A/N: Yay! A relatively quick update from me for once! I'm so glad you guys are liking the story, and especially how much you all seem to like the Archiver. I've noticed there seems to be a formula when it comes to 'Time-jump' stories with the Doctor. Generally the character starts off human, coming from a world where Doctor Who the show exists, and then there's some twist that reveals the character to be not human in some way. Don't get me wrong! I love those stories, I think they're fantastic and there's always some unique twist to each of them. But I didn't want to write in a formula.

I'm glad that some of you see the Archiver as capable and as an equal to the Doctor. She is a Time Lady after all, with centuries of her own experience, and should be able to keep up with the Doctor. Maybe even surpass him at times, we'll see. I really love writing this character and I can't wait for you all to see what else I have planned. Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon!

Special thanks to all of my reviewers from the last chapter: bored411, The Timeless Child, Catlorde, and Lil'Sparrow7

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me."

The Archiver could only watch as Donna was latched to the stone table in the center of the temple they'd been dragged to. She swallowed, looking away as the scene reminded her far too much of Utah, and cursed under her breath. Or tried to at least. A red scarf muffled any real sound. Tied to a pillar as she was, Archie couldn't exactly protect Donna from her position.

Though, given the circumstances, the companion was doing rather well. More angry than scared. Course, she probably knew the Archiver wouldn't honestly let her get hurt – and if she didn't, well the Doctor would likely be there any minute.

In the meantime, she focused on the crudely tied ropes around her wrists, instead of the memories rushing behind her eyelids. Half listening to Donna and the gathered sisterhood to make sure she wasn't in danger.

"The false prophet will surrender her blood and her breath."

"I'll surrender you in a minute," Donna grumbled, tugging at the binds on her wrists and ankles. If she angled her head just right, she could see the Archiver out of the corner of her eye. Tied, gagged. Oh, the Doctor will not be happy about that. Her gaze spun quickly back to the sisterhood when the glint of a dagger caught her eye. "Don't you dare!"

"You will be silent!"

"Listen sister, you might have eyes on the back of your hands, but you'll have eyes in the back of your head by the time I finish with you!" Donna pulled at the ropes again, wondering what was taking the Doctor so long – he surely must have noticed they'd disappeared by now. "Let us go!"

"This prattling voice will cease – forever!" And the dagger was raised.

And really, the Archiver might have feared for Donna, blade above her one fragile heart as it was, but it just so happened… "Oh, that'll be the day!" The Doctor had chosen just then to make an appearance, striding in with a staggering amount of confidence.

The sisterhood turned to the Doctor, horror on their faces. "No man is allowed to enter the Temple of Sybil."

"Well, that's all right. Just us girls." He sauntered in, swagger in his walk. "Do you know, I met the Sybil once? Hell of a woman. Blimey! She could dance the tarantella. Nice teeth, too. Truth be told –" his steps stuttered, eyes landing on his longtime friend – well, more than friend depending which one you asked – restrained to a pole. That wouldn't do, not a tick. "– I think she had a bit of a thing for me. I said it'd never last. She said, 'I know.' Well, she would, wouldn't she?"

The Archiver raised a brow, eyes following the Doctor's stride as he got closer to her. She wondered if it was true, that he met the Sybil. If any of it was true because, while she wouldn't hold it against him, the Doctor was clearly a talented liar.

He stopped barely a foot from her post. "You all right there?" She gave him a rather bewildered expression, jerking her chin behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he laughed. "Ah, yes Donna. She's alright, just fine. Ain't that right, Donna?"

"Oh, never better!"

"See? Fine." He grinned, hands folded behind his back and rocking on his heels. Archie looked distinctly unamused – well, not completely if the crinkle of her eyes was anything to go by. A moment passed, where he just stared at her, before he blinked and looked at the red scarf around her mouth. "Ah, right. In need of assistance then?"

Rather than respond, because really the scarf, the Archiver raised her now freed hands from behind her back. The rope dropped to the ground. Pulling the red cloth up and over her head to toss it aside – she really wasn't a fan of red – the Archiver snorted at the delighted expression on the Doctor's face. "Really now, Doctor. For someone who sees so much, you notice surprisingly little."

She walked around the Doctor, patting his shoulder as she passed. Cutting between the sisters in the red capes, her nose scrunched at the color. No, definitely not a supporter of red. "Right then, hello love." She waved down at Donna once she stood by the companion's head. "I never got a chance to compliment the toga. Purple suits you."

"Thank you! And the ropes?"

"Nah," Archie hummed, "best get rid of those." From just the right tug at the right place, the ropes loosened and fell away from the metal links. "The knots were poor anyway, and where's the fun in that?" She winked at Donna, laughing when her faced reddened from the comment.

"Bit flirty, you are," the redhead grumbled, pulling the ropes from her wrists as she sat up.

"Am I? Oh, that's new!"

"Not really," the Doctor bounced over, grinning at his two companions. "Well, I say not really – that's a bit relative. It carries over you know, the flirting. I think you do it to annoy me."

"Says the man boasting a relationship with the Sybil."

"Oh, you were there, nothing happened. Well, I say nothing…"

"Was I?"

"Course you were," the Doctor grinned, twirling the sonic between his fingers. "The two of you together, wasn't sure I'd survive that dance." He winked, only half disappointed when the Archiver didn't blush. Turning to the others, he stuffed the sonic back into his suit chest-pocket. All humor left him. "Let me tell you about the Sybil, the founder of this religion. She would be ashamed of you," he spat. "All her wisdom and insight turned sour. Is that how you spread the word, eh? On the blade of a knife?"

"Yes, a knife that now welcomes you!" She raised the blade again above her head.

The Archiver stepped forward, grabbing the woman's wrist. "No need for that dearie, we're here to help," she quipped, twisting the girl's wrist so the dagger would slip from her fingers and clatter to the ground.

"Show me this man." A voice, high and regal, spoke from behind the shimmer of a red silk curtain. The Archiver could just make out a silhouette among the folds. The sisters all turned to the curtain, quickly taking positions to kneel on the ground.

"High Priestess, the stranger will defile us."

"Let me see!" The woman ordered. "This one – these ones are different. They carry starlight in their wake."

"Oh, very perceptive," the Doctor commented, just a bit wary as he approached the curtain. "Where do these words of wisdom come from?"

"The Gods whisper to me."

"No, no they don't," the Archiver scoffed, hands in her pockets. "True, you hear whispers and orders and futures, but they are only as God as the title you've given them. And they've done far more than whisper."

The Doctor looked around, an idea coming to mind. "Might I beg audience?" He turned to the sisters. "Look upon the High Priestess." The curtains were drawn, Donna gasping beside him at the sight of the priestess.

On a bed of extravagant blankets and pillows sat a stone woman. Molten and rough like magma that cooled too quickly. She was draped in red fabrics, only her face and parts of her arms exposed. Even her eyes were hallowed craters in her face, blinded by her transformation. And she was in pain, so much pain – Archie could feel it in the creek of her shoulders and the rattle of her breathing. She was surprised the priestess still had movement in her jaw to speak, let alone her hands and arms.

"Oh, my God!" Donna grabbed the Archiver's hand, not noticing the strange look she got from the woman at the action. "What's happened to you?"

"The heavens have blessed me."

"If I might…" The Doctor stepped forward, holding out his hands in the hopes of examining the priestess. He held her stone hand between his, feel the rough realness of it. "Does it hurt?"

"It is necessary."

"Who told you that?"

"The voices."

The Archiver squeezed Donna's hand in comfort when she felt the companion stiffen. "Evelina will be okay, Donna. I'll make sure of it." She paused, debating her next words, before looking to Donna again. "You have my word."

"We don't need any help, we except the blessings of the gods," one of the sisters said, coming over to the two and exposing her stone skin. "The blessings are manifold."

"They're turning to stone," Donna whimpered, feeling the rock beneath her fingers.

"Exactly," the Doctor agreed, looking up at the priestess in some strange form of awe. "The people of Pompeii are turning to stone before the volcano erupts. But why?"

Donna's brows furrowed, looking to the Archiver at her side. "You mentioned, with Metella and Evelina, that this was some kind of assimilation. What's that mean?"

"Assimilation?" The Doctor repeated, eyeing the Archiver. She met his gaze, holding for a moment, then finally nodding. Thoughts whipped behind his eyes. What's it mean? Assimilation, that – "Of course! Archiver, a genius as always!"

"This word," the High Priestess spoke up, drawing their attention back to her stone form. "This image in your mind, this volcano. What is that?"

"More to the point, why don't you know about it?"

"They can't, Doctor." The Archiver walked forward, dropping Donna's hand. "Not when the source of their sight doesn't have the knowledge either." She put a hand on the Doctor's shoulder, looking to the priestess. "These creatures – I never knew…"

"I am the High Priestess of the Sibylline!"

"No, who are you?" The Doctor reiterated, placing his own hand over the Archiver's. "We're talking to the creature inside you. The thing that's seeding itself into a human body, in the dust in the lungs. Taking over the flesh and turning it into what?"

"Your knowledge is impossible!"

"Oh, but you can read our minds – well, mine at the very least. Don't know about her," he turned to the Archiver. "Can they read your mind?" She tilted her head, thinking for a moment and the Doctor grinned. It was cute when she did that, like a confused puppy.

"Not really, no," she decided, shrugging a shoulder. "Not unless I give them access first."

"Right then, so my mind." He nodded, swinging back around to the priestess. "Our knowledge is no less impossible than your existence. I demand you tell me who you are!"

"We are awakening!" Her voice changed, layered and deeper and echoing in the temple with authority. The Archiver covered her ears at the grating sound. Knowing the sound, hating the memories that came from it. She remembered the screaming.

The sisters in red surrounding them gasped, bowing low to the ground. "The voice of the gods!" They began to chant. "Words of wisdom. Words of power. Words of Wisdom. Words of power…"

The Doctor clenched his jaw, looking between the sisters, the High Priestess, and the Archiver. She knew what this was, he could tell by her eyes, the guilt in them. It was more than the guilt they often felt for lives they couldn't save, minds they couldn't change. No, she – she genuinely blamed herself for what was happening in Pompeii. But why? "Name yourself! Planet of origin, galactic coordinates, species designation, according to the universal ratification of the Shadow Proclamation."

"We. Are. Rising!"

"Archiver, tell me who they are, now!" When she only shook her head, folding into herself and taking several steps back, the Doctor felt his hearts clench. She kept mumbling apologies under her breath. He looked to Donna, his own worry mirrored in her face. Turning back to the creature, for she wasn't a priestess anymore, he growled, "Tell me your name!"

"Pyrovile!" The sisters chanted the name of their gods, rocking back and forth on their knees.

Donna moved towards the Doctor, rather disturbed by it all. "What's a Pyrovile?"

"That's a Pyrovile. Growing inside her. She's at halfway stage."

"What, and that turns into…?"

"That thing in the villa, that was an adult Pyrovile." He looked to the Archiver, the way her shoulders shook. "Assimilation," he breathed, realization settling in. "You've seen this before."

"The birth of a Pyrovile, Doctor, will incinerate you!"

Quickly moving in front of the Archiver, who seemed to be having a rather difficult time breathing, the Doctor pulled out a yellow water pistol from his suit pocket. "I warn you! I'm armed!" He pointed the, albeit harmless, gun at the priestess while nudging Donna along. "Donna, get that grille open."

Shocked, Donna scoffed at the Doctor. "What the…"

"Just!" He jerked his head towards the metal grille. "And take the Archiver with you! Slow her breathing if you can."

Donna nodded, speaking lowly to the Archiver as she guided her towards the grate in the floor. She didn't know what to do, listening to Archie muttering apologies under her breath. Laying her palm against the other woman's cheeks, surprised when she felt a bit of wetness, Donna leant just a bit closer. "Please, Archie. I don't know what's going on, but I need your help right now. Please."

And it was like a flip switched in the Archiver's mind. Her shoulders stilled. Her breathing evened out. Her grip on her hair loosened, though her fingers still shook. When she met Donna's eyes, the companion only saw resolve. And kindness. And maybe gratitude. The only trace of her upset being a slight redness in the whites of her eyes. "Five seconds Donna, always remember to feel for five seconds."

With those bewildering words, the Archiver pulled a speechless Donna towards the grating in the floor.

"What are the Pyrovile doing here?" The Doctor asked quickly, keeping an eye on Donna and the Archiver. Glad to notice the latter having calmed, if only a little. Her hands were shaking more than usual.

"We fell from the heavens. We fell so far and so fast, we were rendered into dust."

"Right," the Doctor agreed, noting the way the Archiver's movements stuttered at the words. "Creatures of stone shatter on impact. When was that, 17 years ago?"

"We have slept beneath for thousands of years."

"Okay, so 17 years ago woke you up. And now you're using human bodies to reconstitute yourself. But why the psychic powers?"

"We opened their minds and found such gifts."

The Doctor frowned, still not quite understanding. It was falling into place – it was! Only…he chanced a glance at the Archiver…not as much as he liked. "Fine, so you force yourself inside a human brain, use their latent psychic talent, I get that, yeah. But seeing the future, that is way beyond psychic. You can see through time, I only know one other who can truly do that. Where does the gift of prophecy come from?"

"We've got it, Doctor!" Donna called, lifting the grille.

"Now, get down!"

"What? Down there?"

"Yes, down there."

"C'mon Donna, he'll be right behind us!" The Archiver quickly lowered herself into the hole, moving aside and helping Donna as she positioned to do the same.

"Why can't this lot predict the volcano? Why is it being hidden?" The Doctor continued, feeling their time running out.

"Sisters, I see into his mind! The weapon is harmless!" Of course, there was always something getting in the way.

Shrugging, because really this was the chaos he lived with on the daily, the Doctor smirked and pulled the trigger. Plastic, but a trigger all the same. "Yeah, but it's gotta sting!" While the Pyrovile writhed from the water, the Doctor took the chance to follow Donna and Archie down the hatch.

Once all three of them were down there, they took a moment to breath. Donna could only laugh at the absurdity of it all. "You fought her off with a water pistol. I bloody love you!"

The Archiver, little humor to be found in the arch of her brow or the dip of her frown, looked around to pick the proper tunnel. "This way, c'mon." She was already headed down the path before the others could comment.

"Where are we going now? Archie, wait!"

"Donna," the Doctor paused, grabbing the companion's wrist, "about the Archiver…"

"What?"

"Just – just remember you have nothing to fear from her."

"Doctor, what are you on about?"

"Something about this…about all of this is personal for the Archiver. Something from before any of us knew her. We're going into the heart of the volcano, so just – just remember she's different now. Okay?"

And really? That only gave her more questions, more concerns, but it wasn't the time. It never felt like the right time with those two. The irony there was not lost on her. Instead, she nodded, and followed the Time Lord into the volcano. A volcano, for god's sake!

As they moved through the rock pathways to catch up to Archie, something occurred to Donna. Hope stirred in her chest. "But, Doctor, if it's aliens setting off the Volcano, doesn't that make it alright for you two to stop it?"

"It's still part of history."

"But I'm history to you, to both of you. You saved me in 2008, you saved all of us." She swallowed, simply not understanding. "Why is that different?"

"Some things are fixed, some things are in flux." The Doctor explained, knowing it wasn't that simple but going with it anyway. "Pompeii is fixed."

"How do you know which is which?"

Frustrated, the Doctor stopped and turned to Donna. "Because that's how I see the universe. Every waking second I can see what is, what was, what could be, what must not." He paused, willing her to listen, to take in his words. "It's the burden of a Time Lord, Donna. And I'm the last one."

"And the Archiver doesn't count? Is that how she sees the universe?"

"No." The two turned to see the blonde leaning against the wall of the path, eyes trained on her checkered laces. "Sorry, didn't mean to eavesdrop. You were taking a while to catch up."

The Doctor grimaced, shuffling his feet. "Archiver –"

"That is, of course, what a Time Lord sees." She took a deep breath, tapping her thumbs against her thighs in rapid jerky movements. "And the Doctor is the last of what they used to be."

Donna looked between the two, shaking her head. The Doctor seemed to be in pain, watching the blonde with an aching sadness. "I don't understand. What does that make you?"

The Archiver raised her head, finally meeting Donna's eyes. She swallowed, wondering how much all the others knew. "I'm not strictly Time Lord, Donna. Haven't been for…for a long time."

"But what does that mean? What are you?"

The Doctor rounded on Donna, a rare anger in his eyes, in the clench of his fists at his sides. "She's the Archiver, and that's all that matters. C'mon then, we have some Pyroviles to stop." He started walking, reaching for the Archiver's hand as he passed and pulling her along.

But Donna wasn't done, not when there were thousands of lives on the line. "How many people died?"

"Stop it!"

"Doctor! How many people died?"

"Twenty thousand!" He sighed, age seeping into the weight of his shoulders.

"Is that what you can see, Doctor? All twenty thousand?" Donna shook her head, wondering if the Doctor really could be the man she'd made him out to be. "And you think that's all right, do you? Both of you?"

"It's not that simple Donna –"

"Twenty thousand lives, Archiver! And you see it, maybe more than the Doctor does." Donna took a deep breath, feeling her own frustration rising. "You've been feeling guilty this whole time! What have you done? What have you caused?!"

Before the Archiver could respond, the tunnel shook with the tremors of a roar from one of the creatures. Bits of loose rock rained down on the group. The sound was far too close for comfort. "They know we're here, come on!" The Doctor held the Archiver's hand tightly in his own, reaching for Donna with the other.

Moving through the tunnels was a task in itself. Archie usually wouldn't consider herself clumsy – quite the opposite in fact – but it still hadn't been that long since Utah and her calf smarted from all the running. She'd already stumbled a few times at the pace they were going. Hopefully she wouldn't need any fresh bandages.

Eventually they reached a rather large cavern, all red stone and dust and patches of fire. Heat seeped into their skin, clinging to their clothes and wetting their hair. The Doctor led the two of them through the maze of boulders, finding the best vantage point to see the creatures. The sounds around them echoed like screeching metal and cracking stone.

There were at least a dozen Pyroviles that they could see. Absolutely massive, they were. Sharp and furious and flaming. They stood in what looked to be an altar of some kind. At its center, trails of magma flowing from the crater, sat a metal sphere. It was red hot, burning from the heat. But still intact.

"It's the heart of Vesuvius." The Doctor commented, watching the Pyroviles as they almost milled about without a care. "We're right inside the mountain."

"There's tons of them."

"What's that thing?" Pulling out a small spyglass, the Doctor tried to get a better look at the sphere.

Archie merely squinted, glad for her sharp eyes in that moment. Really, they were probably the best eyes she's ever had, clear and not a bit fuzzy. "It's an escape pod."

"You're sure?"

"Positive."

"Well, you two better hurry up and think of something." Donna cut in, looking just behind then when she heard heavy steps. "Rocky IV's on its way."

The two Time Lords carried on, barely aware of Donna's warning. "So, they arrived in in an escape pod? Not a prison ship? Or a gene bank?"

"Yes, Doctor, I'm absolutely positive. Escape pod."

"But," Donna started, moving forward to kneel beside Archie. She eyed the woman for a moment, remembering the Doctor's words. "Why do they need a volcano? Maybe it erupts and they launch themselves back into space or something."

"No, I think it's worse than that."

"How can it be worse?" Behind them, a Pyrovile roared again. "Doctor, it's getting closer."

"Heathens!" The trio turned to the shout, finding Lucius Dextrus looking rather haggard with his crumbled stone arm. "Defile us! They would desecrate your temple, my lord gods!"

The Archiver shuffled, grabbing the Doctor and Donna's hands. "Right then, must be off!" She led them towards the escape pod, only a smidge worried if there'd be enough room for the three of them.

"We can't go in!" Donna yelled, trying to pull her hand back, but the Archiver had a decent grip.

"Course we can, especially when back isn't an option, love!"

Running through the rocks, the Archiver barely managed not to wince at the pain in her leg. It'd be fine, she could tell, but that didn't mean the nerves were happy. She preferred happy nerves, less of a nuisance when it came to running.

"Crush them! Burn them!"

Of course, just as they were getting close to the pod, a Pyrovile had to be in their way. Standing all tall and menacing and just on fire really. Luckily, the Doctor still had the water pistol. He reached into his pocket and found…nothing. "What?"

"Oh, this is cute," The Archiver jumped in front of him, twirling the pistol on a finger. She pouted at the bemused look on his face. "What? You got to do it last time."

"When did you even –"

"Swiped it sometime between hand-holds. Now stop giving me that look, you'll get wrinkles." She turned to aim at the Pyrovile, hating the comfort she felt from holding the weapon, even a water pistol. "Grab Donna and get to the pod. I'm right behind you!" Spraying the creature, she felt the guilt settle further into her hearts.

She was to blame for this, for all of it. For twenty thousand lives.

The creature roared at the sting of the water, and Archie took the chance to round its legs where the Doctor and Donna were waiting for her by the escape pod.

"There's nowhere to run, Daughter of London and her Time Lords!"

"Now then, Lucius, my Lord Pyrovillian," the Doctor started, grabbing back the water pistol with a hard look at the Archiver. "Don't get yourselves in a lava. In a lava? No?"

"You're timing is impeccable, Doctor, but no. Not a lava," Archie said, Donna shaking her head behind her.

"No, definitely not."

"Eh, right then," he continued. "But if I might beg the wisdom of the gods before we perish…Once this new race of creatures is complete, then what?"

"My masters will follow the example of Rome itself," Lucius puffed his chest, pride and reverie seeping into the curve of his words. "An almighty empire, bestriding the whole of civilization!"

"But if you've crashed, and you've got all this technology, why don't you just go home?"

The Archiver swallowed, feeling that familiar tightness in her throat. "They haven't got a home, Donna. Not anymore." The Doctor and Donna stared at her, the latter seeming almost frightened of her. The former only sad.

"The heaven of Pyrovillia is gone."

"What do you mean, gone? Where's it gone?"

"It was destroyed! Lost to the Asset!" Lucius looked to the Archiver, gritting his teeth at the blankness on her face. "The gods were wronged and seek retribution! There is heat enough in this world for a new species to rise!"

The Doctor reached towards the Archiver's hand, saddened when she only pulled away from him. "Yeah, I should warn you," he hummed, jerking his thumb towards the outer walls. "It's 70 percent water out there!"

"Water can boil and everything will burn, Doctor!"

"Then, the whole planet is at stake." He nodded, winking at Donna. "Thank you, that's all I needed to know. Donna, Archiver, inside!" Once they were all stuffed in the pod – just enough room for the three of them, if a bit close – the Doctor used his sonic screwdriver to shut the hatch.

The Archiver raised a brow at the tool, rather curious by it. But there wasn't time for questions, not just then. She made a note to ask about it later. That and the blue box.

"Could we be any more trapped?" Donna huffed, looking around the enclosed space. Mostly rock, and oh look, the marble circuit boards. Steam filled the pod as the Pyrovile outside tried to get in. "Little bit hot."

The Doctor, though, was focused on the circuits. "See, the energy converter takes the lava, uses the power to create a fusion matrix which welds Pyrovile to human." He fiddled with the motherboard, flipping all the right switches and ignoring the strain of his hearts at what he was doing. "Now it's complete, they can convert millions."

"Can't you change it with these controls?"

Standing back, the Archiver sighed. He'd already figured it out, she could hear it in his voice. That slight tremble, that weight of responsibility and regret and knowing what's right. "Donna, don't you see? There was never a volcano. The Soothsayers could never see what wasn't there."

"What?"

"We can change it, stop the assimilation, but at a cost." She stepped forward, putting her hand on the companion's cheek. "A cost of twenty thousand."

"The Pyrovile are stealing all of the mountain's power. Vesuvius wouldn't erupt without it. But with that power, they'll take control of the planet," The Doctor explained, eyes wild.

Donna whimpered, the truth slowly coming to the forefront. "But you can change it back."

"Well, I can invert the system so that the volcano will blow them up, yes, but…"

"That's the choice, Donna. The choice we have to live with, Pompeii or the world." The Archiver finished when he trailed. She did something then that she hadn't done in centuries, not really. Opening her mind, she brushed along the edge of the Doctor's consciousness, letting him feel her sorrow, her guilt, her pain. Letting him do the same. He wasn't alone in this choice, he didn't have to be.

"I'm here, Doctor."

The Doctor nearly wept at the familiar touch of the Archiver's mind. It was always so rare with this Archiver. He pressed his forehead to her temple, savoring the feeling, even as it filled with their ache.

"Oh, my God."

Looking to Donna, his hearts clenched further. She was so scared, so…sad. "If Pompeii is destroyed, then it's not just history. It's me – it's us. The Archiver and I, we make it happen." Only, he didn't want her to have to do it, he didn't want her carry the weight. But she would – she has, and she will. Damnit! He could never protect her, not like he wanted to. Not like she deserved.

He went back to flipping switches and let the soothing brush of the Archiver's mind wash over him.

"But the Pyrovile are made of rocks. Maybe they can't be blown up."

"Vesuvius exploded with the force of 24 nuclear bombs. Nothing can survive it." He paused, closing his eyes in despair. All those memories, gone. The Archiver cut off before she could remember, before she could really experience the life they shared together. "Certainly not us."

"Nevermind us." And really, Donna was truly marvelous in that moment.

The Archiver laced her fingers through the Doctor's on top of the lever. "It ends here, with us." She met the Doctor's gaze, caught by the amount of emotion in his eyes. Emotion he felt for her. Emotion she couldn't unpack, not then – maybe not ever.

"Twenty thousand people…"

The gift of a Time Lord was seeing the universe, of experiencing the greatness of it. It was also the burden of a Time Lord, watching the universe change and die and create madness. They were meant to be observers, but – well, the Doctor never could sit still for long. And the Archiver? She had a few of her own wrongs to right.

This was a moment that was both gift and burden. Thousands of people lost for the sake of millions.

"Just breathe, Doctor. It'll be okay."

Just before they were meant to push the lever, Donna's own hands joined theirs. The two Time Lords, awed by this absolutely marvelous little human, could only nod their gratitude. "Together."

Everything shook after that pushed the lever, worse than the Pyrovile steps, worse than the quakes – worse than the Doctor's driving. It was so hot, Archie feared possible burns from the controls and the walls. And then they were flying, tumbling inside the pod from the sheer amount of force that sent them soaring. Only to come crashing down in a heap of limbs and bruises.

"We're…okay?" Donna trembled, knees wobbling as they all stumbled across the rocks.

"Escape pod, remember?" Archie winced, rubbing along her calf. "It was built for that sort of thing." The ground shook again, forcing the trio to look up towards the mountain. Lava spewed from the cap of the volcano, dark clouds of ash rolling towards them at an alarming speed. "Best to swan off now."

She pushed the Doctor and Donna forward to snap them out of their daze, and direct them away from the big cloud of heat and ash coming towards them.

Running through the streets, everyone screaming and panicking, the Archiver did her best to push through. It wasn't fair, she knew, as children were grabbed by their weeping mothers and grown men fell to their knees in despair. She'd gotten rather good at separating herself from the horrors of the universe over the centuries. Whether that was a good or a bad thing…wasn't really for her to decide.

"No! Don't go to the beach! Go to the hills!" Donna tried, yelling at the top of her lungs even at ash coated her mouth. "Listen to me! Don't go to the beach! It's not safe! Listen to me!" She spotted a crying child, all alone, and went to help the poor boy. He was grabbed from her hands a moment later by his mother, screaming at Donna to leave her boy alone.

"C'mon, Donna, we need to go." The Doctor held out his hand, pulling her along as she wept behind him. Occasionally looking back to make sure the Archiver was still following, the Doctor frowned at the hallow expression on her face. It reminded him far to much of Utah, of the defeat she'd felt. The acceptance of her fate. He wouldn't let it happen, he won't.

Finally making it back to the villa, Donna paused next to Caecilius and his family. "Doctor, Archiver, please."

The Archiver stopped, looking back at the family with a heavy heart. A once happy, thriving family. A family she'd never really had. She didn't move even as the Doctor swept into the Tardis without pause.

"No! Doctor, you can't!" Donna wept for the huddled family, the family that would die if they didn't do something. "Doctor!"

"Donna," Archie called, nodding at the companion. "Talk to him, change his mind."

Donna blinked, not having expected that from the Archiver, and felt hope surge in her chest. She dashed into the Tardis after the Doctor.

Kneeling beside the family, Archie placed a hand on Evelina's cheek, wiping her tears with her thumb. "You're going to be okay, you will. Just give him a moment. He's a bit stubborn, I've gathered." She started humming her lullaby under her breath, even as glass and marble rained down on them.

*O*O*

"You can't just leave them!" Donna yelled.

And the Doctor, messing with his switches and dials, clenched his jaw. "Don't you think I've done enough? History's back in place and everyone dies." They always die in the end.

"You've got to go back! Doctor, I am telling you, take this thing back!"

He pulled a lever, making the Tardis jerk and rock in the vortex before settling in a drift.

Donna, knowing that she had to convince the Doctor, for the Archiver – who the Doctor had just unknowingly left behind. For Evelina and her family, as well. They were dying, set to be buried in ash. She couldn't let that happen. "It's not fair," she whispered, throat raspy from screaming.

"No, it's not."

"But your own planet," she breathed, remembering what Lucius had said. "It burned."

"That's just it!" The Doctor snapped, turning to Donna with bared teeth and crazed eyes. "Don't you see, Donna? Can't you understand? If I could go back and save them then I would. But I can't!" He paused, tears welling his eyes. Counting to five wasn't working, it wasn't – how did she do it? Close it off? "I can never go back. I can't. I just…I can't."

"Just someone, please Doctor." Donna begged, face wet with sweat and tears and heartache. "Not the whole town. Just save someone." And when he looked at her, really looked at her, Donna felt herself shake from the emotion there.

The emotion of a hopeless man. And she realized how much he truly needed her, needed the Archiver.

*O*O*

The Archiver tried not to choke on the ash, rather appalled by the grains that coated her tongue and knotted her hair. She knew Donna would convince the Doctor, it was only a matter of time. Though, time wasn't exactly on their side – but really, was it ever?

And she couldn't leave them, not here. Not in the wake of her mistakes, of her blindness and cruelty. Evelina, the kind girl with remarkable talents who'd been forced into a way of life. Quintus, a young man with so much potential. Metella, a sorrowful mother. And Caecilius, a father who had only ever wanted to protect his family. Either they would live, by the mercy of the Doctor, or she would suffer with them.

She was okay with that, recalling Lucius' words from the day before. 'Borrowed Air' – Archie was well passed her prime, she knew. Her death had been meant for the fields on Gallifrey. Yet she still breathed, still experienced. It wasn't her choice, and if she could change it…well, she probably would given the chance.

There was still so much she didn't know about what's been happening to her, not the least of which being who forced her regeneration in the first place. Who saved her…she didn't think it was the Doctor.

She looked to Evelina, wrapped in the arms of her family. Scared and feeling so very betrayed by their beliefs, by their gods. Three of them wept, but Caecilius – he'd accepted their fate, she could see it in the way he held his family just a bit tighter.

"He'll come back," she mumbled, meeting Caecilius' eyes. "He will, I know it."

Just as she said the words, there was that sound again. That wheezing beautiful sound – she'd talk to him about the brakes, but honestly it likely wouldn't do much good. Set in his ways, that Doctor. The doors creaked open, and when the Archiver grabbed his hand, she only delighted a small bit in the surprise and anger at the sight of her.

Oh, they would have words later, she was sure.

For now, though, she urged Evelina and her family onto the Tardis. "Come with us, you'll be safe."

Their awe at the bigger-on-the-inside ship was short lived when the Doctor took to the controls again. He flew the Tardis to the hills, a safe distance away to leave the family.

They stood on the hillside, watching the cloud of ash and smoke spread, debris raining down on Pompeii. The Doctor looked to the man beside him, chewing on his next words. "It's never forgotten, Caecilius. Oh, time will pass – man will move on and stories will fade, but one day, Pompeii will be found again. In thousands of years, and everyone will remember you."

Donna stepped forward, a weight settling on her chest at the sight of the city. "What about you, Evelina? Can you see anything?"

The young girl closed her eyes, searching for hints to the future. "The visions have gone."

"The explosion was so powerful, it cracked open a rift in time. Just for a second," the Doctor explained, eyeing the Archiver as she approached the edge of the hill. "That's what gave you the gift of prophecy. It echoed back into the Pyrovillian alternative." He sighed as he watched her, hearts wilting. "But not anymore, you're free."

"But tell me, who are you, Doctor?" Metella asked, tears trailing down her cheeks. "With your words and your temple containing such size within."

"Oh, I was never here. Don't tell anyone," he warned.

"And…your Archiver?"

The Doctor's brow furrowed, following her gaze to the Archiver. She stood at the edge, hands out before her with her palms up. He'd wager her eyes were closed, breaths deep and steady. Humming her song.

"Doctor, what's she doing?" Donna frowned, recognizing the position from back in the villa.

"She's…" he paused, smiling softly at her, creased at the edges with sadness. "She's putting them to sleep."

"She – she's what?"

"All twenty thousand, she's putting them to sleep. As peaceful a sendoff as she can manage." He walked up to the Archiver, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear, trailing his fingers down her cheek. He kissed her temple, gently rousing her from the depths of her mind. "Time to go, Archiver."

She nodded, exhaustion setting in from the effort of spreading her mind so thinly. It was rare and rather straining to stretch to so many other minds, but she could hear their screaming. Their pain and panic. She couldn't stand it, couldn't let them suffer in death. She let the Doctor lead her and Donna to the Tardis, taking one last look at Caecilius and his family.

They'd be okay, and they'd remember.

"Thank you," Donna breathed once they were back in the Tardis. "Really, both of you."

"Yeah," the Doctor said, already flicking switches, eyes trailing to the Archiver. They had some things they needed to talk about, things to clear up, but – she looked so tired then. Or maybe defeated was a better word. "You were right, Donna. Sometimes I need someone…someone who doesn't see the universe the way we do. So, um, welcome aboard."

Donna smiled, for the first time feeling like she belonged with the Doctor…and with the Archiver. She'd been frightened today by the time jumping woman – by her changing face and different names. By the implications made about her involvement with the lost Pyrovillian planet. She had questions, and frankly she deserved answers, but not just then. Not with the way the Doctor was looking at her. "I'm going to…I don't know. I need some time, and a shower." As she passed the two Time Lords, she paused. "Thank you again, Doctor, and…Archiver? We're going to have a talk later about this new face of yours." She winked before turning to follow the lit path the Tardis provided, hopefully leading to her room.

The Doctor fiddled with the Tardis console, glancing back and forth between his hands and the Archiver. When it became clear she wasn't going to be the first one to break the silence, he sighed. "You stayed behind."

"You didn't notice."

"I could have left you there! If I hadn't gone back, if I hadn't listened to Donna…"

"If you hadn't listened to Donna, I wouldn't have wanted to stay with you anyway."

"Y-you what?" His hearts stuttered at the words, even the idea of her not being there, of choosing to leave…he'd let her go, if that was what she really wanted. He hoped she never wanted that.

Pushing her hands into her pockets, the Archiver met the Doctor's eyes steadily. "You're oddly traditional for a Time Lord who breaks the laws created by our people so often."

He looked away, tugging his ear. "Yes, well…"

"Pompeii was – is a fixed point. We couldn't have saved those people," the Archiver continued, stepping closer to the Doctor. "It's always the 'how' of it all that gets in the way."

"And you see the 'how', I know."

"Yes, well – sometimes anyway. Bit finnicky." She paused, words bobbing in her throat. "You were always meant to be there to pull that lever. And that's not your fault."

Shaking his head, because he knew where she was going with this, the Doctor gripped one of the nearest railings. "Oh, but it's your fault then? Is that what you're saying?"

"Yes."

He grit his teeth, that black spot of anger flaring along the wall of his hearts. Not at her, never at her, but at what his people – the people he missed dearly and still, despite it all, wished he could bring back – had done to her. To many others like her. "Whatever they made you do, that wasn't on you."

"The Pyrovile were in Pompeii because I destroyed their planet, made it uninhabitable for them – and probably for anyone else down the line." She looked down at her hand, flexing the fingers beneath the glove and curling it into a fist. "It was just a disintegrating rock when I left, getting smaller and smaller with every orbit around its sun. I doubt it's there at all anymore."

"It wasn't –"

"They were an assimilating race, like a virus," she interrupted, lost in the memories. "The beasts we saw in Pompeii…they were starting over. Base structure, still a tad too barbaric and angry. When I destroyed them, they were a civilization, growing and learning as any other." Releasing her fist, she watched her fingers shake. Always shaking. "I was told they were a threat, and that they needed to be dealt with."

The Doctor grabbed her hand, thumb tracing the plain of her palm. "You're not responsible for what the Asset was ordered to do."

"I am the Asset."

"Wrong." He touched his forehead to hers, closing his eyes. Enjoying the calming aura of her mind against his own. "You are the Archiver." Swaying back and forth, the Doctor smiled, a little secret in the rock of his feet. "Dance with me, sweetheart!"

Pulling her along, he twirled his Archiver, smile widening as she laughed tentatively. One of his favorite sounds, that laugh – this one probably the best of them all, rare as it was. He bounced in a rather silly fashion, spinning and tapping and holding her close when he got the chance. And there they danced, chest to chest, swaying to the beat of the other's hearts. Soft, calm, and just a little lighter.

The Tardis hummed beneath their feet.

*O*O*

She'd forced the Doctor to clean up and get some sleep a few hours ago, after successfully teaming up with the Tardis. It'd been too long for him, she could tell. Weeks maybe. And while Time Lords could last a dozen or more days without sleep, that didn't mean it was unimportant. That he wasn't hurting himself by refusing to sleep.

And maybe she was being a bit of a hypocrite, but she didn't particularly feel like sleeping. In part because she wasn't quite sure what that might entail. Would she find red trainers and extra pin-stripe suit jackets on the iron wrack? Spare glasses and jars of hair gel on her work bench? A body to share the bed with? She wasn't ready to find out.

It hadn't been very long since her last rem cycle anyway. Sure, her mind was a tad spent from putting Pompeii to rest, but sleep wasn't the way to remedy that kind of exhaustion. Meditation would be the quick fix, but really she just needed to let her mind relax.

She'd taken to wondering the Tardis. So far she'd found half a dozen bathrooms, a screening room, two pools, a few guest rooms – clearly occupied at some point – and the library. If she wasn't careful, Archie was sure she'd get lost in the shelves. She continued down the halls, occasionally knocking her knuckles against the metal walls. A bit distracted really, thinking about dancing with the Doctor earlier.

Eventually, she decided to head back towards the console room – the Doctor would likely be up soon and she wanted to spend some time fixing the bugs in her glove in silence – only to come across a door she was sure hadn't been there the first go-around. Looking up, she huffed under her breath and grinned. "Cheeky ship."

The door was a lighter gray metal than the surrounding walls. Clean, with no rust or scratches of any kind. No handle either, so maybe more of a hatch than a door. And engraved into the center was the Gallifreyan sigil for 'Archives'. Raising a finger to trace along the embedded symbol, the Archiver stopped before touching the metal. "Must be that studio you mentioned – will mention. Oh, you really are cheeky."

Just as her finger brushed the surface of the door, a soft blue light traced along the lines until it filled the entire symbol and it slid open with a low whoosh of air. She took a deep breath before stepping inside.

"There's no windows," she noticed right away, which wasn't that surprising considering the nature of the ship, but even her bedroom had an artificial view. The floor was a dark wood with little give beneath her steps. Turning in a slow circle, Archie realized how incredibly big the room was. Two stories of walls lined with bookshelves, an iron platform at the midpoint for simpler access she supposed. There were nearly a dozen sliding ladders scattered along the railings.

Floating balls of light created a warm glow – and she literally meant floating. They drifted through the air like bubbles at varying heights, bouncing off each other despite their not so solid appearance.

Walking up to the nearest shelf, Archie pulled out a book with a pale pink color and a single thin black stripe down the spine. Old looking with raw edges and what might have been a tea stain in the corner, it had no other discernible markings on the front or spine besides the stripe, so she flipped to the first page. It was handwritten – in English strangely enough.

Downing Street with Rose Tyler and Nine

Acceptable Readers:

Archiver 7 – Post Krafayis

Archiver 8

Slamming the journal shut – because it certainly was a journal, one of her own – she replaced it on the shelf and took deep measured breaths. "Okay, much more than a studio." Taking several steps back from the shelf, she noticed gaps in the book spacing. It was like…like bits missing from a timeline. Her own timeline. The entire first floor of shelves seemed to be filled with leather books of a similar nature, though with some varying colors and either one, two, or three stripes. Some journals were clearly hundreds of pages long – a few tied together with twine, probably meant to be a set – while others were disarmingly short. And sometimes ornate boxes with similar colors and labels, more intricate in design, broke the pattern. She imagined they contained knickknacks or souvenirs.

Shaking her head, the Archiver stepped to the closest ladder and made her way up to the second level. Every space on this floor was filled, and not a single box. Every journal was black, no stripes or telling details. She plucked one from the shelf and flipped to the first page. It was written in Gallifreyan.

Krillitanes with the Pierce Twins

She dropped the book, bracing herself on the railing as she tried to catch her breath. These books, they were her life. Not just with the Doctor, but all of it. Maybe from the very beginning – which was dangerous, so incredibly fucking dangerous. What had she been thinking, documenting her knowledge like this? If anyone, anyone, got ahold of these books and found a way to translate them…even if it was the Doctor –

Archie shook her head, kneeling down to grab the journal and put it back on the shelf. She was clearly the only one who could get in, based on the manner it took to open the door at all. The Tardis would protect this place, just as Jitterbug had done for her centuries ago.

It was weird though, that she had taken the risk to write it all down. She understood keeping track of her timeline with the Doctor, especially considering her unreliable memory at the moment, but the rest? One of her versions must have been seriously sentimental to do it.

Pausing a moment, the Archiver looked through a few of the others surrounding the Krillitane journal – or one of them anyway, there was bound to be a couple more around. Resilient creatures, the Krillitanes. Blinking when she noticed more 'adventures' with the Pierce siblings, she started counting, moving along the shelf until she spotted a book that seemed a little out of place.

Black as all the others, only…not. Maybe the oldest looking one – the first of the collection? But, no that wouldn't have been her first memories. Not in that placement. The book was almost gray, the leather having faded and scuffed, and there was a clear line in the dust along the shelf. So, she looked at the book often, she supposed. A memory she loved…or hated.

She knew what it was and put it back, fingers lingering on the spine.

Once back on the ground floor – although did 'ground' even exist in a Tardis? – the Archiver made her way towards the desk in the very center of the room. The set up was rather simple. An iron framed desk and cozy-looking pale blue chair, cushioned with a small pillow for her back. She sat down.

There was a variety of writing equipment. An inkwell and quill at the far left. A typewriter front and center. A cup of ballpoint pens. And a stack of charcoal peaking out from their canvas wrappings. In one of the drawers was a stack of cream parchment. Another held bookbinding materials, including the different colors of leather for the covers. There was also a side table filled with unfinished works and a bin labeled 'to be filed later'. She wondered who might get the honor.

Breathing in slowly, the Archiver looked to one of the floating lights near her head. "I guess it's my turn then," she sighed and reached for a ballpoint pen, moving the typewriter aside for a fresh slip of parchment.

She remembered her time with the Dalek in Utah. She remembered meeting Amelia Pond and Rory Williams a second time. And she remembered Pompeii.

She started writing.