//Author's Note: I ammmm sooooo sorryyyyy! Gosh I've been wrapped up in my other fics on here that this one got pushed to the side. Ugh I'm almost at 2000 reads! This is no way to treat you awesome people!! Thanks so much, guys! <3 I promise I'll get better at this.//

So it's Pompeii. As in, exploding volcano that kills everyone Pompeii. Jed knew Octavius would be devastated at the thought.
And so he didn't bring it up. He treated it like any other near-death experience they'd had.

"Cmon, Ockie. Let's kick this thing in its behind,"

Octavius looked over at Jed and the corners of his lips twitched.

Octavius helped Jedediah stand up.
"Let's get as many people out of the city as we can," Octavius said suddenly, and with such conviction that it was no doubt that he was the leader of an army. "Doctor, we need your magic box to rescue the civilians."

The Doctor stumbled at the words, as though he was about to help, but thought against it.
"Octavius, look, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but this is a fixed point in time. If we save people... we can't. We can't save people. Any other day but today...,"

Octavius looked as though he'd been slapped across the face.
"What do you mean you can't?" He cried, "I heard another you saying how it has magic traveling powers!"

"Ockie," Jed muttered. Octavius glared.

"These are my people!"

"I know," The Doctor said.

"So save them!"

"I can't... Look, I don't expect you to understand--"

"I don't!" Octavius pushed past The Doctor and opened the door to the TARDIS. He almost fell flat on his face at the sight.
"It's bigger on the inside," he wheezed.

The Doctor shut the TARDIS doors in Octavius' face.
"It's sorry. We can't save people, not today. I can take you back to where you've traveled from, but that's it, no more."

Octavius got over his shock from seeing the interior of the blue box.
"What's the point, then?" He growled. "Why save some but not others?"

"Like I said, I don't expect you to understand," The Doctor messed up his hair in embarrassment.

"You're taking Rory, too, then." Octavius commanded. The Doctor threw up his hands.
The ground shook violently again.

"Look, I've got to find Donna,"

Jedediah grabbed Octavius by the shoulder.
"Don't... Don't try nothin', partner,"

Octavius buried his face in his hands.
"I'm sorry, Jedediah. I thought this would be a great adventure and opportunity for you to witness my culture..."

"It is a great adventure, compadre. An' if that loony Doctor won't save Yer people, we will!"

And so Jedediah, Octavius, and Rory ran around to the people of Pompeii, trying to warn as many as they could. Some listened, some didn't, but the point was to tell everyone.

The ground shook in another earthquake, and Octavius covered Jedediah from the falling debris. The two fell down, and Rory soon followed.

"We need to get to higher ground!" Rory shouted.

"My people are in danger!"

"'Tavius, we did all we could!" Jed screamed, staggering to his feet and taking Octavius by the arm.

Octavius felt guilty. He looked sadly at Jedediah, pleading to help more people. But the time had come. Romans were fleeing the scene. The sky was blackening more by the second, and tremors rocked the base of Mount Vesuvius.

Then the horror struck the three men at practically the same time.
Where was The Doctor?

A sudden look of realization was shared between the group.
Jed seized Octavius and Rory by the hands and yelled "Come on!!" They followed, knowing exactly what he was planning.

They shouldered through the crowds of panicked civilians, pushing to try and find that little shop with the blue box.

It happened in slow motion. The mountain behind them erupted into flames. Lava exploded into the sky, and all Octavius could see was a wall of fire. It never seemed to stop. The first deadly crash landed 50 feet away and was crawling toward them fast.

Octavius pushed Jedediah and Rory forward, getting them to safer ground. It was a mad dash and a scramble to cut into side streets and plow their way through the smoke and fire. Ash curled around their faces and burned their eyes, and they could feel the heat liking at their heels. The lava wasn't stopping. The volcano was exploding in the background still, relentlessly killing the city.

They had minutes left. Buildings were demolished, covered up by the flames. Octavius felt like he was going to get sick from the smoke and heartbreak alike.
Jedediah took off his bandana and gave it to Rory to hold over his nose and mouth. Octavius was breathing through his sooty cape.

And then Jed's legs gave out. Octavius would guess smoke inhalation. Jed's eyes fogged over and he toppled to the ground weakly.

Octavius stopped in his tracks and began to drag Jedediah along with him. Jed struggled to get up, then fell back into the dirt.
"Ockie," he coughed through the ash, "Take Rory and go. Don't stop till ya find The Doctor."

"Jedediah I shall not leave you!"

"If ya don't, we all die, 'Tavius!"

The flames licked at Jedediah's feet, his pants going up in flames. Octavius scrambled to drag him a few more feet as he cried out in pain.

"I am not quitting on you!" Octavius yelled.

He and Rory pulled the nauseated, dizzy cowboy a bit father before Octavius picked up his friend in his arms, staggering through the sticky dirt road, becoming plastic-y in texture from the heat. Ash rained down on the three men and they all secretly knew this would be the end. They just didn't want to say it.

"Ockie, listen partner. We had some great adventures...," Jed coughed. He looked sadly up at the Roman who was carrying him.

"Jedediah please,"

"Yeah, General Octavius, it's been an honor to serve by your side," Rory said. He saluted the general.

Octavius felt his throat closing up, and it wasn't from the smoke.
"Thank you. For everything." Octavius shut his eyes, all the rest of the words on his tongue left unsaid.

A whooshing, grinding noise sounded out, and a pair of hands grabbed The Roman and his friends as the ash surrounded them and the fire overtook the outskirts of the city.

Author's Note: sorry about the long wait! Hope this makes up for it. This chapter is dedicated tmention a user