To the Stars and Back

by riverofmemories

Tagging along in the TARDIS after being rescued from a situation she was sold into, Jayden O'Connors finds that there's much more to life than expected. When the Doctor's involved, it's full of adventure, other worlds, saving lives, and quite a bit of running. But the clock is ticking, and even a Time Lord from Gallifrey can't help her run forever.

18. The Fires of Pompeii

The creature's voice echoed in her ears. Whispering and hissing and screaming its terrifying cry. She could hear its shuffling movements as it crept after her, seeking her out in the dark, stone hallways of its home. Pain burned its way up her legs from where her feet, battered and bruised, came into contact with the slime it left behind.

She retreated a few steps, hands pressed over her ears as if it would block out the creature's sounds, but it only seemed to bring her closer to it. Panic began to override everything else, and she spun around, expecting it to be right behind her.

An eyeless black face was mere inches away from her own, and she began to scream.

Jay awoke from her nightmare, sobbing hysterically. She couldn't draw in breath and it took a second for her to be able to. A minor aftershock, she realized, struggling to finally catch it when the aftershock ended after only a second or two. She pushed herself upright, burying her face in her hands as she tried to calm herself.

It took her some time before she could, and it was only with the TARDIS's soft humming song in her ears that she managed. The ship's voice was strong, soothing, beckoning, and Jay smiled faintly, scrubbing tears away from her cheeks. "Thanks," she murmured to the TARDIS, who hummed back to her happily. The lights flicked on of their own accord.

Jay shook her head to herself and dragged in a weak, but deep breath. It came in raggedly, and went out even worse. She'd been initially grateful for the Doctor and Donna's agreement to let her get a proper few hours of sleep before going on Donna's first official trip. Jay didn't even know where Donna wanted to go, only that she had been granted permission to choose.

Now, she wished they'd just gone straight there, trouble awaiting their arrival or no.

Jay wiped her eyes a final time to rub the sleep from them and then swung out of the bed, staggering. She wasn't nearly ready to sleep, but a good cup of coffee would finish waking her up. And some breakfast. She was starving.

Jay threw on a sweater over the T-shirt she'd put on the night before and padded barefoot from her room. She let herself get lost in the song of the TARDIS as she made her way to the kitchen and ducked in. She was grateful to find that no one was there and went to work. Within minutes, she had a cup of coffee and a few pieces of toast on the counter before her. She took a shaken breath as she leaned forward, listening to distant sounds that the TARDIS created - much louder than normal, thought Jay.

She must have been doing it on purpose, and Jay was more than happy about it.

She was half-way done with her coffee when she heard a crash from outside. She glanced over her shoulder, murmuring with a frown, "What the hell is he doing out there?" The TARDIS gave no answer, so Jay sighed and took her coffee and toast with her, retreating from the kitchen in favor of hunting down the Doctor.

She took one step into the control room and found herself lifting her eyebrows in surprise.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" she demanded, staring down at the mess that had been created. Panels of floor were removed, all thrown to the side, and various items and objects had been thrown out of storage areas, littering what the panels didn't.

The Doctor's head poked out of one of the opened areas, and she nearly choked on a bite of toast when she saw that there was a smear of something on his cheek and over the bridge of his nose. His hair seemed to stick up even more than it normally did, and he'd lost his tie for whatever he was doing.

"You should be asleep," he said, resting his elbows on the edge of the nearest grated panel. Jay moved closer, standing over him with an amused look.

She ignored that comment in favor of gesturing to the mess. "What are you doing out here? I don't recall any mention of cleaning everything out. And with the amount you must have collected in here, I would have thought you'd want some help."

"Not cleaning out," he said, ducking back below. Jay sat down beside the opening in the floor, folding her legs neatly beneath her. Even if she didn't help, she could sit and chat. It wasn't like they were going to do much else until Donna came out. "I'm looking for something."

"Which is…"

"That capsule that Adipose Industries handed out gave me an idea," the Doctor called out from below, and Jay winced when she heard a rather loud crash. Donna was going to come out at this rate, and while Jay was fine with that, she wanted her to take time settling in to the room the TARDIS had granted her.

"And that idea is…?" She felt like she was prying for information, which she supposed was normal when the Doctor was distracted.

"Hah!" he cried without answering, and then suddenly emerged. Jay snorted at the full sight of him. He was a disaster. He'd somehow managed to rip the sleeve of his suit in the process of searching for whatever it was. He dropped heavily beide her, proudly grinning. He opened his palm and showed his finding to her.

"All that," Jay mused, lifting her mug to her lips, "for a gem."

A pretty gem, that seemed to shine several different colors, but a gem nonetheless. It looked like an opal. Jay touched it gently and found it was warm. "I've been out for hours...how long have you been looking for this, Doctor?" No doubt he could have gone to some distant place and bought a new one.

"After we got all of Donna's things in," the Doctor said. "Here." He passed it to her and Jay blinked, setting her mug aside to take it. It was heavy and warm in her hand, and offered comfort. She tilted her head, curious as the TARDIS's ever constant song suddenly seemed to dim in her head. "It's meant to help block telepathic connections to your mind."

"The songs," Jay realized, and he nodded in confirmation. She weighed it in her hand. "That would be great," she murmured. "It's been a while since my head was silent, although the songs are helpful sometimes."

"Yes, but some people might take advantage of the connection," the Doctor said firmly. He took it back from her, pocketing it. "We'll stop somewhere and have it made into something that won't fall out of your pocket."

Jay smiled brightly at him. "Thank you," she said honestly, and then picked her mug back up. They sat in silence for a few moments before she commented, "You have a lot to clean up now."

"It's harder throwing things out then throwing them in," the Doctor said smugly, and Jay grinned when the TARDIS seemed to groan in protest. The Doctor ignored both and said again, "You should be sleeping."

Jay shrugged and lost her smile, nibbling on her toast until it was gone. Swiping crumbs carefully from her hands, she admitted, "Nightmares, about the creature." She didn't need to specify what creature. She wriggled her bare toes, studying the black veins that resided on her feet and crept up her calves. "I can't sleep."

"You need a good cup of tea, not coffee," the Doctor said almost scoldingly, and Jay said simply in return, "I don't want to sleep, so coffee is good. Besides, I'm not tired now. And no more aftershocks. Had my last one after I woke up."

"You still need to sleep."

Jay shook her head and changed the subject, scowling a little. "Donna was the one I told you about, by the way." He looked confused, so she continued. "The one with the weird song in her head. Remember? I told you about her, she was in the communications area when we were asking for information. I met her at the printer."

"Is she?" the Doctor said, not surprised. It was a very odd coincidence that he'd meet the same woman twice in such a way, let alone one who'd transported herself onto the TARDIS. "We'll keep an eye on her." Donna wasn't bad in any way, shape, or form, but there was likely something she didn't know in that case. They'd have to make sure that no one else took advantage or notice of that.

Jay hummed her agreement, wiggling her toes for a moment before finishing off her coffee. "Do you know where we're going? Should I dress the part?"

"Nah, you're fine. Just get dressed like normal." The Doctor sprung to his feet, starting to nudge things back in. They crashed down into the depths of storage and Jay rolled her eyes in amusement as she climbed to her feet. "Off with you," the Doctor said, shooing her, and Jay snorted and waved him off as she started back for her room.

The TARDIS hummed as she went, and Jay shook her head.

---

When Jay returned to the control room, it was back to its normal state with Donna wandering around, taking closer looks at everything. The Doctor was ranting about something or another, although the rant came to a halt when he caught sight of Jay. "Jay!" he cried, and Donna turned her head to look over her shoulder at her. "Good, you're here. Rome! Ancient Rome!"

Jay raked her mind, thinking about what she knew of Rome. Even two hundred years past Donna's time, they were well-known - as was their mythology, something she'd always found fun to learn about. Too bad her father had prevented her from learning all that she wanted to about it. "You like Rome?" she asked Donna.

"Always wanted to visit," Donna admitted. "Just...couldn't."

"Well, then," the Doctor said, and Jay leaned against the railing as he sent the TARDIS into motion. "Allons-y!" They exchanged a grin when Donna stumbled, unprepared, and Jay laughed when she smiled brightly upon catching herself. The TARDIS took a few moments before landing, the familiar wheezing vanishing as she landed. Jay patted the railing happily and then followed her companions to the doors, pausing only when the Doctor stopped to deposit the stone he intended to give her safely into a pocket of a spare jacket hanging near the doors..

"Ancient Rome!" the Doctor repeated proudly as he threw the doors open, stepping outside. He frowned when their sight was immediately obscured by a curtain and pushed it aside to show Donna the world before them. "Well, not to them, obviously. To all intents and purposes, right now, this is brand new Rome."

"Oh, my God," Donna breathed as she took a few steps forward. Jay ducked out after her, closing and locking the door behind her. The Doctor dropped the curtain after nudging her forward, and Jay took a moment to look around.

People bustled this way and that, and the Doctor laughed when Donna excitedly hugged him. Jay appreciated the new-looking stone buildings, the people in their ancient clothing, and the familiar sounds of a busy town. People didn't seem unhappy at all here, and it only made Jay smile bigger. The sky was blue, it was warm, and she was loving this town.

Donna's smile looked as if it would split her face in half. "I'm here," she breathed, nearly buzzing with excitement. "In Rome. Donna Noble, in Rome. This is just weird! I mean, everyone here's dead!"

"Well, don't tell them that," the Doctor said, grimacing at the idea. Some would take it as a threat and likely have them imprisoned or worse.

"Hold on a minute," Donna said, ducking around the Doctor. Jay trailed in the opposite direction, leaving Donna to get used to traveling through time. And she'd not even seen another planet just yet. Jay heard Donna complain that there was a sign in English, and she smiled as the Doctor began to explain the translation circuits. She remembered her own confusion over that at first, remembered how she'd slowly gotten used to the idea with Martha.

Martha would have liked Rome, Jay thought, leaning against a piece of wood that held an overhang aloft. She wouldn't go far from her friends. It was far more fun when they were experiencing everything together. The lack of Martha's presence didn't produce quite as sharp a pain as it once had after a month without her, but she still missed her dearly.

"Jay?" the Doctor called, and she glanced over. He was waving for her to join them, Donna looking eagerly around as he did so, clearly ready to get a move on. Jay hurried over, murmuring a swift apology.

"I've been traveling with you for close to a year, I think," she suddenly informed the Doctor. "Not including the year on the Valiant, of course."

"We'll get something to celebrate. A meal at the most expensive place here," the Doctor decided.

"With what money?" Donna pointed out and then suddenly paused, looking down at herself. "Don't our clothes look a bit odd, Doctor?" She tugged self-consciously at the shirt she'd donned, and Jay smiled comfortingly at her.

"We're fine, Donna. For some reason, people tend to bypass the clothes. Have you been here before?" she added when the Doctor mused that the town wasn't what he remembered it to look like.

"Ages ago," he murmured, and Jay guessed immediately that he'd stopped there with Rose at some point. "Before you ask, that fire had nothing to do with me," he added hastily, although neither Donna nor Jay had asked about it. "Well...a little bit. But I haven't got the chance to look around properly. Colosseum, Pantheon, Circus Maximus...you'd expect them to by looming by now, actually, so where is everything?" He suddenly turned down an alley, leaving Donna and Jay to scramble after him.

Jay frowned as she followed, stepping onto a wide street and glancing over her shoulder. She thought she caught a glimpse of crimson, although it was quickly gone. Suspicious, Jay chose to shake it off and instead looked over when Donna said, "Not an expert, but there's seven hills of Rome, aren't there? So how come they've only got one?"

Jay looked upon the massive mountain nearby, casting the town in a shadow almost, and Jay thought it was quite pretty to look at. She'd not seen many mountains that looked like that. Her awe vanished, however, when the ground suddenly shook violently beneath their feet. Donna staggered, and Jay winced when she bumped into her. The Doctor threw his arms out to catch his balance, looking around in alarm as various citizens laughed and worked on preventing any damage to the things around them. Jay nearly toppled over when a crate fell beside her, and she caught herself on broken wood when she tripped.

"Pompeii," the Doctor breathed as the shaking came to a halt. "We're in Pompeii."

"You said Rome," Jay seethed, not at all pleased to be in such a dangerous place. Even in her time, she'd heard stories of Pompeii and the destruction created by Mount Vesuvius. Her hands shook with fear at the idea of being buried alive by burning hot ash. "How the hell did we end up here?"

Rather than answering, the Doctor took Donna's wrist and started dragging her back the way they'd come. Jay rushed after them, jogging to keep up. The Doctor's long legs ate up far too much ground to make it easier for her, and even Donna had some trouble as they rushed back to where they'd left the TARDIS.

"Doctor," Jay said sharply when they turned onto the street, realizing their rush would do them no good. She couldn't hear the familiar song of the TARDIS growing louder with each step they took. He didn't stop, only kept pushing forward, and Jay lifted her voice. "Doctor," she barked, and this time, he stopped to look back. Worry for the time machine filled her. "She's gone. The TARDIS isn't where we left her."

"How do you know that?" Donna asked, but was interrupted by the Doctor dropping her hand in favor of bolting ahead, as if he didn't believe her. Jay, panting a little for breath, didn't answer, lips pressed into a hard line.

"No, no, no!" the Doctor cried as he came back, ruffling his hair angrily. Jay's lips twitched. He looked like an angry porcupine, she thought. "She's gone!"

"I told you she was gone," Jay said dryly. She scanned the area, wondering just where the TARDIS had gone. She wouldn't have dematerialized without them. She wouldn't. Jay got the feeling she didn't do such a thing unless she deemed it truly necessary. Which meant it was still in Pompeii, just not where they'd left it. But why would someone move a big blue police box?

Her gaze locked onto a smiling man, offering wares near the area they'd left the TARDIS in. "Excuse me!" she cried, plunging past the Doctor and earning a protest for her efforts. The man paused in shouting to look at her, and then beamed.

"Hello there, my dear!" he said pleasantly. "Care to purchase-"

"The box," she gasped, smiling politely even as she caught her breath. "The big blue wooden box we parked just over there," she pointed to the spot the TARDIS had once resided in, "could you tell me where it went?"

"I sold it," he admitted, frowning. "It was on my patch. Got fifteen sesterce for it, lovely jubbly."

Whatever that meant. Jay could hear the Doctor getting huffy behind her and hastily asked, "Who did you sell it to?"

"Old Caecilius," the man replied, looking worried as the Doctor glared at him. "Look," he told the Doctor, "If you want to argue, why don't you take it out with him? He's on Foss Street. Big Villa, can't miss it."

"Thank you," Jay said honestly. She turned to the Doctor, grabbing his arm. "Foss Street, like he said. Do you know where it could be?" The Doctor shook his head in frustration, so she said firmly, "Here's what we'll do, since you're not thinking straight for some reason." They'd been in far more danger than this. He had no reason to panic so much. "You go one way, Donna will go the other, and I'll go a third way. We'll find Foss Street."

The Doctor nodded, frustrated. "Good plan," he muttered, "I like good plans. Right, Donna. That way." He grabbed Donna by the shoulders and turned her in one direction. "I'll take that way." He pointed towards the rumbling volcano, which made Jay and Donna both frown in disapproval at him, neither liking that idea very much in particular. "Jay, you go opposite of Donna. Meet here in…" He considered the amount of time he wanted before finishing. "Ten minutes."

"Done," Jay agreed, and Donna nodded firmly, lips pressed together. A desperate look had appeared on her face, and despite not knowing her for long, Jay got the feeling that it meant she didn't agree with something. "Donna?" she asked as the Doctor bolted.

"I want to help them," she whispered, looking at the clueless people bustling around them. Unshed tears glistened in her eyes. "They're all going to die if we don't do something, Jay."

Jay's gaze softened and she stepped up to the older woman, squeezing her shoulders after lightly resting her fingers on them. "I know," she murmured. "We'll see if the Doctor can do anything at all when we're done finding the TARDIS." She doubted it. He was rather panicked about getting to their time machine before Pompeii erupted. Not that she could blame him with that matter, but…honestly, they'd been in far worse danger before. The Valiant had been more dangerous than this.

There was something about the look he wore that told her he didn't intend to save anyone that day. Perhaps because it was a point in time that shouldn't or couldn't be changed? She wasn't entirely sure that it was the case, but it was the best guess she had.

Jay smiled gently at Donna. "For now, let's go find Foss Street, okay?"

"Right," Donna agreed. She gave Jay a smile in return, her features softened, and then turned and jogged off, her eyes darting this way and that. Jay watched her go and then turned and ran in the direction she'd been assigned.

---

When the trio met back up ten minutes later, Jay amazed that she and Donna hadn't managed to get lost in the process, the Doctor was grinning like a maniac, his dark eyes shimmering. "I've got it!" he announced. "Foss Street, this way!" He took a hold of Donna's wrist gently, moving to tug her along in the direction he'd searched, but Donna ripped her hand free. She shook her head.

"No!" she said firmly. "I've found this big sort of amphitheatre thing, we could start there! We could gather everyone together, and maybe if we got a great big bell or something, we could ring it! Have they invented bells yet?"

"What do you want a bell for?" the Doctor demanded, and Jay gave him a grimace.

Donna looked at him in astonishment. "To warn everyone! To start the evacuation! What time does Vesuvius erupt, when's it due?"

"It's seventy-nine AD, the twenty-third of August, which makes Volcano Day tomorrow!" he said a little angrily. He wanted to get his two friends out of the way of danger before "Volcano Day" was even a proper problem.

"Plenty of time! We could get everyone out, easy!"

Jay wrapped her arms around herself, feeling anxious as the look on the Doctor's face changed. She knew this meant nothing good. "Yeah," the Doctor said calmly. "Except we're not going to."

"But that's what you do!" cried Donna. "You're the Doctor, you save people!"

The Doctor answered grimly, "Not this time." He glanced at Jay, who said nothing, pressing her lips together and giving him a look that gave nothing away regarding her thoughts on the matter. "Pompeii is a fixed point in history," he continued, turning his attention back to Donna. "What happens happens, and there is no stopping it."

"Says who?"

Jay sighed to herself, rubbing her hands down her face as a spark appeared in Donna's eye, returned by the Doctor as he glared back at her. "Guys," she protested, not wanting an argument to arise.

"Says me!"

"What, you're in charge?"

"TARDIS, Time Lord, yeah!"

"Donna, human, no!" Donna seemed to puff up in fury, glaring viciously at him in a way that made Jay's lips twitched. She hadn't argued too often with the Doctor, as she admitted to usually being willing to trust what he said. Perhaps she should argue more often though. He did seem to sometimes skim over the fact that they could save more people than they did...but if this was as he said, a set point in time…

Donna continued with a dark look in her eyes. "I don't need your permission, I'll tell them myself."

"You sound off about all this, announce the end of the world," the Doctor retorted, narrowing his eyes, "and they'll just think you're a mad old soothsayer. Now come on!" Deciding Donna wasn't going to move unless he tried something new, the Doctor took hold of Jay's wrist and tugged her forward. Not wanting to be alone, Donna began to follow. Jay huffed irritably at her friend, trying to wrench her hand free. "We're out of here!"

"I might just have something to say about that, Spaceman!" Donna barked as they strode through the street.

"Oh, I bet you will!" he called back over his shoulder, loosening his grip on Jay's wrist when she pointedly yanked and then tugged at his sleeve with a grumbled, "Ow, Doctor."

"Sorry," he muttered under his breath to her, and she rubbed her wrist when he released her entirely. She smiled faintly to show that she forgave him before taking a deep breath, listening intently as he swiftly led the way towards Foss Street. The TARDIS's song was still impossible for her to hear, and she felt a little worried about that.

Just how far had they gotten with the TARDIS?

---

It turned out that the TARDIS wasn't nearly as far as Jay had worried it would be. She took the lead, guiding them through the maze that was Pompeii after they'd reached Foss Street, and a smile lit her face. Relief flashed through her.

"There, Doctor," she said, pointing to a home that was rather large and likely held a wealthy man. The Doctor bounced on his heels and patted her shoulder in approval and gratitude before jogging forward. Donna, still cross with him for refusing to help anyone in the town, grumbled under her breath as she followed him side-by-side with Jay.

They entered without permission, and Donna whispered to Jay as they walked down a hall, "Is this okay?"

"When you travel with the Doctor, most things tend to be surprisingly okay, no matter how rude," Jay admitted in response under her breath, careful to keep her voice down. She bit her lip nervously as she heard voices, hoping that it wouldn't be too much of a challenge to get their ship back.

Just as they were entering a room, however, the ground began to shake again, and a voice from within shouted, "Positions!" The Doctor, acting on sheer instinct, caught a statue that suddenly fell from its place beside him. Jay rushed to help him when he grunted, caught by surprise, pushing it back upright when the shaking had stopped.

The Doctor threw her a warm look and then beamed as the man who'd shouted turned to them. He was older, with gray-streaked hair that curled in tight rings against his head and sharp, intelligent eyes. Clearly a citizen of Pompeii, Jay thought, eyeing his clothing. And there were others in the room, too, a woman and two younger people, a boy and a girl. His wife and children, undoubtedly.

"Thank you, kind sir, madame," the man said gratefully to them. "I'm afraid business is closed for the day. I'm expecting a visitor."

"But that's me!" the Doctor hastily lied, striding forward to shake his hand. The man shook it with a confused look. "Hello, I'm a visitor!" Donna snorted under her breath as he was suspiciously asked who they were, and Jay flashed her an amused look despite everything that was going on. "I'm...Spartacus."

"And so am I," Donna said hastily when he turned to her.

"Mr. and Mrs. Spartacus?" the man guessed.

"Oh, no, no, no," the Doctor said hastily, throwing his hands up in alarm. His eyes were widened with concern that he'd think such a thing. "We're not...we're not married."

"Not even close," agreed Donna, horrified by the idea. Jay snickered, earning a gentle swat from the red-haired woman.

"Oh, then brother and sister? Yes, of course! You look very much alike." The man beamed at that, nodding at them both when they looked at one another in confusion, eyebrows arched in the same inquisitive way. "And you, my dear?" he asked, turning to Jay. "Are you his wife then?"

Jay spluttered. "Oh, heavens no. Just a very good friend of the family," she said hastily, throwing her hands up much like the Doctor had.

"Anyhow, I'm sorry, but I'm not open for trade," the man said, gesturing to nothing in particular.

The Doctor pushed his hands into his pockets and rocked forward, questioning, "And that trade would be…?"

"Marble. Lobus Caecilius," he said, introducing himself. He gave them a small bow.

"Mining, polishing, and design thereof. If you want marble...I'm your man."
"That's good. That's good," the Doctor said, drawling his words out in thought as he tired to come up with something that would give him an excuse to search around for the TARDIS. As if sensing his thoughts Jay gave his sleeve a discrete tug and bent her head in the direction of the ship. "I'm a marble inspector!" he declared.

Caecilius's wife cried, her face paling, "By the gods of commerce, an inspection!" She immediately whirled on her startled son and ripped the cup of a suspiciously dark liquid from his fingers. "I'm sorry, sir, I do apologize for my son, Quintus. And our daughter, Evelina, is indisposed at the moment."

"My good wife, Metella," Caecilius said in ways of introduction, throwing his wife a fond glance. He shifted nervously, gaze darting between the three between them. "I...I must confess, we were not prepared for-"

"Nothing to worry about," the Doctor cut in, still searching around. He slowly made his way over to the part of the room Jay had indicated and beamed when he found the TARDIS, half-hidden in a darker corner. "I'm sure you've nothing to hide, but isn't that wood?" He pointed to it.

Metella immediately sneaked her husband a sharp look. "I told you to get rid of it!" she hissed at him, glaring, and Caecilius grimaced, apologizing sincerely and saying that he'd only purchased it that day.

"I'm sure it's fine," the Doctor reassured, smiling kindly at Metella. "But I might have to take it off your hands, for a proper inspection and all."

When Donna interrupted, her voice was quiet but firm. She stared the Doctor down, her eyes boring into his as she said, "While we're here, wouldn't you recommend a holiday, Spartacus?"

The Doctor threw a warning look, glowering, "Don't know what you mean, Spartacus."

"Donna," Jay whispered, tugging gently on her wrist to try and capture her attention away from her clear goal. But Donna ignored her, saying sharply, "Oh, this lovely family...mother and father and son," she stressed, nodding towards the bewildered son. "Don't you think they should get out of town?"

Jay rolled her eyes as the pair began to bicker without really bickering, stepping away as if to keep herself out of the argument. She offered a faint smile to the curious boy, who was glancing between the three of them with intense interest, as if he didn't believe a word they'd said regarding who they were. Jay simply stepped back to hang beside the TARDIS, waiting. She fondly patted the wood, listening to the soft hum it gave her in response. The Doctor scolded Donna softly as he suddenly dragged her over to a small area, not bothering to check on Jay, and she lifted her brows.

Apparently he thought she agreed with what he was doing.

Quite simply, she really did not. She was beginning to lean more towards Donna's side of things, although she simultaneously understood that set points in time couldn't be changed. Still, would it kill the Doctor to save one family? Just one?

A voice suddenly called, "Announcing Lucius Petrus Dextrus, Chief Augur of the City Government!"

Caecilius and his wife flew into action as a man appeared in the entrance, dressed in expensive looking clothing with a crimson cloth to further his display of wealth thrown around his right shoulder.. Metella hastily shooed her son to his feet. The Doctor quickly stood, dragging Donna just out of sight to avoid catching his attention right away, and Jay pressed more firmly against the TARDIS, ready to unlock it and simply step inside if it kept her from creating trouble. "Lucius, my pleasure as always. A rare and great honor, sir, for you to come to my house."

Jay's brows quirked in confusion when Lucius simply answered, "The birds are flying north, and the wind is in the west. Only the grain of wheat knows where it will grow."

"There now, Metella," Caecilius said happily, smiling at her. "Have you ever heard such wisdom?"

Metella just looked downright confused as she bowed her upper half to the man before them in respect. "Never," she purred, "it's an honor, sir."

Lucius's gaze slid to Jay and then to Donna and the Doctor, who'd not been as well hidden as the Doctor would have likely preferred. Caecilius was quick to introduce them. "Pardon me, sir, I have guests. This is Spartacus, Spartacus, and…" He glanced to Jay with a small frown. "And a family friend," he finished, realizing she'd not given a name.

"Hello," Jay said politely, giving a little wave when Lucius looked at her harshly again. She found she didn't care much for him. Something about him was strange - suspicious. She couldn't hear anything like she had from the Master or from the TARDIS. But there was most certainly something that was weird.

"A name," said Lucius, his gaze cold as he looked over them, "is but a cloud upon a summer wind."

Jay looked exasperated as the Doctor, never one to be overlooked or outdone, said in response, curious to see how Lucius would respond, "But the wind is felt most keenly in the dark."

"Ah," Lucius replied. He looked almost amused with the Doctor's attempts to surpass him with philosophy...or what Jay assumed to be philosophy. It had never been one of her best points during her education. She leaned harder into the TARDIS, still not particularly fond of Lucius. "But what is the dark, other than an omen of the sun?" he asked.

"I concede that ever sun must set," the Doctor admitted, and Lucius looked victorious for a brief moment. But the Doctor smirked, a look that he rarely wore in such circumstances, and finished, "And yet the son of the father must also rise."

Lucius swore. "Damn," muttered the unhappy man, who'd apparently decided to concede the victory to the Doctor. The Doctor looked very proud of himself. Donna just looked downright confused, which made Jay want to laugh. "Very clever, sir. Evidently a man of learning."

"Oh, yes. But don't mind me, or my sister, or our friend." He placed a firm hand on Donna's shoulder, giving Lucius an innocent look that Jay wouldn't have believed for an instant. The Doctor wiggled his eyebrows a bit, waving him off with his free hand. "Don't want to disturb the status quo. We'll be off in a minute." Donna hissed something to him, and the Doctor hissed back, but Jay focused on what Caecilius and Lucius were suddenly discussing.

"It's ready, sir," Caecilius said proudly, whirling around to approach a piece of cloth-covered stone that had gone miraculously unnoticed until that moment. Metella stepped aside, keeping quiet, and hissing at her son to move away, too, when Lucius approached. Jay's stomach twisted oddly and she immediately glanced to the Doctor, who was speaking lowly under his breath to Donna, urging her to do something.

She wanted to snap at him to pay attention, as something important seemed to be about to happen, but kept her mouth shut and merely pressed her mouth into a hardline.

"The moment of revelation!" cried the proud Caecilius, and then ripped away the cloth. Jay blinked at the sight of what he'd revealed, and even the Doctor stopped mid-sentence to stare, immediately looking suspicious. "Here it is, exactly as you specified, sir. It pleases you?" he added when Lucius began to smile, nodding approvingly.

"As the rain pleases the soil," he said smoothly.

The Doctor abandoned scolding Donna and trying to urge her into the TARDIS in favor of stepping closer, his eyes locked on the stone. It had been carved into a large square and possessed a very intricate pattern upon its front face - something that was very clearly not from the ancient Romans. Donna blinked at it, and Jay hurried over to take the Doctor's place beside her, deciding it would probably be better to be near the pair. "That looks like a circuit," Donna whispered to Jay, confused. "Made of stone…"

"And...you just dreamed it up?" Jay asked, arching a brow suspiciously.

"That is my job," Lucius said proudly, looking at Donna with disapproval, as if she should have known such a thing. "As City Augur."

What's that?" Jay demanded, and the Doctor hastily asked Lucius to excuse her before ducking back to explain to her, speaking hastily out of the corner of his mouth.

"This is an age of superstition, Jay, and it exists in official positions. The Augur is paid by the city of Pompeii to tell them the future. 'The wind will blow from the west?' That's the equivalent of the ten o'clock news that people watch."

Jay nodded, considering that with a disbelieving frown. Who would believe something as ridiculous as a man who claimed to see the future? Traveling through time and space was one thing, and the Doctor was ancient and fairly all-knowing for the most part simply because he'd seen a lot and learned even more. Not because he could see the future. She didn't believe for an instant that something like future-seeing was truly possible.

"They're laughing at us," a wispy feminine voice suddenly said, and Jay, Donna, and the Doctor spun around to find a girl with a very pale face standing there, wavering on her feet. She looked ill as she stared them down, her dark hair pulled from her face yet matted with sweat that shone on her cheeks and forehead. One arm was heavily bandaged. "Those three...they use words like tricksters. They're mocking us."

The Doctor jerked his head a little, caught off guard. "No, no, no," he said hastily. "We meant no offense-"

"I'm sorry," Metella said quickly, rushing over. She took her daughter's shoulder in one hand with a gentle touch, frowning at her. "My daughter's been consuming the vapours."

Jay glanced over, blinking suspiciously when the boy - Quintus, she remembered him being called - suddenly spoke hotly, furious. "Oh, for the gods' sake, Mother, what have you been doing to her?" Caecilius tried to hush him, but Quintus snarled, "She's sick! Just look at her!"

Understanding crossed Lucius's features and he eyed Evelina with new interest, straightening a fraction. "I gather I have a rival in this household. Another with the gift of prophecy."

The Doctor seemed to focus briefly on that as well, eyes narrowing. He returned his attention back onto the girl who must have been Evelina, Rather than speaking, however, he remained silent, interested to see where this would go. Jay was impressed; he normally couldn't stop himself from speaking. "Is she okay?" Donna asked softly, and Jay smiled kindly at her. She was very concerned about everyone there, and it made Jay happy to know she was so empathetic.

Metella inclined her head to indicate that what Lucius had said was true, but added reassuringly with a hint of pride in her voice, "Oh, she's been promised to the Sibylline Sisterhood. They say she has remarkable visions." The happy mother gently brushed the hair from Evelina's face. Evelina continued to study the trio of time-travelers suspiciously, her lips pressed together.

Lucius sneered at the pair of women. "The prophecies of women," he said icily, "are limited and dull. Only the menfolk have the capacity for true perception."

Jay and Donna exchanged a look that was anything but pleased. Jay's eyes sharpened with anger, but it was Donna who said darkly, glowering at the supposed prophet, "I'll tell you where the wind's blowing right now, mate, and it's-"

She cut off when the ground suddenly trembled beneath them and Lucius gave her a cruel, confident smirk. Donna bristled as the Doctor quieted her with a touch to her shoulder, narrowing his eyes when Lucius said in a near purr, "The mountain god marks your words, woman, I'd be careful - if I were you."

"Consuming the vapours, you said?" asked the Doctor, trying to get the attention off of Donna and onto more important matters. He addressed Evelina, ignoring everyone else in the room. He was concerned about the young woman before them. She was clearly ill and needed help. "It doesn't look like you should be consuming anything of the likes…"

Evelina's eyes flashed. "Is that your opinion as a doctor? That's your name...Doctor."

"I beg your pardon?" he said, jerking back in surprise. Jay and Donna took on matching expressions of shock. "How'd you know that?" Unnerved, he took a step back, his eyes narrowing as Evelina's gaze then turned on Donna.

"And you," she murmured, "you call yourself Noble...and you, who dreams of Death at every turn…" Her attention shifted from Donna to Jay. "They come from so far away, yet you come even further."

"Now then," Metella said, stepping forward. She took her daughter by the shoulders, wary. "Don't be rude, Evelina-"

"No, no," the Doctor said. "Let her talk." He was fascinated. This wasn't something he remembered seeing. This girl clearly wasn't alien. At least, he didn't think she was. She had no reason to know who he was. Who Donna or Jay were. Donna murmured warily, and then scowled when Lucius laughed, sneering.

"The female soothsayer is inclined to invent all sorts of vagaries," Lucius said, smirking. He didn't look inclined to believe a word coming from Evelina's mouth, even as she spoke truth.

"No," breathed Jay, staring at the woman over the Doctor's shoulder. "She's not wrong."

"I reckon you've been out-soothsayed, Lucius," agreed the Doctor, not tearing his eyes from Evelina.

"Is that so, man from Gallifrey?" A chill ran up her spine when Jay ripped around to stare at him. The Doctor spun, too, and Donna's hand took Jay's. Jay squeezed gently in reassurance. She was a little intimidated as well. Especially when Lucius said thoughtfully, "Strangest of images...your home is lost in fire, is it not?" The Doctor's face darkened and Jay winced. It wasn't a good idea to speak of such things to the Doctor. She remembered being told of the Doctor's history, of what had happened to his home and the people on it.

It was the last thing anyone should have been mentioning to him if they didn't want to be subjected to his anger.

"And you," Lucius continued, turning on Donna. "Daughter of London." She flinched, demanding how he knew. Lucius grinned, triumphant. "This is the gift of Pompeii. Every single oracle speaks the truth. Doctor," he added without looking away from Donna. "She is returning."

"Who?" he demanded, looking a little more intrigued than angry now. "Who's she?"

"Beware, daughter of London, there is something on your back." Jay scowled, stepping in front of Donna when Donna made a sound of terror, not knowing what he meant by that. Lucius merely met her gaze head on. Jay glared furiously, even as she fought the urge to not shudder in fear. "And you, creature of darkness...you can only run for so long before the clock stops ticking."

The Doctor decided that that was far enough. Even if he was incredibly curious and wanted to know more...the fear of his companions wasn't something he wanted to see. "Enough," he ordered, and Lucius threw him a smug look, proud of what he'd done. He'd wanted to intimidate them, the Doctor realized - and he felt that he'd done just that.

"Even the word 'doctor' is false," Evelina said suddenly, her eyes wavering as she stared at the Doctor. "Your real name is hidden, burning across the stars of the Cascade of Medusa...you are a lord, sir. One of time-"

She suddenly collapsed, and Metella cried out, dropping with her daughter to try and catch her. The Doctor, concerned, rushed forward to help, and Lucius, in the commotion, disappeared out the door, ordering for his men to bring the stone circuit.

---

"Here," said Donna softly, offering a dampened cloth. Metella smiled tiredly and smoothed hair from her daughter's brow before dabbing at her face with the cloth. Evelina was unconscious, sleeping soundly. Donna stepped back, her brow creased in a frown and her eyes shimmering with concern for the girl who didn't deserve any of this.

"She didn't mean to be rude." Metella swallowed thickly. "She's ever such a good girl, but when the gods speak through her…"

Donna smiled tightly, trying to be reassuring. She didn't think it held the same feeling that Jay's reassuring looks seemed to hold though, because Metella didn't smile back, instead moved on to tend to Evelina's bandaged arm. She unwrapped it with practiced ease and frowned at the shockingly gray skin that resided beneath it. "Oh!" Donna breathed. "What happened? What's wrong with her arm?"

Metella smiled then, a fondly sad smile. "Irritation of the skin. She never complains, bless her. We bathe it in olive oil every night…" She suddenly paused, lifting her eyes to meet Donna's. She suddenly appeared desperate. "Please...Evelina said that all of you came from so far away….have you seen anything like this?"

Donna hadn't, but she reached out and gently brushed her fingers over the spot with care. She'd been told that she needn't worry about getting ill for the most part. The Doctor had told her that there was an infirmary stocked full of medical supplies of all kinds. "It's stone," she breathed as she snatched her fingers back.

She knelt beside Evelina, fascinated, and Metella merely sighed in disappointment, running her fingers through Evelina's hair.

---

"Help me with this."

The Doctor's demand made Jay roll her eyes, but she still helped him haul away the metal that protected the entrance to a massive hole in the middle of the house. He'd been nosing his way around the house since Lucius's exit, fascinated by what had happened. Jay couldn't say she approved entirely. If he was digging around, it meant that he'd thought that something was off. Which, she supposed, wasn't entirely wrong. Lucius and Evelina had both were highly suspicious after what had happened just a short time before. If they somehow knew that they were from elsewhere in time and space...it was probably a good idea to figure out how and why.

"What is this?" Jay murmured, waving steam away from her face with a cough. It smelled terribly. "Why don't you just use wood and fire?"

Caecilius looked a little offended. "We're very advanced in Pompeii," he said, proud about it. "While Rome continues to use the old wood-burning furnaces, we've got hot springs, leading from Vesuvius itself." The Doctor glanced at him, questioning who'd come up with such an idea, and Caecilius explained willingly, "The soothsayers. After the great earthquake seventeen years ago, there was an awful amount of damage, and they suggested it when we rebuilt."

Jay said softly, "Didn't you consider leaving?"

"This is home," Caecilius said simply. Jay smiled slightly, somewhat amazed by his loyalty to his home, and then jolted when a loud sound suddenly trickled past their ears. Jay and the Doctor glanced at one another, curious, and then peered down into the vent. "That happens all the time," Caecilius said, waving as if to gesture to the unknown sound. "They say that the gods of the Underworld are stirring."

Or something else, Jay thought.

The Doctor clearly thought along the same lines and narrowed his eyes. "Let me guess...after the earthquake, the soothsayers started making sense."

"Oh, yes, very much so." Caecilius didn't look concerned by it. In fact, he smiled. "They'd always been, shall we say, imprecise, but then...all of them - the soothsayers, the augurs, the haruspex - they started speaking truth. Again, and again, they spoke truth. It's quite amazing...they can predict crops and rainfall with absolute precision."

"And they're all consuming this vapor?" the Doctor asked, swiping his fingers through the smokey steam.

Jay knew immediately what he was going to do and groaned in protest, reaching out to stop him. "Doctor," she whined, but he'd already popped the finger in his mouth, winking playfully at her as he smacked his lips. Caecilius looked beyond confused by the action. "Dust?" Jay guessed as she copied him, swiping her fingers through it. Rather than tasting it, she rubbed her fingers against one another, feeling the tiny particles shifting along her skin. It certainly felt like rocky dust: gritty and unpleasant. "That's nice," she added when the Doctor nodded. "They're breathing in rock."

"Not good for their lungs," the Doctor mused and then bounced to his feet. "Help me put this back?"

"You and your thousand demands," Jay teased half-heartedly, waving Caecilius off when he asked if he could go and get back to some work he had to do. Caecilius left them alone in the room to debate quietly with one another.

Together, they put the grate back over the vent. Swiping her hands, Jay asked when they were done, "Should I check on Donna? I think she's fine, but things always go crazy."

"She'll be alright." The Doctor shook his head, folding his arms with a thoughtful expression on his face. His eyes darted this way and that, as if he was visualizing his thoughts. Finally, he looked at her and said, "I think we need to go and take a look at where Lucius lives." Jay arched a brow, silently questioning why. "The technology he knows of is way past the limits of this time," he said and Jay made a gesture for him to continue, impatient. She'd already known that. "And I want to see if there's an explanation for what he and Evelina knew about us."

Jay's gaze darkened a fraction and she pressed her mouth into a line. Running her fingers through her hair, she said softly, "He called me a creature of darkness, and what he said about time running out...if they truly see the future, that means I'll eventually die, right?"

He threw her a sharp look. "Not necessarily," he said after a long moment of debating. "Clocks stop ticking for a variety of reasons. More often than not it's only because the battery's run out." He grinned when she gave him an exasperated look, not understanding what he meant by that in this situation, but he merely turned away. The Doctor skimmed the area before them. "Where'd the boy go? Quintus?"

Jay pointed in the direction she'd last seen Quintus go, and the Doctor bounded off, leaving Jay to trail after him with a heavy sigh. He was like an overexcited dog one had to keep an eye on, she thought to herself as he poked his way into every part of the household until he found who he was looking for.

Quintus had made himself at home on a sofa in the corner of a room on the opposite side of the house. He was sprawled out with wine in hand and a bored expression, though the boredom fled and was replaced by suspicion when the Doctor and Jay ducked into the room. Jay had briefly checked in with Donna when they'd gone by, and Donna had waved her off. She considered the concern Donna had expressed only briefly as she let the Doctor deal with Quintus's small attitude.

"Quintus!" the Doctor cheered, leaning over the back of the sofa so that the boy couldn't ignore him. "This Lucius Petrus Dextrus. Where does he live?"

"It's got nothing to do with me," Quintius declared and turned his face away after looking between them.

"Let me try again," said the Doctor rather smugly, pulling a coin out of his pocket and waving it in front of Quintus's face. Quintus sat up a little, eyes following the flash of gold. "Lucius Petrus Dextrus. Where does he live, Quintus?

Jay groaned and shook her head. "You're a terrible influence," she scolded when Quintus agreed to take them to Lucius's quarters, abandoning his wine and hopping to his feet.

The Doctor flashed her a grin and wiggled his eyebrows. "I try," was all he said before waving for Quintus to lead the way into Pompeii.

---

Laughter flooded the air as Donna beamed down at her new historical outfit. The purple fabric flowed around her ankles, and she was rather fond of how well it went with her hair color. Evelina, feeling much better after everything that had happened, smiled as she looked at her. Despite smiling herself, Donna scolded lightly, "You're not supposed to laugh." She gestured to the outfit. "Thanks for that. What do you think?" She struck a silly pose, and was rewarded with more giggles. "The goddess Venus?"

Evelina gasped between her giggles. "That's sacrilege!"

Donna smiled warmly at Evelina and said, "Nice to see you laugh, though." She finished examining her new clothes and walked over to sit beside her. Evelina moved over a little to make room for her, fond of the older woman. "So what do girls your age do in good old Pompeii? Do you hang about 'round the shops?"

Evelina flushed, studying her lap. "I am promised to the Sisterhood for the rest of my life," she said softly, and Donna frowned when her smile faltered a little.

"Did you get any choice in that?" she asked gently, hoping that the girl did.

"It's not my decision," Evelina said simply. "The Sisters chose for me. I have the gift of sight," she added as if it was explanation enough.

Donna hesitated, knowing that the Doctor had been determined to think that nothing they did would change what happened nor that they should. A set point, he'd called it, or something similar. "Is anything happening tomorrow?" she asked softly, and when Evelina eyed her in confusion, questioning Donna's comment, she added, "You tell me what you see."

Evelina nodded, pleased to show off her gift, and closed her eyes. "The sun will rise," she said, opening them again a moment later. "The sun will set. Nothing special at all."

Donna's heart twisted with pain. She was so, so wrong, and she didn't even know. Donna took a deep breath. The Doctor was going to kill her for this, but she had to try. Even if it only saved one person or family, she had to try. "Look," she said, and Evelina looked anxious suddenly, as if sensing something bad was about to be said. "Don't tell the Doctor I said anything. But I've got a prophecy, too."

Evelina shook her head and covered her eyes with her hands. Donna felt another flash of sympathy - and guilt. This girl would die if she didn't help her. "Evelina," Donna continued, "I'm sorry, but please. You've got to hear me out. Listen. Everything I'm telling you is true, I swear, so just listen. You don't have to speak. "Tell your family to get out of town. Just for one day - just for tomorrow! But you've got to get out. You've got to leave Pompeii."

Evelina violently shook her head, horrified. Donna winced, feeling bad for making her so upset when she wailed. "This is false prophecy!" she declared, and dissolved into tears.

Donna murmured an apology and bent over her, rubbing her back hesitantly. She just wanted to help. She so desperately wanted to help. She wished Jay had stayed with her to help now, though she worried that Jay would have sided with the Doctor. Jay tended to quietly fall into place with what he saw as correct. And, Donna realized, she barely knew the young woman.

That settled it, Donna decided as she comforted Evelina.

As soon as this mess was dealt with, whether or not Pompeii truly was gone within the next day, Donna was going to take Jay out for dinner and ensure that she knew just who she was truly traveling with.

---

Jay's lips were tweaked into a smirk as the Doctor scrambled in through a window and didn't bother to wait for her or Quintus as they followed him in. Quintus looked incredibly uncertain about what he was doing, but kept quiet as the Doctor took the torch they'd taken when night had begun to fall. He took off at a brisk walk.

They spent a few minutes nosing about the home of Lucius, and it was in what appeared to be a living room of sorts that Jay suddenly grabbed the Doctor's arm and said quietly, "Look." She pointed to a series of drapes that hung from the ceiling that she'd found, and the Doctor immediately moved over to yank the drapes aside.

"Well," he muttered, furrowing his brow. "This doesn't appear to be too good, does it?"

"Not really," agreed Jay, hands on her hips. She studied the six stone circuits that stood before them, shaking her head. There was definitely something that wasn't normal going on here, and it made her sight heavily. Why was it that whenever they tried to have a nice, peaceful trip somewhere, something happened? She knew that the Doctor was a magnet for trouble, but sometimes it was a little bit ridiculous.

"That liar," seethed Quintus beside Jay, his dark eyes flashing with agitation. "He told my father it was the only one."

"There must be plenty of marble merchants in town." The Doctor started forward, peering closely at the stones to see if he could understand what he was looking at. Something was prying at the back of his mind, urging him to think. He cocked his head a little, dark eyes narrowing. What was it? What was it? "Tell them all the same thing," he muttered, trying to speak aloud and clear his thoughts, "get all of the components from different places, so no-one can see what you're building…"

"Which is…?" prompted Jay, reaching out to poke him lightly in the back and remind him that they were there. He had begun to mess around with the stones, arranging them as he saw fit. He ignored Jay's attempts at capturing his attention.

Rather than the Doctor answering, a voice declared proudly from behind them, "The future!" Quintus and Jay spun in place and found Lucius standing there proudly, eyes blazing, with two guards on either side of him. Jay immediately didn't like the fact that they were clearly armed. Lucius's face was set in a smirk; he clearly thought he stood above them all. "Doctor, we are building the future, as dictated by the gods."

The Doctor didn't so much as look back, as if he'd known that Lucius was going to show up there. Jay could see him puzzling out the circuits before him, trying to figure out what he was looking at. She knew the second he did understand, however, as a startled look briefly crossed his face. "So," he said, pushing his hands into his pockets and turning on his heel to finally look at Lucius. "What do you have here?"

As if knowing that the Doctor had figured it out, Lucius said coldly, "Enlighten me."

"What?" said the Doctor with a gasp of false surprise. "The soothsayer doesn't know?"

Quintus winced and Jay shook her head. That wasn't going to help. But Lucius merely said, "A seed may float on the breeze in any direction."

The Doctor snorted softly in amusement at the looks on Jay's and Quintus's faces. "It's an energy converter," he told them all, and Jay arched a brow questioningly. Of what? But he answered the question without it needing to be said aloud. "I don't know what it's for, but isn't that brilliant?" He beamed at Quintus, who looked downright confused by the Doctor's behavior. "I love not knowing. Keeps me on my toes." He bounced on the balls of his feet pointedly. "It must be awful being a prophet...waking up every morning, knowing if it's going to rain or not. Takes all the fun out of life. But who designed this, Lucius? Who gave you the instructions for these circuits?" Lucius scoffed, and the Doctor grew serious, his features softening briefly. "Lucius, honestly, we're on your side. I can help."

Lucius snarled, "You insult the gods. At arms!"

The men on either side of him immediately lifted their swords and Jay forced herself not to react outside of a tight smile. Terrified, Quintus began to beg for mercy from Lucius. The Doctor didn't look concerned enough to make Jay too alarmed as he said calmly, "Come on now, Quintus, dignity in death. Look at Jay, she's even facing it with a smile." She sent him a dirty look. "I respect your victory, Lucius...shake on it?" Lucius was stoic, refusing to acknowledge the Doctor's request as he extended his hand. "Come on, dying man's wish."

When he didn't react still, the Doctor took matters into his own hand. He fearlessly stepped forward, took a hold of the hand hidden beneath Lucius's crimson cloak-

Lucius cried out when the Doctor withdrew, a stone hand and part of a forearm clasped within his. "Oh, my God!" Jay cried, caught off guard at the sight as Lucius angrily threw back his cloak, showing the stone that had long since taken over his right arm.

"The work of the gods!" Lucius declared, refusing to be ashamed of the matter.

The Doctor snapped his gaze briefly to Jay's and she tensed, recognizing the look. Time to run. He threw the arm at Lucius, shouting Quintus's name, and then took of for the window, sonic screwdriver aimed at the stone circuits. They hit the ground with a crash, and he pushed it into Jay's fingers so he could help she and Quintus out the window after him.

"Run!" the Doctor ordered sharply as they scrambled out. He made sure he was the last one out and when he'd clambered out of the window, too, he pushed Jay and Quintus forward.

The trio sprinted down the street and the Doctor and Jay slowed to let Quintus take the lead, trusting that the youngest of them would be able to guide them back to his home, where the TARDIS and Donna - and safety - would be.

Eventually, after a few minutes, Jay couldn't run anymore. She slowed to a walk, heaving for air and coughing. She doubled over, gasping, and the Doctor backtracked when he realized she'd stopped to check on her. She waved him off. It had nothing to do with her issues; she was merely out of breath from running.

Quintus came back, too, and the Doctor looked around them as he said, out of breath, "No sign of them. Nice little bit of allons-y there...I think we're alright for now." He straightened, looking back in the direction they'd come.

Quintus suddenly spoke, his voice trembling with worry. "Doctor...his arm. Is that what's happening to Evelina?"

Jay glanced up, blinking. Was his sister turning to stone as well? She'd not seen anything when they'd been back at the villa-

A massive sound had them all jumping, and Jay snapped upright, too. They looked around, worried. Quintus suggested that it was the mountain when the sound repeated again, and then again, sounding closer with each time it occurred. "No, can't be Vesuvius," he muttered, shaking his head. "It's coming closer. Footsteps…?" He looked down at his feet, blinking. "Footsteps underground," he breathed, and then grabbed Quintus's arm and yanked him forward at a dead run.

"Here we go again," Jay seethed and tore off after them.

They bolted as quickly as they could through the streets, and didn't hesitate to burst into the home of Quintus's family. They swept in hastily as people within the home, family and servants alike, panicked, crying out in worry. The Doctor didn't take but a moment to assess the situation. "Out!" he bellowed, grabbing a man and shoving him towards the exit. "All of you, get out!"

"Donna!" Jay cried in relief when she saw the red-haired woman. Donna whirled around, and caught Jay when she tripped. "Thank goodness you're okay!"

"I'm fine," Donna said, eyes stretched wide, "but what's-"

She was interrupted when the grille covering the hypocaust suddenly exploded into the air. Donna and Jay snapped down to avoid being struck with it, throwing their arms over their heads. The Doctor uttered a rare curse beneath his breath when it struck a wall so hard it cracked. He darted over to check on them, not tearing his eyes from the creature that suddenly began to emerge, roaring its fury. It was massive, and looked like it was made entirely of stone that held a core of something hot and magma-like. Jay shuddered at the idea of touching it, imagining that it would burn them immensely.

Clutching her mother, Evelina breathed, "The gods are with us."

The Doctor pushed past the panic that was displayed upon the features of those who called the building home. He did a speedy check; no one had left despite their instructions, meaning that several were in danger. "Water!" he suddenly cried. "We need water! Quintus, all of you! Get water!"

"Come on, Donna," Jay said, dragging her friend after Quintus when he darted off. Many servants followed suit, and Jay felt a flicker of relief. At least some of them knew to obey orders when things were going bad. They went down a hall within the building, and Quintus hastily pointed them to a few buckets when they'd caught up, already filling one himself. He and a few of the servants darted off, leaving Jay and Donna to catch up.

Jay released Donna, grabbing a bucket and pushing it at her. "Here," she gasped, hearing a few short screams that made her wince. She wondered what had happened. Rather than dwelling on it, she pointed to the water before grabbing a bucket herself. Face set in determination, Donna did as she was told - for once, thought Jay with amusement as she joined her.

They knelt beside the well within the home, their knees stinging as they dropped hard onto stone and marble. The water was shockingly cold despite the hot springs that ran through the area and filled the homes with warmth - that filled the future-seers' lungs with the stone they were turning to. "Ready?" began Jay as she stood, only to jump when cold water suddenly washed over her feet.

"Jay!" cried Donna, thrashing against the hands that had grabbed her. Jay whirled around, blue eyes flying wide in shock at the crimson-cloaked woman that had curled their fingers nastily around her arms. The bucket in her hands tumbled to the ground, splashing more water, and she lurched forward.

"Let go of her!" snarled Jay, latching onto the cloak of the woman nearest to her. Her heavily make-up hid her face fairly well, even when Jay had ripped her hood down and revealed lovely auburn hair that was a little lighter than Donna's. "Let her go!"

The woman trying to help snatch Donna gasped in surprise and winced when Jay's fingers snagged a few strands of hair. Blue eyes flashed viciously, even as the pins and needles that filled her fingertips made her want to let go. The woman, in a fit of desperation, hissed and lashed out, her nails raking over Jay's cheek. Flecks of blood spotted her flesh, but she ignored it. "Donna," she gasped, latching onto her friend's wrist. The woman backed away a few steps.

"We must go," insisted another cloaked woman, "the High Priestess-"

Donna's hand wrapped around her own, fear in her face. Fear was replaced with alarm a moment later. "Jay-"

Something hard collided with the back of Jay's head and she dropped like a stone, gasping in pain. The world spun around her as she tried to regain her bearings. "Jay!" she heard Donna call again, and she struggled to get to her feet, unable to see straight.

"Donna!" she mumbled, horrified. Darkness swam in and then back out, and she became aware mere moments later of hands on her shoulders, a voice speaking urgently in her ear. She blearily pried open her eyes, not entirely sure she remembered closing them. She latched onto the familiar pin-striped suit and immediately grabbed at the arms that were pulling her upright. "Doctor!" she wheezed. "Doctor, Donna's-"

"Gone," he said, eyes dark with angry concern. "I know. Are you okay? Was it another attack?" He checked the scratches on her cheek and wiped away some blood with gentle fingers. "That doesn't seem to match up with them-"

"No," she said, finally clearing her eyes. Shaking her head slowly to try and clear it despite the throbbing at the back of her skull, Jay grabbed his shoulders and gave him a small shake to show that she was recovering at least a little. "Not an attack, just a knock to the head with a bucket, I think. Help me up."

The Doctor frowned, eyes still full of worry, and helped her to her feet as requested. He let her grip his forearms with tight fingers to ensure that she wouldn't fall again, a sharp eye cast over around. "Where's Donna?" he demanded. "Do you remember?"

"These weird women grabbed her," she confirmed, lifting her gaze to meet his. Jay took a deep breath to steady herself, drawing up the best description she could. "They wore these bright red cloaks," she added when she'd finished. "I think they've been following us...I kept seeing some glimpses of them when we were wandering around Pompeii earlier." She dropped her hands away, feeling confident that she could stand and wouldn't fall over.

The Doctor raked a hand through his dark hair, thinking. He'd not seen anything of the sort, nor had he seen any of the women that Jay had described. He didn't think she was lying or imagining things; she disliked lying and preferred the truth over everything else for the most part. But still, this meant nothing good. Pompeii was on the eve of the eruption of a famous volcano, there were monstrous creatures living beneath the crust of the earth ready to come up and kill them, and now Donna was missing.

"She's as much trouble as you and Martha were combined," complained the Doctor with a scowl, and Jay gave him a look of disapproval for his comment.

"Forget that, let's just go find her," she said, rubbing the back of her head and wincing at the lump she found there. "I can hear her. The song she gives off...it's faint, but she's in that direction." She pointed towards the direction the Doctor knew that Mount Vesuvius resided, and he sighed.

"Let's go get Donna."

---

Donna was furious. She yanked at her hands and ankles. She was tied to a stone altar with a woman standing nearby, a large knife held in her hand. It made Donna nervous, the sight of that sharp blade. Other women stood in a circle around them, and Donna got the feeling that this wasn't good at all.

Only she would get herself into this mess, she thought crossly, and it was entirely the Doctor's fault. Well, maybe not entirely, she supposed. She could be a bit more careful, even if she was trying to help the citizens of the city...well, actually, maybe this was entirely her fault, she decided as the woman suddenly declared, "The False Prophet will surrender both her blood and her breath."

Donna scowled viciously at her and kicked again to try and free herself. "I'll surrender you in a minute," she seethed, piercing eyes narrowed and red hair askew. The woman scoffed and told her to be quiet. "Listen, sister," she retorted furiously, thinking these to be the women who the young Evelina was promised to simply because of the marks on the backs of their hands, "you might have eyes on the back of your hands, but you'll have eyes in the back of your head by the time I've finished with you! Let me go!"

"This prattling voice will cease forever!" she said sharply, annoyed with Donna's commentary. She raised the knife proudly above her head.

"Oh, that'll be the day," mused a voice that made Donna smile. She wanted to punch the Doctor as he leaned against a pillar, a sharp-eyed Jay standing close to him with her fingers twitching. She gave Jay a gentle smile to try and reassure her, worried. She'd been hit rather hard and Donna hoped she was okay.

The women gasped around her, startled by the man who had made himself at home in their temple. The woman with the knife nearly dropped her blade, caught off guard. "No man is allowed to enter the Temple of Sibyl!" she sputtered, staring at him uneasily.

"Well, that's all okay, right?" said the Doctor, glancing at Jay with a wink. "Just us girls." She shook her head, a smile dancing along her lips. "Do you know, I met the Sibyl once. One hell of a woman. Blimey, she could dance the Tarantella! Truth be told, I think she had a bit of a thing to me," he added to Jay with a wiggled brow. "I said it would never last. She said, 'I know.' Well, she would."

"Doctor," Jay said, exasperated. "Are you alright over there, Donna?" Her eyes flashed worriedly, and Donna smiled tightly at her again.

"Oh, never better," she said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"I like the toga," the Doctor complimented with a wiggle of his fingers. "The ropes...not so much." He withdrew his sonic screwdriver, pressing his thumb over the button. A slight smile crept over his features when Donna muttered her relief upon being released from her bonds. She shot upright despite the fact that there was still a knife uncomfortably close to her person.

"What magic is this?" muttered the woman with the knife, puzzled.

"Let me tell you about the Sibyl," the Doctor said, gesturing Donna over. The woman let her pass, and Jay stumbled forward a few steps to greet Donna with a sound of relief. She wrapped her arms around the older woman, and Donna whispered something to her, comforting. The Doctor just barely caught her words as she said, "We're alright, aren't we? That daft idiot's got a plan?"

He wasn't sure whether or not he should take insult in her comment. He was quite adept at creating plans on the fly - at planning in general, actually. The Doctor took quite a bit of pride in the matter. He focused back on those that filled the room. "Sibyl...the founder of this religion...she would be ashamed of you. All her wisdom and insight turned sour. Is that how you spread the word?" The Doctor nodded at the knife in the woman's hand, and she bristled, immediately reeling back to hurl it at him.

Jay stiffened ready to push him aside if necessary, but a voice spoke hoarsely, filling the air. "Show me this man!" it cried. Jay's eyes darted around as she watched every single woman within the room except for she and Donna suddenly turn towards a part of the room she'd not noticed and drop gracefully to their knees. The knife-holding woman protested, but the voice said firmly, "Let me see. This one is different...he carries starlight in his wake."

The Doctor took advantage of their distraction to step forward, moving closer to the bed. He ushered his companions forward, too, with a hand on the smalls of their backs. Donna sent him an annoyed look, smacking him away; Jay let him, distracted completely by the person that seemed to realize they came from the stars.

"Very perceptive," the Doctor complimented warily, straightening his sleeves as he eyed the altar-like area before them. Not an altar, but a bed, he realized moments later. "Where do these words of wisdom come from, may I ask?"

"The gods whisper to me."

"They've done far more than that," the Doctor guessed, stepping past Donna and Jay. He glanced over his shoulder at them, gesturing for them to remain where they were when Donna opened her mouth. "Might I beg an audience? Look upon the High Priestess?" His gaze was sharp despite the friendly smile that was on his face, an expression the Doctor often wore when he wasn't entirely pleased with something.

There was a moment in which he thought that his request would be denied and he'd have to force it, but the curtains that surrounded the bed were suddenly pulled aside. He blinked at what was initially thought to be a statue, only to realize that it - she - had been human and was now stone, having been turned to it by the vapors she'd likely consumed.

A loud gasp escaped Donna, and she grabbed Jay's forearm in worry for the woman. "Oh, my God," she said. "What's happened to you?"

"The heavens have blessed me," said the High Priestess hoarsely, sounding rather breathless.

The Doctor wasn't sure he'd call it a blessing, the inability to move in such a way. He moved closer after gaining permission and touched the woman's hands with gentle fingers, worried about her despite the fact that her Sisterhood had kidnapped and intended to sacrifice Donna. It was fascinating, this condition. "Does it hurt?" he asked somewhat kindly.

"It is necessary," the High Priestess said tightly. "The voices told us as much."

Donna's voice was tight when she turned to the priestess who had wielded the knife. The woman's attempts had been forgotten in her confusion over the High Priestess's decision. "Is that what's gonna happen to Evelina?" Jay glanced to her, recognizing the name. Donna's eyes were angry and clear with worry for the young girl. "Her arm...is this what's happening to all of you?"

The priestess showed them her hand, which was flaked with stone that matched that of Lucius's since-removed arm and the body of the High Priestess. "The blessings," the priestess said as Donna and Jay leaned over her, studying the stone anxiously, "are manifold."

"They're stone," Donna breathed and Jay glanced sharply over her shoulder at the High Priestess.

"Why are so many of the people of Pompeii turning to stone? Is it because of the stone they're inhaling, do you think?" she asked, removing herself from Donna's grip and joining the Doctor. He bumped her gently with his shoulder in greeting, and she flashed him a wary smile, recognizing that something different was about - and that the Doctor knew it. He likely knew what it was and was just stringing things along like he tended to do - much to her annoyance.

"This word," the High Priestess murmured, studying the Doctor, "this… 'volcano.' What is that?"

The Doctor ignored her question and said instead, pushing his hands into his pockets and rocking back on his heels, "More to the point, why don't you know about it? Who are you?" The High Priestess gave just that as her answer and he shook his head, disagreeing. "No, no, no, no," he fired off in a rapid series of words, "I speak to the creature inside of you. The thing that's seeding itself into a human body in the dust in the lungs, taking over the flesh and turning it into...what?" He cocked his head when she remained silent, puzzling over what he could be. He lifted his voice to a near shout. "You can read my mind...I demand you tell me who you are!"

The near-roar that left the stone woman's mouth had Jay jumping nearly a foot in the air, her hand snagging the Doctor's sleeve. "We are awakening!" whatever it was cried, and the priestesses all gasped about something regarding gods before beginning to chant.

"Name yourself!" the Doctor said firmly, refusing to budge. He needed to know what this thing was in order to stop whatever bad thing it was doing. If it even was. He still wasn't sure yet, although he was leaning towards a bad thing. At least something good was coming out of their worrisome visit to the town of Pompeii. "I want planet of origin. Galactic coordinates. Species designation according to the universal ratification of the Shadow Proclamation."

"Pyrovile," was the only answer it gave in a near snarl.

Donna edged forward now, leaning her head near the Doctor's ear to whisper, "What's a Pyrovile?"

The Doctor inclined his head warily towards the woman upon the bed. "Well, that's a Pyrovile, growing inside her, and she's only a halfway stage. The thing in the villa? That was an adult Pyrovile."

The three got the feeling that a rather nasty set of eyes suddenly turned on them. The half-way Pyrovile snarled. "And the breath of a Pyrovile will incinerate you, Doctor," it growled, shifting, and Jay jolted when the Doctor pulled something hastily from his suit jacket - something small and plastic and weirdly yellow. She didn't recognize it, but Donna gaped in astonishment, clearly recognizing it. "I warn you, I'm armed!" he yelled, wielding it like a pistol at the Pyrovile. He snapped Donna a warning look over his shoulder and ordered, "Donna, get that grille open."

Donna opened her mouth to question him, but Jay shoved her towards the grille that she knew he meant, intent on helping her. It resembled the vent that had resided within the house they'd occupied shortly beforehand. "Come on," Jay said as the Doctor loudly asked, "What are the Pyrovile doing here?"

"We fell from the heavens," it answered, not seeming to notice as Jay and Donna latched their fingers in the heavy grating and moved it aside with immense effort, tugging and tugging until it budged. "We fell so far, and so fast, we were rendered into dust. We have slept beneath the earth for thousands of years."

"Okay," the Doctor said, thinking quickly. "About seventeen years ago, you woke up. And now you're using human bodies to reconstitute yourselves, but why the psychic powers?" He glanced back to check on the progress of his friends; Donna slipped as she gave a harsh yank. He winced and turned his attention back on the dangerous situation at hand, keeping an eye on the other priestesses as he did.

"We opened their minds and found such gifts…"

"Okay, get that fine." He took a slow step back, glancing back again. Frustration filled him. They were taking so long. "So you force yourself inside a human brain, use the latent psychic talent to bond, I get that, I get that. But seeing the future, that is way beyond psychic. You can see through time. Where does the gift of prophecy come from?"

"Doctor, we've got it!" Jay called, and the Doctor nodded, hastily telling them to get down into it. Jay blinked at him, arching a brow. He responded with an impatient wave, and she sighed before promising Donna that the Doctor likely had a plan and that they needed to get moving.

The Doctor waited until Donna was lowered into the grate with Jay's help to demand, "Why can't this lot predict a volcano? Why is it being hidden?"

"Sisters," said the knife-wielder quite suddenly, "I see into his mind! The weapon is harmless!"

"Doctor!" Jay cried, half-exasperated at this revelation and half-concerned that he'd get hurt before he could do anything. What was the point of a harmless weapon? Then again, she supposed, half-clambering into the vent herself, she supposed that she had no place in the TARDIS if she actually expected him to point a weapon at anyone.

"Yeah," he admitted, firing it at the High Priestess, who screamed as water struck her. "It's got a sting." He bolted for the vent, pausing to help Jay finish climbing in. He winced when he ducked to avoid a knife that was thrown his way, listening to it hiss by before dropping in heavily himself. He didn't know if they would follow, but was sure they'd tend to their High Priestess first, giving them a head start at the very least.

"You fought her off with a water pistol," Donna greeted him with, earning a grin on his part. Her eyes were sparkling with laughter, her lips curved into a large smile as she laughed, "I bloody love you."

Winking, the Doctor nudged she and Jay forward. "This way," he said, "towards the volcano."

Donna nearly stopped point blank, but Jay kept going, only asking over her shoulder, "Why?"

"It's where we need to go," answered the Doctor as if that was an answer, and Jay decided to just accept it and push forward. They began following the path the vent laid out for them, moving at a swift walk. He listened intently when Donna asked Jay if she was doing alright, if she was going to have any problems any time soon. Jay, smiling and knowing what she meant, shook her head. She'd be fine for some time, she thought.

"So," Donna said as they walked, "if it's aliens setting off the volcano...doesn't that make it alright for you to stop it?"

The Doctor's gaze softened, even as he said firmly, "It's still part of history, Donna."

"But I'm history to you," she said in a soft voice. "You saved me, in two-thousand-eight. You saved us all. Why's that different?"

"Some things are fixed, some things are in flux. Pompeii is fixed." When Donna opened her mouth again, the Doctor cut her off, speaking firmly and leaving no room for argument. "That's how I see the universe, Donna. Every waking second, I can see what is, what was,w hat could be, what must not. That's the burden of the Time Lords, Donna, and I'm the only one left."

Donna fixed him with a steely gaze, though there was some sympathy in her face. "How many died?"

"Stop it," he said irritably.

"Doctor, how many people died?"

"Twenty-thousand."

"Is that what you can see, Doctor? All twenty-thousand? And you think that's all right, do you?"

Jay, who'd been listening for some time now to the semi-bickering going on, finally interrupted. "Donna," she said quietly, but firmly. "That's enough. Now's not the time for this." As if to back up her words, there was a very loud howl flooded the tunnels and made Jay wince. The Doctor muttered his agreements and ushered them on until they arrived in a large cavern that filled the heart of Vesuvius. The Doctor declared it as such as they crouched behind a large boulder to hide and look. Jay squeezed herself between them to keep them from arguing further about what was going to happen regarding Pompeii. "So," she whispered to the Doctor, pointing to a rather large thing in the middle of the cavern. It resembled another boulder, much like the one they were hiding behind, with an opening. "What's that?"

The Doctor withdrew what Jay thought to be a type of telescope from his never-ending pockets. Jay made a mental note to request that he do whatever he'd done to his pockets to her own. It had to be useful for something. "That's how they arrived," he reported, squinting through the device at the object. "Or what's left of it. Escape pod? Prison ship? Gene bank?"

"But why do they need a volcano?" voiced Donna with a frown. "Maybe...it erupts, and they launch themselves back into space or something?"

Jay thought it was a rather smart inclination, but the Doctor shook his head. Worse, then. Just great. Another howl filled the air and Jay flinched, grabbing the Doctor's arm and tugging. "It's-"

A voice interrupted her, shouting above the sounds. "Heathens!" cried LUcius from where he stood at the other side of the cave. "Defile us! They would desecrate your temple, my gods!"

"Quick!" the Doctor said as they all bolted around their hiding place. He lead them towards the object they'd been studying, firing his water gun at a Pyrovile that tried to step in front of them. It screamed as it recoiled, and they ducked aorund it. The Doctor paused at the entrance to the small capsule-like space, making sure that his friends had ducked in. He planted himself in the center of the exit, eyes cold as he stared down Lucius. "Now then, Lucius, Pyrovilia. Don't get yourselves in a lather. In a lava?" he mused, glancing back at the annoyed Jay. "No? No. But if I might beg the wisdom of the gods before we perish...once this new race of creatures is complete, then what?"

Lucius stared him down, his missing arm evident in the way his cape was now held. "My masters will follow the example of Rome itself. An almighty empire, bestriding the whole of civilization."

"But if you've crashed," Jay said as she emerged a little, standing at the Doctor's shoulder. A sharp incline of a ramp allowed her to do so without having to step around him to see. "You've got all of this technology, and it's pretty damn good tech, then why don't you just go home?"

"The Heaven of Pyrovilia is gone," he sneered, and Jay blinked.

"Wait," said the Doctor slowly, "What do you mean 'gone'? Where's it gone?"

"It was taken," said Lucius. "Pyrovilia is lost. But there is heat enough in this world for a new species to rise." When the Doctor made a comment about the amount of water that resided upon the Earth, Lucius crowed, "Water can boil, and everything will burn, Doctor!"

The Doctor backed up step-by-step, forcing Jay back towards where Donna peered out anxiously, her purple toga stained with soot and ash. "Then the whole planet is at stake, thank you. That's all I needed to know." He slammed his hand over a button when they were inside, sealing the entrance behind them. Just to make sure no one would get in, he used the sonic screwdriver to lock it entirely and then tossed it to Jay, whirling around. Ignoring Donna's protest that they were trapped and that it was hot, he looked down upon the technology that was held within the capsule.

"See?" he murmured, glancing at Jay. She leaned over to look, knowing that he wanted her opinion on what surrounded them. She was by no means an expert, but her father's business had taught her quite a bit. "The energy converter takes the lava, uses the power to create a fusion matrix, which welds Pyrovile to human. Now it's complete and they can convert millions."

Jay studied what he'd pointed out and ran her fingers over the machinery before looking over when Donna said, "But can't you change it with these controls?"

"Oh, Donna," breathed Jay, understanding racing through her. "That's why they couldn't see the volcano, right, Doctor? There was none. It wasn't going to ever erupt, but the Pyrovile are stealing its power and are going to use it to steal the world. But...if you invert the system, it sets off the volcano and destroys them." Her gaze lifted grimly. "That takes Pompeii with them. We can either let them convert countless people," she said, her mind flashing back to the Toclafane and the Master, "or we can destroy Pompeii."

Donna's mouth dropped open in horror, and the Doctor smiled faintly, not at all happy with the decision that had appeared before them. "If Pompeii is destroyed, then it's not just history," he said softly. "It's me. I make it happen."

"But the Pyrovile are made of rocks, maybe they can't be blown up," fretted Donna, and the Doctor shook his head.

"Vesuvius explodes with the force of twenty-four nuclear bombs, Donna," he said gently, and Jay realized where the conversation had been heading when he added quietly, "Certainly not us."

"Nevermind us," said Donna angrily. She swallowed thickly and repeated it. "Nevermind us."

Jay studied the Doctor's face as he studied a particular lever and a howl filled the air outside: an angry Pyrovile, wanting in. She could see it in his face. The indecision. He didn't want to kill twenty-thousand people. She knew what this meant. He'd lost his entire planet, his home and family, and he was being forced to choose whether or not to do it again. He was being forced to play a god he tried his hardest not to be. She watched as Donna closed her mouth and put her hand in his, squeezing as tears formed in her eyes.

Neither wanted to be in charge of this, and neither deserved it, Jay thought.

Donna was special, so empathetic towards those in Pompeii that it physically hurt her to make this choice, and the Doctor...well, he'd done this far too often, Jay knew. She'd been present for some of these decisions, even.

Another howl. The capsule rocked slightly and they all staggered, throwing their arms out for balance. They were running out of time, and the Doctor seemed to realize that, too. He took a deep breath and reached forward to just go through with it. He'd killed his own people, after all. What was twenty-thousand more to his impressive record?

But then Jay was elbowing him out of the way, her eyes hardening. "This isn't your decision," she said firmly, curling her fingers around the handle. Her breath was ragged. She didn't want to do this either, but...she felt that it was better for her to do it. Felt that she could handle the decision best out of all three of them. "You've made enough decisions like this."

"Jay," he warned, eyes widening, but she yanked the lever before she could be stopped. There was a moment of silence, in which she lifted her gaze to stare him down, meeting his shocked eyes with her own grim ones. "What did you-"

The capsule suddenly yanked violently, thrown, and cries filled the air as all three were sent sprawling. It spun violently, and Donna screamed in panic as it seemed to roll and throw them around. She yelped when she hit her hand sharply on something, drawing blood, and the Doctor grunted when he was slammed into a wall. Jay's hip hit something sharply, and she knew immediately that if they miraculously survived, there would be a bruise.

Just as quickly, however, the capsule came to a stop. The Doctor, coughing, unlocked the exit and stumbled out, helping Donna with him. Jay crawled out before climbing to her feet, swiping blonde locks from her face. The Doctor gave her an uneasy look, as if he wasn't sure how to deal with her for the time being. Deciding to focus on the matter later, as they couldn't change what had happened, he grabbed Donna's hand and shouted, "C'mon!"

He tore off and Jay bolted after him. They descended into Pompeii as the volcano behind them spouted ash. Even now, it was sprinkling down upon them, burning where it touched. When they reached Pompeii, the sun had been hidden by ash. The town was in chaos. People screamed in panic, trying to run with nowhere to escape to.

Jay was nearly swept into the crowd, effectively separated. "Doctor! Donna!" she shouted over the commotion, elbowing her way through, and the Doctor faltered, pausing to reach out a hand desperately. She snagged it, and then they were running again, pushing through those violent crowds.

As they ran, Donna sobbed. "Don't!" she screamed to those who ran past them. "Don't go to the beach! Go to the hills! Listen to me! Don't go to the beach, it's not safe! Listen to-" She tripped over a child that had been lost in the streets. He stood alone, screaming and crying for his mother, and even the Doctor paused when Donna yanked her hand free.

"Come here," she pleaded, reaching for him, intent on helping, but then the mother was there, sweeping the boy into her arms. She ran and Donna just stood there for a moment, weeping over the matter.

The Doctor retreated back to gently take her hand again. "C'mon," he murmured, forcing her forward. They had to get to the TARDIS. Had to, or risk being buried alive by hot ash. And he wouldn't allow that. Had it been just him, maybe, but not Donna and Jay.

He herded the pair back to Caecilius's villa, and through the halls. Some of the building had collapsed in their absence and Jay felt a stab of grief when she saw the small family huddled together. Evelina and Metella sobbed against each other, and even Quintus was curled against Caecilius, who did the best that he could to comfort them. "God save us, Doctor!" he cried upon seeing them.

The Doctor cast a single look at them and then instead turned and unlocked the TARDIS doors, slipping inside. Donna sobbed, and Jay squeezed her arm, refusing to move as the TARDIS groaned in protest. "No," Donna breathed in shock as the engines started. "No, Doctor, you can't!" she lifted her voice to a cry. She frantically darted inside.

Jay didn't move an inch, staring at those doors. She knew him, she liked to think. Maybe not as well as she sometimes thought, but she knew him - and she had come to understand Donna a bit better recently. Come on, Doctor, she pleaded. She doesn't want the whole town, not anymore. Just someone. It would lessen the guilt he felt, the guilt she felt, because she'd brought this down upon Pompeii.

Better her than the others, she had told herself, and continued to do as hot ash seared her skin, making her slap a hand over the spot. She would never regret being the one to make the decision, no matter how much those screaming faces would be emblazoned in her mind. No matter if the Doctor decided she was no longer worth traveling with them.

Just one.

She didn't move, not even when the TARDIS started to fade, just a bit. Donna would convince him, she knew. The TARDIS was crying, its song twisted and dismayed at the idea of leaving Jay behind. Jay didn't know if he just didn't know she was aboard or was willing to leave her behind on purpose.

But then the TARDIS solidified and a brisk laugh left her mouth. "Well done, Donna!" she cried to the shocked family's confusion behind her. The doors to the TARDIS were thrown open and the Doctor stepped back out, his face grim but determined.

"Well," he said almost crossly, "come on, then." He stretched out a hand, meeting Jay's gaze, and she smiled faintly, stepping forward to take it.

---

"It's never forgotten, Caecilius," the Doctor said softly as they stood upon a hill, watching Vesuvius reign its terror upon Pompeii. He glanced around, counting heads. Everyone was present but Jay, and he wondered briefly where she'd gone. He'd need to have a chat with her about what had happened, although he was still uncertain of what to say entirely. "Time will pass, men will move on, and stories will fade, but one day, it will be found again. In thousands of years, everyone will remember Pompeii."

Metella's lips trembled as she considered all of their friends - family, even - that remained trapped, but she wrapped an arm tightly around Quintus, grateful for what she had with her. Donna noticed and immediately offered her a comforting smile before turning her attention on Evelina. "What about you? Can you see anything?"

Evelina shook her head, dark hair spilling over her shoulders. "The visions have gone," she said softly.

"The explosion was so powerful it cracked open a rift in time," the Doctor reported, rocking back on his heels. "Just for a second. That's what gave you the gift of prophecy. It echoed back into the Pyrovilian alternative, but not anymore." No, never again. "You're free."

"But tell me," Metella said softly, looking to the Doctor, "who are you, Doctor? With your words, and your temple containing such size within?"

"Oh, I was never here," the Doctor said, winking. "Don't tell anyone."

"The great god Vulcan must be enraged!" breathed Caecilius, his eyes brimming with tears as he watched the ash cloud finally engulf the town that had been their home. "It's so volcanic...it's like some sort of…" He shook his head, choking on his own words. "Gods, all of those people…"

Metella took him into her arms, tears rolling down her cheeks, and Evelina and Quintus gently grasped hands tightly, relieved that one another was okay. The Doctor shooed Donna quietly towards the TARDIS, taking only one final moment to look at them. "Thank you," she told him quietly and sincerely, and she smiled at him. Her words echoed in his ears.

"Just someone, Doctor. Please. Not the whole town. Just save someone."

The Doctor squeezed her shoulder as he closed the TARDIS doors behind them and then turned away. "Go get something to eat and some rest," he said gently. "I need to go and find Jay."

Donna caught his wrist when he turned to go, and he glanced back at her. She searched his gaze. "Don't be too harsh," she said pleadingly. Her lips trembled a little. "I was going to do it. When she did it...I was going to pull the lever myself, Doctor. You aren't the only one who has to or will make those decisions. It's why we're here. To help you, our friend, as we travel the stars."

The Doctor's features softened a fraction as he smiled at her. "I know. Thank you, Donna." She'd been right, that evening after he'd ruined her wedding and dropped her off at home. He needed people, for when hard things like this happened. It didn't mean, however, that he had to like what Jay had done.

Donna let him go and he headed into the TARDIS, very aware of the humming in the air. The TARDIS was cranky with him, he noted. He'd promised to never leave Jay behind without warning, and he fully intended to keep that promise no matter what she did. She was his friend and while he was incredibly annoyed that she'd made such a decision for him...he had heard what she'd told him. "You've made enough decisions like this."

He'd made many decisions like that - and it was for that very reason that he didn't want his companions making them. They had no business subjecting themself to that kind of guilt. He'd always gotten onto companions about such matters. He'd scolded Rose severely for it, Martha, those who had come before the pair and Jay. He'd been mocked, accused, even taunted for allowing his friends to turn into people capable of such decisions.

The Doctor refused to allow Donna and Jay walk that path, too.

He found Jay in the library, something he wasn't surprised about. He tended to oftentimes find her there. Rather than having a book in hand, however, she was curled on the sofa before the fireplace within the massive room, her blue eyes locked on the entrance as if she'd known he was on his way.

Again, the Doctor supposed, not surprising. The TARDIS likely alerted her to it, with how attached the TARDIS was to her. He wanted to know more about that, although he didn't think now was the time.

"Hello, Doctor," said Jay quietly, her lips pressed together. She tried to smile although she failed miserably at doing so. Her eyes were swollen, as if she'd cried, and the Doctor furrowed his brow as he dropped to sit on the sofa beside her. She tightened her arms around her knees, flicking her fingers mindlessly, as if they'd fallen asleep. He made a mental note of that, knowing that it was a part of tracking the process of her next incoming attack.

"Hello," he said just as quietly.

They sat together in peaceful silence, although Jay kept glancing nervously at him. Finally, she said, "Am I done?" He glanced at her, confused. "I was under the assumption that I'd be kicked out. For what I did."

He let out a loud breath through his nose. "No," said the Doctor. "I wouldn't kick you out. I don't do that unless it's something truly bad."

"I'd consider making the decision to kill twenty-thousand people pretty damn bad," said Jay under her breath and he smiled tightly and corrected her.

"Nineteen-thousand-nine-hundred-and-six, Jay. Not twenty-thousand." Thanks to Donna, of course. He sighed heavily, stretching his legs out a little. He really needed to get the TARDIS moving, before Caecilius tried to see if they could come back in. He hoped Donna didn't let them if they did.

He should have been angrier than he was, but he couldn't find the energy for it after witnessing all of that destruction minutes ago. "Don't do it again," he said after a few moments. "You can't make decisions like that for me. Those are choices that I have to make."

"But they're not," she said, voice quivering a little. "They're really not. I can't speak for Donna, but I'm your friend. I've seen you make those decisions before, Doctor, and I won't let you make them alone. If we're traveling together, we make those decisions together." She sent him a sharp look. "And if you expect otherwise, then too bad." She added after a moment's thought, "I couldn't let Donna do that to herself."

The Doctor eyed her, and then shook his head, reaching over to ruffle her hair playfully. "Fine, but that wasn't together."

"Maybe not." Jay winced and swatted his hands away with a ghost of a smile dancing along her lips. "But still. Is it a deal? We make those kinds of decisions together, Doctor?" She offered a hand and the Doctor shook his head, not entirely sure it was a good idea to be making such a deal with a member of a family who was notorious for following through on deals in manners that weren't always the right way. Still, he shook her hand, curling his fingers tightly around hers.

"Deal," he said, and she flashed him a bright smile. "Now go get something to eat and get some rest," he added, standing. "I'll be in the control room if you need me."

Perhaps it was better that she'd not come out to see Pompeii burn, he thought as he went to move the TARDIS and let it float blindly through space and time until they were ready to move on. But he didn't think she'd forget the people running and screaming and crying in the streets anytime soon, and fully expected to see her up far sooner than was healthy when she went to sleep.

When he reached the control room, he took stock of it, listening to the rumble of the TARDIS's engines as if she knew they would soon take off, and despite everything that had happened, the Doctor felt at peace for the time being.

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At long last I've updated. Perhaps I'll get another chapter out in the next month. Not too confident about that last part with the Doctor and Jay, but needed to push onwards. SO! Next up is the Ood! I've been rather excited for that. ;)

Thanks to reviewers (bored411, brmngirl, and Kayla!) as well as those who favorited and followed! I truly appreciate it!