
Jenny, River, Rory and Amy sat on the floor against a wall. River received the message on her communicator. River said, "It's from the Vixen and the Doctor." She looked skyward.
Amy asked, "What does it say?"
River replied, "'Geronimo.'"
The Vixen and the Doctor held hands as they rode through the g-force as the Pandorica shot on its collision course with the TARDIS. The Doctor woke up on the floor and sat up. The Vixen sat up as well. The Doctor kissed her softly.
The Vixen pulled back. "Oh! OK. We escaped, then. Brilliant! Love it when we do that."
The Doctor took inventory. "Legs, yes. Bow tie, cool. I can buy a fez." They got up when they heard the Doctor's voice and Amy's.
The past Doctor said, "The beach. The beach is the best. Automatic sand."
Past Amy asked, "Automatic sand? What does that mean?"
The past Doctor replied, "It's automated, totally."
The Vixen and the Doctor looked at each other in confusion. They walked around and saw the past Doctor and Amy dressed for the beach. "Oh."
The past Doctor went on, "Cleans up the lolly sticks..."
The Doctor said to the Vixen, "No, hang on! That's last week when Amy and I went to Space Florida. We're rewinding. Our… our time stream... unravelling, erasing. Closing."
The Vixen looked at the monitor and saw the crack closing. "Hello, universe, goodbye, Vixen and Doctor. Amy?" Past Amy turned around. "Amy?"
The Doctor's timeline rewound further until they 'arrived' outside the flat he shared with Craig. Amy crossed the street in front of them. The Doctor said, "Ah, three weeks ago, when she put the card in the window."
The Vixen called, "Amy!" Amy looked up. "I need to tell you something."
The Doctor said, "She can hear us! But if she can hear us..." He and the Vixen turned around to see the crack in the road. Time rewound again.
They arrived in a hollow and the Vixen heard herself as she left to find the primary flight deck. She knew what this was and she kept the Doctor away from the scene. Soon enough another past Vixen approached Amy and put her hands on hers. The Doctor looked at the past Vixen to the paster Vixen to the present. Vixen in confusion. After listening to what past Vixen had to say, the Doctor and the Vixen saw the crack. Time rewound again.
The Vixen and the Doctor found themselves at Amy's house. The Vixen licked her lips. "Amelia's house." She checked the Doctor's watch. "When she was seven. The night she waited. Stay here." She went outside while the Doctor waited. The Vixen found Amelia curled up asleep on her suitcase. She smiled fondly as she knelt down. "The girl who waited. Come here, you." She carried her inside.
The Doctor tucked Amelia into bed and sat down in a chair next to the Vixen. The Vixen leant on the Doctor and said to Amelia, "It's funny. I thought if you could hear us, we could hang on somehow. Silly me. Silly old Vixen. When you wake up, you'll have a mum and dad... And you won't even remember us."
The Doctor said, "Well, you'll remember us a little. We'll be a story in your head. But that's OK. We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh? Cos it was, you know. It was the best."
The Vixen smiled, "A daft old pair who stole a magic box and ran away. Did we ever tell you that we stole it?"
The Doctor said, "Well, we borrowed it. We were always going to take it back."
The Vixen sighed, "Oh, that box, Amy. You'll dream about that box. It'll never leave you. Big and little at the same time. Brand new and ancient. And the bluest blue ever. And the times we had, hmm? Would have had... Never had. In your dreams, they'll still be there. The Vixen, the Doctor and Amy Pond. And the days that never came."
The Doctor said, "The cracks are closing. But they can't close properly until we're on the other side. We don't belong here anymore." He asked the Vixen, "How about we skip the rest of the rewind. I hate repeats. Don't you?"
The Vixen nodded and turned to Amy, "Live well. Love Rory." She got up and kissed Amy's head.
The Doctor grinned tiredly, "Bye bye, Pond." He caressed her hair then held the Vixen's hand as they left and the crack closed behind them.
Amelia awoke, looked at the wall then settled back to sleep. Outside her window, the stars shone in the night sky. Amy slowly woke up, and, as her eyes travelled across the room, they landed on the Raggedy Vixen and Raggedy Doctor crafts before stopping at the wedding dress hanging on her closet door."
Tabitha called, "Morning!"
Amy sat up with a gasp as a woman entered with a breakfast tray. "You're my mum. Oh, my God, you're my mum."
Jenny Tyler came in wearing pink pyjamas. She said, "Well, of course she's your mum. And I'm your Maid of Honour. What's the matter with you?"
Tabitha said, "And this is your breakfast, which your father made, so feel free to tip it out of the window if it's an atrocity. Downstairs, 10 minutes?"
Jenny squealed, "You're getting married! Big day!" She left to get ready.
Amy muttered, "Of course she's my mum. Why is that surprising?" She got out of bed. Amy slowly entered the parlour.
Her father, Augustus said, "Ah, Amelia. I fear I may have been using the same joke book as the best man."
"You're my tiny little dad!" Amy ran over and hugged him.
Tabitha entered. Jenny right behind her. Tabitha asked, "Amelia, why are you behaving as if you've never seen us before?"
Amy shrugged, "I don't know. It's just..."
Jenny asked, "Wedding nerves?"
Rory was brushing his teeth as he answered the phone. "Hello!"
Amy asked over the phone. "Do you feel like you've forgotten something really important? Do you feel like there's a great big thing in your head, and you feel like you should remember it, but you can't?"
"Yep."
Amy asked, "Are you just saying yes cos you're scared of me?"
"Yep."
Amy said, "I love you."
Rory replied, "Yep. I mean, I love you too!"
Amy turned off the phone, thinks for a moment, then Jenny came in grinning and holding a short pink dress. Amy grinned back then rushed over and took her wedding dress down with a swirl.
Everyone clapped as the best man finished his speech. "Ladies and gentlemen, the father of the bride, Augustus Pond!"
Augustus stood up. "Sorry, everyone. I'll be another two minutes. I'm just reviewing certain aspects." He sat back down.
Tabitha sighed, "Your father, Amelia, will be the absolute death of me. Unless, of course, I strike pre-emptively."
Amy laughed but stopped as she saw a woman walk by the windows. It was River. Jenny's eyes shined with hope as she sat beside the best man. Amy stood up, staring outside.
Rory asked, "Amy? You OK?"
Amy replied, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm..." She sat down. "fine."
Rory said, "Right. Er... You're crying."
Amy asked, "So I am. Why am I doing that?"
Rory replied, "Because you're happy, probably. Happy Mrs Rory. Happy, happy, happy."
"No. I'm sad. I'm really, really sad."
Rory said shortly, "Great."
Amy asked, "Why am I sad?" She looked down at the table in front of Rory. "What's that?" Jenny looked towards Rory and Amy. The plan was working.
Rory replied, "Oh, er, someone left it for you. A woman." Rory handed Amy River's journal.
Amy asked, "But what is it?"
Rory replied, "It's a book."
Amy flipped through the journal. "It's blank."
"It's a present."
Amy asked, "But why?"
Rory replied, "Well, you know the old saying. The old... wedding... thing. Huh?" Amy slowly began to remember as Jenny smiled. "Amy?"
Augustus stood up again. "Ready now. Sorry about that. Last-minute adjustments to certain aspects. Now then, it hardly seems a year..." Her father's speech faded as Amy looked around the room and saw one guest wearing a red bowtie and another with blue braces. One of the kids wearing a black leather jacket and a painting of swords mounted on the wall. A tear fell from her eye and landed on River's journal. "...at the age of six and announced that the new headteacher wasn't real because she looked like a cartoon."
Amy stood up. "Shut up, Dad!" Jenny sat on the edge of her seat.
Rory asked, "Amy?"
Augustus asked, "Amelia?"
Jenny grinned as Amy said, "Sorry, but shut up, please! There are some people missing... two people important. Two people so, so important."
Rory asked, "Amy, what's wrong?"
Amy said, "Sorry. Sorry, everyone. But when I was a kid, I had two imaginary friends."
Tabitha sighed. "Oh no, not this again."
Amy went on, "The raggedy Vixen and the raggedy Doctor. My raggedy Vixen and raggedy Doctor. But they weren't imaginary." Jenny looked around the room. "They were real."
Tabitha said, "The psychiatrists we sent her to!"
Amy declared, "I remember you! I remember! I brought the others back, I can bring you home, too. Raggedy pair, I remember you, and you are late for my wedding!"
In the silence, Rory heard the glasses start to tinkle against each other as the ground started to shake. The chandelier began to sway. Jenny started to stand up. Amy said, "I found you. I found you in words, like you knew I would. That's why you told me the story...the brand new, ancient blue box. And Jenny." She beckoned Jenny over. Jenny obeyed. "Keeping your daughter here as a reminder. Oh, clever. Very clever." The wind began to blow and the people heard the TARDIS.
Rory asked, "Amy, what is it?"
Amy and Jenny clasped their hands together and said in unison, "Something old. Something new. Something borrowed. Something blue." The TARDIS began to materialize in the middle of the floor.
Rory said, "It's the Vixen and the Doctor!" The TARDIS solidified and Jenny and Amy climbed over the table to get to it. "How did we forget the Vixen and the Doctor? I was plastic. The Vixen was the stripper at my stag. Long story."
Jenny knocked on the TARDIS door. "OK, Mum, Dad. Did we surprise you this time?"
The TARDIS doors opened and the Vixen and the Doctor popped their heads out. The Vixen wearing a short black dress and the Doctor wearing a top hat with white tie and tails. A white scarf was loosely draped over his shoulders. The Vixen stepped out, put an arm around Amy and Jenny each and said, "Er, yeah. Completely astonished. Never expected that."
The Doctor said, "How lucky we happened to be wearing these old things." He stepped out onto the floor.
The Vixen grinned and said, turning around, "Hello, everyone. We're Amy's imaginary friends, but we came anyway." She shook Augustus's hand.
Amy said to the Vixen, "You absolutely, definitely may kiss the bride."
The Vixen planted a finger on Amy's puckered lips. "Amelia! From now on, I shall be leaving the... kissing duties to the brand new Mr Pond." She shook Rory's hand as the Doctor came forward and put an arm around Rory's shoulder.
Rory said, "No, I'm not Mr Pond. That's not how it works."
The Doctor and the Vixen replied in unison, "Yeah, it is."
Rory agreed, "Yeah, it is."
The Doctor said, "Right then, everyone. I'll move my box. You're going to need the space." He entered the TARDIS. "We only came for Jenny and the dancing."
The Doctor created his own dance to Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love". Amy laughed and Jenny laughed and the Vixen laughed. Jenny said, "Dad. You're terrible. That is embarrassing!"
That didn't keep him from teaching the dance to all the children at the reception. The Doctor said, "That's it. That's good. Keep it loose." Amy and Rory looked on and laughed as Jenny and the Vixen sat beside them, laughing as well.
Amy and Rory and Jenny and her father slow danced to James Morrison's "You Give Me Something". The Vixen watched as she leant against a doorway. She whispered to Rory, "2,000 years. The boy who waited. Good on you, mate." She nodded to Jenny and the Doctor.
The Vixen, the Doctor and Jenny headed back to the TARDIS. As he put his key to the lock, someone spoke. "Did you dance? Well, you always dance at weddings, don't you?"
The Vixen turned around and grinned, "You tell me."
"Spoilers."
The Vixen smiled and handed her journal back. "The writing's all back, but I didn't peek."
River smiled, "Thank you." She hugged the Vixen and Jenny.
Jenny asked, "Are you married, River?"
River replied, "Yes."
The Vixen asked, "Who to?"
River whispered, "Spoilers."
The Vixen sighed, "River Song. Who are you?"
River replied, "You're going to find out very soon now. And I'm sorry, but that's when everything changes." She activated her own manipulator and disappeared.
The Vixen, Jenny and the Doctor looked at each other. "Nah."
The Doctor danced up to the console, the Vixen and Jenny right behind him. As he started to handle the controls, the door opened and Amy walked in. "Oi! Where are you off to? We haven't even had a snog in the shrubbery yet."
Rory followed her in and shut the door. "Amy!"
Amy said, "Shut up... it's my wedding."
"Our wedding." Jenny and the Vixen giggled.
The Doctor said, "Sorry, you two...shouldn't have slipped away. Bit busy, you know?"
Rory said, "You three just saved the whole of space and time. Take the evening off. Maybe a bit of tomorrow."
The Vixen said, "Space and time isn't safe yet. The TARDIS exploded for a reason. Something drew the TARDIS to this particular date, and blew it up." The phone began to ring. "Why? And why now? The silence, whatever it is, is still out there, and I have to...Excuse me a moment." She answered the phone and handed it to the Doctor. "Your department."
The Doctor stuck his tongue out at her. An action which the Vixen gladly returned. The Doctor spoke into the phone. "Hello. Oh! Hello. I'm sorry, this is a very bad line."
Jenny took the phone. "Yes. Uh huh. No, but that's not possible. She was sealed into the Seventh Obelisk. I was at the prayer meeting. Well, no, I get that it's important. An Egyptian goddess loose on the Orient Express…in space!" The Vixen grinned. "Give us a mo."
The Vixen said to Amy and Rory, "Sorry, something's come up. This will have to be goodbye."
Amy said, "Yeah, I think it's goodbye. Do you think it's goodbye?"
Rory agreed, "Definitely goodbye."
Amy headed for the door. She opened the TARDIS door and waved. "Goodbye! Goodbye." She closed the door.
The Doctor put an arm round Jenny and smiled at her. Jenny smiled back and spoke into the phone. "Don't worry about a thing, Your Majesty. We're on our way." She, Amy and Rory held onto the console as the Vixen and the Doctor set the TARDIS in motion.
Next chappy is A Christmas Carol. Please review.