For the Sake of an Angel

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Eleventh

Guest review responses:

josie2994: Thank you! I do love a good cliffhanger, and I'm glad to hear that I'm decent at doing them, myself! You'll get to see some Addie/Eleven action here ;) it only took me half a year to post this chapter, hehe... The Byzantium chapter ought to be very fun to write! I do love River Song, which is why you'll be seeing her sooner than you expect ;)

Snafflefang: Thank you so much! I'm honored that you like Addie so much, and to say that she's one of the best OC's you've ever read? That's insane! I do try to refrain from reusing the scripted dialogue as much as possible to prevent redundancy. Hmmm... I do wonder who Wilf saw in the TV ;) Here's the next chapter, and I'm sorry it took so long!

rockthatbowtie: Ahhh, I'm sorry! Time Crash did not happen because I stupidly forgot about it, but I also haven't seen Classic Who, so I don't think I could have done Five justice, regardless!

bowtiesarecool: You know, I think you're right about Martha's phone dying in that episode. I may have made a mistake, hehe. It wasn't until I went back and reread all of FSA that I realized that Martha would have called the Doctor if her phone was working properly, so thank you for pointing that out!

Guest: Hello! It's finally updated! Thank you for reading my story and for reviewing :) It makes me happy to read reviews!

Gabrielle: Thank you! Here's the next update!

Addie felt like she was going to vomit as she stared down at the Doctor, curled in a ball in one corner of the box. She was frozen - she literally did not think she would be able to move even if she wanted to. It was like her own personal hell, watching him get tortured with only a glass divider to separate them and yet she couldn't do anything.

She had caused this.

Swallowing back a surge of self-loathing, Addie trained her eyes on his ragged figure, searching for some - for any - movement that would prove that the Doctor was still alive. He hadn't burst into the tell-tale golden light, which could mean that he was still breathing, but that didn't prove anything, did it? The Master had died, back on the Valiant, without regenerating. It had been his choice, sure, but Addie didn't know how finicky the regeneration process was and she grew increasingly doubtful and panicked as the seconds ticked by with no visible bodily shifts.

His left hand twitched, then began to push up the rest of his body mass steadily.

Addie instantly regained the ability to walk and she barged out of the glass cell, yanking on the handle of the one the Doctor was in. The door swung open on its hinges, utterly destroyed, and Addie threw an arm around the Doctor to help him up. His body was still very weak and he groaned out an indecipherable word of thanks as he attempted to smile for her. She looked away, feeling her cheeks flush with shame at the predicament he had put himself in for her, but he was having none of it. Deftly, he brought one hand to the side of her face and tilted it back towards him.

"Look at me, I'm fine." He urged, bringing her hand up to his face. She bit her lip, tracing his facial wounds with her thumb and watching in awe as they disappeared beneath her touch with a faint golden glow.

"It's started." She whispered, to which he nodded in sorrow. Somehow, though, he didn't feel as upset as he thought he would. It felt like it was time for a new start, and he knew it had something to do with his motivations for dying; he would forever be willing to sacrifice himself for her, for his Addie. He had protected her choice and he was proud.

Still…

He pulled her into a tight hug, suddenly regaining his energy as the regeneration began to fuel him. Vehemently, he swore into the top of her hair, "I am never letting you out of my sight again."

She clutched onto his lapels and nodded into his chest. That was fine by her.

Slowly, he released her and they meandered out of the glass cell, pausing before an alarmed Wilf.

"Still with us?" He finally managed to ask, his blue eyes watery.

"The system's dead. I absorbed it all." The Doctor explained, keeping a watchful eye on Addie as she spotted something on the floor by where the Time Lords had disappeared. "Whole thing's kaput."

She crouched to the floor and picked up the object. Against all odds, her beloved alpha meson blaster had survived, but not without a few design changes. The Master had taken it upon himself to use what appeared to be blue and red permanent markers to write a thick "+" followed by a cursive "e" and just below it, a big, blocky "M." He really was quite insane, Addie mused fondly as she tucked her gun away. He must have done it when I was knocked out.

When she turned back around, Wilf had grabbed an uncomfortable-looking Doctor into an embrace. He sent her a 'help me' look and it was the least Addie could do to gently tug Wilf away.

"I think it's time you went home." She suggested, and Wilf couldn't agree more.

As soon as they landed and the three of them had poked their heads out of the door, Sylvia was there with a beatific grin on her face.

It didn't suit her.

"Oh, she's smiling. As if today wasn't bad enough." The Doctor commented with a scowl before addressing Wilf. "Anyway, don't go thinking this is goodbye, Wilf. I'll see you again, one more time."

Addie felt her heart drop. Just one?

"What do you mean? When's that?" Wilf demanded, feeling much the same as Addie. He wasn't ready to say goodbye to this wonderful pair.

The Doctor's face was unreadable. "Just keep looking. I'll be there."

He tugged on Addie's hand to lead her back to the TARDIS but paused once Wilf inquired, "Where are you going?"

Squeezing Addie's hand once, the Doctor smiled smally. "To get my reward."

Pushing open the door, Addie gave one last glance to Wilf and Sylvia, now reunited. Sylvia's toothy grimace fell a bit as she realized that this could be the last time she saw them. "Thank you." She mouthed to the ginger girl as she disappeared inside the blue box. The TARDIS began to dematerialize, and Sylvia finished the sentiment inside her head.

For keeping your promise.

As the Doctor piloted them away, Addie couldn't help but ask, "Why did you tell Wilf that we were only going to see him one more time? There's nothing stopping us from visiting him again, is there?"

The Doctor exhaled, the golden particles dancing in his breath. It was becoming more difficult to hold the regeneration off; his chest was growing tighter with every passing minute. "I only said that I would see him one more time, not us." The TARDIS landed with a shudder and the Doctor hurried out, Addie struggling to chase after him. She was startled when he held an arm out in front of her.

"This is my goodbye, but it isn't yours. Not yet." He explained vaguely, trying to alleviate her crestfallen expression. When it didn't clear, he knew he had to elucidate further. "Addie, you haven't lived as long or with as many faces as I have done. People… Non-Time Lords… They just can't seem to look past the facade. They look at the new you, and they see a different person. Oh, they may try to convince themselves that it's still their Doctor, but that's like trying to cram a sphere into a cube-shaped hole. After a while…" The Doctor swallowed, and against his will, tears started to form in his eyes. "They usually just give up trying."

"Doctor…"

"You'll see." He choked out. "It's just easier this way, like cutting off a limb before it gets infected. I want to treasure these memories, these fragments of my life, as they are: untarnished. So, please, just… stay here in the TARDIS. I've got a few stops to make."

Addie nodded wordlessly and let him sweep out of the room. Knowing that he would be in and out for a while, she retreated to the couch chair by the console and tucked her feet under her knees. She had never considered that possibility before - that his former companions would cease to treat him the same once he regenerated. She had always figured it to be more of a selfish act on his part to stop visiting his old friends, and, she supposed, in a way it still was. But it was also a means of preserving the best eras of his life without the stain of a fading smile or a lack of recognition by someone whom he had once invited to travel the universe with him.

Her brow furrowed as another thought hit her.

Would she treat the new Doctor differently?

Her first instinct was to deny it, but as the Doctor reentered the TARDIS with a muttered explanation of, "There's Martha and Mickey done," she knew that it was inevitable.

She was, after all, only human.

For now.

Each time the Doctor went out, he returned with less enthusiasm and clearly less physical strength. He was fading rapidly, so on the declared final stop, Addie made sure to watch the screen to see if he would be able to make it.

After bidding a 'Merry Christmas' to Rose, he turned back towards the TARDIS and made to stagger forward. Two feet in front of him, and he collapsed into the snow. Addie quickly grabbed her trenchcoat, which would be practically useless in the icy weather, and burst outside.

"I've got you, I've got you." She assured him, inserting herself under his arm to prop him up. "Come on, we're almost home. Just a few more steps."

The Doctor grit his teeth and raised his head defiantly. He could make it.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, Ood Sigma observed them from the shadows. His presence was not needed, it seemed.

"This song is ending," He stated softly, "but the story never ends."

Finally in their sanctuary, the Doctor lifted his arm off of Addie and nodded at her firmly. "Time for you to get out of the way. This won't be pretty."

Addie reluctantly acquiesced, but not before pressing a light kiss to the Doctor's lips (anything more and she knew he would keel over). Backing away and looking into those soft puppy dog eyes one last time, she watched as he set his shoulders.

"I'm ready." He stated, a wistful smile on his mouth. Oh, he would never truly be ready to let go, but this was the best he would get. Closing his eyes, the Doctor said a final farewell to Ten as Addie scarpered under the console mesh, having just set the TARDIS off into space.

Leaning against the thick wiring, Addie took a deep breath but couldn't help but shiver in fear at what she was about to do. She let out a yelp as the console room lit up in a fiery blast of golden light and knew that it was now or never, but her resolve had been made half an hour ago. The Eleventh was here, after all, and she didn't want him to experience that crushing feeling he had described to her an hour before. It was time for the new Addie, the Time Lady Addie, to come back.

Shoving her hand inside her pendant, she withdrew the fob watch and, without hesitation, pushed it open. Inside was a swirling silver light that appeared to reflect her intrigued expression before it blinded her. Addie inhaled once, deeply, and the essence seemed to float through her nostrils harmlessly so she allowed herself to relax as much as one could do while the TARDIS was imploding around her.

That had been a mistake.

As soon as the essence touched the back of her throat and journeyed to her chest, it started to burn. Addie had never known the true meaning of the word, 'agony,' until that moment as her heart writhed and contorted furiously and the blood thrummed like lava in her veins. A wail broke from her throat as her hands scrambled for purchase, for a hold on anything that could stop the unceasing, dominating pain. With her eyes shut, she was a black hole of sentience, all conscious thought gone in the overwhelming blight of torment.

Meanwhile, as Addie twitched beneath the console, the newly regenerated Doctor let out a final shout before running his hands through his hair. He then picked up one of his legs, examining it keenly with fresh eyes. "Legs. I've still got legs. Good. Arms. Hands. Ooo, fingers. Lots of fingers. Ears, yes. Eyes, two. Nose, I've had worse. Chin, blimey. Hair." The Doctor stopped, hit with a wave of alarm. "I'm a girl! Will Addie still love me if I'm a girl?" He patted his strong jawline and hair once more for reassurance. "No. No. I'm not a girl. And still not ginger."

Blinking once to get rid of the shine of tears left over in his eyes, he observed that his ginger girl was still very much not in sight. How unlike her. "Addie?" He called, jumping a little at the volume of his voice. He decided that he liked his voice, even if it was a little squeaky.

There was no reply.

Starting again when a coral strut fell a few feet away from him, the Doctor felt his panic rise as Addie didn't show herself. Had he hurt her?

"Addie, where are you?"

A muffled whine came from below his feet and he quickly spread his legs to see directly underneath him. There she was, writhing a little less than before, and with an open fob watch in her palm.

Whatever color the Doctor had in his face drained as he saw what she had done. "No, no, no, no, no."

Stumbling over his overly large feet, the Doctor made it to Addie's side and pulled her limp form into his chest. "You weren't supposed to do this without me, you stupid girl."

He rocked her back and forth, cradling her into himself like she was the most precious thing in the universe, and he supposed she was, at least to him. He continued to speak to her, hoping that it would speed up her recovery. They were about to crash, after all.

"I saved you so that you wouldn't have to make this exact decision, and yet you've gone ahead and done it anyway. Why, Addie?" He kissed her forehead and imbued it with a bit of leftover regeneration energy. He was thrilled when her lips parted to exhale a puff of a similar color. That was good, her lungs were working properly which meant that her own Time Lady energy was circulating throughout her body as it should. Just to be sure, the Doctor pressed two fingers to the side of her neck and stilled as he felt the double heartbeat. "Addie?"

Her scrunched-up expression loosened to a more serene one. She tentatively opened one eye, then the other. What confronted her was the face of a rather goofy looking man with floppy brown hair and uncannily familiar chocolate eyes peering down at her. "... Doctor?"

He shuddered in relief and couldn't help but pull her into another hug, utterly gratified by her survival and the fact that he had seen that gleam of recognition in her eyes. She was still his Addie.

As she felt his hand petting the back of her head, Addie dazedly observed that this incarnation of the Doctor was already much more tactile than the past one. Ten had been prone to verbal flirtations, but it seemed that Eleven was physically inclined to showing his affection.

But how had she changed? She didn't feel too different, aside from one glaring thing. Her eyes shifted to the emerald ring on her finger and she withdrew from the hug.

"What is it? What's wrong?" The Doctor blurted, his hands already waving uselessly in the air. Addie ignored him and pulled the offensive object off her finger, tossing it to the floor. He looked on confusedly, not understanding her train of thought, let alone his own. "Addie?"

"I hate the color green." She spat with a mixed sense of annoyance and bewilderment. Her emerald eyes stared at him, his astonishment reflected in her own expression. A startled giggle burst from her mouth. "I hate the color green?"

Suddenly, she couldn't stop laughing and the Doctor joined in after a bit. Really? Was this the drastic change she had been so afraid of for months? The transmogrification that she had split up with the Doctor over? It all seemed so silly now.

"Well, if that's the biggest difference between human me and Time Lady me, I feel like an idiot now." Addie huffed, blowing her bangs out of her face like she always did.

"Time Dunce." The Doctor teased, beaming at the fact that he could use the insult against her now. Addie rolled her eyes but couldn't help a smile from coming on her face.

"I suppose I deserved that."

The Doctor tugged her close again so that they were standing chest-to-chest. Her face showed a mild bit of alarm at his confidence, and the Doctor couldn't help but smirk at her reaction. He was already liking this body, and, judging by the dark blush on her cheeks, so was she. He would certainly hope so, after he had thought of nothing else but her as he regenerated. She fit perfectly with him, but first, he needed to check what she, herself, thought of the new him. "What do you think?"

"About what?" She coyly skirted around the question.

"This." He gestured at himself obviously.

Addie made a big show of letting her eyes trace him from head to toe, pleased when she returned to view his face and there was a small flush on it. "Funny sort of eyebrows, but I approve."

"I," The Doctor leaned forward and gave her a peck, "am going to ignore that jab at my eyebrows. I'm glad."

Bolstered by the relief of her new transformation and the fact that they had both been given a new start, Addie dragged him in for a proper kiss. The Doctor let out a sort of startled noise at the back of his throat, and his ridiculous hands floundered about for a bit again before they found their place at her waist.

Neither of them knew how long they stood there as the TARDIS continued to explode, but when the room tilted unpredictably to one side and they came collapsing to the floor, they knew it was time to stop. Addie got up from where she had fallen on top of the Doctor's chest and gave him an awkward pat.

"Right." She smoothed down her hair and (ugh) green dress. "Crashing."

"Yes." The Doctor's eyes were wide as he cleared his throat. "Right."

The two of them darted up to the sparking console as the TARDIS inexplicably turned on its side again. The Doctor stumbled back, his steering completely off, and nearly tumbled out of the doors that were flapping in the wind. Addie launched herself forward and grabbed his hand, using her entire body to pull him towards her. Unfortunately, she overcompensated, and as the TARDIS spun once more, she lost her balance and rolled off the side of the console mesh.

Somehow, though, she wasn't scared - Addie felt more exhilarated than anything else. She just couldn't stop laughing as she uselessly reached for something to stop her fall. The whole situation was just ridiculous, albeit painful as her shoulders rammed into every obstacle in her path. Finally, she managed to grab onto a passing door handle and she held on for dear life.

However, she hadn't accounted for the Doctor falling behind her and his body mass dislodged her hand. Addie let out a surprised squeak as the two of them barged through the doors at the end of the hallway and into the pool, where their descent abruptly finished.

It was tranquil under the water. There was no sound and Addie let herself just exist for a moment beneath the waterline. The pendant around her neck tugged upward, unable to resist the pull of gravity, and Addie let a few bubbles escape from her lips in surprise as the chain easily slipped off her neck. She supposed that the Author's role in her life had finally been fulfilled.

And, as she stopped moving towards the bottom and she, too, began to float back to the surface, Addie realized that it wasn't that she hated the color green - she just hated what it had symbolized to her as a child. That emerald green pendant had been the last thing she'd seen before her identity had been erased and she had become Adelaide McLaughlin.

Breaking out of the water with a gasp, Addie breaststroked over to the edge of the pool and heaved herself out, wheezing as she went. Seconds later, the Doctor's sodden head popped out of the water and he backstroked over to her before getting out.

As he shook his hair out like a dog, Addie half-smiled. "This new you… It's rather odd."

The Doctor scrunched up his nose, wringing out his tie. "Ood?"

She shoved him playfully. "You're ridiculous."

They sat on the edge of the pool and Addie took the time to look around them. They were in the library. The pool was in the library. It seemed that her favorite garden library was gone and she felt a pang of sadness before leaning back to look above them. It was a long way up.

"Doctor, how are we going to get up there?"

He tapped the side of his nose. "With a little imagination and a dash of creativity."

Jumping to his feet, he scurried over to the side of the room and retrieved a grappling hook and rope, of all things. Addie gaped, pulling her feet out of the water. "How…?"

"The TARDIS." The Doctor patted the bookshelf beside him lovingly. "She always provides what we need."

Still flabbergasted, Addie deftly yanked off her soggy converse and even soggier socks. If they would be climbing a rope, she would need all the grip she could get (she had, after all, never had to do it in P.E. class in high school).

The Doctor let out a shout as he successfully hooked the line around something outside the TARDIS door. "First - " He cut himself off, doubling over as he clutched his chest, and shooed Addie away when she tried to approach. "Fine, I'm fine. All normal."

"You've never been normal." Addie teased light-heartedly, even as her eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Think you can make it up?"

The Doctor brought himself up indignantly, affronted by her insinuation. "Don't be ridiculous, Adelaide, of course I can. In fact," He bent down into a crouch, his already bow legged knees becoming even more pronounced, "get on my back."

"What? No. You can't hold my weight."

He sighed, his already wounded male ego becoming even more injured. "Addie, don't make me come over there and get you."

She groaned but approached him regardless. "It's a valid concern, Doctor. You can hardly breathe properly."

When there was no response other than an irritated huff, Addie skeptically climbed onto his back and lowered her arms around his neck. Latching her fingers together, she proclaimed sarcastically, "Lead on, faithful steed."

The Doctor hefted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. As he got used to the new mass on his back, he tottered over to the side.

"Don't fall!"

"Don't doubt me." The Doctor retorted, not wanting to tell her that he had massively miscalculated. Stubbornly, he grasped hold of the rope and began to rappel against the floor (now ceiling) of the hallway.

Within minutes, he was breathing heavily and Addie had interjected three times that she was perfectly capable of climbing up on her own, to no avail. Finally, finally, his hand latched onto the edge of the TARDIS door and their heads peeked over to inspect their surroundings. Addie coughed as the smoke from the Doctor's explosive regeneration wafted around her and she squinted to see what was in front of her.

There was a little girl, staring at them unabashedly in astonishment. These two strangers had just crashed into her backyard in a blue box, and they were looking at her like she was the weird one. What kind of people did that, showing up on someone's property in the middle of the night drenched in some unknown liquid, riding piggyback on one another?

Then the man opened his mouth. "Could I have an apple? All I can think about. Apples. I love apples. Maybe I'm having a craving? That's new. Never had cravings before."

Addie cleared her throat crossly and the Doctor scrambled to let her down. In the process of awkwardly trying to hook her leg over the side of the TARDIS, she somehow ended up losing her balance and crashed into the moist soil. With a wheeze, she righted herself and beamed at the girl, whom, she noted excitedly, was also a ginger.

"Hello. Sorry, he's not quite right in the head at the moment." Addie rubbed the side of her own head, now encrusted with dirt, and retched when she found a beetle. Shuddering, she tossed it aside, and Amelia couldn't find it within herself to tell the woman that she still had another one at the top of her skull. "To be honest, neither am I. Anyways, introductions. I am Addie, and this is the Doctor. Apologies for crash landing into your backyard."

"Are you okay?" Amelia asked uncertainly, not wanting to give her name to these two until she knew more about them.

The Doctor was now in a sitting position and he peered down at the pool far below them. "Just had a fall. All the way down there, right to the library. Hell of a climb back up, especially with a woman on your back."

In the meantime, Addie had found the second beetle and pointed an accusing finger at the man. "Don't blame me! You're the one who volunteered."

But Amelia was stuck on something. "You're both soaking wet." Was the box full of water?

The Doctor stared at her like she was the idiotic one. "We were in the swimming pool."

"You said you were in the library."

Addie snorted and stood up. "So was the swimming pool." Leaning in and trying not to be offended when the girl slightly leaned away, she whispered knowingly, "Don't ever try to make sense of the Doctor. It won't help you at all."

"Why not?" Amelia frowned. "Isn't he a policeman? Aren't you a policeman?" As Addie opened her mouth to retort, she hastily corrected herself, "Woman."

The Doctor used a disgruntled Addie's head as a support as he tottered off the TARDIS. "Why? Did you call a policeman?"

Deciding to take a chance, Amelia tilted her head. "Did you come about the crack in my wall?"

"What - "

Whatever he had been about to say was cut off as he lurched forward in pain, Addie barely managing to catch him in time. She stroked the hair back from the Doctor's forehead worriedly, not knowing whether what he had said about this regeneration business was accurate. "Are you sure this is normal?" Addie said quietly, to which the Doctor nodded firmly.

Amelia took a tentative step forward. "Are you all right, mister?"

"No, I'm fine. It's okay." The Doctor squeezed Addie's hand once and she reluctantly released him. "This is all perfectly norm - "

Perhaps she had let him go too soon. He toppled to the ground and wheezed, another golden cloud swirling from his parted lips and disappearing into the night sky.

"Who are you?" Amelia wondered, flabbergasted, as she ogled his glittering hands. Addie bit back her sarcastic response and let the Doctor answer.

Sitting back on his heels, he commented, "I don't know yet. I'm still cooking. Does it scare you?"

A small smile quirked the corner of Amelia's mouth. "No, it just looks a bit weird."

"I think he was talking about the crack in your wall." Addie gently amended. "Does that scare you?"

Amelia fidgeted with her hands. "... Yes."

A beaming grin lit up the Doctor's face and he jackknifed to his feet, startling both Addie and Amelia. "Well then, no time to lose. I'm the Doctor, this is my lovely lover slash close friend, Addie ("Doctor!" Addie groaned, face flushed in embarrassment). Do everything I tell you, don't ask stupid questions, and don't wander off."

With that, he promptly veered over to the side and into a tree.

"That's what you get for that unnecessary introduction." Addie stood over him, glaring down into his bewildered eyes. "I already told her who we were, or were you not listening before?"

The Doctor blinked. "Early days." He offered as a meek explanation, and a fond smile came across her face. Extending a hand, she pulled him back to his feet, and he excitedly rubbed his palms together.

"Let's go take a crack at that crack, eh?"

Addie nearly choked.

Addie sat criss-cross on top of the wooden chair in Amelia's kitchen, her cheek leaned into her palm as she observed the Doctor experiment with his new taste buds (rather rudely, she might add). He had already spat out an apple, yogurt, bacon, and baked beans, all while managing to squeeze in an insult to the girl's hospitality despite the fact that she had let two strangers enter her home and then proceeded to cook for one of them.

"There goes the bread." Addie mused, watching as he tossed the plate out like a frisbee. "Really, Doctor, who doesn't like bread and butter?"

"Not me." He stated darkly, scowling into the distance where the plate had fallen.

"We've got some carrots." Amelia piped up helpfully.

Addie perked up, sitting taller in her chair. "You know, she might have a point with that one. Maybe you should try things that you didn't like before. You might like them now."

If possible, the Doctor's countenance grew even more despondent at the thought of liking carrots, of all vegetables. "No." An idea grew in his head and he instantly marched to the fridge and threw open the door. "Wait. Hang on. I know what I need. I need, I need," He rummaged through the freezer and triumphantly slammed it shut, "I need fish fingers and custard."

Addie slouched back in her chair, mildly disgusted and yet not at all surprised. "How on Earth did you decide on that?"

He busily ripped open the package and began to lay the fish out on a plate. "I listened to the voice in my head." As he popped them into the microwave, he turned towards Addie expectantly. "What's the voice in your head saying?"

"Is that a Time Lord thing?" Addie giggled.

"No," He smirked, "just a 'Doctor' thing."

"Well," She leaned forward cheekily, "right now, it's telling me that I need a new title for my new Time Lady self."

His sparse eyebrows rose. "But you've already got one."

"Do I?"

The Doctor scooped her up and twirled her around amidst her muffled squeals. "But of course, you're my little Tiger Lily." As he set her down in the chair again, he winked and then turned to get the food. "Came up with it myself."

"You're such a liar!" Addie pointed at him amusedly. "You know that River came up with that first back in the Library."

"Well," The Doctor brought the fish fingers to the table, Amelia creeping forward with the hot custard she had prepared while they had been conversing, "technically I came up with it first, if you think about how she referred to you as my Tiger Lily."

Addie rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Yes, dear, but you only learned the name from her."

"Wibbly wobbly…"

"Timey wimey." Addie reluctantly finished, shoving the bowl closer to the Doctor. He beamed like a little boy and swirled one of his fish fingers into the custard Amelia had prepared for him. The little girl was sitting on the other side of the Doctor, eating a large spoonful of vanilla ice cream and looking alarmingly at ease for someone who had just eavesdropped on an exceedingly confusing conversation.

"I'm so sorry about all this nonsense." Addie apologized to the girl, who merely shrugged. "I've just realized that we never got your name."

Amelia hesitated briefly, but after seeing the Doctor scarf down his fish fingers and Addie's wide, green, beseeching eyes, she knew that she could trust them. "Amelia Pond."

"Oooh," Addie cooed, "that's a gorgeous name."

The Doctor slurped custard off a fish finger. "Amelia Pond. Like a name in a fairy tale. Are we in Scotland, Amelia?"

"No." Amelia pouted. "We had to move to England. It's rubbish."

Straightening up, Addie blurted defensively, "Hey, what's wrong with England?" The country had rather grown on her during her absence from the United States.

"Hush, dear, that's not important." The Doctor absentmindedly covered her mouth with his hand as he leaned in closer to Amelia. "So what about your mum and dad, then? Are they upstairs? Thought we'd have woken them by now."

Addie licked his palm and he immediately withdrew his hand, shaking it overdramatically with a little faux moue of hurt. She swatted his arm in rebuttal as Amelia answered, "I don't have a mum and dad. Just an aunt."

At her nonchalant confession, Addie froze and lowered her hand. "Then where is your aunt?"

Amelia stirred her spoon listlessly in the melting ice cream. "She's out."

The Doctor furrowed his brows. "And she left you all alone?"

Amelia drew herself up indignantly. "I'm not scared."

"Never said you were." Addie chortled.

"No, you're not scared of anything. Box falls out of the sky, man falls out of a box with a woman on his back, man eats fish custard, and look at you, just sitting there. So you know what I think?"

"Do share with the class, Doctor." Addie smirked as his eyes danced over to hers amusedly.

"I think," He breathed out, "it must be a hell of a scary crack in your wall."

The table shook as he abruptly stood up, the bowl in front of him clattering obnoxiously and breaking the suspenseful silence he had created. Addie closed her eyes briefly, feeling her hearts race in her chest at the change in pace.

"Come along, Pond!" The Doctor darted away in search of the stairs, but Amelia hesitated in the kitchen when she noticed that Addie hadn't moved.

"Tiger Lily? Aren't you coming?"

Addie laughed lightly at the childish moniker. "In a minute. Someone's got to clean up the mess he's made, and he's certainly not in a good state to do that, himself. I'm honestly expecting him to pass out at any moment, so it would be best if you could lead him to your room."

Amelia studied her for a moment longer as Addie carried the custard encrusted bowl to the sink. "Are you two married?"

Addie let out a loud wheeze at that and hurriedly turned on the faucet. "No!" She squeaked, cheeks flushing at the very prospect. "... Not yet, anyways."

"Is he your boyfriend, then?" Amelia pushed, her nose scrunched up at the very idea.

"It sounds a bit trivial when you put it that way." Addie focused her attention on the pot used to heat the custard next. A small smile stole across her face as she thought of the perfect description, and she turned to face Amelia again. "He's just… my person."

"What does that - " Amelia started, before getting cut off by the Doctor's shout from upstairs.

"I am getting rather impatient, Amelia!"

"Go on, then." Addie encouraged, secretly grateful for the Doctor's inability to wait. "I'll be around for questions after this is all fixed. Promise."

Amelia nodded quickly and hurried up the stairs after the Doctor, her nightgown whipping around the corner. At the sink, Addie slouched a bit and stared at the stream of running water splashing off her hands.

"Here I am, washing dishes in a human girl's house a mere five hours or so after seeing my mother, watching my cousin die, and having the Time Lords nearly return to the universe." Addie shook her head and scrubbed the interior of the pot. Not to mention witnessing the Doctor regenerate and having my own world turned upside down.

Addie wondered if she would ever get over how strange her life was.

Dishes done, she turned off the water and shook her hands dry. It was then that she heard a gravelly voice blaring from upstairs, proclaiming, "Prisoner Zero has escaped."

Wiping her hands hastily on her admittedly disgusting clothes, Addie scrambled up the stairs to Amelia's room, only to run into the Doctor as he was sprinting out.

"Ouch, Doctor!" Addie groaned, rubbing her skull. Her head throbbed in double time to the sound of her hearts but it was soothed by a hand caressing the sore area.

"'Prisoner Zero has escaped.'" The Doctor repeated, nearly quivering in place. She could feel his hand trembling against her forehead.

"Yes, I've got that, thanks. Who is Prisoner Zero?" Addie wondered. "Wait, no, did this prisoner escape through the crack in Amelia's wall?"

The Doctor beamed. "Yes. Well, possibly. Psychic paper, look."

Addie craned her neck and saw the message written inside. "Ah, interesting."

As her head was bowed, the Doctor's eyes focused on something ahead of him before his vision drifted to the side suspiciously. "Now, that's funny."

"What's funny?" Amelia slid out from behind him.

"It's difficult." The Doctor rambled, not directly answering her query. "Brand new me. Nothing works yet. But there's something I'm missing. In the corner of my eye."

"I don't feel anything…" Addie trailed off, observing the Doctor as he began to turn his head. Whatever he had been about to do, however, was interrupted by one of the most ominous sounds in the universe: the TARDIS cloister bell.

The last time Addie had heard that bell, it meant the end of the universe and the beginning of the end of her human life.

Without a word, she hurtled down the stairs and out into the yard, trusting that the Doctor was close behind. Coming to a hasty stop in front of the ship, she gently patted the side of the box and winced at the heat emanating from within. A pained, desperate hum filled her head. "Doctor, what's wrong with her?" Addie demanded anxiously. "Did we do this? What does this mean?"

"The engines are phasing." The Doctor's eyes were slightly wild. "She's burning."

Selfishly, Addie relaxed a bit. "No end of the universe, then?"

"No," The Doctor's lips quirked despite himself, "not this time. I think we've filled our quota of those for a while."

"Well, let's hope." Addie exhaled. "How do we fix her?"

"But it's just a box." Amelia piped up, causing Addie to jump in surprise. She hadn't heard her approach. "How can a box feel anything?"

"She's not a box. She's a time machine." The Doctor corrected. "And we just have to stabilize her."

"You've got a real time machine?" Amelia repeated, flabbergasted.

"She's called the TARDIS." Addie beamed. "Stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space, and she's sentient, which means she is in a lot of pain right now. Doctor?"

"Yes, quite." The Doctor ducked behind the TARDIS and returned with the rope they had used an hour or so previously to climb out from the pool. "Five minute hop into the future should do it."

"Can I come?" Amelia asked tentatively, causing Addie to pause even as the Doctor continued his preparations to get inside their ship.

"Not safe in here. Not yet." The Doctor answered firmly as he hooked a leg over the top of the TARDIS. "Five minutes. Give me five minutes, I'll be right back."

Amelia frowned slightly. "People always say that."

At this, Addie stepped forward. "Doctor, why don't I stay with her until you get back?"

Words spilled out from his mouth before he could even process what he was saying. "No, absolutely not. Out of the question."

Her brows raised. "It would just be five minutes."

"Five minutes are an eternity when you're not by my side." The Doctor muttered under his breath and Addie's cheeks glowed with a sort of happy embarrassment. How romantic. "Besides, you'd probably get kidnapped or something equally terrible."

She rolled her eyes. Slightly less romantic now.

The Doctor smirked slightly and her hearts stuttered for a second. Oh, my god; I forgot that Time Lords can read thoughts. She really needed to learn how to put up walls or something in her head - a handy skill that the Author hadn't bothered to teach her, as it was something commonly learned at the Academy.

"Fine." Addie grumbled. The Doctor let out a victorious 'ha!' and swung his other leg over the edge. With a shouted 'geronimo!' he pushed off and hopped into the TARDIS, and presumably, into the swimming pool. Addie shook her head at his craziness (because really, if he expected her to follow him into the pool again, he was bonkers) and focused back on Amelia again. Her little face was attempting to be stoic, but her facade wasn't working.

"It's okay, you know." Addie encouraged, crouching down slightly. "It's okay to be scared, but I promise you, there's no need to be. The Doctor and I - we'll fix that crack in your wall, and we will be back. But, just between you and me, his steering is terrible; it could take him all night, all week, or even all year. That being said, Miss Amelia Pond - "

The Doctor's voice echoed up petulantly from the depths of the TARDIS. "Addie! We need to be back here in five minutes, and we're running dangerously close to being on time."

Addie inhaled, then let it go. "As I was saying… If we are late, don't think that it's intentional. You will be our first stop after we've helped the TARDIS, so rest assured about that."

Amelia locked eyes with her and nodded. "Do you promise?"

Addie smiled and pulled the other girl into a hug. "Cross my hearts." She vowed into the girl's ear.

When another whine of her name came from the TARDIS, Addie released Amelia and gave her one last reassuring wave before clambering in.

After all, how could she have known to give a wider time window?

Hello, hello!

Yikes, I really let FSA go a bit, didn't I? I'm sorry I was... seven months late? In that space of time, I had another semester of university and went abroad to Oxford, England again for a short-term internship. I swear, I was being productive... just not towards writing FSA, hehe.

I know this was a much-anticipated chapter, so I hope I did it justice! Did I surprise any of you with Addie's sudden decision to open the watch? Or had you already figured it out from good ol' Lucius back in Pompeii?

And, of course, the biggest plot twist of all: Addie doesn't like the color green anymore?

Let me know what you think! I don't have a written preview yet, as I'm terribly unorganized and am posting simply when I finish each chapter, but here's a little hint for you: Amy is going to be quite upset with Addie for a while upon their return, and it's not just because of her broken promise or simple jealousy ;)

- Entitea