Jay awoke to the soft hum of the TARDIS. The lights had dimmed in her room, though Jay didn't remember doing it herself. Her heart swelled with warmth for the time machine she loved almost as much as its pilot. She dropped her face to the mattress and reached out to brush her fingers over the wall of the TARDIS simply to show her fondness, and the TARDIS responded with another hum, this time urging her awake.

Jay lifted her head, tipping it. Someone was approaching, she realized, hearing a steady beat within the song. With a groan, she struggled upright on numb fingers, wincing at the pins and needles that angrily shot through them. Anytime now, she thought miserably, shaking her fingers out. Anytime.

Thanks to the TARDIS, Jay had enough time to get a quick shower in. She dressed as quickly as she could, knowing the TARDIS wouldn't hold the person off forever. She didn't know if it was Amy or the Doctor, though she admittedly hoped it was the former rather than the latter. She was still upset with the Doctor, though she was sure it would eventually fade to a bad memory. Amy, on the other hand…

Jay wanted to talk with her, get to know the new girl that had joined her on a brand new TARDIS. A girl just as new to this Doctor as she was. Well, Jay amended, she supposed she might have a bit of an advantage in knowing the Doctor. He was a new man, but those old ticks liked to show themselves here and there. Just enough to remind her constantly that he was the Doctor. Even if he liked to occasionally forget promises he'd made.

Maybe, thought Jay, raking her fingers through her damp blonde hair, it was time to sit down and have a talk with him. Explain her expectations in a way she hadn't before. Last time, she'd fallen into this life accidentally, and had been naive about it all. She'd followed the Doctor's lead, trusting him without a moment's second thought. This time, she'd chosen it. And he needed to know that things couldn't go the way he wanted every time.

A soft knock drew Jay from her thoughts. "Come in," she called, offering a crooked smile when just as she'd hoped, Amy crept in. She'd clearly cleaned up, her hair cleaned of Star Whale sick and gleaming in the dim lights of the TARDIS. The black leather jacket and red top were good, but Jay did admittedly question the jean miniskirt and the cowboy boots. They weren't made for running in.

Still, Amy was new, Jay decided, and she'd figure it out someday.

"Hi," said Amy awkwardly, wrapping her arms around herself. She was uncertain, Jay realized, uncomfortable around her. Jay didn't blame her. They didn't know each other yet.

"Hi," Jay chirped in return, dropping to sit on her bed and pull her favored converse on. "Come on in. You can sit over here if you want. I won't bite." Her fingers fumbled and failed to even pull a sock on and her lips pressed into a hard line. Not long at all now, she thought.

Amy was clever. Jay had seen hints of that cleverness. Knew that she had to be, if she'd seen what the Doctor hadn't regarding the Star Whale. She proved it now as she watched Jay's fingers tremble and drop everything several times. Bluntly, she asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Jay's eyebrows shot up. That was one hell of a way to ask, but at least she was straightforward. Clearing her throat, Jay gave up, tossing the shoes and socks aside to worry about later. "I told you. I've got a little something extra mixed in."

"That doesn't explain anything." Amy was firm and confident. "The way the Star Whale reacted-"

Jay flinched. That had become a sore spot. Quietly, she drew a knee to her chest, yanking the pant leg up as far as it would go. The black veins that laced her flesh nearly seemed to pulse as she put them on display. Amy gasped at the sight, and a hint of a smile briefly crossed Jay's lips as she shoved her pant leg down and rested her chin on her knee. "Don't tell the Doctor," Jay said softly, "but I didn't tell him just how bad it got in the last year." She'd softened it up for him.

Once, it had brushed mid-calf. Now, it crept up just past her knee, just as the black on her arm had snaked up and down her arm, brushing her shoulder. Jay traced the ones on her arm, her blue eyes thoughtful. After a moment, she glanced back at Amy, who looked stunned as she asked, "What is it?"

So, Jay told her. She told Amy of what she and the Doctor had discovered before he'd left her behind, admitting that she probably ought to have him look into things once more. She told Amy that they'd considered things like mutation, which Jay had no doubt was actually happening, though she clung to the hope that they could fix it someday. She told Amy of her life with the Doctor, of Martha and Donna, of Jack and the others she'd spent her year and a half with. She kept only the bank heist to herself, not knowing if Amy would tell the Doctor.

And when she finished, Amy was quiet. She studied the wall of Jay's room, kicking a foot mindlessly. Finally, she said with a glance at her, "So…you're in love with him, right? The Raggedy Man?" Jay couldn't help the squawk of alarm that escaped her, having expected anything but that. "Oh, please," muttered Amy, rolling her eyes as Jay opened her mouth to instinctively protest. "You really think you're going to tell me you're not when I watched the pair of you dance around like idiots on the starship?" When Jay refused to confirm or deny it, Amy rolled her eyes a second time. "Idiots," she repeated. "Rory would tell you the same."

Rory Williams would say anything Amy Pond told him to. Nevertheless, Jay clenched her jaw and remained quiet. It appeared to be answer enough. Amy's lips curved into a smirk and her eyes gleamed with mischief. Jay almost groaned in annoyance. Jack had never teased her about it, though he was the only one who'd known, and he'd certainly never done so after she'd been left behind, but still.

Rather than letting Amy come to her own conclusions, however, Jay exhaled loudly and said softly, "Once. I don't know anymore." Amy's smirk vanished. "It's…it's hard not to fall in love with him." She'd never experienced it before the Doctor, hadn't since. Doubted she ever would. She glanced at the red-haired woman, entirely serious. "It's just as hard to tell if you're falling in love with the man himself or with the life he gives you." Donna had loved the Doctor, after all, and had told Jay herself. But she'd been in love with the lifestyle.

"I was before he left me behind, with our friend's family." Jay pressed her mouth into a hard line, wondering why she was having this conversation with Amy, who she'd only met a short time ago. "With him, I mean. I love this life in the TARDIS, but I don't think it'd be nearly enjoyable without the Doctor to tell me about it. I don't think I'd even keep traveling without him. I stopped, really, for the most part at least, when he left me behind. The Doctor I knew…the one before this face…he meant a lot to me. It's hard to explain. He's a different man, even if there are little bits and pieces of my Doctor in there. I still care for him, I never won't. But…" She shrugged. "He's a different person now. I'm a different person. I grew up a lot in the time he was away. I had to.

"I just…don't know anymore," finished Jay, realizing she kind of liked having someone to talk to about all this.

Amy's lips quirked, and she gave Jay the impression that she knew something Jay didn't. But she said nothing about whatever she was thinking, kicking her foot again. Jay watched Amy for a couple moments, and then asked, "Does Rory Williams know you're here?"

"No. You picked me up in the middle of the night." A flicker of uncertainty crossed her face. Amy was hiding something. Jay didn't bother to poke or prod. All secrets came out in the end. Jay wasn't going to be the one to force Amy's into the light. She fumbled thoughtfully with the sleeve of her leather jacket.

"Do you…do you want to tell him?" Jay asked carefully, reaching for her phone. She was more than willing to let Amy call him from her phone. But Amy shook her head, instead hopping to her feet.

"I'm hungry," Amy said instead, forcing a smile to her face. "Is there somewhere to eat in this thing? No one's given me a tour yet."

Jay wasn't fooled. Still, she looked down at the shoes she'd yet to put on. She awkwardly tucked them under her arm, making sure the socks were shoved into her pocket, as she rose to her feet. "Let's grab something easy to eat from the kitchen then, and I'll give you a tour. The Doctor's probably busy doing something he shouldn't be anyways." It'd give her a better chance at getting to know Amy, too, before they were dragged along onto their next adventure.

Amy seemed pleased with the idea, and together, the pair set off.

The Doctor found them in the kitchen. Amy was snickering at Jay's failed attempts at cooking, though Jay looked as if she was trying incredibly hard. Burned eggs sat on a plate beside her and there was a hint of frustration beginning to form on Jay's face when she turned to look over her shoulder. He'd not made a sound, but the TARDIS had likely told her he was there.

"Hi," she greeted faintly, grimacing when Amy cheerfully reported, "They're burning, Jay."

Good to know they were getting along. The Doctor hid a grin and watched as Jay dumped the skillet she'd been using aside and gave up. "Make your own damn breakfast," grumbled Jay and Amy happily took her place as Jay stooped to grab something and made her way over to the Doctor.

She was holding shoes, he realized. She'd either chosen to not put them up or hadn't been able to. Seeing that he was eyeing them, Jay held them up and cleared that up very quickly. "I can't feel my fingers. Amy said she'd help after she got some coffee, but now she has to cook, too."

Amy, red hair bright and clean following their adventure with the Star Whale, glanced back and said, "He's just standing there. He can help. Right, Raggedy Man?"

Briefly, the Doctor wondered why every red-haired woman he brought onto his ship was determined to give him weird nicknames. Still, the Doctor's green eyes lit with warmth and he told Amy, "We'll meet you in the control room. The TARDIS will make sure you get there."

"Hopefully," said Jay under her breath as the Doctor took her elbow and steered her out into a corridor. As they walked, Jay said, "The TARDIS hasn't decided yet if she's okay with Amy or not."

The Doctor hoped that she was okay with her. He didn't want issues aboard his ship when they ran into so many outside of her. "She'll help her," he said firmly and the TARDIS hummed uncertainly, as if she'd not decided yet. He sighed heavily, and it drew a grin to Jay's face. He was relieved he was still able to make her smile after what he'd done.

In the control room, Jay slid away to touch the console after tucking her shoes under her arm. She stroked it fondly and the Doctor paused to watch her for a few moments, his expression softening despite his best attempts. He forced his attention away after a moment, making his way over to the console himself. He checked the screen attached above it, furrowing his brow. He'd already set the coordinates for Churchill's office. He just hoped he'd set it for the right time for once.

When Jay was ready, she meandered to the captain's seat and dropped down to sit on it, impatiently tugging at the laces of a shoe. He carefully watched the way her fingers fumbled and grasped at the laces, unable to feel them or bend enough to even tug the laces undone. She was closing in on an attack, he realized grimly.

It made him question if it was an actual good idea to go out on one of their many adventures.

Jay paused, as if feeling his gaze. Her blue eyes darted up to meet his, and she smiled faintly. "I thought you were going to help," she said, offering him the shoe after giving up. She arched a brow playfully, and the Doctor gently took the offered shoe and undid the laces rather quickly. "And stop worrying. I'll be fine. I've had issues at way worse times and you know it, Doctor."

It didn't mean he had to like it.

The Doctor handed her the shoe back and then took the other. Very cautiously, he approached the subject he knew she'd likely not care much for. "The samples I have-"

"Yes," sighed Jay, sounding less than pleased and scowling lightly. "I'll let you take my blood. It's horrible. I hate that you're asking me to. But I'll do it."

"Thank you." The Doctor watched as she dropped the first shoe on the glass floor and quickly wriggled her foot into it. Grimacing and turning red in the face, she grouchily extended her foot so he could nimbly tie the shoe for her. When he'd finished both shoes, she hopped to her feet, wriggling her toes inside of them. "You're sure you're okay?" he asked, concerned.

"Fine." She winked, though there was a tired look in her gaze. The sleep she'd gotten didn't appear to be enough. She shook her wrists out thoughtfully, and the Doctor didn't miss the way her face tightened, the way she rubbed a spot on her upper arm as she turned away to smile when Amy emerged from the hallway.

There was something there that he didn't know about, but now wasn't the time to ask her.

"Right!" cried the Doctor, rubbing his hands together eagerly. He turned to Amy. "Ready to go?" Amy gave a quick bob of her head, looking rather excited. He whirled around to face the console, and Jay settled into the captain's seat, knowing she'd not be able to hold on very well. She gestured Amy over to join her.

"We're heading to Churchill's time," he reminded them as he whisked about, giving them stern looks that he was sure would do him no good at a later time. His companions never liked to listen when he told them what to do. "I'm going out first when we get there. Guns and all. You humans like your guns."

"I don't," grumbled Jay.

"Depends on the situation," Amy piped up, and the Doctor gave them exasperated looks. That wasn't the conversation he was going for. It wasn't them he was concerned about when it came to guns - at least, not at the moment. Amy flashed him a wide, mischievous grin. "You first. Got it."

The Doctor sent the TARDIS into action, instinctively bracing himself against the rumble and movement. The TARDIS seemed to be a little gentler with her wild rocking, he noted. He wondered if it was for Jay's sake.

As soon as the TARDIS landed, the Doctor was striding for the doors, happily humming. It had been some time since he'd seen Churchill, and he tended to get along fairly well with the man. Usually. So long as the man kept his guns to himself. Amy paused to wait for Jay, muttering to her, and Jay grinned back at her when the Doctor glanced over his shoulder to make sure they were coming. He was pleased to see them getting along. Especially after everything with the Star Whale. He still felt incredibly guilty about that.

The Doctor was still humming when he pulled the doors open, and reeled back in surprise. He shouldn't have been, he supposed. There was a line of men just outside, their rifles aimed at the doors. The Doctor immediately blocked the girls from joining him, furrowing his brow in alarm.

"Lower your guns!"

The rifles dropped immediately, revealing Churchill himself standing behind the line of wary men. He was chomping on a cigar as per usual, his glasses perched on the end of his nose. His thinning hair had been arranged neatly and his suit was carefully pressed. He looked as official as the Doctor had ever seen him - and eyeing them with surprise, as if he didn't recognize the Doctor immediately. The Doctor supposed it wasn't out of the ordinary; he did have a new face, after all. Many people wouldn't have recognized him.

He adjusted his bowtie mindlessly as he stepped aside slowly, allowing Amy and Jay to pile out. Jay stuck close to the TARDIS for the time being, ready to bolt back inside as she eyed the series of rifles held cautiously by the soldiers in front of them. Amy seemed completely at ease. "Amy, Jay, this is Winston Churchill," he introduced, nodding at the man.

Churchill's eyes widened briefly. "Doctor," he recognized.

The Doctor beamed in a friendly manner. He greeted cheerfully, "Winston, my old friend." He watched with no small amount of amusement in his gaze as Churchill held his hand out expectantly, arching a brow. "Ah," he sighed, "every time."

Jay, her gaze darting between them, warily narrowed her eyes. "What's he after?" she asked.

"The TARDIS key, of course." The Doctor chuckled when Jay instinctively shoved her own beneath her collar, out of sight.

"Think of what I could achieve with your remarkable machine, Doctor," Churchill mused wistfully, his gaze locked longingly on the TARDIS as Jay casually slid the door shut and leaned back against the beautiful time machine. She was frowning disapprovingly at Churchill, protective of her. "The lives that could be saved."

Lives were saved with the help of the time machine. But rather than pointing that out, the Doctor waved off Chuchill's desires to claim his beloved ship and instead said pointedly, "You rang?"

Churchill blinked, and then dismissed the confused soldiers, who shrugged and went to do their work. "This way." Churchill whirled on his heel and started down a cement-lined corridor, knowing precisely where he was going. The Doctor ushered his friends after him, and almost laughed when Jay made sure the door of the TARDIS was firmly locked before reluctantly following. The Doctor followed the pair, ensuring neither were left behind as Chuchill called over his shoulder, "You've changed your face again."

The Doctor thoughtfully touched his chin. It was a common topic of conversation as of late. "Had a bit of work done."

Amy, determined to get into the fun part of their travels, cut in. Her eyes gleamed with interest as she looked around, curious about everything they walked past. "This is the Cabinet War Rooms, right?"

"Top secret heart of the War Office," the Doctor confirmed, delighted that she'd known. "Right under London."

"With bombings right overhead," Jay added softly, looking mournful about the idea. She shook her wrists out and then focused when they entered a cluttered, busy war room. People were darting this way and that, hard at work. Churchill paused to investigate something a young lady showed him.

Churchill sent her on her way a moment later and said accusingly to the Doctor, "You're late by the way." The Doctor blinked, highly aware of the slow, narrow-eyed look Jay turned to give him. "I rang you a month ago."

Jay's exasperation showed clearly on her face as she dragged a hand down it, and he pouted somewhat, sulking just slightly. "Sorry," the Doctor muttered with a heavy sigh, wondering if he was going to be late to everything in the future. "Sorry. Type Forty TARDIS. I'm just…running her in."

A young man cut in, lips pressed into a hard line. His dark hair was neatly arranged, a hat planted firmly on his head. His uniform marked him a soldier. The Doctor wrinkled his nose just slightly at it. He wasn't overly fond of soldiers most of the time. They tended to shoot first, think later. Not all, of course, but many. "Excuse me, sir," he said. "Got another formation coming in. Stukas, by the look of them."

"We shall go up then," declared Churchill. "We'll give them what for. Coming, Doctor? I have something to show you."

Jay and Amy followed closely behind the Doctor and Churchill as he led them up to the roof of the place. Jay found that the lift they took made her extremely uncomfortable. For one, she knew about the drop beneath them. It had her nearly trembling the entire way up, and Amy, clever as she was, took notice. She reassuringly bumped Jay's shoulder whenever she noticed her getting too anxious, her face pale.

She was taking the damn stairs down, Jay decided when they finally stepped out onto the roof, Churchill explaining, "We stand at a crossroads - quite alone, with our backs to the wall. Invasion is expected daily. So I will grasp with both hands anything that will give us an advantage over the Nazi menace."

Jay frowned. In other words, he didn't think the Doctor would approve of whatever they were being shown. Still, she kept close to Amy as they peered around. There were several people already there on the roof. Several soldiers, of course, and a man in a white coat. They all had binoculars to their faces, watching the sky behind walls of sandbags. When Jay looked out at the city before them, her heart broke for them. Some areas were nothing but rubble. Some kind of flying balloons surrounded the city, moored by long lines. The city looked devastated by the war, even as it stood strong as bombs fell from some planes that flew overhead, shaking the ground beneath their feet. Amy looked out at it with no small amount of grief in her expression, and Jay touched her arm comfortingly.

History was beautiful and so painfully agonizing.

"Doctor, this is Professor Edwin Bracewell, head of our Ironsides Project," Churchill told the Doctor, catching Jay's attention. The man in the white had come over, smiling in greeting from beneath the helmet on his head. He wore a pair of rounded spectacles. Jay got a distinctly friendly feeling from him.

"How do you do?" he said politely.

Jay couldn't help but notice that Churchill hadn't bothered to question who she and Amy were, so she made note to introduce herself a little forcefully when she got the chance.

"Two flights, JU thirty-eights, approaching from the east," announced one of the soldiers.

Chuchill looked fairly excited now. "Ready, Bracewell?"

Bracewell nodded curtly, whirling around. "On my order," he shouted, waiting a few moments as he watched the approaching planes. Finally, he shouted, "Fire!"

Jay had been expecting a lot of things. Perhaps a missile, deafening them with its strike. Maybe a gun, painfully brutal. Maybe even some kind of engine-powered weapon that would have driven the planes from the sky.

What she definitely didn't expect was the laser-like blasts that shot from behind them, hidden amongst the sandbags. The sound was frighteningly familiar. Each sharp blast slammed into its target, destroying the planes entirely, and Jay's face went white and clammy. That sound-

"Doctor," she gasped, immediately rounding on him with widened eyes. Her hands trembled violently as she tried to calm herself down, for her heart was racing wildly in her chest. She could feel something approaching - a sharp wave of pain that would down her. She shoved it back. Later, she told herself. Later!

The Doctor looked as worried as she felt. "That wasn't human," he said, glancing at her. He met her gaze grimly. "That was never human technology. Show me," he barked, his gaze suddenly harsh as he turned on Bracewell. "Show me what that was!"

"Advance," ordered Bracewell, appearing semi-confused by their reaction. He'd clearly anticipated awe or surprise - not such fear and anger.

Jay wasn't surprised by what rolled out of hiding, but she was sure as hell immediately floored with fear. In an instant, she'd snatched up Amy's arm, fingers like claws despite being so numb. Amy, not recognizing the creature in front of her, glanced curiously at Jay's face, concerned. Jay's heart raced painfully in her chest. She barely noticed, focused only on the Dalek.

It looked only slightly different than the Daleks she'd seen the day she and the Doctor had lost Donna. It was painted a different color, wore some kind of belt about its metallic body, and had a flag painted on its head. The eyestalk swung towards them, and for a moment, Jay felt as if it was staring into her very soul.

The Doctor's reaction was akin to her own. He blanched, his face filled with horror as he recognized the monstrous creature before them, too. He reeled back a step, even as he breathed, ignoring Churchill's boasting, "What are you doing here?"

The Dalek's attention focused entirely on the Doctor. "I am your soldier."

"Stop this," the Doctor said irritably, growing angrier the longer he looked at it. "Stop now. You know who I am. You always know."

Yet, the Dalek protested, "Your identity is unknown."

Bracewell stepped in, and Jay didn't trust any of them for an instant now that she knew what they'd created. "Perhaps," Bracewell said calmly, almost soothingly, "I can clarify things here. This is one of my Ironsides, Doctor." When the Doctor looked at him in disbelief, he turned to the Dalek and said firmly, "You will help the Allied cause in any way that you can - until the Germans have been utterly smashed." The Dalek confirmed this, and Bracewell looked incredibly satisfied as he added, "And what is your ultimate aim?"

"To win the war," declared the Dalek.

Maybe that was true, Jay thought as the Doctor let out a breathless, horrified laugh, in disbelief. But it certainly wasn't the second world war if Jay knew anything about the Daleks.

"Daleks," the Doctor insisted immediately, whirling towards Churchill and Bracewell. "They're called Daleks."

Churchill waved off his claim with a proud look at Bracewell. "They are Bracewell's Ironsides, Doctor! We have blueprints, statistics, field tests, photographs. He invented them." The Doctor scoffed, but Churchill wasn't to be stopped. The proud man continued going on about Bracewell and his "creations." "He approached one of our brass hats a few months ago. Fellow's a genius."

"A Scottish genius, too," commented Amy, shaking Jay's grip from her arm. Jay's fingers fluttered nervously to the key that hung from her throat. She yanked it out of her clothes and held it for comfort, wanting nothing more than to get away from the idle Dalek. "Hey, Doctor, maybe you should listen to-"

Amy's face twisted with outrage when the Doctor shushed her. "He didn't invent them. They're alien." The Doctor's green eyes were hard, tone sharp. The Doctor looked grimly at the Dalek after a moment, his hands curled into fists at his side. "And totally hostile."

Churchill didn't seem bothered by that. Instead, he said simply, "Precisely. They will win me the war." He beamed at the "Ironside," unbothered by the proximity of it when it slid a few feet closer. The Doctor instinctively stepped closer to his friends, and Jay took the chance to move closer to him in turn, her breath ragged for an entirely different reason now.

Her heart was racing, and not from adrenaline.

Determined, the Doctor turned his face towards Amy and said desperately, "Amy, tell him." Amy blinked, losing her annoyance and replacing it with confusion. Her brow furrowed and she made a confused gesture, not sure what he was asking of her. "About the Daleks, Amy, tell him about the Daleks."

"What would I know about the Daleks?" she said incredulously, glancing from the Doctor to Jay and pausing. Her expression blurred, and Jay gritted her teeth, trying to stay upright. Amy seemed to notice, trying to catch the Doctor's attention in turn. "Hey, Doctor-"

"Everything," rambled the Doctor, in a flurry of desperate rage and fear regarding the Daleks. "They invaded your world! Planets in the sky! You don't forget that. Amy, tell me you remember the Daleks!? Jay," he continued, completely bypassing the confused Churchill and Bracewell, who simply sat there listening with matching expressions. Jay would have been amused by it any other day. At the time being, however, she found she was struggling to push back the tidal wave rearing up to lash at her like a spitting cobra. The Doctor, naturally, as always, was oblivious. "Jay, tell her about the-"

Jay blindly grappled at his arm, her fingers fumbling to even feel the material of his tweed coat. She barely managed to skim it as she began letting her body sink down, jaw clenched so tight she thought her teeth would break. Amy lurched forward, forgetting entirely about the Doctor's surprised rant, ensuring that Jay didn't drop like a stone. The Doctor's attention was immediately diverted from the Daleks, dropping carefully into a crouch beside her as her fingers spasmed until they couldn't bend.

A lot of things had changed since the Doctor had left her at Donna's wedding a year and a half ago, many of which she'd already spoken of. She had grown up. She'd gotten a handle on the things she heard that no one else heard. She saved aliens and people with Jack's, Mickey's, and Martha's help and guidance. She'd survived in a time that was not her own.

Alongside all of that, however, there had been a few changes that she realized she probably should have warned the Doctor about.

The pain, when it struck, was different now. Once, it had struck her like blades slicing into her skin a thousand times; now, it was bone-deep, seeping into her like molten lava as it tore her apart from the inside out. It was slow-creeping, sinking in with each ragged breath she took even as her chest struggled to lift. Each stuttering beat of her heart made it worse as she wavered and wobbled, her muscles spasming inconsistently in ways that made her limbs jerk uncomfortably.

Her jaw locked, as it always had, but not because she couldn't open it. Rather, she did it to bite back the scream that nearly burst from her chest. As it was, a strangled sound broke free, wasting precious air that wasn't there. She heard the Doctor distantly, as if a blast had just gone off in her ears, uttering something to her. She could scarcely see, her vision blurred.

All in all, she hated it. With a passion.

But she was proud. She stayed upright, even as she felt something odd crick in her spine, nearly bowing it right out of her skin. It was a first, even as her heart skipped one beat, and then another, and then another-

It felt like ages before she choked on a strangled gasp, blinking in a furry as she managed to regain control of her muscles somewhat. A few still spasmed, but she managed to snag the Doctor's sleeve, knuckles white. It was comforting to have him there. Ever so slowly, the hot pain began to slowly seep away with each thump in her chest. She grimaced lightly. It was weak, she noticed somewhere in the back of her mind. She'd have loved to know what a hospital might have to say now, so long after she'd last seen a proper one, regarding the state of her heart.

"Jay?" Amy said warily, trying to catch her attention, and Jay forced a tired smile to her face.

"I'm…better now," she rasped. At least there was some relief now. She'd feel a lot better for a while, until the next attack came. She worked her jaw after a few moments in which she simply sat there and breathed.

The Doctor's gaze burned into the side of her head as she stared at the roof. Distantly, Churchill mused that they should return to the safety of the building beneath them, but they all ignored him for the time being. Jay took a slow, deep breath to steady herself. Churchill was right. They had Daleks to figure out. Lightly, she glanced at the Doctor and reminded him, "Daleks."

He blinked. He'd apparently temporarily somehow forgotten, which warmed her a little. Still, he eyed the Dalek warily as he slowly rose to his feet, unsure. Amy remained on her knees, keeping a close eye on Jay, who grimaced as pain spasmed briefly through her.

She hated when this happened.

Amy couldn't help but keep a close eye on Jay, who sat slumped in a little stool at a table in the laboratory that belonged to Bracewell. She'd been curiously pacing the room while simultaneously ensuring that Jay didn't suddenly collapse again - her own decision, as well as the Doctor's request when he'd followed Churchill into a less safe area of the building in the middle of a raid. He'd been torn, worried about his friend-who-might-be-more - if Amy was right - and terrified for some unknown reason of the Daleks. Amy had eventually just sent him on his way, annoyed. She'd take care of Jay. He could take care of the Daleks.

Something in her head automatically started tipping towards the name he'd given them rather than "Ironsides." "Dalek" just seemed to fit them better.

"You don't have to worry so much," Jay said suddenly as Amy paused to stare at her worriedly again. Her eyes were shut firmly as she regathered some semblance of strength. "I'm fine."

"If that's what you call fine," retorted Amy, but Jay cut her off before she could finish.

"I told you what happens with them in the TARDIS," reminded Jay, rocking slowly upright. She grimaced delicately when a shudder seemed to run down her spine, eyes hazing over ever so briefly. It was another minute or two before she finally seemed to clear up again. She'd taken several minutes up on the roof, and it had been admittedly frightening. Yet Jay didn't seem to care or notice. She was clearly used to whatever was happening to her body.

Amy shrugged. "Doesn't mean I have to accept what you said," chirped the Scottish woman in turn. She paused to peer curiously at some blueprints left out, spilled over a table. Bracewell had left them for the time being to grab something, which Amy was pleased about. "Anyways, why's the Doctor got so much hatred for these Dalek things?"

A haunted look briefly crossed Jay's face as she said bluntly, sending a chill down Amy's spine, "The last time we saw them, they took our friend away." Jay put her head in her arms again, hiding away.

Amy really didn't like that sentence.

She went back to quietly digging through things, just until a siren suddenly filled their ears. She perked up, listening. She exchanged a quick look of concern with Jay. Nothing happened, however, so Amy shrugged and went back to what she was doing.

Not much longer after, the Doctor appeared in the lab they'd been hanging out in. He looked exhausted as he rubbed his temples, a light scowl plastered across his face. "Where's Bracewell?" he demanded, and Amy gave a small shrug.

"Went to grab something or…something." Amy wrinkled her nose at another blueprint, not understanding what she was looking at. "He'll be back soon."

The Doctor nodded slowly, lost in thought, and then wandered over to check on Jay. Amy paused in what she was doing, pretending she was looking at something when really, she was watching. Her dark eyes followed the Doctor closely as he dropped easily into a crouch beside Jay, who had put her head back in her arms to try and rest a little before she had to start doing something again.

He offered her a reassuring, crooked smile when she slowly rolled her head to the side to squint at him. "Any better?"

She grunted softly in response, grimacing. "Mostly."

Lightly, the Doctor said, "That isn't what used to happen."

Jay smiled faintly at him, eyes mournful. "No, it's not." She didn't bother to move from her spot, though she flashed Amy an amused look. She knew Amy was being nosey. Amy hastily looked away, pretending she wasn't still eavesdropping as she wandered away.

"You should have said something."

"We should all do a lot of things, Doctor. Doesn't mean they're going to happen or be said."

"Jayden," he scolded with exasperation, and Amy fought back a grin. Jay was being irritating on purpose now. "Any aftershocks?"

Jay groaned quietly and Amy looked over. She'd rocked upright, now looking down at the crouched Time Lord with a thoughtful expression. She tucked a short lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "One. Not too bad. On the bright side," she said with a forced smile that the Doctor didn't return, "they don't linger nearly as long as they used to. It's bad when they happen, but they go away quicker - even if they come back just as quickly."

The Doctor didn't seem to be as happy about the matter. In fact, he seemed upset. But he said nothing about it. Instead, as Bracewell re-entered the lab, faltering when he realized the Doctor was there, the Doctor rose to his feet. He paused just briefly to press a fond kiss to the top of Jay's head, lingering there for a heartbeat longer than Amy thought normal. Her smug grin was noticed by Jay, who glared at her as the Doctor moved on, motioning for Jay to stay where she was and rest.

Say nothing, that look said, and Amy shrugged. She wasn't going to open her mouth. Yet.

The Doctor focused intently on Bracewell, who seemed uncomfortable with the attention. The middle-aged inventor fixed his glasses and looked nervous. The Doctor waited with a glare at a Dalek when it passed through, pausing to see if Bracewell would like tea. Bracewell requested some, seeming to hope it would calm his nerves. "Winston's been filling me in," the Doctor told Bracewell. "Amazing things, these Ironsides of yours. You must be very proud of them."

Bracewell seemed to relax. "Just doing my bit," he said shyly, though a hint of pride lingered.

"Not bad for a Paisley boy," Amy chimed in, grinning when Bracewell smiled warmly at her in recognition, recognizing her own way of speaking. She joined them, determined to keep the Doctor from upsetting her new friend too much. She liked Bracewell. It was clear regardless of how the Daleks were here, he meant no harm. At least, he simply wanted to help the war efforts. He wasn't trying to do anything but help.

The Doctor moved on, intent on understanding how the Daleks had come to exist smack in the middle of the second world war. "How did you do it?" he demanded, tugging the lapels of his coat thoughtfully. "How did you come up with the idea?"

Jay spun in her stool to watch and listen as Bracewell made a mild, nervous gesture to the air. "How does the muse of invention come to anyone? Ideas just seem to teem from my head. Wonderful things, like…let me show you!" Excited, Bracewell suddenly whirled away, catching the Doctor off guard. The Time Lord followed him over to his collection of blueprints, and Amy peered over their shoulders as he pointed to one of the blueprints. "Some musings on the potential of hypersonic flight. Gravity bubbles that can sustain life outside of the terrestrial atmosphere - that one came to me in the bath."

Amy glanced at the Doctor's face, watching closely as he began to skim through the various blueprints. His expression was unreadable, and she found she had a hard time reading him period at the moment. She wondered what he was thinking as he began tracing one with a fingertip. "Are these your ideas?" he finally asked Bracewell. "Or theirs?"

"Oh, no, no, no, Doctor," laughed Bracewell. "These robots are completely under my control." The Doctor looked at him, clearly not believing a word the inventor said, and Bracewell insisted, "They are."

It seemed like an inopportune moment, in Amy's opinion, that a Dalek reappeared, a tray of tea carried upon its odd metal arms. Amy thought they resembled a whisk and a plunger, to be perfectly honest, and would have giggled if the Doctor's expression hadn't hardened so hatefully as he glared at it. "Thank you," said Bracewell earnestly to his "creation," taking a cup of tea and lifting it to his lips. He blew softly on it. "The perfect servant, Doctor, and the perfect warrior."

"I don't know what you're up to," the Doctor said icily, glaring at Bracewell with clear distrust. He straightened the lapels of his tweed coat, lifting his chin. "But whatever they've praised, you cannot trust them. Call them what you like, but the Daleks are death."

"Yes, Doctor," agreed Churchill as he joined them, a cigar hanging from the corner of his mouth. His eyes sparkled with excitement as he gazed upon the Dalek before them. Amy wrinkled her nose a little, disapproving of Churchill's words. She'd been excited to meet the famous prime minister, but everything that was happening…the lack of willingness to listen to the Doctor's warnings when the Doctor so clearly knew what he was talking about…it worried her. "Death to our enemies. Death to the forces of darkness, and death to the Third Reich."

Quietly, from where she still sat, Jay rasped, "And death to everyone else in their path."

Amy glanced curiously at her. She'd told her a good amount of information regarding her time with the Doctor, but Amy got the feeling there were plenty more stories to be heard. She hoped to hear them soon. She was sure there was plenty to learn regarding what kind of things they would face - and warnings of what to avoid.

"Would you care for some tea?" the Dalek suddenly offered, and the Doctor reeled around on the creature in disgust.

"Stop this!" he shouted, and they all flinched when he slapped the tray away, letting it clatter noisily to the floor. "What are you doing here? What do you want?!" The Doctor's voice rose until he was hollering at the top of his lungs, and Amy stared wide-eyed at the Time Lord. She'd seen him angry aboard the ship tormenting the Star Whale, but this was a different kind of rage. This was steeped in countless years of hatred, of mistrust, and grief that emanated from every bone in the Doctor's body.

The Dalek stated simply, "We seek only to help you win the war."

The Doctor gave a wild, unimpressed laugh, and Jay slowly slid to her feet across the room, wary. "Which war?" he challenged. "This war, against the Nazis? Or your war against the universe? The war against all life forms that are not Dalek?"

"I do not understand," protested the Dalek. "I am your soldier."

Amy was unnerved by the dark look that appeared on the Doctor's face as he heaved for air, glaring at the Dalek before him. In one swift movement, before anyone could stop him, he grabbed some big piece of twisted metal from the nearest table and began striking the Dalek over and over with great clanging sounds. "Defend yourself!" he barked, and even Churchill took a step back, stunned. "Come on," he challenged, swinging with every breath, "fight back! You want to, you know you do!"

"I must protest," cried Bracewell, horrified as his creation was attacked.

"Doctor," Jay rasped, immediately approaching. She held her hands aloft as if she was trying to soothe a wild animal, her face pale and eyes wide. She looked shocked by his reaction, almost more than the rest of them. "Doctor, seriously, stop-"

Amy's hair stood on end when he spat, ignoring all of them, "What are you waiting for?" He hit the Dalek again. "You hate me. You want to kill me - kill everything! Well, go on!" He flung the metal he'd been using aside and threw his arms out in challenge, glowering at the silent Dalek. "Kill me! You are my enemy, and I am yours! You are everything I despise, the worst thing in all creation. I've defeated you time and time again. I sent you back into the void. I saved the whole of reality from you. I destroyed your emperor! I am the Doctor, and you are the Daleks!"

There was something about those words that sent shivers down her spine. As if he wanted the Dalek to try and kill him. Not just to prove himself to Churchill and Bracewell, but as if he looked at the Dalek and found that he truly believed he deserved it. Her gaze snapped to Jay's.

Jay was silent. Her eyes were burning with tears that she blinked back as she quietly reached out and took hold of his arm. "Doctor," she murmured softly as his chest rose and fell heavily. He was panting for breath. When he looked her way, she slid her fingers down his arm until they were wound with his. Amy watched with interest as she searched his gaze in silence, squeezing his hand, as he seemed to settle just somewhat.

Distantly, Amy wondered what kind of experience with Daleks they'd shared for her to wear such an understanding, yet reassuring look.

"Correct. Review testimony."

Amy forgot their interesting interaction and focused immediately on the Dalek, a bad feeling churning in her gut.

The Doctor's voice was repeated aloud for them. "I am the Doctor, and you are the Daleks!"

"Doctor?" whispered Amy, staring at the Dalek as its eyestalk swung around to lock onto the Time Lord intently.

"Stay back," he warned without looking at her. He kept his own attention locked onto the creature before him, worried-looking now. "What are you talking about? Testimony?"

"Transmitting testimony now," was the Dalek's declaration.

Jay clenched her jaw, eyes darting from Amy, to the equally confused Churchill and Bracewell. They were all confused by what was happening. That didn't stop Jay from rasping, "Amy! Amy, move away from it!"

Amy wasn't about to ignore the fear on Jay's face. She pressed back against the table they'd been looking at and began edging carefully away. She slowly made her way past Bracewell, who had frozen in shock, and Churchill, who had shouted for marines to come to the room and help them. The Dalek's eyestalk focused on the marines just as they came in the door, and Amy bolted past it, hurtling over to join her friends. She trusted them far more than the Dalek or the people of history.

She'd just slammed into Jay when the Dalek fired off two sharp blasts, killing the marines that had come through the door instantly. Their bodies collapsed, unmoving, and Bracewell stared in horror at their work, crying, "Stop it! Stop it, please! What are you doing? You are my Ironsides!"

The Dalek focused on him now, and the Doctor grimly glanced from the Dalek to Bracewell, as if wondering if he would be the next to be attacked. Amy's breath caught nervously. She liked Bracewell, and wanted him to be safe. "We are the Daleks," disagreed the Dalek.

"But…but I created you," whispered Bracewell, stunned and confused.

The Dalek's arm moved, and the Doctor cried a warning. Bracewell lurched back as it fired, throwing his hands up. The blast caught one, sending sparks flying, and rather than killing Bracewell, it sent him stumbling painfully into a shelf. Papers flew as he stared in horror at his missing hand. Wires and metal twisted in an odd way from his wrist. Amy gaped in shock.

He wasn't human at all.

"We created you," the Dalek told him before vanishing, teleporting away.

They stared in shock at where it had been, and Amy demanded after a moment, eyes round, "What just happened, Doctor?"

He looked horrified, green eyes snapping to hers. "I wanted to know what they wanted," he whispered. "What their plan was. I was their plan." Jay yelped as he suddenly turned and bolted, hauling her with him.

Amy, having a good guess at where the Doctor was going, gave chase.

Jay did her best to keep up, ignoring the pain that crept up her spine. Her knees buckled and her eyes hazed over for a few heartbeats before she blinked them clear and pushed on. She was proud that she'd managed to keep going through the aftershock.

Jay was relieved to see the TARDIS. The time machine stood proudly just where they'd left it, humming anxiously as if she sensed their fear and alarm. The Doctor dropped her hand, hastily unlocking the TARDIS doors and said irritably to himself, "Testimony accepted. That's what they said. My testimony."

Panting for air and shoving her hair impatiently out of her eyes, Amy said firmly, "Don't beat yourself up because you were right, Doctor. What do we do? Chase after them?"

Jay's lips twisted in disapproval when he answered, "This is what I do, and it's dangerous." She was sure he was thinking of Donna, of all the times the Daleks had put those around him in danger, and she knew what he was going to say before he even said it. "So you wait here."

"What," Amy replied sarcastically, the Scottish hint in her voice sharpening with irritation. "So you mean we've got to stay safe down here in the middle of the London Blitz?"

He smiled ruefully over his shoulder at her, the TARDIS door cracked open and held firmly in his hand. "Safe as it gets around me."

Warily, Jay demanded, "And where am I going? Because I'm certainly not staying behind." Her eyes flashed as he sighed, as if impatient with their line of questioning. The Doctor turned to look at her, and her lips pressed into a hard line at the stern look he'd donned, as if she were a mere child who was arguing their bedtime. She glared furiously at him, just daring him to make the suggestion she was sure was dancing on the tip of his tongue.

He took a moment longer than she was sure he was comfortable to come up with his excuse, and Jay arched her brow, waiting. Finally, he said carefully, picking each word cautiously as if hoping it would convince her, "You're still recovering." Jay narrowed her eyes, as if questioning, And? He continued a beat later. "If something happens, you have a TARDIS key. The TARDIS is programmed to locate you if necessary. What I taught you about driving her is still how it's done, and you can take Amy home and keep the TARDIS out of the Daleks' reach."

Her face scrunched up irritably, drawing a snort from Amy. He was right, of course, and she saw the reason in it, but it didn't mean Jay had to like it. She scowled after a moment. She'd been determined to keep the Doctor that kept disappearing in her sights at all times outside of the TARDIS, and here he was, leaving her behind again.

"I'm coming back," he added, knowing precisely what she was thinking. He smiled brightly at her. As if that would make her feel any better about this, when he wore such a dark look in his gaze.

Jay reached out and yanked sharply on the hem of his tweed coat. "You better," she threatened after huffing quietly, "or I'm trashing that bow tie."

The Doctor's smile brightened, and Jay fought the urge to simply follow when he took the hand gripping his coat between his and squeezed it tightly before darting into the TARDIS. A few moments later, the familiar, comforting wheezing sound of the TARDIS echoed in her ears and the beautiful blue box she called home vanished. Amy stood beside her, watching, and when the TARDIS had gone, Amy turned to Jay.

"Come on," said Amy confidently. "Let's go find the prime minister. I bet he'll have something we can use to track the Doctor, especially with Bracewell's inventions hanging about."

Jay's gaze lingered nervously on where the TARDIS had been, her stomach doing flip-flops. The TARDIS key was heavy at her neck. The last time the TARDIS had vanished from where it should be, she'd been abandoned and had struggled to find her way for some time. She was still trying to find her way in the new life thrust upon her, even when the Doctor had eventually returned to her life.

But the Daleks had come back, too, and they had to figure out something that might be helpful. "Right," she murmured, brow furrowing. "Let's go find Mr. Churchill." She cast Amy a quick, tired smile, and then took off at a brisk walk, longing for the familiarity of the coat she'd left folded on her bed in the TARDIS. It brought her comfort, that coat. Still, better to keep the reminder of her first Doctor safe and whole rather than torn to shreds by some kind of incident.

The pair kept close to one another, weaving through the tunnels as they hunted down the prime minister. Jay kept on alert for anything that might be of use that she could hear, but found that there wasn't much. It wasn't like with the Star Whale, when she'd heard a living creature's cries. The Daleks were nothing like the Star Whale.

She ran through different ideas in her head as they finally found Winston Churchill, speaking to a few people. None of them clicked. Luckily, a woman - the young lady from earlier, Jay recalled - called suddenly, "Prime Minister! Signal from RDF, sir. Unidentified object, hanging in the sky according to Captain Childers. We can't get a proper fix. It's too far up."

Churchill glanced at them, thoughtful. "What do you think? The Doctor's in trouble, and now we know where he is."

"Right in the middle of everything," Amy declared, and Jay cracked a small smile. Amy had certainly gotten a good grasp on how the Doctor worked. They both paused to listen when a siren began blaring somewhere over their heads. It was a familiar one. They'd heard it earlier. "Air raid," muttered Amy, and Jay nodded slowly, pressing her lips in a nervous line. This wasn't what they needed any time let alone now.

She shook out her wrists out of pure habit, thinking as her gaze skimmed over the room. A massive table complete with a map and pieces of something littering it stood at its center, and people surrounded it. There were plenty of others working on various bits and pieces that helped Churchill guide the war in the direction it needed to go. Nothing that would help them though.

Especially not as a man shouted, "The generators won't switch off. The lights are on all across London, Prime Minister!"

"That will be the Daleks," Jay said warily, realizing what the Daleks were up to. If the lights couldn't be shut off, then the air raid would result in more damage than they usually tended to do, which unnerved her immensely. The last thing they needed was to increase the number of deaths to a much higher number than necessary. This war brought about more death than she liked anyways.

"The Germans can see every inch of the city!" Churchill cried, as if reading her very thoughts. "We're sitting ducks! Get those lights out before the Germans get here." His brow furrowed as he turned thoughtfully to the map spread out before them, his eyes dark with concern as commotion broke out. "Thousands will die if we don't get those lights out now."

A woman called out, "German bombers sighted over the Channel, sir! ETA ten minutes."

Churchill exhaled quietly, as if worried, before responding, "Get a message to Mr. Attlee. War Cabinet meeting in four hours. If we're all still here."

Deciding that they needed to focus more on the Dalek situation, Jay muttered, "Nothing can be done for London if we don't deal with the Daleks first."

"We've got to take the fight to them," Amy said suddenly, her eyes sparking with sudden excitement as she retreated first one step, and then another. "And they gave us a gift to use against them."

Jay realized what she meant and grinned. Bracewell.

The Doctor's face was grim as he parked the TARDIS aboard the Dalek's ship, his fingers stilling on the controls as he studied the screen. He took a deep breath to steady himself, pushing back memories of what had happened the last time the TARDIS had been aboard a Dalek ship. His hearts twisted at the memory of grief that had slashed him apart when the TARDIS had supposedly been eliminated alongside his companions. It was why he'd left them safely behind this time. Even that didn't make him feel that much better though, seeing as Jay was having new problems with the venom that was changing her biology - and the whole war going on.

The Doctor fixed his bowtie, determined to start this off right, and strode swiftly for the door. He didn't let himself stop to think as he stepped out onto the floor of the Dalek ship, only forced a smile to his face as he saw the Daleks facing him. There were only two, he noted, which was a good thing. There could be countless more aboard the ship, but two wasn't unmanageable necessarily.

"Wait, wait, wait," he said hastily, shoving a hand into his pocket when a Dalek twitched, preparing to fire at him. He grabbed the first thing he found and barely managed to not grimace. A Jammy Dodger was not ideal for what was happening, but he'd make it work. He held the treat aloft, showing it to the Daleks. "I wouldn't if I were you. TARDIS self-destruct, and you know what that means. My ship goes, you all go with it."

The Daleks hesitated despite protesting, "You would not use such a device."

"Try me," he drawled. One of the Daleks rolled forward, and he made to press a button that didn't exist. It stopped dead. "No scans. No nothing," he warned. "One move, and I'll destroy us. TARDIS bang, Daleks boom! Good boy." Satisfied the Daleks wouldn't try anything, he sauntered closer, as if unafraid. It was the opposite, really. He just hid the fear, hoping that what he was doing would get him what he needed to stop the Daleks from doing whatever it was they intended to do. "This ship's pretty beaten up," he commented, letting his eyes rove over the battered space. There were plenty of char marks everywhere, and dents in metallic surfaces. Some wires were even sparking in a few places. It was definitely one that had been there when his double had wrecked Davros's ship despite the Doctor's displeasure with what he'd done.

"Running on empty, I'd say, like you," he continued, glancing back at the Daleks. "When we last met, you were at the end of your rope. Finished."

"One ship survived," stated a Dalek.

Obviously. "And you fell back through time. Crippled, dying." Torn apart by time, if he was correct.

He was surprised when the Dalek continued, having not expected it to offer up the information it gave. "We picked up a trace. One of the Progenitor devices - our past, and our future."

"Oh?" The Doctor feigned being impressed, his mind racing as he tried to think over what that meant. "That's deep for a Dalek. What does it mean though?" He made his way over to a massive set of windows that overlooked the city below. He noted that, searching the darkness with a grimace. That wouldn't bode well. A Dalek ship hovering over a city being regularly bombed. Then again, the Daleks likely preferred such a scenario.

"It contains pure Dalek DNA," the Dalek explained, making him grimace in understanding. Not good. "Thousands were created. All were lost, save one."

The Doctor turned on his heel and studied the Daleks closely. "Okay, but there's still one thing I don't get. If you've got the Progenitor, why build Bracewell?" The scientist didn't seem to fit in very well to the Daleks' usual plans… Understanding raced through him, the realization striking him like a bolt of lightning. "Oh! I get it, I get it. This is rich. The Progenitor wouldn't recognize you." He grinned, as if laughing at them. The Daleks didn't react, though he was sure they weren't pleased with his mockery. "The Progenitor wouldn't recognize you. It saw you as impure. Your DNA is unrecognizable as Dalek."

"A solution was devised."

"Yes, yes, yes," the Doctor said, waving its statement off. He knew that part. It wasn't helpful. "My testimony. Me. So you set a trap. You knew that the Progenitor would recognize the Daleks' greatest enemy. It would accept my word, my recognition of you - no," he said sharply when one of the two began moving. "What are you doing?" The Dalek ignored him, touching an arm to a device that looked as if it would crumble in moments.

"Withdraw now," the Dalek threatened, "or the city dies in flames."

He paused for only a moment to decide how to react. "Who are you kidding?" he said finally, calling their bluff. "This ship is a wreck. You don't have the power to destroy London."

"The humans will destroy themselves." The Doctor frowned at the Dalek's statement and then blinked when every single light began to turn on, all over the city of London. His face paled in realization. The Daleks didn't need to destroy London; the Germans would do that for them.

"Turn the lights off now," he barked, whirling on the Daleks and holding his Jammy Dodger aloft. "Turn London off, or I swear I will use the TARDIS self-destruct."

"Stalemate, Doctor." The Dalek that had been speaking replied in turn. "Leave us and return to Earth."

He would have much rather done that. He didn't like leaving his companions alone in war-torn London one bit, and with a bunch of people who'd have guns on them at all times. But then, they were safer underground with Churchill than here on a Dalek ship. And he couldn't. "That's your great victory?" he tried. "You leave?"

"Extinction is not an option. We shall return to our time and begin again."

A chill ran down his spine. "No," the Doctor said sharply. "No, I won't let you get away this time. I won't."

But it appeared he'd not succeeded in his best efforts to stop them from doing at least part of their goal, because he stared in horror when a door slid open, revealing what the Daleks had been doing as he tried to puzzle out their plan. A set of Daleks slid out through the door that had opened. They looked incredibly different from the two he'd been talking with. Each supported a different color, and they looked new and improved. Had they not been Daleks, he might have even been impressed.

He counted five as the Dalek he'd been speaking with said, "The Progenitor has fulfilled our new destiny. Behold the restoration of the Daleks - the master race."

Amy burst into the lab that belonged to Bracewell, her chest heaving for air. Jay was only a few steps behind, lagging in her exhaustion. She looked deathly pale, heavy bruises hanging beneath her blue eyes. But she remained sharp despite it, her hands shaking as she came to stand beside Amy, wary at the sight of the gun that rested in Bracewell's hand. Amy was shocked by the sight of it. Bracewell had put it against his head, as if he intended to kill himself. Amy opened her mouth to speak, unsure of what to say that would stop him, but Churchill cut her off, surprising her when he stormed in behind them. "Bracewell," he barked, "put the gun down!"

"My life is a lie, and I choose to end it," Bracewell said softly, tears brimming in his eyes. Amy's heart ached for the guy, but they really needed him now. He might be their only chance at helping the Doctor.

"In your own time, Paisley boy," she said firmly, hands on her hips. "Right now, we need your help."

Bracewell looked briefly confused, his gaze shifting to her. He frowned at her. "But those creatures, my Ironsides. They made me. I can remember things…so many things…the last war, the squalor and the mud and the awful misery of it all. What am I?" He sobbed.

Jay stepped in, her expression softening as she carefully approached him. Her fingers rested on his arm, squeezing gently in what was meant to be a comforting motion. "Listen. I understand how you feel, more than you might know. But right now, there is a spaceship that has turned on all the lights on in London, Mr. Bracewell. Thousands will die if we cannot stop it. You might be a machine made by the Daleks, but you were made by the Daleks, some of the scariest, smartest creatures I've seen, and I've seen a lot of things. So you have to have some of their cleverness. Right?"

"Yeah," Amy encouraged, hastily agreeing with what Jay had suggested. "You're alien technology. As clever as the Daleks. So start thinking. What about rockets?" She whirled on the table full of blueprints that he'd shown them, her gaze darting between each one. "You got rockets? You said there were gravity whatsits, hypersonic flight, some kind of missile."

She scowled angrily when Churchill scolded her, "This isn't a fireworks party, Miss Pond. We need proper tactics."

Maybe meeting your heroes wasn't as good as they made it seem. Excluding a Time Lord who shouldn't have existed, of course.

"A missile," she seethed. "A proper missile. That we can send up there."

"Is it possible?" Churchill questioned with a look in Bracewell's direction. He'd lowered the gun from his head, much to Amy's relief, and she watched as Jay carefully removed it from his hand and set it aside, looking very pleased to have put the weapon away at least temporarily.

"Theoretically, yes," admitted Bracewell. "With a gravity bubble, it's possible we could send something into space."

Jay's lips curved into a wide smile at the mere mention of such a thing. "Easy. I'll help you." Amy snapped her face towards Jay in surprise. She arched a brow in response. "What? My father built spaceships and I'm from another year. I told you that. You really think I can't help them figure out gravity? How else do you get people to live relatively normally on the moon?" She ignored the odd looks that Churchill and Bracewell were giving her, planting her hands on her hips and rolling her shoulders. Amy couldn't help but frown at the shudder that ran through her body, her eyes hazing ever so briefly before focusing again. Jay looked more inclined to collapse than to help with gravity bubbles, but if she said she could…

They didn't really have many options than to take advantage of everything that they could.

So, Amy decided, "Okay, so you focus on the gravity whatevers. Bracewell, is there anything that can help us figure out what's going on with the Daleks and the Doctor?"

Bracewell immediately indicated some jumbled mess of supplies nearby. "I have a scanner that may be of some use if we can get it to work."

Amy exchanged a quick look with Jay. Jay inclined her head towards the scanner. If they could at least see what the Doctor was doing, Amy thought, nodding in agreement, then they might be able to have an easier time helping him without him even knowing. Amy put her hands on her hips, giving them all a stern look as if it would help her keep them on the track she wanted them on. "Right. Let's get that scanner up and going, and then we can start on the other things."

It didn't take them long at all, much to Amy's surprise. Given that they were in the 1940s, she expected it to take far longer than it actually did. But it wasn't long before Bracewell was coaxing a screen to show them what they wanted with Jay's quiet help, her fingers adjusting things that Bracewell missed. She'd been working on the logistics of the gravity bubbles, passing on what she could and dragging Bracewell away whenever she needed him for some particular reason. Now, however, she was more concerned about checking on the Doctor.

"Ha!" barked Bracewell proudly, beaming when an image materialized before them. Amy crowded in with Jay, nearly shoving Churchill out of the way, but neither really cared that much. Amy's brow furrowed at the sight before them. The Doctor stood aboard a ship, something clasped in his hand as a voice that was different yet similar to the Daleks stated in a monotonous manner, "We are the paradigm of a new Dalek race. Scientist, Strategist, Drone, Eternal, and the Supreme."

Jay whispered beside her, pointing to something on the screen that resembled the Daleks they'd seen. "That. That's got to be what's speaking, but we've never seen a Dalek like that before." She looked troubled by the sight of the Dalek, her finger caressing its shape on the static-stricken screen. "Look at the contrast. It's white. They're never white."

"Which would be you, I'm guessing," said the Doctor on the screen. "Well, you know, nice paint job. I'd be feeling pretty swish if I looked like you. Pretty supreme."

"Forget what color they are for now." Amy grabbed her arm and hauled her over to the blueprints again, her eyes flashing. "We've got to get some help up there. Jay, what can you do about that gravity?"

Jay waved Bracewell over hastily, blue eyes sharp with interest as she skimmed the blueprint. "Tell me about this. Get me this, and I can figure out the rest." She tapped a calculation, and Amy was sure that if the Doctor had been there, he'd have been smiling like an idiot.

Amy left them to it after watching for far longer than she wished, not understanding a word the pair uttered between them. They'd finished the finalizations of the calculations that sounded like nothing in Amy's ears, and Bracewell was gathering up the remainder of those who could help him to recreate the plans swiftly. "I'll keep an eye on the Doctor," she told Jay, who threw her a thumbs up over her shoulder. She locked her eyes onto the screen as she told Churchill, "We're going to need coordinates. Soon."

Churchill agreed, looking somewhat amused as he went to have his men and women search for just that. Amy planted her hands on the table, staring hard at the screen as the Doctor mildly questioned the Daleks, clearly buying time for something, "Question is, what do we do now? Either you turn off your clever machine or I'll blow you and your new paradigm into eternity."

"And yourself," commented the Dalek painted white.

He sounded unconcerned. "Occupational hazard."

"I really wish," huffed Jay as she came over a heartbeat later, shaking her wrists out, "he'd stop saying stuff like that. It's insulting."

Another Dalek on the screen spoke, the lights on its head flashing with each word it uttered. "Scan reveals nothing. TARDIS self-destruct device nonexistent."

The Doctor didn't react for a moment, and Amy couldn't help her startled laugh when he shoved whatever he'd been holding into his mouth. He said around it, voice muffled, "It's a Jammy Dodger. I was promised tea."

Jay exhaled sharply, pressing her hands over her face with exasperation. Amy cracked a small smile at the sight before focusing when the Dalek suddenly announced, "Alert! Unidentified projectile approaching." The Dalek paused and then corrected itself. "Correction, multiple projectiles."

Amy snapped her head around, caught unprepared. "That fast?" A proud smile crossed over her face when the Doctor looked confused on the screen. He hid his confusion quickly when the Daleks turned to him for an explanation.

Jay took a deep breath, rolling her shoulders, and then smiled warily at Amy. Her blue eyes gleamed with an almost mischievous look as she said with a simple shrug, "I had a vacation home on the moon, Amy. Honestly, a little bit of gravity is nothing when the Daleks did most of the work."

"What are the humans doing?" the Dalek demanded, and the Doctor was clearly fighting the proud smile threatening to appear on his face when another swung around to stare at him from its eyestalk. He merely shrugged at the Dalek crept towards him, screeching at him to explain.

Amy glanced at Jay again, her eyes sharp. "Anything else we can do with Bracewell's blueprints?" Jay shook her head, chewing on her lip then. They'd done everything they could then. Great. Now they got to stand there and watch, which was the very last thing either of them wanted to do.

Still. They'd done something, and Amy told herself that sometimes, that small something meant all the difference.

The Doctor was delighted. He'd hoped that the collection of humans he'd left behind would be able to keep themselves safe from the Daleks and the incoming issues of the air raid, but he'd not expected them to throw him some help. He laughed as a voice echoed out, the Daleks systems catching the signal with ease. "Danny Boy to the Doctor. Are you receiving me? Over."

The Doctor ignored the Daleks' screeching demands, instead calling back with a grin that he allowed to creep openly onto his face now, "Loud and clear! Big dish, side of the ship. Blow it up."

The Daleks rounded on him, weapons already moving, and the Doctor grimaced, smile vanishing as he bolted for the safety of the TARDIS. He yelped, stooping to avoid a blast fired at him, but managed to reach his ship in time. He slid inside and hastily locked the door behind him. The Doctor wasn't precisely confident on what Churchill and the others had sent up into space, but he trusted that it would - hopefully - be enough.

The Doctor took just a moment to catch his breath before rushing for the console, the TARDIS already aware of what he was requesting of her before he even reached it. His eyes flashed as within seconds of pressing a few buttons, the voices of several people rang out, keeping him informed on what was happening. Churchill's orders followed by a few pilots, following up on those orders, filled the air and the Doctor slowly nodded his approval of what he was hearing. As he listened, he carefully moved the TARDIS, leaving it hovering in space not too far from the Dalek ship.

It didn't take long for his hearts to sink, however, for one by one, each pilot's voice died out, another reporting each loss. Before long, a voice reported over the intercoms, "Danny Boy to the Doctor. The dish seems to be protected. Only me left now. Anything you can do, sir? Over."

The Doctor leaned on the console, his eyes darting this way and that. His mind raced. Finally, he came to a conclusion, already getting to work. He urged the display screen to show him the very dish that he needed them to get to, studying it closely. Trusting the TARDIS to relay his message, he replied, "The Doctor to Danny Boy. I can disrupt the Dalek shields, but not for long." He almost forgot to add the hasty, "Over."

The Doctor flew around the console, the TARDIS's humming loud in his ears.

It wasn't long before the pilot reported, "Shield's down. I'm going in. Wish me luck. Over." The Doctor dove for the screen, anxiously running a hand through his hair and watching what looked like a World War II-era plane dove for the dish. He grinned when it exploded moments later, a voice shouting over the intercoms, "Direct hit!" He could have sworn he heard Amy's voice cheering in the background, and his hearts swelled with pride as he realized that it was likely she and Jay were behind at least some of it. They were clever, and while he hated that they were using such violence…they'd used what he'd left them with and helped him with his aim to stop the Daleks, even if they didn't like where he'd left them.

"Danny Boy to the Doctor," the pilot suddenly said, and the Doctor perked up, paying attention. "Going in for another attack."

The Doctor was delighted. If they could destroy the ship, an order he relayed to the pilot, then they could stop the Daleks from repopulating their species, prevent any further devastations - even if he did worry that they'd come back again, just as they always did. Before he could continue, a voice cut into the intercom, echoed by disapproving protests.

His lips quirked into an amused smirk when Jay's voice crackled to life. "You better not be on that ship. We lost view when the dish blew up."

The Doctor chuckled, fondly answering, "I'm safe and sound."

He heard her huff, though she seemed satisfied with his answer. He faltered when the image he'd displayed on his screen suddenly altered itself, displaying the white Dalek that had labeled itself as the Supreme. His smile disappeared, gaze hardening as the Dalek demanded, "Doctor, call off your attack."

The Doctor gave a bark of laughter, smirking at it. They'd turned off all other communications, limiting what the others heard down below. He was confident only he and the Daleks heard the conversation they had now. "What," mocked the Doctor, narrowing his eyes at it. "And let you scuttle off back to the future? No. This is the end for you - the final end."

"Call off the attack, or we will destroy the Earth." When the Doctor merely scoffed, thinking them to be bluffing even as a small tug in the back of his mind told him otherwise, the Dalek added, "Bracewell is a bomb."

Dread surged down his spine. "You're bluffing," he tried, voice hoarse even as he knew the Dalek wasn't. "Deception's second nature to you. There isn't a sincere bone in your body. Actually, there isn't a single bone in your body."

"His power is derived from an Oblivion Continuum. Call off your attack, or we will detonate the android. We will shatter the planet below. Earth will die screaming."

The Doctor didn't have to imagine what that sounded like. He remembered standing there, stuck in a beam of light with Rose merely a few feet away, the cries and screams of the dying in his ears. He remembered the people of New York, falling like flies around him as the Daleks descended, eliminating everything in their path. He remembered each and every time the Daleks had come to Earth, and he knew that people would die screaming. He exhaled sharply, fury bubbling up deep in his chest. "And if let you go," he rasped, dropping his head into his hands and trying to not scream in devastation at the thought of letting the Daleks go so he could save the earth instead, "you'll be stronger than ever - a new race of Daleks."

"Then choose," challenged the white Dalek. "Destroy the Daleks or save the earth." Its image vanished from the screen, leaving the Doctor to make his decision. He heard the Dalek order the beginning of the countdown, indicating that they'd activated the bomb. His hearts missed a beat. Bracewell. He'd thought he'd left Amy and Jay safely beneath the streets of London. Instead, he'd put them at the center of a potential bomb that would annihilate them until there was nothing left. The Doctor was furious with himself, and with the Daleks for putting him in this situation.

The Doctor wasn't sure if they could hear what was happening down on Earth. Jay's voice made him guess that it was likely not when she asked, "Doctor? Doctor, where'd you go?"

Of course there wasn't a choice to be made.

Scowling, already hating himself, the Doctor spoke out over the intercom, addressing the pilot after ensuring he'd be heard, "The Doctor to Danny Boy. Withdraw." He whirled onto the controls, already steering the TARDIS. His voice rose to a snappish shout when the pilot requested that he repeat himself. "I said withdraw! Return to Earth. There's no time. Go now." He almost forgot to add, "Over," though it seemed like such a ridiculous concern as the TARDIS began her usual, comforting wheeze-like sound as she took off through space and time, returning him to where he suspected there was now more danger than he'd initially expected.

Where he knew danger now lay, even.

And he hated himself for being angry that he had to go back, that he had to withdraw and deal with the bomb that threatened to rip apart Earth.

"'There's no time,'" muttered Amy, glancing at Jay. Jay looked as troubled as she felt by that statement. There had been an oddly long bout of silence following the initial attack of the pilots, who were now returning to Earth. Why were they returning? That was the question none of them could answer. Amy was sure that they'd get the answer when the pilots returned.

Or, she supposed, if the Doctor decided to come back.

Jay suddenly stilled, her eyes darting towards the hallway. A smile blossomed onto her face, full of relief. "The Doctor's back," she announced, and Amy arched her brow, wondering just how she could be so sure.

No more than a minute or two later, however, she was proven right, and the Doctor came sprinting into the room. He didn't spare any of them a second glance when Jay chirped a relieved greeting, or when Amy opened her mouth to demand answers.

Instead, they could only yelp and shriek in surprise alongside the rest of those present when the Doctor lunged for Bracewell, who'd been anxiously watching the screen he'd put together, and promptly punched him so hard that the poor man went tumbling down to the ground.

"Doctor," Jay gasped, absolutely horrified by what he'd done as she slapped her hands over her mouth. Amy squawked right alongside her in disapproval, but he ignored them both, grimacing as he reeled back and shook out his aching hand.

"Sorry, Professor," the Doctor declared, not looking the least bit apologetic, "but you're a bomb. An inconceivably massive Dalek bomb."

"That doesn't mean you have to punch him," muttered Amy.

Bracewell simply blinked up at them, too stunned to try and get up from the floor. "What?"

"There's an Oblivion Continuum inside you," the Doctor explained hastily, pointing his sonic screwdriver at Bracewell after drawing it from his pocket. It glowed green, buzzing loudly in the otherwise silent room. "A captured wormhole that provides perpetual power. If it detonates, Earth bleeds into another dimension. Now keep down."

"Don't be rude," Jay huffed, immediately dropping to her knees beside Bracewell after pushing past the Time Lord. She studied the metal that had been revealed, entirely unbothered even as a few others, including Churchill, reeled back in alarm. There were a series of blue lights blinking at them, set in a circle, and one had turned yellow.

"Not good," Amy guessed, kneeling beside her.

"Not good," agreed the Doctor.

"What do we do?" Jay asked him, glancing up as Bracewell became panicked, staring in horror at his own chest.

The Doctor looked incredibly frustrated as he began scrubbing his hands through his hair, messing it up until almost every strand stood on end. "I don't know," he barked, scowling at them as if he was annoyed they were trying to pry information he couldn't give them from him. Amy scowled right back at him, but Jay remained calm, taking Bracewell's hand and giving it a comforting squeeze. She glanced at the Doctor again, jaw set. She waited until he exhaled sharply and gritted out, "Never seen one up close before. He explodes the moment that," he indicated the lights as another turned yellow, "turns red."

Amy considered all of this information, raking her mind for some kind of solution. Shoving red hair impatiently from her eyes, she said urgently, "There's a blue wire or something you have to cut, isn't there? There's always a blue wire. Or a red one."

Jay nodded her agreement, even as the Doctor told her quite rudely, "You're not helping."

She glowered at him as Churchill came to peer over their shoulders, stooping to investigate the lights that blinked menacingly at them. He looked to be in awe of them. "Incredible. Yet, he talked to us about his memories…even those from the Great War…"

Amy saw the instant something clicked in Jay's brain. The Doctor, muttering under his breath about anything and everything as he sought answers, clamped his mouth shut when she reached out and lightly whacked him in the leg, shutting him up effectively. She smiled warmly at the speechless, terrified Bracewell, squeezing his hand again. "Tell us about those memories, Mr. Bracewell."

He blinked owlishly at her behind his round glasses. "I hardly think this is the time-"

"No, this is the perfect time. Tell us about those memories." Her eyes flashed with excitement, even as another light turned yellow. She didn't react, even as they all flinched when one turned red. "You're as human as you make yourself to be, Mr. Bracewell. So prove you're human and tell us about your life."

The Doctor forgot his irritation and beamed at her proudly, which made Amy roll her eyes even as she forced a smile to her face, trying to copy Jay's calm behavior. Even so, there was a tightness in her shoulders she couldn't get rid of.

Bracewell began to talk. He spoke of his hometown, the death of his family. The Doctor coaxed him into explaining just how badly it had hurt, and Amy realized he was trying to help Bracewell pull as many emotions from those memories as he could. Jay caught on, too. Together, the three of them commented on each memory, trying to draw more, and more, and more.

It did nothing though. No matter how hard they tried, it wasn't long before yellow overrode blue, and red yellow. Before long, there was only one yellow light left. Amy could feel her shirt sticking to her skin as cold sweat broke out over her skin. She was terrified of what would happen if she died. What would Rory think when she never showed up?

She risked a look at Jay, who was nervously biting her lip. Amy watched as she looked to the Doctor almost hopefully, as if she truly believed he'd have some kind of answer. He met her gaze with a pained expression, mournful. Rather than looking disappointed, Jay only smiled at him reassuringly, as if she still thought they'd figure something out. Something about that smile seemed to ease the Doctor.

Amy grinned. There, she thought as she saw the same signs she'd seen on the Star Whale. The same dance the pair of idiots before her had performed, acting as if they didn't know. Jay could say what she wanted, but Amy knew she still loved the Doctor, just as Amy was confident he felt as strongly for Jay. But it was the same dance everyone performed when they were in love.

Maybe even a dance Bracewell had performed, because what emotion was more powerful than love?

"Hey, Paisley," she breathed, leaning in so that she was nearly whispering, very aware of the others watching fearfully. He was heaving for breath, terrified as he fought to do what they were all trying to help him do. "Ever fancied someone you know you shouldn't?" He was clearly confused, but Amy only smiled. "It hurts, doesn't it? But it's a good kind of hurt. The kind you like."

Amy nearly crowed her success when Bracewell grew bashful. "I really shouldn't talk about her-"

"Oh? So there's a her," commented Amy mildly, trying not to let her hope show too much when she noticed that the yellow had turned blue.

Jay's breath caught in her throat, and she joined in. "What's her name, Mr. Bracewell?"

"Dorabella," admitted Bracewell, and Amy could scarcely contain her excitement when a red light turned yellow. She glanced up at the Doctor to see what he thought, but the Doctor was watching Jay with an unreadable expression on his face. One that at any other time, with anyone else, might have made her tease them. But there was such a pained look on his face as he studied Jay that Amy quickly turned back to what she was doing, her heart aching for the pair of idiots beside her.

"That's a nice name," Amy told Bracewell.

"A beautiful name," agreed Jay. "What was she like? Tell us."

Amy added, "Everything you can think of."

And so, he did. Neither of them lost their encouraging smiles as Bracewell began to muse about the woman he fancied, a woman who'd likely never know just how important she'd become to the world. They chimed in with questions here and there, and he answered them whole-heartedly, happy to talk about Dorabella.

With each question he answered, red turned to yellow, and yellow to blue, until at last, all segments had turned blue, signaling the bomb's inactivity.

They all cheered, every single one of them. Jay sprang to her feet with a laugh, even as her knees buckled beneath her exhaustion. Even the Doctor cheered with them despite his initial frustration. He stooped to press a kiss to Amy's head, beaming proudly at her, and Amy found that there was almost nothing better than the Doctor's praise as he told her, "You're brilliant!"

Almost nothing.

She had a few things in mind.

"Now," the Doctor said firmly, wheeling around with determination, "we've got to stop the Daleks-"

"Wait," interrupted Bracewell. "It's too late, Doctor." Carefully, Bracewell sat up, looking uncomfortable with the fact that his blue-lit chest was still on display. Amy moved away to give him some space as touched the lights thoughtfully. "They've gone. I can feel it. My mind is clear. The Daleks have gone."

"No," breathed the Doctor, splintering into a mixture of rage and grief and hatred that made Amy shiver. "No, no, no! They can't get away from me again!"

Amy was surprised by his anger. How could he be so upset when they'd just saved Earth? Themselves? Maybe the Daleks had gotten away from them, but surely they'd find them again someday and stop them then. "Doctor," she tried to reassure as he dropped his face into his hands, devastated, "it's okay. You stopped the bomb."

"I had a choice," he said, voice muffled. "They knew I'd choose Earth. The Daleks won. They beat me. They won."

Jay looked displeased with the idea, even as she stepped in and wrapped him in a tight hug. Amy watched sharply with no small amount of amusement as the Doctor relaxed beneath her tough, leaning into the embrace. Gently, she reminded him, "We'll run into them some time, some place, Doctor. We always do. We'll stop them then. Listen to Amy."

She shot Amy a pointed look, and Amy sputtered. What else was there to say? "You saved the earth," she reminded him, gesturing to the space around them when he looked up, as tired-looking as Jay. "Right? Not too shabby, I'd say."

"No," he admitted, and Amy was relieved to see some of the devastation melt away. "Not too shabby." He glanced at Jay, and she smiled widely, even as there was a shiver that seemed to run up her spine, twisting it a little. A small, lingering effect, Amy thought. But the Doctor only said, "Not too shabby at all."

Normally, the Doctor would have invited Jay to help him take apart the alien technology she'd helped put together. She'd have liked to, enjoyed his explanations on how it worked in detail rather than simply putting things together as she had. Amy had told him about her part in making Bracewell's blueprints work, and even now, he felt as if he'd burst with pride, no matter how upset he was with the Daleks' escape. It was one thing to mess with the technology in her time; it was another to make Dalek technology work with that of the 1940s.

This time, however, he'd left her to doze, head laying on Amy's shoulder as they finished their final farewells to those they'd met. He'd already met with Bracewell, who'd initially thought he'd come to dismantle him. The Doctor had warned him to stay out of trouble, trusting that Bracewell would do so. Bracewell seemed to have a new drive in life, excited about the prospects of what his new identity could do for his work, and the Doctor hoped he chose to do good with it rather than only "good" for war.

The Doctor had ensured to pass on Amy and Jay's farewells, too, for by the time Bracewell was finished with what he was doing, the Doctor was confident they'd all be gone. He'd make sure of it, in case Bracewell got it into his head that the best place for alien technology was on board the TARDIS.

Finished and having ensured that all of the technology was done and dealt with so that no one would be able to advance further than they should (which mostly consisted of dumping everything they'd had into the TARDIS), the Doctor went to find his companions. They were exactly where he'd left them, of course, though Jay was now in a chair, her head in her arms as she rested. He made a note to run some new tests as soon as he could, frowning as he recalled the differences in the way the venom running through her veins affected her now. Jay had been far more aware of the world around her, and the ways in which her body had jerked…

It made him uncomfortable.

Amy, on the other hand, was perched on the table where he'd left her, chatting up Churchill. She saw him almost immediately and grinned, waving with bright dark eyes. "Doctor!" she called, and Churchill looked over his shoulder with some amusement. Jay didn't even twitch. Asleep then. "Where've you been?"

"Tying up loose ends." He gave Churchill a stern look. "I've taken out all of the alien tech Bracewell and Jay put in."

"Won't you reconsider?" Churchill pleaded, looking incredibly disappointed. "Those Spitfires could win me the war in twenty hours. Why can't we put an end to all this misery?" He pointedly gestured to a young woman who was weeping into the arms of her coworker with enough agony on her face to tell the Doctor that she'd lost someone and had only just discovered it.

His hearts ached for the woman, and for all those like her. But he said firmly, "It doesn't work like that, Winston, and it's going to be tough. There are terrible days to come - the darkest days. But you can do it. You know you can."

Churchill sighed, disagreeing, but instead offered an embrace to bid him farewell. "It's been a pleasure, Doctor, just as it always is."

The Doctor wasn't one to refuse a hug, even if he disagreed with many things Churchill had done and would do. He returned the embrace fondly. "Too right," he said before stepping back, intent on waking Jay. He retreated, leaving Amy to bid Churchill goodbye, too. The Doctor didn't hesitate to gently shake Jay's shoulder, and she groaned in protest, but lifted her head to squint at him. "Time to go," he said quietly, and she huffed, but stumbled to her feet, using his arm to catch her balance.

The Doctor turned to leave, letting Jay lean on him, but stopped when Amy, rather than following, cleared her throat pointedly and extended her hand. "Chuchill," she said warningly. The Doctor turned his head to watch her, confused, and then sputtered when she made a pointed motion with her fingers. "TARDIS key. The one you just took from the Doctor."

Jay chuckled as the Doctor scrambled to check his infinite pockets, stunned to find that Churchill had indeed gotten ahold of his key. "Weren't you the one who told me not to lose mine?" she muttered teasingly, and he gave her a half-hearted glare with no heat behind it.

Churchill, amused, handed the key to Amy, commenting to the Doctor, "She's good. As sharp as me."

The Doctor had to agree. His companions always were, each in their own way.

Finally, Amy joined them, and they began their walk back to the TARDIS. The Doctor grumbled under his breath as he took his key back from Amy and pushed it into his pocket. As they walked, Amy said quite suddenly, her hands clasped behind her back, "So…you have enemies then, Doctor?"

"Everyone's got enemies," he pointed out.

"Yeah, but mine's the woman outside Budgens with the mental Jack Russel. You've got actual arch-enemies."

The Doctor shrugged, then snorted when Jay yawned, looping her arm with Amy's more so for her own sake than to be friendly. "That dog was only mental because we passed by it around the same time every day, Amy. It didn't like me."

Amy hummed in thought, not surprised. "Here's me thinking we'd just be running through time, being daft and fixing stuff, but it's actually dangerous, isn't it?"

"Can be. Very. Is that a problem?" the Doctor questioned, unsure of where this line of conversation was going. He would always drop Amy off at home if she wanted to leave, but he quite liked having her along. Jay did, too, if the frown on her face was anything to go by.

"I'm still here, aren't I?" pointed out Amy, and he smiled at her, relieved. She wasn't going anywhere. She searched his gaze for a few moments before murmuring, "You're still worried about the Daleks, aren't you?"

"I'm always worried about the Daleks." He frowned severely at her then, a thought occurring in his head. She should have remembered the Daleks, he recalled. Jay did. Wilfred and Sylvia had, when he'd left Jay with them. The others he'd been with had. The Doctor was sure that if he encountered a random human anywhere on Earth in Amy's time, they'd recall the Daleks.

So why didn't Amy?

The Doctor mused the thought over as he let them back into the TARDIS, ushering them in first in case something else decided to happen in the two seconds it took to get inside. He locked the door behind them.

"I'm going to get some sleep," Jay yawned, peering over her shoulder at them with a sleepy smile. "Wake me up before the next stop, would you?" She paused, going still for just a moment before shaking off whatever she felt. He frowned again. Seeing his expression, Jay told the Doctor with a heavy sigh, "We can do tests and stuff, I suppose. When I get up."

Without giving the Doctor a chance to respond, Jay waved at them over her shoulder and headed for her room, disappearing down the hall. He heard her musing greetings to the humming TARDIS as she went, chatting with her as if she knew fully well what the TARDIS was saying. He couldn't help the affectionate smile that danced over his lips as he touched his bowtie to ensure it was straight, considering what tests he'd need to run.

It took the Doctor a moment to realize that Amy was boring a hole in the side of his head, staring at him intently. "What?" he demanded, ruffled for some reason. He strode for the console, intent on at least sending them into a safe place in space, where they'd not be bothered until Jay woke up.

Mischief sparked in Amy's eyes as she sauntered after him, dropping comfortably into the captain's seat. He didn't like it. Not as she rested her head on her fist, elbow propped on the back, and said quite smugly, "So. You're in love with Jay, right?"

He'd expected a lot of things from Amelia Pond.

That was most certainly not one of them.

His hand slipped on the controls, and alarms blared immediately. He yelped, rushing to fix it. Amy didn't look the least bit concerned as the Doctor scrambled to shut the alarms that hurt even his ears off. Silence fell when he at last smacked the right button. The TARDIS grumbled, not happy with his mistake, but he was too busy trying to regather his scattered thoughts and figure out how the hell he was supposed to respond to that question without going one way or the other and giving her ammunition to surprise him with it later.

Amy was patient though. She simply watched him, waiting. There was a gleam in her eyes that told him she knew more than she was letting him on somehow. The Doctor saw it when he finally turned to face her, eyeing her warily as he said somewhat warningly, "Amelia…"

Amy smiled like the Cheshire cat and spoke only when she had his full attention again. "Idiots," she muttered to herself, and he got the feeling she'd said as such before. "Both of you. Idiots. Honestly."

Amy hopped to her feet again, pretending to flick some imaginary lint from her skirt. "How long?" she challenged, somehow catching him off guard again.

The Doctor clenched his jaw tightly, grinding his teeth so hard he was surprised they didn't break. "Don't you have something to do?" He made a wild gesture towards the hallway Jay had gone down. She simply shrugged. "There must be something you haven't seen on the TARDIS."

"I haven't seen all that much, actually. Jay was going to give me a tour, but we went to see Churchill instead," Amy mused. She wasn't deterred, however, though she accepted that she'd not likely get an answer out of him for now. She shrugged at his lack of answer. "Don't answer me if you don't want to. I'll ask Jay what she knows later."

"Amy," he said sharply, exasperated and frustrated that she'd brought up a topic he tried so very hard to bury deep, deep down, so that it never became a problem.

She sighed at him, as if he was inconveniencing her with her chosen topic of conversation. "Fine. But seriously, you're not really that good at hiding it, you know. And," she continued, and the Doctor was horrified by the heat that threatened to rise to his cheeks, only giving her more evidence of what she was clearly looking for, "just so you know, Jay's just as obvious."

He wasn't blind. Of course he knew that. Just because he'd changed and become a new person, however, didn't mean similar thoughts and ideas and rules didn't still apply or stick in his head. There were too many risks with anything like that. He didn't want that kind of grief again - especially when he knew that it was inevitable that Jay would one day disappear from his life, just as they all did in the end.

Maybe she'd stuck around a little longer than most did, but even she was - at least somewhat - human.

Amy read the grim look on the Doctor's face and waved him off. "I'm going. Just thought you should know."

The Doctor wasn't sure why he said it, or where it came from. Perhaps it was simply his gratitude for her giving up on the topic and moving on to do other things in the TARDIS for the time being. But he found himself admitting as she turned away, "Pompeii." She looked back, startled and confused, and he found that it spilled from him in a rush, like some kind of dam had finally broken. "We were friends for a long time before then. But she made the same choice I did, so I wouldn't have to." Again, he added silently.

Amy would never understand fully. Not because she didn't want to, but simply because she'd not been there. She got the idea, though, especially after the Star Whale. Amy's smile was bright when she offered it. Maybe it wasn't her thoughts to offer, but in typical Amy way, she did.

"She said she wouldn't live this way without you," was all Amy said before she skipped away, pleased with the information she'd received.

The Doctor grimaced and rubbed his hands down his face. Maybe so, he thought. But then, he couldn't one hundred percent say, at this point, that she'd know another way to live with the venom that seemed to seep away any chance she had at a life after the TARDIS.

I love Amy and her sass. Next up, some original stuff, and then we get some fun with the Weeping Angels again! Another episode I've been super excited to get to. ;)

Also, an update at long last, as I always say. Thank you for your patience!

Thanks to historyhufflepuff and savethemadscientist (as always) for your reviews! I truly appreciate them.