𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧
𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬
𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞
𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎

from the eyes of
— 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐒 𝐉𝐀𝐃𝐄 —

The air is straight nasty with a bite of pure chill to it. Not as terrible as like the arctic cold or even a snowy cold, still better than the Chicago cold that the Doctor had plucked me out of, but it was still an uncomfortable temperature for people not dressed appropriately.

AKA—Amelia Pond.

The sky is grey and immensely overcast—I would not be surprised if it started to drizzle. But then again, it seemed to always be raining in Great Britain. Which brings me to my next question: why the fuck do we always end up in this fucking country on this damn planet every damn time?

The gravestones appear a few hundred years old at least, seeing as some don't even have names on them. And the grass is discolored—blue.

Cool, alright, so that's not normal.

But I don't care enough to question it or investigate, this place is a shit hole and I would like to leave. Now.

Blue grass isn't changing my opinion.

Take me to Rio, old man. You're supposed to be my sugar daddy for Christ's sake!

The Doctor threw a glare at me from over his shoulder as though he heard my thoughts, and I had no doubt that he did. I threw them toward him rather loudly, after all—his mind probably picked up on the waves.

Mostly because there was still remnants of the tether of connection between our minds from last night.

I gave him a smirk in response to which he shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Nuh-uh," Amy sighed disappointed, shaking her head as she looked around the place in confusion.

"Not really getting the sunshine carnival vibes," Rory clicked, eyeing the Doctor.

"I'm so fucking done with you," I sighed, head falling backward so I was looking up toward the grey sky—eyes squinting. "Can we please go to Rio?"

"Oi!"

I jumped, head snapping forward as a light swat was given to my backside. A small smack sound echoed.

"Language..." The Doctor murmured into my ear, body close to mine. "Don't be bad..." he whispered so only I could hear.

I swallowed heavily, trying to fight against the blush. I heard Amy and Rory groan in disgust at the Doctor's actions, but to my surprise, he only smirked, winking at me and strolling forward. Awkwardly, I scratched the back of my head and gave the Pond couple who was staring at us with raised brows a small smile.

"Feel that though?" The Doctor suddenly asked and jumped in his spot a few feet away. "What's that?" He asked while turning to us and bouncing up and down. "Ground feels strange..." he paused at our faces before starting up again. "Just me then?" He continued to bounce as all of us sent him blank looks.

With a dramatic huff—I clicked my heels together starting the rockets in my boots.

With a sharp whoosh, my rocket boots flared to life. The ground shrank beneath me as I lifted into the air, a short burst just high enough to survey the dreary graveyard from above. The grey sky pressed down, thick and unmoving, but I wasn't interested in the atmosphere—I was testing something.

Seeing if whatever the Doctor was claiming to feel held any truth.

Then, I cut the thrusters.

Gravity reclaimed me instantly. I landed with a heavy thud, my boots slamming into the earth with force. A ripple of something wrong vibrated up through my legs, like the ground itself wasn't as solid as it should be.

I frowned.

Amy, Rory, and the Doctor gaped at me, their expressions ranging from bafflement to exasperation.

Then the ground shook. Not a full-blown earthquake, but a brief, unsettling tremor that made Amy and Rory stumble slightly from where they stood.

I clicked my heels together again, launching myself up once more before letting myself drop. I hit the ground with another BOOM, shaking the area around us. This time, I focused on the feeling. And yeah, there it was again—that give beneath the surface, a sensation like something deep below was shifting in response to the impact.

Before I could do it a third time, the Doctor's voice snapped at me. "Stop it! You're either going to hurt yourself or—"

I waved him off. "Relax, old man, I'm fine." I shook my head, pacing a short circle as I gathered my thoughts. "You're right, the ground beneath this area is off. I think it is hollowed out far underneath like a series of caverns have been dug. But it's 2020—" I glanced at the Doctor. "Correct me if I am wrong, Space Lord, but I don't think humanity has started any major underground living projects quite yet. We're about two millennia too early for that... "

The Doctor's eyes lit up with that look—the one he got when a puzzle was laid out before him. "Old caverns, then," he mused, his brain already running at full speed. "Could be natural... but it doesn't feel natural, does it?"

"Not at all," I agreed, rubbing my jaw. "Too uniform. Too deep. These were purposely dug."

"Exactly!" The Doctor grinned, snapping his fingers at me and rocking on his heels. "Which means—"

"Underground society," I finished, a reluctant sort of excitement creeping into my voice.

We exchanged a glance, our shared enthusiasm sparking like electricity. As much as I had been bitching about not getting to Rio, even I had to admit—this was interesting.

"And if it's a society," the Doctor continued, "Who built it? How long has it been there? And more importantly—why did they dig it in the first place?"

"Let's start smaller," I crossed my arms. "Why is the grass blue?"

"Yes, yes!" He pointed at me. "I was wondering the same thing! Environmental shifts, maybe? Genetic engineering?" He proposed.

"No, too early for genetic engineering..." I cut him off, shaking my head, my face pondering.

The Doctor appeared elated, staring at me with starry eyes and a bright smile as he rubbed his hands. "Oh, this is brilliant—"

"Oh my god, stop!" Amy suddenly shoved herself between us, throwing her arms out dramatically to break up our theorizing. "Doctor, quit distracting us! And stop trying to get PJ on your side! This isn't Rio! We're in the wrong place!" She complained and I smirked in response, looking around and minding my own business as she nagged the Doctor. "It's freezing and I've dressed for Rio! We are not stopping here!"

The Doctor proceeded to ignore her, racing away from all of us and squatting down to investigate the blue grass. He looked like the kid on the playground who liked to poke at mud and dirt with sticks.

I looked at Amy and shrugged.

"Girl, I told you this was bound to happen..." I practically sang and Amy rolled her eyes at me, shoving against me playfully.

She cried out and shook her head. "Doctor, are you listening to me?" She scoffed, whirling to face him. "It's a graveyard, you promised me a beach!"

I stuck my hip out, crossing my arms and watching as the Doctor pulled out a tuff of grass and shoved it into his coat pockets. He then stood up, wiping his hands on his pants before turning back to the three of us with a huge smile and excited gleam in his eye.

Talk about adrenaline junkie.

Maybe if I seduce him I can convince him to come back into the TARDIS... nah, he's in too deep to leave now. No matter what absurdities I pull.

Either that or he ends up whisking me into some abandoned area for a quickie so he doesn't need to leave.

Just as he had done in that dream. The best of both worlds for him. Adventure and sex.

Alright fine. That's more like the best of both worlds for me.

I looked around.

A quickie in a graveyard would actually be insane. Even by my standards.

"So," The Doctor started, a stupid smile on his face. "Earth, 2020ish, ten years in your future—" He pointed to the Ponds.

"It's January..." I cut him off, looking down at the Vortex Manipulator. "January 12th, to be exact... and it's a Sunday... oh, that sucks..." I puffed with furrowed brows. "C'mon! Nobody likes Sunday, Doctor!" I proceeded to rant, my voice nothing short of a complaint.

"Thank you, peanut gallery," The Doctor cut me off, snapping his fingers toward me. "And I happen to quite like Sundays..."

"Of course, you would..." I bitterly mutter under my breath. "Space Lord..."

He promptly ignored me.

"Wrong continent for Rio, I'll admit, but it's not a massive overshoot..." The Doctor explained, defending himself toward the end seeing the disappointment on all our faces.

Amy was staring at something in the distance, her brows furrowed. "Why are those people waving at us?" She asked.

We all turned to where she was staring. The Doctor tilted his head. My eyes narrowed and I shrugged.

"Maybe they're just being friendly?" I suggested while bringing my goggles down and over my eyes, tweaking the settings to zoom in on the waving people.

A familiar woman with long red hair stood next to an equally as familiar man. Amy and Rory—ten years in the future. Actually, they both aged absurdly well. Although Amy was wearing a round pair of glasses, her lips pulled into a knowing smile as she and Rory chattered happily while waving toward us in the distance.

"It can't be..." I heard the Doctor mutter from next to me, pulling a small pair of binoculars out of who knows where.

"Did those come from your ass?" I snidely questioned.

The Doctor scoffed in response, flicking me on the ear. I grunted, attempting to slap his hand away but missing—he was already facing forward looking through the binoculars to stare at what I was.

"It's you two..." I answered Amy and Rory before the Doctor could, waving back at the couple in the distance.

Amy and Rory, the older versions standing far away grinned even brighter as they realized we'd noticed them. They seemed even chipper as they giggled to themselves—happy gleams in their eyes.

I will admit that it touched my heart to see my two friends appear truly happy and at peace with each other.

"What? What do you mean?" Amy was quick to fire the questions.

"It is..." The Doctor affirmed, sounding equally as dazzled. "It's you two!"

"Uhm, no, we're here..." Rory was quick to say. "How can we be up there?"

"Ten years in your future come to re-live past glories, I'd imagine..." The Doctor explained, staring at all of us with a soft smile. "Humans, you're so nostalgic..."

"Says the most nostalgic man I've ever met," I scoffed immediately, pushing the goggles so they were resting back on the top of my head. The Doctor huffed in exasperation at my words, but I continued. "Nevertheless, the ground feeling weird and your future selves being up there to say hello isn't a coincidence. It means that something major is probably about to happen. So here comes the question: stay and investigate or leave and head to Rio?"

"We're staying and investigating," The Doctor answered for all of us, allowing no more arguments to be made on the matter as he put the binoculars back to wherever the fuck he had them before. "We can pop off to Rio after we have a look around..." He smiled and my shoulders mockingly sagged in response, although there was an excited gleam in my eye.

The Doctor nudged me. "Oi, stop pretending to be put off, admit it—you're curious too..." He joked and I waved him away.

"Be gone, Space Lord," I said back.

"We're still together in ten years..." Amy said sounding amazed, both she and Rory still staring at their future selves in amazement.

My mouth fell open at her blunt words and I had to turn away, hand covering my mouth to stop the barking laugh that wanted to burst. The Doctor gave me a disapproving look, though he also appeared amused.

"No need to sound so surprised..." Rory groaned, and Amy only grabbed his arm and shook him excitedly.

"Hey, let's go and say hi! We can go say hi to future us, how cool is that?" She giggled, attempting to run off toward them, but the Doctor was quick to step in and stop them from going.

"Uhm—no, best not. Really best not, these things get complicated really quickly—" He explained softly, and I was quick to cut him off.

"He means that if you approach them there is a high probability that you will erase them from ever existing..." I hummed. "If you're not a trained traveler then the chances of erasing future versions of yourself is fairly high..." I picked at my nails.

Amy and Rory looked horrified while the Doctor shakes his head.

"Yes—thank you, PJ, for your kind explanation..." He said through his teeth, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"What? They should know..." I shrugged. "Do you know how many future versions of myself I erased when I first started using this thing?" I wiggled the Manipulator. "All because nobody told me!"

Now they were all staring at me horrified, the Doctor's mouth opening and closing.

"What?! By the sake of this planet!" He squawked, arms flailing. "Why the bloody hell would you not tell me—?" He stopped himself short, eyes narrowing at the shit-eating grin on my face. "...And you're just messing with me, aren't you, dearest?"

"Got you..." I cackled, smirking at the dangerous gleam that appeared in his eye.

"Later, dearest, later..." Is all the Doctor responded with, a promise in his voice.

"Can't wait..." I winked back.

"Ugh—gross, tone down the flirting..." Amy crinkled her nose. "The honeymoon phase between you guys is just weird..."

"Seriously," Rory added.

The Doctor paid them no mind, only pointing to something in the distance—a wild spark of adventure taking over his features. "Oh, look! A big mining thing—see, way better than Rio. Rio doesn't have a big mining thing!" He rubbed his hands excitedly.

"It's called a drilling sight," I snidely called only to be ignored. "They are probably fracking for oil or something, Doctor... it's not that interesting..."

Amy groaned, her head falling onto Rory's shoulder. "Ugh, we're not going to go have a look, are we?" She asked.

"Is that even a question..." I raised a brow at her.

"Let's go have a look!" The Doctor finally cheered, seemingly hearing none of our side comments. "Come on, you three, let's see what they're doing over there!" He started off, legs moving in quick and long strides, taking him out of the graveyard.

I remained standing next to Amy and Rory, arms crossed as I watched him go. The Doctor was so excited, so focused on his own mission that he did not notice the fact that none of us followed him.

"If he can't get us to Rio, how is he ever going to get us back home?" Rory sighed, looking at Amy.

Amy shrugged, motioning to where their future selves had previously been standing. "Did you not see over there? It all works out fine..." She tried to reassure him.

Rory didn't buy it. "After all we've seen and experienced, we just drop back into our old lives—the nurse and the kissogram?"

"You were a kissogram?" I raised my brows butting into their conversation. They both turned to me and I quickly added, "Also, if he can't get you back..." I jerked my head toward the Doctor who was already halfway out of the boneyard. "...Then I will..." I grinned brightly, holding up my Vortex Manipulator.

We all yelped as the device suddenly sparked sending a bolt of electricity outward, it rushed past Amy and Rory. My eyes widened, mouth forming an 'O'. At least it was programmed not to zap me and only send sparks outward.

They both turned back to me with huge eyes.

"Look, I know that looked bad but I promise it's totally as reliable as the TARDIS... mostly..." I helpfully clicked, and they both slowly nodded their heads but did not seem to believe me in the slightest.

"Alright... I'm just going to go follow... yeah..." I awkwardly scratched the back of my head, spinning around and slowly starting off to where the Doctor had gone. "Ew—ew—ew..." I grumbled while trying to avoid stepping through graveyard mud.

The Doctor was a good distance ahead, and after only a few seconds—I finally realized I was being stupid. Why am I trying to avoid mud the hard way?

My heels clicked and I thrust off the ground at breakneck speeds—perhaps I hit the thrust a bit too hard. Oops.

The moment my boots blasted me off the ground, I knew I'd screwed up.

"Oh shit—"

I was moving way too fast, my body shooting forward like a damn rocket with zero control. The graveyard blurred past, gravestones and skeletal trees whipping by as I shot straight for the paved road just beyond. I barely had time to process the Doctor's sudden yell from ahead.

BOOM.

I crashed. Hard.

My whole body slammed into the road with enough force to send a shockwave of pain rattling through my bones. A sharp cry ripped from my throat as I bounced once before rolling, the world spinning violently around me.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I felt it.

THE POLARIS JADE—the other half of my very soul, locked away in its own pocket universe—shifted inside my backpack, stirring at the impact. It felt like a phantom weight pressing against my spine, a familiar yet foreign energy brushing against my mind. A voice—not words, but a presence—seeped into my thoughts. A familiar presence because it was technically my own.

"That wouldn't have hurt if you were whole again."

A mocking sort of amusement radiated from it. Like it—me—was laughing at me. I probably was, I am an asshole like that, after all.

I groaned, flopping onto my back as I tried to get my eyes to stop spinning in their sockets. My limbs ached, my skull was pounding, and my ego was suffering the worst injury of all. How embarrassing.

All because I was trying to avoid a bit of mud. Worth it.

"PJ!"

The Doctor's voice was sharp with worry, and the next thing I knew, his face was right above mine, his impossibly sharp green eyes scanning my face with barely restrained panic. His screwdriver was already out, the glow flashing as he frantically ran it over me.

"Ow," I groaned, trying to bat him away. "This is your fault..."

"How is this my fault?!" He asked in a scolding tone, completely ignoring my feeble attempt to fight him off.

"Because you brought me to an old British graveyard instead of Rio..." I sniffed as he continued to scan me, his other hand cupping my cheek.

"What?! That's not even—" He cut himself off with a grumble, not even bothering to try and argue that. "What were you thinking?! Just blasting off like that—do you even know how much force you were going at?! You could've snapped your neck—" The screwdriver let out a final beep, and whatever it told him seemed to make him relax just a fraction. "Good, nothing broken, just shaken up, you're lucky you're healing faster than normal right about now—"

Oh yeah... sparkly golden healing TimeLord semen... all up in my vagina. Yikes.

"Gee, thanks, Space Lord, I never would've figured that out on my own," I grumbled, attempting to sit up.

"Hush," He muttered, reaching down and effortlessly hauling me to my feet before I could argue. My legs wobbled immediately, and I swayed precariously, my head still spinning.

The Doctor caught me before I could embarrass myself further, steadying me with a firm grip. "That's it," he declared, his tone pure disapproval. "I'm taking your boots away."

I blinked at him before letting out a breathless laugh. "I'd like to see you try, Space Lord," I shot back, raising my fists in an attempt at a fighting stance. I swayed slightly as I did so, which probably ruined the effect.

The Doctor just scoffed, clicking his tongue in that oh, you ridiculous thing kind of way before smoothly tucking me under his arm like I was some wayward kitten who had misbehaved. "Honestly, you are going to be the death of me one day," he muttered.

"Not if I die first," I quipped.

"That's not funny," He deadpanned.

"I think it's hilarious."

"Of course you do."

"Is she alright?" Amy's voice cut through our little exchange as she jogged up, concern evident in her expression.

Still tucked under the Doctor's arm, I gave her a shaky thumbs-up. "Totally fine. Never better."

"She's concussed," The Doctor grumbled. "It's a miracle you didn't end up with a broken bone, or a bigger concussion, actually I don't even know how it's possible that you didn't! You're not supposed to be healing that much faster than normal..."

Because I am not human, you numb nuts. For obvious reasons, I did not say this nor did I think it loud enough for the Doctor to pick up on it. I just let him think it was from the fact that he didn't like to pull out which was helping me heal.

Ah, golden TimeLord ejaculation, what would I do without?

But even concussed was weird for me. Am I getting weaker?

"I am not concussed!" I finally spat.

"I dunno, you're slurring a little," Amy teased, crossing her arms. "And why are you healing faster than normal?" She asked, having heard what the Doctor said.

"No reason!" He was quick to clap his hands, eyes darting everywhere but either one of us.

Amy only quirked a confused brow and I deadpanned at him.

Finally, I groaned. "I hate you guys."

"Aww, she's back to normal," Amy said with mock relief.

The Doctor, however, was already glancing past her, frowning slightly. "Where's Rory?"

Amy waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, he didn't like me wearing my ring. Went to put it back," she explained with a little laugh.

I raised a brow. "You know, you two give off the vibes of being 'partners but not really sure what to call it' stage."

Amy grinned. "Oh, no, we're very much engaged. Just... y'know, sometimes I forget."

"That's terrible of you, Pond," The Doctor exhaled a light scold, shaking his head while shifting slightly. "We should wait for him..."

Amy shook her head. "Nah, he knows we're up here. And anyway," she said, linking her hands behind her back, "he's a dawdler. Always been a dawdler."

"A dawdler," The Doctor repeated, unimpressed. "All humans dawdler, in fact, you are all rather good at it..."

"And yet you're somehow even better," I coughed earning a glare from the Doctor.

"Well," Amy continued, skipping a little ahead before turning back with a teasing smirk, "I wanted to ask you something..."

The Doctor sighed heavily, already knowing this was going to be one of those conversations. Still, he reluctantly started walking again, keeping me tucked firmly under his right arm while Amy skipped alongside us on his left.

I sighed, allowing myself to be dragged along, still feeling the ache in my bones and the Polaris Jade humming faintly in my backpack.

So much for an easy trip to Rio.

"What did you want to ask me then, Pond?" The Doctor questioned.

Amy played with her fingers nervously before taking a deep breath and looking at the Doctor with big round brown eyes. "Me and Rory on the hillside, future us, that's good, right? That happens? We get a happy-ever-after?" Her eyes flicked between both of us, clearly wanting to see if I would weigh-in despite the question being directed at the Doctor.

I snorted. "It's more complicated than that, girl..." That was my unhelpful response.

The Doctor was quick to chime in with something a bit more helpful. But I had not been lying, it really was complicated to explain.

The Doctor sighed, brows pinching as he struggled to formulate his words. "Yes, technically, as things currently stand in this timestream... time isn't fixed, so things can always change..."

"Change? What do you mean?" Amy was quick to ask.

"I mean time isn't linear—it's a big ball of timey-wimey complicated things meshed together with the fabrics of reality..." The Doctor was still struggling, looking to me for help. "You explain, PJ, you're human, you're better at explaining it to another human than I am..."

I groaned at his words, pushing out from under his arm as I was fine to stand on my own—no longer swaying. The Doctor pouted as I left his side but said nothing.

"Ugh, well, uhm..." I also struggled to gather my thoughts on the easiest way to put this. I also had to be careful with what I said because I couldn't give anything away about the multiverse, nothing that was going to make the Doctor suspicious of me.

I exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand down my face as I tried to figure out how to explain this without making Amy's brain explode. "Alright, Pond, listen up—I'm only explaining this once." I took a deep breath, forming my words carefully. "Okay, think about it this way; as a time traveler, if you travel to the past, that past becomes your future, and your former present becomes the past, which can't then be changed by your future—"

"No, no, no—" The Doctor groaned loudly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "That's an even worse and more confusing explanation!"

I scowled, throwing my hands up. "Oh, I'm sorry! Did you not just ask me to explain it because you were struggling?!" I shot back. "Don't ask for my help if you're just going to complain, Space Lord!"

"Well, maybe I expected you to do better!" He quipped.

"Why would I do better, I'm not the TimeLord here!" I scoffed. "Maybe you should explain it yourself!"

The Doctor started to point at me accusingly. "Maybe I—"

"Oh my god, both of you, just explain it normally!" Amy groaned, cutting through our bickering with a dramatic roll of her eyes.

I huffed, shaking my head before crossing my arms. "First of all: there is no normal way of explaining this, but fine, here it goes..." I cleared my throat. "Most timelines are kind of like a river, right? They've got a flow—it wants to move in a certain direction. But imagine it has currents that can shift and change depending on outside factors. If something big enough drops into the water—a boulder, say—it diverts the flow."

Amy's brows furrowed. "And we're the boulders?"

"Sort of," I nodded. "From what I've seen, the TARDIS is usually okay at keeping us in parts of a time stream where we won't disrupt the flow too drastically. But that's not always the case, and sometimes things do happen—" I glanced at the Doctor, who was watching me with a big smile. His eyes screamed that despite his snarky words, he was actually very impressed with my understanding. "—And events that shouldn't change, do."

I looked into his eyes for a second longer, a little deeper. If I didn't know any better, I would say that my words even got under his skin just the slightest bit.

AKA, he's TimeLord turned on.

Amy pursed her lips. "But that doesn't explain why my future could change..."

"Because you didn't see the whole thing," The Doctor finally spoke up, his voice quieter now. "You saw a possibility. That hill, you and Rory—it's one of the many places your timeline could flow to. But it's not locked in."

Amy's face twisted slightly, trying to process it all. "So... you're saying that it really could still change?"

"It probably will," I admitted, sighing. "Time isn't one straight line, Amy, it's—"

"Timey-wimey—"

"If you say timey-wimey one more time—"

"Complicated stuff," The Doctor corrected swiftly, smirking before nudging me. "Better?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Whatever."

Amy groaned again, rubbing her temples. "Okay, okay, I think I get it... sort of. Time is never really set in stone, but some things are more likely than others?"

"Exactly!" The Doctor beamed. "Look at you, Pond—learning!"

Amy let out an exaggerated sigh before shaking her head. Then, after a moment, her expression softened, and she turned to the Doctor. "So... Rory and I—we're still good?"

The Doctor blinked at her, his features easing into something almost gentle—an expression so rare from him that it caught me off guard. "Amy," he started, "I like Rory."

Amy raised her brows. "You do?"

The Doctor let out a small chuckle, shoving his hands in his pockets as we walked. "Yeah. He's... good. Steady. He keeps you grounded. I think he's great."

Amy's face practically lit up, and she turned to me next, her eyes shining with expectation. "And you, PJ?"

I blinked at her, genuinely surprised she even cared about my opinion. "Uh..." I scratched my head. "Yeah, Rory's great. Super cool guy, honestly. Very competent, very brave. Surprisingly good with a sword. Bit of a worrier, but, y'know, in an endearing way."

Amy's grin stretched wider. "Good." She nodded, satisfied.

We kept walking, the drill site looming closer. Amy bounced slightly on her feet, excitement bubbling in her features as she spoke again. "Sorry, it's just... hard to control your nerves when the night before your wedding goes on for months!"

That made me pause.

Months.

She wasn't wrong—we'd been hopping around through time and space for a while now, but I hadn't really been counting the days. Still, doing the rough math in my head, it had to be at least... five? Maybe six months now? Wow, time really flies in the TARDIS.

Amy sighed dramatically. "Especially when the cold is getting at your legs—did I mention I dressed for Rio?"

The Doctor scoffed, rolling his eyes before reaching out and pushing her playfully. "Only about a hundred times...!"

Amy let out a laugh, stumbling slightly before spinning around and pushing him back. The Doctor staggered but quickly righted himself, turning to her with an expression I hadn't really seen before.

It wasn't his usual mischievous grin or his signature I'm-so-clever smirk. It wasn't even his proud look at my humans being brilliant gaze.

It was softer.

Gentler.

It was the way someone looked at their little sister. Like she was his family. Like she belonged there. With him, next to him.

Something tightened in my chest and I smiled at them. So freaking sweet.

The drill site loomed ahead, an imposing structure of steel and machinery dominating the otherwise quiet Welsh countryside. The main entrance was a tall, chain-link gate reinforced with thick metal bars, and beyond it, the drilling tower stretched high into the sky, its framework a lattice of rust-colored steel and crisscrossing beams.

Floodlights perched atop poles illuminated the area, casting long shadows across the gravel paths. Large shipping containers and industrial buildings surrounded the main drill, and storage units stacked in neat rows. The hum of generators filled the air, accompanied by the occasional metallic groan of the drilling equipment shifting ever so slightly. The scent of oil, earth, and damp metal lingered heavily.

The Doctor came to a stop just outside the gate, tilting his head as he took in the sign affixed to the metal. With amusement, he read aloud, "Ah, restricted access, no unauthorized personnel..." Then, without hesitation, he pulled out his sonic screwdriver, aimed it at the lock, and with a quick buzz, the metal popped apart, the gate creaking open slightly in invitation.

I crossed my arms, leaning against the gate as I smirked at him. "You think you are so hot when you do that, don't you?"

The Doctor smirked right back, mirroring my posture as he leaned casually against the gate beside me. "Mmm, no... but I'm sure you do..."

My eyes narrowed as I felt a telltale warmth creeping up my neck. I rolled my eyes and looked away, pretending I wasn't blushing.

Amy, however, was too busy panicking to notice, waving her arms between us in exasperation. "Uhm, hello?! What is wrong with you both? That is literally breaking and entering!"

The Doctor glanced at her as he pushed the gate open with ease, flashing his usual cheeky grin. "What did I break?" He challenged. "Sonicking and entering—totally different!"

"It really isn't," I deadpanned, shaking my head.

Amy huffed a laugh but walked forward, calling loudly, "Come on then...!" as she stepped through the gate.

I followed, sauntering past the Doctor—only to yelp as his hand smacked against my backside. Again.

I jumped forward, whirling around to glare at him, but there was no real fire behind it. His eyes were already locked onto mine, bright with mischief, his grin absolutely wicked.

He mouthed, "I love doing that."

I scoffed, shaking my head, but there was no stopping the amused smirk that tugged at my lips. Still, I turned away and followed Amy further into the site.

The Doctor, lingering behind for a moment, turned back to the path we had come from and called out, "Are you sure Rory'll catch us up?"

"Yeah, he always does!" Amy responded over her shoulder.

At the same time, I yelled out my two cents, "Definitely not!"

Amy shot me an exasperated look while the Doctor just laughed before hurrying to catch up with us, his excitement palpable as we made our way deeper into the drill site.

Soon enough, we found our way into the corridors of the sight—walking through varying metallic hallways. I trotted behind both the Doctor and Amy.

The halls of the drill site were eerily quiet, and the occasional hum of machinery and distant clangs of metal were the only sounds filling the space. The fluorescent lights overhead cast a harsh, sterile glow against the steel walls, and the faint scent of oil and warm circuitry clung to the air. My boots echoed against the metal flooring, the sound just a little too sharp and loud, like the space itself was waiting for something to happen.

That uneasy feeling had been creeping in since we stepped through the gate. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something was different here—just beneath our feet.

The Doctor suddenly spoke, his voice cutting through the silence. "What about now? Can you feel it now?"

Amy glanced at him, bemused. "Honestly, I have no idea what you're on about."

I, however, felt it. My steps were lighter than they should have been, as if the ground beneath me wasn't quite solid—like it was just a shell covering something deeper, something hollow.

The Doctor had come to a full stop, looking around with sharp, perceptive eyes, his expression uneasy. Amy and I instinctively halted as well.

"The ground doesn't feel as it should," He revealed.

Amy folded her arms. "Doctor, it's ten years in the future. Maybe how this ground feels is how it always feels in this year?"

I nodded at her logic. Good reasoning, Pond. But I knew better. I was just coming from 2025, and the ground had never felt like this. And if the Doctor was noticing it too, then it wasn't just some small geological anomaly—it was something big.

The Doctor shook his head. "Good thought, but no, it doesn't."

A blaring alarm suddenly shrieked through the corridor. The sound reverberated down the halls, bouncing off the metal walls like a warning bell. Instantly, the Doctor whipped out his sonic screwdriver, eyes scanning the readings on the device.

"Hear that, girls?" He turned toward us, grinning as if this was exciting rather than a potential disaster. "Drill in start-up mode... afterwaves of a recent seismological shift and... blue grass."

He reached into his coat pocket and retrieved the chunk of vibrant blue grass he'd pocketed earlier. And then—he shoved it into his mouth.

I recoiled in absolute disgust. "Oh, my god, Doctor, that's literally muddy boneyard grass—"

Amy scoffed beside me. "Oh, please, have you always been this disgusting?"

The Doctor looked at her and then—deliberately—turned his head toward me, giving me one of those long, flirtatious looks that sent heat crawling up my neck. "No," he admitted smoothly. "That's recent..."

I exhaled sharply, shaking my head at him, but Amy groaned. "That is properly foul flirting, entirely gross..." She said in disgust. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Doctor..."

"Ashamed, indeed, what a terrible line..." I scoffed, crossing my arms. "Also, your grassy tongue is coming nowhere near me now, Space Lord."

His smirk only widened as he turned on his heel and strutted forward, calling over his shoulder, "You love this tongue, dearest. You'll be begging for it later."

My brain short-circuited for a moment. I didn't even get a chance to react before Amy was gagging so dramatically that I thought she might keel over. "Seriously, knock it off, you two—it's gross!"

I held my hands up, grinning. "It's all him!"

Amy grumbled under her breath as we jogged after him, following the rapid click-clack of his boots against the metal floor.

Up ahead, the Doctor suddenly slowed, eyes narrowing as he caught sight of an open door along the corridor. He poked his head through the threshold, curiosity sparking in his posture. "What's in here?" He mused aloud before stepping inside without hesitation.

Amy and I exchanged a glance before following after him.

The room we entered was spacious, lined with long rows of scientific equipment and blinking monitors. The walls were lined with computer stations, each one displaying complex geological data, readouts of the drill's status, and various seismic graphs. A faint hum of machinery filled the space, and the air was heavy with the sterile scent of metal and electricity.

A woman stood over one of the computers. She was in her late forties, maybe early fifties—of Indian descent. She pulled thin reading glasses from her face as she scrutinized us with furrowed brows.

The Doctor, ever the uninvited guest, opened his arms in that grand, ridiculously charming way of his and announced, "Ah—hello!"

The woman blinked at him, unimpressed. "Who're you? What're you doing here?" Then, after a beat, her gaze flicked between the three of us and our mismatched outfits, and she frowned. "And what... are you wearing?"

Fair question.

"I dressed for Rio..." Amy huffed out loud.

"Well, I'm wearing Model X version Gar-Gar-Galdote 350 Hyper-thrust-rocket Hover boots from the year 5467..." I trailed off before motioning to my pants and jacket. "The pants are from the surplus store... and I have no clue where the TARDIS got the jacket from—" My blunt words were cut off by the Doctor slapping a hand over my mouth tightly and sending me a fierce glare.

I scrunched my nose in disgust—he'd been picking graveyard grass with those fingers!

"Unhand me, Space Lord!" I demanded, though my words were incredibly muffled by his large hand.

The Doctor leaned down just slightly, his lips brushing right by my ear. "Don't say stuff like that..." He hissed quietly. "You know better than that."

"I'm not some trained dog." I rolled my eyes, voice muffled.

He huffed and removed his hand, sending me one last look before whirling back around with a large, friendly smile. The lady was watching us, unimpressed until the Doctor reached into his coat pocket and pulled his Psychic Paper out—flashing it to her like a badge.

"Ministry of drills—Earth and Science. Sorry about my friend here; she had a long night and now she's a bit out of it. New ministry, quite big, just merged. There's a lot of responsibility on our shoulders. Don't like to talk about it, but what're you doing?" The Doctor spoke fast, his excuses utter shit that only a fool would buy.

Ministry of fucking drills? What the hell kinda department is that?

"None of your business," the lady was quick to scoff, clearly nowhere near a fool as she did not buy anything the Doctor said.

However, she seemed to have more important things occupying her attention as she looked back to her screens—barely even questioning why three suspicious people were approaching a closed drilling mine.

She walked away from the computers to approach other drilling equipment, and the Doctor and I took a look at the readings on her computer.

"Ooh, very not good," I mentioned, eyes flashing in reckless excitement.

The Earth appeared to be constantly shifting underneath our feet—something was digging upward.

"Where are you getting these readings from?" The Doctor asked out loud, voice tinged with immense concern as he saw exactly as I did.

"From under the Earth probably," I whispered to myself, a sarcastic remark that—okay, I swear I didn't mean to say out loud this time.

But, y'know, I am sorta standing right next to the Doctor, and he has exceptional hearing when he wants to. His response was to poke me in the side, and my response to that was to swat him away—both of us rolling our eyes at each other.

Love at its finest.

The woman, who had not heard my response, proceeded to answer him. "Under the soil," she told us and I pointed at her while raising my brows as though to say see, bitch, I told you so.

The Doctor purposely ignored me.

"The drill is up and running again," An older man, a bit older than the woman, announced upon walking in.

He was wearing standard clothing—a thick jacket over work pants and hefty boots adorning his feet. He looked confused upon catching sight of us.

"What's going on?" He asked. "Who are these people?"

The Doctor was paying them no mind, having left my side to squat over a huge hole in the concrete revealing the soft soil of the Earth. He tilted his head upon examining it before reaching down and taking a large clump of the dirt in his hand—he looked rather like an inquisitive child playing in the mud.

"Ugh, Doctor, don't touch that—just scan it with your screwdriver," I complained, watching him play with the soil and shaking my head at him.

Look, I know I really should be the last person judging considering what I find myself touching and playing with all the time (that was not meant to sound dirty!), but like—why are we playing mud, Doctor? Especially when you have a sonic screwdriver?

My mind flickered—my inner consciousness reminding me of the first time I had traveled with him and Amy, and we found ourselves in Australia, where I proceeded to jump into an ocean of water filled with questionable chemicals.

Fine, point taken, I'll shut up now.

"Amy, the Doctor, and PJ!" Amy announced, introducing us to the new man from where she was leaning against a pile of equipment. "We're not staying, are we, Doctor?" She added pointedly, making it known that she was ready for Rio.

Could she be blamed, though? As fun as traveling with the Doctor was, it's no secret that most of the places he takes us to are more like horrible intergalactic escape rooms rather than fun vacation parties. Rio was meant to be a break from the running and rather an opportunity for. fun in the sun.

The Doctor tossed Amy a shrug before speaking loudly to everyone. "Why is there a big patch of Earth in the middle your floor?" He asked, looking around to the two people who quite obviously were scientists working this place.

The woman sighed but answered. "We don't know—it just appeared overnight," She explained.

The Doctor nodded, standing up slowly and dusting his hands off. "Good... right, you all need to get out of here, very quickly..." He warned them, walking back over to where I stood and leaning over the computer reading the scamatics.

I glanced back at the computer, eyebrows raising into my hairline at the new readings.

"Yikes—extra extra not good now..." I whistled before looking away from the computer and casually looking around the room. "He's right. You guys should probably leave..."

"Why?" The woman asks in worry.

Because something is drilling upward and is probably going to cause miniature Earthquakes as well as many more holes through the concrete.

I chose to keep my mouth shut this time and only shrugged.

"What's your name?" The Doctor asked, eyes still focused on the schematics.

"Nasreen Chaudry..." She answered, and the Doctor looked at her.

"Look at the screens, Nasreen. Look at your readings," The Doctor urged, pressing a few buttons on the computer. "Something is moving upward..." He shook his head, voice frantic.

"Hey, that is specialised equipment, both of you—get away from it," the man demanded harshly, eyeing both me and the Doctor with suspicion.

I held my hands up and walked away, going nearer to Amy, who was now crouching by the hole in the ground.

The Doctor, of course, ignored his demands and continued examining the readings.

"What's moving?" Nasreen asked the Doctor, her voice holding untapped curiosity as she too looked at the screenings.

My eyes doubled in size when smoke started to come up from the ground—Amy gasping as well.

"Ames," I hissed. "Get away from that!"

The Doctor turned at the sound of us, his eyes widening as he saw the steam rising from the ground.

"Good God," He spoke, coming next to Amy briefly before pacing and speaking his whirling thoughts out loud. "It's shifting when it shouldn't be shifting..." He said, and everyone except me was staring at him, lost.

"Not at this quick of a rate either—it definitely can't be tectonic plate movements... not natural ones, at least," I piped, and the Doctor nodded while looking to me, crossing his arms and biting at his fingers as he thought.

"What shouldn't?" Nasreeen asks, looking between both of us.

"The ground," I answered simply, yelping as the ground started to shake.

Well, there was that miniature earthquake I was talking about. I held my hands out to help keep my balance, eyes darting to the Doctor intensely.

"The soil, the Earth, it's moving. But how? Why?" The Doctor elaborated, his thoughts flying from his mouth.

"An earthquake?" Amy asked.

"Not a real one," I explained, and the Doctor spoke after me.

"It's only happening under this room—it's a miniature earthquake, indeed, but not a natural one!" He yelled out, mind spinning with so many different theories that I could practically see them flashing through his gaze.

At that moment, more spaces of concrete crumble to ash as three more major holes appeared in the ground, revealing brown soil. Amy, Nasreen, and I jumped away from them—I kept a tight grasp on Amy's arm.

"Come on, it's not safe. We need to get out of here—now!" I barked. "We'll ask questions later, Doctor!" I called just as more holes started to appear.

"The ground..." The Doctor continued, so caught up in his theorizing that he seemed to forget how unsafe this situation currently was. "It's attacking us!"

"No, no, that is not possible!" Nasreen denied, shaking her head.

"Look around, lady!" I yelled. "Doctor—we need to go!"

The Doctor pointed at me with a flourish. "Yes, yes, brilliant suggestion, indeed, dearest! RUN!"

We all made a break for the door, my arm tightly grasping Amy as I attempted to keep her behind me as I tugged us toward the door. More holes appeared as we ran, making it even harder to get to the door without falling in one.

The Doctor was holding Nasreen's hands in his own as he guided her toward the door. They were the first to get into the doorway where it was much safer—but the man who was the furthest behind got caught in one of the holes.

He yelled, and Nasreen was suddenly screaming his name: "Tony!"

Amy paused, causing me to stop as I was not going to let her. We whirled around to face Tony with big eyes.

"Stay back, girls! Stay away from the holes!" The Doctor ordered, worry flitting through his gaze as he took in our precarious position.

"Amy, no!" I tried, but she broke free of my grasp and hopped over the holes till she was at Tony's side.

I attempted to follow, only to be stopped as yet another hole appeared in front of me. Amy managed to link her arm under Tony's, attempting to pull him out—but another hole appeared right under her, and suddenly her entire bottom half sank inside of it.

The whole situation was odd just because of how the dirt looked, but it was apparent to me that something was underneath, using an insane amount of technology to try and pull us under.

"Amy!" I cried out along with the Doctor, our voices merging.

"Help me! Something has me!" Amy yelled as she sank further.

I tried to jump to her, only for a large hole to appear beneath me. Something grabbed at my ankle and tugged me down—I yelled in surprise as I sank, suddenly covered in dirt just above my waist.

Fucking hell.

The Doctor screamed even louder.

"No!" He cried, running back and pausing as he looked back and forth between me and Amy.

We were too far apart—he'd only be able to try and help one of us. But—and no shade—Amy was far more helpless than I was at the moment. Because Model X version Gar-Gar-Galdote 350 Hyper-thrust-rocket Hover boots, bitch!

I was, however, slightly surprised when the Doctor tilted his head in my direction, and it became apparent he was about to try and grab me. Before he could move toward me, my voice calmly but loudly rang out.

"Get Amy!" I ordered. "I'm about to fry the hands and face of whatever asshole has ahold of me!" I told him, and the Doctor's eyes immediately lit up in understanding, and despite everything, a small smile tugged at his lips as he nodded at me.

The Doctor doesn't need to worry about me like he does with other companions. Doesn't need to wonder if he is going to lose me on some crazy adventure. The Doctor knows that in the majority of circumstances, I can handle myself—even save him, if need be.

But... he still did. Still worried about just as much, if not more than most companions.

There was a new sense of peace in his face as he went to help Amy, sliding till he was on his stomach and grabbed her hands in his own.

"I got you," He assured her, pulling with all his might and holding onto her tightly.

My attention turned away from them and down toward the hole—my mouth turning downward in concentration.

The dirt was swallowing me alive.

I could feel it—slick, heavy, unnaturally smooth as it slid around my waist and pressed in, fingers curling around my ankles with a tight grip. It wasn't just soil shifting under my weight. Something was under there, and it had me.

My hands balled into fists as I exhaled through my nose, tilting my head back to where the Doctor was sprawled out, gripping Amy's hands with everything he had. His face was taut with strain, his whole body shaking with the effort to keep her from sinking further.

Right then, time to give whatever's got me a reason to let the hell go.

The Polaris Jade in my pack hummed in response to my thoughts, its connection to me ever attuned. My body thrummed with adrenaline as I activated the propulsion systems in my boots. A low, almost imperceptible whine filled my ears as the heat regulators kicked on. I clenched my teeth, tightening every muscle in preparation.

Ignition sparked.

A whoosh of energy blasted out from my boots, sending twin jets of pure scorching heat downward. Instantly, whatever thing had been gripping me screeched.

I felt the agony radiating through the dirt—the way the hands, claws, or whatever they were spasmed and recoiled from the intensity of the searing propulsion. The ground lurched, as if something deep below was shifting away, pained and startled.

And then—I was free.

The force of the propulsion sent me rocketing upwards like a missile. The world blurred as I shot through the air, twisting at the last second to control my landing—and boom, I landed hard on the other side of the doorway, crouched low, one knee bent, one fist pressed to the floor, the other arm extended behind me for balance.

A perfect superhero landing.

So much better than when I crashed onto the ground earlier. Now my wounded pride from that incident is fixed.

I lifted my head, hair falling in loose strands around my face, and smiled victoriously. "And she sticks the landing!"

Nasreen and Tony gaped.

The Doctor didn't even look. He was too busy making sure that Amy didn't get pulled under.

"Shut the drill down!" The Doctor yelled through his teeth.

"Shut the drill down—now!" I repeated, shaking myself back into serious mode.

Tony, jolted by the sharp commands, scrambled to his feet and sprinted to the controls.

I moved to go help the Doctor—Amy was still half-submerged, her eyes wide with terror as she clung to his hands—but before I could take a full step, the Doctor snapped his head toward me. Now, he purposely looked at me, straight into my eyes sternly.

"Don't you dare move from that spot, Cooper!"

The sheer weight of his voice made me freeze.

His tone—firm, sharp, absolutely unwavering—was a rare thing. A rare, dangerous thing.

I listened.

I huffed, rocking back on my heels. "Try not to move, Amy!" I called, trying to be helpful from afar. "Think of it like quicksand—the more you struggle, the faster you fall!"

Amy stilled, nodding quickly, her breathing rapid.

She suddenly sank deeper.

"Oh, wow—never mind! Struggle like hell, bitch!"

"PJ!" She and the Doctor cried in outrage.

"Sorry! I thought it'd help!"

Amy and the Doctor fought against the pull, but the earth was relentless. It wanted her.

She gasped, eyes frantic and teary as she looked at the Doctor. "Tell Rory—" Her voice wavered, but she never got to finish.

The ground swallowed her whole.

"AMY!" The Doctor's scream was raw, his voice cracking with absolute devastation. He lunged forward, hands clawing at the dirt, trying—desperately—to dig, to reach, to undo what had just happened. "No, no, no, NO!" He kept digging, fingers caked in dirt, manic with the sheer need to get her back.

But she was gone.

The Earth stopped shaking—the ground was still, and steam no longer rose form the various holes.

The Doctor froze, staring at the spot where Amy had vanished, his chest heaving.

"No..." The sound barely escaped him—half fury, half broken. He pressed his palm against the dirt, his breath ragged.

My hands had flown to my mouth, eyes wide, mind already racing. This wasn't a death. If it was—if she had died—the Doctor would be digging. He'd be ripping apart the very Earth to pull her body free. But he wasn't. Because he knew.

This wasn't a burial.

This was a kidnapping.

"Underground civilization," I whispered, barely able to hear myself. "It has to be, and they totally took her..."

The Doctor sucked in a sharp breath, his head snapping up. He pulled his sonic out and pointed it at the ground, scanning, his expression darkening when the readings confirmed the obvious. His hands shook as he clenched the screwdriver in his fist. His jaw tightened, his shoulders squared—his grief turned to anger.

I hesitated, pulling at my fingers. "Doctor?"

He startled, whipping around so fast it was like he'd forgotten I was even there.

For a moment, something flickered in his eyes—something wild, something pained. My gut twisted because I expected anger. Blame. Something.

But then his face changed.

His expression softened, relief overtaking the grief, like he had only just realized—I was still here. I hadn't been taken. He hadn't lost me too.

And then—he moved.

Before I could react, he surged forward, pulling me against him in a crushing embrace.

I sucked in a breath as his arms tightened around me, his entire body shaking. He pressed frantic kisses to the top of my head, holding me as if I might disappear if he let go.

My heart clenched, the severity of the moment sinking into my bones.

I exhaled slowly, closing my eyes and wrapping my arms around him.

No words were needed.

When we finally pulled apart, I met his gaze—deep, ancient, brimming with emotions too vast for words. I lifted a hand to his face, brushing my thumb against his cheek.

He leaned into my touch.

A small smile curled at my lips before I pressed a firm, reassuring kiss to his cheek.

"Come on then," I murmured, my voice steady, a glint of determination shining through my smirk. "Let's figure out how to get Miss Pond back, we have a trip to Rio planned, remember?"

He chuckled under his breath, shaking his head, pressing his forehead against mine for just a second longer before pulling away.

"Right you are, my gift."

My gift?

That was new one. Nevertheless, I didn't question it, only smiled and patted his cheek.